TBR CH54

Chapter 54: Tacit Understanding

Edwin’s biological clock was very precise. He opened his eyes the next morning when the cool, thin light of dawn had just begun to soak the sky.

Sleep could not only numb the mind and soften the nerves, but also polish a fragile heart. All the chaos and unease seemed to have been left in yesterday. His gray eyes were new and sharp again.

This was how the Bishop had survived those precarious nights on the verge of collapse. He had known from a young age how to abandon his fragile self in yesterday. Only by doing so could he continue to survive. It was a biological instinct.

…But, today was different. He couldn’t pretend nothing had happened.

Before he was aware of anything else, there was first a comfortable scent, like the cool morning air mixed with the sweet fragrance of roses. Edwin’s fingers moved involuntarily, the tips gliding over a smooth, soft texture.

Silk sheets, Edwin first thought, and then he realized it wasn’t.

The Bishop felt his whole body stiffen, even his gaze becoming a little lost.

Only then did he realize that he wasn’t sunk in the bed, but held in the demon’s embrace. Tar’s soft, smooth black hair was scattered on the Bishop’s shoulder, bringing a slight itchiness that tingled along Edwin’s nerves and spread throughout his body.

And his left hand was still overstepping its bounds, maintaining the embrace, not having loosened in the slightest even in sleep.

The demon’s eyes were closed at this moment.

Edwin wasn’t sure if it was because he had refused to let go no matter what he said last night, so he had simply fulfilled his own sleeping obligations along the way. Low-level demons had not yet evolved to completely abandon rest, although a short sleep was enough to support their activities for a long time.

They were too close. Edwin was completely leaning against Tar, their skin intimately intertwined. The Bishop subconsciously slowed his breathing.

He held his gift motionlessly, raising his eyes to silently observe the sleeping demon, not wanting to wake him.

This was his demon.

Tar was truly stunningly beautiful. With his eyes closed at this moment, he looked very well-behaved. Edwin knew the demon was absolutely a hundred times more cunning than his appearance suggested, but his heart still couldn’t help but soften, feeling that everything the other did seemed very easy to forgive. The Bishop couldn’t attribute the swelling emotion in his heart to any known category.

But the desire to possess him was无比 certainly present.

The soul-binding contract determined that they could not be separated from each other, nor could they betray each other. The signing of the contract was the devil’s deception. There were times when he desperately wanted to undo the contract, because he felt Tar would be of no help to his ascent.

But, Edwin, at this moment, on the contrary, thought with a sense of crisis:

Would there come a day when Tar didn’t need him either?

Just the thought of this possibility sent a swollen, stinging pain through his fingertips.

Edwin knew what kind of person he was: unscrupulous, insatiably greedy. He could, of course, keep the other by his side just as the demon had forcibly bound him with a contract. But that wasn’t good enough. He could do better.

He wanted the demon to stay willingly.

For example, the Bishop thought, he could use everything he already had and would have. Prince Angelo could support a demon lord with power and souls. Whatever Tar wanted, he could find it for him. Edwin had no moral bottom line. The words “sacrifice” and “murder” vaguely crossed his mind, dyed a sweet color by him.

But what if Tar insisted on leaving?

Edwin was used to thinking of the worst-case scenario.

His fingers twitched uncontrollably. A dark and vicious thought arose in his heart. Perhaps he could pretend to be very happy to undo the contract, and then use the great Archbishop’s powerful Light magic to forcibly keep him. It wouldn’t be very difficult.

Just thinking about it, the effect of the contract sent a sharp, unbearable pain through Edwin’s body. But the Bishop had no intention of harming the demon, so this pain did not, for the moment, affect his soul.

It was a feasible plan, Edwin thought.

At the same time, his uncontrolled movement finally woke Tar. The demon’s beautiful pupils, just after waking, were covered with a thin layer of mist, like carnelian soaked in water. The gemstone vaguely reflected Edwin’s image.

Tar’s lips curved into a smile. “Good morning, my dear Bishop… Are you not planning to let me go yet?”

This question—it was as if Edwin were an insatiable customer, so fond of the free sample that he stubbornly refused to let go. Although that was indeed the truth.

The Bishop, flustered, released the arms wrapped around the demon. The warmth suddenly disappeared. An inexplicable emptiness flowed from his fingertips to his heart.

“Hmm…” The demon stared at him.

Edwin tried hard not to appear too lost.

And then he failed.

