Last Born Of The Desdemona

Chapter 449: Chapter 449: This Is So Just So Rich!

Chapter 449 – This Is Just So Rich!

Time passed, the sun crawling up and down the ash-grey sky, and with it came three days of peace and pure contentment for Cassius and Isolde.

They had done nothing in those three days except enjoy themselves.

They had gone on a few dates, experiencing what it felt like to be a normal young couple for once.

They had experienced what a night walk under the blinking moon felt like, their hands locked together, their feet carrying them nowhere in particular, yet they didn’t care, for they were with each other.

The young married couple also, and this was certainly a very important thing to note, hadn’t gone a single day without indulging in the pleasures of the flesh, seemingly never getting enough of each other.

In these three days, Cassius had found the time to make progress on his writing project. He was now at Chapter 7. And it was becoming increasingly apparent how hard it was for him to write a man who loved a woman who didn’t love him back.

He had never experienced that kind of feeling, after all, not even back on Earth.

Because of that, he had asked Sarah a lot of questions, with respect and consideration, and asked Isolde herself what she thought of the Chapters.

There were many things he had to change after receiving their opinions, but he was satisfied in the end.

The writing was going well, and he hoped to finish soon enough.

As it was only a short story, he wanted to end it at Chapter 15, before making some edits and maybe, just maybe, trying to publish it.

He was not doing it for any particular reason. Cassius was not interested in money or fame.

He was just doing it for the sake of it.

While he was writing his Chapters and, sometimes, braiding Isolde’s hair in different styles, Isolde herself was enjoying her days of rest, choosing to play the piano every day.

The sound of her playing was slowly becoming a familiar part of Cassius’s days, and he loved every single moment of it.

Eventually, however, the three days came to an end.

And that ending ushered in the beginning of their Sect’s Second Meeting, which was taking place at that very moment, inside one of Meadow’s meadows.

"A week," Cassius said with a long, weary sigh befitting a soldier on his 33rd war, sitting cross-legged on the green grass of the splendid meadow, the sky blue and bright, the sun soothing. "I needed a week of rest, not just three days. I am still tired, by the Queen."

Isolde was sitting at his side, shaking her head at her husband.

The calming wind whispered then, carrying with it the scent of sweet flowers.

"You have been complaining about this since the beginning, Cass," Meadow said, sitting down herself, with Sarah just beside her. "Can we focus now and look at what we got from our two Heists?"

"I still can’t believe you managed to pull it off," Isolde said. "Two Heists. One against the Museum and the other against the Deathless Prison, and no one knew."

"Sarah was the true champion of these two Heists, mind you," Cassius said with a smile. "She was the one who almost killed that assassin from the Fangs, and even wounded that woman who used undead. And to top it off, she is the one who completely destroyed the Church of Vorn, only for people to call her the Preacher of Death afterward."

"Preacher of Death!" Meadow said. "You are viral on the Net, Sarah sweetheart!"

Sarah blushed shyly. "I only did what you ordered me to do. And no, please. I am not the Preacher of Death. I only obey the Queen."

"Hahah, we know. But you did it so well," Isolde praised her. "That’s really incredible, Sarah. I can’t imagine how strong you will be once your Aspect evolves. Are you close?"

"Close? I have everything I need now," Sarah beamed. "The only things left were among the bunch of artifacts, potions and ingredients we stole during the Museum Heist. I... I just need to wait for the perfect time to evolve it. Which means a clear, moonlit night."

Cassius, Isolde and Meadow immediately congratulated Sarah on finally gathering everything she needed to evolve her Aspect. She was already quite strong. But now the three could hardly imagine the nightmare Sarah would become once her Memory Aspect evolved.

Before their very eyes, the three of them were watching Sarah become someone they could barely associate with the pitiful maid she had once been.

And that made them smile, a feeling of pride growing inside their chests.

Sarah was even prouder of herself, but more than that, she was grateful to have people who wished for her to be better, and who tried to help her become so.

She had been the one who said she didn’t have any friends, but maybe... maybe she actually did. Maybe she just hadn’t acknowledged it because she felt unworthy of them.

Now she could see them that way. Not only Cassius, but also Meadow and Isolde.

