Chapter 374
Setan clutched his chest as a crushing pain seized his heart.
It felt as though an invisible hand had wrapped around it and squeezed mercilessly, leaving him barely able to breathe.
Before anyone could react, he dropped to his knees in front of Nina.
The sound of his knees hitting the ground echoed through the courtyard.
His eyes reddened with guilt.
“Nina, I’m sorry p>
His voice was rough and strained.
“This is all my fault. Every bit of it. Please punish me. No matter how severe the punishment is, I’ll accept it p>
If her exile had truly stemmed from that night, then he carried part of the blame.
The thought alone made him feel unforgivable.
Nina blinked in surprise.
“Setan, what are you doing p>
Looking up at her, Setan asked quietly, “You were exiled because of what happened that night, weren’t you p>
A shadow crossed Nina’s eyes.
“Yes p>
The confirmation struck him harder than any physical blow.
“I’m sorry,” he said again, his voice thick with remorse. “Everything happened because of me. If you don’t punish me, I’ll never be able to forgive myself p>
Nina sighed softly.
“It wasn’t your fault p>
She reached down and took hold of his arm.
“Even if that incident had never happened, they would have found another excuse p>
She gently tried to pull him to his feet.
“Stand up p>
The real culprits had never been the people of Sin Beast City.
That event had simply given Drago and the others a convenient justification to drive her away.
Even if she had stayed that day, they would have found another reason sooner or later.
Setan had helped her countless times since then.
How could she possibly blame him?
Still, Setan stubbornly shook his head.
“I don’t deserve to stand p>
“Your injuries haven’t even healed yet.” Nina tightened her grip and tugged harder. “Get up. I still need to continue your treatment later p>
Seeing his hesitation, she added firmly,
“I mean it. I don’t blame you p>
Setan finally relented.
He couldn’t bear to make Nina struggle any longer.
Slowly, he rose to his feet.
Besides, kneeling here was far too easy.
If repentance was what he owed her, he already knew a much better way to kneel.
Nearby, Yian and Rin exchanged confused looks.
What did Nina’s exile have to do with Setan?
Xin, meanwhile, was completely stunned.
The City Lord had just knelt before Princess Nina.
That alone spoke volumes.
Their relationship was clearly anything but ordinary.
He clicked his tongue inwardly.
Judging from the look on Setan’s face, the mighty City Lord had fallen hopelessly in love.
After all the twists and turns, he had still ended up falling for Princess Nina.
If things were destined to end this way, then why had they gone through the trouble of canceling the engagement in the first place?
The thought made Xinn want to laugh.
He had traveled all that way for nothing.
Sensing the heavy atmosphere settling over the courtyard, Nina decided to change the subject.
Turning to Xinn, she asked,
“You mentioned that you had something important to discuss with Setan p>
He immediately straightened.
“Yes. I have urgent matters that need to be reported to the City Lord p>
“We’ll discuss it in the council hall,” Setan said.
Then he turned toward Nina.
“Nina, would you like to come listen as well p>
Nina shook her head.
“No. This concerns Blazing Flame City’s internal affairs p>
As an outsider, it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to involve herself in another city’s confidential matters.
Setan nodded.
“Alright. Rest here while I handle things p>
He paused before adding softly,
“If anything important comes up, I’ll tell you afterward p>
There was no reason to burden Nina with city affairs unless absolutely necessary.
“Okay.” Nina smiled. “Come find me when you’re done. I’ll continue treating your injuries p>
A warm feeling spread through Setan’s chest.
Even after learning everything, Nina hadn’t blamed him.
Instead, she was still worried about his wounds.
She was always like this––kind to a fault.
The thought only deepened both his affection and his guilt.
Reluctantly, he left the courtyard alongside Xinn and headed toward the council hall.
Yian and Rin followed close behind.
No matter what the report concerned, it involved Blazing Flame City, and they felt it was best to hear it themselves.
Meanwhile, Yuna and Maya remained behind with Nina.
The two women surrounded her immediately, showering her with concern and attention.
They fussed over her health, asked whether she was tired, and made sure she lacked for nothing.
Yet without either of them saying a word, they silently avoided mentioning her exile.
Instead, they focused solely on caring for her, doing their best to make her feel welcomed and cherished.
Setan and the others soon arrived at the council hall.
“Go ahead,” Setan said as he took his seat at the head of the chamber. “What is it that you need to report p>
Despite the recent turmoil, he remained the rightful City Lord of Blazing Flame City.
