Fearlessly (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8
While she was trapped in the tower, losing her strength one by one, humans were also living through excruciating suffering.
“The war that lasted three years ended barely ten years ago. Just when I thought we’d finally found some stability, you’ve appeared again.”
Lakrahan’s voice had now lost its sharpness, like rain nearly ceasing to fall.
“If I don’t understand how you’ve lived or why I should protect you, I have no intention of helping.”
Bercheria looked up at Lakrahan with wide, round eyes.
After seeming to gather her thoughts for a moment, she suddenly spoke unexpected words.
“Do you have something to ride?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like a horse or a carriage.”
“Of course I do, but where do you plan to go at this hour?”
Lakrahan followed Bercheria’s gaze toward the pitch-black scenery outside the window.
“There are things only visible at this very hour.”
Bercheria turned and walked toward the door.
“Follow me. We must hurry—the sooner we go, the higher our chance of meeting them.”
“Ahhm.”
Timothy yawned so widely it felt like his mouth would split in half, right in the middle of the corridor.
Because he wore clinging clothes all day, his nightwear was deliberately loose—so loose it could slip off at any moment.
“Am I getting old? Lately, why do I keep going to the bathroom so often?”
As Timothy shuffled along, he thought he glimpsed Lakrahan and a blonde woman at the opposite end of the corridor.
“Huh?”
He craned his neck, hoping against hope, but now no one was there.
Since the corridor was shaped like a horseshoe, even if he ran quickly, he couldn’t possibly catch up to them.
“Was it my imagination?”
Just as he adjusted the lantern he was holding and turned toward his room, he met Mrs. Morgan coming from the opposite direction, yawning.
“Are you returning from the bathroom too, Mr. Butler?”
“Yes. And you, Mrs. Morgan?”
“Oh dear. As you get older, you keep waking up to use the bathroom at night.”
“By the way, did you happen to see His Grace the Duke just now?”
Mrs. Morgan’s plump cheeks jiggled.
“No? Why would the Duke be walking the corridors at this hour?”
“That’s odd. I clearly saw him heading somewhere with that woman.”
At Timothy’s words, Mrs. Morgan laughed, clutching her stomach.
“Mr. Butler! Are you suggesting His Grace eloped with a woman? Oh dear, that’s absurd! Don’t you know he doesn’t even glance at women?”
“Well… I suppose.”
That was true.
Right after the war, marriage proposals sometimes arrived twice a day for Lakrahan, who was of marrying age.
But Lakrahan had absolutely no interest in marriage.
More precisely, he had no interest in women whatsoever.
That remained unchanged even now, ten years after the war ended.
“Mr. Butler, don’t worry needlessly—go back to your room and sleep. His Grace with a woman at this hour? Hoho! I’d sooner believe I saw a log dancing.”
“True. Our Duke treats women like stones. A secret rendezvous at this hour? Hahaha!”
The two laughed heartily, still finding the idea utterly ridiculous upon reflection.
A silent, still forest.
A horse with glossy black fur galloped like an arrow through the heart of the woods.
‘Our destination is the tallest and longest tower in the forest—the place humans call Bercheria’s Tower.’
Some called it the Tower of Darkness.
Shrouded in mist all 365 days of the year, with no trace of human passage.
A long tower now so overgrown with moss its original form was unrecognizable.
The tower, rumored to be Bercheria’s home, was designed so that no one could ascend or descend it.
There was neither entrance nor exit.
Trees planted densely at regular intervals encircled the tower like a nest, blocking all human approach.
No one knew exactly when or by whom it was built, but one fact was universally clear.
This tower was made this way solely to prevent human access.
Yet foolishly, people couldn’t leave it alone.
Periodically, challengers always appeared, attempting to climb the tower—but none had ever succeeded.
At some point, when curiosity began costing lives, people abandoned their interest in the tower.
Over time, the path leading to it became overgrown with waist-high weeds, and after the protective aura vanished, it turned into little more than a ruin.
“Hyah!”
Lakrahan’s famed steed raced swiftly down the rough path.