Friends. A simple word, yet the meaning behind it...

"All of you, thank you," Sarah said sincerely, her smile blooming. "With this, I think I will have a better chance of becoming a great detective and joining the Deathless Crusaders."

"Sigh, look at her, Isolde. Just look at her," Cassius said in a mock-dramatic, fatherly tone. "Little Sarah is growing up. Now she talks about being a great detective. I feel like a proud father right now." He looked at Sarah, wiping away a tear that did not exist. "Me very proud. You great."

Sarah was about to answer in kind, like she always did, but she suddenly grew shy in front of Isolde and Meadow and only grunted in answer, lowering her head. "Stop it."

Cassius laughed, amused. Isolde and Meadow shook their heads.

After that little moment of pride for Sarah, the four continued to talk about what they had obtained from the Heists.

The haul was quite large, but what interested Cassius the most were the Tier Two ACS among it.

There were five of them.

With these ACS, they could rank up the moment they entered the Mirror Domain. But Cassius knew he could most likely do it without entering it. All that was left was for his Sun Essence to reach its limit, and it was quite close.

Besides the ACS, there was one other item that immediately grabbed Cassius’s attention. It was an old, weathered letter, pink and black, with parts of it burned and lost.

It seemed like a relic of the past, but that was not why he was interested in it.

It was because of the signature mark at the end of the letter. A mark that was oddly similar to the ones he had seen on the boxes holding the Beauty Potions.

It was the mark of a woman whose face couldn’t be seen, but whom he instinctively knew was beautiful. Cassius hadn’t known who that woman was back then.

Now he did.

’Aphrodite,’ he whispered inside his mind, holding the letter in his hand.

"What is this?" Isolde asked, leaning forward to read it, only to frown. "What language is this?"

"I don’t know," Cassius said, and asked his goddesses.

[Jola.] Ananke said. [And this one specifically seems to be the very first Jola, long before it evolved and developed. It’s a very old language. Monsters speak it naturally when they gain consciousness at Tier Four.]

’Oh. That far back? Can I learn it?’

[I encourage you to.] Ananke replied. [You will need it more often than not once you are outside this Kingdom. I can teach it to you when you have time. I believe you will learn it fast with your Innate.]

’Most likely,’ Cassius said. ’Still, do you know what these words mean? I am quite curious. After all, the Beauty Potion was among the first things I got from the Origin Store. And the description said it was made by the First Witch.’

[I can translate it for you.] Marvela said, and without hesitation, used her GeumGeum to do so.

Before the three women’s eyes, a dense power wrapped around the parchment letter, then dissipated seconds later.

Nothing had changed, but when Cassius and Isolde tried to read it, they understood the words instantly.

Some were missing, but roughly, they managed to read:

<Beauty, Fool. That’s what I always wanted, but could never have. My appearance will never change, no matter what I do.

To think I created Alchemy for this. Ah, irony, Fool! Irony!

The Three Origin Beasts must hate me, yet I have done nothing. My heart is still beating, but my soul is ashes.

I have given up now, and almost, I repeat — almost — Fool, I went on a rampage to ease my pain.

I didn’t, rest assured. I don’t like mindless killing, and in fact, I have never killed anything or anyone.

These mortals only call me Witch because of my ugliness. What an irony.

Ah, I am rambling. Not so charming for a lady like me. My most sincere apologies, Fool.

I just wanted to inform you of my goal, dear Fool.

I have heard that She needed a foundation of Myth in order to bring these Myths to life and make them gods. Third Generation gods.

Well, here is the foundation I have for you. Please, do not mock me: an ugly Witch creates a Beauty Potion, a very special one, and gives it to a young girl. And that young girl then becomes the most beautiful woman to ever exist, just as the Witch was the ugliest.

Fitting, isn’t it? Tell Her this is free and I don’t need anything in return.

I just want to be the origin of the most beautiful woman, if I can’t become her myself.

">Ah, Fool. Please, tell Her. And... tell Her I want her name to be...>

The letter ended there, and Cassius tilted his head to one side. Something came to his mind, but Marvela said it first.

[The Birth of Aphrodite! Oh my! This is just so rich!]

—End of Chapter 449—