CH 29

another thread of emotions, broken, shattered!

pei xia looked around in confusion, not knowing where exactly things had gone wrong. oh, right, it was lucifer.

pei xia slowly lowered his head, resentfully meeting lucifer’s trembling, snow-white face, like porcelain that had yet to set.

his face was as white as snow, lips a pale pink, his long and curled eyelashes fluttered softly, and his eyes held a watery gleam, like ripples on the surface of a lake. he let out a melodious sigh and said:

“pei xia, thank you. once again, you protected me.” his voice quivered.

pei xia looked at lucifer in astonishment. “my lord, have you gone mad? it wasn’t me who protected you, it was princess eva!”

lucifer still leaned against him and continued with determination: “it’s you.”

pei xia began to push him away, trying to forcefully continue the romantic subplot by moving the male lead from his embrace to the female lead’s. however, for some reason, despite lucifer’s fear and apparent weakness, his hand gripping pei xia’s arm was as firm as iron.

pei xia huffed and puffed, trying to push him away, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t budge him. he couldn’t help but suspect that he might have exhausted himself during the previous battle.

but regardless, princess eva seemed to have completely lost interest in lucifer.

pei xia lowered his head in despair, only to find that lucifer was squinting his eyes, lifting a hand to gently cover his own tired forehead.

his voice was slightly hoarse as he said to pei xia: “ah, it was really dangerous just now. pei xia, don’t be too modest. the princess bravely guarded our safety, and you, you protected my heart!”

pei xia said, puzzled, “am i really that amazing?”

however, whether lucifer’s fragility extended to the point of seeking solace in a knight’s embrace or not, the emotional thread had irreversibly snapped.

pei xia could only blame himself for not thinking things through, for forgetting to tend to lucifer’s feelings. he sighed and said to lucifer, “my lord, do you know what you missed out on?”

finally releasing the hand covering his forehead, lucifer weakly replied, “i know.”

pei xia looked at him with a heartache-filled gaze: you missed the only woman you’ve ever admitted to liking!

lucifer looked back at him with a touch of regret: i missed the chance to let pei xia personally protect me.

both of them thought simultaneously: it’s okay, there will be another chance in the future.

they looked at each other with a sense of relief, then instinctively supported each other to steady themselves, finally breaking free from the odd embrace they had been in.

pei xia cleared his throat and somewhat awkwardly glanced at prince harry and princess eva: “your highnesses, did you come over because you’re injured and need treatment? i apologize, my lord, lucifer, seems too weak at the moment and can’t provide treatment for your highnesses.”

although pei xia leaned towards helping lucifer successfully develop the romantic subplot, seeing that it had already failed, he didn’t push further.

in fact, he felt a bit relieved, as he had a lingering feeling that lucifer’s attitude towards emotions was somewhat questionable.

even though pei xia hoped that everything would follow the original storyline, allowing him to use his foresight ability to navigate his life better, it wouldn’t be a bad thing if a slight deviation could save a girl from harm.

pei xia quickly came to terms with this.

after coming to terms with it, pei xia still placed lucifer ahead of everyone else. he was his personal guard and holy knight, and no matter when, lucifer was the top priority.

prince harry quickly said, “of course, please don’t worry about us. lord lucifer has done so much, we’ve all witnessed it. i believe everyone cares about his well-being just like i do!”

princess eva flicked off the blood drops from her sword, reattached it to her side, flexed her arm, and smiled. “just minor injuries, nothing serious.”

pei xia smiled at them and then supported the still-pale and weak lucifer as they walked toward the city wall.

now that the wave of monsters had temporarily subsided, following the previous patterns, there wouldn’t be too much danger tonight. however, as dusk arrived tomorrow, a new wave of monsters would surge forth once again.

exhausted warriors began to rotate shifts, those severely wounded were sent to the rear medical station, but those with minor injuries couldn’t squeeze in and had to tend to themselves.

behind them, the prince and princess had not left. as the children of this nation’s leaders, they had the duty to inspire morale.

“my lord!”

the holy knights also gradually gathered around. pei xia looked around and noticed that everyone only had minor injuries, which made him sigh with relief.

malori said, “the consul is really busy. he gave me the key to a small courtyard and told us to move in ourselves.”

at this moment, every corner of the city of atna was in a state of high activity. the warriors were obvious, and even the common people who weren’t seeking refuge were helping out – washing clothes, cooking, taking care of the wounded, repairing weapons, and so on.

therefore, some negligence was inevitable when receiving guests. fortunately, lucifer’s group wasn’t a picky bunch.

they arrived at a small courtyard in the rear headquarters. pei xia supported lucifer into the largest room in the courtyard. in reality, while it was the largest room in the courtyard, it wasn’t particularly spacious. the contents inside could only be described as clean, with no touch of luxury or extravagance.

