CH 53

it was a man with golden brown, slightly curled, shoulder-length hair. his high and handsome nose bridge gave a sense of security as he leaned against him.

the man with golden brown hair pushed fu shenzhen with a smile, revealing his snow-white, dazzling teeth. he said, “don’t be afraid, human. with me, ryan flaucht, here, no one will dare harm you!”

at that moment, pei xia was captivated by the stunning beauty of the man, like a roman sculpture. he felt a slight flutter in his heart as if a little deer was dancing within.

leaning against ryan flaucht’s chest muscles, pei xia couldn’t help but want to tell him his name. “thank you, thank you. i’m called—”

before he could finish, another hand suddenly reached out, gently but irresistibly pulling pei xia out of ryan’s embrace.

pei xia turned to see lucifer.

his face was veiled, with only his white forehead and a pair of radiant, expectant eyes visible. “pei xia, are you hurt?”

pei xia quickly shook his head. “no, no, please don’t worry.”

lucifer nodded, still holding onto pei xia’s arm. he calmly locked eyes with ryan and said, “thank you very much for helping out. as newcomers, there’s not much we can do. if you don’t mind, let us cover the cost of your meal here.”

ryan laughed heartily and asked, “what’s your relationship with him?”

pei xia replied, “i am his guard.”

lucifer added with a surprising twist, “friend.”

pei xia turned in surprise, never expecting lucifer to describe their relationship in such a way. become friends with lucifer? that was undoubtedly the best outcome.

lucifer also turned, slightly tilting his eyes at pei xia, his full face hidden behind the veil, yet his smile was evident. “in fact, i’d prefer to describe our relationship as even more intimate when introducing it to others.”

pei xia’s heart raced, a mixture of sadness and joy. oh my, the holy son is still not giving up!

indeed, even the four carefully selected candidates from yesterday left much to be desired. the holy son didn’t develop any fondness for them, making it difficult for him to let go of his feelings for pei xia.

pei xia quietly gripped the hilt of his sword.

ryan raised his hand to pat his broad chest. with a tall and sturdy build, he was nearly two meters tall, even taller than lucifer, resembling a wall.

“no need for this. this restaurant is owned by my family, and it’s my responsibility if guests are startled here. so, today i will cover the bill for both of you!”

“you’re too kind.”

“hahaha, it’s the least i can do!”

but pei xia genuinely accepted his help. “i think we should thank you.”

“it’s my duty and obligation. guests need not worry.”

lucifer: “how can that be? or rather—”

“no, no, that’s enough.”

pei xia looked at lucifer and then at ryan, suddenly feeling that if they kept politely declining each other’s offers, they wouldn’t finish even when it got dark.

he coughed and walked between the two of them. “your grace, mr. ryan, both of you are very kind people. how about listening to my suggestion?”

“please go ahead,” ryan smiled and looked at pei xia.

pei xia said, “let’s be friends! you can cover our bill but also accept the gifts we’ll send afterward. this way, ryan fulfills his duty, and we can express our gratitude. isn’t that a good idea?”

lucifer’s tone was subtle, “friends?”

“yes!” pei xia couldn’t help but glance at ryan a couple of times and then turned his gaze away, feeling a bit embarrassed.

seeing pei xia’s expression, lucifer couldn’t help but squint his eyes.

of course, they hadn’t been able to effectively communicate their thoughts and feelings with each other yet. ryan happily reached out and patted the shoulders of pei xia and lucifer.

“all right, in that case, let’s be friends! since we’re friends, follow me to the private room. no need to be polite. i want to treat you to the house’s signature dishes!”

“that’s right. since we’re making friends, we shouldn’t be too distant.”

however, lucifer had no desire to be friends with ryan. but at the same time, he wanted to understand why pei xia looked at ryan with that expression. was it just because ryan had saved him?

in this consideration, lucifer didn’t refuse. so, under ryan’s lead, they went to the private room on the second floor.

dishes with a rich grassland flair were brought to them, and ryan poured fermented mare’s milk for the two of them. he raised his glass and asked, “by the way, i don’t know your names yet.”

pei xia smiled sheepishly, “i’m sorry, i forgot to introduce myself. i’m pei xia, a swordsman. and this gentleman beside me is lord lucifer.”

after saying this, he looked at lucifer, who nodded in agreement. then, lucifer raised his hand as if to remove his veil.

pei xia was somewhat surprised and instinctively wanted to stop him. “my lord, this is the outside!”

“it’s okay, pei xia,” lucifer said, a faint smile on his lips, as he removed his own veil.

in an instant, a flawlessly beautiful face appeared before pei xia and ryan, stunning ryan to the point of being speechless, his eyes showing amazement.

lucifer nodded to him, “since we’re friends, there’s no need to conceal anything anymore. mr. ryan, i am lucifer, the holy son of the church of light, and this is the holy knight pei xia.”

no wonder that person referred to him as the lord. ryan was initially surprised but then regained his composure and said with a smile, “you must be the one who caused a sensation in the city yesterday. your radiance is truly unforgettable.”

the conversation between these two became friendly, and the atmosphere was harmonious. pei xia secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

pei xia: ‘oh, this is great. ryan is much more approachable than the other orcs. he’s polite, a good person!’

afterward, the three of them enjoyed their meal and drinks, occasionally chatting about various topics. most of the time, ryan introduced the fun places in smibabaka and the scenic features of the grasslands to his two guests.

