Chapter Thirty-Four: The Most Ferocious and Vicious Beast in History (Special Episode II)

Footsteps drew closer and closer.

Who could it be? Was it the child's parents, or some villain who had imprisoned the princess?

In the end, Amy was moved by compassion. Regardless of whether the girl had mental issues or was an incurable narcissist lost in her own fantasies, he simply couldn't stand by and watch a child so small wandering alone through these lawless, villain-infested alleys. Yes… He was always helpless when it came to children.

Thinking such, he gazed at the diminutive girl beside him. This was also the first time he seriously examined this mysterious girl. Considering her height and features, she seemed to be between thirteen and fourteen. Her black eyes brimmed with childish innocence and carelessness. Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down to her ankles like a waterfall. Her skin was unnaturally pale, almost sickly, and the hand she clasped in his was icy cold, devoid of warmth—making one pity her. This, at least, aligned with her story of being imprisoned.

Unconsciously, his dislike for the girl faded significantly.

Just then—

They arrived.

The black-haired, black-eyed girl secretly mouthed something to him, then pulled him to stand pressed against the wall near the corner, scanning their surroundings. She made a shushing gesture once more.

Amy nodded to show he understood. Though he cared little about whether they would be discovered, nor did he believe such a clumsy hiding place would be effective, since he had already played along with this enigmatic girl to this point, there was no need to turn hostile halfway. After all, the worst he would have to face was a simple thug.

Yes, a single person.

From the sound of the footsteps, it was easy to tell only one was approaching.

Yet when the owner of those footsteps appeared around the corner, the young Glorifier's pupils involuntarily contracted. If not for the cool touch of the girl's hand reminding him she was still at his side, he might have greeted the newcomer immediately.

It was a familiar face.

Dick, one of the Seven Apostles of Dice House.

Out of caution and curiosity, he held his breath, quietly awaiting the outcome.

After all, to think that a simple blind spot would fool someone as skilled in intelligence gathering as Dick was pure folly. Even without deliberate searching, a mere glance would reveal them, completely exposed and with no hope of escape.

Yet…

Why was her heartbeat so steady?

Amy raised an eyebrow. He sensed no hint of tension in the girl—indeed, as he shifted his gaze slightly, he wondered if it was just his imagination, but she seemed not only unconcerned by the imminent threat, but was instead focusing her attention more on him.

Something felt off…

The boy began to suspect the girl's identity was far less simple than she let on.

But now was not the time for such concerns. The young Glorifier could prioritize; the immediate task was to deal with Dick, who might discover them at any moment. If possible, he did not wish to offend Dice House and lose his only reliable source of information.

So how to explain?

While watching the movements of the golden-haired, blue-eyed youth, Amy considered a response that might satisfy both sides. Unexpectedly, Dick seemed to have urgent matters to attend to; his silhouette vanished deep into the alley without even a passing glance.

How strange.

Perhaps he was merely passing by… That seemed the only reasonable explanation.

So he thought, but judging by the girl's relieved expression, it was probably not so simple.

"Well then, thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Grasshopper." The girl circled him with a gaze as if admiring a rare animal, then smiled and clasped her hands. "The mountains remain, the rivers flow; for now, we part ways. I won’t see you off."

The mountains remain, the rivers flow… That line sounded oddly familiar…

The young Glorifier narrowed his eyes, and then—

"Hey, Mr. Grasshopper, I know I’m quite charming, but could you be a little more gentle?" The girl looked at the boy holding her hand, her eyes brimming with tears, and pleaded timidly, "It hurts."

…Once again, Amy realized he and this girl shared not a single language.

"Never mind what this nonsense about ‘Mr. Grasshopper’ is supposed to mean—what’s your connection to that guy who just passed by? Don’t expect to fool me with tales of princesses imprisoned by evil dragons."

"Because you’re just like a grasshopper in autumn—you won’t be jumping much longer." The petite, black-haired girl responded matter-of-factly. "As for the one who just went by… Actually, he’s not a person, but a beast more fearsome than any dragon, the most vicious and evil beast in history."

She wore a look of genuine dread.

"What do you mean, grasshoppers in autumn don’t jump for long?" The boy raised an eyebrow, his patience for this nonsense nearly exhausted. "And what nonsense about the most vicious beast in history… Do you take me for a fool?"