“my lord, you should rest for a while.” pei xia helped lucifer sit on the bed and began to assist him in taking off the soiled coat, about to turn and leave.

“pei xia, where are you going?” lucifer leaned against the headboard, his exquisitely beautiful face remaining captivating even in the dimly lit room.

“i’m going to wash your clothes and come back.”

after returning, he would continue to stay with lucifer because the rooms here were quite limited, and everyone was squeezed into pairs.

upon hearing this, lucifer shook his head in disagreement and said, “pei xia, i sense a demon’s presence nearby.”

pei xia was startled. how could there be a demon here?

“are you sure it’s nearby?!”

my goodness, this is the central headquarters of atna city, where the command center, medical stations, logistics, and more are located.

due to the special nature of this city, during times of necessity, everyone is a soldier. therefore, it can be said that this place is the heart of the entire city, and there isn’t anyone who wouldn’t pass through here.

lucifer nodded solemnly, “the clothes aren’t important. we have to continue to the battlefield tomorrow. pei xia, we need to rest now. countless injured are waiting for our treatment, and the demons hiding among the crowd need to be expelled. as followers of the god of light, we need to be enlightened.”

my goodness, listening to what lucifer was saying, so full of positive energy and self-sacrifice, pei xia was moved to tears. he thumped his chest and declared loudly, “you can trust me, i am already enlightened!”

for the battle against demons, he was ready to give it his all!

so, pei xia casually placed his dirty clothes on a nearby stool, went outside to give some instructions to the other six holy knights, and then returned to take off his own soiled coat.

lucifer slipped into the bed like water, propping himself up with one hand to look at pei xia in the dimness. his long hair cascaded, and with a smile, he invited, “to rest well, to face tomorrow’s battle with full energy, pei xia, don’t be shy, rest with me.”

pei xia didn’t hesitate to refuse directly, “no way!”

“why?” lucifer couldn’t understand why he would refuse again.

pei xia felt a bit helpless as he looked at lucifer and explained seriously, “we haven’t taken a bath, our bodies are covered in the smell of blood and sweat. we can’t rest properly if we’re all squeezed together.”

he was telling the truth. in fact, because he brought it up, lucifer, who initially didn’t mind much, began to find it somewhat unbearable.

lucifer bit his lip and smiled, “it’s alright, i don’t mind those things. i don’t sense them when i sleep.”

pei xia hesitated, “but i do sense them.”

snap!

lucifer lifted his hand and gently tapped the bed. he took a deep breath and said, “alright, since there’s a feeling now, even though i can’t sense it, the air indeed reeks of blood and the scent of men.”

unable to resist, he let go of his original intention of using a seductive posture to entice pei xia. he sat up silently, pinched his brow, and said, “pei xia, perhaps you’re right.”

pei xia chuckled, “see? i told you.”

then lucifer raised his hand, and a small water sphere appeared at his fingertip, rotating gently. he lifted his chin slightly, curved his lips into a confident smile, and said, “perhaps it’s time for a cleansing spell.”

give up? it’s not that simple. since you find the smell bothersome, let’s get rid of it.

pei xia, how about we clean up first?

pei xia: “my lord, has your magic power recovered?”

lucifer: “uh, it’s partially recovered.”

pei xia frowned disapprovingly, “you mentioned that there’s a demon’s presence nearby. you should be cautious. what if you become weakened again and a demon attacks?”

lucifer: “i’ve recovered.”

pei xia: your strength is truly remarkable!

pei xia couldn’t help but widen his eyes with a pleasantly surprised expression. his honey-colored pupils shimmered with a gentle, sunlit glow. he took a step forward and grabbed lucifer’s hand, saying joyfully, “this is great, my lord!”

lucifer was startled by his sudden enthusiasm, “huh?”

pei xia happily continued, “if your magic has recovered, you can heal the knights’ injuries. to be honest, tom and the others were all wounded before, but the medical stations here are too busy to provide treatment. if you can heal them, they will surely be very grateful!”

lucifer: “is this what you want?”

pei xia looked at him, not understanding the meaning behind his words, “perhaps tomorrow’s battle will be even more intense. if it’s just me, i might not be able to fully protect you.”

