TBR CH77.1

Chapter 77: Extra (1) – Displaced Time-Space

The first time in his life, Adelaide successfully summoned time-space magic, but he hoped things wouldn’t develop to a too-terrible extent…

A.

Tar once again raised his eyes and carefully glanced out the window. The night of the capital had already soaked through the thin curtains. At this time, Edwin should be pushing the door open, unfastening that thick outer robe soaked with cold, and the light gray in his eyes would be as soft as light goose down as he walked towards him. They had maintained the good habit of hugging after work.

But today was a little too late. The familiar footsteps had not yet sounded.

The scalding hot tea hissed in the stove, emitting a milky white mist. Warmth was an atmosphere that made one want to stay inside and not move. With the Bishop’s current strength, almost no existence could pose a threat to him. However, the demon reached out and touched his own hair, his fingers gently touching the translucent and warm ruby. He still decided to go to the Holy See to see what work was holding Edwin up.

Edwin had always been a very efficient leader.

And the first rule he set for himself was not to let his god wait. For the Bishop, Tar was the first priority above work. Besides, as the Bishop of the Dark God, his most important duty was to serve his god. Using this power, the god with pomegranate-red eyes had set a bunch of rules for him.

For example, he couldn’t stay up late working at night, he had to have at least six months of vacation a year, and when encountering troublesome visitors, he shouldn’t be polite and should just fight them back…

Earlier, Tar and Edwin had paid an “informal visit” to the elf race, mainly because Tar had heard that the yellow leaves of the mother elf tree would turn into gold when they fell to the ground in late autumn, which must be a beautiful sight, and Edwin also felt that the scene sounded profitable. They stayed for about two months, then returned to the capital to spend the winter.

The feeling of spending winter at home was excellent.

Tar pushed the door open. The capital made no secret of its cold. A thin layer of frost formed on his hands that had just been warming a hot water bottle. The god brushed away the fine ice crystals and stepped out into the pure white world. He hadn’t realized before that he was so fond of home. Now he just wanted to quickly bring Edwin back, and then stay in the house together watching the snowflakes fall outside.

Under the night sky, thousands of households lit up with hazy lights.

The Dark Church was located in the core area of the kingdom. The lights there were even brighter than other places. Even at this time, visitors were constantly coming and going. The one receiving everyone at the door was a kind old woman. She raised her blurry, presbyopic eyes, smiled friendly at the black-haired, red-eyed demon, and asked with some surprise, “How come you’re here?” She felt she might have said the wrong thing. “I mean, Great Archbishop Edwin already left an hour ago.”

No one knew Tar’s true identity, but this old woman with brown eyes was perhaps one of the closest to the truth. She worked as a gatekeeper at the Dark Church. People always thought it was just because her husband or son worked here, until they saw her cut an intruder’s neck with a knife with their own eyes. The old woman always lowered her voice when speaking to Tar, sometimes with awe. She knew Tar’s purpose in coming here was only for Great Archbishop Edwin.

The demon indeed raised his eyes with some surprise, then stopped his steps inward.

Edwin was not at the Holy See, nor had he returned home. This was not a normal sign. The god rarely became serious. The soul’s induction hummed softly in response to his drive, at least confirming that Edwin was completely in a safe environment, and not far from here. But upon careful investigation, his soul at this moment had an indescribable strangeness.

Tar continued to walk in the direction of the induction.

The crowds around him grew more and more sparse. People hurriedly passed each other on the street, eager to return to their bright and warm homes. The demon walked forward on the thin snow until the surroundings were quiet enough to hear the rustling sound of snowflakes rubbing against the moonlight as they fell. He stopped his steps, without seeing anything yet.

Ahead was the corner of a dark alley.

The sound of breathing came from behind the brick wall that blocked the view. The owner of the sound sensed the footsteps and silently retreated, praying in his heart not to be discovered. His movements were light, more subtle than a small animal’s, but they still could not escape Tar’s ears. The god could almost imagine the movement behind the wall.

“Edwin?”

Tar clearly felt the familiar aura. He tentatively called the Bishop’s name, but heard no response. So he turned into the corner. At that moment, his pupils constricted slightly in surprise, which made the reflection of the other person in his eyes even clearer.

Standing before him was a child of about seven years old.

He had a pair of light gray eyes.

He wore the thinnest of clerical robes. Snowflakes covered his exposed skin, then melted into wet ice water due to his body temperature, almost seeping the bone-chilling cold into his marrow. He looked at the newcomer warily and cautiously. That pair of light gray eyes were exactly the same as when he grew up, hiding all the fear and cold emotions under a gray mist, completely unwilling to show weakness to others.

