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*

smoke while leaning against the sofa they shared. Closing her eyes and relishing the cigarette, she nonchalantly observed Jin at her side. "But what can I say? I'm starting to enjoy my time here. If I were to return, who would

"..."

response to her words, leaving him momentarily speechless.

"Tsk."

He clicked his tongue.

'Ignorant, Arrogant Demoness.'

against what I

his gaze fixed on Priscilla. The way she stared at him made him feel exposed as if she had somehow

at her for a brief moment, he nodded

"Actually, yes."

"Oh?"

Priscilla raised her brow.

a very ballsy

so I've been

drag of his cigarette and leaned back against the

"No, you haven't."

"Didn't you just now?"

"..."

"He."

another good drag of his cigarette. It

Priscilla's eyes narrowed.

with each

the door.

the one who told her to stay with him. If she found him annoying, she had every right to leave whenever she wanted. He wasn't going

"Haaa..."

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

mess," he muttered to himself, casting a resentful

you

Priscilla's menacing glare, Jin had a sudden thought. 'She's kind of

as he sat up straight. He had almost lost himself for a

Ding—!

"Hm?"

his

"Fuuuck..."

the message on his phone, his expression crumbled, and his grip on the device tightened. Priscilla, noticing his reaction, leaned over to catch

away. However, Jin swiftly moved

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Boundaries!"

to push her

Priscilla insisted, unbothered at all by what Jin was saying

"Hey! Fuck stop!"

being a pussy, and

"Over my dead body!"

want to

in a brief tussle on the sofa as Jin made an effort to

to pull her hair in frustration, he quickly thought better of it. While he did say "over

and

"No!"

"Fuck you!"

means at his disposal, whether it was his legs or his head, Jin fought back in an attempt to defend

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

"Got it!"

ended with Priscilla emerging as the victor. She successfully snatched the phone away from Jin's hand, triumphantly gaining control over

the sofa, the color faded from Jin's silhouette as he started to

at the contents displayed on the screen, finally achieving

was time for her

on the phone, she inserted the password. Immediately Jin's face changed, but Priscilla didn't care. She had known his password for quite some time

"Uh?"

face turned strange, and she looked at Jin, who turned his head

"S...seriously?"

betrayed the fact that she was trying to hold her laugh as her cheeks inflated and her face

"Pft... you... seriousl—pffttt."

"Stop laughing."

he

contain herself any longer, Priscilla erupted

sides of her eyes as she laughed hysterically, smacking her hand against the side of the

Ba Bam—!

he leaned forward to snatch his phone back. Priscilla didn't even bother posing a fight as she let him have the

"Hahahaha."

every second of Priscilla's

"Are you done?"

proved to be a challenging task as Priscilla continued to laugh at him, pointing toward

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

face faded. Jin calmed down when he saw this, and just as he was about to put this all behind

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.

"Shut up!"

his lungs, desperately

"Hahahahahha!"

eyes, Priscilla continued to laugh uncontrollably, her hand once

Ba Bam—!

uhhh... can't br...

laughter, her amusement now hindering her ability to

his breath, his frustration

Never in his life did he feel so humiliated, not even during the

Be it before the war or after the war; he always tried to find

rejections in the past, they proved to be ineffective in deterring his grandfather. On the contrary, his grandfather returned with even greater

so bad that Jin wasn't even sure what to

I just

He wasn't really looking for a relationship at the moment. He enjoyed

look

can't b..reathe! Uhpp..

I guess it's

long as she remained here, his life would never be peaceful. He sighed

what did I do to deserve this?" He unconsciously blurted out loud, covering his face with his arm while

starting to

"Don't be sad."

who was still

He glared at her.

"What would you know?"

retrieved a cigarette and swiftly lit it using his finger. He

*Puff*

wouldn't understand the pains that I go

come now... Don't be so

highly amusing, a small sense of sympathy crept into her. She

happen... she wasn't

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