Chapter 173: THE THREAT OF THE TOURNAMENT

Lilith woke up deep into the night, only to find herself being held tightly by Kael.

His arms were wrapped around her, and he seemed completely unwilling to let go even in his sleep.

Lilith carefully shuffled downward, trying to free herself without waking him.

Unfortunately, the moment she moved, Kael’s eyes opened.

"Oh, you seem to be awake."

He gave her a sleepy smile.

"Let’s go another round."

"No. Get off me, you horn dog," Lilith complained as she slipped away from his embrace.

She quickly left the bed, wearing one of Kael’s shirts as she headed toward the living room.

Kael sat up, still covered by the blanket. The events of the previous night were obvious enough that neither of them needed to say anything about them.

"Where are you going?" Kael asked.

"To get a cup of water. My throat is parched."

"Must be from all the moaning. I hope our neighbors didn’t hear."

Lilith stopped.

She slowly turned her head and glared at him.

Kael immediately chuckled.

Then it clicked.

Wait.

I really hope our neighbors didn’t hear us.

The dormitories were supposed to be soundproof, so there shouldn’t have been any problems. This was also the second time something like this had happened between him and Lilith while they were at the academy.

So far, they had managed to avoid witnesses.

Hopefully it stays that way.

Kael got out of bed and headed toward the living room to see what Lilith was doing.

When he entered, the lights were already on.

His eyes immediately landed on Xavier’s portrait hanging on the wall.

Kael’s expression darkened.

"Why does that thing have to be here?"

He then turned his attention toward Lilith and was momentarily distracted by her appearance.

She was standing in front of his refrigerator, searching through it before finally taking out a jug of water.

She poured herself a cup and took a sip before turning toward him.

"I am too exhausted to start doing that."

She took another sip.

"Besides, I haven’t even explored your new room like I did the last one."

She quickly finished the water in her cup.

"Wow. You must really be thirsty," Kael commented.

Lilith glared at him.

"And whose fault do you think that is?"

Kael chuckled before walking over and wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"If you’ve recovered, we can always go for another round."

Lilith immediately turned toward him.

A memory suddenly returned to her.

Her conversation with Seraphina Draven.

I want you to protect my son this year. Nothing personal, but your relationship with him seems to be causing problems for the Velvet Gang. Reduced interaction between the two of you might help.

Those hadn’t been Seraphina’s exact words, but the meaning had been clear enough.

Lilith looked at Kael.

He had been unusually intense the previous night.

Perhaps it was because he had missed her.

Or perhaps...

He really has grown stronger.

Lilith narrowed her eyes.

"It seems like you’ve grown stronger."

Kael raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you asking such an obvious question?"

He smiled.

"Of course I’ve grown stronger. With the Inter-High Tournament coming up, along with the appearance of the Demon King Candidates, I need as much strength as I can get."

Lilith’s expression became serious.

She turned completely toward him.

"Then could you tell me what happened?"

Kael’s smile faded slightly.

"I need to know what happened during those months. You just vanished into thin air and then appeared three months later completely different."

Her voice became softer.

"What kind of trouble did you go through?"

Kael saw the worry in her eyes.

He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"I know you’re worried about me."

He smiled calmly.

"But I didn’t suffer all that much."

Lilith immediately pouted.

"Your nose is growing longer."

"What?"

"You’re obviously lying."

She stared at him seriously.

"Nobody becomes this much stronger without suffering or gaining a few scars along the way."

Kael looked at her.

It was obvious that she was speaking from experience.

For a moment, his thoughts drifted toward Lilith’s storyline from the original game.

It had been a tragic one.

Thinking about it made Kael feel slightly guilty.

Lilith suddenly flicked his forehead.

"Where did your mind go?"

She stared at him.

"Tell me what happened to you. I’m worried."

Kael sighed.

"Okay. Since you want to know, I’ll tell you everything."

Before Lilith could react, Kael scooped her up from the floor and carried her in his arms.

"Oh!"

Lilith let out a startled shriek.

Kael carried her into the living room before sitting down and placing her on his lap.

He pointed toward the large portrait hanging on the wall.

"Well, for this story, the main villain is that guy."

Lilith looked toward the portrait.

Kael sighed.

"Or, as I’m supposed to refer to him, my master."

Lilith’s eyes widened.

"Wait."

She looked back at Kael.

"Xavier approached you?"

She paused.

"That means he knows your true nature."

Kael blinked.

"Wait, what?"

He looked offended.

