Redeem The Villain [Quick Travel] Chapter 14

Chapter 14 Your Majesty, “How about I stay Undersea with you?”

Lu Qinian’s intuition was correct; Aleksi would not go to the Elf tribe, nor would he allow the Elf to leave the Undersea.

Lu Qinian slowly helped the Elf Tribe Leader toward the bedroom. He wasn’t overly concerned that Aleksi completely avoided the topic of letting him return, as he couldn’t leave regardless, given that his mission target was staying Undersea.

“Thor, do you blame Grandpa for making you attend the banquet alone back then?” The Elf Tribe Leader looked at him tremulously, his eyes filled with guilt.

The Merfolk King had invited the heirs of all tribes to the banquet, claiming that the tribal leaders were too old to travel, so only the heirs were invited.

Even so, some leaders attended with their heirs, only to end up cursing the Merfolk King at the seaside before returning alone.

The tribes considered the Merfolk King cruel, but they also feared all the tribes, especially since the Elf tribe’s Saint Child was involved. Therefore, they were only worried about whether their children would suffer, not that anything serious would happen. They were severely proven wrong on the second day of their arrival Undersea. The accompanying Guards scattered and fled back to their tribes, bringing news that the heirs had been detained in the Dungeon. The Elf tribe was the most shocked, as their Saint Child had been stabbed by a Merfolk during the banquet and had fainted on the spot.

This completely panicked all the tribes.

When the Elf Tribe Leader learned of Thor’s injury, he fainted immediately. Upon waking, he was filled with remorse, praying daily beneath the Divine Tree, believing that this calamity had occurred because he had not accompanied Thor.

Lu Qinian rested his hand on the Tribe Leader’s wrinkled one. The original body had a terrible, arrogant personality but respected the Elf Tribe Leader above all others. The Elf Tribe Leader truly doted on the original body, which was why he had traveled to the Undersea.

He gently comforted him, starting to fabricate a story: “Grandpa, Aleksi told me about the banquet beforehand. It was all fake.”

The Elf Tribe Leader looked at him gravely. Lu Qinian still wore a smile, which softened the Tribe Leader’s firm resolve slightly: “Is that true? Thor, don’t be afraid, tell Grandpa the truth. Even if it’s the Undersea…” His voice trailed off, carrying a hint of powerlessness: “Grandpa can still rescue you.”

Lyle hadn’t spoken the entire way. He didn’t have deep affection for Thor, but he was still the Saint Child of their tribe. Now, he also spoke up to persuade: “The Deer Tribe Leader’s son sent a message. We’ve heard about your situation.”

The Deer tribe? That could only be Lu Li.

Lu Qinian helplessly opened the bedroom door and stepped inside. Only after Lyle closed the door did he smile and say, “It’s really nothing. Grandpa, I’ve never lied to you since I was little. Don’t you believe me? It’s true that Aleksi imprisoned all the Beastmen, but he released me after a few days… I actually helped him. Grandpa, look at where I live; Aleksi hasn’t mistreated me.”

Lu Qinian’s fabrication completely dispelled the Elf Tribe Leader’s suspicion. He added, “Grandpa, please don’t worry.”

The Elf Tribe Leader finally smiled, holding Lu Qinian’s hand with one hand and gently patting it several times with the other: “Good, good. Grandpa believes you, but we still need to leave quickly.”

“Okay.” Lu Qinian nodded, then turned around, meeting Lyle’s meaningful gaze, and gave a casual smile.

After a long while, the room fell completely silent. Ling Tang moved lightly and turned to leave.

The next morning, Lu Qinian climbed out of the sofa, messily scratched his hair, and cautiously got up to walk into the bathroom.

The Elf Tribe Leader’s body couldn’t handle the strain. His trip to the Undersea this time likely made the entire Elf tribe hate Aleksi. Lu Qinian and Lyle were both worried about the Tribe Leader staying alone, so despite the Tribe Leader’s protests, they agreed to take turns guarding him.

Aleksi was the King, after all, and busy with official duties. He usually had to get up early to listen to a group of ministers bicker, and then sit in the study for the entire day. Lu Qinian usually caught him during the brief window right after court, having already formed a biological clock for waking up early.

Lyle learned Lu Qinian’s approximate departure time from a Guard. He leaned against the wall early in the morning, eyes closed in a light doze. Hearing the door open, he immediately opened his eyes and met Lu Qinian’s surprised gaze. His throat, dry from not speaking for a long time, rasped, “You go. I’ll watch the Tribe Leader.”

Lu Qinian hadn’t expected Lyle to be so thoughtful. He nodded, stepping aside and saying, “Alright.”

Lyle walked into the room, glancing at him without speaking. Lu Qinian never cared about the feelings of NPCs. He turned and left indifferently, naturally unaware that Lyle was still glaring at him through the door.

“Lyle.” The Elf Tribe Leader’s voice slowly came from the bedroom.

Lyle quickly composed himself and hurried into the bedroom. He saw the Elf Tribe Leader’s eyes were clear, though there were faint dark circles beneath them. He leaned down to help the Tribe Leader up, complaining, “I think Thor has been blinded by Aleksi. Yesterday in the hall, I saw his eyes glued to the tyrant. He deliberately forgot his own identity. I heard he wakes up early every day to respectfully treat the tyrant. The Elf’s affinity is a gift from the Divine Tree, and he is desecrating the divine!”

Although Thor was previously unlikeable, he was now not only forcing the Tribe Leader to travel thousands of miles but also using his affinity in a way that disgraced the Elves. In Lyle’s view, Lu Qinian’s actions were a betrayal of the Elf tribe and the divine.

