Chapter 35: I Will Not Abandon You

Klisa ran while crying.

She ran very far.

Very, very far.

So far that even the knights sent by her "Father" could not find her.

Since then, young Klisa began a life of wandering, constantly, continuously switching between half-dead and near-death.

Her Demon Race identity was simply too easy to recognize.

The kind-hearted people who originally wanted to adopt Klisa would let out terrified cries upon seeing the horns on her head, then quickly flee.

Why?

Why must it be this way?

Young Klisa did not understand, and it wasn't until she was a little older that she understood the reason for people's fear.

This is a great era ruled by gods; the gods are benevolent and generous, protecting humanity with supreme Divine Power, while the Demon Race are evil, foolish creatures that always slaughter humans and oppose the gods.

Therefore, people detest the Demon Race from the bottom of their hearts.

"Get out, get out!"

"Great Sun God, please send down your raging fire to burn this witch to death!"

People would either detest and drive her away, or chase her with swords and blades.

Klisa could not find a place to settle down.

Thus, she could only follow her mother's last words, keep running, run to a place further away, run to a place where even she could survive.

Holding onto this thought, Klisa wandered for a long time.

She had smiled before, when she picked up naturally fallen fruit by the roadside and took a bite that tasted sweet in her heart.

She had cried before, when she tried to join the games of human children, only to be ostracized and pelted with stones until she was covered in wounds.

Later on.

Laughter and tears disappeared.

Only fear remained.

The more she grew, the more obvious Klisa's Demon Race features became.

As long as one got a little closer, people could clearly see the horns on her head, the scales on her body; those were the symbols of a demon.

Thus, more violence descended.

They would use hard stones and rotten, foul-smelling food to pelt the girl from afar, leaving her covered in stench and wounds.

They would tirelessly unleash violence, kicking or whipping her, taking pleasure in the girl's pleas and screams.

They even tied the girl behind a carriage, letting it drag her across the ground.

Mother…

Why on earth is this happening…

In the repeated torture, the light in the girl's eyes completely vanished, and since then, her emotions became defective.

She knew not what joy was, and did not understand where sorrow came from.

"Actually, this counts as a good thing."

Klisa said this, her eyes staring blankly ahead, without ripples, only eternal emptiness.

If she doesn't get sad, she won't cry, which saves a lot of energy; after losing her emotions, her running speed became much faster than before.

As long as she runs fast enough, she won't get beaten.

Klisa shared her running-away experience with Xu Xi; when saying these things, she was expressionless, and her tone had no fluctuations at all.

She could not feel cold, could not feel heat, could not feel the warmth of a heart.

Just like a robot.

Stating her past.

She told Xu Xi that muddy water didn't taste good because it contained a lot of sand and gravel, which made her stomach feel uncomfortable when she drank it.

By comparison, the city's drainage ditches might be better, and the rats inside could be used to stave off hunger…

"Enough, Klisa!"

Xu Xi spoke out suddenly, interrupting the girl's words.

He took a deep breath, his voice unprecedentedly heavy: "I'm sorry, really, I'm so sorry for making you recall so many painful things. I… am very sorry."

The sound of self-reproach broke the silence in the air.

Especially after making eye contact with Klisa's hollow, lifeless eyes.

That self-reproach and guilt.

Became even deeper.

"Sorry…?" The Demon Race girl appeared very confused; she could not understand why Xu Xi was apologizing to her. Was it because she said something she shouldn't have?

The master cannot be wrong; the sun that saved her cannot be wrong.

Klisa truly felt this way.

Since Xu Xi was not wrong.

Then the one who was wrong must be herself, right?

Thinking of this, Klisa looked at Xu Xi and suggested with a sincere tone: "Making you so troubled, I must be very useless. Please discard me."

Useless items should be thrown away; this was the thought in the girl's heart.

After all.

She was thrown out by her "Father" just like that.

The witch thought she didn't have any advantages, except that she was excellent at being obedient.

Although she liked Xu Xi very much, although she wanted to stay by Xu Xi's side forever, although she never wanted to wander again, if Xu Xi chose to throw her away, she would definitely leave far away.

Just like how her mother once told her to run, and she obediently ran for a long time.

Yes.

As long as she is obedient, it will be fine.

Klisa sat obediently in place, fingers crossed and pressed against her thighs, waiting for Xu Xi's verdict to let her roll out of this wonderful, dreamlike home.

A little reluctant, but there was no other way.

After all, she was so ugly, incompetent, and lowly.

Being abandoned was also a matter of course.

To have had such a period of being treated gently, she should be content; how could she ask for more?

"…" Klisa sat quietly in place, still with that hollow, lifeless face, but her crossed fingers were unconsciously rubbing against each other.

It was clearly only a few seconds of waiting, yet it seemed to stretch out infinitely.

Making the emotionless girl feel inexplicably uneasy.

Finally.

She waited for the final "Verdict".

A warm, familiar, broad hand gently covered Klisa's head, moving back and forth, rubbing it, with faint warmth and comfort being transmitted.

"I will not abandon Klisa."

Xu Xi said this.

His voice was very soft, but his tone was firm, and at the same time, full of heartache and affection.

"Eh?" This result was obviously beyond the girl's expectations; she let out a flat sound of surprise, unexpectedly very cute, and looked up at Xu Xi.

"Really, Mentor?"

She asked.

"Mm, really."

Xu Xi replied.

The misfortune that had shrouded her since birth suddenly vanished, and the beauty that would only appear in dreams now truly shone into reality.

Like a ray of light, bringing brightness to the girl.

Klisa was dazed for a long time.

She thought, if it were in the past, she should have laughed happily, or shed tears of being moved.

But after her emotional defect, she had never experienced these two emotions again.

"…Thank you."

In the silent meditation room.

The girl suddenly felt her nose turn a bit sour.

Perhaps she was just tired from practicing meditation, she thought to herself.

[The witch's talent makes you surprised, but what makes you care more is the witch's past and experiences]

[Trampling, bullying, hunting, abuse, torture… Almost all the evil acts you can imagine, Klisa has suffered; her life is full of suffering, and if she weren't so young, something irreversible might have even happened]

[You cannot help but think, whether human malice exceeds that of the demons in the abyss]

[You realize that just cultivating Klisa's power is far from enough]

[You also need to cultivate Klisa's personality, making her an independent person who can live well even after leaving you]