CH 47

This is a sunny, cloudless, and pleasant summer day.

In the early morning, the bright sunlight enhanced the beauty of the flowers, and the scorching sun had not yet risen, making it cool and spacious.

Inside a beautiful house covered with ivy, in the largest and best bedroom, a golden-haired beauty was slightly opening her lips, a hint of crimson tongue playing between her pearly white teeth. She appeared confused, shocked, and unbelieving!

By the side of the golden-haired beauty sat a handsome young man with black hair. The young man widened his eyes, slightly leaned forward, and stared intently at the woman’s belly!

These two individuals are the revered Holy Son of the Light Church, Lucifer, and his handpicked personal guard, the Holy Knight Pei Xia.

Pei Xia extended a finger, trembling, and pointed at Lucifer’s belly, fearfully asking, “Your Grace, how did your stomach become like this? Have you been poisoned again?!”

The slightly bulging abdomen hidden under the nightgown resembled that of a woman in her fourth or fifth month of pregnancy, especially noticeable due to Lucifer’s slender figure.

“Let me take a look!”

Slap!

Lucifer raised his hand and swatted away Pei Xia’s hand.

Pei Xia, puzzled, asked, “Are you feeling shy about it, or is it a matter of health? Let me have a look!”

“No, I’m not poisoned,” Lucifer gritted his teeth.

Pei Xia was shocked, and if it’s not poison, then could it be…

“A parasitic creature!”

Lucifer: “No, it’s not.”

“You’re pregnant?!” Pei Xia stared at him in amazement and asked cautiously, “Could it be that you’re really a woman disguised as a man?”

But he clearly helped Lucifer take a bath and saw his upper body; he’s definitely a man.

Moreover, even if he’s pregnant, can it happen so quickly?

Lucifer raised one hand to his forehead, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled with a bit of effort while biting his teeth. He grabbed Pei Xia’s hand with the other hand.

“Stop guessing. I am a man,” Lucifer said. “Pei Xia, I have a question to ask you.”

“Please, go ahead.”

Lucifer held Pei Xia’s hand a little tighter and forced a smile, “Did you really eat the Fruit of Life?”

Pei Xia was taken aback, coughed lightly in discomfort, and said somewhat guiltily, “I did, Your Grace. There’s no need to worry.”

Lucifer looked at his flat belly in silence.

“Is there something wrong?” Pei Xia felt a little uneasy.

After a long while, Lucifer’s lips twitched slightly. He discreetly pulled the blanket over his stomach, and his deep blue eyes seemed like a surging deep sea.

“In that case, what about me? Did you give me the Fruit of Life?” Lucifer inquired.

Pei Xia was a bit conflicted. If they both had one, he couldn’t report the disappearance of the Fruit of Life, but if he said he only gave it to Lucifer, it would be like lying. Lucifer had mentioned how much he disliked lying.

Pei Xia lowered his head, his lips slightly moving. “What does it matter?”

Lucifer lowered his hand from his forehead and sighed heavily, finally calming his emotions. He turned to look at the green trees and garden outside the white-painted window. “I forgot to tell you; the Fruit of Life has some unique properties.”

“As the name suggests, it possesses special attributes. When a person consumes the Fruit of Life, they can conceive life through intimacy with someone else within three hours.”

Pei Xia was shocked. “So you are indeed pregnant!”

“Quiet!” Lucifer raised his hand in a helpless gesture and explained, “If within three hours, you don’t do anything, it won’t lead to conception.”

Pei Xia’s gaze was fixed on Lucifer’s slightly protruding belly hidden under the blanket. He couldn’t help but murmur, “But you haven’t been intimate with anyone else, have you?”

Lucifer said softly, “So it was you who gave me the Fruit of Life.”

Pei Xia’s face turned bright red, and he suddenly stood up, taking two steps back. “You, please rest assured, if it’s because of me, I’ll take responsibility for both you and the child!”

He knelt down with a thud, feeling a complex mix of joy and anxiety.

Seeing the paladin’s dramatic reaction, Lucifer was both annoyed and amused. He said to Pei Xia in a helpless tone, “Get up. I haven’t finished speaking. I’m not actually pregnant.”

