Chapter 133: Just wait for me

Shortly after Soyun joined Erick’s team, the Association requested that Erick hold a press conference. The purpose was to appease the public and reassure his fans, many of whom had previously believed that the Association was overworking him.

Although the Association had already made efforts to clear Zephyr’s name through the media, Erick was also instructed to publicly defend him. His fans had once called Zephyr a burden, so the Association wanted Erick to set the record straight and emphasize Zephyr’s strength and contributions. In particular, he was expected to highlight how Zephyr had helped him clear the powerful Dungeon that had appeared in B City.

At the same time, Erick was instructed to further tarnish Lucien’s reputation by portraying him as a manipulative individual who had taken advantage of Zephyr’s blindness and led him astray.

The Association hoped that by presenting the situation this way, the public would become more sympathetic toward Zephyr and more willing to assist in locating both him and Lucien.

Erick, however, couldn’t care less about the Association anymore. Still, when he heard that he was expected to tarnish Lucien’s reputation, he readily agreed and went along with everything they asked of him.

After the press conference, Erick left the Association with his team, which now included Soyun as well. He gave the excuse that, while clearing the Dungeon in B City, he had discovered signs of another similarly powerful Dungeon about to emerge on a different continent. Claiming that he wanted to reach the area before the situation got out of hand, he announced that his team would be heading there immediately.

However, that was merely an excuse.

In reality, Erick had no intention of helping anyone clear a Dungeon. What he truly wanted was the dark mark, the very thing that would lead him to the Fallen Realm.

His golden eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Lucien. Just wait for me."

***

Meanwhile, completely unaware of what was happening in the human realm, Lucien and Zephyr had already ventured deep into enemy territory.

In fact, they had gone so far that Lucien could hardly believe what he was seeing.

An enormous army of Demons had gathered in the distance, stretching across the vast, barren landscape shrouded in mist. Their sheer numbers were enough to make him wary. Fortunately, he and Zephyr were positioned far away, with a massive stone formation standing between them and the army, providing ample cover to keep them concealed. Without it, they would have surely been spotted by now.

Behind him, Zephyr suddenly spoke.

"Why did you stop?"

Lucien immediately reached back and covered his mouth.

"Shhh! Don’t make a sound. There’s danger ahead!"

Zephyr blinked before giving a small nod. However, feeling Lucien’s palm against his lips, he suddenly pressed a kiss to it.

Lucien flinched and quickly pulled his hand away, shooting him a glare.

Of course, Zephyr couldn’t see his expression, making the glare completely pointless.

Instead, he took a deliberate step forward, placing both hands on either side of Lucien and pressing him against the stone formation, effectively trapping him within his embrace.

Lucien stiffened.

What the hell was this man doing?!

Before he could demand an explanation, Zephyr leaned closer and whispered.

"I’ll check how many of them are there."

Lucien immediately fell silent, even holding his breath as Zephyr leaned closer. Inwardly, however, he had already unleashed a torrent of curses, none of which he dared to voice aloud.

Zephyr couldn’t help but find his reaction amusing. The person standing in his arms was practically holding his breath, as though even the slightest movement might give him away. He suppressed a chuckle as he turned his attention to the distant army.

Extending his psychokinesis, he carefully swept through the surrounding area, examining the army and its surroundings. As his concentration deepened, his expression gradually turned serious.

It had been several hours since they had left Demon General Hosy’s castle and begun exploring the Fallen Realm. Along the way, they had stumbled upon a group of Demons hunting monsters outside a small Demon city. After raiding the group and helping themselves to whatever they could find, they continued on their way, eventually passing through the nearby city.

The Fallen Realm was a rather strange place. Much of its landscape consisted of vast, barren stretches of land, with Demon villages, cities, and castles scattered far apart from one another. Countless monsters also roamed its territories, making even an ordinary journey potentially dangerous.

They had been traveling for quite some time, so Zephyr had stopped extending his skill too far to conserve his mana for any unexpected encounters. That was why he hadn’t noticed the enormous army of Demons in the distance until Lucien finally pointed it out. Naturally, they had stopped to investigate.

As Zephyr extended his psychokinesis toward the area, his brows gradually furrowed.

