It's Actually Not Easy Wanting to be a Supporting Male Lead-Chapter 14 part11
Translated by Eve
Edited by Wuxian
Despite being presented with irrefutable evidence, Zhao Xihe quibbled to death that he did not do anything. His ability to lie with his eyes wide open really made people feel dizzy. Fortunately, Sui Yuan did not actually care about finding out what the other had done.
After all, what has happened had already happened. Even if he forced it out of him, he wouldn't be able to change the past. Thus, Sui Yuan didn't want to relive this dark history at all. Just treat him as an ignorant person, ba. Otherwise, what expression should he use to face the protagonist shou who had seen everything!
Probably because Zhao Xihe knew about Sui Yuan's conflicted mood, so in the end, he got away with it by using his thick face. After the two people chatted about 'their lovesickness since their farewell', they finally began to discuss proper matters.
"Indeed, she is the Destroyer," Zhao Xihe raised his chin, pointing at the robust girl, "Right now, she is really asleep. The moment to move is now."
Sui Yuan nodded. Only, he did not want to act while in this room as that would inflict another heavy wound on the protagonist gong, protagonist shou, and their friends upon waking up the next day. Zhao Xihe also did not object. He waved a hand and the robust girl was surrounded by a group of ghostly blue light and floated up into the air. Afterwards, she floated along with Zhao Xihe to the door.
"When did you discover her identity? During Clown's riddle?" Sui Yuan followed Zhao Xihe and exited the room from behind, closing the door on the way out.
"En, it was at that time," Zhao Xihe nodded, disinterested, "I didn't expect that the Destroyer would be drawn out so easily. I'm really quite disappointed, ne…I had originally thought that I could toy with her for a while."
Sui Yuan, who had also nearly been drawn out: "……………………"
"The identity of the butler is second only to the host. His authority is great. After I had confirmed that there wasn't too great an issue with the non-human entities and shifted my suspicion to the humans, I prepared quite a few little gifts for her," Zhao Xihe's face was gloomy over his wasted efforts, "Clown's riddle was only the appetizer. The deployment of the Crystal Beast was also meant to do nothing but cause a little destruction to her plans in passing. I had specifically found a way to turn humans into ghosts and then set up some tricks. That's the highlight. After all, in order for the Destroyer to accomplish their goal, they would most likely come up with that idea. In the end, all of it went to waste. Even the drugging went so smoothly…she's probably a newbie who had just become a Destroyer, ba? She's got absolutely no experience and her strength is so disappointing."
While listening to Zhao Xihe list the chain of pits he had dug for the Destroyer, Sui Yuan simply wanted to cry hot tears of sympathy for her. To end up in Zhao Xihe's hands and to also end up in the disadvantageous position as a human, indeed, she ought to have braved the risks early on and escaped the world from the beginning. Her probability of survival would certainly be much higher….
Although the things Sui Yuan had done were much more passive when compared to Zhao Xihe's active actions in digging holes for the Destroyer, in the end, he still relied on his own judgement to wheedle out the Destroyer. Although Zhao Xihe had let out the Crystal Beast to help him, it was enough to make Sui Yuan feel proud of his 'first time'.
After all, he had a great deal of restrictions placed on him as a human. Furthermore, his nearly exhausted points had made it so that he could not exchange any useful props, so he had only been able to spin silk from a spider's thread.
While listening to Sui Yuan with high spirits give a step-by-step recount on how he had deduced the Destroyer, Zhao Xihe's eyes contained a smile, expression doting and indulging.
For the Origin to toss them to these worlds were Destroyers reside was indeed a case of 'making use of trash'. However, Zhao Xihe did not like this method at all because he was worried about Sui Yuan's safety.
The task of sniping Destroyers was not the same as an ordinary Actor's missions, where even if they died halfway, the only consequence would be that they would be deducted points and removed from the world. If he was hurt by the Destroyer, that would inevitably bring about an indelible wound to his soul. For someone as gentle, pure, and ill-suited for battle as Sui Yuan, this was truly too dangerous.
