Chapter 95

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Chapter 95: Why Think So Much? Just Do It

Inside the tent on the west side.

The mechanical bird Nono perched on the makeshift desk and tilted its head to watch the female mechanic assembling her equipment.

Since returning to the tent, Kalian hadn’t said a word for more than three natural hours; she just kept checking and putting together her gear.

She checked the gunpowder, wiped the barrel, and organized the air valves… doing this over and over again.

She pulled the bullets out one by one and then loaded them back in, one by one.

She rubbed the mechanical tools she carried with resin back and forth.

The temperature inside the tent seemed to drop by two degrees, making even the mechanical bird feel the chill.

But that was not what scared it the most.

What scared it the most was Kalian’s expression.

It was a look of calmness to the extreme, as if nothing happening around her mattered to her at all.

Nono had never seen Kalian like this before; it was as if she had become a different person.

"Why… can’t it fit? It’s right here, so why can’t I get it in!"

Kalian held the gas gun and was trying to load bullets into the chamber.

As a mechanic studying steam and truth, the most important skill is having steady hands.

But now, Kalian’s once steady hands were shaking continuously, the brass bullets swaying back and forth at her fingertips, right at the mouth of the chamber, but she just couldn’t push them into the barrel.

So, she kept pushing, kept pushing, until—

"Why can’t I get it in! Why are my hands shaking!"

With a loud "bang."

The gas gun was thrown to the ground by Kalian, making a huge noise.

The mechanical bird was startled and quickly flew up, circling in the air.

Kalian grabbed her red hair and buried her head between her legs, whispering, "Why, why! Why can’t it fit…"

"Nono! Nono!"

After circling in the air twice, the mechanical bird slowly landed next to Kalian.

It carefully peeked its head over.

"Nono! Nono! Kalian, are you okay?"

The response was a long silence.

When the silly bird began to worry that something was wrong with Kalian, the female mechanic finally lifted her head and showed a smile.

"I’m fine, you don’t need to worry, Nono, I’m very well."

"Really, I’m really fine, Nono, really."

Her smile was stiff like a puppet, making Nono, this mechanical being, feel a strange unease.

Kalian stood up and slowly picked up the gas gun. "I’m sorry, Nono, I’m just a bit annoyed. I’m sorry, it’s okay now."

Then, she poured the bullets out of the gas gun again, opened the chamber again, and loaded the bullets in one by one once more.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

"…" The mechanical bird tilted its head and flew out of the tent.

Although it was a mechanical being, it wasn’t foolish; it could tell that something was off with its master.

It needed to go find Leo to figure out what was really going on.

……

"Really? So that’s what happened to Kalian." Listening to Nono’s story, Leo sighed and lowered his head. "I understand now. You can go back first; I will think of a solution."

"Nono! Leo, did you two have a fight?" The mechanical bird tilted its head. "And who is this woman? I don’t think I’ve ever seen her before."

"Alright, you should go back now. It’s too complicated to explain this to you." Leo waved his hand in annoyance and pushed the mechanical bird out of the tent.

"Nono! What is going on with you two? Why is each of you acting so strange?"

Strange? Yes, I want to know too. Why has Kalian become so odd?

She clearly loves me, yet she chooses to leave.

What on earth…

"Master… I…"

Skuld sat next to Leo, feeling a bit lost.

More than three natural hours have passed since Miss Kalian left the tent.

When she saw Kalian leave, she felt a little pleased, thinking that no one would take her master away anymore.

But when she saw Leo, silent and looking as if he had lost his soul, Miss Skuld realized that she might have made a mistake.

Miss Mucus still couldn’t fully understand human emotions, but she could feel that Leo was very sad.

This sadness was something Skuld had never felt in Leo before.

So, her chest felt tight too.

"Skuld, why did you… jump out like that…?"

Leo covered his face, pulling at his hair and murmuring to himself.

Logic told him he shouldn’t blame Miss Mucus; this wasn’t her fault.

She did not have human morals or a sense of right and wrong; her actions were surely driven by her instinct to possess.

Yet, the pain of his emotions made him feel torn apart.

If Skuld had not jumped out, if things could be delayed a little longer, if he had not told Kalian that Skuld was his woman, would there have been another possibility?

