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*

with that," Priscilla mumbled, exhaling a plume of 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 I

"..."

response to her words, leaving him momentarily speechless. The subtle smirk on her face only served to amplify

"Tsk."

He clicked his tongue.

'Ignorant, Arrogant Demoness.'

anything against

Priscilla. The way she stared at him made him feel exposed as if she had somehow discerned his innermost

a brief moment,

"Actually, yes."

"Oh?"

Priscilla raised her brow.

a very ballsy

so I've been

of his

"No, you haven't."

"Didn't you just now?"

"..."

"He."

cigarette. It felt good getting one over this annoying,

Priscilla's eyes narrowed.

bolder with each

like it?" Jin pointed towards the door.

him. If she found him annoying, she had every right to leave whenever

"Haaa..."

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

mess," he muttered to himself, casting a resentful glance toward Priscilla. One

are you looking

Jin had a sudden thought. 'She's kind of cute when

shudder, Jin quickly dispelled the thought away from his mind as he sat up

Ding—!

"Hm?"

then, his phone

"Fuuuck..."

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

see," she demanded, extending her hand to snatch the phone away. However, Jin swiftly moved his hand out of her reach and placed his

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Boundaries!"

best to push

me see," Priscilla insisted, unbothered at all by what Jin was

"Hey! Fuck stop!"

being a pussy, and let me

"Over my dead body!"

want to

tussle on the sofa as Jin made an effort to

better of it. While he did say "over my dead body," he didn't actually want to

up, and

"No!"

"Fuck you!"

his disposal, whether it was his legs or his head, Jin fought

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

"Got it!"

emerging as the victor. She successfully snatched the phone away from Jin's

the color faded from Jin's

looked at the contents displayed on the screen, finally achieving

for her

inserted the password. Immediately Jin's face changed, but Priscilla didn't care. She had known his password

"Uh?"

looking at what was displayed on the screen, her face turned strange, and she looked at Jin, who turned

"S...seriously?"

to hold her laugh as her cheeks

"Pft... you... seriousl—pffttt."

"Stop laughing."

as he

to contain herself any longer, Priscilla

eyes as she laughed hysterically, smacking her

Ba Bam—!

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

"Hahahaha."

darkened with every

"Are you done?"

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

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

face faded. Jin calmed down when he saw this, and just as he was about to put this all behind him, Priscilla's mouth parted open. Her voice sounded strangely

you've rejected. Is there perhaps something wrong 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 prime and would like to see a grandchild; please take

"Shut up!"

of his lungs, desperately attempting to halt Priscilla's relentless

"Hahahahahha!"

Jin's eyes, Priscilla continued to laugh uncontrollably,

Ba Bam—!

can't

amusement now

his frustration evident

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

it before the war or after the war;

the contrary, his grandfather returned with even greater strength and determination, making it clear that he

had gotten so bad that Jin

I just go to

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

to look

can't

guess it's

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

his face with his arm while leaning back

was seriously starting to

"Don't be sad."

felt a subtle bump on his shoulder and slowly removed his arm from his face. He turned to look at Priscilla, who was still gazing at him with a smile that she was trying to suppress. Obviously, she was still struggling to keep herself

He glared at her.

"What would you know?"

and swiftly lit it using his

*Puff*

that I go through

Don't be so

pity in her voice. Although she found the situation highly amusing, a small sense of sympathy crept into her. She couldn't help but shudder at

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

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