Chapter 111: It’s salty

Edwin’s eyes widened.

For the first time in his life, the worth he had relied on for protection seemed utterly meaningless. The Association, his research, his status—none of it mattered to the man holding him by the throat. Realizing that threats would do him no good, Edwin’s bravado finally crumbled. Tears welled in his eyes as he began begging for mercy, desperately trying to convince himself that as long as he survived this encounter, he would eventually find a way to take revenge.

He would kill Zephyr!

No, he would make him regret ever being born!

Zephyr looked at him with cold contempt.

He was about to release the pathetic old man, partly because he did not want Lucien to witness such a violent side of him, when a voice suddenly sounded from nearby.

"Kill him."

Zephyr paused.

Onicus immediately chimed in, its golden eyes gleaming with unmistakable disgust.

"Yes! Kill him! I can tell just by looking at him that he’s a filthy old bastard!"

Ignoring the dragon, Zephyr turned toward Lucien to make sure he had heard correctly.

His fingers tightened around Edwin’s neck without hesitation. He had already intended to secretly kill the old man, though he had planned to do it away from Lucien’s eyes.

After all, this time, he wasn’t killing a Demon.

He was killing a human.

But now that Lucien had told him to kill him, Zephyr didn’t hesitate for even a second.

How could an ordinary human possibly survive being strangled by a powerful SSS-rank Esper with SS-rank Strength?

The answer became painfully clear a second later.

A sharp, sickening crack echoed through the room.

The sound of bones breaking rang out so clearly that even the middle-aged S-rank Esper, who was struggling to get back to his feet after being thrown aside, shuddered.

Edwin’s struggles ceased.

Feeling the sudden limpness of the body in his hand, Zephyr casually tossed it aside.

Only then did he turn toward Lucien.

And just like that, the cold, murderous expression on his face vanished.

A pitiful look appeared in its place as he gazed in Lucien’s direction, his expression so aggrieved that anyone who had witnessed what had just happened might have wondered whether the man who had casually snapped someone’s neck was even the same person.

Lucien was really dumbfounded.

This side character’s ability to change faces was truly astonishing.

One moment, he had been looking at Edwin as though he wanted to tear the entire room apart. The next, he was looking at Lucien as if he had just been terribly wronged.

Lucien almost did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Still, as his initial shock, fear, and panic subsided, the corners of his lips slowly lifted into a faint smile.

His eyes, however, were brimming with tears.

He wanted to cry.

He really, really wanted to cry.

Only moments ago, when Edwin’s face had moved closer to him, Lucien had genuinely believed he was done for. Bound so tightly that he couldn’t escape, he had been utterly powerless to stop the old man. Even though Edwin had said he would ultimately spare his life, Lucien had no doubt that whatever awaited him would have been far worse than death.

He had an A-rank skill. He had even consumed Might Fruits to strengthen himself. Yet none of that changed the fact that he had been helpless in this room, at the mercy of the old man who had killed and laid his hands on so many people in the original novel under the guise of conducting research for the Association and the government.

Deep down, beneath all the changes he had undergone since arriving in this world, Lucien was still just an ordinary person who had been thrown into an unfamiliar world and forced to struggle to survive.

And he was scared.

He had been terrified, even if he had desperately tried not to show it.

Only when Zephyr appeared had that suffocating fear finally begun to fade.

Lucien raised his head, trying his best to keep the tears from falling.

How embarrassing.

Zephyr, who had his mana wrapped around Lucien, sensed the moisture gathering around his eyelashes. A hint of concern flashed in his gray eyes as he hurried toward the bed where Lucien was tied up. He immediately used his psychokinesis to break the restraints, then carefully helped Lucien sit up, holding his hands firmly.

"It’s okay. Everything’s fine now."

Hearing his words, Lucien’s tears finally began to fall.

He wanted to tell Zephyr that nothing was fine. He wasn’t fine. He wanted to go home. But not a single word escaped his lips. He could only stare at Zephyr, the person who had unknowingly given his heart to him, unaware that Lucien didn’t even deserve it.

Zephyr noticed the slight trembling of the person before him. He leaned closer and kissed Lucien’s damp eyelid. It was such a gentle gesture that Lucien momentarily forgot how to breathe.

Zephyr then drew him into a closer embrace, one hand resting reassuringly against his back. When another tear slipped down Lucien’s cheek, Zephyr lowered his head and, without the slightest hesitation, gently licked it away.

He paused, seemingly contemplating the taste, before commenting seriously.

"It’s salty."

Lucien stared at him, speechless.

Then, despite everything that had happened, a laugh burst out of him.

It started as a small, breathless sound before growing into genuine laughter, the kind that escaped him before he could stop it. Perhaps it was the absurdity of the situation, or perhaps it was simply the relief of finally being able to breathe without fear. Whatever the reason, he found himself laughing in Zephyr’s arms, tears still clinging to his lashes.

Zephyr’s lips curved upward.

Hearing Lucien laugh seemed to ease something in him, too. Without warning, he leaned down and kissed him, swallowing the sound that seemed to scratch at his heart. Lucien’s laughter faltered into a gasp.

Still, he didn’t push him away.

Instead, he studied Zephyr’s face for a moment, taking in the quiet joy in his gray eyes and the way his hands continued to hold him so carefully.

Then Lucien slowly closed his eyes and returned the kiss.

It was a gentle kiss, one that asked for nothing and demanded no promises.

Lucien made another decision at that moment. Although he knew he couldn’t stay with Zephyr forever and would return to his own world if he ever found a way to do so, he would be sincere with this person until then.

Genuinely sincere.

It’s just... can someone tell him why Zephyr’s hand was already inside his clothes??!