"For your information, those rumors about me aren’t true, and I’m not interested in men. So why would you think that?"

Lilith stared at him for a moment before sighing.

"Not that, you idiot."

She pointed toward his hand.

"I’m talking about the fact that you’re now a demon."

Her eyes moved toward the ring on his finger.

"That ring isn’t strong enough to fool his eyes. Even the runes that Creed members give to their successors can’t evade his perception."

Kael smiled before looking down at the ring.

"Well, first of all, I’m wearing this ring for sentimental value. It’s not really being used to conceal my demonic mana."

He removed the ring and placed it on the table.

"See?"

Lilith watched him carefully.

There was no sudden surge of mana.

No transformation.

Nothing.

She was stunned.

The same reaction that had happened the first night Kael had transformed into a demon was completely absent.

"How did you gain control of it so quickly?"

Kael smiled.

"Didn’t I tell you that I was training under the strongest Hunter in the world?"

Lilith’s expression immediately became serious.

"Why didn’t he kill you?"

Kael thought about it.

"If I had to guess, it’s because he wants to see how I’ll turn out."

Lilith remained silent for several minutes.

Eventually, she nodded.

"I see."

She looked toward Xavier’s portrait.

"But I’m not strong enough to defeat him now."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Maybe later in the future."

To Lilith, Xavier had immediately become a potential threat to Kael’s life.

If she couldn’t defeat him now, then she would become strong enough to defeat him later.

Kael looked at her.

He already knew exactly what she was thinking.

She’s seriously thinking about fighting Xavier.

No matter how hard Lilith trained, Kael knew she wouldn’t be able to match Xavier anytime soon.

In every game he had played, Xavier had always been portrayed almost like a cheat character.

Even when Leon had reached his full potential in the original game, Kael had never been completely confident that Leon could defeat Xavier.

Kael shook his head slightly.

He pulled Lilith closer and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"You don’t need to worry about him for now."

He smiled.

"It’s not like he’s an immediate threat."

Lilith relaxed slightly in his arms.

Their faces were close, and for a moment neither of them spoke.

They shared a gentle kiss before Lilith suddenly remembered something important.

"You’re going to participate in the Inter-High Tournament, right?"

Kael raised an eyebrow.

"Wow."

He smiled teasingly.

"I must have really done a number on you if you’re asking such an obvious question."

Lilith pouted and lightly hit him on the chest.

"I just want you to be careful."

Her expression became serious.

"Simon is the one leading this mission. It’s his first assignment since becoming a member of the Creed, so he might become overly aggressive and eliminate anything he considers a threat."

Kael nodded solemnly.

He already knew what Simon was like.

He had been lucky to survive their previous encounter.

Kael knew Simon’s nature from the game, although his memories surrounding their encounter were still somewhat foggy.

He remembered the events in Velcrest City becoming increasingly unclear before everything went black.

The next thing he remembered was waking up in Lilith’s arms.

"I see."

Kael leaned back slightly.

"And I suppose I’m still a target because I’m a Demon King Candidate."

Lilith shook her head.

"No."

She paused.

"They do consider you a genuine threat, but the Demon King Candidate within the Creed hasn’t made any move yet."

Lilith continued explaining.

"So they haven’t done anything for now."

She looked into his eyes.

"Besides, they may need to see your symbol for themselves before they believe that you’re actually connected to the True Demon King’s lineage."

Kael immediately began assessing the threat level surrounding the tournament.

His expression became thoughtful.

Then he sighed.

"Are there other members of the Velvet Gang among the first-years?"

Lilith shook her head.

"I beat them in the competition."

Kael nodded.

"I see."

He understood what she meant.

She had eliminated the other members.

Kael decided not to ask for details.

There was no reason to.

If anything, it put him in a more advantageous position for the tournament.

"So the Velvet Gang members I should be worried about are among the second-years?"

Lilith nodded.

Kael leaned back in the chair and rolled his eyes.

"This is seriously stressful."

He sighed.

Between the tournament, the Creed, the Demon King Candidates, the Order of Black Knights, and the Velvet Gang, there were already too many variables.

Kael looked at Lilith.

For a brief moment, his thoughts wandered in a completely different direction.

Lilith noticed the change in his expression.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Kael..."

He smiled innocently.

"What?"

Lilith stared at him.

"I know that look."

Kael’s smile widened.

"Do you?"

Lilith sighed.

"You’re impossible."

Kael simply pulled her closer again, enjoying the brief moment of peace before the chaos of the upcoming tournament inevitably arrived.