Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

Edmund paced around the room a couple of times, then stopped by the bedside. He didn't allow himself a moment to think about it, because if he thought about it carefully, his resolve might waver.

He bent down to the bag, cut it open with the knife Faria had made, dragged Faria out of the bag, carried him to his dungeon, placed him on his bed, put his usual hat on his head, kissed his cold forehead one last time, tried several times in vain to close his still open eyes, and turned his face toward the wall.

In this way, when the jailer brings dinner, he will assume that the prison guard is already asleep.

Then he went back to the tunnel, dragged the bed over and leaned it against the wall, crawled into the bag, lay down in the original position of the corpse, and sewed the bag closed from the inside.

Indeed, the thought that arose in the sailor's mind at that moment was to escape Château d'If in place of Father Faria's corpse.

Soon, when night fell, the unsuspecting jailers threw him into the sea near the Château d'If.

Edmund, who had been thrown into the sea, quickly cut open his pocket with a knife and swam forward desperately to avoid being discovered.

While diving, Edmund listened intently, as if he could hear the sound of the waves every moment.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally arrived at a small island. Exhausted, he leaned against a rock, wanting to rest for a while. He missed the Château d'If, but not because he loved the place; rather, he missed Father Faria there.

When the young man saw the long-awaited moon, he felt like crying.

Why is it so bright? Even with my eyes closed, the light hasn't diminished at all, although it's still brighter than darkness.

They finally escaped from that hell called the Castle of If.

The young man clearly wanted to take a closer look at the starry sky; it must be dazzling and incredibly beautiful.

I really love the sea because it is so vast and deep. I wish the priest could see it too. I don't think the priest will die.

Really, he was the last person who should have died...

Whether it remains a dream or not, that's what I think right now.

Whether it remains a dream or not, I can still believe it to be true.

Finally, Edmund broke down in tears.

I don't want the priest to die. I want to see him alive. I really don't want this to happen. Even if I can't get out of here myself, I would be happy as long as the priest is still here. I did something crazy, but I have no way to apologize.

I won't ask for anything else, I just want the priest to be alive, that's all I want.

At least the priest clearly wanted to point to this star-studded night.

Edmund continued to weep, but the tears he couldn't stop soaking his face.

"...He wants to burn brightly in this era where darkness reigns supreme, so—"

The youth whispered.

“I must become a person worthy of that honor; I must prove that the priest’s judgment was correct.”

His words are still imprinted on my eardrums, no, they are etched into my soul.

"...He wants me to live."

The youth whispered again.

A golden light emanated from the still-crying youth's body.

That is a vow that will never fade, a light that will never dissipate.

"But even so... Ahahahahahaha! Only I came out! Only me! Only... me!"

The sailor, who had been weeping, burst into laughter. At that moment, a bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, dispelling the darkness.

"I used the body of a priest who was like a father to escape from hell! Hahahaha! I, I, hahahahaha—"

The Château d'If, a prison tower from which no one has ever escaped alive, exists in the world and is known as 'hell'.

Death row is used to imprison those who have committed unforgivable crimes.

It is said that all the suffering in the world is gathered here.

People say that voices of anger, lamentation, and sorrow are heard everywhere.

It is said that once imprisoned, there is no way to escape.

Therefore, if anyone manages to leave this place alive, that person must be someone burdened with boundless resentment.

It must be a being who, though human, is no longer human.

It must be something that transcends and overcomes all of humanity, manifesting itself like a dark demon.

"That's right! I am someone who fell into hell and survived by devouring hell!"

No one else, no one else, only... me! Only I... will appear on the other side of grudges and hatred!

I will personally avenge myself and my father Faria—ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

.......

Inside the Château d'If, in Edmund's original dungeon, Favia's body lies facing the wall.

At that moment, Abigail was holding his clothes in a daze, wanting to say something but feeling powerless to do so.

In fact, Favia had already told Edmund beforehand that he was going to die, and it took the silver-haired young man a lot of effort to persuade her. But unfortunately, when the truth is right in front of you, who can really stay calm?

"I'm leaving."

A little earlier, Favia said softly, "Looks like it's today."

"You're leaving? Are you going out? Have you lifted the curse on that brother?"

Abigail asked in astonishment.

"No, it's me who's going to die."

"Stop joking, okay? This will really scare Abby..."

Favia kept her head down and didn't look at her.

“Really?” she asked.

“Yes, I won’t lie to you,” Favia replied. “It’s uncontrollable… I have to die… After I die, please, Abby, make Edmund think of this substitution, otherwise he might really do something irrational…”

The blonde girl listened blankly, unsure of what to say, staring at him in a daze.

After a long pause, I couldn't help but ask, "Will he act irrationally? And will I be very rational?"

Favia remained silent, turning her back without saying a word.

But Abby couldn't help but laugh.

"Brother, you'll die," she whispered. "Whatever it takes, I'll do it, at all costs..."

