CH 41

the loyal and devoted holy knight pledged that he absolutely had no intention of using lucifer as a cushion. in fact, he wanted to be the cushion for lucifer!

just imagine, they were embracing each other as they fell from a height. pei xia would cradle lucifer and flip so that he was on the bottom. this way, not only would he protect the physically fragile lucifer, but he could also demonstrate his brave loyalty as a knight. how perfect it would be!

but why was this seemingly dark crevice so shallow, shallow enough that pei xia didn’t have time to execute the above actions and ended up crushing lucifer to the ground.

ah, right, in the original story, sofia sacrificed himself here. pei xia sadly understood why sofia’s self-sacrifice couldn’t surpass princess eva’s position in the male protagonist’s heart.

however, now, lucifer loved no one.

looking at the poor male protagonist, lucifer, who had his eyes tightly closed and was barely breathing, as if he would stop breathing in the next second, pei xia anxiously moved him away from him and gently pushed him with his hand.

“your grace, your grace?!”

he called out several times, but lucifer had little reaction. he only furrowed his brow and grimaced, as if he had fallen into a terrible nightmare after losing consciousness.

pei xia felt at a loss, subconsciously recalling first aid methods. the first thought that came to his mind was artificial respiration.

just as pei xia’s hand touched lucifer’s chest, he realized and slapped his own head. there were no signs of suffocation or difficulty breathing, so he didn’t need artificial respiration!

but pei xia should check for other injuries, such as his ribs. he carefully reached out and touched, finding everything normal, with no signs of a fracture.

under the crevice was all dirt and rubble, and now, his pristine white robe and golden hair were all covered in dirty mud, making him look extremely disheveled.

pei xia gently raised lucifer’s upper body so that he could lean against him. he then checked the back of his head and neck, ensuring there were no severe injuries, and only then did he relax.

but he didn’t know how long the holy son would remain unconscious. the commotion they caused at the altar was significant, and it might attract other dark elves.

staying at the bottom of the crevice was definitely not an option; they had to get out.

“how are you two doing?” sofia arrived just in time, leaning over the edge of the crevice to look down.

“great, sofia! do you have a rope?”

sofia asked, “can vines work?”

“yes!”

then, sofia dropped down a long, thorny vine.

pei xia: “do you have any without thorns?”

sofia felt guilty, “i thought we would definitely have to fight this time, so i brought all the poisonous and thorny ones.”

pei xia: “well, never mind.”

“don’t worry, i’ll go out to look for one!” sofia eagerly stood up and then swiftly disappeared.

“oh, wait, we don’t actually need the vine.”

pei xia stared in amazement as sofia vanished, hoping he would manage his mission smoothly and not get captured by the dark elves.

afterward, just as pei xia was about to remove lucifer’s robe, lucifer let out a soft cough and slowly woke up, leaning in pei xia’s arms.

pei xia looked down at him with delight. in the dim and gloomy underground world, lucifer’s face was pale, and his blue eyes, now opened, seemed to have transitioned from a clear blue sky to a cloudy gray.

“your grace, how do you feel?”

“cough, cough.” lucifer slowly raised his hand, grasping pei xia’s hand, and gasped three times. “i’m okay, really.”

“sorry.” pei xia lowered his head with guilt. “i was trying to protect you.”

it’s all because this crevice is too shallow!

lucifer: “cough, i know.”

pei xia suddenly grabbed his hand and said with great excitement, “and i wanted to tell you, i have absolutely no problem with same-sex relationships. even if you’re gay, i won’t discriminate against you because…”

lucifer: “hm?”

pei xia suddenly stopped.

wait, while it makes sense to be okay with same-sex relationships, lucifer’s previous disgust for andrei and his aversion to hobson was also genuine.

pei xia felt conflicted. although the holy son seems accepting of other people’s love stories, it appears he doesn’t like it when someone has improper thoughts about him.

pei xia: ‘and he wouldn’t be testing me, would he?’

lucifer’s heart, like finding a needle in the ocean, pei xia couldn’t figure him out at all.

to be safe, pei xia cleared his throat and shifted the conversation: “because, because to me, everyone is the same, nothing special.”

pei xia took a deep breath and continued, “anyway, please don’t agonize over this matter. whatever you choose, i’ll always support you.”

although some things are quite different from the original storyline, but since things have already gone off-script, well, let them go off-script! pei xia is just a small knight, he doesn’t have the power to control everything according to a predetermined path.

lucifer leaned against him and then slowly sat up with pei xia’s help. they positioned themselves so that they were face to face, with the weakened lucifer against the wall, his legs slightly extended forward, and pei xia kneeling in front of him.

lucifer understood. he murmured, then looked deeply into pei xia’s eyes and smiled. “i’m deeply moved by your thoughts, pei xia. you’re not lying to me, are you?”

pei xia, holding his hands, lowered his head, “no, absolutely not!”

