The Villainess Winning Back Her Beast Husbands-Chapter 21: Heavy Sorrow

Upon hearing this, Elias Moretti’s narrow eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze growing much deeper.

Evangeline gently tugged the nearly transparent thread at her fingertips, her movements casual and unconcerned.

She lifted her gaze and shot the mysterious man a cold look. Her voice was alluring, yet it carried an unquestionable resolve. "I’ve said it before. The Beast God protects the entire Beastman Continent. Full of compassion, how could He allow the indiscriminate slaughter of the innocent? Human sacrifice is a cruel and inhumane act. How could the Beast God possibly stand by and do nothing?!"

At this, she tilted her head back slightly, her aura imposing. "No matter who was on that altar today, as the Beast God’s Envoy, I was bound to save them! That is my mission!"

After delivering the cringey and melodramatic lines, Evangeline tugged the thread and left the altar.

The mysterious man’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t stop her. Instead, he turned to Elias Moretti, who was still staring in the direction Evangeline had gone. "She isn’t the Witch from the Midridge Tribe?"

Elias Moretti’s eyes were dark as he shook his head. "She’s just a wandering female with no tribe who recently joined the Midridge Tribe. I just never expected her to be a Witch."

A sharp glint appeared in the mysterious man’s eyes. "We must get to the bottom of this!"

Elias Moretti gave a slight nod. "Understood."

The mysterious man’s tone softened as he clapped Elias Moretti on the shoulder. "Though the totem sacrifice failed, you brought people from the Midridge Tribe, greatly increasing the Grymdale Tribe’s strength. That is a good thing!"

Elias Moretti pressed his lips together, silent. He turned to look in the direction Evangeline had gone, his eyes narrowing.

’He now had a new target. An interesting one.’

*

Evangeline followed the thread, which led her to a cave where Thorne was.

The cave was at the very edge of the tribe’s territory. Its entrance was choked with dense, tangled weeds, looking as if it had been abandoned for a long time. The neglect was so complete that dung beetles could be seen slowly pushing their dung balls through the grass. A foul, rotting stench hung in the air, perfectly complementing the dilapidated surroundings and highlighting the area’s utter desolation.

’Such a wretched living environment,’ she thought, ’was difficult to reconcile with the status of the "honored son of the tribe’s leader" the mysterious man had mentioned.’

’It wasn’t hard to imagine that after Thorne returned from the Oasis Tribe, his status had plummeted as if cast into The Abyss.’

’The once-glorious number one Warrior of Norfell was now reduced to living in a place like this.’

’Damn the original owner for the mess she made,’ Evangeline cursed inwardly as she parted the weeds and entered the cave.

As she stepped into the cave, a wave of cold, damp air washed over her, instantly enveloping her body.

The cave was pitch-black—so dark she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face, as if she’d been swallowed by endless darkness. Only the DRIP... DRIP... of water from deeper within echoed in the silence, adding to the sinister chill.

Evangeline lowered her gaze, her eyes concealed in the shadows, and walked steadily deeper into the cave.

The cave was long and winding. She walked for a long time before finally stopping.

There, in the most hidden corner, a gaunt figure was curled into a ball. It was Thorne.

Evangeline approached, but her movements didn’t stir Thorne. Only when she was closer did she realize he was unconscious.

"Thorne?" Evangeline called.

Thorne’s body was wracked with violent, uncontrollable tremors, but he didn’t respond.

His eyes were squeezed shut, and his cracked lips parted slightly. Even unconscious, he muttered incessantly, looking helpless and tormented.

"Evangeline... die... pull your tendons... grind your bones... a gruesome death..."

The corner of Evangeline’s mouth twitched. ’Seriously, getting close to Thorne is a death wish. I have to keep my "Evangeline" identity well hidden and finish this mission on the quiet.’

She sighed and reached out to touch Thorne’s forehead. It was scorching.

Thorne had lost his Beast Crystal, and his Star Pattern was shattered. His condition was even worse than Danton’s. His hair was already turning white at the tips—a sign that his life was draining away.

Frowning, Evangeline was about to reach out and pull Thorne into her embrace when something happened.

As if sensing a mortal threat, the unconscious Thorne suddenly snapped his eyes open.

His dark green eyes blazed with ferocity. In the same instant, his hand shot out like lightning, filled with chilling killing intent. It lunged straight for Evangeline’s neck, aiming to crush it!

Evangeline caught his hand. He was radiating killing intent, but he had very little strength.

"Behave. You need treatment," Evangeline said, pinning him against the cold wall. Her alluring voice held a soothing quality.

Her attempt to soothe him, however, clearly had no effect.

"Die!" Veins bulged on Thorne’s temples, his dark green eyes overflowing with savage animosity.

Evangeline felt a headache coming on. After a brief stalemate, she flipped her wrist, stiffening her hand like a blade. With swift, unquestionable decisiveness, she chopped down on the back of Thorne’s neck.

Thorne’s brow furrowed in pain. A moment later, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.

Evangeline blew on her palm and said impatiently, "I told you to behave."

’She was no delicate female. She had plenty of strength and tricks up her sleeve!’

With Thorne unconscious, Evangeline wasted no time. She swiftly stripped off his filthy beast skin.

She tossed the beast skin carelessly to the ground, where it landed with a heavy thud, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

But in the next moment, Evangeline froze, her eyes fixed on Thorne, unable to look away.

Her gaze was utterly transfixed, as if she were petrified. Her heart felt as though a great stone were pressing down on it.

’When she faced Danton, she had felt a mix of pity and admiration. But now, gazing at Thorne’s naked, scar-riddled body, those complex feelings evaporated, leaving only a sorrow so thick it was suffocating.’

It was a sorrow so heavy it made it hard to breathe.

Scars crawled over his emaciated body, covering nearly every inch of his skin. Some had begun to fester and rot. In the places on his back he couldn’t reach, maggots were even breeding in the wounds.

The maggots were constantly gnawing at his flesh and bone. It was easy to imagine the bone-deep agony, like sharp knives scraping against his nerves at every moment, a pain so excruciating he must have wished for death.

Of all the horrific wounds covering Thorne’s body, the one over his heart was the deadliest.

There, over his heart, was a stark, thumb-sized wound. Despite its small size, it was a gaping, dark hole that seemed to have been gouged out, piercing straight through his heart.

Strangely, faint wisps of lightning were slowly seeping from the wound.

The lightning had lost its former brilliance, becoming thin and faint, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment. It was a silent testament to how fragile his hold on life had become.

’And the original owner had done all of this.’

Evangeline pressed her lips together, unsure of how she could even touch him. Even after traveling through countless worlds and seeing her share of male leads with tragic fates, Thorne still moved her to pity.

She waved a hand, and a soft light filled the pitch-black cave, which also became much cleaner and tidier.

A large bathtub materialized out of thin air. Evangeline then used a Rain Prayer Talisman, and a light rain began to fall, filling the tub. Next, a ball of fire appeared beneath it, heating the water. The entire sequence was executed with fluid, practiced ease.

Once done, Evangeline dusted off her hands. She retrieved medicinal herbs from her dimensional storage, adding them to the tub one by one in precise ratios. The herbs quickly dissolved, turning the water a brilliant jade green and releasing a fresh, pleasant aroma.

’Thorne’s body was too severely damaged to handle the potent effects of Elixir Pills. She had to take a gradual approach, starting with a medicinal bath.’

’However, her supply of herbs was running low.’

Evangeline frowned. ’I wonder if the Beastman Continent has any herbs with similar properties?’