Chapter 15: Love Around the Corner

That night, An and Kael walked along the path home. A girl with short, dark gray hair, barely reaching Kael’s shoulder, pondered everything that had just transpired. Suddenly, she heard the man beside her say, “Once we return to the temple branch, we will report this matter to the Holy Maiden.”

An lifted her face to glance at Kael, but her spiritual eyes could only reveal a vague outline. To her, everything in the world appeared this way—only elemental and abyssal marks. Yet, when she saw Lyu’s figure, though still resembling an elven child, he appeared distinct and clear in her vision, as if the only sharp presence in the entire world.

However, An had no intention of sharing this incident with anyone. She asked, “Is the Holy Maiden returning to the temple?”

“Lady Yana carries a heavy responsibility. She has already gone to the Holy Kingdom to receive her title. Once she finds the final ingredient for the magic potion, she can drink it and successfully awaken her spirit,” Kael said with a sense of awe and a hint of jealousy. Awakening at eighteen—it was a terrifying talent. Even jealousy felt powerless in the face of it. She was the Holy Maiden of the Holy Kingdom, and now she was returning to the Radiant Empire to take An away and venture into the Misty Forest together.

An possessed spiritual eyes and could surely help Yana find the potion’s ingredient. Kael’s gaze softened as he looked at An. “You will soon be leaving the Radiant Empire.”

“Oh,” An replied, emotionless. To her, the people she met or the places she went made little difference.

“When the Holy Maiden returns, she will take the elf away. You might end up exploring alongside the elf. Be careful,” Kael warned.

“Do you think that elf is possessed by a demon god?” An asked. “But I didn’t see any signs of possession on him.”

“I know. You found nothing abnormal, but that elf was indeed captured by the prime minister,” Kael said.

“So, you still think the incident at the duke’s manor was caused by him?”

“No, the incident at the duke’s manor is not important.”

Perhaps because the Holy Maiden would take An to the Holy Kingdom, and she was destined to leave his side, Kael decided to teach her something.

“But haven’t we been investigating traces of the demon god to prevent the abyssal corruption?” An questioned.

“An, you know,” Kael said, “an abyssal demon god can only possess others. The stronger the demon god, the shorter its stay in the mortal realm. It’s been so long; either it’s been sent back or has left the Radiant Empire.”

In other words, the matter of the duke’s manor was now behind them.

An looked at Kael, her spiritual eyes faintly glowing. “If the abyssal demon god isn’t important, then what is?”

“That elf? But if you wanted him dead, the Holy Maiden could’ve just killed him. Why take him away?”

“No,” Kael said, “it has nothing to do with the elf’s life or death. But having the elf in the hands of the Temple of Light is very important.”

An looked at him, seeming to understand yet confused at the same time. None of this aligned with what she knew. The Lord of Light was benevolent, and the abyssal demon god must be eliminated. Yet Kael seemed indifferent to what the demon god had done, as if it didn’t concern him.

But just as Kael said, none of this seemed to matter.

A black leaf drifted down, then another, and another—dark as ink, following their footsteps. At their feet, the leaves left marks like a black mamba snake lurking in the shadows, watching its prey, tracking the scent of its victim.

They walked on and on. The unnatural leaves continued to spread. Silently, An sensed the abyssal power growing stronger nearby, but she was only a mid-level mage, not even qualified to detect such traces.

Even spiritual eyes had their limits.

Yet An still felt something amiss. Just as she was about to speak, Kael said, “An, after you leave the Radiant Empire, remember to serve our Lord diligently and pray faithfully.” His expression was serious. For An, the Lord of Light was paramount, so she nodded. Kael’s face showed relief—having such an outstanding disciple was a great honor.

At that moment, An felt the temperature drop, causing her to shiver. A murderous intent mixed with malice and heavy darkness swirled around. The presence clearly knew she could sense abyssal power but waited silently like a cat stalking a mouse, ready to trap her in a desperate situation.

“But, teacher,” An said, “I think we should deal with the abyssal demon god quickly. If it really has possessed someone and is still in the mortal realm…”

“You worry too much,” Kael replied. “Any demon god will be sent back. Besides, do you think a demon god can suddenly appear by our side?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Kael’s expression stiffened momentarily. His foot tingled painfully. Looking down, he saw the black leaves suddenly ignite with spectral flames, which crept up his ankle. They didn’t burn his flesh but tormented his soul.

Black flames also erupted on An. Kael screamed in pain. Then, a cloaked figure appeared beside them. His unsettlingly dark hair swirled at his side. His face was obscured, but golden patterns traced the edges of his cloak. A hoarse, low voice spoke. The man looked at them and smiled lightly.

“Looking for the abyssal demon god?”

His voice was like that of an old friend, deep and irresistibly tempting. “Need some help?”

A malicious yet soft, lover-like whisper followed. The man raised his hand, and black flames crawled up his arm. Then, he turned swiftly toward his prey. At that moment, a shattering sound broke the silence—the necklace around An’s neck snapped.

An suddenly raised her head. Her spiritual eyes just caught sight of him, and she realized she could actually see his form. But the next moment, her eyes burned with black flames, and she collapsed.

