Chapter 3.1

Chapter 3.1

Leto cautiously entered the room. Cough, cough. Due to the chilly air, coughs broke out. If the cough worsened, Valen would send Leto back to the bedroom without hesitation. Leto tightened his lips and covered his mouth with his hand. Even when he tried to suppress the cough, his body still twitched uncontrollably.

“Why are you acting so foolishly?”

Valen wasn’t one to be deceived by feeble acting. He grasped his younger brother’s frail wrist and pulled it away from his mouth. The suppressed cough scratched relentlessly at his throat and erupted. Valen patiently waited until his younger brother’s cough subsided.

“I’m going to go to bed soon.”

Leto, who had finally calmed down, spoke first. Ben was offering water to Leto, but Leto’s eyes were fixed on Valen.

“Drink.”

Upon his brother’s command, Leto swiftly accepted the cup and swallowed it down. Halfway through drinking, Leto handed the cup back to Ben.

‘When I wake up, you’ll probably be gone. You’ll cross the border this time, and who knows when you’ll return.’

Valen gently placed his hand on Leto’s cheek and forehead.

“You have a fever again.”

It wasn’t just a fever. His breathing was becoming dangerously labored, and despite his flushed face, his hands were pale and cold. His neck was already damp with sweat.

Valen instructed the waiting servant to bring medicine and a wet towel.

Ben escorted Leto and seated him in an armchair. Valen covered Leto’s thighs with a blanket. A hand as cold as a corpse grasped Valen’s fingers.

“Brother, I’m sorry for causing trouble.”

“Don’t talk nonsense, just close your eyes.”

“But still, I’m proud of you. You’re so awesome. By the time you come back, I’ll be just like you.”

Soon, his eyes, clouded with delirium, fixated on his own face. Valen quietly and decisively erased any regrets about the armor’s weight or the moon unseen.

“I’m going to the temple to pray. Ask the gods to give you the strength to cut down all those demon bastards.”

Valen nodded silently in response.

“Ben, let’s go together.”

“I’m not allowed in the temple. But isn’t there a statue of our lord in the square? I’ll pray there. To strike down any wicked demon kings and let our lord rest in peace.”

Before sunrise, the horn signaled the departure throughout the capital. Allied flags fluttered everywhere, and cheers and chants of Valen’s name echoed all around.

Leading the procession, Valen quietly donned his helmet with sunken eyes.

* * *

It was a strange sensation.

Warm air, like the spring breeze he felt in his hometown when he was young, wrapped around his body. There was a gentle tingling, not aggressive at all, just enough to tousle his hair. The fragrance of flowers etched into his mind overpowered the smell of iron-rich blood. Since arming himself with muscles and armor, it had been a long time since he felt such peace.

What could it be? A huge question mark hung in the air, but one thing was certain: this sensation itself wasn’t unpleasant. A cautious touch soothingly caressing him, flesh pressing firmly around the lower abdomen. Soft, smooth…

Wait. Flesh?

A sudden cold shock snapped Valen out of his daze. Blinking open his eyes, he saw a demon in a dress covered in blood standing tall under the lofty ceiling.

A succubus without horns. Argentine.

The lethargic cells that had been relaxed instantly bristled with hostility.

Argentine sat dominantly on top of Valen as if occupying his body. It was a posture advantageous for either ending the opponent’s life or compelling submission.

However, there was not a hint of murder in the red eyes that were staring straight at Valen. Rather, she looked bored, like a person sitting in front of an old book written with difficult sentences. In fact, she looked like everything was a bother.

“This fu.ck…!”

He tried to sit up immediately, but it wasn’t easy at all. Green tendrils extending from all four sides of the bed were tightly entwined around his limbs. Da.mn it! When Valen exerted force, there was a snapping sound as something broke. However, something else quickly grew and entwined the same area.

“Don’t waste your strength on useless things.”

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t be afraid. I won’t harm you.”

“Arrogant nonsense. Get off me right now!”