Endless Debt Chapter 1443 - 37: The Past

In the dark alley, Bologue leaned against the wall, arms crossed, completely hidden in the shadows, opposite him, Olivia crouched by the trash can, looking as forlorn as a homeless child.

She picked up the delicate short dagger and gently scraped it against the ground, "The general course went as you guessed. My naivety led to mistakes. I tried to make amends, but I still let the Regent King escape."

"The process wasn’t pleasant, was it?" Bologue looked at the despondent Olivia, "You treated them as family with whom you could share eternity, but they only saw you as an obstacle to their desires."

Olivia sighed helplessly, with a forced smile, talking about a story that brought no happiness.

"Since the destruction of the Eternal Night Empire, I’ve had no place to go. During the day, I hide in the shadows, and at night I wander the wilderness. Such aimless days stretched on for a long time..."

"That was quite the journey. Before becoming homeless, as the Daughter of Serey, I enjoyed a high status within the Eternal Night Empire, like a caged canary, never realizing the brutal cost required to sustain this empire."

Bologue noticed Olivia’s bias toward the Eternal Night Empire in her words, he tentatively asked, "So are you supportive of the destruction of the Eternal Night Empire?"

"Depends on the period," Olivia and Bologue spoke back and forth, "You have to know, people’s thoughts can constantly change with experiences and life progress."

"I thought the notions of the Undead wouldn’t change. We are unbound by time, so we’re unnaturally stubborn," Bologue said.

"I’ve heard this reasoning before, but back then my blood relatives said it’s just because we, as Undead, are too young, so we have all sorts of curious ideas. The entire world is new and unknown to us, with so much to experience."

Bologue listened quietly to Olivia’s words. She was one of the few who personally witnessed the Eternal Night Empire and the only one who understood the societal structure of the Undead. Bologue was very curious about what that society was like.

"The Undead are not swayed by the passage of time, age becomes mere meaningless numbers for us," Olivia continued. "Thus, the numbers of physical age no longer matter. What truly determines whether we are mature or old is the so-called mental age."

Bologue asked, "Are you still young?"

"Now still holding onto dreams, of course, I am young."

Olivia wanted to say this sentence in a more lively tone, but when the words reached her mouth, only exhausted fatigue remained.

"They say young people are always lively and full of hope for the world, but when they have their edges smoothed out, become numb and indifferent, with only a stubborn, sickly notion remaining in their hearts, they are considered mature. Their ideas and character cease to change, like their undead bodies, their souls become frozen, turning into cold bricks, piling into the empire’s foundation."

Olivia continued to speak about her change of heart, "According to bloodline purity, I’m considered the second generation of blood under the Night King, the highest pure blood noble among the Night Race, but unlike traditional pure blood nobles, I was initially just a normal person..."

Her voice paused, Bologue waited patiently. He and Ossana had already reached a preliminary cooperation. Bologue guessed that even if he didn’t return home at night, Ossana would help him cover this up.

"Forget it, I still won’t talk about these things."

This part about identity transformation seemed to be a knot Olivia didn’t want to share. Skipping this part, she simply said, "Initially, I indeed held full resentment toward Serey, I didn’t understand why he betrayed the Night Race, but later I gradually sobered up, realizing what kind of monsters my kin really were."

"I’ve always wondered what made Serey spare me, fatherly affection? I don’t think he’s someone who’d consider himself a father," Olivia said, asking Bologue, "What do you think?"

"He’s an out-and-out wanderer, father? Impossible." Bologue had a clear understanding of Serey.

"I think so too, but the fact is he spared me," Olivia said. "Perhaps, perhaps it’s because of my mother, or perhaps he saw that I hadn’t become a desire-driven monster yet."

"Immortality is a curse, Bologue," Olivia suddenly said, "While it grants you eternal life, it also brings eternal numbness. You gradually become an emotionless corpse, driven to unsettling madness to stir a hint of ripple in your heart, committing numerous atrocities, becoming a monster.

Similar examples, I’ve seen too many within the Eternal Night Empire. Just for amusement, they resort to such brutal acts, ripping out organs, breaking bones..."

Bologue interrupted the cruel narrative, "You haven’t turned into such a monster, you survived."

"No, I’m still young, not that indifferent yet, I... I just haven’t turned into a monster yet," Olivia stared into Bologue’s eyes, the faint blue glow in the shadow, "You are the same."

