Dark-colored Fairy Tale: Seven Magicians - Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Seeing that Chloe was staring blankly, her eyes filled with confusion, Liu Menglu finally seized the opportunity to speak.

“Gluttony is indeed one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but sometimes, a certain amount of gluttony is also a way to vent and to enjoy happiness. Some people might fall and become demons because of gluttony, but while we see those demons, we should also see those people who forget their sorrows and embrace happiness because of gluttony.”

Liu Menglu’s voice was soft and gentle, but her words were like a ringing bell, striking a chord in Chloe.

For the first time, Chloe realized that a sin from the Seven Deadly Sins could actually bring happiness to others.

Seeing Chloe’s confusion, Liu Menglu quickly put a pair of chopsticks and a bowl in Chloe’s hands.

Liu Menglu continued, “Chloe, the world isn’t black and white. Things have two sides. We also have a saying in China: ‘know yourself and know your enemy, and you’ll never be defeated.'”

Chloe’s expression was now bewildered. Liu Menglu continued to add fuel to the fire.

“So, come on, give it a try. Try to understand why everyone knows that overeating is a bad thing, yet they still endlessly stuff various things into their mouths and refuse to stop eating even when they’re full.”

Listening to Liu Menglu, Chloe watched her quietly. Although she knew Liu Menglu was making a case for her, Chloe was tempted.

Looking at the constantly boiling hot pot, Chloe, for the first time, continued to eat even after she was 70% full.

When her stomach was only 70% full, she didn’t feel hungry, nor did she feel a distinct feeling of fullness. Because of this, Chloe didn’t resist trying the hot pot.

—It’s hard to refuse a kind invitation. Just have a small taste. This was Chloe’s thought.

But when she ate her first bite of hot pot, the spicy and fresh flavor went straight to her throat. That extreme deliciousness quickly took over her taste buds.

“Delicious,” Chloe couldn’t help but praise. She had eaten hot pot before, but none of them had ever perfectly blended the four flavors of freshness, spiciness, numbness, and fragrance like this one.

Chloe couldn’t help but grab another piece.

Seeing Chloe becoming more and more like a normal girl, Liu Menglu seemed to have succeeded in her scheme and put two more pieces of meat into Chloe’s bowl.

Delicious food should be shared with everyone, right?

Spiciness itself stimulated appetite, and besides the spiciness, the hot pot that Liu Menglu had ordered also had a numbing sensation.

With the two combined, Chloe, for the first time in her life, ate until she was 120% full. Although three of those percent were from Liu Menglu relentlessly putting food in her bowl, seeing Chloe’s confused expression as she rubbed her belly, Liu Menglu smiled brilliantly.

“I actually ate so much,” Chloe said, a hint of disbelief in her tone after she was stuffed.

The idea of just having a small taste had long been forgotten. After the sensory pleasure ended, a huge sense of guilt settled in Chloe’s heart.

As a magical being who had grown up in Fayalon, and who had always adhered to the rules, she had broken her vow.

Chloe’s dark golden eyes were filled with guilt and a hint of a barely noticeable panic. If even a magical being couldn’t resist the corruption of the Seven Deadly Sins, was there still hope for the future of this world?

Liu Menglu had been ecstatic, but seeing Chloe’s bewildered and depressed eyes, she instantly panicked.

“Chloe! Chloe, what’s wrong with you! Don’t scare me.”

Liu Menglu called out several times, even attracting the attention of other customers, but Chloe remained expressionless, as if she had sealed herself off in a small space, not letting anyone in.

Liu Menglu became even more flustered. She stood up and hugged Chloe tightly.

“Chloe, Chloe.”

Liu Menglu’s voice grew more and more urgent. The waiter couldn’t help but walk toward them. Just then, Chloe finally showed a little reaction.

She looked at the chopsticks in her hand and muttered mockingly, “I thought I was an old hand, but I couldn’t even withstand this little bit of temptation.”

It was just a simple sentence, but it exploded in Liu Menglu’s heart.

So that’s it. She feels like she’s been tempted and has fallen because of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Liu Menglu was instantly filled with regret. If she had known this would happen, how could she have made such a joke? But there was no turning back now. The most important thing was to rebuild Chloe’s conviction.

However, the thing that had destroyed Chloe’s conviction seemed to be just eating hot pot, but now, thinking back, her actions from a few days ago, or even earlier, had been continuously affecting Chloe.

How could she rebuild it in an instant when it had taken so long to destroy?

Chloe’s face was gradually turning gray. Liu Menglu was in a state of panic. After sending the waiter away, she suddenly made up her mind. It seemed that she had no choice but to bluff. Whether the bluff made her seem like a fool didn’t matter anymore.

The most important thing now was to prevent Chloe’s conviction from collapsing. If a person’s conviction collapsed, that person would be useless.

Thinking of Chloe losing her conviction and becoming a walking corpse, Liu Menglu’s expression became serious, and her mind raced until—she thought of a saying.

“Chloe! Chloe, look at me.” Liu Menglu forcefully held Chloe’s head, making her look at her. Her expression was serious. “Chloe! You did nothing wrong.”

Chloe’s eyes wavered slightly. Liu Menglu’s gaze was locked on Chloe, and she immediately noticed that tiny bit of wavering.

And it was that tiny bit of wavering that gave Liu Menglu a huge boost of confidence. “Chloe, I believe you did nothing wrong. You were just experiencing things.”

Chloe looked at Liu Menglu with a blank stare. Liu Menglu used her excellent bluffing skills and said matter-of-factly, “Chloe, you’ve just come to China, and you don’t understand Chinese civilization. So you don’t know that we have an old saying passed down from our ancestors.”

“That saying is ‘know yourself and know your enemy, and you’ll never be defeated.’ It means that if you know the other side’s details, you can win every battle.”

Chloe was taken in by this. Magical beings seemed glamorous, but countless of them died every year fighting demons.

Now, Liu Menglu was confidently saying that as long as you ‘know yourself and know your enemy,’ you could win every battle. How could this not shake Chloe’s heart?

Seeing that the confusion and panic in Chloe’s eyes were gone, Liu Menglu finally let out a sigh of relief. It seemed she had succeeded in her bluff.

However, one lie often requires a hundred more to cover it up.

Looking at Chloe’s serious expression, wanting to know how to ‘know herself and know her enemy,’ Liu Menglu fell silent.

But to prevent Chloe from having another mental breakdown, Liu Menglu could only bite the bullet and say, “‘Know yourself and know your enemy,’ well, first you have to know why the other side is so popular…”

Cough, cough. She faked two coughs, her mind racing to come up with another lie. “Look, just like us eating hot pot today, you ate until you were stuffed. Isn’t that gluttony?”