Sometimes people say that bad children get candy. But it’s not really like that. Getting anything is just because the bad child has someone who cares.

So he received another unexpected hug, a good morning one.

The demon wrapped his arms around his neck, clinging to him stickily, and buried his face in the crook of his neck, nuzzling him. He seemed to let out a low chuckle. “You really are not good at hiding your emotions in front of me.”

Tar had woken up long ago. Or rather, the Dark God didn’t need something like sleep at all. But the body of a low-level demon made rest an option.

Edwin’s state yesterday was very wrong. He was even running a fever. Later, he was simply speaking nonsense with a clear mind, and he held on tightly to Tar, not allowing him to leave even half a step.

He would murmur, his gray eyes wet, “I’m doing very badly, not well at all. It’s never been good.”

The God listened patiently, soothingly stroking his damp hair.

Sometimes the Bishop would appear venomous and sharp. “He’s dead, they’re all dead. I did it. I will live better than all of them. The highest position, the supreme crown, will only belong to me.”

Tar was somewhat amused. But how should he put it? He liked this kind of ambition.

Edwin said a lot about the past, and also a lot about his wishes. He had killed many people on his way up. The Bishop remembered each of their expressions before they died, but he couldn’t remember their names.

Only the names of those he had not yet killed could he recite. These names were steeped in poison by Edwin, waiting for the day they would be forgotten by the world.

The Bishop said a lot about himself. A person like him could only be self-centered. It seemed there was nothing else he should say. It was a kind of necessary selfishness. Therefore, the God did not expect that on such a night, from dusk to nightfall, and then to the sky studded with stars, Edwin would finally ask a question that seemed familiar:

“Tar,” he said, “I want to know about you.”

This was wrong. This sentence was different from all of Edwin’s previous words. It symbolized that the Bishop wanted to understand another being, and this expectation of closeness would often become a weakness. He must have known he shouldn’t be like this.

Tar didn’t answer immediately.

Edwin said it again, “How did you live? Do you have anything you like? I want to know, I want to know everything. Tar, tell me everything.”

His voice gradually weakened. Because he didn’t get an answer, his consciousness was finally taken over by the high fever, and he was about to fall into a daze. Tar sighed softly. “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

Edwin responded vaguely. Having gotten a promise, he seemed to be very at ease and was about to fall asleep in his embrace.

“What about you—” the demon suddenly asked. “What if you lose?”

This question was asked too late, so even the God did not get an answer. On such a night, they owed each other a question, which could be considered even.

Then, the next morning, neither question was brought up again.

Prince Angelo’s failure was too tragic. Therefore, Edwin was able to return to his normal schedule.

This was obviously terrible news for the prince. The spies he had planted in the Holy See were picked out one by one by the Bishop without mercy and sent back to his mansion in their original state. The Holy See had once again become an impenetrable iron plate, with not a single opportunity to interfere.

In this situation, even if he had other weapons to deal with Edwin’s succubus bloodline, it was difficult to put them to use at this time.

He couldn’t even monitor Edwin’s situation. And the Bishop’s people were actually able to bypass the obstruction of the prince’s mansion and, while he and his summoned demon were away, throw two corpses onto his bed. This matter couldn’t be brought to light. The dead were all his people. He could only swallow his anger.

And the demon Satha also had a slight rift with him.

At that time, upon realizing his plan had failed, Angelo had looked at the demon before him in disbelief. He had always been pampered. All who went against his will met a bad end. But, for a moment, he forgot how much of his honor and achievements relied on the demon lord before him.

The other would not feel guilty for a wrong command. The demon’s sharp knuckles scraped across his face. The prince’s expression was extremely ugly, and his blue eyes could no longer feign an innocent look.

“Are you blaming me, human?” The demon lord’s pressure came crashing down. For a moment, Angelo couldn’t breathe. No, he was not yet foolish enough to offend a demon lord. This was a powerful being that humans could not match, not even on the same level as a creature like a human…

This thought had always been enough to convince him to willingly endure Satha’s rude treatment.

But His Highness the Prince suddenly remembered the scene of the exorcism ceremony. At that time, the Holy Light had swept over him like a hurricane—

Before he could react to how the Bishop had suddenly used the exorcism ceremony on him, he had heard the great demon Satha, with whom he had a contract, let out a painful and low roar.

That was indeed the sound of an injured animal. This thought was enough to make the prince’s heart pound with fear.

He had tried to indirectly inquire about Satha’s injuries, but the demon was secretive about the specific facts of that ceremony. These great demons all had a high opinion of themselves and would never admit their failure in front of a lowly human.