“that’s really good.” lucifer reached out to pat his head and then, with a faint smile, said, “i really hate naughty children who lie. if i ever find out that you’re lying to me…”

pei xia: “…”

lucifer: “by the way, i almost forgot to ask, do you like men, pei xia?”

pei xia nervously said: “i treat everyone equally. my heart only belongs to the god of light.”

“oh~”

lucifer responded in a gentle voice, which made pei xia’s heart race.

pei xia quickly changed the subject: “your grace, do you still feel dizzy?”

lucifer gently shook his head while supporting it and said, “i’m fine now.”

“that’s good. it’s not safe here. let’s hurry and get back up.”

lucifer spoke slowly, “however, i feel aches all over my body, and i’m afraid i can’t exert much effort.”

pei xia: “cough, please don’t worry. i will carry you on my back. princess sofia went to find a rope, and he should be back soon.”

lucifer weakly said, “what if the dark elves arrive first?”

“you’re right.” pei xia bit his lip and said, “how about using your outer robe as a makeshift rope to tie you to my back? i can carry you up that way.”

doing it without a rope, relying solely on handholds, is a bit dangerous. pei xia was afraid his hands might slip again, and poor lucifer would be used as a cushion once more.

pei xia hesitated, but lucifer gently held his hand and encouraged him with a determined look. “let’s go with that, pei xia. i trust you.”

at that moment, looking at lucifer’s encouraging gaze, pei xia felt a surge of strength throughout his body!

he nodded firmly and said, “i will definitely get you out of here!”

so, first, pei xia needed to help lucifer out of the robe that had suffered such cruel treatment. lucifer raised his hand slightly and sighed, “i’m sorry, i still have no strength; i’ll have to rely on you.”

pei xia reached out to touch the hem of lucifer’s clothing, his expression particularly serious and nervous.

in reality, this wasn’t the first time he had helped lucifer undress, but this time was completely different from before. he had thought of himself as a straight guy with double standards in the past. even if he sometimes couldn’t help but be enchanted by lucifer’s beauty, he would quickly chastise himself for it. but now, pei xia knew the truth he had misunderstood for so long, that lucifer could also have feelings for men, and it made all the difference.

even though lucifer was severe with men who had ill intentions towards him, pei xia couldn’t help but have some amorous thoughts.

once his thoughts were unleashed, they could lead to entirely different realms.

once a man’s imagination runs wild, it’s not something you can simply stop by hitting the brakes.

pei xia, while leaning forward to help lucifer remove his outer garment, was lost in thought. ‘actually, this novel is on hiatus. the story stops abruptly after lucifer’s journey through half of the continent, and no one knows how the world will turn out in the end.’

‘so, there are no rules stating that the male protagonist in this originally labeled ‘no cp’ novel can’t fall for someone else, right?’

‘he mentioned that he’s interested in romance and desires, isn’t this a way to experience worldly passions? he also likes men, so could he be interested in me?’

‘if i compete with someone else and successfully win him over, lucifer and i would be in a romantic relationship. if we’re lovers, then we should… wait!’

pei xia suddenly thought of a problem.

he and lucifer might not actually be a good match!

he admitted to being enchanted by lucifer’s beauty and tenderness, but men are practical. look at lucifer; he appears delicate and fragile, more like a zero! two zeros together have no promising future. in a world full of uncertainty, pei xia just wanted a peaceful life. if he had a lover who was compatible in all aspects, even better.

but lucifer…

pei xia raised his hand and slapped himself hard.

lucifer, who was watching pei xia nervously helping him with his clothing, was puzzled. ‘what’s going on? why did pei xia suddenly slap himself?’

“what’s wrong, pei xia?”

“nothing, your grace,” pei xia said, looking dejected as he removed his coat. “i just feel that my thoughts are too impure and lacking in devotion, so i’m feeling guilty.”

pei xia and lucifer were not even in a relationship. there was so much fantasizing going on that made pei xia feel debased. he was torn between guilt and the irresistible pleasure of those thoughts. at the same time, he realized that he could never match lucifer, which made him feel even worse.

his mind was in turmoil, tangled with conflicting emotions.

hearing him say this, lucifer couldn’t help but laugh. ‘very well. it seems that my efforts have finally paid off.’

he felt a deep sense of satisfaction that was different from obtaining the most beautiful flower or endless treasures. it was a strange feeling that hadn’t surfaced in a long time.

it made him happy. he yearned for more because deep down, there were traces of conflicting dissatisfaction and anger. even he couldn’t explain why. subconsciously, lucifer wanted more satisfaction to dispel this unpleasant conflict.

so, he gently parted his lips and seductively asked, “why do you feel impure? is it because of me?”

pei xia stared at him, his heart pounding. but just then, lucifer suddenly reached out and pulled him into his arms.

caught off guard, pei xia fell against lucifer’s chest. his nose tingled, and tears threatened to spill.

lucifer exuded a captivating floral scent, and with his face buried in his embrace, the two of them became intimately close. pei xia was stiff and nervous, his hands trembling.

pei xia stammered, “your grace, what’s wrong?”

