My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 16

Although she had been careful and had taken great precautions to conceal her tracks... this time, the enemy she faced was not infected creatures, nor infected individuals, nor the bandits that roamed the wilderness... but rather highly trained personnel from a large state government. Margarita was very worried about this—but there was no point in going back to cover herself up a second time, so she could only worry and take no concrete action.

Moreover, after returning here, the ghosts of her parents disappeared... Margarita couldn't even seek their advice, which made her very disheartened.

"Margarita? Sigh, leave it to me... Are you really not hurt?"

The sound of the bathroom door opening came from behind her. Margarita didn't turn around, only responding with a soft "Mmm." Hearing this, the man sighed helplessly, took the showerhead from her hand, and said:

"...It seems we'll have to move to a different place now."

“But…we finally have a home here…” Margarita muttered softly, feeling a warm current running down her back as the hot water from the showerhead washed over her back and the back of her hair. “…Why would they come looking for you…?”

"Maybe it's because my Originium Arts were exposed? Hmm. Probably." Yang Hao said this somewhat absentmindedly. After washing away the blood from Margarita's back, he began to rinse her hair. Much of her gray hair was also stained with blood, and the murky liquid flowed down as the hot water rinsed it. "In short, the people targeting me are probably high-ranking officials in the state government... We need to get out of here before the city moves backward on the 21st."

"Why can't we just run away? Like before..."

“Because Jack and his family are here too... Many of our friends are here, and unlike us, they can't just leave this city, leave this country, anytime... So I have to leave them a way out. And since this whole thing started because of me, it's my responsibility to resolve it.”

"It started because of you?"

"Ah, I haven't told you yet? That city lord is a pawn of the state government. The state government ordered him to move towards Bolívar, just to wait for me to make my move... Sigh, now they've succeeded. But their actions against me will probably take some time. We just need to leave Colombia before then."

“But if we leave Colombia…where can we go?” Margarita curled up, letting Yang Hao wash her hair with his hands. “No matter where we escape to…we’ll be watched. Where can we escape to…we…we only have the wilderness left to go…”

Where could they escape to? Margarita knew that as long as Yang Hao used his abilities, he would be watched no matter where he went. Was the wilderness all they had left to escape to?

However, that was clearly not the case; Yang Hao had already made a plan.

“They’re targeting me after all,” he chuckled, rinsing the soap off Margarita’s hair with hot water. He sighed, “So, in other words…it’s just targeting me. I can leave once you’ve settled down, Margarita—”

Yang Hao had originally planned to wait until Margarita settled down in a city in the East before heading to Ursus. After all, he could bring Margarita to his wedding then, right?

But now he regrets it.

Because after hearing what he said, Margarita stood up abruptly, turned around with incredible speed, and forcefully pushed the still-dazed Margarita down onto the bathroom tiles.

"..."

"Margarita?"

She used a lot of force, and Yang Hao felt a slight pain where his fingers were touching the ground. But more than that... what was she even saying?

“…Don’t leave me,” Margarita murmured, her grip on Yang Hao’s shoulders shifting with varying pressure, mirroring the ever-changing expression on her face—sometimes dark and lifeless, sometimes filled with fear. “Don’t leave me…don’t go to Ursus…don’t go to that Koschche…don’t go to that monster…don’t…”

And...where did she find out Miss Koschitch's name?

Yang Hao realized that he seemed to have entered a dilemma.

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"...do not leave Me..."

In Yang Hao's memory, this seemed to be the first time Margarita had truly expressed her desires to him. She had always been secretive before... Yang Hao could only try to understand her thoughts through her subtle hints, and she could only understand her own thoughts through her own hints... Perhaps their failure to succeed was their fault.

But now, Yang Hao needs to get up from the ground before he can properly explain his thoughts and feelings to Margarita.

“Margarita…get up first,” he comforted her. “I won’t leave you now…but please get up first, okay?”

"..."

She nodded, released her hands from Yang Hao's shoulders, and moved away from him. She was now completely exposed to Yang Hao, but she wasn't ashamed or afraid; she was simply terrified of something more important.

Does that mean I'm leaving her...?

Yang Hao got up from the ground and sat down, looking at Margarita. He realized that Margarita saw him as some kind of irreplaceable substitute, but what exactly was that?

Was he her brother? Or the only person she could confide in? Or perhaps, was she using him as a substitute for her long-deceased father, seeking an unattainable paternal love within herself?

Recalling the first time Yang Hao saw a photo of Margarita's father at her home, even he was surprised at how similar he looked to Margarita's father. It's no exaggeration to say that if his face were a little more pointed and his skin a little fairer, few would doubt that he was Margarita's father's brother.

...So that's why she's worried about leaving? Because her father died in an accident while going out, is that why Margarita is worried that she'll never return?

