Chapter 656 - TRUTH RATHER THAN IGNORANCE
LUO YAN and Shen Ji Yun appeared at the entrance of the valley of dragons after they teleported from the village of the demon foxes. They were here to go to the tower where Beelzebub was. So, they could give him the body and the other could do his end of their deal. Which was to give Dusk's memories back.
As the two of them moved quickly towards the northern part of the valley, Luo Yan couldn't help but think back to the conversation they had with Dusk before they left the demon fox village.
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Luo Yan walked out of Shirayuki's house, giving the aunt and nephew duo time alone together. They would probably want to talk more about what happened with the Dark Saint. His presence wasn't really needed there, so, he decided to just go out.
Besides, he was also thinking to take this time to go to Typhon to finish their transaction with Beelzebub. At least, with Eclipse busy, it would be much easier to go to the valley of dragons because the other wouldn't have the time to ask them to let him come with them.
Walking outside, he quickly saw Dusk and Shen Ji Yun. The two were both standing silently a few distance away from the house and under the shades of a couple of trees. Both looked like two unmoving rocks. The imagery was a bit funny, so, he couldn't help but chuckle.
He walked towards the two.
"Brother Ji Yun, let's go and finish up with the rest," he said, referring to the deal they had with the archdemon.
Shen Ji Yun simply nodded, showing that he had no problem with that.
Luo Yan then turned to Dusk. "Dusk, is it alright for you to stay here with Eclipse? Tell him later that Brother Ji Yun and I just went somewhere to take care of some business."
He thought that the other would just nod, as he often did since that incident with the red dragon. But to his surprise, the other's answer was the complete opposite.
"No. If you want to leave, then you have to explain some things to me first."
Although, Luo Yan had already expected that Dusk would bring this up sooner or later, he didn't expect that it would be now. Seeing the seriousness of the other's expression, he knew that he couldn't just change the subject and fool him with his witty words.
He sighed. The Dark Saint was already dead but he's still giving them headaches up to this moment. If he could, Luo Yan really wanted to beat the crap out of that bastard again.
"What do you want us to explain?" he asked, even though he already knew what it was.
"When the Dark Saint asked earlier if I was there for my 'father', what did he mean?"
Sure enough. It was about that. Luo Yan glanced at Shen Ji Yun, silently asking for the other's advice.
Shen Ji Yun was silent for a moment, as if contemplating what he should say. At the end, he said, "If he can handle the truth, then, I don't think there's a reason for us not to tell him." He then turned to Dusk and asked, "Can you handle the truth?"
This time, it was the dragon's turn to be silent. But it didn't take long for him to find his answer. "It's better to know the truth even if it hurts than to remain ignorant. Because ignorance is never a bliss."
Well, since the other had already spoken and made his choice, what else could Luo Yan do? Depriving Dusk of what he wanted would probably only backfire at them.
"Alright. I will tell you. Please, listen until the very end. And I hope your heart is ready for whatever you might hear."
The black dragon nodded, indicating that he understood.
And so, Luo Yan began telling him everything that the archdemon had told them. From the Romeo and Juliet like love story of Beelzebub and Alina to how the archdemon ended up with a part of his soul inside a dark mage.
Of course, he didn't forget to mention how an archdemon lacked basic emotions. And that they would only be moved by a person they considered as their 'treasure'. In Beelzebub's case, it was Alina.
He said it so whatever pain Dusk might feel would be lessened even by a bit. At least he would know that the reason his father didn't care for him was not because of any fault of his own. Archdemons were simply built that way.
Then he followed that up with their deal with Beelzebub. Them taking his original body from Achaeus and giving it to him, and the other returning Dusk's memories to him.
After Luo Yan was done, an uncomfortable silence filled the air.
He observed Dusk's expression and saw that the other barely had any expression on his face. At once glance, one might think that he didn't care at all about the things that he just heard. But if one looked closely enough, they would see turbulent storms in the other's eyes.
At the end, Dusk only said, "I see."
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The dragon didn't have any violent reaction after that. He just said that if the archdemon was going to return his memories, he didn't want the other to do it in the demon fox's village. Adding that the archdemon's presence would only taint the place.
Just by that, Luo Yan could tell that the dragon was indeed angry. The other just chose not to show it to them. So, they simply chose the Forest of Darkness. At least, even if the two ended up fighting, the only ones that would be affected were the trees and the monsters living there.
Soon, the tower appeared in his vision. He and Shen Ji Yun didn't stop and continued moving there. Unlike the first time, their journey was much smoother. Because they didn't have to trespass on the roof and could simply enter the place via the front door.
And as if already waiting for their arrival, the aforementioned 'door' opened on its own.