Unfortunately, Zhao Xihe had no way to stop this from happening. So, he could only do his best to protect Sui Yuan and teach him how to quickly mature.
At the very beginning, he hadn't met with Sui Yuan because he had been afraid that he would be noticed by the Destroyer and inadvertently alert the enemy. After he had determined who the Destroyer was, Zhao Xihe realized that this was an extremely good teaching opportunity. He could let Sui Yuan completely shed himself of his assistance and safely temper himself through practical experience.
So, even though he had already known who the Destroyer was, Zhao Xihe did not get into contact with Sui Yuan, let alone get rid of the Destroyer. He only watched quietly on the side and watched as Sui Yuan, who had been confused at the beginning, gradually fumbled about, collecting clues—from being a passive lurker to an active attacker—right until the very end when he had come to the same conclusion as he did about who the Destroyer was.
The missions in the future would be inevitably more dangerous. The Destroyer's scope for hiding would be even greater, their strength more formidable. Zhao Xihe may not be able to protect Sui Yuan in time, so he needed to make sure Sui Yuan matured as quickly as possible.
Fortunately, Sui Yuan's actions were not bad, letting Zhao Xihe feel rather gratified. When this mission ended and Sui Yuan received more points, Sui Yuan would be able to exchange them for useful props via the system whenever he wanted and would be much safer.
"Let's do it here," Zhao Xihe pushed open the door leading to the second floor's balcony—the protagonist gong and shou's party had tried to open this door before but no matter how they tried, they hadn't been able to open it. Afterwards, Zhao Xihe threw the robust girl onto the ground and turned to look at Sui Yuan, "You do it."
"Me?" Sui Yuan was startled.
"En, after all, the kill this time is not dangerous. You should take this opportunity to practice how to use that power, so that when you have to use it in a future mission, you won't be too flustered," Zhao Xihe said, like this was a matter of course.
Sui Yuan silently looked at the agonized Destroyer and couldn't help but connect this scene to that of a ferocious beast bringing its weak prey before its young cub, thereby providing its young with an opportunity to practice its hunting technique.
Sui Yuan knew that Zhao Xihe's methods were correct, and he did not hesitate to accept his goodwill. He immediately began to communicate with his system. Very quickly, he could perceive a boundless and powerful energy flowing through his veins and converging in the palm of his right hand. At this moment, Sui Yuan felt a surge of emotions, as if he was standing at the pinnacle of the world and could touch its rules and regulations, thereby becoming a godly existence that towered over this world—a god that could give and take life away without any misgivings.
No wonder…no wonder there would be so many Actors who would choose to discard their Actor identity upon obtaining this power, even though they knew that this would be extremely dangerous—because this kind of feeling really made people go crazy over it. Very few people would be able to refuse it, let alone an Actor that had always played supporting roles and experienced all sorts of oppression and suffering, and accumulated a lot of discontent.
Only people with the most resolute minds would be able to refuse the enticement of being above everything else and use it while retaining their rationality.
Sui Yuan narrowed his eyes and very quickly dispelled the power's bewitching spell. He raised his hand and pressed the coalesced power in his right hand onto the Destroyer's forehead. His other head pressed down against the other's body.
Even though the strongest sleeping medication would not be able to block out the pain of having one's soul being torn into tatters. The Destroyer woke up screaming and tried her hardest to break free. However, her heavily damaged soul was completely unable to control her present body, let alone pull apart the barrier between worlds and escape. She could only helplessly convulse, tremble, and let out fragmented moans and pleadings for forgiveness.
An intense appeal for forgiveness and great sorrow flowed out of the Destroyer's eyes. When paired with the girl's weak and beautiful appearance, it was enough to make people's hearts soften and hesitate. It was just a pity that Sui Yuan was never someone who would be overcome with sympathy.
