The Author's POV

Chapter 860

Epilogue — Effort's never betray you [2]

Tok—

"..."

The sound of the glass bottle tapping against the stone grave echoed in the quiet surroundings as Melissa stood there, consumed by her thoughts.

With a firm grip on the bottle, she took a small gulp of the liquid it contained, feeling its bittersweet taste on her lips.

Drip— Drip!

A cascade of juices trickled down the side of her mouth as she hastily withdrew the bottle.

"Haaagh."

She exhaled, her breath heavy and her cheeks rosy.

"You know…"

She started speaking.

"…I know full well that I need to let go of you. Let go of the memories that I keep on clinging to."

Her vision started to blur as she removed her glasses, allowing her emerald eyes to be exposed to the world.

"I just… I guess I still want an excuse to be mean. I grew to hate the world because of you, but at the same time, I grew to have fun hating the world. Not caring about others' opinions, pushing away those who tried to form connections with me, and, overall, embracing my inner cynic didn't feel so terrible."

Extending her hand, she gingerly placed the glass bottle atop the cold gravestone.

Tok—

"But there comes a point when enough is enough."

Melissa let out a weary sigh, blinking her eyes repeatedly as she adjusted to the altered clarity of her blurred vision.

"It's time that I let go of you and myself. I can't be like this anymore. I guess…"

She closed her eyes, raising her face toward the sky.

"…It's time for me to finally move on. So should you if you're listening to me. I still resent you, but you should learn not to give a fuck like me. So what if my life ended up shitty? In the end, I'm still what I am today because of you, and…"

A faint, enigmatic smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"I don't despise what I've become."

Tok—

Once more, she tapped the glass against the gravestone as if bidding farewell before turning away and leaving the graveyard behind.

Strangely, as she ventured forth, Melissa sensed a newfound lightness in her every step, as though a burden had been lifted from her weary shoulders.

Pausing for a moment, she glanced back, fixing her gaze on the cemetery, her eyes drawn to the words etched into the stone.

===[Octavious Hall]===

A hero, a devoted husband, and a loving father.

===[2030 — 2073]===

"A loving father... pfft..."

She whispered softly, the words carrying a mix of pain and closure.

And with that, Melissa continued on her way, the weight of the past gradually dissipating with each passing moment, leaving her ready to embrace a future tinged with both scars and newfound resolve.

It was time she moved on and grew up.

***

*Puff*

Smoke filled the air as Jin took a puff of his cigarette. He lifted his finger and playfully manipulated the swirling tendrils, guiding them along the path traced by his fingertip.

By the time he was done, certain words formed in the air before him. 'IAD' was what it said.

"Hehe."

He couldn't help but chuckle as he gazed at the words before him. Taking a quick look beside him, he pressed his lips together, attempting to hold back his laughter.

'Indeed, there's no better fit than these words for her...'

"The fuck are you doing?"

A certain annoyed voice echoed beside him, and Jin's smile faded.

"Nothing."

With a wave of his hand, the smoke dissipated. Concurrently, Priscilla's eyes narrowed as she examined him intently.

"IAD?"

Her eyes squinted further.

"Why do I have a feeling it's related to me?"

"You're imagining things."

Jin responded with an air of casual indifference, raising the cigarette to his lips and inhaling deeply from the butt.

*Puff*

"That being said," he paused and turned to look at her with narrowed eyes. "What are you still doing here? It's been a year since the war has ended. Shouldn't you be on your way?"

A year had passed since the defeat of the Demon King, and numerous events had occurred at that time. Priscilla and her clan, having provided crucial assistance during the war, were granted the privilege to remain on Earth.

With that being said, most of the demons chose to depart Earth and return to their respective planets.

The same was for her father, the current Patriarch of the Sloth clan.

"Isn't it true that you're the designated successor of the Sloth Clan? I would assume someone of your stature would have numerous responsibilities. Why haven't you returned to aid your father?"

Jin flashed a smile as he uttered each word, though his intention was subtly hidden. In the most courteous manner possible, he was essentially expressing his desire for her to fuck off.

