Chapter 203 - Different Goodbye (1/2)

They decided to stay for a few more days at Baal's castle before Hua Tuo came to fetch his disciple. Zero clung onto Baal more than usual and was absolutely devastated to know that Coux and Wiser will be remaining in the abyss with Baal.

”We'll write to you often, don't cry...” Coux wiped Zero's tears away and held out a handkerchief for him to blow his nose into.

Wiser didn't know what to do. He simply stood around and watched as Baal flicked the teenager on the forehead. Even as a teenager, Zero wasn't very tall. The Demon Lord in his child form was able to reach Zero's forehead without even tip-toeing.

”Stop sniveling and man up! You're the one who's going to become a great doctor. What would your patients say if they knew that you had such a weak resolve?”

”My Lord!” Coux was horrified by the harsh reprimanding. She was about to go coddle Zero again when the brunet smacked himself hard on both cheeks till they reddened painfully.

The tears were still there but they weren't running freely any longer. Zero held them back and choked back another sob as he met Baal's onyx eyes. He looked at his stern best friend and found his resolve wavering. Yes, Zero still wanted to be a doctor very much. However, he didn't know if he was able to sacrifice so much in order to achieve his dream.

”You'll meet many people along the way, goodbyes are only part of the routine. You'll have to start getting used to it. This won't be the last time we will be seeing each other. Besides, we can always be in contact, you have some rather unique skills.”

Zero pouted. Baal's perspective made it easier to put aside the fact that they might not ever meet again. While Baal might not have said it out, Zero had a feeling that this would be the first and last time he was welcomed in the abyss. It wasn't easy to travel in and out of Hell. Even Gabriel had to apply for a travel pass whenever he made a trip with an official purpose. Even if Zero was a friend of Baal, he would still need to have official reasons to visit.

”Don't worry, Zero. We will be here to assist Lord Baal with his business and your dreams. The terraforming project will help to cure many sick and weak demons. Once the mana lotuses are ready, we will spread them across the plane to minimise the miasma.”

Wiser agreed with Coux. ”I will be finding a way to create a purifier machine that converts miasma into mana. We will be in close contact, Raj and the rest of the lab members will help out. I've received Lovina's reply and they want to talk to you as soon as you return. Grandma Moppo has an announcement to make on behalf of all the villagers.”

Zero blinked. Grandma Moppo? It had been a long time in the abyss that the young doctor almost forgot the reason why he was in the abyss. The brunet looked slightly worried after he remembered the trouble he caused the villagers. He also wanted to apologise for meddling with Douglas' punishment but what was done couldn't be undone.

Fear and anxiety about the unknown future gripped Zero. Baal noticed the change in his friend's behaviour and sighed. He should have seen this coming. While he did lecture Zero earlier about causing inconvenience for others and poking his nose into things that wasn't his business, it wasn't quite a bad thing if it was Zero. After all, he did everything with good intentions in mind... mostly. None of the Demon Lords truly hated Zero for what he did but as the strong pillars of Hell, they couldn't allow a no-named human-looking creature influence them. The power balance would tilt and internal strife will tear the fragile harmony apart.

”Just go back and listen to what they have to say,” Baal advised. ”You can apologise later and think about how to make it up to them. We have two more days here. What do you want to do? I'm sure work can wait for now...”

Coux didn't look too pleased but agreed. She understood Zero's desire to spend the rest of his time in the abyss with his best friend who'd helped him through tougher times. If it wasn't for Baal, Zero might still be in a coma. If it wasn't for Baal, Zero might never have experienced a sudden growth in mental maturity. Coming to Hell was an eye-opener to the naive apprentice and Coux can only thank the Demon Lord for playing the role of the necessary evil in Zero's life.

Zero thought for a while. He'd been to many places in the abyss so nothing really surprised him now. However, he wasn't going to turn down having Baal as his guide. If Zero was going to say goodbye, he was going to do it properly.

”I want to visit everyone here.”

”Everyone?”

Zero nodded and made a list of people he wanted to say goodbye to. Baal wasn't surprised that Zero included all the Demon Lords in the list. However, the last place Zero wanted to go surprised him.

”The Roth village?”

Ruth wasn't here to hear that but if he was, the vampire would have called Zero a moron. Of the little time he had left, Zero chose to spend it visiting the ruins of his miserable past.