She paused for a moment and asked, "Didn't you teach me this principle? This world shouldn't be one where you have to fight tooth and nail for someone to care about another person."

Favia didn't speak; he pursed his lips and remained silent.

After that, neither of them spoke, and the silence lingered. It was less that they had nothing to say to each other, and more that they were seeing who would lose patience first.

Soon, caught off guard by a sudden impulse, the blonde girl couldn't help but open her mouth and make a sound.

"Brother, you won't die—"

"Feel sorry."

The girl's words were interrupted by the young man's voice.

So gentle, yet so resolute.

His words were so resolute, unlike the brother she remembered who always responded with a smile, yet they were undoubtedly his.

He said, “Abby, go with Edmund and leave this place. This place is nothing but a cage that binds you.”

The blonde girl remained silent for a long time before whispering, "Even if... it's a cage of restraint, it doesn't matter, as long as my brother is here."

“But I do care,” he said, stroking the girl’s hair. “So please keep smiling until the very end.”

Abigail paused for a moment, almost forgetting how to express herself, forgetting what she had just said, and what answer she had heard.

Let's return to the present, to this long silence as the blonde girl clutches the hem of her dress alone.

Before the girl, who was in immense pain, a departed figure leaned against her.

It was as if they had noticed her distress, so gently.

When Abigail saw Favia's face appear before her eyes, she couldn't help but kiss those cold lips.

"...I won't let you die, brother."

Subsequently, it was shaken, and a certain essential part of the girl's body transformed into something else.

“I will never allow it, even if it means becoming a bad child.”

Crack—the sound of something breaking came from behind.

For her, it was as if she were seeing the mist rising from her body from a third-person perspective somewhere in the world; it was unclear, but felt both very real and unreal.

A thick purple fog quickly enveloped Favia, and the girl, whose skin had turned pale, could only weakly murmur:

“Abby, I am also a ‘Silver Spoon’.”

The purple mist engulfed consciousness, enduring immense pressure that arose from an unknown source in order to welcome that door of the past.

The girl, whose hair had already turned white, could no longer maintain her balance. Her consciousness began to gradually disintegrate. When she could no longer bear it, she clung tightly to Favia, as if that would make her feel a little better.

After an unknown amount of time, when the door finally appeared before the girl, she trembled all over and broke out in a cold sweat. Without hesitation, she hugged Favia and walked step by step toward the door with difficulty.

"I must....."

Abigail staggered forward, though only a few steps away, it seemed so far.

"Open it for me, Abby!"

She shouted with all her might, and just like in her memory, the slightly damaged door opened. Then the empty door enveloped Favia, and at that moment the door itself suddenly trembled, and golden light appeared on the terrible scratches.

Then, disappeared.

.......

The seawater wasn't particularly cold; it was just that Favia vaguely heard the rising and falling of the waves until, without realizing it, she was swept away by the turbulent current and drifted to an unknown shore.

In her dazed state, Favia heard the sound of waves and a familiar voice.

"Let me see what this is... Hey, so you're not dead? Favia."

As always, the Almighty Man, standing late at night outside Rome, looked at the strange object that was carried by the turbulent current and went forward to take a look out of curiosity.

It turned out to be his friend who had been missing for almost three years.

225: Under the principles of the stars, crossing the ocean (4k5)

Favia opened her eyes and stiffly turned her gaze.

This is a room that looks somewhat familiar.

Looking up slightly, you can see a large wooden desk in the center, with various drawing tools, manuscripts and books scattered on the table. The manuscripts are densely covered with unique notes and sketches, some depicting complex mechanical structures, and others being anatomical diagrams of the human body.

At this moment, he felt the magic he had been away from for many years flowing into his body; in other words, he could finally use magic again.

"You finally woke up."

The silver-haired youth looked toward the source of the sound and saw Leonardo da Vinci, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, standing at the gate observing him.

"It's Leonardo da Vinci! I never expected it to be you."

"That's a strange thing to say. What do you mean by 'it was actually you'?" Da Vinci frowned, but then sighed. "Never mind, were you comfortable sleeping?"

"It's great, your bed is very comfortable."

“Of course, after all, I’m an omnipotent person. Although I’m old, this kind of thing is still very easy for me.” Da Vinci nodded to himself, then continued as if he had just realized something, “I just made this thing called coffee. I tasted it and it was pretty good. How about you have a cup?”

The coffee cup that Leonardo da Vinci handed over emitted a fragrant aroma.

In fact, before the 15th century, coffee was monopolized by the Arab world. It was not until the 16th century that coffee was introduced to Europe through trade between Venetian merchants and the Dutch, and it was even once known as "black gold".

For Leonardo da Vinci, this new drink would naturally attract his attention.

"Thanks."

Favia took the cup, took a sip, and the bitter liquid covered her tongue before transforming into a refreshing aroma that stimulated her nasal cavity from her throat.

Although the taste was very different from what it would taste like in the world hundreds of years later, it was already quite good for him after nineteen years in the Château d'If.