Chapter 143

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Volume 1 + Chapter 143: Franklin Strength

“You’re not an imposter,” Mirexia murmured after a moment of contemplation.

“But once stereotypes are formed, they’re hard to change. Even you, Your Highness, can’t easily alter people’s preconceptions,” Vanessa said, stepping closer to Mirexia and interlacing her fingers.

“If I were to address you so casually, some might take offense, thinking I’m overstepping my bounds, don’t you think?”

“But these rumors are baseless.”

“Baseless or not, people have their own mouths. I can’t risk exposing my identity just to clear up such trivial matters, can I? It would only put me in danger,” Vanessa chuckled softly as she stepped back.

Besides, if I were to suppress such rumors too aggressively, wouldn’t that only confirm them?

As the girl turned away, a strand of cherry blossom-like hair brushed past Mirexia’s nose, and the air was filled with the pure fragrance of white camellias, causing a brief moment of distraction.

“So, you don’t plan to reveal your awakened bloodline to anyone?”

“That’s right,” Vanessa affirmed. “I don’t particularly love my current life, but I don’t hate it either. If I were to reveal this, it would bring a lot of trouble and unnecessary complications. That’s definitely not the life I want.”

“Thinking about it now, I’m glad it’s you, Princess Mirexia, who knows my secret and not someone else,” Vanessa smiled like a blooming flower.

“…I understand,” Mirexia closed her eyes slightly, showing her respect for Vanessa’s decision.

“By the way, Princess Mirexia, have you calculated how long we’ve been in the Demon God’s extended plane?” Vanessa asked, gazing at the unchanging crimson sky.

“I’m not sure, but it must have been a while. We’ve been here for at least two days,” Mirexia pondered.

“Two days, huh,” Vanessa seemed to be thinking about something.

She wasn’t in a hurry to leave now. With the Demon God’s plane temporarily secure, she hoped Erunescould hold out a bit longer.

“You can just call me by my name from now on. No one will dare to gossip,” Mirexia said, resuming her usual commanding princess demeanor, her golden twin tailsflowing like water, exuding a heroic aura.

“Well, I’ll have to comply then,” Vanessa said, seeingMirexia’s insistence. It was just a matter of address,and she had already achieved her goal of playing thesympathy card.

“So, what should I call you? Should I follow that silver-haired beauty and call you ‘Mirexia dear’?” Vanessa teased, her charming voice adding a hint of ambiguous flirtation.

“Aesphyra and I are just friends,” Mirexia replied, herback tingling slightly at the mention of ‘Mirexia dear.’ Her explanation came out faster than her thoughts.

“Virtue +60.”

“Current Virtue: 7344.”

“Just friends? Is that what you think, Mirexia? She mightnot see it that way,” Vanessa said, not sure why Mirexiasuddenly emphasized this, but sensing an opportunity to gain more virtue, she narrowed her eyes like a cat,her tone playful and mysterious.

Besides, even if others didn’t know Aesphyra’s intentions, Vanessa certainly did.

A true harem queen, Aesphyra fell for every pretty girlshe met, claiming each time that it was true love.

“Virtue +60.”

“Current Virtue: 7404.”

As expected, she could still squeeze some out.

Mirexia’s expression turned slightly odd. Even if Vanessa didn’t mean it that way, her words seemed layered with hidden meanings, carrying a sense of ambiguity.

It felt a bit like the jealous remarks some female students in the student council made about theirboyfriends.

“Do you have any issues with Aesphyra?” Mirexia asked.

From what she’d seen, the two of them seemed to get along well.

“Not at all. Aesphyra is a once-in-a-millennium genius at Carillian Academy. How could I possibly have any issues with her?” Vanessa chuckled, waving her hand dismissively.

Her words seemed to deny any conflict, but they carried a strong undertone of sarcasm.

“Does Aesphyra know your secret?”

“No, my relationship with Aesphyra is just average. Of course, I wouldn’t share such an important secret with her.”

“But even so, while my relationship with Aesphyra isn’t great, I’m sure she gets along quite well with all the other pretty female students,” Vanessa said with an innocent expression, as if deep in thought.

Yes, she just wanted to stir up a bit of trouble for Aesphyra.

If she couldn’t confront her directly, a little backstabbing to make her uncomfortable wouldsuffice.

“What do you mean?” Mirexia asked, confused.