The Tribe Leader understood the thoughts of the person beside him. He smiled and shook his head: “Lyle, you don’t understand. He is doing this for the Elf tribe. What he said wasn’t because he favors Aleksi.”

“It’s because we are still Undersea. Have you considered what would happen to us today if he had said one negative word about Aleksi yesterday? It’s true that Thor is helping Aleksi, but he must be forced to. He is suffering for the sake of the Elf tribe. Do you understand?”

Lyle’s bow and arrows had been confiscated upon entering the Undersea, and his affinity was only effective on plants. No matter how powerful he was, he couldn’t fight a group of Merfolk bare-handed in the Undersea.

Moreover, legend said that the Merfolk’s singing could destroy heaven and earth, which was the main reason why the Merfolk tribe held overwhelming power over other tribes.

Lyle understood. He paused, then lowered his head and said, “I apologize, Tribe Leader.”

The Elf Tribe Leader smiled: “Good child.”

Lyle had never left the tribe since childhood. When he was young, he was strong and had always been tasked with guarding the forest. In short, he was a simpleton who didn’t understand the complexities of the situation.

On the other side, Lu Qinian lightly knocked on the door before him. After hearing the familiar voice, he slowly pushed the door open and walked in.

The air pressure in the study was extremely low. As soon as he entered, he felt completely enveloped by a cold, terrifying aura. Lu Qinian hadn’t felt this chill in a long time. During previous treatments, the Merfolk had always been compliant, allowing him to manipulate him. Now, this demeanor made the Elf shiver.

The Elf’s subconscious physical reaction naturally didn’t escape the eyes of the one in power. Aleksi’s heart instantly sank.

The Elf was afraid of him. He was the one who wanted to leave without a word, and now he was afraid of him!

Aleksi’s expression was unreadable, stubbornly refusing to speak.

Lu Qinian slowly raised his head and met Aleksi’s dark gaze. His mind immediately realized that Aleksi himself might not have noticed the hint of resentment in those deep eyes.

The Merfolk before him was expressing dissatisfaction with his departure.

He hadn’t expected him to be so good at pretending. Last night, he seemed indifferent, even smiling as he saw the Tribe Leader out of the study. Now, he looked like he was staring at a heartless man.

Thinking of this, Lu Qinian subconsciously curled his lips. The tyrant was quite cute.

Aleksi was already suppressing unvented anger. Seeing the Elf in front of him smiling happily, his gloomy mood immediately plummeted. In an instant, he lowered his head and refused to look at the Elf again.

Having annoyed the person, Lu Qinian rubbed his nose and walked over, saying somewhat placatingly, “Your Majesty?”

Aleksi’s thoughts slipped out. The Elf had never used a respectful title. Initially, he called him ‘tyrant,’ and later, he used his given name. He never called him that normally, and Aleksi hadn’t minded. But now that he was leaving, he was putting distance between them by using the respectful title.

Thinking of this, Aleksi became even angrier. He picked up an ornament nearby and instantly squeezed it with force.

“Crack—”

The ornament shattered into pieces, clattering onto the desk.

Compared to Aleksi’s gloomy face, Lu Qinian’s mood improved significantly. Months of effort were finally paying off; at least the Merfolk wouldn’t stab him with a sword when angry, but instead take his anger out on an ornament.

[Warning, mission progress decreased by 1%. Current progress: 39%.]

Lu Qinian ignored the system sound and walked unhurriedly toward Aleksi. Under Aleksi’s angry gaze, he slowly cupped the hands that had crushed the ornament.

Aleksi didn’t stop him. He had lived in the Reef Zone when he was young, so his palms had a thick layer of calluses, while the Elf’s fingers were fair and slender. He could feel the Elf’s smooth skin constantly stroking and examining his palms, as if searching for wounds.

Aleksi’s heart warmed. He subconsciously wanted to pull his hand back. Lu Qinian seemed to sense this, suddenly gripping his wrist tightly.

Aleksi instantly looked up, his bright emerald eyes meeting his. The strength in his grip immediately loosened.

“You don’t like me calling you Your Majesty?” The Elf was very close to him, his soft voice sounding like a breath near Aleksi’s ear, causing the Merfolk’s face to flush.

Aleksi didn’t respond, merely swallowing lightly.

Lu Qinian stared intently at the pink tips of his ears, then continued, “Then what do you like me to call you?”

What did he like the Elf to call him? Naturally, he preferred the Elf to call him by his name rather than ‘Your Majesty,’ but he also felt that his name no longer satisfied what he wanted.

Aleksi was stunned, instantly snapping back to reality. He was actually thinking about it.

The Merfolk abruptly shook off the Elf’s hand, then turned and picked up a piece of paper from the desk. The words of refusal were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t speak them. After a moment, he said coldly, “Whatever.”

Lu Qinian chuckled softly: “Alright, then ‘whatever’ it is.”

“Crunch—”

The paper in the Merfolk’s hand was instantly crumpled with creases.

This was the first time Lu Qinian realized he had a mischievous streak. Fearing he would give the Merfolk a headache, he stopped teasing him. While gently massaging his hand, he said, “I’m worried about the Tribe Leader and Lyle returning to the Elf tribe alone. I’ll escort them back to the tribe, and then return to the Undersea to find you. How does that sound?”

Lu Qinian felt the Merfolk’s body stiffen and continued, “You don’t want to go to the Elf tribe with me, so I’ll stay Undersea with you.”

“…”

It wasn’t until the treatment was over and Lu Qinian was about to leave that he heard that low voice.

“Why…”