Chapter 17: Magic Mirror
Ten days later, Duke Garcia summoned Xing Ye. This time, there were also a few luxuriously dressed aristocrats in the room, who all had a solemn expression on their face.
”Lawrence, I need proof.” Duke Garcia went right to the point: “This isn’t a simple matter. I need a reason to persuade all the aristocratic clans to unite.”
Xing Ye’s gaze swept through the faces and took in their expressions.
It looks like if he didn’t have enough concrete proof, he would die. After all, there was no reason for them to disguise their feelings to a dead person, Xing Ye thought as he picked up the mirror.
The mirror trembled slightly. This was the first time he appeared in front of so many people, making him a little afraid.
Xing Ye rubbed the mirror, comforting him before chanting: “Magic mirror, magic mirror, tell me, how did the queen become how she is today?”
The mirror played the clip he had shown Xing Ye earlier of the queen’s disfigurement and descent into madness again. Xing Ye waited for everyone to finish watching before asking, “Magic mirror, how can I let the masses know of the queen’s true identity?”
The system controlled the magic mirror: “Why do you want to do that? Can’t we just purify the queen quietly? I already told you how to kill the queen so please don’t force me.”
It was really an indecisive mirror. Xing Ye’s voice turned cold: “Magic mirror, do you really think using the hearts of 99 virgin girls for 480 years to maintain her beauty and then killing another girl every decade, such horrible sins, can be so easily atoned by death?”
The mirror felt awkward.
”I don’t think so,” Xing Ye said, “Whether it’s her or the demon, everyone has to take responsibility for their actions. I could’ve just taken you and gone without caring about the queen, but because only my blood can stop her evil, I’m willing to sacrifice myself. The queen’s the same- no matter how beautiful and kindhearted she once was, wrong is wrong. I can’t just charge into the Imperial Palace to kill the queen like this, or nobody would know the truth.”
The magic mirror was silent.
Xing Ye continued, “Since you refuse to speak, may the Grand Duke just destroy this mirror and I together.”
The magic mirror cried out in a fluster: “No! If you do that, the queen’s soul will eventually be devoured. Her soul can only be purified if we act now.”
”Then speak.” Xing Ye didn’t have any of the patience he usually had with the mirror now that the system’s controlling it. His attitude was very cold.
”It will need your heart.” The mirror said arduously, “The queen simmered the hearts of 99 virgin girls into a soup to get her immortality; it can’t be any more or any less. If your heart is turned into a demonic drug and eaten, her body would not be able to bear the overload. Her true demonic appearance would be revealed and she temporarily won’t be able to move. However, for this to work, you will definitely die.”
”Oh well.” Xing Ye said indifferently.
He put away the mirror and addressed the aristocrats: “You can choose whether or not to believe me. In any case, I die either way.”
Duke Garcia’s face was very unsightly as he ordered Xing Ye to leave before engaging in a discussion with the other nobles.
Instead of going back to his room, Xing Ye went to the courtyard. A guard stopped him: “Lawrence, you can’t leave without the duke’s permission.”
”I know.” Xing Ye said, “I’m not planning to go out, I just want to take a stroll by the lake.”
This guard knew Xing Ye was actually a girl and blushed as he nodded: “Then you can go, I’ll just keep an eye on you from afar.”
”Thanks.”
Xing Ye walked around the lake inside the manor courtyard. He could see that the lake led outside.
He crouched down so the guard knight couldn’t see and brought out the mirror.
Mirror: What are you doing!
Xing Ye spoke softly: “This lake is connected to the river outside the city so you can escape from here. If you were just a system prop, the magic mirror, I wouldn’t be worried. However, I’m not sure what the system will do to you after I leave.”
Mirror: But what will you do without the mirror?”
”Either way, I’ll die so I’ll just see what the nobles decided and do whatever I can.” Xing Ye rubbed the mirror worriedly, “You’re cowardly, have a bad temper, a little stupid, and can’t judge the situation. I don’t know what the system will do with you after but no matter what, you can’t let other people discover your identity.”
Mirror: Didn’t you want to ask me stuff? About the following fate players.
Xing Ye understood: “The system probably has restrictions set so you can’t say it. However, you were probably afraid that if I knew you didn’t have any use, I wouldn’t want you anymore so you never said so.”
Mirror: Yep, as always, you know everything.
Since their meeting could be considered fate, Xing Ye gave him some encouragement: “Now that you’re considered a loser, the road to success will be very difficult. However, at the same time, you possess valuable experience. Don’t be afraid, as long as you keep your consciousness, you’ll be a person again someday.”
After saying that, he tossed the mirror into the lake. The mirror had to rely on himself to escape the duke’s manor.
After making sure everything was perfectly prepared, Xing Ye returned inside and waited for the Duke to make his final decision.
