amaotonovel Chapter 350: Are you happy now?
Chapter 350: Are you happy now?
"Vincent, don’t blame yourself too much."
Seeing the agony and self-reproach written across Vincent’s face, Vangar stepped forward and smacked him heavily on the shoulder.
He was trying to pull him out of the spiral of guilt consuming him.
"Now that you’ve remembered everything, hurry back to Female Master’s side. Who exactly are you putting on this miserable act for?"
His voice grew firmer with each uttered word.
"Female Master sacrificed so much for you. She didn’t do all that just to watch you sit here drowning in self-pity."
His words were blunt and carried the weight of a reprimand, but the concern beneath them was impossible to miss.
He was worried Vincent would trap himself inside his guilt and allow it to crush him.
Vincent remained silent.
He remembered everything now.
The memories continued flashing through his mind, each one clearer than the last.
Everything that had happened after his illness returned.
Everything that had followed.
The flood of recovered memories and emotions struck him with overwhelming force.
His shoulders trembled violently.
His clenched fists tightened until his knuckles turned white, ready to burst out of the skin.
Watching him like this only deepened Vangar’s concern.
He crouched down until they were eye level, and his tone suddenly softened.
"I know you’re hurting right now. I know you feel guilty toward Female Master."
He paused briefly, considering his words.
"But what’s done is done. The most important thing you can do now isn’t standing here torturing yourself."
His gaze sharpened, nailing Vincent to the ground.
"Don’t forget that Female Master is still waiting for you."
"She didn’t just give you her blood. For your sake, she nearly exposed the greatest secret she carries."
A dark shadow crossed his expression.
"She wouldn’t want to see you like this."
"If you’re a real male, then stop running from it. Pull yourself together and take responsibility for what you owe her, instead of hiding here like a coward and drowning in regret."
"I won’t run."
Vincent slowly raised his head and met Vangar’s gaze.
"If I couldn’t even face this..."
His voice was calm, but every word carried unwavering conviction.
"If Rory gave everything she did for me, and I chose to hide in regret like a coward instead of facing it, then I wouldn’t even be able to respect myself."
His eyes darkened further.
"And I certainly wouldn’t deserve her love."
He then rose to his feet.
"Vangar, thank you for your concern."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"You know me. No matter how dangerous the battlefield became, I never retreated."
His expression finally steadied.
"And when it comes to love, I won’t retreat either."
Vangar stared at him, stunned. For a moment, he was speechless.
So all that worrying had been unnecessary?
Vincent did not look at him again.
Drawing a deep breath, he glanced down at himself.
When he and Vangar had been fighting, he hadn’t paid attention.
Only now did he notice the true state of his clothes.
The violent clash of their abilities had blasted countless holes through the fabric.
The outfit hanging from his body looked worse than something worn by a wandering beastman.
If this had happened before, Vincent would have returned exactly like this.
Rory would have seen his condition and worried about him.
She would have felt sorry for him.
But now he no longer wanted that.
Rory had already done more than enough for him.
He did not want her worrying or hurting for his sake anymore.
With that thought, he opened his spatial ring and retrieved a carefully prepared change of clothes.
The robe was entirely black, the fabric flowing like liquid night.
Intricate golden embroidery shimmered across its surface, woven with threads of molten gold.
Elegant. Luxurious. Noble beyond compare.
Vincent quickly discarded the ruined garment hanging from his body and changed into the pristine black and gold robe.
The transformation was immediate.
The tailored fit emphasized his tall frame, broad shoulders, and narrow waist.
His previously weary posture straightened instantly, becoming as upright as a pine tree standing against a winter storm.
The deep black fabric accentuated the pale perfection of his features, while the golden accents illuminated the depths of his eyes.
The gloom lingering around him seemed to retreat, replaced by a quiet dignity and an untouchable air of nobility.
Even Vangar was momentarily stunned.
"Wait a second."
He stared at Vincent, confused.
"You came here planning to fight, and you packed spare clothes in advance?"
Vincent calmly adjusted his cuffs.
Then he glanced at Vangar, whose own outfit was just as tattered and miserable.
"Of course I prepared another set."