But he was, after all, a young child. Tar had called out his name. Little Edwin raised his eyes to look at the stranger before him. The other had a pair of beautiful pomegranate-red eyes, which made him stare in a slight daze.

“You know my name,” Edwin pursed his lips, trying to make himself look like an adult worth talking to. “Perhaps you know other people in the church. After I fell asleep last night, I was here when I woke up. I can’t find my way back to the monastery. It won’t be too much trouble for you, if you are willing to help inform them…”

Tar gently interrupted him: “Do you want to go back, Edwin?”

The demon quickly figured out the general situation. The person before him was undoubtedly the young Edwin. His soul had been imprinted with the mark of time-space magic, but it was not the torrent of time-space. The only one in this world who could manipulate time was that idiot from the black dragon race. Thinking back to how Adelaide had written to him excitedly a while ago saying his magic seemed to have improved…

Never mind, he would deal with the trouble later.

The child before him showed an uneasy expression. He stepped back slightly, raising an arm to block in front of him, but that was not just because of confusion and vigilance, but more like a stress reaction to Tar’s words. His hand was almost able to touch the crucifix on his chest, but some more credible and secret guesses stopped little Edwin’s action.

In an instant, the tense defense was like an illusion. Edwin tried his best to make himself seem harmless from head to toe. He curled his lips and showed a fake smile. “Of course,” but he had not, after all, cultivated the future’s imperturbability. His voice sounded dry. “I want to go back, because I believe in the God of Light without reservation and am willing to dedicate my life to the cause of the church. Please don’t doubt my loyalty anymore. If all this is also the parish bishop’s way of testing my faith… where else can I go back to besides the Holy See?”

This was not the first time.

This was not the first time the parish bishop had deliberately set up obstacles because of his dirty bloodline, trying to test his loyalty, to the point that the seven-year-old child couldn’t help but feel a kind of near-tiring absurdity at the end of his speech. He regretted it a little after saying the last sentence, because it didn’t sound willing enough—but it didn’t really matter. No matter how he defended himself, no one would really believe a mixed-blood could become good.

He waited for the stranger who had called out his name to score his answer, to pronounce his fate, and then he would return to his unchanging life in the monastery.

However, Tar took a light breath. He reached out his hand towards little Edwin. “I mean,” the other leaned forward slightly, his raven-black hair falling, reminding Edwin of the silk from the East mentioned in books. The red-eyed stranger looked at him seriously. “Are you willing to come home with me, Edwin?”

B.

This was a nameless little tavern—some places were just not suitable for having a name, as if a name would hinder its freedom. The regulars who frequented this place called it “that old place.” The visitors who came here for money or life transactions were used to calling it by its nickname, “The Two-Masted Ship,” because as soon as you entered, you could see a whole sail with a skull and crossbones printed on it pasted on the wall.

The tavern was filled with smoke. You couldn’t see the person sitting opposite you from a few meters away, which made the customers drinking here very satisfied, including the young demon who had just successfully slipped away from a group of the Holy See’s hounds.

Tar celebrated his victory with a glass of fresh honey mead.

He licked the liquor that had stuck to the side of his lips. The golden liquor solidified into sparkling sugar granules. Drinking with a group of drunks or people with ulterior motives was the best time to think about things. The demon bent his fingers and gently tapped the wooden table, letting his imagination run wild, from the legendary mother elf tree to the Dragon’s Ridge he had just visited a while ago, and then to the ubiquitous pursuit of the Holy See. He had to constantly think of new ways to escape.

For the Holy See, Tar was an unpredictable trouble.

In this world, to live as a demon whose name was at the top of the Holy See’s internal wanted list, the most important thing was to maintain an unpredictable image. A trick that had been used had to wait a long time before it had a chance to be used again. He had to be cautious enough, cunning enough, smart enough, and most importantly, stay away from all dangerous people.

The ship’s bell hanging in front of the tavern door suddenly jingled and clanged.

The first thing to do at a time like this was not to raise one’s eyes, but to hide oneself in the shadows. The demon pulled his cloak tight, covering his eye-catching pomegranate-red eyes. Then he carefully raised his eyes from the gap. His gaze, along with the suspicious and wary gazes of countless other customers, was cast upon the stranger who had come to the tavern.

The ship’s bell would only ring when a troublesome person arrived. The noise suddenly stopped, leaving only the occasional hair-raising cry of a drunk. Some people’s hands were already on their weapons.