He pulled the knot of his cloak tight once more.
At that motion, Bercheria’s shoulder, hidden beneath the fluttering cloak, twitched slightly.
Her unusually small frame was discernible only by her long golden hair streaming in the wind.
Bercheria’s curly locks repeatedly whipped against Lakrahan’s cheek.
“…….”
Slap, slap—the incessant strands clinging to his cheeks narrowed his eyes in irritation.
The hair was tolerable, but what truly tormented him was the overpowering scent wafting so strongly it made his head spin.
Lakrahan urged the horse onward, recalling a passage from a book he’d once read.
Each god chooses their Awakened One according to personal preference.
Among these, Bercheria valued fragrance above all.
Only after finding the most beautiful and fragrant human would she bestow her power upon them.
Bercheria’s power resides within the most fragrant person on this vast continent.
Thus, this scent must be this woman’s unique natural aroma.
A dreamlike yet peculiar fragrance.
So intense that once smelled, it could never be forgotten.
‘It strangely affects one’s mood.’
As the thickening forest slowed the horse slightly, Bercheria turned to check on Lakrahan.
Noticing his face entirely covered in her windblown hair, she gently reached out and pulled her own hair forward.
Lakrahan quietly watched, his gaze lowered, as Bercheria gathered the strands that had been slapping his cheek.
“I’ve heard weather goddesses are born with unique natural scents—it seems that isn’t just a myth.”
Bercheria slowly turned her head forward again.
“People call it a blessing, but in truth, it’s a curse.”
“A curse…?”
“That doesn’t seem important right now.”
“What?”
Bercheria grasped his chin and turned his head toward what she was looking at.
Lakrahan’s dark eyes widened in shock.
Before them lay a massive condor, curled up and asleep.
“A Divine Beast…”
Condors, already rare birds of prey normally three or four times a human’s size, were seldom seen.
But the one before them seemed nearly as large as a house.
“His name is Muha.”
“What?”
“Muha. I gave him that name.”
Bercheria’s eyes sparkled as she murmured these cryptic words and dismounted.
The farther she walked forward, the smaller she appeared.
Her petite frame made her seem almost the same size as one of the condor’s talons.
Lakrahan, encountering a Divine Beast for the first time—only ever heard of in tales—was momentarily stunned, then frowned.
He leaped off his horse and instantly caught up to Bercheria, grabbing her arm.
“Why suddenly—Mmph!”
Lakrahan quickly clamped a hand over Bercheria’s mouth.
“Keep your voice down! What if the Divine Beast wakes up?”
His expression grew grave.
“Don’t you know condors eat people? You could die! Don’t go near it, and lower your voice. Do you understand me?”
After firmly warning her once more with his eyes to stay quiet, Lakrahan removed his hand from her mouth.
Bercheria then took a deep breath and shouted,
“Muha!”
Lakrahan pressed his palm to his forehead and sighed deeply.
He wondered if this woman had gone mad.
It was said dozens of Divine Beasts lived in this forest, and among them, condors were among the most dangerous.
Though condors, scavengers by nature, rarely caused trouble if left alone, they were ferocious—if displeased, they’d kill or devour any human nearby without hesitation.
“You really have a talent for driving people insane!”
Lakrahan seized Bercheria’s hand and roughly hoisted her up.
He’d never trusted this woman from the start.
Coming here in the dead of night—how could he have followed her so thoughtlessly?
‘Could His Grace possibly have ulterior motives regarding her?’
Why did Wyatt’s voice suddenly echo in his mind during this urgent moment?
“Quiet, Wyatt.”
“What did you say?”
This was absolutely not about personal motives.
It was merely a noble effort to save his people.
Lakrahan slung Bercheria over one of his broad shoulders.
“Don’t struggle—if you don’t want to die.”
“Ugh!”
And with that, he began to run.
Behind him, as he fled at full speed, the condor stirred awake from its slumber.
“Hold on tight!”
Keeeyaaak!
The condor’s enormous wings spread wide enough to blot out the sky.
