I, the final BOSS of the beta test server!

"But this wasn't your original name, was it?"

"Yeah." Rust nodded. "My original name was long forgotten in the long cycle of time in the night world."

"But it's no big deal. After all, a name is just a symbol used to represent an identity, right?"

"Yeah, the so-called name is just a code name, it doesn't mean anything."

Aaron's voice was calm.

"Then I'll just call you Rust."

"Last, I went to see you at Starry University a long time ago... right after you escaped from the remnants of history and when Hiltina showed an unusual attitude towards you."

"Of course, no one knew about this. Not even the ferret noticed my arrival."

Did you sneak up on me and spy on me when I first enrolled in Fanxing University?

His Majesty Aaron, it seems, is also a heavy daughter-con man to some extent.

Of course, considering his feelings for his wife, it is understandable that he attaches so much importance to Hiltina.

Rast's mind moved slightly.

"After seeing you that time, I knew..."

"Laster, you and I are actually the same kind of people."

"They are the kind of people who, for the sake of their inner persistence, for a certain ideal and goal, are willing to do whatever it takes and at any cost."

"Although you possess the appearance of a human, your essence is more like a machine with an eternally burning power furnace, which will never fall down until it reaches a certain destination... And to reach that destination, you are willing to give up far more than others imagine."

Aaron paused for a moment and said, "From the perspective of a king, I admire you very much."

"Because I know that people like you will definitely win and reach the end of your ideal - no matter how much you will lose along the way."

"But being a father is different."

"That child is just like her mother, too stubborn and too rigid, unable to adapt... and you and I are so similar."

"When two overly stubborn people come together, tragedy will eventually occur."

"However, my thoughts changed soon after."

Aaron's gaze softened a bit.

"I was pleasantly surprised to discover that after meeting you, Hiltina underwent a transformation. A transformation brought about by you... Even Hiltina herself was unaware of this transformation."

"I failed to get Cecilia to change herself, but if it were you... maybe you could do what I couldn't do back then—"

"Let her mother's tragedy not be repeated on that child."

"Besides, my own opinion doesn't really mean anything."

Aaron smiled and said, "Since that girl has chosen you, then you can only be her partner."

"Even if I play the villain and forcibly obstruct and create obstacles...that child will definitely break through all obstacles in the end."

"Just like her mother Cecilia eloped with me despite the family's opposition."

Aaron's eyes flashed with reminiscence.

Hiltina's hair color was inherited from her mother, but her eye color was inherited from her father, which was the same soft light brown as Aaron's.

After a long time, the look of reminiscence in the middle-aged monarch's eyes slowly faded away.

He stared at the young man in front of him and whispered seriously.

"You should already know the reason why I invited you here this time."

"Then let's cut to the chase and make it short."

Aaron stared into Lust's eyes.

"Rusit, how do you feel about my daughter?"

"Are you willing to marry Hiltina?"

Chapter 234 It's up to you to accompany her for the rest of her life (5k4)

The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, warming the cold night of early spring.

"Frankly, Your Majesty, you are more candid than I thought."

Hearing Aaron's straightforward words, Rast smiled.

"I thought that given your status, you would have to talk to me for a long time first, showing off your power and majesty as a king, and then get to the point."

"In the Imperial Palace, displaying authority to my subjects and nobles, acting unfathomable... That's not my hobby, but my duty as king."

"A leader who can be easily seen through by his subordinates is not qualified to be king."

"However, in this Hailan Mansion, my identity is not that of an emperor."

"I'm talking to you as a father."

Aaron looked into Rust's eyes and said, "So, Rust, can you tell me your answer?"

"Do I have any feelings for Hiltina?"

At this moment, not only Aaron was examining him, but even Last was examining his own heart.

After a moment, he smiled.

"I do have a good impression of Xiltina."

"Perhaps this good feeling stems from our shared sympathy as idealists."

"Or perhaps even earlier, back in the harbor area of ​​Deep Blue Harbor, when I was gravely wounded and closed my eyes, awaiting death... I personally witnessed the starlight that burned the Iron Cross Wave to ashes—"

"That rapier user who shines like the morning star has a place in my heart."

Luster answered calmly.

"So, if I marry her, I naturally won't object."

"Even though I've reached the peak of the sixth level... compared to the Empire, it can only be described as insignificant."

"For example, Your Majesty, although you normally keep a low profile, once you wield the Holy Sword, even a Legend wouldn't be a match for you."

Aaron at this moment looked like just an ordinary middle-aged nobleman.

But in Rast's astral vision, the person in front of him seemed like an extremely black abyss, from which even light could not escape.

Last had only glimpsed this feeling in the echoes of the night world's history, from Xiao Ai transforming into the Angel of Judgment, and from the fleeting glimpse of the angel war at the end of the Sixth Epoch.