“Oh, oh, oh.” Pei Xia quickly stood up. Even though he should have felt relieved, he somehow felt a bit disappointed.

Lucifer lowered his head slightly, playing with his long hair. Maybe it was due to the change in his stomach, but Pei Xia couldn’t help but see a gentle maternal glow in him.

Lucifer whispered, “If, within three hours of consuming the Fruit of Life, there hasn’t been any intimate activity, and you’re simply in close contact with someone you care about…”

Pei Xia asked, “Yes? Why did you stop?”

Lucifer unconsciously widened his eyes and turned his head slightly, gazing through the strands of hair at Pei Xia. His eyes held a hint of disbelief and self-doubt. The emotions were so intense that he could barely maintain his composed expression.

Pei Xia felt a little uneasy under his gaze. “What’s wrong with you?”

After a while, Lucifer withdrew his gaze and cleared his throat. He said, “If there hasn’t been any overly intimate activity but contact with someone else’s skin has occurred, the Fruit of Life can still be stimulated. However, it won’t lead to pregnancy; instead, it simulates a pseudo-pregnancy. This process lasts for one to three days, after which it returns to normal.”

Upon hearing this, Pei Xia let out a long sigh of relief. “That’s great; you won’t actually get pregnant and have a child.”

“I told you. Pregnancy doesn’t result in a big belly overnight,” Lucifer said, shaking his head.

Pei Xia couldn’t help but ask, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? If I had known, you wouldn’t have had to endure the false pregnancy.”

Lucifer’s gaze shifted for a moment, and then he faced Pei Xia, raising a hand to lightly cover his lips, showing a pained expression, “Are you suspecting that I intentionally deceived you, Pei Xia?”

Pei Xia quickly replied, “No! I swear I absolutely didn’t.”

“I just accidentally forgot!” Lucifer said, covering his face in anguish.

Pei Xia hesitated, “But now that you mention it, it does seem a bit suspicious.”

Lucifer responded, “You didn’t eat the Fruit of Life.”

Pei Xia’s hair stood on end, and he shivered, “I’m sorry, Your Holiness; I indeed didn’t eat it.”

After learning about the unique side effects of the Fruit of Life, Pei Xia couldn’t continue the charade. He hung his head in frustration and informed Lucifer about the theft of the Fruit of Life, leaving only one remaining.

He tried to make Lucifer understand his genuine concern, “Your Holiness, please forgive me; I was just too worried about you!”

Lucifer’s lips curled up slightly, and his gaze softened, “But you still lied to me.”

Pei Xia knelt down on one knee and lowered his head, saying, “Please give the order for punishment. It was my failure to protect, and I acted with deceit.”

“Very well,” Lucifer said, raising his hand to massage his temples. “I will punish you, but as for what the punishment will be, we’ll decide later. Pei Xia, I need some time alone to think.”

He needed to reflect on his own perception of Pei Xia.

Seeing Lucifer in a dejected mood, Pei Xia decided not to press further. He stood up and respectfully said, “Please rest well. I’ll have breakfast brought to you, and I’ll stand guard outside the door. You must recover from the shadow of the false pregnancy as soon as possible.”

Lucifer: “…”

Pei Xia gave him an encouraging look and then swiftly left the room.

During the daytime, the courtyard was calm and relatively safe. Pei Xia went to find the other knights, instructing one group to request breakfast from the kitchen maids and the others to report the results of their investigation into the assassins from the previous night.

Responsible for the investigation were Beta and others. “The group of assassins confessed that they were followers of the Dark Cult, sent to assassinate the Holy Son in the name of the Dark Son. From my separate interrogations, they didn’t seem very clever, so they probably didn’t lie. Moreover, they mentioned having an accomplice outside, and we should be able to catch them soon.”

The Dark Cult? Who are these cannon fodder? Pei Xia had never encountered them in the original work.

He asked again, “Who is the Dark Son?”

“They absolutely refused to reveal this information. Please rest assured, Captain; I will intensify the interrogations, and we will make them confess everything!”

Pei Xia patted his shoulder and encouraged him, “Keep up the good work!”