“Oh, nothing much. I’ve just noticed that Aesphyra seems to get along well with many girls, especially the pretty ones. But maybe it’s just my imagination,”Vanessa poked her cheek playfully, as if reluctant to speak ill of others, then stuck out her tongue and changed the subject.

She didn’t say more, but Vanessa found it strange that Mirexia showed no emotional reaction upon hearingabout Aesphyra’s “romantic history.”

Had their relationship not yet reached that level?

Vanessa pondered.

“So, does she get along well with you too?” Mirexiaasked, as if she’d caught onto something.

Huh??

Wait, that’s not the point you should be focusing on.

“Mirexia, I just said that my relationship with Aesphyrais average, not as close as with others. She doesn’t know my secret,” Vanessa replied.

“Are you two friends?”

“Barely,” Vanessa said, though in truth, they were morelike enemies.

Vanessa didn’t understand why Mirexia suddenly asked this. In her eyes, didn’t she and Aesphyra get alongquite well?

“I see,” Mirexia nodded, pretending it was nothing.

“Winnie, did you use some kind of enchanted item to disguise your other identity?” Mirexia asked.

“Well, you can think of it that way,” Vanessa said, finding it too troublesome to explain further. It wasunlikely Mirexia would believe her anyway, as the truth was too unbelievable. Vanessa opted for the simplest explanation.

Soon, the ground beneath their feet began to blur and destabilize, as if melting ice.

It seemed the Demon God’s extended plane was about to disappear, and they would soon return to the continent of Terraria.

As the ground crumbled, the desolate crimson sky above also began to collapse.

Both of them felt the sensation of falling, and in the next moment, they landed on solid ground.

Looking up, they saw the dim sky of Reiswyn, where it was hard to tell if it was dusk or dawn.

They were out.

Time outside hadn’t passed much, as the sky looked almost the same as when they had entered.

Mirexia instinctively glanced at the girl beside her, only to find Vanessa using her as a shield, carefully checking their surroundings before stepping out confidently.

“Mirexia, you go ahead. I’ll wait here for a bit.”

“Can’t you change back yet?” Mirexia guessed Vanessa’s predicament.

“Not yet. It’ll take a little longer,” Vanessa tilted herhead. “Sometimes I find this bloodline rather troublesome.”

“Then I’ll wait here with you until your enchanted item restores you,” Mirexia said, leaving no room for refusal.

So, she still thinks my male form is a disguise created by an enchanted item.

Vanessa didn’t bother to explain. If Mirexia wanted to believe that, so be it. After all, if one had to choose between Vanessa and Winnie as to who was the real person, Winnie definitely seemed more like the facade.

Fortunately, they were in a dense forest, where the trees provided ample cover, making it easier for Vanessa to hide.

Aesphyra was nowhere to be seen, as expected.

Vanessa thought.

This part of the story wasn’t in the original plot, which explained why the protagonist, who was always in sync with the heroine during crises, hadn’t appeared.

Mirexia’s estimation was correct, they had indeed spent a long time in the Demon God’s domain. After battling Erunes’s minions for so long, Vanessa’s transformation cooldown was almost up.

Mirexia stood guard beside Vanessa, her eyes slightly closed, attuned to the rustling of the wind and grass.

After an unknown amount of time, a flash of cherry blossom light gradually faded, and as the sacred aura receded, Mirexia opened her eyes to see the familiar blue-haired young man standing beside her.

“Finally back to normal… I’m so tired,” Winnie said, spraying cheap perfume on himself to mask the scent, his eyes dark and lifeless.

While he was Vanessa, he hadn’t felt it, but now that he was back to being Winnie, the exhaustion from days of poor sleep hit him like a ton of bricks, making every step feel like dragging a heavy weight.

Winnie let out a big yawn, and as he took a step, he stumbled, nearly falling face-first to the ground.

So tired, so tired that even the MVP victory musiccouldn’t play in his mind.

Winnie’s face was etched with exhaustion.

Such high-intensity battles were routine for the heroines, but they were a real challenge for a mere mortal like him.

What kind of enchanted item is this?

Seeing Winnie transform back, even though she knew his secret, Mirexia couldn’t help but marvel at the sight.

What puzzled her most was that there was no trace of disguise on Winnie, making her wonder what level of enchanted item he had used to achieve such a flawless transformation.

Mirexia was about to say something when her sharp eyes focused on another direction.

