novelraw Chapter 182 - 180: You, All You Think About Is Yourself
Chapter 182 - 180: You, All You Think About Is Yourself
"You must be quite powerful, perhaps not even weaker than me. Otherwise, West wouldn’t have taken a liking to you. But you must understand, he doesn’t like you for who you are—what West loves is merely your power. And without a deeper bond, that affection will never transform into true love."
Reiya’s speech made Duke Qinghui look over.
She was so right, he couldn’t even argue.
The Silver-haired Princess had always been intelligent, and Westheid had never bothered to hide his own thoughts, so she was well aware of his criteria for choosing a partner.
Looks didn’t matter. Personality was irrelevant. Strength was the only thing that counted!
Mivana frowned. "That doesn’t matter. There is a bond between Teacher West and me."
A faint smile touched the Silver-haired Dragon Lady’s lips. "What bond?"
The lovely and elegant Wolf-eared Maiden placed a hand on her ample chest, her beautiful golden eyes clear and resolute.
"I used to think my destiny was a bleak and difficult one. It was because of Teacher West that I was able to cast off my confusion and cowardice and truly walk toward the future."
Upon hearing this, Reiya nodded thoughtfully, speaking with deep empathy.
"That’s right. No matter what lies ahead, no matter how difficult it gets, West will give his all for you without a second thought, without hesitation, and without a single complaint."
Mivana nodded emphatically. "I completely agree."
Just as the atmosphere seemed to soften, Reiya’s expression abruptly changed. She said:
"That’s merely the foundation. West is willing to face fate alongside you, but are you prepared to face *his* fate? Or will you do nothing but take from him? Become his burden?"
Hearing this, Mivana glanced at Westheid and nodded.
"Of course not. I’m willing to do anything, as long as I’m able."
The Silver-haired Dragon Lady stepped forward, her Cang Tong eyes turning sharp and cold.
"Such arrogance! How much do you really know about West? Do you know his convictions, his ambitions, his sacrifices?! You know nothing!"
"You’re nothing more than a Ranger Knight. Can you possibly carry the weight of West’s life?"
"...You only ever think of yourself, don’t you."
Reiya’s string of weighty questions made the very air seem to solidify, pressing down with immense gravity.
Westheid was completely stunned.
’Hey, why are you putting pressure on Mivana, too?’
She was being a bit too harsh. Westheid couldn’t help but look at Mivana worriedly, but his concern was misplaced.
Mivana might seem cool and a bit dense on the surface, but she possessed a great wisdom that masqueraded as foolishness. If an ordinary person had been on the receiving end of Reiya’s verbal assault, their will would have long been broken. The Wolf-eared Maiden, however, merely shook her head gently.
"I like Teacher West, and you like him, too. Since we both like the same person, we should be friends."
The Lady Knight’s dazzling golden eyes were filled with an incredible earnestness as she met Reiya’s gaze.
"Words are cheap. I will prove myself with my actions... I may be a Ranger Knight now, but I won’t be one forever."
Fortunately, the confrontation between Reiya and Mivana ended there.
Reiya, having gained the upper hand in the argument, won the right to remain by Westheid’s side. Mivana, for her part, simply turned and walked away.
Perhaps for the Lady Knight, this wasn’t a retreat. Mivana was indifferent to fame and fortune and rarely took part in boisterous gatherings anyway. But the Silver-haired Princess clearly considered it her victory.
And so, the victorious Princess lifted her elegant neck, looking at Duke Qinghui with eyes full of adoration.
"See, West? I’m the only one who’s truly special. Only I can become the most special person to you."
Westheid: "..."
Even with his world-shaking intellect, he had no idea how to respond.
’I’ve never been so on the back foot!’
Westheid couldn’t possibly favor one over the other. It was a battle of T0 versus T0. ’How could I choose? It’s like asking me to choose between the palm and the back of my hand!’
’I’d rather they targeted me. A Chaotic Scene like that would actually be easier to handle. But neither Reiya nor Mivana ever turned their fire on the scoundrel himself.’
’Seriously, ladies, can we not have this catfight? It’s all the scumbag’s fault! Just yell at me! Yell at me!’
The only thing that gave Westheid a shred of comfort was that the situation remained contained.
Ultimately, neither of them was an unreasonable or willful person. Their one commonality was how deeply they cared for Westheid, so naturally, they wouldn’t put Duke Qinghui in a position where he would lose face.
If anything, both sides were being remarkably restrained. They had only exchanged a few terse words without a single curse, so it could hardly be called a vicious confrontation.
But adopting an adversarial stance from the moment they met was not a good sign. In Westheid’s grand design, both Reiya and Mivana were meant to be his Apostles for his own Ascension. If the Apostles didn’t get along, the Ascension Ceremony itself would face major problems.
During the banquet that followed, a troubled Westheid had no choice but to accompany Reiya.
The Chaotic Scene created by the two powerhouses was so intimidating that not only did Rozana and Liliana—who were actually involved with Westheid—not dare to approach, but even Shamuel and Hecate, who had no skin in the game, took stock of the situation and chose to steer clear.
And in the days that followed, the situation didn’t improve. Whenever Reiya and Mivana met, they would exchange a few words, almost always parting on bad terms.
Although both remained extremely restrained, limiting their exchanges to words, people are not entirely rational beings. Who knew when the conflict might escalate?
Westheid racked his brain trying to improve their relationship, but no good ideas came to him.
’For all my world-shaking intellect, I’m in such a pathetic state!’
The Qinghui Patriarch even sought help from the sister he considered shallow and foolish.
"Sigh... what should I do?"
"It’s because you aren’t trying hard enough, brother."
Seeing Duke Qinghui sighing at his desk, Yolanda said:
"If you were powerful enough, you wouldn’t need to make such compromises, getting blamed by everyone. You could just use absolute power to crush them. I’ve never heard of an Emperor having to be afraid of his own concubines."
Westheid: "Are you stating the obvious?"
If he could achieve Ascension and become a god right now, he wouldn’t have any of these troubles. He’d just take them all, however many there were, and break them! Break them until they wouldn’t dare to defy him ever again.
’My verdict on this so-called Chaotic Scene? They all just need to get laid.’
It might sound crude, but it was actually a perfectly valid solution. After all, the fundamental principle of this world—where all power is one’s own—was the worship of the strong.
As long as you were strong enough, anything you did was right.
The strongest set the rules. The strongest judged all living things. The strongest could do as they pleased.
It is precisely because a Celestial God is the strongest that a god’s will can dominate the minds and spirits of mortals.
Unfortunately for Westheid, forget becoming a god—if not for the shared Talent from his [Heart and Soul’s Gift], he wouldn’t even be qualified to stand beside heaven’s chosen like Reiya and Mivana, let alone surpass them.