CH 28

When the sky was faintly bright, the stars and the moon still hung in the sky, but only as faint images. The sun was about to rise, and the world was about to welcome the light.

All the criminals were apprehended and incarcerated, while the orc girls were arranged in temporary lodgings to receive treatment.

Lucifer and the priests of the Church of Light tended to them, soothing their fears and aversions, even though they might despise the Church of Light and feel apprehensive around the clergy members.

After the busy period passed, Pei Xia brought over a cup of tea: “Your Holiness, please rest for a moment.”

Alright.

However, the rest didn’t last long. As a key figure in this case, Luciferl had to present evidence and testify in the public trial.

In any case, under various pressures, this matter was quickly resolved.

The sub-churches within the city of Abrulablu were taken over by members of the central cathedral. Lucifer, Pei Xia, and others repacked their belongings, preparing to set off.

But this time, the journey wasn’t undertaken only by the Saint and his holy knights. Accompanying them was also a handsome and elegant prince, along with his formidable guards!

There was no other way; Lucifer’s next destination happened to be the homeland of Prince Harry, Sumi Agada. As a result, he warmly invited Lucifer to visit the royal capital. And so, the two parties set off together.

And now, Pei Xia sat atop his black horse, positioned to the right front of Lucifer’s carriage. He gazed calmly ahead, holding the reins loosely in his hand. In reality, his grip on the reins was almost crushing them!

Who let Prince Harry be inside Lucifer’s carriage right now!

This sunlit and handsome prince had entered Lucifer’s carriage under the pretext of discussing the doctrine of the Church of Light. Yet, unlike Count Hobson, who was completely clueless about the Bright Scripture and just interested in pursuing men, this prince was not like that at all. He and Lucifer were having an extremely enjoyable conversation!

Their conversation was not only engaging but also sprinkled with the laughter of Prince Harry and his exaggerated praises!

The soundproofing of the carriage wasn’t particularly good, and Pei Xia could clearly hear how gentle and patient Lucifer’s voice was as he spoke to Prince Harry.

Stay calm, Pei Xia told himself, taking a deep breath. After all, Harry was a prince of a country. He’s just temporarily befriending Lucifer. He can’t take away your position!

Then, Pei Xia heard Prince Harry’s hearty laughter: “Hahaha, chatting with Your Holiness is truly delightful! I wish I could keep conversing with you. Although I am the heir to the kingdom, I’d rather be traveling the continent with you than staying in the dull palace.”

Lucifer was also laughing, and he replied with a smile: “I am also glad to become friends with the prince. If you’re willing, I’m ready to accompany you at any time.”

Pei Xia: “…”

Squeak, squeak.

“Captain, be careful!”

Startled, Pei Xia quickly calmed his black horse, feeling a bit embarrassed: “Sorry, I got distracted for a moment and accidentally pulled its reins too hard.”

Pei Xia looked ahead with a touch of sadness, mentally noting down something about Prince Harry.

But luckily, they had reached the border of the kingdom of Sumi Agada. Pei Xia lowered his gaze, recalling the original storyline while making their way toward Sumi Agada with the others.

He distinctly remembered that in the original story, Lucifer wasn’t this close to Prince Harry. What could have gone wrong here?!

Could it be because two consecutive romantic storylines broke, causing Lucifer to transfer the accumulated emotions to Prince Harry?

It wasn’t entirely impossible. If he couldn’t pursue a romantic interest with a sister figure, maybe he’s developing a bond with a brother figure. Sigh, he hoped that the princess of Sumi Agada would make an appearance soon, so that Prince Harry wouldn’t have a sudden brain malfunction and actually follow through with this.

After all, this princess was jokingly referred to by readers as the rightful queen consort in the original story, as she was the only woman whom Lucifer explicitly showed interest in.

But in the midst of Lucifer’s inner conflict, he immediately confessed his unwavering loyalty to the God of Light, believing he had truly fallen for the princess. Yet, despite all his introspection, he never voiced the words “I like you.”

The follow-up to the story was that the princess, who didn’t believe in deities, was left behind by Lucifer because of his lifelong celibacy, as he departed to spread the faith to other parts of the continent.

Although these aspects weren’t pondered much while reading the novel, looking back now, in a certain sense, Lucifer really was a scoundrel!

Just as Pei Xia was lost in thought, a knight riding towards them on horseback suddenly appeared on the road ahead, getting closer by the moment. He waved the flag of the kingdom of Sumi Agada and shouted:

“Is there a noble lord from the kingdom of Sumi Agada ahead? The city of Atna is under attack by monsters, and we’re urgently recruiting mages and warriors. Please volunteer!”

Monsters attacking?

Pei Xia quickly raised his hand to signal the team to stop and turned to the two leaders inside the carriage for guidance.