A very bad guess gradually formed in Angelo’s heart. But, that was impossible. Edwin was just a human, at most outstanding in the Holy See. And a lord-level demon, even if the Holy See nominally had ways to deal with them, would require a large amount of manpower and resources, and a special request for the God of Light’s protection to do so.

This world had its own order of operation.

The pinnacle of power would only belong to those of noble blood like them, just as humans like him could never be compared to high-level demons who were born with powerful bloodlines.

Swallowing the bitterness of failure, Angelo had to blame himself for the demon’s part as well. Fortunately, although Satha couldn’t bring himself to admit that he had been injured by a mere human, his hatred for Edwin had multiplied, just like the prince’s.

The powerful demon walked into Prince Angelo’s room. He looked like he fit all people’s perceptions of terror, with eyes burning like flames and a tail like a whip full of blades.

But this time, the demon was laughing, as if he were about to achieve victory.

His Highness the Prince was taking an afternoon nap. But he had to wake up to cater to Satha’s high spirits. The demon sat grandly on the soft and luxurious seat in the bedroom and announced happily, “Human, your Holy See is not an iron plate. For example, a friend of mine, his lover holds a high position within it.”

“Friend?” Angelo repeated subconsciously. A sense of foreboding rose in his heart, but he was soon attracted by the words “high position” from the demon’s mouth. Within seconds, he had thought of countless conditions and possibilities for using this connection.

What he needed most now were eyes and ears.

“Oh,” the demon didn’t take his emotions seriously at all. “You’ve seen him before. I asked you to bring a stranger into the Holy See at that time. I don’t know if you remember. He is actually His Majesty Edward of the vampire race.”

Satha sometimes didn’t need to explain his requests too clearly to Angelo, just like last time. Introducing a stranger to His Highness the Holy Son, although risky, the demon had assured him there would be no problem.

They were a community of interests. In such matters, Angelo had no need to go against Satha’s wishes.

But… His Majesty of the vampire race, that still sounded a bit too bizarre.

Before His Highness the Prince could recover from the dizziness of learning this news, he suddenly realized something. He chewed over the words “high position” again in disbelief and asked with some shock, “Then the lover you speak of is actually… the Holy Son of the Church?”

Satha’s expression rarely turned a little gloomy. He warned Angelo, “I was supposed to keep this matter a secret. It’s just that, the situation is special now. I think, perhaps we can ask Edward for help. He really treasures his lover. He said he can help, but His Highness the Holy Son is indeed devoted to the Holy See, so he can only help you pay attention to the Great Archbishop’s various actions. Other situations are not convenient to fully disclose.”

“Did you not tell him Edwin’s true origin?” Prince Angelo immediately asked, holding a little hope. Perhaps the Holy Son would be willing to express doubt, and this matter would have more room for maneuver. But the demon’s expression told him this was a failed attempt.

“Edward asked us to produce more evidence. Human, you must admit, we have lost the initiative in this matter.”

Most of his trump cards had been played in the last round. Edwin’s reaction was too fast. The witnesses from that year had been killed. The Bishop’s blood and physical characteristics showed no abnormalities, and now there was a lack of a suitable reason to request another examination.

Also, there was reason to suspect that the Bishop had some trump cards they were unaware of. After all, he had safely passed through a transformation period that he couldn’t have passed through alone, avoided their replacement, and even sent two corpses to the prince’s bed.

A good hand of cards was thus inexplicably played to no avail.

If the relationship of a contract was not so sincere, then one obviously couldn’t have too high expectations for the cooperation between a vampire and a demon. Having the Holy Son help pass useful information from the Holy See was already the greatest concession.

“Good,” Angelo murmured, and began to think. His blue eyes, which were so innocent it was unbelievable, started to turn again.

Yes, there was still an opportunity. There was still some evidence that could prove the secret of Edwin’s bloodline, it was just scattered in this world.

As long as he found them and revealed them, he could break the spine of the high and mighty Bishop.

Noah had been having a very smooth time recently. And, capturing the God of Light was a completely new experience. The high and mighty God greatly satisfied the Holy Son’s vanity. He knew the God of Light was already hooked.

The God would only cast his gaze upon him. Other believers, even if they begged bitterly, could hardly get a glance from the god.

In the second divine descent, the God of Light had reached out and affectionately caressed the youth’s stunning face, listening as the Holy Son swore his loyalty to him with filial piety and devotion, speaking of offering everything, and casting him a look full of love.