Would he and Kalian have a different future?

I don’t know, I truly don’t know.

He was not a saint, nor a genius with extraordinary wisdom; he could not judge which choice would lead to a better answer.

But he knew that time could not be turned back; he had made a choice, and therefore had to pay the price.

"I…" Skuld clenched her fists.

"Is this scene… what you wanted to see, Skuld?"

"No… it’s not…" Skuld said sadly, looking down, feeling a heavy weight in her chest.

She didn’t know why she had to jump out.

But she really wanted to jump out.

She wanted to show Kalian and make her owner notice her, as if that would prove she was the most important person to her owner.

But she never thought about what would happen next.

Skuld couldn’t understand why that mean woman would leave her owner because of her…

Although Skuld would also feel jealous and get upset when Leo was close to other women, she never thought about leaving Leo.

As long as her owner was happy, wasn’t that enough?

"Why does Kalian want to leave…? Why can’t she accept me? She has the same Mucus flowing in her veins as I do."

"Because she is human…" Leo lifted his head, his eyes filled with red veins, "Skuld, you do not understand the pride and morality of humans… you are just an innocent baby. You can do many things, but you cannot truly understand emotions."

"I took it for granted, I thought everything was too simple, it was my fault…"

"Skuld, this is not your fault, it is my mistake."

"Master…" Seeing Leo like this, Skuld felt a heavy weight in her chest, sparkling tears swirling in her eyes, "Master, then… then you can give up on me. I… I can do it, I can be just your servant and not your lover."

"If it can make Master feel better, Skuld is willing to do anything."

"Really, as long as I can be by Master’s side, Skuld will be happy…"

Saying this, Miss Mucus rested on Leo’s shoulder, a few drops of sparkling liquid wetting his chest.

"You are crying, Skuld…"

"Crying?" Skuld wiped the corner of her eye, "Is this what crying feels like? But Master, why should I cry… Does Mucus cry too?"

"…" Leo gently wiped the corner of Miss Mucus’s eye and sighed, "Can you really do it? Can you really be satisfied just by looking at me?"

"I…" In response to this question, Miss Mucus fell silent.

Yes, to make Leo happy, to make Leo feel good, she was willing to give up herself, but… this was not what she truly wanted.

What she wanted was to cry with her master, to laugh with him, to do terrible things together, to share joy, and to do… what couples should do.

Using the words of the bad women she had consumed, this feeling should be called "love."

At this moment, the innocent Miss Mucus longed for love for the first time.

To receive complete love.

Yes, she did not want to give up on Leo; she wanted to possess Leo.

But, that would make Leo sad, it would make him lose Kalian, so Skuld shook her head, pushed her feelings down, and forced a smile.

"Master, I can do it. Really, I just want to be by your side. Just watching you is enough for me, as long as—."

"Stop talking," Leo interrupted Skuld, slowly lifting his head to show a determined look in his eyes. "It’s either all or nothing."

"I will not give up on you, Skuld. I will not lose you."

"I told you before, you are the most important person to me."

"But… but…" Skuld placed her small hand on Leo’s left chest, tears flowing down her cheeks. "I can feel it, Master, you are in pain. Very much pain."

"Is it really okay? Losing Miss Kalian, Master, is it really okay?"

"I don’t want you to suffer, so I can really do this. Don’t worry about Skuld, Master…"

"Alright, no more talking. I will not give up on you." Leo took a deep breath and held Miss Mucus in his arms. "I will not give up on Kalian either."

"I won’t let go of either of you."

If Kalian didn’t like herself, then that would be one thing; a forced fruit is not sweet.

But the current situation is not like that.

Even someone as inexperienced in emotions as Leo can see that Kalian likes him.

The girl’s choked voice, her tearful face that couldn’t turn away, and her willingness to die for him all prove this.

The trust crisis between them should have been resolved in yesterday’s confession.

So, her leaving now is just because of the constraints of her pride and her identity as a princess.

Ultimately, it is still like Miss Mucus—possessiveness is at play, wanting to keep him all to herself.

Since that’s the case, why should Leo let go?

Leo knows that having such thoughts makes him a bad person; if he were in his original world, he would already be hung on the shame post.

But he had to do it, or he would regret it for the rest of his life.