"Oh? You understood." The girl was surprised, then nodded knowingly. "True, the phrase makes sense contextually and semantically. I should’ve considered that."

"Don’t insult my intelligence." It took him a long moment to squeeze those words from his mouth.

"Oh?" The girl looked surprised again, and studied him up and down. After a few breaths, she said with admiration, "I wouldn’t have guessed—you even know what intelligence is. Mr. Grasshopper, you have quite a few secrets worth digging up."

Calm—stay calm—

Taking a deep breath, feeling himself teetering at the edge of eruption, the Glorifier’s tone turned icy, almost devoid of emotion: "Name, gender, age—current address, place of work—state them all clearly."

"You’re infringing on my privacy!" The girl glared at him, but after her protest failed, she blushed and became bashful. "Do you need my measurements as well…?"

"If you’re willing to provide them, I don’t mind." Amy kept a stern face, his voice mechanical.

"Amy Yuli—" Realizing she’d blurted something she shouldn’t, the girl instantly covered her mouth, and her anger vanished. "Your Honor, I confess, I confess everything. My name is Amy Yuli, male, eternally seventeen years old."

"Not a single word is true." The young Glorifier rejected her statement outright.

"Who says so?" The girl puffed out her cheeks. "Every word is true! Since the end of the era of kings, there’ve still been a few Glorifier families left in Hemptica. What’s wrong if I’m Amy of the Yuli family? And what’s wrong if I’m a boy? Are you a chauvinist, upset that boys can be prettier than girls? Or do you want to use this as an excuse to check for yourself?"

Amy Yuli, suddenly enlightened, covered her skirt and blushed, spitting, "Pervert!"

"You’re Amy Yuli, I believe. That you’re a cute boy, I’ll accept." The Glorifier spoke with a blank face, words he didn’t believe at all. "But the one thing I don’t believe is that you’re eternally seventeen."

"Watson, so that was the flaw?" The girl rubbed her chin, muttering something obscure, then reluctantly dropped her smile. "Fine, insignificant mortal, since you’ve asked so sincerely, I’ll kindly tell you—I am the Witch of the End, the revered one who presides over fate. Mortal gender and age mean nothing to me—do you understand?"

Delusions are truly terrifying…

Amy thought, then nodded seriously after three breaths. "You speak as if it’s true."

"But it is true!" The girl leapt up like a startled kitten, but under the boy’s gaze, she turned her head aside and mumbled in a voice barely above a whisper, "Well… There’s a bit of embellishment, but most of it’s true, I swear."

She patted her flat chest.

In that regard, she did seem quite like a boy…

The young Glorifier thought quietly.

"I feel like you’re thinking something very rude." The girl frowned. "Are you criticizing my age? Then you’ve no taste—rare as I am, a thousand-year legal loli is a precious resource."

Delusions are truly terrifying…

Once again, the boy confirmed this. He hesitated for a moment, then ultimately said nothing, refraining from correcting her misconceptions about age. Whether reasoning with a girl barely twelve or thirteen, or with a hopeless fantasist, was equally foolish.

Still… The fact that he’d spent so long wrestling with someone who perfectly combined both traits—perhaps that was foolish in its own way.

Enough, one last question and then let go.

Already feeling exhausted, Amy didn’t intend to waste any more time on these trivialities. With a sigh, he asked his final question, a bit dispirited: "So, Lady Witch of the End, Mistress of Fate, may I ask—what is your relationship with the one who just ran by?"

"I told you, the most vicious beast." The girl yawned, answering absentmindedly.

"Are you going to say he’s the Beast 666 as well?" The boy sighed, gazing into her dark eyes bright as black pearls. "I’m serious. Don’t try to fool me again."

"I'm serious, too." The girl insisted. "There are monsters in this world more terrifying and brutal than the Beast of the Apocalypse."

"The Beast of the Apocalypse…" The young Glorifier was momentarily distracted by the name.

"Exactly. Far above the Beast of the Apocalypse is the most vicious and evil beast—the one who appears at every holiday in your home, destroys your treasures, ruins your daily life, and whom you can neither beat nor scold: humanity’s eternal nemesis."

The black-haired, black-eyed girl took a deep breath, a flicker of dread crossing her eyes. "—The ultimate existence dreaded by all, known as the ‘Brat.’"

Delusions are truly terrifying.

Amy Ulysses confirmed this for the third time.