*Puff*

her eyes and relishing the cigarette, she nonchalantly observed Jin at her side. "But what

"..."

response to her words, leaving him momentarily speechless. The subtle smirk on

"Tsk."

He clicked his tongue.

'Ignorant, Arrogant Demoness.'

against

gaze fixed on Priscilla. The way she stared at him made

at her for a brief moment, he nodded his

"Actually, yes."

"Oh?"

Priscilla raised her brow.

ballsy human,

I've been

a drag of his cigarette

"No, you haven't."

"Didn't you just now?"

"..."

"He."

his cigarette. It

Priscilla's eyes narrowed.

bolder with each

Jin pointed towards the door. "You

told her to stay with him. If she found him annoying, she had every right to

"Haaa..."

relax by himself without any interruptions. Now that she was here, he no longer had the

muttered to himself, casting a resentful glance

you

a sudden thought. 'She's kind of

from his mind as he sat up straight. He

Ding—!

"Hm?"

then, his

"Fuuuck..."

his expression crumbled, and his grip on the device tightened. Priscilla, noticing

Let me see," she demanded, extending her hand to snatch the phone away. However,

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Boundaries!"

his best to push her

insisted, unbothered at all by what Jin was saying as

"Hey! Fuck stop!"

pussy, and let me

"Over my dead body!"

want to

engaged in a brief tussle on the sofa as Jin made an

thought better of it. While he did say

up, and

"No!"

"Fuck you!"

was his legs or his head, Jin fought back in

persistent and agile, like an octopus latching onto his arm. She continued her relentless efforts to snatch the phone

"Got it!"

end, the struggle ended with Priscilla emerging as the victor. She successfully snatched the phone

from Jin's silhouette as

gaze, she looked at the contents displayed on the screen, finally achieving her

time for her

face changed, but Priscilla didn't care. She had

"Uh?"

displayed on the screen, her face turned strange, and she looked

"S...seriously?"

the fact that she was trying to hold her laugh as her

"Pft... you... seriousl—pffttt."

"Stop laughing."

he turned to glare at

unable to contain herself any

the sides of her eyes as she laughed hysterically, smacking her

Ba Bam—!

made Jin's expression darken considerably as he leaned forward to snatch his phone back. Priscilla didn't even bother posing a fight as she

"Hahahaha."

every second of Priscilla's

"Are you done?"

to control his frustration. Despite his best efforts to restrain himself, it proved to be a challenging task as Priscilla continued

"Hahahha...Y..pftt...eah."

the smile on her face faded. Jin calmed down when he saw this, and just as he was about

with... You know you can tell Grandpa if you have trouble with your reproductive organ. We live in an age where medicines and potions work wonders. If there's really a problem, I'll search throughout the entire continent for a cure. You can trust Grandpa on that. I'm well past my

"Shut up!"

lungs, desperately

"Hahahahahha!"

continued to laugh uncontrollably, her hand once again smacking against the

Ba Bam—!

uhhh... can't br... uhhh...

of laughter, her amusement now hindering her

muttered under his breath, his

his fists. Never in his life did he feel so humiliated, not even during the time when Ren beat him up at the

to escape the clutches of his grandfather. Be it before the war or after the war; he always tried to find a means to set up a blind

contrary, his grandfather returned with even greater strength and determination, making it clear that he could not escape the

Jin wasn't even

I just

wasn't really looking for a

to look

I can't b..reathe!

guess it's not

remained here, his life would never be

do to deserve this?" He unconsciously blurted out loud, covering his face with his arm while leaning back and resting his head

starting to

"Don't be sad."

He turned to look at Priscilla, who was still gazing at him with a smile that

He glared at her.

"What would you know?"

retrieved a cigarette and swiftly lit it using his finger. He took a deep, leisurely drag,

*Puff*

wouldn't understand the pains that I

now... Don't be so

sympathy crept into her. She couldn't help but shudder

that were to happen... she wasn't sure what she'd

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