Regarding the future of the Undead, Olivia had only despair in her heart.

After a moment of silence, the topic returned to the events after the end of the Dawn War. Olivia slowly recounted, having not conversed so easily with anyone for a long time. Olivia couldn’t help sighing, such simple things were incredibly precious to her under the circumstances of fate.

"After entering the mortal world, I grieved for a long time. The Eternal Night Empire was unbearable, but it held so much of my emotions, and there were many people I once loved. However, I also understood, just like when you were speaking with Ossana, the Eternal Night Empire could only be destroyed; the world must never usher in an eternal blood tax.

I lived alone for a long period, probably decades. I witnessed the joys and sorrows, the partings and reunions of the world. I found the brilliance of the mortal world far more beautiful than the eternal bleakness of the empire. Because of this, my vigilance against the eternal blood tax increased manyfold, and I constantly reminded myself never to donate blood to others."

Bologue suddenly asked, "During your long solitude, how did you restrain your Bloodthirsty Syndrome? By drinking the fresh blood of cattle and sheep?"

"Sometimes when I was desperately hungry, I’d make do with the blood of cattle and sheep, but more often, I’d serve as a vigilante."

"A vigilante?"

Bologue doubted his hearing.

"Yes, punishing evil and upholding good, a vigilante without a fixed organization," Olivia said with a nonchalant expression. "I really enjoyed the job. I’d hunt down murderers, slit their throats, and drain their blood. Sometimes I’d deliberately drink slowly, letting them savor the despair and helplessness as death approached."

Bologue’s expression was slightly surprised, but thinking about it, everyone being Undead, having a bit of a psychological issue was understandable.

"I never stay in any city for too long," Olivia said, "I’m always traveling."

"Like searching for something," Bologue guessed, "Serey, is it? Find him, kill him, is that why?"

Bologue recalled the curse Olivia had asked him to convey to Serey, that she wanted to kill her father with her own hands and torture him with the harshest punishment under the scorching sun.

At first, Bologue thought Olivia hated Serey for his betrayal, but now it seemed Olivia could understand Serey. Unlike those traditional Pure Blood nobles, something must have influenced Olivia’s values, making her realize the evil of the eternal blood tax...

Not only was Olivia influenced, but Serey was too. Despite the cruelty of the eternal blood tax, as members of the Pure Blood class, they were direct and eternal beneficiaries. They could have maintained this system, becoming parasites on top of the world, but both father and daughter ultimately chose to betray their class. This required immense courage and determination.

"Kill him? Do you think it’s out of hatred for him betraying the Eternal Night Empire?" Olivia smiled, but gave no clearer explanation, "Alright, I indeed aim to kill him because of betrayal."

In the shadows, her voice paused, "This is my family matter, let’s not talk about it for now."

Family matter?

For heaven’s sake, just thinking about Serey’s family matter, Bologue’s mind filled with the image of Serey’s massive album, like a card collection. Could it be that for every wife Serey had, Olivia would stab him that many times?

Olivia was unwilling to discuss this part further and turned to continue recounting her later adventures, "I’ve lived such a drifting life for a long time until I was gradually losing the sense of my existence when war broke out."

Bologue’s expression changed slightly, knowing well which war she referred to.

"The Scorched Earth Rage swept across the world. Where there are people, there will be conflict. I passed through city upon city of the dead, seeing endless bodies falling in the wilderness," Olivia said softly, "To be honest, Bologue, there was a moment when I was lost. I thought the end of the eternal blood tax would prevent the world from going astray, but even without the Night Race, the flames of war still engulfed everyone."

Bologue tasted Olivia’s sadness but had no words to comfort her, nor could he comfort her, as Bologue at that moment was also a messenger holding the flames of war.

The helpless truth is, often, to achieve a better world, the purification of war is necessary.

"Perhaps witnessing too many human tragedies, or maybe I was still too young, my heart hadn’t grown completely cold and numb. One day I could no longer endure just watching without intervening and chose to get involved in this war."

"What did you do?"

Olivia murmured, "I met a group of refugees, saved them from the hands of bandits. They revered me, trusted me, regarded me as a descending Celestial God... I had never experienced such a feeling, being needed, filled with a sense of value."

Her eyes were full of nostalgia; perhaps it was the only happy time in Olivia’s life.