Alone on his bed sat the elven child, seemingly lost in thought.

His lower body tangled like roots, and sitting cross-legged, he was curled on his side, enclosing his form in the center. With his head bowed, from afar he looked like a small, rounded ball. He seemed a bit sullen but was undeniably adorable. Zong Ming paused, captivated by the scene.

Lyu looked somewhat unhappy.

The author vaguely thought: Could it be that An and Kael’s arrival soured the elven child’s mood?

There seemed to be no other reason.

Moreover, Lyu had maintained this form for too long.

Zong Ming was concerned. While he found Lyu cute, it wasn’t ideal for the protagonist to remain in a child’s form indefinitely.

According to the original story, the elf would be taken away by Holy Maiden Yana, who would then brew the potion. After drinking it, the elf would regain his original appearance—perfectly beautiful, intoxicating, driving countless admirers to madness.

Elves were the most beautiful race on the continent, and the protagonist was the most beautiful elf. Zong Ming wanted to see his own son’s true face. This unspoken urge was natural, and the hero’s appearance held special meaning for him.

Like unveiling the protagonist’s true face in a finely wrapped gift box, filled with anticipation and nervous excitement—would that face be as he imagined?

Zong Ming’s heart tingled.

But now, Lyu began with a disfigured face, then suffered severe injury. Not only had he not regained his original appearance, but he had also transformed into this child form.

In the original, when An first saw Lyu’s restored visage, she almost fell in love at first sight.

Now, love at first sight was out of the question.

Zong Ming even suspected An might be treating Lyu like a pet.

“Grr…”

Lyu suddenly made a strange sound, clearly displeased. His tendrils, like twisted rubber bands, snapped taut. The black shadows within rippled like fish in silver light. The venom inside him sloshed back and forth. The grotesque cracks on his body occasionally split open to reveal faint fangs and sharp teeth. For a moment, Lyu looked like he was grinding his teeth, ready to bite some unseen foe in frustration.

How much did he despise the Temple of Light’s aura to be this enraged?

“Achoo!” He trembled violently and even sneezed out of anger.

For now, he had not killed An.

The sacred light emitted by the Temple of Light’s forbidden art caused Lyu to react as if allergic. He had yet to obtain the core of the Tree of Life, or even a single essence from it. When the holy aura touched him, he felt deeply uncomfortable. Though unharmed, watching a weak prey escape before him was humiliating.

At that moment, Zong Ming suddenly sat beside him, looking at the elven child on the bed. He couldn’t resist reaching out to rub his forehead.

Familiar warmth spread through the elf’s body, who nuzzled closer into his palm. Zong Ming said, “Why so clingy now?”

“Like me?” Zong Ming squeezed his tendrils, unfazed by the venom concealed within. Though the dark poison flowed beneath his touch, Lyu never acted against Zong Ming. Like a cat retracting its claws or a wolf sheathing its teeth, he carefully kept it contained.

Lyu’s tendrils swirled softly. The malice that had just risen slowly dissipated. Zong Ming reached out to stroke them. As soon as he poked one, the sea anemone-like tendril recoiled, then cautiously pressed back. After stroking a few, other neglected tendrils reached out, demanding attention. Zong Ming couldn’t keep up but felt joy at the elf’s rare display of affection, wanting to play with him longer.

Before he knew it, the cold, soft tendrils crawled onto him. Lyu clung to his neck like a kitten. His lower tendrils slithered into the folds of Zong Ming’s clothing, sticky and writhing.

Zong Ming froze.

He heard a quiet sound—not a soft, pitiful whimper but a low, blurred growl, like a beast about to feast on its prey. Lyu’s grip tightened around his neck, immobilizing him. His body stiffened, and for a moment, the thing coiling around him felt like a ferocious beast, capturing him with delighted growls.

“Cut it out,” Zong Ming said, reaching to pull him off. He felt something strange, but the tendrils clung like highly adhesive clay. Lowering his head, he met those small eyes. Whether real or imagined, he caught a glimpse of feral aggression and overwhelming menace within them.

“I’m going to sleep now,” Zong Ming said, finally pulling the elf off. Lyu grunted in displeasure. A small dark mass crawled angrily across the carpet but kept staring at the man on the bed.

“You should rest too. No more sneaking into my room today,” Zong Ming said, watching Lyu for a while. The little creature slowly slithered away but glanced back before leaving. Seeing Zong Ming still watching, the elven child vanished.

Zong Ming stared after him.

He felt something was off about the protagonist, but… circumstances had already diverged greatly from the original story.

Regardless, now that the Temple of Light’s people had arrived, the Holy Maiden Yana would surely return to the Radiant Empire. Upon learning of the elves’ existence, she would undoubtedly come to take Lyu away.

So, Zong Ming had to find a way to prevent all this from happening.

As this thought crossed his mind, a sudden wave of intense drowsiness overwhelmed him. Frowning, he lay down on the bed and soon drifted into a deep sleep. Before succumbing, he saw a silver streak flash through the air, slowly flying toward him.

The elven child lay quietly on his bed, several pairs of eyes watching the man. The venom within flowed, the poisonous spikes on the tendrils retracted.