The customer looked out of place with the atmosphere of the tavern.

His danger lay in this. The newcomer wore a long, deep black robe, simply decorated with silver-white lace. Whether one was an expert or not, one could see how precious and expensive the material used to make this garment was. He wore a pair of black boots on his feet, but did not make much noise when he walked. His hands seemed to be ready to deliver a fatal blow at any time.

The most important thing was that pair of light gray eyes.

Gray was just a mist used for disguise. Anyone could predict the great threat hidden beneath the mist.

He did not belong to such a dilapidated little tavern at all. His strength was absolutely terrifyingly astonishing. It was likely that all the people in the tavern combined were not his match. He had the temperament of a superior, both arrogant and mysterious.

Why would such a person come here?

Tar, under the cover of other people’s gazes, was also silently observing him. The demon quickly breathed a sigh of relief. The other was not from the Church of Light. He had a certain understanding and grasp of the powerful figures in the Church of Light, so he was sure there had never been such a character. Besides, his temperament was also completely different from the Light. Then, this uninvited guest should pose no threat to him—

His fingers, hidden under the table, suddenly stiffened for a moment.

The visitor with light gray pupils met his gaze. In his eyes, Tar’s translucent, ruby-red eyes flashed by. Tar tried to convince himself this was just an accident, but he knew the other had undoubtedly met his gaze. Their gazes collided in the smoky air. He could almost hear the sizzling sound of the reaction.

Then, the visitor with a dangerous temperament walked towards him unhurriedly.

Tar avoided his gaze, but he knew the other was still looking at him, without moving his gaze.

Bad.

The other end of the tavern suddenly seemed to have had its play button pressed. The noise started again. People generally didn’t care much about the fate of others. Tar blinked. This was one of his small actions to relieve tension. From the outside, the demon was completely unaware of the approaching danger. On the contrary, he was no longer so nervously covering his face with his cloak. Instead, he consciously loosened his cloak, revealing those beautiful eyes and his soft black hair.

He looked obedient and harmless, like a small animal that was not vigilant against the approaching danger. At this time, he instead picked up his wine glass again and took a sip of the sweet honey mead in the tense atmosphere.

The footsteps paused slightly for some reason, but did not stop.

Tar did not raise his head. He stared at the golden liquor in the glass, and the hazy reflection on the liquor. The demon cautiously and carefully counted in his heart, absolutely not to make a mistake. He had already missed too much time. A second was two syllables quickly passing over the tip of his tongue. Tick, tock, tick, tock…

Now people all knew that this dangerous person’s target was the demon sitting in the corner. The other customers breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the demon with beautiful eyes with sympathy. Needless to say, that must be a low-level demon. Under absolute power suppression, he was instead slow to realize the danger, had no intention of resisting at all, and instead blankly picked up his wine glass to drink.

Tick, tock.

The footsteps were about to stop in front of him in the next second. Until then, the demon had not moved his gaze from the liquor. The visitor with light gray eyes finally stood in front of the demon. He was just about to open his mouth to say something to Tar, when amber-colored smoke suddenly exploded in front of him.

Amber-colored smoke, and it wasn’t as harmless as it smelled.

The visitor’s reaction speed was beyond ordinary. He subconsciously withdrew the last step he had been about to take. The demon before him had turned the wine glass in his hand, along with the honey mead, into small and sharp fragments in the air. The golden color was used to cover the sharp attack of the glass. This did not require high power, but required an extremely proficient grasp of the force of transformation.

Even so, not a single drop of liquid from this beautiful attack stained the visitor’s clothes, let alone those fine glass shards—the time he had spent avoiding the demon’s sudden attack was almost negligible.

But when he raised his eyes again, the demon before him had disappeared without a trace.

This was Tar’s most formidable skill. He didn’t just rely on luck to evade the Holy See’s pursuit for decades. In terms of escape, his level was so exquisite it was unbelievable. He only needed the enemy to have a slight mental lapse, and the demon could disappear like a drop of water into the sea with his agile skills and experienced hiding techniques.

He was just that cunning and smart.

Edwin lowered his eyes. The amber-colored smoke had become a dampness attached to the ground, and he had lost his target right in front of him. But, unlike what everyone else imagined, this visitor with light gray eyes slowly curled his lips, revealing a smile as light as smoke, a genuine one.

He whispered something to the empty seat, but no one could hear it.

If anyone could have heard it, they would have definitely suspected their own ears. This dangerous visitor had said so softly and hoarsely, “I will find you, my dear… god.”