After Nina had personally eliminated Freen and his followers, the matter of the sacred relic had been resolved once and for all. The remaining elders no longer dared challenge Setan’s position.
To be precise, they were terrified of provoking Nina.
If they angered her, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t end up meeting the same fate as Freen.
Furthermore, Rin had returned. As the former City Lord, he would never casually agree to removing Setan from office. Setan had governed Blazing Flame City well, and none of the elders were eager to create unnecessary conflict that would bring them more trouble than benefit.
As a result, Setan’s authority remained firmly intact.
Xinn stepped forward.
“City Lord, I’ve discovered something unusual in Serpent City p>
Blazing Flame City routinely sent scouts to gather intelligence on neighboring territories. Any abnormal developments were reported immediately.
Serpent City happened to be Xinn’s responsibility.
Setan’s expression sharpened.
“What kind of abnormality p>
Xinn’s face grew serious.
“Recently, beastmen in Serpent City have been dying under very strange circumstances p>
“Strange how?” Yian asked curiously.
“Their bodies are completely shriveled,” Xinn explained. “It’s as if something drained them dry p>
Yian rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“Could it be Blood Bats? I’ve heard they can suck the blood out of beastmen p>
Xinn shook his head.
“I don’t think so. The corpses weren’t merely drained. They appeared unnaturally aged, almost as though decades had passed in an instant p>
His voice lowered.
“I secretly examined several of the bodies myself. There were no obvious wounds or bite marks. I also investigated the victims’ identities. Every single one of them was a young beastman p>
The room immediately grew quiet.
Xinn continued.
“And they weren’t weaklings either. Most were capable male warriors. Beastmen like them wouldn’t normally fall prey to Blood Bats p>
A frown appeared on Setan’s face as he considered the information.
Yian looked increasingly puzzled.
“That’s bizarre. Are there any beasts, magical creatures, or mutated animals in the Beast World that can do something like that p>
Rin’s expression became grave.
“It may not be a beast at all p>
Everyone turned toward him.
“What do you mean?” Yian asked.
“It could be an ability p>
Yian blinked.
“An ability? There’s something that sinister p>
“I’m only speculating,” Rin replied. “The Beast World is vast, and supernatural abilities come in countless forms. An ability capable of draining life force wouldn’t be impossible p>
Setan nodded slowly.
“Grandfather may be right p>
His thoughts drifted briefly to Nina.
“Before this, Nina encountered a sorcerer in White Sand City who could steal another person’s appearance and voice. If such rare abilities exist, then other unusual powers likely exist as well p>
Yian’s eyes widened.
“An ability that can change someone’s face and voice p>
He clicked his tongue in amazement.
“Nina really has experienced all sorts of incredible things during her journey p>
The words slipped out before he could stop himself.
The moment he realized what he had said, his expression froze.
An awkward silence followed.
He shouldn’t have brought that up.
Setan’s face darkened.
Pain flickered across his eyes.
“Nina suffered a great deal on that journey p>
His voice grew low.
“When she was carrying the cubs, she had no male beside her. She survived in the wilderness entirely on her own p>
The image alone made his chest ache.
“At the time, her abilities were still weak. She was injured more than once p>
Shock and anger flashed across Yian’s face.
“None of her mates took care of her while she was pregnant p>
His voice rose with indignation.
“What kind of useless males were they p>
Setan’s gaze lowered.
“She didn’t marry them until later p>
The answer only deepened the bitterness in his heart.
Now that he knew the truth, countless details suddenly made sense.
Most of Nina’s current mates had once been males who, like him, had broken off their engagements with her.
Yet somehow he had never realized it.
The clues had been everywhere.
Looking back, the truth seemed almost obvious.
Even though he had never met most of Nina’s mates before, there had been enough signs for him to piece together their identities.
But he never had.
He had been so focused on Nina herself that he had overlooked everything else.
Now he realized just how little he truly knew about her.
He had never cared about her status or family background. Nina rarely spoke about her past, and her relationship with her family was clearly strained. Since she seemed indifferent toward her former identity, he had never bothered to investigate further.
Who could have imagined that Nina had been his own former fiancée?
The very mate he had once dreamed of claiming by his side.
And through his own decision, he had let that future slip through his fingers.
The thought carved another wound into his heart.
Regret and longing churned endlessly inside him, refusing to fade.