V2: Chapter 71: To Live or to Repay a Debt?
"Why?"
Octaville picked up her teacup and took a sip.
"There aren't many complicated reasons, it's just that I was threatened."
Her face seemed expressionless.
"The former Tower Master said that if I didn't go back, I would be removed from the Magic Tower. You know, I've always had my own revenge, my own desires. I weighed the pros and cons for half a year, and finally chose to go back."
"As for... why this happened again," Octaville smiled bitterly, "...more and more civilians are dying. I know Liang Di won't die. Yes, that's the cruel reason. I know she won't die. I know I will definitely ascend to the position of Tower Master and then rescue her."
"So, it's understandable that Liang Di hates me."
Octaville put down her teacup, sighed, and looked at her beautiful face, slightly sorrowful, reflected in the tea. Suddenly, she felt incredibly ugly. She pursed her lips and pushed the teacup away.
“But,”
Octaville looked at Liang Lin, “Liang Di doesn’t hate me, she’s just cold to me. I know she’s never truly hated me. But I’d rather she hated me. If hatred could open her heart and make her passionate about everything except me, like she was when she was little, then after my wish is fulfilled, I wouldn’t mind letting her kill me.”
Liang Lin didn’t say a word, her feelings complicated.
After all, she wasn’t the protagonist in Octaville’s story, not even a supporting character. She had no right to judge who was right and who was wrong. If she did, then with her omniscient perspective, she would be no different from those indifferent bystanders.
On the other side…
“Auston, you will forever live in the pain of hurting me and my mother.” Liang Di glanced coldly at the paralyzed man on the bed. “Not only you, but I will make Miranda and Edwin pay the price.”
“I know that if you could speak, you would be furious right now, accusing me of cruelty, saying that you and Miranda did it, and that Edwin is innocent.”
Liang Di’s smile was somewhat desolate.
“Then…”
“Weren’t Meredith and I innocent too? You tried to kill me, but you didn’t, yet Meredith left this world forever, killed by your own hands. No one is innocent, including that child. He was the product of your and Miranda’s sins; he should never have been born.”
Liang Di went behind the wheelchair and gripped the handle.
“Auston, you should be in pain, not relieved that you didn’t die, because one day, I will make you watch Miranda and your beloved son Edwin die painfully at my hands.”
After saying this, she saw fear and anger in Auston’s eyes.
"Go ahead and be angry, go ahead and be anxious. Right now, you're just a half-dead person lying in bed. You can't do anything."
With that, Liang Di turned around without looking back, pushed her wheelchair, and walked out of the room.
"Hehe."
That felt so good…
"Time to go find Sister Liang Lin~ I wonder where she is now?"
In the back garden.
"So it's because you returned Liang Di that you became the Tower Master?"
Octaville's body suddenly stopped. She chuckled twice and patted the other's head. "How could that be? Is it that simple to become the Tower Master? You underestimate the value of this position."
"Hmm… So, you defeated many contestants?" Liang Lin dodged the other's hand disdainfully, then playfully patted it like a kitten.
Octaville withdrew her hand.
"How could that be? You're oversimplifying things, child."
"Then why?" Liang Lin asked impatiently, her curiosity not particularly strong. "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I'm not particularly curious."
"I'll tell, I'll talk, but don't be afraid."
Octaville shrugged and spread her hands. "Of course, I killed them all."
"Huh?"
Liang Lin's mouth dropped open, her eyes widened, and she froze on the spot. Although Octaville gave her the feeling of being a dangerous person, she had never imagined that this guy would slaughter so many of his own people for the position of Tower Master.
"You,"
"You you you!"
Octaville's expression collapsed.
"Pfft~"
"Hahahahahahahahahahahaha~!"
Octaville clutched her stomach, bursting into laughter, raising an arm, pointing her index finger at Liang Lin, laughing until tears streamed down her face.
"Of course not... While some among them may be wicked, not all of them are. Did I punish all the evil and promote the good? If it were solely for the position of Tower Master, I would prove myself worthy through my strength. I wouldn't resort to such despicable methods as killing people." Octaville stopped laughing, looking as if she hadn't had enough.
"Hiss~"
Liang Lin blushed.
Angry.
"Octaville, you really are..."
"Ouch, ouch, ouch."
Seeing that the other was angry, Octaville quickly raised her hands in surrender. "But, I did kill someone to become Tower Master."
"Huh?"
Liang Lin once again wore that dazed expression.
Octaville nodded, her smile completely vanishing.
“I think you can guess who I killed.”
“Uh, I can’t guess.”
“…”
Octaville sighed, unable to believe that her beloved Hilary, so intelligent, had such a silly and adorable younger sister.
“Alright, alright, I won’t make you guess this kind of thing again.” Octaville sighed. “I killed… the former Tower Master, who was also my… master.”
“Eh?”
Liang Lin paused for a few seconds, then frowned. “You killed… him? He’s the one who raised you! Didn’t you say he took you into the Magic Tower and provided for you?”
Octaville nodded noncommittally.
“But, Liang Lin, you need to understand one thing: if your father tries to kill you again and again, will you choose to obediently let him kill you, or will you fight back and kill him? Will you sacrifice your life for mindless filial piety to repay a debt of gratitude, or will you choose to live and give yourself a bright future?”
Liang Lin fell silent.
Just then...
"Sister Liang Lin, you're here~"
Liang Di appeared behind them, smiling, and leaned closer. "What are you talking about?"
At that moment, Liang Lin had also figured out her answer.
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