“Yeah, you're right!” Lailah took the beer over and began chugging it down.
Jonathan, too, helped himself to a can of beer.
The radio in the Beetle was playing a popular Ustranasian song at the time.
Since Jonathan and Lailah were both incredibly fluent in Ustranasian, they had no issues understanding the lyrics.
Besides, music was capable of transcending language barriers and cultural differences anyway.
It was the ending song for The Twilight Saga titled Leave Out All The Rest.
“I dreamed | was missing.You were so scared, but no one would listen cause no one else cared.
After my dreaming, | woke with this fear.
What am | leaving when I'm done here? So, if you're asking me, | want you to know.
‘When my time comes, forget the wrong that I've done.
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed, and don't resent me.
And when you're feeling empty, keep me in your memory.
Leave out all the rest! Leave out all the rest! Lailah froze when she heard that, and her face was all covered in tears.
Upon seeing her reaction, Jonathan knew without a doubt that Gideon must've killed her father. That must be why she's in so much pain right now. | can understand the pain she's going through. She hates herself for being ignorant and helpless. She wants to get revenge but isn't able to do s0. Lance could easily squash Gideon like a bug, but his status is pretty much on the same level as Divine Emperor! We're so weak that even someone like Frost could crush us with ease, so there's no way we'd stand a chance against Gideon. Besides, Lailah won't just be going against Gideon alone. She'll have to fight the entire Divine Realm if she
chooses to seek revenge.
“Lailah, | have a favorite quote that I'd like to share with you. Would you care to hear it?” Jonathan asked.
Lailah shot him a glance and said, “Go ahead.” “No journey is too long for those who are willing to take the first step and keep pushing forward. | know what's bothering you even without you telling me. So what if you're going against Gideon? So what if Divine Realm is really powerful? If there's a will, there's a way! If we take things one step at a time, you might just be able to avenge your parents and kill Gideon!” Jonathan paused and looked at her before continuing, “Wallowing in pain and sadness won't do you any good. If anything, it'll only give you more nightmares.” There was a cold glint in Lailah's eyes as she clenched her fists and said, “Oh, | will get my revenge on that b*stard even if | have to die in the process. I'm sad because | have wronged my deceased parents with my foolishness all these years. | can't believe I've been treating a bast*rd like a father this whole time!”
“One who errs unknowingly need not be held responsible.
I'm sure your parents won't blame you for that,” Jonathan reassured her.
“Yeah, | suppose you're right. I'll drink to my heart's content tonight and pick myself together tomorrow!” Lailah said with a nod after chugging down the rest of her beer.
Jonathan chuckled as he handed her another can of beer.
“I'll drink with you!” “Look, this grudge of mine is between me and Gideon. | don't want you to get involved in this, okay? If | die going after Gideon, then so be it. You do not have to die along with me, is that clear?” Lailah reminded him after taking a few sips of her beer.
“Don't worry. | know what I'm doing!” Jonathan replied with a faint smile.
He didn't specify what he would do as he wasn't sure how he would react if things got to that extent.
Having recalled something, Jonathan asked, “Wait, why did
you testify for me if you have a grudge against Gideon? Wouldn't that give away your identity? That would surely make Gideon suspicious of you, right? You could've landed yourself in deep water if Lance didn't help out!” “We are friends, after all. Besides, you saved my life once, so | couldn't just sit around and watch you die!” Lailah replied after taking a sip of her beer.
“Thanks...” Jonathan mumbled in response as he sipped on his beer.
The two of them then carried on drinking without saying another word.
Eventually, Lailah started getting drunk after having one too many beers.
Jonathan felt somewhat conflicted when he sensed the increasing sexual tension in the car.
On the one hand, he felt like he was cheating on his wife Catherine.
On the other hand, he felt bad for Lailah as he couldn't provide her with a future.
“Let's head back,” Lailah said coldly.
Jonathan grabbed her hand and asked, “What if I'm serious about this?” Lailah shot him a glance in response. “What do you mean? Are you going to marry me?” she asked with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtJonathan fell silent when he heard that.
“Need | remind you that you're married, Jonathan? Besides, you could be single and | still wouldn't marry you,” Lailah added.