A.

Edwin was completely sunk in the warm sofa in the room. He was too small for the sofa.

The fireplace in the room was burning brightly. The carpet looked thick and soft. There was a large pot of tea on the table, and a bouquet of enthusiastically blooming roses in the pen holder beside it. Winter had already come. Where did the roses come from?

Every corner of the room looked so warm and comfortable it was heart-moving, almost like the most beautiful fairy tale. The young boy took a deep breath, his light gray eyes unconsciously following the figure with its back to him.

Even Edwin couldn’t say for sure how he had agreed to go with such an unidentified stranger.

Perhaps it was because between the two options of “dying of hunger and cold” and “returning to the monastery,” he had seen a third option seriously placed before him for the first time. Perhaps it was because the stranger’s eyes had looked at him so gently, and the earnest concern in his gaze had made him suddenly unable to restrain his emotions. Perhaps it was because the other had gently pressed his shoulder, and he had subconsciously flinched. The man’s hand was almost scalding to the boy who was about to freeze into an ice sculpture in the cold wind.

“You…” The other had instantly abandoned the previous question and frowned. Edwin was sure he hadn’t even blinked, but a thick and soft down coat suddenly appeared in his hand out of thin air. “I almost forgot, Edwin, you must be very cold now.”

Before the boy could react, the warm, rose-scented coat was tightly put on him. The moment the clothes were put on, the man was very close to him, so close it could almost be considered a hug. Like magic, the heat quickly flowed up his blood vessels sweetly, and his whole body became warm.

“Ah, that’s much better.” Tar looked at the gray-eyed child before him with some satisfaction. He was like a wary little beast. After being put on with winter clothes by him, he didn’t even know how to say thank you, and was completely stunned, looking even stiffer than when he was frozen.

Was Edwin like this as a child?

Was he a little too cute—just as this hopeless thought appeared in Tar’s mind, the boy in front of him seemed to have finally made up his mind. Edwin bit his lip and heard a clear voice coming from between his lips and teeth: “…I want to go with you.”

This might be a terrible trick, a sugar-coated trap, and he was very clear that even if he disappeared from this world, he would not get a single word of pity. But… he reached out and tugged at the soft, warm coat, and suddenly felt that even if he was cheated out of everything, he would not want to wake up immediately.

So he was now sitting in this completely strange place, and Tar—he had just told him his name. Edwin repeated the name a few times, in his heart, until he had chewed the name until it was a little sour. He thought about what value he had that was worth the other going to such great lengths. If he were to be sold, would it be to an auction house or a gladiatorial arena, or would he become a small bone in a pharmacy.

A cup of hot tea was stuffed into his arms.

Tar stood in front of him and winked at him. “Don’t know if it suits your taste?” And the fact was, it suited him perfectly. He had never drunk anything so delicious in his life. Edwin expressed his opinion in a small voice. He was very happy that his praise made the other’s eyes look sparkling.

“I think you’re too thin,” Tar pulled over a chair and sat down in front of the boy, and from somewhere, as if by magic, he laid out all kinds of pastries and meats. The most amazing thing was that all the types were his favorite.

This looked more like a pre-prepared trap.

But the young boy suddenly understood why the foolish people in the Holy See’s stories would give up their holy cause for the devil’s temptation. When he hesitated, he would look at Tar’s eyes, until he saw that pale and thin self in those beautiful eyes, and only then did he find a stable anchor.

He was indeed hungry, after wandering for an hour or two.

Edwin lowered his head, looked at the tips of his shoes, and said thank you in a soft voice.

He wanted to ask “Why are you so good to me,” but he restrained this inappropriate impulse. The boy had a subconscious fear, afraid that because of his own mistake, all the warmth and beauty before him would disappear completely. His thoughts were pessimistic. No matter what, he did not believe he could get anything without paying any price. No matter what, please deceive him a little longer…

The delicious food and the warm stove made the temperature in the room not so suitable for a heavy coat, so the boy hesitated for a moment and unfastened the coat. He cautiously observed Tar. The other was not angry because of his action.

So he took off his coat.

Before he had filled his stomach, Tar sized up the boy. Edwin was already very good at managing his emotions as a child, but for the experienced Tar, his caution and disbelief were all laid bare. He thought he had hidden his secret observation well, but Tar had long known it clearly.

Tarksius was temporarily unclear about what problem Adelaide had caused, but for a dragon that had just learned to use time-space magic, its spell would certainly not last long.