He only cared about one person. Aside from him, in order to complete his task, no matter what he faced, nothing would be able to sway his will.
When the Destroyer realized that it was useless to beg, her expression became ruthless and sinister. Sui Yuan realized something, slightly narrowed his eyes, and then intensified the destructive power. Before the Destroyer was able to use her trump card to take him down with her, he tore her soul into pieces in an instant.
The robust girl's body continuously emitted transparent, icy blue granules. Those were the fragments of the Destroyer's soul. These fragments rose into the air and pieced together to form a vague human-like image before it was dispersed by the wind, disappearing in a second.
"It seems…as if it was still a man, ne…" Sui Yuan raised his head, watching a soul die for the first time. A moment later, he lamented, "I can't help but think about what if I also have to become a girl. Although I don't have a gender, I've already gotten used to a man's body, ah…."
Zhao Xihe: "…This is what you wanted to say? Isn't there anything else?"
Sui Yuan turned to look at his beloved, puzzled, "What else is there to say?"
Zhao Xihe supported his forehead with his hand in regret, "I had originally thought that you would feel sad after destroying the soul of an Actor for the first time. I had planned to comfort you and take advantage of that to get some benefits, ne."
Sui Yuan's face was full of dark lines and he silently called for 5237, returning the power, "Really sorry about that. I don't feel sad at all. I am innately apathetic to emotions. Moreover, I'm not even the same species as Actors. It's like how you can easily scare the world's original inhabitants and animals without a care. There's no difference."
Zhao Xihe raised his hand to pat Sui Yuan's head, "Ok, ba. Ok, ba. Just take it as me having overthought things, "Soon after, he shifted the topic. He turned his head to look at the half opened door of the balcony, "So, the person behind that door, have you seen enough?"
Sui Yuan followed Zhao Xihe's line of sight and looked over. He only saw an icy blue coloured ghost slowly appeared from behind the door, overcautious and vigilant like he was facing a predator that would take his life at any time.
This was the first time Sui Yuan had seen the manor owner, however, this did not stop him from recognizing him immediately. After all, his description in the plot was rather long and very characteristic.
"You…are not my butler. Who are you guys?" The long-haired ghost's voice carried a swaying tremble. He had felt that his butler had undergone a change previously, but he had not thought much about it. Only, the scene he happened to catch tonight made him unable to deceive himself any longer.
There was also that youth named 'Xiao Xiao'. Clearly, he looked like an ordinary, cowardly human, but he actually possessed a horrifying power that could directly rip apart the soul. When he thought about how he had solemnly made a threatening vow that he would expropriate him, the manor owner felt unwell all over!
He was courting death big time, ah! This was simply the rhythm of not being satisfied unless he played himself to death! QAQ
"It's not important as to who we are," Zhao Xihe rearranged his collar and gave a graceful and reserved smile, "Our target is not you. So long as you are obedient, we will not do anything to you."
"The…who is your target?" As the manor's owner, the long-haired ghost has naturally seen his share of great stores. Even if he was afraid, he still painstakingly tried to maintain his calm.
"Well, the fellow just now. It has already been settled," Zhao Xihe raised a hand and the robust girl's lifeless body floated upwards once more. He then threw it out the balcony, destroying the corpse and all evidence, "Very soon, we will leave. Please do not worry too much. Unfortunately, your devoted butler cannot return."
The long-haired ghost eased up slightly. Although the butler's disappearance made him feel rather regretful, he was not worth too much of his care, "Then, when will you leave?"
"That depends on your cooperation," Zhao Xihe slowly walked towards the ghost's side. He patted the other's shoulder lightly. The ghost subconsciously trembled. It felt that its originally dense soul had become rather unstable, like, if the other wished, he could disperse his spirit at any time.
Strength prevailed. No matter how haughty or sick in the head he was, the long-haired ghost's rationality made him unable to help but yield, "…Tell me what I need to do. I'll cooperate."