Although they belong to different sequences and ranks, and the authority and rules they wield are completely different... there is no doubt that they all possess the same status.

"Therefore, being able to marry Her Royal Highness, gaining the resources and support of the Empire, and gaining a huge backer..."

"For me now, this is naturally a good thing with only benefits and no harm."

"No matter from what angle, I can't find any reason to refuse Your Majesty."

Luster's voice paused slightly.

"but--"

"Everything I said has a prerequisite."

"That's Hiltina..."

"I want to."

……

"Laster, you are such an interesting guy."

Aaron couldn't help but laugh as he listened to Last's answer.

"It can be seen that you are indeed very similar to me, the same type of person."

"In your eyes, the so-called engagement is nothing more than a title... just like worldly laws and morals."

"You abide by worldly laws and morals simply because they're necessary for your daily lives, a camouflage to make yourself inconspicuous and appear harmless... But when the chips are down, these rules and regulations can't restrain you in the slightest."

"That's why you can work as a gigolo in a male escort parlor without batting an eyelid, pleasing female customers, even disguising yourself as a maid... Your soul has long been as cold and hard as steel. No matter what circumstances you find yourself in, no matter how you are treated, it won't shake that iron heart of scorn."

"If someone thinks that after you get married, they can use the names of 'father-in-law', 'son-in-law', or even an engagement to constrain you, forcing you to submit to their will and become their tool... then they will definitely suffer a great loss."

"Because deep in your heart, apart from that thing called 'ideal', everything else can be discarded without hesitation."

Aaron's voice paused.

He stared straight at Rast with his light brown eyes.

"But fortunately, from the very beginning, I never thought of recruiting you under the guise of marriage and tying you to the chariot of the imperial family."

"What I really want to change—"

"Only my own daughter, Hiltina..."

Aaron's eyes dropped to his chest.

"The imperial family of the empire has preserved and passed down the holy relic known as the 'Holy Sword' for generations."

"The power of the Holy Sword is self-evident. Even if the wielder is only at the sixth level, once the Holy Sword is unleashed, they can rival the power of a Legendary being... And if the one controlling the Holy Sword is already a Legendary being, they can directly possess some of the status and power of an angel."

"However, just as 'equivalent exchange' is the fundamental law of the transcendental world... since the Holy Sword possesses such immense power, its use naturally comes at a price. Every time the Holy Sword is unleashed, it inflicts a tremendous backlash on the wielder, inflicting damage not only to the body but also to the soul."

"Under normal circumstances, the soul trauma caused by releasing the holy sword can be slowly healed by the holy sword's scabbard - the distant utopia "Avalon."

"As long as the king does not unleash the holy sword too frequently, the wounds of the soul will heal under the nourishment of the scabbard, leaving no illness behind."

He tapped his chest lightly: "However, as a king, I was willful only once."

"I chose not to keep the Scabbard of Avalon for myself, but buried it within Hiltina's body."

"That child is so much like her mother: paranoid and inflexible, she always ends up hurting herself. I was worried she would repeat her mother's mistakes, so I buried the scabbard inside her, hoping to protect her from harm."

"However, the price of doing so is that I lose the protection of the scabbard. Every time I release the holy sword, the backlash and the irreparable trauma my soul suffers must be borne by me alone."

"Thus, although my power is indeed formidable, an incurable illness has long been left within my soul. When these hidden dangers lurking deep within my soul erupt, it will be the day of my death."

Aaron slowly turned his head and looked at the photo frame on the table.

It was a family photo. One of the people was Aaron, who looked much younger, and the other was Cecilia, whom Last had once glimpsed in the echoes of history.

In the middle of the two people was a little girl with chestnut ponytails, and a bright smile on her chubby little face.

This is Hiltina as a child.

Since meeting her, Rast had never seen Hiltina with such an oblivious and happy smile.

"As a king, I believe I have a clear conscience and can be called a qualified monarch."

"But as a father, I am undoubtedly unqualified."

"I didn't give Hiltyna a complete childhood, and with my current spiritual state, I can't accompany her throughout her life."

"So, Luster—"

Aaron fixed his gaze back on Lust.

"I hope... that you can accompany her through the rest of her life."

"With your company, she will gradually overcome her paranoia and stubbornness and return to a normal life... and not end up like her mother, facing the tragic fate she faced."

"In this case..."

"When everything is over, I will be able to have a clear conscience and reunite with her mother in Utopia."

"As for what you said about Hiltina's own wishes—"

Aaron's voice paused slightly.

He stared at the firewood burning in the fireplace, and his expression changed slightly.

At this moment, Aaron was no longer the gentle middle-aged nobleman he had been before, but had once again become the king who ruled the world.

"Hiltina."

"She will definitely agree, and she can only agree."

"She is my daughter, a member of the royal family - no one has a choice in the fate of the empire."

……