Jonathan lifted his head all of a sudden and looked Lailah right in the eyes as he said, “I'm not screwing around, Lailah. Marriage and love are pointless traditions that mortals enjoy. | will not let them bind me. Just remember that you're my woman, so | will share your burden and face the consequences together with you. You may rest assured that | am not kidding when | say this. You know full well I'm capable of honoring my
promise.” Lailah froze when she heard that. For the first time ever, there was a trace of warmth in that icy-cold heart of hers. It wasn't clear if she fell in love with him or simply felt touched by his words, but she chose not to comment on it.
“Let's just get going.” Jonathan nodded and started driving back to Sunny Condo.
“What do you plan on doing next?” he asked along the way.
“Legend has it that Divine Emperor once went to a place called 'Eonetara Gate.' Having learned everything about life and death, he gained an unimaginable amount of power after leaving the place. | plan on checking it out to see if | can find anything useful,” Lailah replied.
“I'l go with you.” “No, that won't be necessary. | know your luck can ward off all sorts of disasters, but | want to do this on my own.” Lailah paused for a few seconds before continuing, “I've always been alone, Jonathan. It wasn't luck that got me this
far in life. I'm capable of handling my own affairs, and | have the right to decide what | want to do. | hope you will respect my decision.” Jonathan could tell that Lailah cared about him even though she was acting all cold and distant. He also knew that she was really determined to do this on her own.
“All right. | respect your decision. However, there is one thing that | would like to make clear. It's true that my luck does help me a lot, but it's merely one of my abilities. Luck isn't all that | have, so please do not attribute all of my success to luck alone.” Man, | hate it when people do that! It's kind of like how people will always associate a rich kid's success with his family. Nobody acknowledges the amount of effort he puts into achieving success! Lailah couldn't help but smile when she heard how childish he sounded.
Honestly, I'm really glad to have Jonathan in my life. Who
knows, maybe I'm quite lucky myself. My life was dull and meaningless before he came into the picture. Had it not been for him, I'd just be consumed by hatred and spend every single day trying to get my revenge. Jonathan's existence is like a ray of sunshine that lights up the darkness in my heart.
Of course, Lailah kept those thoughts to herself as she was too shy to open up to him.
“By the way, what is this Eonetara Gate?" Jonathan asked curiously.
“I'm not too sure about the details. As far as | know, Eonetara Gate is located in one of the planes of existence.
‘You may think of it as a garbage dump in the Heavens,” Lailah replied.
Jonathan frowned in confusion. “A garbage dump?” “As you know, there are tons of lost souls and malicious spirits in this world. Because these beings often hide in the dark, it's easy for them to mutate and decay like garbage, which will affect the balance
in the living world. Hence, Eonetara Gate was specifically designed to contain these beings. According to the rumors, it even has powerful enforcers in charge of capturing those beings,” Lailah explained.
“How do you know this stuff?” Jonathan exclaimed in surprise.
“I'm a member of Divine Realm's inner circle, remember? It's only natural that | know a thing or two about this stuff.” “How does one enter Eonetara Gate?” Lailah shot him a glance and said, “You don't need to know that.” Jonathan fell silent in displeasure when he heard that.
Not wanting to keep the conversation going, Lailah closed her eyes and stopped talking as well.
The sun was shining brightly by the time they returned to Sunny Condo in Divine Realm.
It was time for the members of Divine Realm to worship Divine Emperor, but Jonathan and Lailah were excused
from the ritual because they weren't in Divine Realm at that hour.
Only the members who were present in Divine Realm during the ritual were required to participate in it. That was one of the rules that Jonathan appreciated very much.
Lailah went straight into her room upon returning to Sunny Condo.
Jonathan was about to go to his room when Yuna came out.
“Where did you two go last night? You've been out until morning!” she asked with a casual smile on her face.
“Lailah wasn't in a good mood, so | went to drink with her on the beach,” Jonathan said.
‘Yuna was as innocent as ever, so she didn't think too much about it. Instead, she merely grumbled, “How could you not bring me along?” Jonathan chuckled. “I wanted to, but | heard you snoring loudly when | walked past your room. | couldn't bring myself to wake you up!” ‘Yuna got pissed all of a sudden and pulled Jonathan's ear.
“What did you say? | don't snore! You snore!” Jonathan yelped in pain.
Hearing that, Yuna let go of him.
