landbeastnovel Chapter 320: What now?
Chapter 320: What now?
Rory’s words struck like a bolt of divine lightning crashing from the heavens.
Without warning, they exploded directly over Vincent, Vangar, and Xarion’s heads.
Boom.
In an instant, their entire world collapsed. Vincent, who had just been calmly defending himself... Vangar, who had still been trying to explain... Xarion, who moments ago had been furious and indignant...
All three froze completely.
The expressions on their faces stiffened instantly as all color drained away at visible speed, leaving them deathly pale.
"Rory...?"
Vincent’s voice trembled uncontrollably, his handsome face filled with terror and disbelief.
He hurried forward on his knees, trying to grab the corner of her clothes, but the coldness in Rory’s gaze stopped him cold.
"Rory... I didn’t mean it like that... Please listen to me..."
"Female Master!" Vangar panicked too. The pain in his back seemed to disappear entirely.
His pupils contracted violently as unprecedented fear appeared in his voice.
"Female Master, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have tried to push it away. Please... don’t abandon me..."
Even Xarion—the one who had been the angriest and most wronged just moments earlier—forgot all about his rage.
He stood there completely stunned. The silver-gray in his eyes dimmed instantly, filling with despair.
"Female Master... I... I just didn’t want to be first partner... I never said I didn’t want to be your partner..."
The three of them were terrified. Each more panicked than the last.
No matter how troublesome the title of first partner was, it was nothing compared to losing their place beside her entirely.
But Rory looked utterly resolute. She didn’t even bother looking at them again. The disappointment and icy indifference in her eyes pierced straight through their hearts like blades.
Turning away, Rory said calmly to Yuel, Jasper, Wen, and Paros:
"We’re leaving."
None of them dared speak. They quickly followed behind her.
"Rory... don’t go!"
"Female Master, wait!"
"Female Master—!"
Vincent and Vangar scrambled desperately to their feet, stumbling forward like madmen trying to chase after her—only for an invisible wall of spiritual energy to suddenly appear before them.
It was Rory’s mental barrier. She didn’t want them near her.
To powerhouses like Vincent, Vangar, and Xarion, the barrier itself wasn’t strong. They could shatter through it easily if they truly wished. But none of them dared.
Xarion stood frozen where he was, staring blankly at Rory’s retreating figure as she boarded the warship. An overwhelming tide of panic and regret drowned him completely.
So what if he carried the burden? Why had he argued so stubbornly with Vincent and Vangar? Why had he been so stupid?
Now, Female Master was angry. Now she didn’t want him anymore.
What was he supposed to do? What could he possibly do now?
Under the despairing gazes of all three men, the warship doors slowly closed shut, cutting off every last shred of sight... And hope.
The roar of the engines sounded like a merciless final judgment.
Moments later, the warship rose into the sky, transforming into a streak of silver light before disappearing into the endless sea of stars without the slightest hesitation.
Only Vincent, Vangar, and Xarion remained standing upon the empty battlefield.
Their faces were ashen.
The desolate winds of the Divine Battlefield swept past their rigid bodies, carrying away the last remaining trace of warmth.
The sky had truly collapsed. A deathly silence spread between them. The mournful wind crossing the barren battlefield sounded almost like silent mockery.
Then...
Thud.
Vincent’s knees suddenly gave out beneath him. He collapsed heavily onto the frozen ground. Covering his face with one hand, he let out a dry, despairing laugh.
"Heh... hehehe... It’s all my fault..."
His voice was hoarse, rough like sand scraping against stone.
Everything had begun because of him.
He muttered weakly to himself, "So what if I kept being first partner? So what if I kept pretending to be generous? So what if I had to smile and say ’it’s only right’ every time Rory treated someone else well? So what if I had to stop fighting openly for her attention and constantly prioritize the bigger picture?"
His shoulders trembled violently.
"Haven’t I already been doing that this entire time?"
Vincent gripped his own hair painfully, his body shaking beneath crushing regret.
"I endured it for so long... So why..."
His voice broke completely.
"Why couldn’t I just keep enduring it a little longer? Why did I try to scheme against Vangar? Why did I let my resentment and jealousy spill out in such a stupid way?"
Vincent’s laugh grew more bitter with every word.
"And now look what happened... Not only did I throw away the position of first partner... I got thrown away as a partner too..."