Muha let out a cry like a scream, scanned the surroundings, then spotted the two fleeing down the path.
The condor blinked its gleaming eyes, then opened its beak wide with interest and stretched its neck toward them.
Just as its massive beak closed in on Lakrahan’s back—
“Damn it!”
Lakrahan hurled Bercheria into a thick patch of grass growing abundantly beside him.
And then, snap.
His own body was swallowed into the condor’s mouth.
Male lead Asks for a Divorce Every Day
It’s not often you come across a plot like this in the female-dominant genre — make sure to check it out!
This is a novel I’m planning to reread as well.
The male lead is strong, skilled in martial arts, and not the usual fragile type you often see in matriarchal novels.
Meanwhile, the female lead is a scientist—rational and logical. Even when she falls for the male lead, she doesn’t let her emotions cloud her decisions.
If you push through the first few chapters, you’ll gradually find the story really intriguing.
It has a mix of mystery, detective elements, and romance.
The author’s writing style is like crafting a puzzle—except they deliberately leave out a few pieces, making it hard to predict what happens next, yet keeping you hooked.
In the end, everything will come together and be explained.
One-sentence summary: Wife, stop playing with beakers and look at me!
In a laboratory accident, research scientist Zhu Wansheng accidentally travels to a matriarchal world. The original owner of the body is an eighteen-year-old only daughter of a wealthy rouge merchant, already married with a handsome young man.
Zhu Wansheng grins: Nice! She always said she was heaven’s favorite granddaughter. After a life of toil in her previous life, she can enjoy blessings in this one.
However, her joy lasts no more than three seconds as bad news arrives: the original owner’s family is about to go bankrupt, and her husband wants a divorce.
Even worse, she’s stuck with a research system full of restrictions.
Zhu Wansheng: ? Is this the destiny of a research dog?
——
Faced with this mess, Zhu Wansheng pours herself a bowl of wine to drown her sorrows. In her drunken haze, her husband arrives.
His figure is imposing, holding a long sword, with a dignified air that captivates Zhu Wansheng.
Gu Yingqing, however, looks at the alcohol-reeking Zhu Wansheng with undisguised disgust and coldly asks, “Divorce or not?” The intoxicated Zhu Wansheng mumbles vaguely, “I think… it’s not… it’s not… impossible!”
——
The next day, after sobering up, Zhu Wansheng is full of energy, rolling up her sleeves ready to make a big move. As for yesterday? She has no memory of it.
Zhu Wansheng is ambitious; a research dog fears nothing!
Upgrading rouge, extracting fragrances, producing perfumes, researching lipsticks… all shall bow to the power of modern technology!
The original owner’s dying rouge shop is revitalized. Her mother is pleased and with a wave of her hand, passes on the family business to her. As she takes control and her experimental results gain popularity, it’s the pinnacle of her life…
——
But there are always those who can’t stand to see her doing well. Jealousy, scheming, assassination attempts – they want nothing less than her life.
The person who has always kept his distance from her suddenly holds her tightly in his arms, eyes full of concern.
She is unharmed, but he falls into a pool of blood…
Zhu Wansheng feels guilty, “I can grant you one wish.”
Gu Yingqing tentatively circles his arms around her, carefully resting his head in the crook of her neck, pleading softly, “I regret it. Can we not divorce?”
Zhu Wansheng: ? When did I agree to a divorce?
[Small Theater]
The newly developed rouge is beautifully packaged, and Zhu Wansheng is eager to try it.
Gu Yingqing suddenly appears: “My lady, may I apply it for you?”
Cool fingertips lightly brush her lips. His Adam’s apple bobs as he leans in for a light bite.
Zhu Wansheng: ?
Gu Yingqing: It smells so good, I wanted to taste it…
On a warm spring day, Zhu Wansheng tries a new perfume: “Spring Night.” Gu Yingqing corners her against a wall.
Warm breath lingers on her neck.
“My lady, from now on, may I test the fragrances for you?”
[Humorous female scientist vs scheming live-in son-in-law male lead]
[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’?