They had already come to this twisted world and had their hands stained with countless blood; at this point, how could they still pretend to be a moral example?

Besides, he never thought of himself as a good person, nor did he see himself as gentle.

He didn’t hesitate to kill, so why would he hesitate now?

He wanted what he desired, and he had to work hard to get it.

Either don’t do it, or do it completely.

He would never give up on the love of Skuld, the love of Kalian, or the love of any woman he might meet in the future.

This was his greed, this was his selfishness.

It wasn’t just love; he wanted more. He wanted wealth, he wanted power, he wanted a place where he could stand equal with those ladies, and he wanted to truly live freely in this world without fearing anyone’s strength.

"So, I should not waste my time here anymore." With this thought, Leo shook his head and stood up.

"Master…"

"…why are you laughing?"

"Because I have understood something." Leo gently rubbed her head, "Before today, we had no desires of our own, no wishes to go anywhere, no goals to act on; everything we did was just to survive."

"But such a life is too boring."

"From today on, I will fight for everything I want—women, power, money. Since I am in this world, I cannot waste this chance."

Skuld looked at Leo, feeling a mix of understanding and confusion. She did not grasp her master’s meaning, but she sensed that he was very different from when she first met him.

Leo stretched lazily, "Alright, Skuld, get ready to get along well with Kalian."

"Huh? Master, what do you mean?"

"It’s not a big deal. Help me block the door of Kalian’s tent."

He no longer hesitated, and there was nothing to hesitate about.

Women need to be guided. Since Kalian can’t get over this hurdle by herself, he will help this Northern Princess overcome it!

……

Inside Kalian’s tent.

The female mechanic stared blankly at the gas gun, repeatedly loading bullets.

The tent was suddenly lifted, and she numbly looked up, only to see the person she should not see at that moment.

"Leo… Mr. Leo, you—"

"Don’t call me Mr."

Leo quickly stepped forward, grabbed the gas gun from her hand, and took it away. "Look at yourself now. Do you see any trace of the Kalian I used to know?"

"I…" Kalian did not expect Leo to be so bold. Her heart raced, but she forced herself to show a calm expression. "It’s my business, no, you don’t need to worry about it."

"Don’t need to worry about it? Don’t need to worry about it… Alright, Kalian." Leo looked down at the princess of North Land. "If you can stop crying right now, I will leave."

"Crying…?" Kalian was stunned and looked blankly at the copper mirror on the table.

In the mirror, a drop of crystal-clear tear was falling from the corner of the young girl’s eye.

"Why are you crying? Kalian, is it because you are losing me, or is it because you can’t get over this hurdle yourself?" Leo launched a fierce attack.

"No, that’s not it. I… I didn’t…" Kalian murmured to herself and stood up, wanting to walk out of the tent.

But Leo would not let her go. He stepped sideways to block the female mechanic’s path. "Then let me change my request, Kalian. Look into my eyes and tell me you don’t love me."

"It’s very simple, just four words. If you can say them, I will leave right now."

"You…" Kalian looked up, meeting his handsome yet slightly wicked face, "You… I…"

"What’s wrong with me?"

"I…" Kalian stubbornly stared into his eyes, her mouth moving but she couldn’t say a word.

"What’s the matter, can’t you do it?" Leo moved in closer, pressing against the Northern Princess, his right hand reaching behind her to wrap around her waist, "Could it be that the princess of North Land knows in her heart that she cannot live without me?"

"I…" A feeling of humiliation, never experienced before, wandered in Miss Kalian’s chest, she pushed Leo symbolically, yet did not use even a bit of strength, "I…"

"Kalian, you can refuse me now, just say you don’t want to, and I will leave right away." Leo leaned down close to her ear, his warm breath brushing her earlobe, "Or are you saying that right now, it’s just your desire for possession in your genes acting up, and you are just jealous?"

"I am… jealous…" This sentence hit Miss Kalian’s heart like a heavy blow, she stared blankly at Leo, who was only a few centimeters away from her, and her body softened, "No, I-I’m not like that…"

But Leo would not give her a chance to struggle any longer; with a swift move, he pushed Kalian onto the bed.

"Kalian, I will be gentle with you, but not right now…"

The sound of soft crying echoed inside the tent.