Pain Immunity: Worried the Villains Aren’t Twisted Enough

Chapter 305: Any Performance Not Aimed at Controlling One's Own Fate Is Just Foolish Self-Indulgence

Xie Antong: ?

A clearly confused expression appeared beneath her helmet.

They were having a perfectly normal conversation—why had it suddenly turned into cryptic riddles? What did he mean by "walking toward fate"? This was getting a bit too metaphysical.

"Excuse me, could you elaborate? I'm having trouble understanding," Xie Antong asked, taking advantage of the princess's relatively stable condition. With Sin standing right behind her, she felt emboldened to ask more probing questions.

The princess let out a long sigh. "You've been here for a while now. You must have seen it—the crowds of citizens gathered below the castle, at the foot of the mountain."

Xie Antong nodded to show she understood.

"Do you think they're just here to watch the spectacle?" the princess continued. "As a princess—as the symbol of a nation—my fate is inherently tied to the country's rise and fall. This wedding has already been universally recognized as an absolute auspicious sign. As long as the ceremony succeeds, the nation will have a new ruler, and all the famines and disasters will vanish. Only then can true blessings descend upon us."

"Huh?" Xie Antong was momentarily stunned. "But isn't that just superstition? How could that possibly determine anything?"

"Superstition? What do you mean?" The princess looked equally baffled.

Seeing her expression, Xie Antong suddenly realized her mistake. She was still clinging to the materialistic mindset from her original world, not yet fully adapted to the Divine Selection Game's reality. But this world had superpowers. It had "gods." Which meant that here, this wasn't superstition—it was more like this world's version of science. Just as two powerful families merging through marriage could share resources, marrying a "divine child" would naturally bring divine protection.Understanding this world's fundamental nature left Xie Antong speechless.

"But... in that case..." she stammered. "Your mind is already in turmoil, and you're being forced to marry someone against your will. It's... hard to see how this could be considered auspicious."

The princess's gaze suddenly softened, and she smiled. "It's so nice talking to another girl. You actually empathize with this mad princess." Her smile faded slightly. "But it doesn't matter. Everything comes at a price, doesn't it? The title of 'princess' isn't just about living in a castle with servants at your beck and call. Of course... there's a price. And so many people's fates are tied to mine."

Xie Antong fell silent. Others might not understand, but those words had struck a chord deep within her. For a moment, both women stood in quiet contemplation.

"Pathetic!"

A harsh voice shattered the melancholic atmosphere like a hammer through glass. The princess's expression immediately darkened as she glared at Lu Ce perched on the boulder.

"Oh? Does our esteemed king have some wisdom to share?!" she snapped.

"Could you two please stop your little pity party?" Lu Ce's voice was ice-cold as he leaped down from the rock. He fixed the princess with a disdainful stare. "You claim the people's fates rest on your shoulders? Are you joking? What does that have to do with you?"

The princess let out a derisive laugh. "Of course it does! If the wedding doesn't happen, disasters will run rampant. The gods might punish us—this is reality! But if I marry, then favorable weather will return, and all those people kneeling outside for days—"

Lu Ce cut her off impatiently. "Oh really? And what if you marry and the famines continue? What if things get worse? What if a meteor smashes your kingdom to dust?"

The princess froze, completely at a loss for words.

"That... that wouldn't happen. The wedding is auspicious—everyone knows this. The gods—"

"So you admit it then?" Lu Ce interrupted again. "The people's fates don't rest with you at all. They rest with the gods, don't they?"

This time, even Xie Antong's pupils trembled at his words. Wait... he had a point!

"But... the wedding... everyone agreed..." The princess looked utterly lost now, her eyes unfocused as she mumbled to herself.

"Who agreed?" Lu Ce scoffed, the golden mask's eye symbols glaring down imperiously. "The gods? And if they change their minds? What could you possibly do about it?"

The princess: "......"

Not all gods are as unscrupulous as you...

But Lu Ce's words had genuinely stumped her. She'd never considered these possibilities before.

"Without power, without any leverage, without any means to negotiate—you're just handing everything over to someone else," Lu Ce continued mercilessly. "And you have the audacity to talk about accepting your fate? What fate? You're just being manipulated by stronger beings. Here's a promise—if you kill yourself right now, I guarantee your people will prosper. Go ahead and die."

The princess's gaze grew vacant, her voice hollow as she responded, "Do... do you mean that?"

"Try dying and find out," Lu Ce sneered.

Xie Antong couldn't bear it anymore. She grabbed the princess's hand, afraid she might actually do something drastic.

"Ahahaha..."

That strange laughter bubbled up from the princess again, as if she'd slipped back into madness. Tears streamed silently down her cheeks.

"So what should I do then? What can I possibly do?"

"For weaklings who can't control their own fate?" Lu Ce said coldly. "Fight like hell. At least if you die, it'll be by your own choice. Having your fate in someone else's hands is no different from being dead."

"But all those people—"

"What's that got to do with you? They should be fighting too. If they're stupid enough to entrust their fates to you, then they deserve what they get."

The princess: "......"

She'd never heard such cruel words before. They crashed into her mind like a violent assault.

"You're... truly vicious..."

The Arrogance Mask actually laughed. "Any performance not aimed at controlling one's own fate is just foolish self-indulgence."