Jonathan then sprinted away from Yuna and said, “I even recorded you snoring on my phone! I'll play the recording now.” As he was saying that, he acted as though he was about to whip out his phone. Seeing that, Yuna covered her ears and ran toward her room, shouting, “I don't want to listen to
it! I don't want to listen to it!” Jonathan chuckled and went back to his room. It's so easy to trick her! Since he was feeling fantastic, he took a shower first before giving Divine Realm's Alice a call.
‘When the call got through, Alice smiled and uttered, “Mr.
Lawson, I'm still waiting for you to bring me to dinner!” Jonathan felt nervous instantly. | wasn't serious when | said that. Didn't she say | should ask her again when the idea pops up in my mind again? However, something happened that day, so | forgot about it entirely.
“In fact, that's why | called you!” Jonathan answered.
“Initially, | wanted to bring you out for dinner today.
However, something unexpected happened. Don't worry, Ms. Alice. When | return, I'll definitely bring you out for dinner.” “All right, Mr. Lawson. | was just joking with you.” Alice chuckled.
She knew Jonathan didn't mean it, but she was still
overjoyed when she heard those words.
Jonathan chuckled in response. “I meant it, though.” “Mr. Lawson, just tell me what you need, okay?” Alice replied sternly.
“Who said | needed anything? | can't possibly call you only when | need something, right? I'm just happy to be able to talk to someone as beautiful as you. | bet there are a lot of guys out there eager to talk to you, aren't there?” As was his habit, Jonathan was a sweet-talker whenever he talked to pretty girls.
With a chuckle, Alice responded, “You're so funny, Mr.
Lawson.” “That's so sad to hear. | meant it, you know? How could you say I'm funny?” Alice was a smart woman and wasn't someone Jonathan could fool with a few sweet words. “Mr. Lawson, I'm going to hang up if you don't get serious.” “Hey! Don't hang up. Help me book a flight back to
YYaleview, okay? The earlier, the better.” “Sure!” Alice smiled and added, “See? | knew you needed ‘something from me.” With that, she hung up the phone.
Jonathan's lips curled into a smile. It's so fun to tease pretty girls whenever I'm free.
After that, he rang Catherine up.
At that moment, Catherine was in the Harrington mansion in Yaleview. Jonathan didn't tell her he was going back.
Instead, he merely exchanged a few pleasantries with her before ending the call.
He then called Simon.
In no time, he got through to him.
“What's the situation like, Simon?” Jonathan asked.
“I'm still hunting down snow foxes on the mountain.
However, I'm almost done now. | guess I'll be back in Lostaria in ten days' time.” After a pause, Simon asked, “What is it? Did something happen to you?”
Jonathan answered in a deep voice, “I did something without getting your approval first.” “What is it?” There and then, Jonathan told Simon about the raw stone, Gideon's plot, and what had happened between Oswald and him. He also did not forget to mention how Lance had shown up to help him.
Hearing that, Simon cursed, “F*ck! How dare Oswald and Gideon treat you that way?” “I'l remember what they did to me. In the future, I'll hit them back twice as hard,” Jonathan uttered flatly.
Simon also knew they weren't as strong as Gideon and Oswald yet. Hence, he didn't say much after that.
“By the way, Master Richard has agreed to take all of us in as his disciples,” Jonathan uttered.
“That sounds good.” “Yes.” Jonathan paused before saying, “I need to go back
to Yaleview first. Once you guys are done with your tasks, we'll meet up in Lostaria.” “Sure!” Simon replied.
With that, they ended the call.
After hanging up the phone, Jonathan called Amber.
The woman was elated when she received the call from Jonathan.
“It's about time | popped into your mind, Mr. Lawson!” Amber uttered.
Jonathan smiled and replied, “I'm in Lostaria, but I'm going back soon. Do you want any gifts? | can buy one for you.” “What's the point if | have to pick something as a present? ‘You have to figure it out yourself.” Amber smiled.
“All right then!” Jonathan chuckled.
With that, they hung up the phone.
Amber and Jonathan both had feelings for each other, but they were holding themselves back.
Despite so, Jonathan couldn't bring himself to distance himself from Amber.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAmber stayed in Yaleview because of Jonathan. She didn't expect much in return. She just wanted to be friends with him because she thought her background would come in handy just in case he needed it.
If it were before, Jonathan would suppress his feelings for Amber.
However, he decided not to do so after the conversation he had with Lance. I'm not a commoner, and | don't get to marry, settle down, and have a family like commoners do.