His tone was perfectly matter of fact.
"If I went back looking like this, Rory would worry."
The corner of his lips lifted slightly.
"And I don’t want her worrying about me anymore."
"I can’t exactly be shameless enough to pick a fight with the Marshal and then deliberately go back looking pitiful so Rory will feel sorry for me, can I?"
Vangar: "..."
Who exactly was he calling shameless?
Vangar looked at the elegant, pristine black robe Vincent had changed into, then glanced down at his own battered appearance.
His fists clenched.
The veins at his temples throbbed visibly.
"What exactly is wrong with the way your minds work?" he demanded.
"Do all of you have eighteen twists and turns in your heads?"
His voice rose in disbelief.
"You came out here for a fight and actually packed a spare outfit?"
Was he insane?
Vangar genuinely could not understand it.
What normal person thought about changing clothes after a battle?
That simply was not how a normal male’s brain worked.
Faced with Vangar’s frustration, Vincent merely cast him a calm glance.
"As soldiers, we’re constantly facing unexpected situations."
His tone was perfectly reasonable.
"Keeping spare clothes in a spatial ring is completely normal, isn’t it?"
He genuinely saw nothing strange about it.
Vangar opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
To his annoyance, he couldn’t think of a single argument.
Seeing him fall silent, Vincent raised an eyebrow.
"Marshal..."
A hint of amusement appeared in his eyes.
"You didn’t forget to bring spare clothes, did you?"
That hardly seemed like Vangar’s style.
Pressing his lips together, Vangar raised a hand and waved it vaguely.
"I was in a hurry when I left this morning."
"My spatial ring got left behind."
The truth, however, was quite different.
He hadn’t forgotten it at all.
His original plan had been to beat Vincent up and return covered in injuries.
Once Rory saw how badly hurt he looked, she would definitely worry about him.
She would personally apply medicine to his wounds.
She would comfort him.
Maybe even spoil him a little.
But now Vincent’s earlier comment about shamelessly pretending to be pitiful had completely blocked that route.
Vincent had already changed into fresh clothes.
If Vangar returned wearing torn rags, Rory would instantly realize he was intentionally putting on an act.
That would be humiliating.
Vincent glanced at Vangar’s bare fingers and smiled.
"So the Marshal forgot his spatial ring."
His tone remained polite.
"Fortunately, I have spare clothes. You can borrow something from me."
Forgot his spatial ring?
More likely he’d never intended to bring it.
He had clearly been planning to return looking miserable so Rory would pity him.
Nice try.
Opening his spatial ring, Vincent pulled out a spare outfit and handed it over.
It was a combat uniform.
A hideous gray combat uniform.
It looked almost brand new.
It was also incredibly ugly.
"Marshal, I’ve only worn this once."
Vincent held it out helpfully.
"Our builds are similar enough. You can make do with it."
Vangar strongly suspected this was deliberate.
There was no way Vincent only had two sets of clothing in his spatial ring.
Out of everything available, he had somehow selected the ugliest outfit imaginable.
Unfortunately, Vangar had no choice.
With a dark expression, he accepted the clothes and changed.
Once they were both dressed, Vincent immediately grabbed Vangar’s wrist.
The next instant, the two of them vanished from the Outer Domain.
As soon as they crossed back into civilized space, both their communicators began ringing simultaneously.
Several dozen messages had arrived.
All of them were from Xarion.
The sheer number of notifications made both men frown.
Had something happened?
Neither dared waste a second.
Vincent immediately opened the voice messages.
Vangar did the same.
Xarion’s voice erupted from their communicators.
"Vangar, are you and Vincent finished fighting yet?"
"If you aren’t, hit him a few more times for me."
"He actually got Female Master pregnant. It’s outrageous."
Pregnant?
Vangar’s eyes widened.
He whipped around to stare at Vincent.
Vincent looked equally stunned.
Before either could react, another message began playing.
Xarion’s furious voice practically exploded from the communicator.
"Vincent, go to hell!"
"You actually got Female Master pregnant!"
"She’s been vomiting nonstop. She’s suffering so much she can barely stand it."
His voice dripped with anger and jealousy.
"Are you happy now?"