"There are at least ten thousand Demons gathered over there. They’re all relatively weak, but there are simply too many of them. Further ahead, I can also sense an enormous castle-like structure. Could that be Demon General Drak’s castle? Perhaps this is the army he was talking about."

He paused briefly, as though considering something, before continuing.

"Now that we’ve killed Drak, his army must be waiting for orders that will never come. They probably haven’t even realized that their commander is already dead."

Lucien nodded in agreement, but his body remained stiff. Just how much longer was Zephyr planning to stand like this? More importantly, why the hell did he have to adopt such a posture just to use his skill?!

With Zephyr’s warm breath brushing against his skin, Lucien could feel his heartbeat gradually quickening. It wasn’t as though nothing had happened between them before. In fact, they had already crossed that line long ago. But that didn’t mean Zephyr could just take advantage of him at every opportunity he got!

This was neither the time nor the place for such things!

Lucien steeled himself, trying to regain his composure. But just as he raised his head, preparing to push Zephyr away, he felt a soft touch against his lips.

He froze.

Zephyr’s lips curled into a faint, satisfied smile as he successfully stole a kiss. Before Lucien could even react, he leaned in once more, pressing a lingering kiss to the corner of his lips. Only then did he finally step back, his expression returning to its usual seriousness as though nothing had happened.

"Should I just kill all those Demons?"

Zephyr asked, casually returning to the matter at hand.

"It’s doable. They aren’t particularly strong, just numerous. But after that, I’ll probably need guiding. So it’s risky."

Onicus, who had been perched atop the stone formation and silently watching the two flirt, had long since grown numb to their antics. The little dragon didn’t even bother interfering anymore. As long as the couple continued killing Demons, it was willing to put up with just about anything else.

Lucien finally snapped out of his daze. Pressing his lips together, he shot Zephyr another furious glare. Unfortunately, glaring was about all he could do.

Well, at least a little kiss wasn’t so bad. It was certainly better than what had happened between them back at Demon General Hosy’s castle.

Forcing himself to calm down, Lucien finally turned his attention to Zephyr’s question, trying to process what he had just said. He remained completely unaware that Onicus was sneering at him with disdain. After all, the little dragon could see Lucien’s reddened ears, something Lucien himself couldn’t see.

At that very moment, Zephyr sensed a Demon flying through the sky nearby. This particular Demon was considerably stronger than the ones gathered in the army. His eyes narrowed, and without hesitation, he extended his psychokinesis, seized the Demon midair, and hurled him down in front of Lucien.

Lucien stared at the unexpected arrival, momentarily dumbfounded. The Demon had been compressed into a tight ball, unable to even cry out for help. He had practically been abducted out of the sky!

Lucien glanced at Zephyr, who seemed utterly unfazed, as though what he had done was the most ordinary thing in the world. A wry smile tugged at his lips. This side character was simply too strong. So strong, in fact, that Lucien was beginning to believe he might actually be able to help him achieve what he wanted.

Shaking off his wandering thoughts, Lucien turned his attention to the struggling Demon. An idea suddenly occurred to him, and he crouched slightly to examine their unexpected guest.

"Who are you?"

Zephyr immediately loosened his skill, allowing the Demon to speak.

The fat Demon, dressed in rather expensive-looking clothes, was utterly terrified. The moment he regained control of his mouth, he hurriedly blurted out.

"I am a Demon Servant! Let me go if you don’t want to end up dead, humans!"

Lucien blinked.

Just a Demon Servant?

And he actually dared to threaten them?

They had practically been killing Demon Generals like flies. What was a mere Demon Servant supposed to do?

For some inexplicable reason, Lucien couldn’t help the smirk that crept across his face. In an unmistakably mocking tone, he even replied.

"Yeah, I’m terrified. So scary!"

He knew perfectly well that he was relying on Zephyr’s strength, but so what? There was nothing wrong with enjoying the privilege of having someone overwhelmingly powerful on his side. Besides, feeling as though absolutely no one could touch him as long as Zephyr was around was rather nice.

Perhaps he was getting a little too comfortable with this arrangement.

But honestly, who could blame him?

He had given away his body for this!

Moreover, they were a couple now!

So, naturally, Lucien had absolutely no reason to feel ashamed.