He had only mentioned casually that someone in the Holy See disliked him, and under the god’s questioning, he had stammered out Father Bart’s name. And the god had brought down punishment for him.

The feeling of holding the power of life and death was truly wonderful.

Moreover, the God of Light’s favor meant the adoration of the entire Holy See.

The position of Holy Son was not one with real power, but he was undoubtedly one of the highest-ranking and most honored people in the Holy See. Now, countless flowers and gems surrounded him, and most priests had to prostrate themselves in greeting when they saw him. Every day, believers who had come to the capital from different places requested to visit.

And he, in the pure white gauze curtains, had also set the time for the next divine descent with the God of Light.

The God had proposed to hold the ceremony earlier, and Noah was happy to accept. He knew the God could not restrain the impulse to get close to him. This was the credit of the charismatic halo.

Speaking of the halo… despite the situation looking excellent, the system was still worried.

“Host,” the system reminded him with its usual flat, mechanical voice, “the difficulty of capturing the God in this world is the highest level. You should be more cautious. Also, your plan to capture the Dark God—”

“I have it all planned.”

However, Noah still simply cut off the system’s reminder with a single sentence. The progress with the God of Light was completely within his expectations. He was just waiting for the God to voluntarily step down from his divine altar. In this process, simultaneously capturing the Dark God was theoretically impossible, especially since he had lost his memory and returned to his self from a thousand years ago.

But, the Holy Son remembered what the system had told him about Tarksius’s past.

He had long since figured out a way, he just hadn’t put it into practice yet.

The torrent of time made returning to the past possible. So, once the stage was set, re-enacting the past would also become an option.

Capturing a god was difficult, but Noah considered that capturing a demon who had lost most of his memory was not complicated. He was even worried that if he succeeded in capturing him too early, the overly cautious system would likely stop him from continuing to challenge the God of Light. So, these days, Noah had temporarily kept his distance from the Dark God.

Or rather, he had carefully maintained a considerable distance from all the other fish in his pond.

The reason now was very sufficient. The frequency of the divine descents had increased. As the Holy Son, he had to painfully bid farewell to those dark lovers, so as not to endanger their safety, nor to bring disaster upon himself.

The last time, the news Edward brought was a little unexpected. He proposed that the demon lord friend of his had requested Noah to pay attention to the movements of the current Great Archbishop in the Holy See. Noah had not forgotten that, following the system’s prompt at that time, he had indeed stopped outside the Bishop’s room, and the demon was just within reach.

Therefore, he agreed to this plan without hesitation.

This was an opportunity. At the end of this opportunity, the deep red velvet curtain of the stage extended all the way up, quietly waiting for all the props to be ready.

He was full of confidence in the future.

“What do you want to know?”

A demon’s eyes can bewitch the human heart. Edwin heard him ask, and he raised his pomegranate-red eyes to look at him.

This was a most leisurely occasion. The bed was filled with the scent of roses, as if flowers had been crushed here, and the bedding was in disarray.

He had once again sacrificed himself to the devil, but Tar’s taste was sweet, and the end was no longer so rushed.

All this had happened with a tacit understanding after that hug. The distance they had carefully maintained before had completely melted away. So Edwin no longer lay alone in bed. The demon let him embrace him and also stayed on the bed. Later, even for ordinary sleep, it was the same.

It was too inappropriate to let Tar sit in a chair outside all the time.

The Bishop admitted to himself that he coveted that little bit of warmth, and the real feeling of owning something. But, it wasn’t just that. He knew the demon had twice avoided his topic, although the situation was special each time. He didn’t understand what drove him to want to know Tar’s past, only that the thought of “knowing him” kept spinning in his mind, with a slight aftertaste of sweetness.

“What do you want to know? Edwin,” even Tar was a little helpless. He avoided this topic because the Dark God of a thousand years later felt he had long since forgotten his life as a demon.

And, upon first recollection, besides fleeing, there was still more fleeing. He didn’t know what else he could say.

“Anything,” Edwin hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to be honest. “I just want to know more about you.”

This was not a good starting point for a topic at all. Tar was a little helpless. Edwin really didn’t know how to start a conversation, so he seemed a bit clumsy.

But, there seemed to be no reason to avoid this topic anymore. If he could remember, it would be fine to tell the Bishop a part of it.

About him.

Tar thought this way, trying hard to remember…

…About the demon who had died a thousand years ago.

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