They also heard the shouts, and the two of them stepped out of the carriage, watching the approaching recruiting knights. Prince Harry frowned, turning to Lucifer and saying:

“Atna is our country’s border defense against the Emerald Forest. It has always borne the heavy responsibility of resisting monster invasions. Now, it has come to the point of recruiting here. As the prince of Sumi Agada, I have a duty and obligation to go help. I’m sorry, Your Holiness, but we might have to part ways temporarily for a few days.”

Lucifer also displayed a serious expression. He gently raised his hand, indicating that Prince Harry didn’t need to apologize: “As a follower of the God of Light, our purpose is to assist people in overcoming difficulties. Let us go together to help Atna defend against the monsters.”

Prince Harry looked gratefully at Lucifer and humbly responded: “I can’t express enough gratitude. Your Holiness, you were planning to go preach in another place.”

“No need to rush. God hasn’t stipulated that preaching can only be done in specific places. In the eyes of God, everyone in the world is the same, and helping them is part of the doctrine.”

As he spoke, Lucifer once again radiated the familiar radiance of a holy father.

“In that case, let me express gratitude on behalf of my people first.” Prince Harry bowed to him. When he lifted his head again, tears were streaming down his face. Overwhelmed with emotion, he opened his arms, ready to embrace Lucifer:

“And also, please accept my personal gratitude!”

Pei Xia’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. In a reflexive move, he dismounted and stepped forward to block the enthusiastic Prince Harry from embracing Lucifer.

Prince Harry ended up hugging Pei Xia instead, tears glistening in his eyes as he patted Pei Xia’s back, showering Lucifer with rainbow praises. After finishing his praise, he released his hold, wiped his tears, and finally realized who he had actually hugged.

Pei Xia flashed a forced smile.

Prince Harry was thoroughly embarrassed.

Lucifer cleared his throat.

At this moment, the knight in charge of recruitment had reached the group. He froze upon seeing the two leaders.

He didn’t recognize Lucifer but was taken aback by his beauty. He hadn’t seen Harry before but recognized the emblem of the royal family.

Harry took a step forward to explain the group’s identity, and immediately, the knight’s expression shifted to one of joy: “This is fantastic! With the prince and the holy figure’s assistance, we’re sure to triumph!”

Time waits for no one, so they didn’t waste words. Lucifer and Harry mounted their horses and, along with the knights, turned towards the direction of Atna city, leaving behind a few knights driving carriages to follow slowly behind.

As they sped forward, they inquired about the situation of Atna city from the recruiting knight.

He said, “When I left the city, many people were injured. I don’t know why this wave of monsters is particularly intense. Moreover, there are demons stirring up trouble among them.”

The best way to deal with demons is by using Light magic and fire-based magic. However, unlike the Tut kingdom, Sumi Agada is a multi-religious country, with very few believers in the God of Light. Hence, the Church of Light doesn’t hold a high status here.

Previously, demons rarely participated in attacks. As a result, there were very few Light mages in Atna city. With the unexpected assault, many people were attacked by demons, and due to the tense situation, they couldn’t receive proper treatment.

“Oh, Your Highness the Prince! I just remembered something,” the recruiting knight suddenly said. “Your sister, the kingdom’s jewel, Princess Eva, is there too!”

“What? How could she be there!” Harry was greatly surprised.

Pei Xia immediately pricked up his ears. Harry’s sister – wasn’t that the only princess of Sumi Agada, Lucifer’s lawful spouse?

“The princess insisted on fighting the monsters herself, and we simply couldn’t stop her,” the recruiting knight explained, a hint of guilt in his voice.

“Ah, she’s truly too headstrong!”

Afterward, no more words were exchanged. The group hurried toward Atna city. There were many knights sent out to recruit mages and warriors. Along the way, they encountered several waves of additional warriors who had been urgently summoned.

Gradually, the group grew larger. Under the leadership of Harry and Lucifer, they finally arrived at Atna City at dusk.

“Your Holiness, how are you?”

Pei Xia leaned against Lucifer’s side. His tall black horse and Lucifer’s platinum-colored horse became the two most distinctive sights.

Lucifer shook his head and said, “I’m fine.”

Pei Xia discreetly glanced at his lower waist. If he remembered correctly, this was likely Lucifer’s first time engaging in such intense and prolonged riding, which could easily cause discomfort on the inner thighs.

Pei Xia still remembered the first time he rode a horse for an extended period; he could barely walk afterward.

But since Lucifer is so strong, he pretended to be fine.

When the crowd arrived at the city of Atna, intense battles were raging on the frontlines. The governor of the city saw Harry hesitating for a moment and quickly said, “It’s wonderful that you’ve come to help. Please follow me!”

“No, I want to go to the frontlines!”

