Fearlessly (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
Outside Lakrahan’s castle.
A small child was dashing hurriedly through the dark, gloomy woods.
Though it should have been frightening for a young child to walk alone, their steps forward were unhesitant.
“Huff… huff…”
Upon reaching the agreed-upon spot, the child spotted someone already waiting there and broke into a wide smile.
“My lord!”
From the darkness, a woman standing alone turned toward the child.
Only her vivid red lips, tracing a graceful curve, stood out against her shadowed face.
The child, who had been gazing up at the woman’s face with chin raised, saw that smile and beamed broadly.
Then, they pulled their hand away and stepped one pace back from the woman.
For an orphaned child starved of affection, the woman permitted only a single embrace.
The child swallowed hard, as if trying to steady their breath, and began speaking with bright, sparkling eyes.
“I saw clearly—it’s definitely golden hair and golden eyes.”
The child giggled, innocently and cheerfully.
“Just a moment ago, the Duke went to visit a guest, and now they’ve left together.”
“At this hour of the night?”
“Yes. I saw with my own two eyes—the Duke riding his horse into the woods.”
“The woods?”
“Yes, that forest over there.”
The child extended a finger, pointing toward the eastern woods.
Gazing across the night sky, they saw a tall tower rising far away through the hazy mist.
“Bercheria’s Tower.”
The woman stroked the child’s head, then pulled out two gleaming silver coins onto her palm.
“Here, a gift. You’re such a clever child.”
“Wooow!”
The child took the coins joyfully.
“Go back to the castle and bring me more information. Then I’ll give you even more gifts.”
“Thank you!”
When the woman gently pushed the child’s back, the child bowed deeply and retraced their steps with even livelier steps than before.
Not long after the child disappeared, an ornate carriage halted before her.
The woman climbed through the door opened by the coachman and sat down, gazing outside.
The distant view of the tower was quite impressive.
The coachman seated at the front of the carriage asked quietly,
“Where shall I take you?”
The woman smiled and replied,
“Bercheria’s Tower.”
The carriage began racing through the woods toward its destination.
“Just stay by my side until I’ve regained all the powers I’ve lost.”
After speaking, Bercheria let out a tense breath.
The fact that someone other than her mother had entered this place—where she’d lived her whole life—still felt difficult to accept, no matter how many times she considered it.
“So merely staying by your side restores your power?”
“Yes.”
Lakrahan silently stared at her.
His sidelong gaze was deep and clear.
As she’d noticed before, the man possessed a rather unusual look in his eyes.
Though most people in the North had black eyes, meeting his gaze never failed to stir this peculiar feeling within her.
Staring into that quiet gaze made her feel strangely unsettled.
It was as if her very thoughts were being drawn into him—an odd illusion.
That penetrating look would sometimes lighten unexpectedly, sparkling as though filled with light.
She must look terribly odd standing beside him.
After all, their eyes contrasted as starkly as darkness and light.
“If you hesitate even slightly, remember this: you’re not helping me—you’re helping your own people.”
“…!”
Bercheria said this and walked toward the edge of the tower.
The circular floor of the tower was so narrow that only a few steps spanned from one end to the other.
The one fortunate thing about living here was being able to sit on this precarious railing and see the entire outside view.
Even her mother probably never knew this.
Humans always viewed gods through their own standards.
“Oh, and there’s one more thing I haven’t told you.”
Bercheria stood by the railing and turned to face him.
The wind tossed her hair through the air.
“What is it?”
“About how to descend from this tower.”
Lakrahan’s eyebrows twitched.
A foreboding sense enveloped him.
“Could it be…”
Her usual stubborn refusal to yield so easily now felt like something lodged in his throat, making it hard to breathe.
He steadied his voice and continued,
“Must I give you a definite promise here—that I’ll help you—before I can leave?”
Bercheria narrowed her eyes slightly and smiled meaningfully.
“Yes, exactly.”
“Hah… So you’d planned this from the very beginning.”
Lakrahan had never truly had a choice to begin with.
He’d simply been unaware of that fact until now.
Bercheria had planned everything from the moment she left the castle.
She’d decided to meet Muha—who appeared only at the boundary between night and dawn—and use the power regained thanks to Lakrahan to ascend the tower.
And to return, she absolutely needed Lakrahan.
That man stood here only because Bercheria required him.
“No one has ever toyed with me quite like this.”
Though Lakrahan had just realized he was being manipulated by Bercheria, he neither grew angry nor showed any displeasure.
…He merely wore a complicated expression.
Bercheria’s abundant golden hair rippled in the wind like waves.