“shh, it’s nothing,” lucifer said, gazing ahead at the king of dark elves emerging from the shadows. he spoke to pei xia, “you need to think carefully about the question i just asked, understood?”

an invisible barrier surrounded pei xia, isolating him from the outside sounds. pei xia didn’t notice it; he was just puzzled. ‘do i really need to think about it this much?’

lucifer’s eyes curved as he smiled. “i just felt a bit cold.”

“i see,” pei xia understood. it seemed that the holy son had a serious internal injury. pei xia wanted to be considerate and hold lucifer to warm him up. but lucifer’s hand firmly held him in place, rendering him unable to move.

pei xia could only contemplate lucifer’s question in this position, ‘why do i feel impure?’

of course, he couldn’t tell the truth!

so, how should he respond? pei xia was deep in thought.

outside the barrier, lucifer looked at the demon who had arrived on the continent through the dark elf king, hauntingly he said, “you’ve infiltrated quite early, impressive.”

because this demon’s power was overwhelming, it could only manifest temporarily through possession. it resembled a constantly shifting dark cloud, shrouding noah and the dark corridor.

a pair of blood-red, shining eyes were fixed on lucifer, and the demon’s voice rumbled, “who are you?”

lucifer gently patted the back of pei xia’s head with his right hand while the other hand rested on his own temple. “i don’t really want to answer that question.”

“i’ve never seen you before,” the powerful demon said with gravity. “your body is human, but your soul carries a dark aura, and something else…”

lucifer sighed softly. “keep your voice down; it’s not good if others hear.”

the great demon was infuriated. “strange outsider, is the upheaval in the heavenly realm related to you?”

lucifer only smiled and remained silent.

the great demon’s anger flared. he controlled noah’s body, step by step, approaching lucifer. then, he raised a curved blade and pointed it at lucifer. “i am the king of the demon world. who are you, and what is your purpose?”

lucifer’s eyes gradually took on a cold edge. “doesn’t the king of the demon world know not to interrupt people when they’re in the midst of romance?”

with a single word, the great demon swung the curved blade, carrying a surge of malevolent power towards lucifer. lucifer effortlessly caught the blade with his hand.

the great demon instinctively tried to retract the blade but found it immovable in his hand.

lucifer frowned slightly as he looked at his bleeding palm. he had been careless; this body was still too fragile.

but that was not a problem.

lucifer gazed at the great demon and slowly smiled.

in the shadows, something was crawling and wriggling. then, it bared its teeth and claws, pouncing along the blade held in lucifer’s hand. the great demon stared in shock at the shadow that spread over his hand. he then released the blade and ran away into the distance.

after a few steps, he fell to the ground, convulsing and uttering intermittent screams, gradually calming down.

lucifer narrowed his eyes, extended the tip of his crimson tongue to lick his lips, and then looked at his bleeding palm. he couldn’t help but sigh softly.

there was a grotesque wound with flesh turned outward, quite horrifying. lucifer used the power of light to heal most of it, leaving only a shallow scar.

he lowered his sleeve to half-cover the barely visible wound in the dim light.

the barrier was lifted, and lucifer lowered his head to look at pei xia, who had been obediently nestled in his arms the whole time. there was a hint of genuine amusement in his eyes. “pei xia, have you thought of an answer?”

he released his grip, and pei xia, who had been a little slow to extricate himself from lucifer’s embrace, sat up. his cheeks had a faint, barely noticeable blush, and his gaze wandered. he nervously rubbed his nose.

“cough, yes, i’ve thought of it!”

pei xia tried to appear particularly sincere.

“sofia, your grace!” he declared, just as lucifer, who was squinting his eyes, was preparing to receive an answer.

pei xia made an effort to make himself seem especially earnest.