The governor sighed. “You are truly as willful as the princess.”

Without even a moment of rest, the group was arranged to go to their respective places. Warriors and offensive mages went to the frontlines to fend off the onslaught of monsters, while healing mages went to the back to tend to the wounded.

There was no doubt that Pei Xia would also be on the frontlines.

Although Pei Xia didn’t want to be separated from Lucifer, seeing the constant stream of injured people being brought back, he couldn’t bring himself to stay safely in the rear.

“Wait a moment,” Lucifer said, placing a hand on Pei Xia’s shoulder. “I’ll go with you.”

“It’s dangerous up ahead!” Pei Xia disagreed. “Monsters are different from demons. Your holy magic works against them. But if you get hurt, what will you do? Please don’t be reckless!”

Though both terms have the word ‘magic’ in them, monsters are just a general term for magical beasts, not representatives of evil.

Lucifer looked at him earnestly, determination shining in his beautiful eyes. “Pei Xia, just as you worry about me, I also worry about you and everyone else. Alright, this is an order. I believe you will protect me, won’t you?”

Pei Xia nodded.

And so, the noble figures of the Archpriest of the Church of Light and the Prince Harry marched forward on the frontlines, amid the admiring gazes of the people.

There stood a tall and long city wall. The group ascended it and headed to the urgent areas of the battle.

Lucifer was steady, standing at the edge of the wall, displaying a strength that surprised Pei Xia.

Clearly, it was non-aggressive holy magic, yet Lucifer played with it creatively. The magical beasts enveloped in his holy light started wearing a vague expression, gradually squinting and blinking, until, with serene faces, they collapsed onto the ground and fell asleep.

Pei Xia was greatly astonished, realizing he might have underestimated Lucifer a bit.

But it wasn’t entirely his fault—after all, Lucifer always appeared delicate and weak.

Pei Xia diligently guarded his side, slashing down the magical beasts that resisted his resolute will.

The battle continued for a full three hours. The sky had turned completely dark. The monsters retreated like receding floodwaters, leaving behind a scene of blood, corpses, and sporadic crazed beasts.

The warriors sat exhausted on the city wall, and Pei Xia was no exception. Leaning against the wall, he gasped for air, his entire body covered in blood.

Meanwhile, Lucifer tended to the wounded warriors, but he too was exhausted after this battle. Thus, his healing pace was slow.

“Your Holiness,” Pei Xia caught his breath and walked over, persuading, “Please take a rest for a moment.”

At this rate, he might collapse again.

Lucifer shook his head gently, sadness filling his eyes. “Seeing everyone hurt, my heart aches uncontrollably. Pei Xia, please don’t stop me. Let me continue.”

Pei Xia was about to persuade him a little more when a familiar voice echoed.

“Eva, Eva! When will you stop being so willful?”

Prince Harry’s resigned voice came closer, and before him, a lively girl in silver armor with an injured arm hopped over, covering her ears as she approached.

“Can’t hear you, can’t hear you. Hey, it seems there’s a light mage here?” Princess Eva skipped over and, with a glance, saw Lucifer in his white robe.

His appearance was too striking, even covered in blood and grime, one couldn’t look away.

Princess Eva blinked, a blood-stained sword hanging from her waist. “You’re the Archpriest my brother talked about?”

Lucifer turned gently to look at her and nodded. “Correct, I am Lucifer.”

Pei Xia was inwardly surprised, trying hard to recall the original plot. It seemed that after Lucifer and Princess Eva met, it started with a clichéd hero-saving-beauty scene.

After that, the somewhat stubborn Princess Eva would quarrel and make up with Lucifer, and slowly they would be captivated by each other’s personalities.

So, that means…

No sooner said than done, a bat-winged creature, like an oversized rat with red eyes, suddenly flew onto the city wall and attacked Lucifer and Princess Eva!

Squeak, squeak, squeak!

Pei Xia clenched his fist, encouraging Lucifer silently: ‘Go for it, male lead. This time, you definitely won’t miss the girl!’

Lucifer glanced at the thunderous creature, then suddenly twisted his body, not only evading the red-eyed creature but also diving into Pei Xia’s arms!

Pei Xia: ???

Lucifer let out a whimper, trembling slightly. “Oh! Such a scary monster!”

Pei Xia was at a loss, awkwardly holding the Archpriest who had forcefully nestled into his embrace. He subconsciously looked at Princess Eva, only to see her swiftly draw her sword with the wind, slicing the red-eyed creature in half with a single swift motion.

Blood splattered. Princess Eva cast a complex look over, and Pei Xia clearly saw curiosity and amazement in her eyes slowly giving way to mild disdain. It was as if her gaze silently conveyed, ‘A grown man like this, why is he so fragile?’