When it was evening, a guard Xing Ye had never seen before came to escort him to a room. He knew that the time had finally come and followed the guard to a hidden chamber where Duke Garcia was waiting.
”Sir Duke.” Xing Ye wasn’t afraid as he politely saluted, not at all acting like somebody who was about to die.
”Won’t you ask me my final decision?” Duke Garcia shook his head. This girl’s eyes were so bright yet she didn’t fear death in the slightest.
”It doesn’t matter.” Xing Ye said casually. With how the plot’s progressed thus far, victory was his regardless of what the Duke decided.
”We decided to kill you, extract your heart, turn it into a demonic drug, and give it to our spy in the palace to sneak into the queen’s dishes.” Duke Garcia said slowly, “If what the magic mirror said is true, then the Queen’s true demonic appearance would be revealed so we can justify replacing the queen and frame the church. Even if it’s fake, it won’t matter if a civilian woman’s heart is eaten. That way, no matter what the truth is, the result is to our advantage while you would have to pay with your life.”
Xing Ye was unmoved.
Duke Garcia sighed, murmuring to himself: “I’ll probably never see another woman like you again.”
When the guard went to bind Xing Ye, Garcia suddenly spoke again: “You should give me the magic mirror, it looks quite useful.”
”I threw it away,” Xing Ye said, “It only recognizes beautiful women as its master so it’s useless to you anyways.”
”You…” Duke Garcia was just about to say, you’re too daring, aren’t you afraid I’ll punish you?
But when he thought again, this woman had nothing going for her except her outrageous daringness.
“I can grant you a wish. What do you want?” Duke Garcia asked
Xing Ye pondered, “After you extract my heart, burn my body into ashes. If there really is an afterlife and soul, I don’t want to see my own body rotting.”
Preferably immediately after so nobody discovers how strange his body is.
”Such a tiny wish,” Duke Garcia pinched Xing Ye’s chin, “But it fits you. I’ll fulfill it.”
”Thank you.” Xing Ye smiled slightly.
”Start.” Duke Garcia turned around, not looking at Xing Ye.
The two guards were nimble with their hands, clearly very proficient in killing. In just a twinkle of an eye, Xing Ye’s heart was extracted.
Xing Ye still lived for a few seconds and gritted his teeth, secretly thinking that it really, really hurt.
The system didn’t seal off the player’s pain receptors so he had to bear everything himself.
Next time, he’ll never choose to end with this kind of death… Xing Ye thought as his consciousness faded away.
He quietly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the piercing pain on his chest had already disappeared and he was back in the monochrome room with the rubix cube floating in front of him.
The rubix cube saw him awaken: “Congratulations to the player for winning. Would you like to see your ending?”
Xing Ye nodded, “Let’s see it.”
A book appeared in front of him, titled ‘Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, Look at Me’. All of his experiences were displayed like a comic book, with words at the side narrating the events. Xing Ye flipped to the last page and saw the words written-
After the queen ate the drugged dishes, she turned into a demon. Duke Garcia led the righteous aristocrats, revealing the queen and the Church’s evil deeds to the world. The demonified queen was burnt to death and the righteous nobles established a new nation, Now, no girls would be harmed and everybody could use mirrors freely again.
The magic mirror floated along the river into the sea, quietly waiting for the next beautiful girl that would find it.
”Not a bad ending.” Xing Ye commented as he closed the book.
A bookshelf appeared on the wall where the book, ‘Magic Mirror’, would be set.
The black and white rubix cube said: “Congratulations to player X8205 for finishing the plot and not leaving it incomplete. As a system reward for finishing the game, you can choose to either draw a special QR code or choose a prop from the world you’ve just experienced.”
”Or?” Xing Ye frowned, “I thought finishing the mission above the minimum requirements would make the reward an ‘and’.”
The rubix cube didn’t respond and just said mechanically: “May the player please make a decision.”
Xing Ye didn’t hurry to choose and instead asked, “Earlier you said incomplete, what did that mean?”
“You would fail the game aspect and it would be an incomplete victory instead of a complete victory. An incomplete victory would be committing suicide to leave after defeating the enemy camp instead of finishing the character’s fate. “
Xing Ye looked at the book on the shelf; what was the book for?
”May the player please choose an award within ten seconds. If the player does not choose after ten seconds, the rewards channel will be automatically closed.” The rubix cube said, “Friendly reminder: the player’s first world was a newbie world so all initial skills and special QR codes are locked with the problems set to easy mode. After the newbie protection period, players will have to face an indiscriminate, chaotic fighting world. Without a special QR code, surviving in the new world might be difficult~”
Then I guess that choosing the special QR code is better.” Xing Ye nodded before telling the system, “I’ll choose to take a prop from the newbie world. Please give me the mirror.”