He truly deserved it.
Beside him, Vangar, the undefeated Imperial Marshal whose reputation on the battlefield was built on unshakable strength and decisive action... Now sat collapsed upon the ground in utter defeat.
He stared blankly at his empty hands, as though he could still feel the cold finality of Rory turning away from him.
"I’m the same..."
Vangar’s voice was filled with guilt.
"Why was I so afraid? If I wasn’t good enough to be first partner... then I could’ve learned."
Suddenly, he slammed his fist violently into the ground.
The hardened earth cracked instantly beneath the impact. Blood tore across the back of his hand, flesh splitting open, yet he felt no pain at all.
"Why did I overthink everything?"
"Unsuitable?" His voice grew hoarse. "They were all just excuses. I was afraid."
Afraid of losing the right to openly compete for Rory’s affection.
When Vincent threw the burden at him... Why hadn’t he simply accepted it?
Even if he failed at being first partner, Rory at worst would’ve thought he was clumsy or inexperienced.
But at least... At least he still would’ve remained beside her.
So why? Why did he copy Vincent and throw the burden onto Xarion instead? Why did he use such shameless methods and make Female Master angry?
"Now..." His gaze drifted numbly toward the direction where the warship had vanished into the stars. "What are we supposed to do now? We don’t even have the right to chase after her anymore..."
For five entire years, he had prayed to the Beast God for a female master.
And now... Just like that... She was gone.
Nearby, Xarion lay flat on the ground like a corpse.
As he listened to Vincent and Vangar drowning in self-blame, every word felt like another knife carving repeatedly into his heart.
"You two were idiots..."
His voice was hollow. "So why did I have to become just as stupid as you?"
Slowly, mechanically, he turned his head toward them.
"This whole mess started because of the two of you."
His eyes were red with exhaustion and despair.
"So now you have to think of a way... A way to make Female Master forgive us. Otherwise..."
Xarion’s voice turned frighteningly cold.
"None of the three of us are leaving this place alive today."
Without Female Master, life no longer held any meaning for him anyway.
He might as well die here.
***
Inside the warship, the command room was utterly silent except for the soft hum of machinery.
Paros and Wen wisely remained at their respective stations, barely daring to breathe.
Every so often, they secretly glanced toward Rory from the corners of their eyes.
Rory sat in the main seat with one hand supporting her chin, her profile turned toward the endless stars streaking past outside the viewing window.
The oppressive chill radiating from her made the entire warship seem several degrees colder.
Yuel approached quietly, deliberately softening his footsteps.
The white sofa dipped slightly beneath his weight as he sat beside her.
He didn’t speak immediately. Instead, he simply stayed there silently like a warm, gentle cloud, quietly absorbing the anger pouring off Rory little by little.
After a long moment, Yuel slowly lifted a hand and retrieved a crystal-clear fruit from his spatial ring.
The fruit emitted a faint sweet fragrance.
His slender pale fingers carefully peeled away the delicate translucent skin, revealing soft, glistening flesh beneath.
Once he finished, Yuel held the peeled fruit gently to Rory’s lips.
His voice was soft as feathers brushing against skin. "Rory, eat a little first. If you make yourself sick from anger, I’ll feel heartbroken."
Rory didn’t open her mouth. She merely glanced at him calmly.
"Did you come to plead for them?"
Yuel wasn’t discouraged when she refused the fruit. He simply continued holding it there while a faint smile curved at his lips.
"You misunderstood me, Rory. What those three did really was excessive. Even I want to hit them."
He chuckled softly. "You punishing them is completely deserved. I’m not here to plead on their behalf."
His gaze softened further.
"I’m only worried you’ll hurt yourself from being too angry."
Then he gently moved the fruit closer until it nearly brushed against her lips.
"Rory... let’s not talk about them anymore. Just pity me a little and take one bite, alright? You haven’t spoken, and you haven’t eaten anything either."
His voice lowered quietly.
"I’m worried. And honestly... a little scared too."
Yuel understood very clearly—Rory’s earlier words had merely been meant to frighten Vincent and the others. She would never truly destroy their beast marks or sever their partner bonds for real.
And Yuel himself had no intention whatsoever of pleading for them.
He genuinely felt sorry for Rory.
More than anything... He was afraid she would exhaust herself from anger and hurt her own body.