“alright, go call them over.”

the water sphere disappeared silently, and lucifer seemed somewhat resigned. as he watched pei xia disappear through the doorway, outside, the night was still filled with bustling noises. the stars in the sky twinkled, responding to the torches on the ground that flickered in unison.

lucifer heard pei xia call out the names of the other holy knights with excitement, “tom, buck, lanta! come over quickly!”

“captain, what’s going on?”

“the lord, his magic power has recovered, and he wants to treat us.”

“no need, these are just minor injuries, cough cough.”

“what if they get infected? lanta, i know you don’t want to trouble others, including my lord. but please, you and everyone else should believe that my lord always cares about you. if you’re hurt, he’ll worry just the same. besides, only when you’re safe can you better protect my lord!”

“but my lord has been tired all day. will this make his body unable to bear it?”

with that said, pei xia also hesitated. he whispered, “you’re right, my lord’s spirit seems a bit fragile.”

“no need to discuss it further.”

at some point, lucifer had walked over to the door. he took the initiative to speak and interrupted a few of the holy knights.

at this moment, he was wearing only a light white undershirt, slightly disheveled from the battle, which made him appear somewhat unkempt. yet his face carried a hint of weariness, with a calm and steady gaze. he walked out into the night breeze, his long hair dancing behind him.

“we are in the same team, we are followers of the divine,” he said gently to the group, “since we are comrades, don’t make me worry.”

dots of starlight spread over the people, and the holy knights gratefully found their wounds and weariness dissolving in this warmth.

pei xia couldn’t help but look at lucifer in a daze.

for some reason, he found the current lucifer particularly pleasing to the eye, giving a sense of security.

“my lord, thank you for your hard work!” everyone expressed their gratitude.

lucifer waved his hand and chuckled, “alright, go rest now. we need to rise early tomorrow.”

“yes, my lord.”

after returning to the room, pei xia thought for a moment and tried to compliment him: “you really are considerate of everyone. you’re a perfect boss!”

lucifer looked at him with a mix of amusement and exasperation and suddenly beckoned, “pei xia, come here.”

“yes, my lord.” pei xia approached, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

after today’s successful flattery, not only was lucifer not angry, he even smiled. did this indicate that his skill was steadily improving? pei xia felt confident and decided to seize the opportunity.

as he reached lucifer, he was enveloped by a cool stream of water, washing away all the dirt from his body.

pei xia was somewhat surprised, “my lord, aren’t you tired?”

lucifer, now equally clean and refreshed, blinked at him and said, “you know, my magic power has always recovered quickly.”

pei xia agreed, “that’s true.”

“but it also gets depleted quickly.”

with that said, lucifer’s body swayed slightly and he started to fall toward pei xia. startled, pei xia instinctively pushed back, causing lucifer to fall onto the bed.

at that moment when lucifer landed on the bed, both he and pei xia froze.

the next second, lucifer assumed a deliberately vulnerable posture.

pei xia’s heart raced. oh no, what if lucifer misunderstands my push as me being upset with him?!

no, i need to fix this!

with determination, pei xia bit his lip and climbed onto the bed. lucifer raised an eyebrow at him.

pei xia quickly sat cross-legged beside lucifer, looking serious and sincere. he extended his hands and placed them on lucifer’s chest.

pei xia: “my lo-lor-lord, please rest well. leave the task of drying your clothes to me!”

the warm fire elemental energy started to flow, and lucifer watched him silently. when the clothes and hair were dry, pei xia let out a discreet sigh of relief and was about to pretend to withdraw his hands nonchalantly.

at that moment, lucifer suddenly raised his hand and lightly tugged at his own collar. he wasn’t giving up. with a meaningful gaze, he looked at pei xia, “pei xia, don’t you want to do something?”

pei xia looked at him with bewilderment as lucifer’s eyes kept hinting at something.

what was he implying? pei xia looked at his own hand, then at lucifer’s hand, and suddenly it clicked.