“sofia once mentioned wanting to try a new romantic relationship. she invited her subordinates, and i couldn’t help but think that maybe she and the dark elf king could never reconcile. so, perhaps there is a chance for a real relationship with her. i was momentarily torn, hence the guilt. but my heart belongs only to the light god!”

sofia…the light god…

lucifer slowly crushed a stone in his hand that lay on the ground while trying to maintain his standard saintly smile. “so it was because of this.”

pei xia coughed and nodded, “yes, that’s right!”

lucifer fell silent and simply stood up, allowing the crushed stone to trickle through his fingers.

pei xia was surprised, “your grace, have you recovered?”

lucifer nodded and smiled faintly, “i’ve recovered a bit. pei xia, there seems to be something behind you.”

pei xia turned to look and was startled. when did the dark elf king, noah, get there? how did he arrive without anyone noticing?

it did indeed appear to be the dark elf king. “your grace, please be careful. i’ll go and take a look.”

pei xia picked up his sword and cautiously approached the dark elf king. when he reached his side, he tentatively nudged him with the tip of his shoe, but there was no response.

he seemed to be unconscious, but how did he suddenly appear? pei xia couldn’t fathom it.

pei xia crouched down, checking his breathing and pulse. he was still alive. so, should he kill him?

pei xia hesitated as he stood up, clutching the sword, uncertain about what to do with noah.

just then, sofia hurried back, holding a long vine that dangled from above. “are you both okay? i heard some commotion over here. noah!”

worriedly, he looked at noah lying on the ground and asked, “how is noah?”

pei xia looked up at him and said, “he’s still alive.”

sofia breathed a sigh of relief, and then pei xia pointed his sword at noah. sofia exclaimed, “wait! what are you trying to do?”

pei xia scratched his head and said, “isn’t it ‘capture the ringleader first’? i’m thinking about whether to kill him or not.”

for pei xia, killing someone was still quite difficult. after all, he had lived in a law-abiding society for over twenty years before coming here. he had only killed monsters since arriving in this world.

at this moment, as lucifer walked towards them and spoke, “no need to kill him. if the dark elf king dies, it will lead to an endless feud between the forest elves and the dark elves.”

“alright,” pei xia breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed his sword.

lucifer continued, “we can take him back and hand him over to the elven queen for judgment.”

“yes, your grace!”

lucifer approached noah, and, with a quick glance at sofia above, he squinted at noah on the ground. he quietly extended his foot and gave him a firm stomp.

pei xia seemed to catch a glimpse of lucifer doing something and looked at him in confusion. “your gr—”

before he could finish the sentence, lucifer stumbled and lunged towards pei xia.

pei xia quickly reached out to catch him. “are you alright?”

“cough, i accidentally tripped over him,” lucifer patted his chest as if he were frightened, looking at pei xia with a gentle gaze. “i’m fine, no need to worry.”

pei xia assessed him from head to toe and confirmed that he had only tripped. he then let out a sigh of relief.

then, lucifer and pei xia, together, tied the unconscious dark elf king noah to the vine sofia had let down. after sofia pulled noah up, they then climbed up the vine.

once they were all up, sofia immediately rushed to noah’s side, tears streaming down his face as he gently touched noah’s face.

pei xia couldn’t bear to look. “he’s not dead yet.”

sofia said, “i know, i’m just feeling a bit excited.”

pei xia: “ah???”

sofia: “i meant, i’m a bit upset. how could he collaborate with demons, *sniffle*.”

pei xia glanced at him suspiciously, then bent over and slowly lowered lucifer from his back.

lucifer slid down from his back and coughed lightly as he stood on the ground. he said, “pei xia, check the surroundings.”

“yes!”

“your highness sofia, please bring the dark elf king with you.”

“understood.”

‘probably because this altar was also a forbidden place for dark elves, in any case, no one had come here, and it had been quiet before. haha,’ pei xia optimistically thought.

at the same time, he heard some commotion from outside, as if another group of enemies had intruded into the underground world.

just as he was about to listen carefully, suddenly, there was a shocked and angry voice from behind him, belonging to lucifer. “your highness sofia, how could you!”

pei xia was startled and quickly turned around. he saw lucifer standing where he had been originally, facing sofia, clutching his own left hand.

lucifer slowly revealed his left palm, and there was a bloodstain on it.

he shook his head, looking disappointed as he spoke to sofia, “your highness, even if pei xia had considered killing the dark elf king, it’s because he’s our enemy. how can you want to harm your own comrade for the sake of an enemy!”

pei xia suddenly understood, and then he glared angrily at sofia before looking gratefully at lucifer. “your grace, thank you for saving me once again. also, your highness sofia, please stay calm. we haven’t completely escaped yet!”

sofia: “…”

lucifer let out a long sigh and then turned to pei xia. he gently took his hand and comforted him with warmth and sincerity, saying, “pei xia, it seems that his highness sofia’s love for the dark elf king runs deep. his talk of wanting to pursue another love is just self-deception.”

pei xia nodded in agreement, “you’re absolutely right. his highness sofia’s mind has been clouded by love!”

“let’s hurry back, hand over the next steps to her majesty the queen, and then leave this place,” lucifer suggested.

pei xia replied, “you’re right; this place is truly too dangerous!”

sofia: “…”