“No!”

Blue Maple’s answer was unequivocal, and his voice was so cold that he almost sounded angry.

Blue Maple didn’t want White Cherry to be involved or affected because of him in the first place. The person he was meant he couldn’t have anybody next to him, and he had to take sole responsibility for his actions. How could he let White Cherry get involved?

Heavenly Fire started rising around them and wrapped them both within so that people outside couldn’t see through it…

The other people who watched that happen realized that Blue Maple wasn’t making his move, so they didn’t think much of it, but some of the Common Guild’s members appeared like they wanted to shift the battlefield to where the flames were.

“Stay here.” Blue Maple’s soft and cold words sounded like he was giving her an indisputable order.

He turned around at the same time and prepared to step through his barrier of Heavenly Fire and into the fight.

The fire that encased them both was intended as protection for White Cherry, and also as a cage so that he could keep White Cherry here so that he could prevent her from participating in this event.

If she didn’t say anything and just stayed here, then everything that Blue Maple was about to do would be attributed to his cruel and unbridled personality, and he would take sole responsibility.

“I don’t want…”

White Cherry whispered in response as her weak voice travelled from behind Blue Maple. There was determination in her voice.

“This is something that I want to do, and nothing to do with you.”

Blue Maple sounded angry, and he was getting furious.

However, White Cherry didn’t feel afraid because of that. She knew that the person who had this back profile that she was staring at was preparing to absorb public hatred, all by himself, for a guild that had once attacked him.

She knew that he was doing this because he didn’t want her to be involved.

“I know. But did you not help me, back then, who had nothing to do with you? You were prepared to face an entire guild’s vengeance. Now, I wish to help you share this burden, of something that is completely unrelated to me. What’s wrong with that?”

White Cherry resisted the pressure of Blue Maple’s fury as she continued trying as hard as she could, and she placed her pale and tender fists onto her chest.

“Swoosh!”

Suddenly!

Blue Maple suddenly spun around as he pointed the sword in his left hand at White cherry’s neck!

Icy and chilly light circled around the blade as the tip of the sword was millimetres away from her white and tender skin!

But that didn’t scare her. Even though she could feel the coldness that the sword’s tip exuded against her neck that chilled her to the bone, she still continued smiling.

Almost like she had predicted everything that Blue Maple was about to do.

“Are you going to kill me?”

White Cherry’s smile was still so sweet, and even a little pleased.

Blue Maple was momentarily stunned.

But his expression immediately switched back to fury, and he wanted to press his sword forward but he just couldn’t do it.

Blue Maple was so decisive when he slaughtered Dazed Kitty and the others. He didn’t hesitate ta all, but in his moment, his arm was trembling a little as he couldn’t push his sword forward at all…

“If you kill me now, you will successfully collect all public hatred without my participation. However, you will become even more evil in everyone’s eyes. Yet, I don’t think you care about that, because you think it’s enough as long as you bear everything by yourself.

White Cherry paused for a few moments before she continued with a sly smile.

“But have you forgotten what our relationship is to outsiders? If I wish, and even if you kill me, I can still pull the responsibility to myself with just a few sentences.”

“The reason is because, in their eyes, and just like what Wolf God said, you… are my boyfriend.”

……

……

Blue Maple fell silent, and his head hung a little as his long hair covered his eyes. She couldn’t see his expression.

However, Blue Maple’s mood was evidently terrible.

Finally… he lowered his sword, and his arm hung limp by his side…

“Are you aware that, with my identity in real life, I will definitely not allow a single person to be close to me.”

Blue Maple lifted his head and stared at White Cherry while he attempted to convince her otherwise. He knew that there was nothing he could do to clarify his relationship with her, and outsiders would definitely link them together if she wanted that to happen.

Things were starting to develop in a direction that he wanted to avoid most.

He was willing to let himself become the villain, even the devil! But he would never allow such a kind and gentle girl to be involved, and eventually exposing her to grave danger!

The reason was because everyone around him would be in grave danger once his identity was exposed.

“Are you afraid that I will implicated in this? That’s fine, because I can roughly guess your true identity.” White Cherry smiled as she continued.

“What!!!”

Blue Maple’s pupils contracted vigorously as a fearful expression appeared, for the first time, on this youth who had always worn a cold and emotionless look on his face.

This was the second time that such intense emotional undulations were seen on Blue Maple…

“You are, indeed…”

“The true – ‘Devil King’.”

White Cherry was still smiling like she was before. Her smile was beautiful, and so pure that there wasn’t a single imperfection at all, like she was just narrating a story that couldn’t be any more typical.

Blue Maple stared at White Cherry in fear and shock to the point where words were stuck in his throat. He never expected that somebody could directly guess his identity like that, because he was always seen in public in full battle armor in real life.