“yes, my lord!”

he reached out and fastened the two buttons of lucifer’s open collar.

lucifer’s eyelid twitched.

afterward, as pei xia looked at the not-so-large wooden bed, he felt a bit troubled. two grown men squeezing onto it would inevitably mean they would be quite close. but if he got too close, what if he accidentally lost control and lucifer discovered his true feelings?

and if he didn’t share the same bed with lucifer, did that mean he had to sleep on the floor? but there weren’t any spare beddings here either.

pei xia had a bright idea, calmly got off the bed, and walked to the side table.

lucifer frowned slightly, “what are you doing?”

pei xia spoke earnestly, “i’m going to practice sword energy while resting to prepare for tomorrow’s challenges.”

with that, he placed his hands on the table and smoothly sat down cross-legged.

lucifer was filled with question marks, “are you sure this will help you rest well?”

pei xia grinned sheepishly and said, “last year, in the paladin training camp, i did exactly this to catch up with others’ progress.”

being a newly initiated paladin, he couldn’t compare to those who had trained for years. he had to work tirelessly to keep up.

after the daily training sessions, while others chatted and bragged, pei xia was busy memorizing the “holy scriptures of light” and various other texts. while others played card games, he was alone on the training ground practicing his swordsmanship. while others slept, pei xia squeezed every bit of time to practice his sword energy.

but it was too tiring. whenever he practiced sword energy, he would easily fall asleep. gradually, pei xia unintentionally achieved the achievement of practicing while dozing off.

on the night when lucifer chose him as a personal guard knight, it was the first time in a long while that pei xia slept purely.

such comfort!

in the deep of night, the son and the knights, weary from a day of hard fighting, faced each other. in the dim night, they couldn’t clearly see each other’s expressions.

suddenly, lucifer chuckled softly, “since it’s like this, then goodnight.”

“goodnight, my lord. i wish you pleasant dreams.”

pei xia closed his eyes and entered a state of meditation. unknowingly, he felt a warm presence enveloping him. he relaxed his brows and felt comfortable and content.

early the next morning, lucifer, pei xia, and the others woke up. they got dressed, hastily went to the cafeteria for breakfast, and then rushed to the infirmary.

the head of the infirmary was a middle-aged man with red hair named rodney. lucifer’s arrival, being the son of the church of light, undoubtedly boosted morale. currently, what troubled rodney the most wasn’t anything else but demons!

as knights, they naturally had basic medical knowledge. under the guidance of doctors and nurses, they dispersed to take care of the wounded. pei xia still followed behind lucifer.

rodney led lucifer and pei xia to a large room that was isolated from the others. inside, there were over a dozen patients, their brows furrowed as they lay unconscious.

pei xia overheard rodney complaining to lucifer about his headaches, “the demonic presence on them is incredibly strong. we suspect they might be possessed by demons. but ordinary light mages can’t exorcise the demons on them. these kids haven’t completely lost their sanity yet, so i can’t use cruel fire magic to kill them. please, my lord, help save them!”

pei xia couldn’t help but wonder, could the demonic presence lucifer sensed be coming from them?

lucifer nodded, “i understand.”

he then crouched down and began assessing the conditions of the injured. pei xia nervously and curiously stood by his side, observing.

suddenly, lucifer furrowed his brows, “lord rodney, i must tell you something.”

“what is it?”

“although they have the demonic presence on them, the demons haven’t possessed them. i believe the demons are merely using them as a distraction. currently, the demon should still be active outside.”

“did it possess someone else?!” rodney exclaimed in astonishment.

lucifer stood up and nodded slightly, “i apologize. i can’t give you an answer until i find it. but please rest assured, i have a rough idea. as for these injured individuals, they will naturally wake up once the demon is killed. no need to worry.”

with his words, rodney’s heart was put at ease. he looked at lucifer with admiration, “you are willing to lend a hand. we are truly fortunate.”

“you’re too kind.”

then, lucifer walked outside, and pei xia quickly caught up, “are you going to start looking for the demon now?”

“yes, i can sense it. it’s hidden nearby.”

“my lord, should i call buck and the others?”

“no need, too many people might alert it.”

“understood, my lord!”

finally, as they walked, they reached the vicinity of the logistics department. lucifer’s brows furrowed, and he said, “it’s right here!”

pei xia’s eyes widened in shock, “my lord, i think i’ve found where the demon is.”

“where?”

“there!”

pei xia pointed his hand toward a mustachioed gentleman who was holding a cute round-headed, sharp-beaked little creature in his arms. the gentleman was smiling while calculating in his ledger.

after looking over, lucifer immediately nodded, “correct, it’s that one! however…”

he became curious, “pei xia, why do you recognize this type of demon? it’s a rare and powerful demon, possessing a physical form that contrasts entirely with ordinary demons. it disguises itself as harmless and slowly lures people to become its slaves. few can recognize it at a glance.”

pei xia cleared his throat, unsure of how to explain.

of course, he recognized this demon not because of the original story’s plot or anything like that; he had almost forgotten the plot entirely.

he recognized it simply because…

because penguins are antarctic animals. they shouldn’t be here.