‘Why should | maintain the mindset of a commoner, then? Let's just let nature take its course. If I'm happy, I'll be able to cultivate well and be on top of the world.
After the phone call with Amber, Jonathan went shopping for gifts for Catherine, Amber, and Mabel.
He was having trouble thinking about what to buy for them as gifts, though. What should | get for Mabel? | can't
possibly buy her beauty products. Should | get her a doll? | don't want to get a beating, though. What would Mabel look like with a doll in her hands? | can't imagine that! As he continued wracking his brain about what to buy for them, he could feel a headache coming. It's easier to buy Catherine a gift because | think she'll be happy with a doll.
Although she's always so reserved, she's actually still an innocent little girl deep down. | also need to get Alicia a present! Jonathan was at his wits’ end. Eventually, he decided to just stroll around and buy whatever he saw.
When Jonathan was shopping, Alice called him and told him that she had already booked him a ticket. His flight was at eight that night.
Therefore, that gave him enough time to keep shopping.
Jonathan was only done shopping by five in the afternoon.
When he returned to Sunny Condo, he saw Yuna walking toward him angrily. She had been in a dilemma ever since earlier that day. Finally, she steeled herself and asked with
a reddened face, “Do | really snore when | sleep?” In a serious manner, Jonathan looked at her and said, “You do.” After a slight pause, he added, “Luckily for you, | know how to treat it.” “How?” Yuna asked anxiously.
“I can treat your snoring with a kiss! Do you want to give it a try, Ms. Yuna?” Jonathan chuckled.
‘Yuna blushed and roared, “You're lying to me, aren't you?” With another chuckle, Jonathan suddenly whipped out ‘something and said, “This is for you.” It was a projector that could project sceneries such as oceans and night skies in a dark room. It even had speakers for music.
Jonathan immediately fell in love with it when he saw one of those projectors while shopping. He ended up buying ten of them in one go.
Seeing that Yuna was getting pissed off, he quickly took one out to please her.
Puzzled, Yuna asked, “What is this?" “Bring it to your room, close your curtains, and try it out.” Intrigued, Yuna immediately brought it back to her room.
Jonathan then went to look for Lailah.
Lailah was in her room, so Jonathan knocked on her door.
Hearing that, she invited him in.
Opening the door, he saw Lailah sitting cross-legged and cultivating.
However, she stopped and turned toward Jonathan.
“What's the matter?” Jonathan was holding a projector in his hands, and he initially wanted to give one to Lailah. Yet, he suddenly felt awkward. Isn't it a tad childish to give her this? | can't come in here and tell her nothing's the matter, though. If | say that, she's going to think I'm crazy.
“Um... I'm going back to Yaleview at eight tonight,” Jonathan said.
“Have a safe flight.” Lailah's response was short and succinct.
Jonathan then whipped out the light projector and said, “Here. This is for you. It's quite fun to play with.” With that, he left it on a table nearby.
“Thanks!” Lailah replied.
Jonathan didn't know what else to say but, “Carry on with whatever you were doing.” With that, he left the room and closed the door behind him. Why is it so awkward to talk to Lailah? With that in his mind, Jonathan went back to his room and packed up the gifts before going over to Richard to say goodbye.
Richard wasn't bothered by his plans and merely told Jonathan to do whatever he needed to do. He also told Jonathan to look for him and Beatrix if the younger man ever needed help.
After saying goodbye to Richard, Jonathan went to see Alice with one of the light projectors.
Upon receiving the gift, Alice was so happy that she ended up giving Jonathan a kiss.
Apparently, girls from Anglandur were all rather passionate and open-minded that way.
After that, Jonathan packed up, took his flight ticket, and had Yuna send him to the airport.
As they were leaving Sunny Condo, Jonathan turned back and glanced at it once more. When is Lailah going to Eonetara Gate? How is she going to get there? When will | see her again? Will we not see each other for a long time? Well, let's just see what fate has in store for us.
Jonathan was slightly saddened because Lailah didn't come out to send him off.
Little did he know, Lailah was watching him leave behind the curtain in her room.
Although Lailah thought it was a blessing to have met Jonathan, she didn't want to get too involved with him. Let's just leave things as they are. This is for our own good.
At eight that night, the flight from Lostaria to Yaleview took off, and Jonathan was on his way back.