Not a single country or organization knew anything about him, and nobody knew anything except he had sought Silent Observer out on his own accord.

“How do you…”

Blue Maple finally asked a question difficulty to clear his doubts.

“I wasn’t sure in the beginning, and I only became certain when you told me that you could possibly have such a terrifying identity in real life.”

White Cherry’s smile even contained some mischievousness.

“Are you very surprised? The truth is, I know all the tasks that you have accepted before were reported. Your tasks were all about killing people, and sometimes more than one. Two years ago…”

White Cherry’s smile dulled a little as she spoke, but her smile quickly recovered as she continued.

Blue Maple’s body quivered, like he had heard something he didn’t want to hear.

“In the eyes of the public, you’re just a devil and a villain with an insatiable lust for murder. You’re impartial to country, region, and location, while all your murders seem so casual, almost like you’re doing whatever you want and whatever you please.”

“The reason is because your target can be anyone, including military officers, philanthropists, heads of terror cells, and certain neutral country’s most powerful men.”

“These deaths are all the work of an evil man from the perspective of citizens from any country. You’re even more despicable and deplorable compared even to people from inside the Chaotic Region’s cities.”

“However, everything that you’ve done is for the same goal anyway, just like how you decided to help me back then, and just like you’re prepared to do this time.”

“You want to bear responsibility for all sins by yourself, and you want to bear all the infamy while helping people that are completely unrelated at the same time!”

“Enough!”

Blue Maple howled furiously.

White Cherry smiled as she finished her sentence. There was only kindness in her beautiful smile, and only people who were kind like she was could see what Blue Maple was trying to achieve.

If White Cherry had known about how he killed Dazed Kitty and the others, she would definitely be able to tell why he did what he did.

The reason was because White Cherry was absolutely kind-hearted, while nobody could see through these things if unless they had absolute kindness which negates all negative sentiments.

Those tainted with thoughts of negative emotions would never see the truth behind all the evil.

Just like… nothing could see through darkness without light.

“So, Maple, you cannot leave me behind anymore.”

“Even though I’m having a bit of a monologue…”

White Cherry took a deep breath as she said determinedly:

“I cannot participate in the events of your past, but I hope to help you bear the burden of other things in your future!”

White Cherry’s eyes were full of hope as she gazed at Blue Maple.

“It must be very tiring to bear all that responsibility for those sins by yourself…”

White Cherry’s gentle words soothed and consoled Blue Maple’s soul.

Blue Maple’s body suddenly quivered, like she had flicked a heartstring deep within him.

He fell silent for a long time…

……

……

Blue Maple finally spoke with a hoarse voice…

He was speaking very slowly…

“I don’t need you to. I will be the only villain for all those sins. You are a kind girl, and you can just watch one side.”

Blue Maple turned around once more and prepared to open a path through the flames and finish off the battle outside.

White Cherry’s expression became melancholic behind him, and she looked very dejected…

That was never going to work, was it? Yes, he’s hidden his own kindness deep beneath his dark heart. How will he easily let anyone get close to him…

But… that part of his kindness must be very painful… the kindness that’s engulfed within endless evil…

White Cherry thought to herself painfully as tears flickered in her kind and beautiful eyes.

Right in this moment!

Blue Maple’s voice could be heard once more just as he was about to step out through the flames.

“You should know that everything I’ve done is something that your kindness cannot achieve. But I can’t stop you, so…”

“Just this once!”

Blue Maple agreed! But just this once…

“Yes!”

White Cherry laughed as the tears in her eyes rolled down her face unwittingly.

Her smile was just so beautiful, but Blue Maple couldn’t see because his back was turned. White Cherry could only see Blue Maple’s tall back profile.

It’s okay even if I have to follow behind forever…

If people knew that I wish to follow behind this so-called ‘Devil’, they must think that I’ve gone insane.

But… so what? As long as I know that he’s not… that’s enough.

White Cherry stared at Blue Maple in front of her, and she walked forward before she put her arm gently around Blue Maple’s right arm…

The flames circling them started dissipating as Blue Maple’s Heavenly Fire gradually integrated back into the ground, and their silhouettes appeared before everyone once more…

……

……

They were so eye-catching amid the burning flames on the battlefield.

The man was a youth with a cold personality, and the lady was a gentle and beautiful girl with tears welling up in her eyes as her arm was charmingly wrapped around the youth’s arm.

The youth’s other hand was tightly gripped onto a long sword which radiated with ice-cold light.

Outsiders would probably think that the young girl had been bullied, and youth was preparing to exact his vengeance!

Nobody knew their real intentions and nobody knew that they weren’t like what they looked like, just like how nobody ever understood everything that Blue Maple had done…