...Having already identified Margarita as a "close friend," these were the only guesses Yang Hao could come up with. But was Margarita really as he thought?

Having already developed a kind of "life illusion" because of Margarita's experiences, Yang Hao also doubted whether his current guesses were true... But never mind. Let's ask Margarita the most important question first...

“I understand, Margarita, we’ll go together then… but how did you know… her name? And what do you mean by monster? And… why don’t you want me to leave? Why don’t you want me to go to Ursus?” Sitting on the bathroom tiles, Yang Hao reached out and gently stroked Margarita’s shoulder, softly comforting her as he asked.

She looked at Yang Hao with lifeless, dark eyes, and finally, she leaned against him, curled up, and whispered:

"...Mr. Jack told me."

"Oh."

Jack? Jack doesn't know Miss Koschke's name, so Margarita must be—

...a prophecy...?

Yang Hao's lips twitched, thinking that Margarita's ability was truly too special.

Margarita's prophetic abilities extend beyond natural disasters; she can foresee the movements of anyone intending to attack her, allowing her to dodge in advance or launch a surprise attack. However, if Yang Hao remembers correctly, Margarita's prophecies can only predict natural disasters up to six months in advance, and enemy attacks in a pinch can only be predicted up to half an hour in advance...

How did she learn of Miss Koschke's abilities through a "prophecy"...? Ah, that vial of blood, that vial of the first vampire's blood...

It must be the amplification of Margarita's abilities that it brought. Yang Hao sighed as he thought of this.

"...Did that bottle of blood bring you this?"

"..."

She nodded silently, murmuring softly, "That blood... made me stronger... I don't feel hungry even now... Yang Hao, I can even see Mom and Dad..."

"Mom and dad?"

“Um…their ghosts…I…I want to talk to them, I want their advice…but they’re avoiding me…” Her voice was already trembling with tears. “I don’t know what to do…and now you’re saying you’re leaving…I—”

"Alright, alright, stop crying, you insecure little bat..."

The ghosts of her parents? Is this also an ability granted by the blood of the first vampire? The ability to communicate with the dead... No wonder Margarita is like this.

In Yang Hao's mind, the ability to communicate with the deceased is a very burdensome ability.

After all, not everyone is willing to face the soul of a long-dead person... especially when the deceased is one's closest relative.

Just like now, Margarita, facing her long-dead parents, must have a thousand words to say—but her parents may be unable to say them for various reasons.

Perhaps it's because the dead can't speak, or perhaps it's because the dead can't hear the voices of the living. In any case... Margarita has had a hard time ever since she could see the ghosts of the dead, Yang Hao now knows.

He didn't doubt the possibility that Margarita was lying, because he knew Margarita wouldn't lie to him, at most she would hide something. Besides, if even he wasn't willing to believe Margarita, then no one in the world would believe this poor blood demon.

...Yang Hao held Margarita and comforted her for a while before the blood demon girl, whose mental state was on the verge of collapse, returned to normal.

Immediately afterward, Yang Hao decided to skip the question of whether Miss Koschei was a monster... He wanted to know why Margarita didn't want him to go to Ursus. He already knew (in his opinion) why Margarita didn't want him to leave her, but he really couldn't understand why Margarita didn't want to go to Ursus—even if he took her with him.

Faced with Yang Hao's question, Margarita Han fell silent once again.

Just as Yang Hao thought this might be another fruitless attempt, and that Margarita was unwilling to answer his questions because she wouldn't reveal the reason, he saw the Blood Demon girl reach out and grab the hem of her wet clothes.

"...She is...a monster."

"monster?"

Besides that? He patted Margarita's gray hair, thinking, what other reasons could there be?

...No, wouldn't it be better if he himself explained why he wanted to go to Ursus?

“But Margarita. I—”

Yang Hao took a deep breath, intending to reveal that he had gone to Ursus for his wedding.

But before he could utter those words, Margarita suddenly covered his mouth.

What's going on? Yang Hao looked at Margarita, who had suddenly sprang to her feet, in confusion, but then heard her say this:

somebody is coming.

Chapter 43

Yang Hao immediately used his [Puppet Stage] ability. After using the ability, he discovered that a [Troop] had appeared in front of his house at some point, a troop whose unit badge was unknown, but whose name was known.

【K's Secret Police】. That's the name of that unit, a gold skull-level unit, the highest level in assassination and espionage. But this unit? Yang Hao had absolutely no recollection of it, let alone knowing the exact level and capabilities of a unit he'd never encountered before... Could it be—

He suddenly realized that the changes Margarita underwent after drinking that vial of blood weren't just limited to those in reality... The current Margarita seemed to be judged as "friendly" by the [Puppet Stage], yet she was an uncontrollable being. Maps of her past activities remained, and Yang Hao could now clearly see the people she had killed.

