Infinite Evolution: My Idle Evolution System - Chapter 392

Chapter 392: A Grand Slayer
While beside herself in tears, May ultimately arrived at the large double doors that she passed through every morning. In there was a place that she dreaded.

And just like every other day, as soon as she wiped away her tears, the piercing eyes of everyone in that room fell on her. She lowered her head, too afraid to look up and face them.

Fortunately, none of those inside that room, centered around a long and wide table, cared much about her presence. Like usual, they treated her as if she didn’t even exist.

Biting her lips with her bangs covering her face, May approached an empty seat at the furthest point of the table. This was where she always sat, while her brothers and sisters took the seats that made it easiest for them to talk with each other without raising their voices.

Brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles—there were over 30 of them at the table altogether. Sitting at the helm of the table with a mean mug plastered across his middle-aged face was the Head of the Family—May’s father, the Sovereign King of the Uguru Kingdom.

Upon seeing him, May couldn’t stop herself from recalling the events that unfurled in that dream she had the night prior. Despair flooded her heart as she wondered if that was what her father actually thought of her.

Was she…

Had she always been no more than a mistake?

She should’ve been used to feeling like the biggest disgrace of the Uguru Kingdom, but for some reason, the thought still… hurt…

“Quiet now!”

From his 8+ wives to his dozens of children, everyone immediately stiffened when they heard the loud, booming voice of the King. Their heads turned as they awaited his next words.

“Normally, I wouldn’t care what any of you do, as long as it doesn’t disgrace the family and my name,” he began, focusing on the scar-faced May a moment longer than everyone else. “But today is different. You are to be on your best behavior. If I hear that one of you has caused trouble, even if you are my blood, I’ll have you whipped a thousand times by thorn whip.”

“!?!?” “!??”

Father was never like this!

What could possibly make him suddenly become so cautious!?

“Now then,” King Uguru said. “It’s time I tell you that the reason you are going to be on your best behavior is solely due to the appearance of an extremely important figure that will be visiting our Castle as a VIP guest today. A Slayer Grandmaster.”

May reacted more prominently than the others at the mention of that profession. She was brought back to her dream, collecting the name of that particular man—

“Grand Slayer Cassius.”

‘Grand Slayer Cassius…!’

One announced it aloud, while the other shouted it within her head.

“???”

May shot her attention to her father, unsure if she had heard things correctly. There was no way, right?

Right…?

“Father,” May spoke up for possibly the first time in months. “You said Grand Slayer Cassius…?”

“Hmm?”

The eyes of all her relatives honed in on her, many wondering why the black sheep of the family was suddenly using the voice she was born with. Emma, in particular, narrowed her eyes, a bit of malice festering within her.

King Uguru nodded, still stone-faced and serious as could be. “Yes, Grand Slayer Cassius, who recently amassed astronomical amounts of fame over the last dozen years, will be gracing the Uguru Kingdom with his visit,” he said. “Even a regular Grand Slayer has a world status exceeding my own, but this one is far more special, for he has a record of bringing nations on the verge of collapse to heights that make them shine a thousand times brighter than before.”

Steeling his gaze at his timid 7th daughter, King Uguru asked, “Why? Do you have some sort of relationship with Grand Slayer Cassius?”

The way everyone in the room looked at her changed again, as their eyes secretly concealed a mocking contempt. They tried imagining anything more than a crazed fan relationship between the two and just couldn’t do it.

“N-No, I… I just…” May attempted to explain herself, but fumbled her words every step of the way.

King Uguru waved his large hands. “Okay, that’s enough. Let us move on to how we’ll be preparing for his visit.”

“Father,” Emma said with a bright smile, her status as the prodigal 4th daughter enough to hold her father’s focus. “I can attend to the honorable Grand Slayer myself if it would please you.”

Emperor Uguru showed a small, content smile. “Good, you know filial piety,” he nodded repeatedly. “But I hear Grand Slayer Cassius is akin to a god among men in both presence and appearance, so I doubt you’ll be losing anything if you’re capable of gaining his favor.”

“Whatever pleases you, Father,” replied Emma, hiding a smirk that aimed to hurt May.

‘Why…’

‘Why does my family hate me so much…?’

‘Wh… Why does everyone hate me…?’

For the rest of breakfast, May remained silent. A glum cloud hung over her, painting her face in sorrowful colors that further described the scar etched over her right eye.

After breakfast, on her return trip to her room, May’s condition abruptly worsened. Whether from excessive stress or something else, she fell to the floor of a hallway, drenched in sweat. Her vision blurred as her voice weakened considerably.

And though she tried calling for help with everything she had, she had already passed out cold before seeing if anyone actually came to help her.

‘So this is how I die,’ she thought with a self-deprecating smile. ‘Cold and alone.’

Then again, it wasn’t like that was anything unusual for her…

— Some hours later —

“Ha…”

May leaned forward, grasping at her forehead like many times before. However, this time, she did it out of habit, not out of necessity.

Strangely enough, no pain was assaulting her senses. In fact, everything looked a lot clearer to her; she felt different. Better.

That was when she heard it—

A voice that echoed like that of the devil and the angel, husky and soothing at the same time:

“You almost died, you know? That would’ve made all that I’ve done in this world for naught…”

“!?!?”