Raging flames burned intensely around them, fueled by Lady Judy's passion.
The will of Cthugha, the Lady of Fire, gazed upon this illusory world through the soul of her apostle.
An invisible pressure radiated from within Judy—a supreme majesty. At that moment, the countless living beings trapped within the memory felt the terrifying presence and bowed down toward the exact same direction.
In the next instant, light and shadow shifted wildly before the four of them, and then everything dimmed.
It worked!
The moment his vision cleared, Lynch recognized the very room they had departed from. He knew they were finally back.
Feeling the warmth radiating from his palm, the bitterness and hardship of the past few days flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, ultimately coming to rest on that pale face and shattered body.
Her blood was still on his face right now. He had almost lost her—almost lost the person who had been by his side, protecting and supporting him from the very beginning.
Lynch suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to cry. During the battle, he had been forced to suppress his emotions to focus on survival. Only now, back in a safe environment, could he no longer restrain himself. He pulled the still-dazed officer into a tight embrace and kissed her directly on the lips.
Mm?
Officer Natalie's sharp, commanding eyes widened in surprise, her expression shifting from confusion to shock, and then from cold severity to tenderness. Her body tensed instantly before gradually softening—though her heart had yielded far sooner than her flesh. The fierce officer slowly closed her eyes, awkwardly returning the kiss. Their hot breath mingled against each other's skin, stoking an even fiercer fire between their hearts.
Locked in a tight embrace, time lost all meaning. The world faded away until only the two of them remained. Neither knew how long the moment lasted, until...
“Ahem.”
Another familiar voice snapped them back to reality. Startled, both turned their heads at the same time, only to realize that Miss Diana was standing right beside them. She was watching their embrace with a complex expression—her eyes tinged with sadness and longing—as she took a quiet step backward.
Officer Natalie’s face flushed bright crimson. Yet, seeing Diana step back, her mind must have been briefly scrambled by filth, for she suddenly grabbed the count's daughter's hand and pulled her right back. At the same time, her other hand gave a sharp shove, pushing Lynch and Diana directly into each other.
It was definitely just a coincidence—certainly not because Lynch intentionally cooperated—but as they collided, their lips met in a sudden, perfect kiss.
Huh?
Miss Diana was completely shocked. She reflexively struggled for a moment, but her body soon relaxed. Her gaze drifted to the side, settling on Natalie's face. The officer returned her look with steady, unswerving calm.
Having walked from life to death and back again, Natalie had let go of many of her past reservations. The occult world was unlike the mundane one; it was fraught with danger, and death could strike at any second. In an environment like this, clinging to worldly conventions was useless. It was far better to follow one's heart and leave no regrets for the future.
The moment their eyes locked, the two women seemed to reach a quiet, unspoken understanding, and their expressions gradually softened.
“Um...” Judy spoke from behind the trio, her voice carrying Inner Judy's cool, rational tone. “As much as I hate to interrupt your performance... do you really not plan on checking your surroundings first?”
Huh?
Lynch suddenly felt a terrible foreboding. Wait a second... there weren't other people here, were there?
Instantly halting his horny-dog behavior, Lynch raised his head. All three of them turned around at once.
Emmmmmm...
There weren't many people—just around twenty or so. And most of them were familiar faces.
Mrs. Nightingale stood in a corner with several healing sisters; Mr. V guarded another side alongside a few Watchers; the kingdom's chief spy, Baron Boivar, lurked in the shadows with two black-robed attendants; Archbishop Trinlais of the Church of the Black Night leaned against the wall next to two stewards from the Duke's mansion; and Great Arcanist Mr. Gulman, President of the Arcane Research Society, stood right there...
In short, over twenty people were standing right behind them, staring wide-eyed and dumbfounded at their performance. As the trio turned around, their eyes met.
Uh... is it too late to explain?
Lynch opened his mouth, feeling the veins on his forehead throbbing violently. A million holy shits raced through his mind, while the two women in his arms froze like stone statues.
Holy crap, why the hell are there so many people?!
Lynch was the brave one. His lip twitched, and after holding it in for several seconds, he finally squeezed out his first words: “Hi... what a coincidence...”
However, he regretted it the moment the words left his mouth, as every single eye in the room instantly locked onto him.
Furthermore, the looks in their eyes felt off. Why do some of them look... angry?
Indeed, as their eyes met, the stiff, embarrassed expressions on many faces slowly transformed.
Led by Mrs. Nightingale, several healing sisters glanced back and forth between Natalie and Lynch. Their eyebrows arched higher and higher, their eyes glaring as if looking at a total scumbag as they began closing in on him.
“No, wait! Let me explain! It’s not what you think! I’m not a scumbag—there’s a valid reason for this, really!”
Meanwhile, on the other side, led by Mr. V, several Watchers looked at Diana and then at Lynch. The group of men stared at Lynch as though looking at a corpse, rolling up their sleeves as they closed in from the opposite side.
“Wait! What are you trying to do?! I'm telling you, I just escaped from a dangerous mystery relic! Don't come any closer! I've served Lande with distinction! I've shed blood for Rhine! I want to see the Duke! I want to see Emperor Rudolph!”
Yet in the face of cold hard evidence, any explanation was pale and useless. Thus, under the gleeful, animated gazes of the rest of the onlookers, blood-curdling, desperate wails echoed through the temporary barracks. The pitiful screams were so heart-wrenching that the spectators couldn't help but laugh out loud with sorrow.
What a truly fearless man! To unabashedly pull off a stunt like that right in front of the people backing both ladies is truly envy-... enraged-inducing! The crowd watched the spectacle with relish, gloating endlessly over his misfortune.
Fortunately, the two ladies regained their senses in time and pulled back their rowdy companions. For a moment, the surroundings turned even more chaotic, as lively and festive as a holiday.
It took quite a while for things to finally settle down. By then, Lynch was disheveled, his hair in a mess, with several shoe prints stamped onto his shoes—courtesy of unknown culprits. Regardless, the group of young women from the Church of Suffering and the bunch of bastards from the Watchers were all grinning from ear to ear.
Only after asking Mrs. Nightingale did Lynch learn that they had calculated the timing precisely to welcome the return of the heroes. The major factions involved had shown immense respect to Lynch, the newly minted knight, sending representatives—mostly high-ranking figures who had shown up in person.
Only for Sir Levive to put on quite a spectacular show right in front of everyone.
Hearing this, Lynch's face distorted into something almost resembling a ghoul, while the two ladies had regained their composure and were snickering quietly beside him.
In the end, it was the ever-composed Mrs. Nightingale who quieted the rowdy crowd.
“So... how was the harvest from your trip?”
The moment the question was asked, the commotion died down instantly, and everyone's eyes focused once more on Lynch.
Lynch smiled slightly and snapped open the bag Miss Diana handed him, holding up the fresh, vivid human-faced fruit. In an instant, the eyes of those high-and-mighty figures reflected the uncanny, life-like fruit held aloft in Lynch's hand.
In the next second, thunderous applause erupted.
Rate on N.U.