“Mirexia?” Winnie was puzzled by her sudden reaction and followed her gaze to see a fireball hurtling straight toward his face.

Oh no.

Winnie froze, his body sluggish and his mind slow from days of exhaustion. He didn’t react in time to do anything.

“Clang!” A shield-like greatsword appeared in front of him, deflecting the fireball.

“Winnie, step back,” Mirexia stood in front of him, facing the dark, horned monsters that had suddenly appeared in the forest.

“Why is it always you guys? Can’t you just leave me alone??” Winnie glared at the familiar figures with lifeless eyes.

How long had these guys been lurking here? Did they just arrive, or had they been lying in wait? Did they see him transform back??

“Grr!” The monsters mumbled among themselves, their words unintelligible.

Winnie had a bad feeling.

Damn it, he was completely out of strength to silence them now. He’d have to rely on Mirexia.

Mirexia clearly realized this too. Her eyes filled with killing intent as she looked at the dark-horned monsters.

She didn’t know if these monsters, who couldn’t speak, had seen Winnie transform back or if they would reveal his secret. To ensure Winnie’s safety, she had to eliminate every single one of them.

But that would be quite difficult. Mirexia was in better shape than Winnie, but she wasn’t at her peak either.

She hadn’t rested well for days. While her physique and bloodline allowed her to hold on, protecting Winnie while completely annihilating these creatures, neither human nor demon, would be challenging.

Knowing he couldn’t help Mirexia now and would only be a burden, Winnie stepped back.

[Extinction Thunder Break]

Crimson lightning coiled around the greatsword as Mirexia swung the blade, taller than a person, shattering the ground.

The thunderous energy tore through the earth, sending the monsters flying in a straight line.

These creatures could bully Mirexia when she couldn’t use magic, but without that limitation, they were no match for her.

However, they weren’t entirely mindless. After a brief exchange of glances, some stayed behind to cover the escape, while others prepared to flee.

Mirexia wanted to pursue them, but the remaining monsters spat fireballs at her, forcing her to focus on defense rather than chasing their fleeing comrades.

Why are they in such a hurry to leave??

Something’s definitely wrong.

Winnie wanted to deal with them himself, but he was completely drained.

Vanessa’s transformation back to Winnie didn’t come with any recovery. He inherited the state he was in as Vanessa, exhausted and out of mana.

Winnie didn’t know what would happen if these monsters discovered his secret, but it certainly wouldn’t be good.

Just as Mirexia was about to resort to her trump card, unable to stop the monsters from escaping, she heard two loud “Bang! Bang!” sounds.

Then she saw the two fleeing monsters being thrown back, crashing to the ground with their faces caved in.

“Who the hell is that? Can’t you watch where you’re going? If you can’t walk properly, don’t walk at all!” a familiar voice shouted, and Winnie’s eyes lit up.

Who’s this?

Looking at the man clad in golden bird-faced knight armor, Mirexia was certain she’d never seen him before.

“Professor Franklin??” Honestly, this was the first time Winnie had ever been so glad to see his unreliable teacher.

“Oh? Isn’t this the student council president? And… Winnie?” The bird-faced man first noticed Mirexia, then Winnie. Seeing Winnie’s disheveled state, he looked at him with disdain.

“I told you to patrol, but how the hell did you end up in a moderately polluted zone? And with the student council president? Slacking off, huh?”

“Professor, now’s not the time for that. Thesemonsters…”

Before Winnie could finish, the remaining monsters, now surrounded, seemed to make a decision.

They knelt down, like devout worshippers praying to their deity, and amidst agonized wails, their bodies were torn apart by a black whirlwind, reassembled, and then merged together.

Again??

These bastards were pulling another [Sacrifice].

Soon, a Sharag Ghost emerged from the black storm, identical to the one Winnie and Mirexia had encountered earlier, though much smaller, only about two meters tall.

It must have been because there weren’t enough sacrifices to create a full-sized Sharag. This one was undoubtedly weaker than the previous one, but it was still an official minion of the Demon God.

“Professor, run! That thing is…”

“Boom!” Before Winnie could finish, the bird-faced knight raised his hand and delivered a powerful punch to the Sharag’s head, smashing it into pieces.

The newly born Sharag wobbled for a moment, realizing it no longer had a head, before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

“What a piece of junk,” the bird-faced knight said, shaking his hand dismissively.

Wait, he took it out with one punch??