Not only that...

"...Don't make a sound. I'll take them out."

Margarita whispered to Yang Hao, and to his surprise, she bit Yang Hao's lip before putting on her clothes and leaving the bathroom.

Yang Hao, on the other hand, stood there, stunned, touching the spot where he had been bitten, a strange feeling welling up inside him.

Perhaps he figured out why Margarita didn't want him to go to Ursus... but...

This is way too late.

... .....

The wet clothes did not have any further negative effect on Margarita, who was already in a bad mood.

She didn't know why she couldn't express her feelings just now... She was still afraid, afraid that if her confession failed, they wouldn't even be able to be friends anymore?

But... she was now incredibly glad she hadn't confessed her feelings... because if she had, she would have given him even more unreasonable reasons in her impulsiveness, wanting him to stay in this city, to stay in this paper country... but that wouldn't do.

Because the enemy has come knocking. If staying here would only mean being hunted down by endless enemies, Margarita would rather run away with him.

...But she was still afraid. Twenty years, more than twenty years of experience had made it impossible for her to muster the courage to face him. But why, why couldn't she face him, yet could she be so calm, as if dealing with any random pebble...?

What about facing these enemies?

Margarita silently walked into the living room. She didn't take her crossbow, but picked up the bolts. She had previously tried using the crossbow as a melee weapon with good results.

Just as Margarita picked up the crossbow, the first lock on the door in the corridor seemed to have been pried open. But they still hadn't come in?

'...The second lock.'

She walked silently into the corridor and noticed that Yang Hao had locked the door with a second lock.

That lock couldn't be opened from the outside; in other words, if someone wanted to get in, the only option left was to force their way in.

A full-scale attack...?

Margarita deliberately used her [Prophecy] ability. Through [Prophecy], she saw that one minute later, the enemy would use some kind of small explosive to blow open the main entrance and then enter in single file.

There were 12 of them; killing them would have been easy, and the aftermath...

...No, no need to do anything... Regardless of Yang Hao's wishes, given the situation, Margarita has no choice but to run away with him. Shall we escape to her house first? Hmm, we can stay there temporarily, and then leave the city the next day...

'Margarita.'

‘! ’

Just as Margarita was planning her next move, she suddenly heard a man's voice behind her. She was startled: this scene hadn't appeared in the prophecy. She quickly turned around, trying to make him hide, but found the prophecy had changed. The enemy outside had... left?

She looked at Yang Hao, puzzled, hoping for an explanation.

Facing Margarita's gaze, Yang Hao only bitterly stated that he had used his abilities to force the secret police to leave. They were safe for now, but it was best if they didn't leave before morning.

......

After a few minutes, Margarita finally relaxed completely after failing to find any signs of the enemies attacking again on her seventh attempt to use her [Prophecy] ability.

The continuous use of her abilities had taken a heavy toll on her. She sat weakly on the sofa, holding the energy drink Yang Hao had handed her. Since she could eat normal food again, she had come to enjoy these ordinary meals... but for a blood demon, these things provided far too little energy.

"Drink my blood." Seeing this, Yang Hao changed his clothes and stretched out his hand to Margarita, who was listlessly drinking her beverage. "I guess drinking blood will help you recover faster... Sigh, the plan to get the city out of the disaster zone has completely fallen through. I used up all those things after I got them to leave."

"...Is it alright?" Margarita knew that the "things" Yang Hao referred to were those that could move the city out of the disaster zone: crucial things that would force the city to relocate regardless of whether the powerful and wealthy wanted it or not. "I can kill them..."

“But no. If you kill them, we'll be completely cornered—they're alive now, so we have about two days of safety.” He shook his head; only Margarita, who knew his abilities, could understand his inner turmoil. “These secret police from the state government are clearly worth far more than the city lord's life. Letting them leave has already drained my savings... and killing them, my God, would take the effort of fifty city lords committing suicide to make them take their own lives…”

"...Are the state government people...very powerful?" Margarita put down her drink can, took Yang Hao's hand in her hands, and licked the spot she often bit. "Or...is the city lord not as powerful as them? And in less than two days..."

"It's more accurate to say that their willpower is not strong enough—the city lords of Columbia are basically all driven by profit... Where do they get the willpower to compare with those brutally trained secret police? And compared to this... less than two days... I can only do my best."

"Um..."

Margarita gently bit Yang Hao's wrist, sucking his blood. In her hunger, his blood tasted delicious.

But when I think of the existence of Duke Koschche, that monster who can change bodies at any time to survive... would that monster use his loved ones as props at will?

......

...

She didn't want him to go. If he insisted on going... then she would chase him to the ends of the earth.