——So long as he can make these two evil stars leave a bit earlier, then he would do anything, ah. QAQ
Everything was covered by the protective shade of the night and the god of sleep. The curtain quietly dropped. Upon waking the next day, panicked and alarmed, everyone discovered that the robust girl had already disappeared without a trace.
"What happened? What about the person who was supposed to be standing guard last night, ne? No one discovered how she left?" Yang Yue walked in a circle, worried and uneasy.
"…It must have been the food! There must have been a problem with the food!" The bespectacled youth immediately grabbed onto the crucial point, "They placed a drug into our food so that we would fall into a deep sleep—the person on guard, too!"
The quiet and gentle girl, tightly wound, coiled into a ball in the corner. She was covering her ears, as if doing so would keep her from seeing or hearing anything…in this way, she could pretend that everything around her no longer existed.
One of their comrades had disappeared while they were sleeping soundly. Everyone inevitably felt the need to search for her. Although they firmly believed that searching was futile and everything pointed to disaster, in any case, they wanted to at least find her corpse.
As the only person who knew what happened, Sui Yuan still continued to act like a background prop with little presence. Draped over his shoulders was Zhao Xihe, who was as light as a feather. Half of Sui Yuan's body felt like it was submerged in cold water. Although he felt quite uncomfortable in the very beginning, it didn't hinder him much after he had gotten used to it.
Yang Yue's gaze kept sweeping towards Zhao Xihe who was using his lips and finger to play with the lobes of Sui Yuan's ears—since he was now able to perceive the ghosts' actions, only Heaven knew how great of an effort Sui Yuan had to exert to brandish a 'I don't know anything' appearance—and wanted to say something several times but hesitated each time. In the end, he didn't say a thing.
Half dragging the quiet and gentle girl, everyone carefully searched through every inch of the manor. However, they came up with zilch after searching all day. The robust girl seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth, leaving no trace.
Finally, Yang Yue could endure it no more, "You know, don't you? What happened last night? Where did our comrade go?!"
Everyone was startled and they each turned to look in the direction Yang Yue was staring out: empty air. In order to protect Xiao Xiao, even if Yang Yue was asking a question towards Zhao Xihe who was stuck to Sui Yuan's side, he only used his peripheral vision to gaze at the two people.
Zhao Xihe smiled lazily, "Didn't you guys already guess it? Why ask?"
"Is…she alive?" Yang Yue's face paled.
"Really unfortunate but she's completely dead. You guys need not trouble yourselves over it," Zhao Xihe happily slanted his head. The Destroyer had already died so he could naturally play as he liked. It simply brought satisfaction to everyone!
Yang Yue clenched his fists tightly, unaware that his fingernails were digging into the palm of his hands. One of his comrades had passed away and another was on the verge of falling apart with an abnormal state of mind…were they really at the end of their rope? It was too easy for the ghosts to kill someone. They had no way to resist….
"…Yang Yue? Just what is the matter?" The bespectacled youth asked probingly.
Discovering the gaze of other people on him, Yang Yue solemnly shook his head, "The ghost said…that she…is already dead."
Everyone fell silent. Since they had expected this, no one felt surprised. They only felt sorrowful for their friends that had passed away, and for themselves, who already have one foot through the gates of hell.
The author has something to say:
The Destroyer this time is a cannon fodder who doesn't know Mo Ziyou from before! Truly sorry for disappointing everyone. wwwww
Eve: …I actually felt really bad for the Destroyer. And it really hit me how SY isn't human. But also felt sad and touched over ZXH's concern over SY. I'm glad that he's concerned over tempering SY, and not one of those that just pledge to protect him no matter what. The best protection you can give someone, is making sure that they can protect themselves imo.
Wuxian: I agree that the best way for ZXH to protect SY is to let him mature and be able to take care of himself, because who knows if the next time ZXH disappears, SY might be left with nothing but himself so it's good if as early as now, he can learn to take care of himself even without his gong.
