Lewd System: Every Scream and Moan is EXP Chapter 309 : Answering Child’s Questions

The young girl landed gracefully, her small fists clenched. A furious expression contorted her face, an anger far too immense for her diminutive size. Waves of green magic emanated from her body, suffocating and crackling around her frame like a tempest that refused to acknowledge its limitations.

Through returning tears, she proclaimed, "I knew it from the very start."

The tears she had managed to halt earlier began to flow anew, mingling with her rage. "I knew you were part of that demon clan. The very same clan that took my life during their experiments on me in the previous cycle."

Jax felt the crushing weight of her anguish settle upon his chest. Attempting to soothe her, he spoke in a steady tone, "No, you've misunderstood everything again—"

"Don't try to deceive me!" she interrupted sharply, her voice possessing a cutting edge that belied her small stature. "And don't you dare consider me merely a child! I have lived for far longer than you can possibly comprehend!"

She began counting on her fingers, a childish gesture accompanied by an earnest focus. She held up each digit with meticulous concentration until she ran out of fingers on both hands, realizing the sum wouldn't add up with just ten.

Abandoning her counting, she declared with evident frustration, "I have regressed more than ten times now! I've been betrayed and misled by countless individuals who either desired my demise or sought to claim my power!"

Her voice trembled as she confessed, "And I know you are one of them."

Then, the true weeping commenced. "I am utterly exhausted by all of this. I've even attempted to end my own life, only to find myself opening my eyes in another moment, sent back in time to endure even greater agony and suffering. I cannot fathom what I have done to warrant such a fate."

Her tiny shoulders heaved with sobs. "Is it because I once pilfered food from the orphanage? Or perhaps it was because I dared to question the heavens after the headmistress's death?"

Jax's heart grew heavy. He reached out, intending to wipe a tear from her cheek, and murmured gently, "I am here to help you."

She violently swatted his hand away, pouring every ounce of strength her small palm possessed into the action. "If you truly wish to aid me, then for goodness sake, end my life swiftly! Just as you did to those soldiers! I cannot bear to return to that infernal labyrinth of demons. I simply cannot endure that torment again."

Jax and the four girls standing behind him perceived the profound sorrow laced within her words. It was a pain that should not exist within a child, a pain etched into her very being across countless lifetimes.

After a few moments of contemplation, Jax once again drew his blood-stained sword.

"Very well then," he conceded.

He turned his gaze towards the four girls positioned on the opposite side. His eyes found Athanasia, and he spoke with a voice that had already settled its resolve.

"You inquired about my intentions, did you not? I have made my decision. I will safeguard this child. I shall ensure this girl no longer suffers."

His grip on the sword tightened.

"I will grant her a new existence worth striving for. I will instruct her in the mastery of her abilities, forging her into a force capable of confronting any scoundrel bold enough to inflict harm upon her. Only upon achieving this will I depart from this world."

Athanasia responded in her characteristically level tone, "Are you certain of your words? You are diverging entirely from the intended path of this quest."

Delphine interjected without hesitation, "Cease this absurdity. Regardless of her innocent facade, she poses a threat to the world's destruction. And you intend to protect her?"

Evangeline voiced her apprehension, "Perhaps his mind is being manipulated. That might explain the dungeon's 'high difficulty' designation. There's no way the quest was as straightforward as simply eliminating a child in her nascent form."

Jax glanced at his sword as he moved to stand directly before the girl, using his own body as a shield. "Believe what you will. But heed this warning: Should any of you impede my path, I will not hesitate to add more heads to today's grim tally."

The girls fell silent, subdued by the gravity of his declaration.

Delphine, seeing her path to vengeance now obstructed, fluidly raised her bow, conjuring a mana arrow as she drew the string taut. "Fine then. I too will not hesitate to bring you down."

She released the arrow.

However, before it could reach Jax, the arrow dissolved into nothingness mid-flight. Simultaneously, the bow vanished from Delphine's grasp.

Athanasia had approached Jax, her hand extended towards Delphine. She had nullified the attack with the same casual nonchalance one might use to swat away a fly.

She turned her attention back to Jax, questioning, "What is the ultimate purpose of this? Protecting her signifies inviting the apocalypse. And even if, by some miracle, that doesn't transpire, we will be unable to return home. So, what then? Do you perhaps have no desire to return, opting instead to drag us all into your own perverse games?"

Jax met her gaze with unwavering calm. "Who said I have no intention of returning? People await me. A crucial task requires my completion."