The demon experienced for the first time what it felt like to have his heart soften and ache at the sight of a person. The other had not yet become the Edwin who had already carved a bloody path through the thorns to his side. He was still young and sensitive. When treated well by someone, his first reaction was to pessimistically examine his own use value.

Tar didn’t want to explain the past and the future in a short time, or let the boy in front of him hastily know his blood-stained path, the subversion of the Holy See, their relationship as lovers. All these were too early, and too frivolous.

He now just wanted to be as good to him as possible.

As a guest, Edwin stopped his knife and fork when he felt almost full. He didn’t want to seem too greedy and leave a bad impression on the other. But Tar tilted his head and looked at him, his silk-like hair falling warmly in the light, and began to personally get him food. So he ate some more.

A good child should not trouble others. Edwin was already very ashamed during the meal, so after he said he was really full, he reached for the teapot himself, so that Tar would not have to brew him tea again.

The teapot was heavy and hotter than he had imagined. Edwin bit his lip and held the teapot steady little by little, but when it landed on the table in front of him, it still made a dull and heavy thud, and even a little tea spilled out.

How terrible. Can’t even do this one thing right?

Edwin subconsciously blamed himself, and then this blame suddenly swelled into huge uneasiness and fear. He frantically reached out to wipe the light-colored tea stain on the tablecloth, but that hand was suddenly caught. Tar looked at him seriously, his expression grave. The ease and smile that had been on his face a moment ago disappeared completely. Even that pair of agate-like eyes seemed to have darkened.

“I’m sorry,” Edwin said immediately, his voice so panicked it was a little distorted. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I will clean it up. If you need compensation, I can do anything.”

Finally. All the beauty before him was finally torn apart from an insignificant place.

It was clearly something he had long expected, but Edwin suddenly found he still couldn’t accept such a result. He had still made a mistake. Under the other’s indulgence, he had finally cautiously hoped that all this was not false. He found that he was actually an unrealistic person. Just by seeing a moment of warmth and firelight, he had begun to consider eternity.

Tar’s expression still showed no sign of easing. But he had just looked at him so gently and sincerely. The boy blinked his light gray eyes. His body still retained the soft touch of the fingertips when he had received the pastry. This made him suddenly feel so aggrieved he wanted to cry. Even when he was disciplined by the priests, when his skin was cut by a blade, when he heard someone in the Holy See contemptuously call him “bastard,” he had never felt such an emotion close to grievance.

He thought…

However, what happened next was not the same as his imagination.

Tar grabbed his hand. The other’s expression was very gloomy, but his actions were gentle and careful. He rolled up the boy’s cuff, just a short section, and saw the long and hideous wound on his arm that had been exposed when Edwin had taken the kettle.

The wound spread up his arm, distributed in the most fatal positions. The wound had not been properly treated at all, was exposed, and looked like it would tear open at any time, with blood from the main artery flowing out.

“You have a wound,” it was a statement.

“I…” Edwin hadn’t expected him to change his attitude for this reason. The boy subconsciously felt that the wound on his arm was too ugly and out of place with the beauty of the room. He wanted to put his sleeve down again, but this action could not be realized because Tar was holding his wrist. Not only that, the other obviously wanted to know if there were similar wounds on other parts of his body.

“These don’t matter,” he had to say so. “I’m used to it. It doesn’t hurt.”

Being used to it was true, but not feeling pain was false. Edwin subconsciously wanted to cover it up. Of course, it wasn’t just his right arm. The priests had used him as a prop for blood transfusion experiments and had never cared about his life or death from beginning to end. Only his exposed skin was intact. After all, the Holy See still needed its face. But under his robes, new wounds were piled on old ones, slowly and agonizingly hurting every moment.

“—It will hurt.”

But the person in front of him shattered his disguise with just a few short words. Tar realized his reaction after seeing the wound was too harsh, so he softened his expression and loosened his grip on Edwin’s hand, but he did not move his gaze away. “It must hurt a lot. I’m so stupid, Edwin. I should have noticed earlier. It’s not your fault, absolutely not. I’m sorry.”

Tar’s voice was like magic. Edwin didn’t realize he had let out a sigh of relief like a drowning person who had reached the shore at the last moment, and then felt his nose tingle because of his child-like, gentle tone.

Just as the other had loosened the force that had shackled his wrist, he also suddenly gave up any resistance and did not withdraw his hand.

“You don’t have to apologize to me,” he murmured, his voice holding a hint of a sob. “I thought…”

“Can I help you?”

Edwin nodded. He didn’t know what this meant.

hesitantly and cautiously, “…Who on earth are you?”

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