stonecrandall Chapter 30 The Devil's Chant
Chapter 30 The Devil's Chant
Behind the Golden Curtain: The Future World - Kassel College
The afternoon after the 3E exam, the sun was shining brightly.
Kassel College appears exceptionally tranquil and beautiful in the afternoon light—ancient stone buildings are covered with ivy, the lake ripples in the breeze, students sit in twos and threes on the lawn chatting and reading, and the distant clock tower chimes the time.
But Lu Mingfei only felt cold.
A bone-chilling cold that seeps from the very marrow.
He walked alone back to his dormitory, clutching the bloodline assessment certificate he had just received. It was a dark blue hard card with dark gold World Tree patterns embossed along the edges, and the front was printed with beautiful Gothic lettering:
Name: Ricardo M. Lu
Student ID: AI071721S
Pedigree rating: S
Assessment Body: Kassel College Executive Department, Pedigree Assessment Committee
Below is the principal's autograph and the college's seal.
S-class.
Just hours ago, this title was being questioned and bet against him, but now it has been officially confirmed. Posts mocking, questioning, and gloating on the forum are being rapidly deleted, replaced by analyses, praise, and adoration.
Well-deserved! A complete analysis of Lu Mingfei's eight epic paintings for the 3E exam!
From Loser to S-Class: Lu Mingfei's Road to Success
Principal of Angers personally confirms: Lu Mingfei is a direct descendant of the Black King!
The inauguration ceremony for Lu Mingfei, Chairman of the Freshman Association, will be held at 3 PM this afternoon!
The whole world is cheering for him.
But he only felt cold.
That kind of coldness isn't physical; it's deeper, more spiritual. It's like standing under the blazing summer sun, your skin burning hot, but your heart is frozen with a layer of ice that will never melt.
Lu Mingfei stopped and stood under a huge oak tree. The shade of the tree cast dappled shadows on him, and the sunlight shone through the leaves onto his face, warm and pleasant, yet he still shivered.
A sentence suddenly flashed through my mind; I don't know where I read it or who told him it:
"I have lived in a world of solitude and experienced the most terrifying cold in the world, so even in the most intense sunlight, there is a slight chill."
Damn, that's spot on.
Lu Mingfei twitched the corners of his mouth, wanting to laugh, but couldn't manage it.
He remembered yesterday's dream. His mother's departing figure in the torrential rain, her words, "Live well, even if you're just an ordinary person." He remembered Nono's long legs dangling from the lectern, the casual gentleness in her voice when she called him "Ricardo." He remembered the gossip posts on the forum about her and Caesar, Qilan's almost worshipful gaze, and Professor Manstein's icy tone as he read the exam rules.
All the images churned and collided in my mind, finally brewing into a complex and indescribable emotion—not sadness, not anger, not loneliness, but a mixture of all of these, like a pot of soup that had been simmering for too long, bitter and astringent.
"Damn it!"
Lu Mingfei cursed, his voice not loud, but it was particularly clear in the quiet afternoon.
He didn't know who he was cursing. Was he cursing his irresponsible father? His mother who abandoned him and died? Nuonuo who had a boyfriend but still smiled at him? His classmates who treated him like a monster? Or... himself?
This weak, incompetent version of myself, who can only hide under the shade of a tree and secretly curse when I'm sad.
The words from my dream echoed in my ears again: "Even as an ordinary person, you must live on."
But now he can't even be an ordinary person anymore.
He is an S-class, a direct descendant of the Black King, a monster capable of creating epic paintings, and a madman who single-handedly took down the student council president and the Lionheart Society president on a day of freedom.
He can't go back.
That loser Lu Mingfei who could cower in a corner like he was invisible, that good-for-nothing Lu Mingfei who could stare blankly at anime posters all day, that coward Lu Mingfei who could silently like someone but never dare to confess—
died.
He died the moment Nono called him "Ricardo".
He died the moment he raised his gun on the day he gained freedom.
He died the moment he drew Nidhogg eating the World Tree during the 3E exam.
The person who is alive now is someone he doesn't even recognize.
【elder brother.】
Lu Mingze's voice echoed in my mind, a rare gentleness that made my heart flutter.
Are you very sad?
"Yes," Lu Mingfei answered in his mind, his voice very soft, "It's very sad."
"Then cry," Lu Mingze said. "But after you've cried, remember one thing—you're not alone. You still have me. No matter what happens, I'll be by your side."
"What exactly are you?" Lu Mingfei asked, this was the first time he had seriously asked this question. "Why are you inside my body? Why do you call me brother? What do you want?"
Lu Mingze remained silent for a long time.
Lu Mingfei thought he wouldn't answer anymore.
Then, that youthful yet mature voice began to chant, not in dragon script, but in some ancient, more obscure language. Every syllable carried the warmth of blood, the heat of fire, and the coldness of ice.
"Everyone has a devil inside them, and happiness is its prison. When all happiness vanishes, the devil will break free of the prison and emerge singing a bloody hymn. At that time, the desperate will be invincible."
The chanting has ended.
Lu Mingfei stood there, feeling as if the blood in his body had frozen in an instant.
devil.
cage.
A bloody hymn.
A desperate person is invincible.
These words, like a spell, were etched into the depths of his soul.
"Brother." Lu Mingze's voice rang out again, reverting to his usual mischievous tone. "I am the devil in your heart. I am your strength, your curse, your...other side. When you need me, I will give you everything—for a very small price."
"What price?" Lu Mingfei asked.
"A quarter of my life, brother." Lu Mingze smiled, his laughter as sweet as poison. "Every transaction, you give me a quarter of your life, and I give you the power you desire. Fair enough, isn't it?"
Lu Mingfei remained silent.
He looked up at the leaves above him. Sunlight streamed through the leaves, making him squint.
A quarter of a life.
He's eighteen this year. Assuming he lives to eighty, he has sixty-two years left. A quarter of that is fifteen and a half years.
Would you trade fifteen and a half years of your life for a single wish fulfilled?
It sounds like... it's not a bad deal?
"Think about it, brother." Lu Mingze's voice faded into the distance. "I'll be there when you really need me."
Then, he disappeared.
Lu Mingfei became a person again.