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Chapter 160 – A Cursed Tablet

"Are we in heaven?" the archeologist muttered with confusion as she tried to open her eyes. Lucas and Nikolai looked at each other and sighed at the same time.

"If we were dead, we would go to hell, no doubt," laughed Lucas.

"Heaven and hell do not exist. They are on earth," rebuked Nikolai.

"This is hell, and you two are my punishment," groaned the alchemist. "I was working, and I heard voices outside. Then there was that stench of blood, so I thought you two are dead."

"And you decided that it was better to stay hidden," Nikolai smirked. "You are quite the coward for a defiant of gods."

"I did not decide anything, as the cabin broke apart before I could think of what to do. Furthermore, I heard you trying to hide my existence, so I chose to hide."

"Well, the danger is gone," said Lucas as he looked at the cabin with emotions. "However, our fond memories in this place will never return."

"This is a creepy cabin," chimed in Nikolai.

"Filled with bugs," stood up Taly. "I am not even mad that we got rid of it. I need to find a better place to work."

"How much more time do you need?" frowned Nikolai. "The ritual is tomorrow morning, and I need to return today."

"I only need two more hours," answered Taly. "However, there is a problems magnet. We need to find a place where no one can find us."

"This is the magnet," Lucas pointed at the tablet she was holding. "It seems this item is cursed."

"Any divine item is cursed," spat Nikolai. "However, I would not say it was cursed. This is simply a series of unfortunate events."

"Your marriage was not unfortunate," grinned Lucas.

"Lyle got married?" the eyes of the archeologist widened in surprise. Nikolai did not appreciate that she knew his alias now, but it was a name he would throw away eventually.

"A hot babe forced him into marrying her," Lucas started storytelling.

"It was a monster," Nikolai corrected with a frown. "You do not understand that there is no love in her heart or anything. Instead, she wants me for my body."

"Oh, my," Taly covered her mouth. "You youngsters are so bold these days. Am I the only innocent one among this generation?"

"I am going to kill you both," Nikolai massaged his forehead. "You misunderstood. That monster saw something in me, and she wants it. This is how the beastmen choose their partners. There is never loved involved."

"Racist," muttered Lucas to the side as if Nikolai could not hear him. Nikolai glared at the bastard, who acted as if he couldn\'t notice the rage directed toward him.

"His words are true," sighed Taly. "Beastmen do not believe in love but survival. They choose their mates based on physical traits and power. I am just surprised that anyone chose you…"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lucas was offended for some reason. "You do not know my Lyle. All ladies are fighting with their teeth and nails to get his attention."

"That would be a nightmare," Nikolai frowned at the ill attempt to lie about his reputation. "The archeologist means that no one chooses a dark being for a partner."

"You are a dark being?" Lucas looked surprised. "I mean… there is certainly no doubt you are a dark being since you use darkness. However, I only thought you were a human with a unique element."

"I am human, Lucas," Nikolai did not hesitate to lie. "However, that is not how the world sees me. The moment I used darkness, I became an enemy of the world: a dark being."

"All that is banished from light is evil," recited Taly. "This is the first commandment of the Holy Church. Therefore, dark beings are considered to be evil by them, and in turn, the rest of the world."

"Those priests are the creepy ones," Lucas scratched his head. "Lyle is a better person than all of the holy ones I met."

"I am not a good person," frowned Nikolai. "It happens that our goals align at the current moment."

"You saved me yesterday," Lucas shrugged before throwing his hands behind his head. "I was reckless and did not realize that I might die. You saved me even though it revealed your secret."

"You also saved that night…" muttered Taly. "I know that you would do anything to reach your goals, but that does not change that you saved me from death more than once."

"There you go, Lyle!" laughed Lucas as he walked forward and bumped Nikolai\'s chest with his fist. "You are a good person, even though you pretend otherwise."

\'It seems I fooled them,\' thought Nikolai. \'I cannot believe they are this naive. I might have saved them, but my intentions were never pure. I am incapable of being selfless.\'

It was not a regret he suddenly had about his personality but a fact he accepted long ago. Lilith made sure to prove how foul people were when he served her, and Nikolai could never bring himself to be a hypocrite.

"I am selfish," he said toward the two. "But I will never try to hide it. You two can believe whatever you want to believe, but I am not obliged to be loyal to you."

"We never asked you to be," Taly shook her head. "We are the ones grateful for you, so why would we expect anything more from you?"

Nikolai had no words for that, and he simply nodded because he didn\'t want to speak more of this. As he turned around, he tried to look for clues of struggle, but there was none.

Master Edward might not be dead, but he would not bother them for a while. This was proved by the disappearance of the tattoo on his forearm, as well as the cannibal\'s powers.

They needed to find a new place to stay, which was starting to annoy Nikolai. If not for the tablet being a divine item, he would have thrown it and the archeologist into his pocket dimension.

There was also the fact that anyone who came into contact with his darkness got sick, Sergio being an example of that, but that was a minor issue.

"You said that you did not like the cabin," smiled Nikolai. "You are going to regret those words."

***

The cave was damp and dark, and creatures were in its belly. However, Nikolai felt there was no better hiding spot than this one because it was close to the ritual ground.

"You said it would take you two hours," said Nikolai to the archeologist after three hours from arriving at this place. Taly raised her head and looked at him with indignation.

"This place is not ideal, you see. I am sitting on a rock in the darkness."

"Lucas is holding the lamp for you," pointed out Nikolai. "The sooner we get this over with, the better. Then, we will give you enough money to live a good life, and the fairies will not hunt you anymore."

"I\'m close to finishing the script," she said. "It seems there is a technique written on this tablet that explains how to enter the abyss, but that sounds more like a punishment than anything."

"I thought this was a prophecy," Lucas frowned at her words, and the archeologist closed her mouth silently. "What is she talking about, Lyle?"

"Ancient gods needed a way to trap those who betray them, and it seems this technique is what they used to seal powerful monsters or enemies. Unfortunately, this is not a way to sneak into Celestia, but a way into an eternal prison."

"And how is that related to the assassination attempt?" Lucas frowned again. "Did you lie to me?"

"I did not lie to you," Nikolai turned toward him. "I did not know how to explain it, but this ritual is targeting the princess more than anything. They are going to use her as an offering to their god."

"We need to stop her from attending then," he stood up.

"It is too dangerous. We are trapped in this kingdom because they plan to use this opportunity to attack the border and weaken the Rosia kingdom. If the princess backs down now, they would decide to attack her rather than offering her to their god."

"That does not excuse your lie to me," Lucas had a rageful face. "I placed all of my trust in you, but you lied. If she did not make a mistake and talk about the tablet, I would have never known."

"I want to use this method to change the future," Nikolai stood up from his spot. "I can\'t explain how I know the future, but please trust me again. I lied because I needed your help. I promise you that I will protect her no matter what."

"I cannot trust you any longer," Lucas shook his head. "I will notify the princess that she is in danger. I will call for the kingdom to send aid immediately, and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

\'This tablet is fucking cursed,\' Nikolai inwardly screamed.