Chapter 34.
On the surface.
At Eugene's mansion.
{[Your Stigma (Scar) belongs to me. My Stigma (Scar) still belongs to me.]}
Muttering the magic spell. Eugene did not forget to add a cool line: "Henshin, Shinsō!"
The next moment, his appearance rapidly changed, transforming from a young man into an old man next door.
"Wow! That's amazing!"
Lena, standing behind him, let out a sincere exclamation.
I'm in love with the old man next door!
"It's just a parlor trick."
Eugene, with his full head of white hair but still handsome, spread his hands, Terryng the truth. He leaned close to the Amazon girl who had just finished her workout and still carried the lingering heat of the afterglow.
His voice was wicked: "We can try many more things later on~"
Before Lena could let out a flirtatious sound, Eugene laughed heartily and left the room. Under the cover of night, he swaggered out of the main entrance. There was no longer any need to worry about the two people diligently observing from the shadows, eyes wide open.
Riding in the mansion's exclusive carriage, Eugene headed straight for the base of Babel Tower. The swift horse galloped freely through the deserted night, its hooves echoing clearly on the cobblestone streets. Before long, he arrived at the entrance of the Dungeon.
"Heh heh, if I'm being honest, this is my first time here."
Looking at the unfamiliar place, Eugene felt a moment of sentimentality. The clone had never been to the first floor, and the original body was indeed visiting this place for the first time.
{Ring the clock at twelve}
The chant finished, and Cinderella revealed his true form. A handsome, dark-skinned man in a tailored suit, with golden hair and eyes, stood silently at the boundary of the darkness, waiting.
Thud, thud, thud.
Walking towards the gradually brightening light. The Minotaur, holding the girl in his arms, approached step by step.
The two men's gazes met across the distance. They stared at each other, yet remained speechless.
"It feels like looking in a mirror."
Both Eugenes spoke the same thought.
"One is humanity, one is bestiality."
"How interesting."
Beyond that, there was nothing more to say.
In the Dungeon, Eugene had acquired some healing potions and had given Lili emergency treatment for the time being. She should be able to hold on until they reached the hospital.
Eugene extended his hand and bumped the Minotaur's massive fist. It was like the contact between a left and a right hand.
The two then turned around simultaneously. One walked toward the moonlight, the other returned to the darkness.
...
The next day.
The headquarters of the Dian Cecht Familia, which was bustling every day. Famous for its healing and recovery expertise, this hospital, which had been expanded multiple times, was still overcrowded.
The Dungeon was not short of injured people. Every adventurer who risked their life hoped for the best possible treatment.
And under these circumstances, Lili slowly woke up in a spacious, bright single room. The soft light and the scent of plants from outside the window were the first things her nose recognized.
"A-choo!"
"Ouch!"
The pain from her strained ribs instantly shattered the illusion that she was alright.
"...I'm still alive."
"Lili... is still alive?"
She watched the gentle wind flutter the curtains. Her vacant expression only regained life after a few seconds.
"Ah!!"
All the memories flooded back to her. The reckless escape, the all-out counterattack, the hopeless despair, and, just before death descended, that appearance like a god descending to earth.
Him.
Even now, Lili did not know her benefactor's name.
"Oh oh~ You're awake."
Eugene sat in the rocking chair by the bed, leisurely chewing on a slice of apple. On his wrist, two pendants, one red and one blue, were particularly conspicuous.
"That is!"
Lili immediately noticed the familiar colors. From red to blue. It was practically the epitome of her journey from death to life.
"How are you feeling?"
Eugene watched her with a smile. Lili, subconsciously, responded.
"I-I'm fine..."
"Don't worry, no one here will bother you, and you don't even need to pay the medical fees."
Eugene had seen Lili's memories. The girl was accustomed to concealing her wounds. In fact, her small body bore no small number of old injuries.
"Sir, are you, are you a companion of that gentleman?"
Shaking her head, Lili asked a little anxiously.
Companion...
Eugene chuckled softly. This description was rather novel. If the left and right hands counted as companions, then yes.
"Mm, that's right."
"You want to see the big guy, right?"
"Don't worry about him. He's a combat freak; he loves to spend all his time in the Dungeon."
Getting up and picking up a fruit plate, Eugene handed it to the bewildered girl. His hand brushed against the blue sapphire pendant.
"Actually, he was just running an errand."
"The one who truly notified you to go to the Dungeon, was me."
"It was you!?"
Lili looked at Eugene with a shocked expression. The image of the high-society rogue in front of her seemed to be a far cry from the true appearance of the gentleman she had imagined. But seeing the pendant in Eugene's hand, she couldn't say anything.
"Why, why did you help me?"
After learning Eugene's identity, Lili was noticeably more timid, like the innate humility one feels when facing a major figure.
"You misunderstand."
Eugene maintained his mysterious smile:
"I didn't help you."
"In fact, I used you instead."
"How could that be?" Lili couldn't understand.
{[Your Stigma (Scar) belongs to me. My Stigma (Scar) still belongs to me.]}
The light flashed, and Eugene's appearance instantly changed, then reverted in a moment. Lili stared blankly at the all-too-familiar sight before her and gradually understood.
Only then did she grasp what Eugene meant by the "price" in the Dungeon.
"This wasn't a one-sided rescue; it was a transaction."
"Although the method used was a bit rough, we both got what we wanted."
What she wanted?
Lili looked into Eugene's eyes. First confusion, then speculation, and then, the hope deep in her eyes grew larger and larger. Finally, she received the answer she had dreamed of from Eugene's mouth.
"Congratulations. From now on, you have nothing to do with the Soma Familia."
!!
Lili's eyes gradually filled with light.
"There's a mirror inside, go take a look."
Whoosh!
As if forgetting the pain in her body, the girl leaped up like a cat, her smooth feet tapping lightly on the floor. She ran into the private bathroom attached to the ward. After a rustling sound, silence descended.
Eugene counted to himself.
After about ten seconds.
"Ahhh..."
"WAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
A cry that encompassed all her past suffering pierced the stillness. On this ordinary morning, a girl was reborn.
While it's moving, this is a hospital.
After listening to Lili wail for dozens of seconds, Eugene frowned slightly, thinking of going in to console the little girl.
But right then.
"Sharrgh!"
"No one move, meow!!"
A group of exceptionally beautiful girls squeezed together, bursting through the door simultaneously!
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