after it grew dark, lucifer and pei xia bid their farewells, and ryan warmly accompanied them outside.

later, pei xia walked alongside lucifer. suddenly, lucifer asked, “what do you think of ryan?”

pei xia replied, “he’s a kind-hearted, good orc.”

lucifer pondered, “is that all?”

of course not. but when there’s a man who praises and compliments so extravagantly in front of lucifer, pei xia feels a bit awkward and asks, “which aspect are you interested in?”

lucifer paused for a moment, didn’t answer that question, and turned to look at pei xia. his azure eyes blinked rhythmically. “so, compared to him, what do you think of me?”

pei xia thought for a moment and said, “you are undoubtedly the kindest!”

lucifer smiled with satisfaction.

upon returning to the small courtyard, pei xia went to his brother’s room to take a shower. lucifer was left alone in his room, tapping the tabletop with his fingers in a rhythmic manner.

a flattering voice chimed in, [“great master, what’s bothering you? please share your concerns, and your most loyal servant will surely ease your worries!”]

lucifer remained motionless and said calmly, [“i can’t help but feel that something is not quite right.”]

[“what’s not right?”]

[pei xia and that ryan.]

the shadow demon flattered, [“oh, my lord, the loyal holy knight personally said you are the kindest. hahaha, he is truly foolish, ahem, ahem, ahem!”]

lucifer’s voice remained unshaken, [“keep blabbering, and i’ll kill you.”]

the shadow demon continued, [“i believe the holy knight admires you the most! ryan is just cannon fodder!”]

lucifer finally glanced at the ground, [“is that so?”]

[“yes, my great lord. lord pei xia himself said that you are the kindest. this proves that no one can replace your place in his heart!”]

at this point, the slightly troubled holy son finally revealed a hint of a smile, [“very well.”]

the shadow demon quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

when the holy knight returned from his bath, lucifer was already sitting on the bed in his pajamas, serene and composed. when he looked at pei xia, he wore a soft smile.

“pei xia, we’ve been here for two days now. do you have any suggestions regarding our missionary work?”

however, this question didn’t receive an answer because the one being asked seemed somewhat distracted.

lucifer’s composure couldn’t be maintained any longer, and he slightly raised his voice. “pei xia!”

startled, pei xia instinctively replied, “yes, your grace!”

lucifer fixed his gaze on him. “what’s on your mind?”

pei xia responded nervously, “n-nothing, your grace.”

“is that so, pei xia? we’ve been here for two days, and i’d like to know if you have any suggestions regarding our missionary work.” lucifer repeated the question.

this time, pei xia finally heard the question and scratched his head, somewhat troubled as he shared some common activities, like teaching, offering free healing, and exorcising, to attract followers.

in reality, pei xia had been lost in thought earlier because he was thinking about ryan. he felt a genuine attraction towards ryan because ryan embodied the perfect type he had loved in the past.

however, pei xia didn’t know much about ryan’s situation, and he hesitated to express his feelings since he couldn’t leave lucifer. saying something that might cause problems was not responsible.

pei xia was torn, and at this moment, he didn’t have an answer. however, he simply wanted to see ryan again.

so, the next day, pei xia made an effort to appear nonchalant and said to lucifer, “my lord, we mentioned giving a gift to mr. ryan yesterday. i think it’s time to do so.”

lucifer paused for a moment, his hand on a book. “oh, what do you want to give?”

pei xia suggested, “how about some products from the human kingdom and a copy of the holy bible of light?”

“sounds good.”

pei xia was eager to personally deliver the gift to ryan. but lucifer unconsciously furrowed his brow, attempting to dispel his thoughts.

pei xia insisted, “i believe it would be more sincere if i personally go to deliver it.”

lucifer clenched the book tightly in his hand. unbeknownst to him, the pages of the book were now slightly wrinkled. “no!”

“my lord?” pei xia looked at him with surprise because this reaction from lucifer was highly unusual and quite different from his usual gentle and kind demeanor.

lucifer was, in fact, a very gentle and kind person. why was he acting this way?

pei xia’s surprise and confusion quickly made lucifer realize what he was doing. he turned his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the words in the book, although he wasn’t actually reading anything.

“uh, i mean, it’s not a good idea to go alone.”

pei xia understood, “i see. you’re right. in that case, shall we go together?”

lucifer hesitated for a moment before saying, “no need, you go.”

pei xia was puzzled by this change in attitude but said, “yes, my lord. by the way, buck, tom, marlow…”

the six holy knights stood in a row, “captain, we’re here!”

“i’ll be going out for a while later. you must guard the holy son without leaving his side, understand?!”

“understood!”

after pei xia left, lucifer immediately instructed the six holy knights not to stay by his side continuously. he was the highest-ranking leader, and the others naturally had to obey him.

inside the room, lucifer once again summoned the shadow demon. he squinted his eyes, his tone clearly showing his displeasure.

[“he’s paying too much attention to him.”]

the shadow demon trembled, [“great master, perhaps you’re paying too much attention to lord pei xia.”]

after all, he’s only fulfilling a promise to deliver a gift.

this time, lucifer didn’t lash out at the shadow demon but rather released his grip on him and issued a command, [“go and investigate ryan’s background thoroughly for me.”]