“By the way, Captain, how is His Holiness? Has he gotten up yet? There are already believers waiting outside.”

Thinking of Lucifer’s despondent appearance, Pei Xia shook his head with a heavy heart, “His Holiness is not in serious condition, but there’s a minor issue, and he’s not ready to see outsiders for the time being. Please tell them that His Holiness is unwell and ask them not to come for a few days to avoid disturbing him. As for the matter of the assassins, there’s no need to inform them; too many people can complicate things.”

“Understood, Captain. I’ll go and disperse them.”

After sending away the believers and closing the courtyard gate, the Holy Knights gathered at Lucifer’s door.

Pei Xia held a tray with breakfast and knocked on the door, saying, “Your Holiness, please have some breakfast at least. It’s not good for your stomach to skip meals, and it’s not good for your health.”

Lucifer’s voice came softly, “Hmm.”

“Buck, Beta, and the others are also very concerned about you. Would you allow them to come in and visit?”

In reality, compared to another matter, the impact of the false pregnancy on Lucifer wasn’t as significant. He sighed and said, “Let them all come in; it’s a good time to discuss what happened last night.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

Pei Xia was about to enter the room when he suddenly remembered something.

As the personal guard knight of His Holiness, he needed to be even more careful and attentive, especially considering His Holiness’s current situation. Remembering the despondent look on Lucifer’s face before he left, Pei Xia’s heart ached for him.

For a man, even if he was gay, suddenly having a large belly overnight was a source of shame and pain. While Lucifer’s attitude didn’t appear to be that sensitive, and he didn’t intend to hide the situation, how could Pei Xia let him bear the inner torment alone?

He wanted to encourage him!

So, before entering the room, Pei Xia furrowed his brow and turned to Beta, saying, “Go find a few pillows.”

Beta: “Huh? Okay!”

Inside the room, Lucifer, who was dressed elegantly despite his swollen belly, was sitting on a chair, waiting for the Holy Knights who hadn’t entered yet.

Finally, the door creaked open.

Lucifer looked up to see several tall and imposing men all sporting big bellies.

Pei Xia greeted with a bright smile, “Please have breakfast!”

Lucifer: “…”

…

…

Lucifer had excellent self-control, and he calmly discussed some matters with the knights and instructed them to investigate the succubus around Prince Harry. Although they had met during the day, they encountered assassins at night. While it was somewhat orchestrated, individuals influenced by succubus weren’t thinking clearly.

Under Lucifer’s guidance, the Holy Knights split up to investigate. They not only captured the last dark mage, Patrick, but also traced the true identity of the Dark Son to be a succubus named Xetis.

When they informed the dark cultists that Xetis was just an ordinary succubus and not the Dark Son, the cultists wailed and howled in disbelief.

Regardless of their belief, the dark cultists had no way out. After those who were killed, only three of them remained, and they were about to face endless imprisonment. Their pleas for the Dark God’s protection would be limited to the confines of the dungeon.

As for Xetis, under the strict protection of Prince Harry, Pei Xia’s group hadn’t found an opportunity to capture him.

However, they could never have anticipated that Xetis would voluntarily come to them in the middle of the night!

Wearing a sable coat and showing off his slim waist, the red-haired succubus Xetis, chased by Prince Harry’s guards, frantically rushed into Lucifer’s courtyard.

At that moment, Lucifer was having dinner in the backyard while admiring the moon.

His swollen belly, after undergoing a terrifying transformation, was gradually returning to its normal state. He expected that by tomorrow, everything would be back to normal.

So, Lucifer was in a relatively good mood.

Pei Xia stood by his side, serving him. When he saw Xetis running towards them crying, he quickly drew his sword and assumed a defensive posture, shouting, “Buck, Tom, protect His Holiness!”

In a flash, the Holy Knights surrounded Lucifer.

Xetis collapsed on the ground, saying, “I surrender! Hurry, take me away!”

Pei Xia asked, “What happened to you?”

At the same time, Prince Harry and his group also entered the backyard by climbing over the wall. He called out, “Xetis, my dear Xetis!”

Xetis shivered all over, and when he looked up, he saw a group of burly, pregnant men towering over him.