It was a breathtaking sight at first glance.
Anyone whose heart remained unmoved by such a goddess—beautiful enough to blind—surely had a problem with their eyesight.
Or perhaps, like Lakrahan, they’d shut the door to their heart.
People merely guessed he preferred books over women, or that his standards were simply too high.
But Lakrahan’s reasons ran far deeper and more complex.
Right up until he left for war, he’d never doubted he’d build a happy family just like his parents.
A beautiful mother, a father he respected—
To him, they were as natural as breathing.
But after the war, his world turned upside down.
His loving mother awaited him as a desiccated corpse, dried like a mummy.
His father, who’d seemed stronger than anyone in the world, had been cleaved in two by an enemy blade.
All that remained of his beloved elder brother was his right wrist, still clutching a sword.
Ever since then, Lakrahan trusted nothing fragile.
Anything unable to protect itself would inevitably be shattered by someone else.
When the grimy men who’d survived the hellish battlefield swore they’d never leave his side until death, Lakrahan finally understood where he truly belonged.
Protecting all who followed him in the North became the sole purpose of his life.
He never spared a glance at the marriage proposals that arrived daily.
He felt no interest in any woman.
Fragile things frightened him.
“Lakrahan. It’s time to give your answer.”
Those who awaited his care filled Lakrahan with an unsettling, almost eerie sense of instability.
“As I said earlier, your answer must be an unconditional yes. There are no other options.”
“What will you do if I refuse?”
Bercheria tensed the corners of her eyes and replied in a voice utterly devoid of amusement.
“I’ll push you off the tower.”
At such a blunt, abrupt reply, Lakrahan finally burst out laughing.
Bercheria was a strong goddess who ruled over humans.
Even trapped and frustrated within this narrow tower, she’d risen on her own and sought to use him.
That reckless stubbornness.
That fierce determination to survive at all costs.
“Alright.”
Lakrahan was impressed.
Bercheria was the kind of person who’d deceive anyone and do anything to reclaim her position.
And Lakrahan himself would do anything to protect his people and the North.
“Then let’s do it properly—since we’re doing it anyway.”
Even if it meant breaking his own taboos, nothing would change.
In the end, both of them acted for the sake of their people.
“Let’s give it a try.”
When Lakrahan sat astride the railing and gestured beside him, Bercheria took her place before him.
The two faced each other against the backdrop of a star-filled night sky and the full moon called Pluviose.
“Tell me—how exactly does my presence restore your power?”
“I don’t know for certain myself. But…”
Bercheria quietly searched her memories.
Her first meeting with this man had been in the burning warehouse.
“Back then, my first power returned.”
“In the burning warehouse, you say.”
“Yes.”
Their eyes had met at that moment.
Having lived alone so long, Bercheria had thought all her nerves numb—but this man, whose gaze strangely captivated her, seemed wondrous.
There’d been no trace of fear on Lakrahan’s face as he entered the warehouse wrapped only in a damp cloak, searching for the children.
‘The Duke will come find us.’
‘Sister, do you know His Grace? He’d never leave us like this—don’t worry.’
Even as the fire spread and the warehouse teetered on collapse, the children believed without doubt that Lakrahan would save them.
Just who was this Duke?
What was it about him that made them rely on him so naturally?
To Bercheria, who’d never depended on anyone in her life, it was an utterly foreign sight.
Part of her even thought the children foolish for holding such blind, unfulfillable faith.
Though she couldn’t speak, she couldn’t convey that feeling either.
‘He won’t come. No human sacrifices their life for others.’
She alone could save the children.
So she staked her life and summoned every ounce of her power.
But no rain fell.
Her mother had taken away her weather-controlling ability first—so perhaps it was only natural.
All she could manage was to create humid air to help the children breathe easier.
Then he appeared in the warehouse—and the moment their eyes met, she astonishingly felt power surge explosively from deep within her.
As if a dam long blocked had finally burst open.
Overwhelmed by the torrential force, she lost consciousness for several days—but ever since waking, her body had transformed completely.
“Power returns just from our eyes meeting…? Then shouldn’t you have regained all your strength by now?”
Suddenly, Lakrahan’s face drew closer to hers.
Startled by his abrupt movement, Bercheria’s shoulders trembled.
“We’ve stared at each other like this dozens of times already, haven’t we?”
His sharp features filled her vision, and Bercheria’s expression froze instantly.
Her golden eyes slowly traced the area near Lakrahan’s eyes.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
I have a inkling that Lione is probably Berche’s ‘Mother’?