"Then how?" Athanasia pressed persistently. "Her termination is the sole method for our return."

A faint smirk graced his lips. "A forced choice is no choice at all. It's a trial designed to gauge how swiftly you'd surrender your soul for survival. If the price this dungeon demands for our return journey is the spilled blood of an innocent child, then paying it means we have already forfeited."

His gaze fell upon the young girl positioned behind him. "I refuse to purchase our escape with her suffering. Should this realm deny us a path home, I shall make it bleed until it pleads for our departure."

Athanasia arched an eyebrow. "And how precisely do you intend to achieve that?"

Jax surveyed the heavens with a composure that belied his next statement. "I haven't quite figured that out yet. However, a few notions are beginning to form. Perhaps I'll annihilate this world with my own two hands. Eradicate every single soul I encounter. In doing so, I imagine the very deities of this place would be compelled to descend and offer their apologies, wouldn't they?"

The unwavering conviction underpinning his words was far from a jest; it was undeniably genuine. The girls were left without a retort.

It was then that Athanasia's lips curved into a smile. "All those whispers about you were accurate. You truly are an exceptionally deranged individual."

She pondered for a moment before speaking again. "Very well. I shall not interfere with your path. I will merely observe the trajectory of your ambition."

With a turn, she began to walk away.

Lavinia's excitement surged instantly. "Professor, count me in! I stand with you! I wasn't fond of the notion of harming this little darling either!"

Evangeline let out a sigh, the weariness of one who had long abandoned the role of the voice of reason pervading her tone. "I am uncertain of my course. But for the time being, I will simply follow and witness the unfolding events."

Delphine gnashed her teeth, fuming. "You have all lost your minds. Is this some form of enchantment this girl has cast upon you?"

No one offered a response. They simply overlooked her.

Lavinia nudged her playfully. "Oh, come now. I know deep down your heart yearns to playfully pinch the little doll's cheeks."

Delphine spat, "Be quiet."

She turned back towards Jax, her eyes still burning with animosity. "Fine. I will leave the girl and the professor be. For the moment."

She pivoted and departed, yet the expression etched on her face made it abundantly clear her involvement was far from over.

Jax knelt before the child, gently stroking her hair. "My apologies, little one. I cannot grant your request to end my life, for I still have the responsibility of raising you."

The child remained oblivious to the preceding exchange between the adults. The quest, the world, the dungeon – none of it registered. Yet, she perceived Jax's intention to protect her, or at least his pretense of doing so.

She recoiled instantly, her anger resurfacing. Her hand shot upward, and a glowing green magic circle manifested around Jax's neck, constricting tightly.

Her voice resonated with the authority of one who had suffered betrayal numerous times, enough to construct a formidable defense system. "I will not be ensnared by your wicked stratagems. I have invoked a truth spell upon you. Your head shall detonate if you utter even a single falsehood."

She composed herself. "Now, answer my questions with complete honesty."

Jax remained unfazed. While the surrounding girls displayed concern, he calmly sat down on the ground, a gentle smile on his face. "Very well, what is it you wish to know?"

"Who are you?"

"Well, I am a professor."

She let out a cute tut. "Never mind that. Are you affiliated with the demon clan?"

"Never heard of them. Are they quite formidable?"

She let out a frustrated hiss. "Fine, let's clarify. Did you genuinely mean every word you just uttered? Regarding my protection?"

Her heart pounded; the angry facade dissolved into a fragile vulnerability, a silent plea to any listening deity that, just this once, the answer might be genuine.

Jax affirmed, "Every single syllable."

The spell encircling his neck remained inactive; his head stayed firmly attached.

"Furthermore, since this spell binds my neck, allow me to add a few more truths for its verification. I am not here to exploit your power. I am not plotting to trap you. I am here because a child who has endured such hardship at such a tender age deserves to finally have someone stand as a shield between her and this harsh world."

He met her gaze directly. "Your flight ends here, little one. As long as I draw breath, your nightmares cease at this very moment."

The spell remained dormant; every word spoken was validated.

The girl was utterly bewildered. Her defenses, honed over countless lifetimes, were being navigated by this man without triggering a single alarm.

She inquired softly, "I still fail to comprehend. Why are you doing this? Why do you wish to protect me when you are aware that virtually everyone in this world is pursuing me?"

Jax offered a smile. He then leaned in close, whispering something directly into her ear that only she could perceive.