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*

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

"..."

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

"Tsk."

He clicked his tongue.

'Ignorant, Arrogant Demoness.'

against what

stared at him made him feel exposed as if she

her for a brief moment, he

"Actually, yes."

"Oh?"

Priscilla raised her brow.

a very ballsy human, aren't

I've

Jin took a drag of his cigarette and

"No, you haven't."

"Didn't you just now?"

"..."

"He."

good drag of his cigarette. It felt good

Priscilla's eyes narrowed.

bolder with

door. "You

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

"Haaa..."

long sigh. He missed the days when he could relax by himself without any interruptions. Now that she was here, he no longer had the privilege of having such peaceful

to himself, casting a resentful glance toward Priscilla.

you

menacing glare, Jin had a sudden thought. 'She's kind of cute when she's angr—eh no, what the fuck am I thinking

as he sat up straight. He

Ding—!

"Hm?"

his

"Fuuuck..."

the device tightened. Priscilla, noticing his reaction, leaned over to catch a glimpse of

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

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Boundaries!"

best to push

forget about boundaries. Let me see," Priscilla insisted, unbothered at all by

"Hey! Fuck stop!"

being a pussy, and

"Over my dead body!"

to die that

tussle on the sofa

While he did say "over my dead body," he

and let

"No!"

"Fuck you!"

legs or his head, Jin fought back in an

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

"Got it!"

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

the color faded from Jin's silhouette

a determined gaze, she looked at the contents displayed on

her to

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

"Uh?"

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

"S...seriously?"

hold her laugh as her

"Pft... you... seriousl—pffttt."

"Stop laughing."

as he turned to glare at

contain herself any

of her eyes as she laughed hysterically, smacking her hand against

Ba Bam—!

laughing hysterically 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 let him have

"Hahahaha."

darkened with every second

"Are you done?"

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

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

herself as she gradually calmed down, and the smile on her face faded. Jin calmed down when he saw this, and just as he

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

"Shut up!"

lungs, desperately attempting

"Hahahahahha!"

rage in Jin's eyes, Priscilla continued to laugh uncontrollably, her hand once

Ba Bam—!

uhhh... can't br...

laughter, her amusement now hindering her

breath, his frustration evident

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

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

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

bad that Jin wasn't

I just go

him sigh. He wasn't really looking for a relationship at

to look

can't

I guess it's not that

his life would never be

covering his face with his arm while

starting to

"Don't be sad."

subtle bump on his shoulder and slowly removed his arm from his face. He turned to look at Priscilla, who was still

He glared at her.

"What would you know?"

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

*Puff*

understand the pains that I

now... Don't be

her voice. Although she found the situation highly amusing, a small sense of sympathy crept into her. She couldn't help but shudder at the mere thought of her father subjecting her to

happen... she wasn't sure

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