Aglaea walked ahead, with Lucas following half a step behind. Together, they slowly approached the city before them.
Throughout their journey, Aglaea could feel Lucas's gaze flickering intermittently upon her. She glanced back at him, but Lucas continued to stare unabashedly, sighing wistfully, "Your Grace, your beauty captivates me. Simply looking at you feels like a profound happiness!"
In truth, Lucas's sudden change of heart—accepting the All Nations Alliance's request to assist Aglaea on her mission—stemmed from two reasons: first, the doubled compensation; and second, Lucas himself was rather... carnal.
Upon hearing the Alliance official's description of the 'Goddess of Romance' as possessing 'beauty surpassing even the Goddess of Love,' he was immediately intrigued. He yearned to see just how beautiful this 'Goddess of Romance' could be, someone claimed to be as stunning as the Goddess of Love herself.
Initially, Lucas had harbored some rather... unwholesome intentions. However, the moment he laid eyes on Aglaea herself, all his lecherous thoughts vanished without a trace.
When faced with something overwhelmingly beautiful, any impure thought felt like a desecration. Before this moment, Lucas had no singular, dominant faith; he was more of a pan-believer, vaguely acknowledging various gods without truly committing to any.
But now, in this instant, he suddenly understood the tenets of the Goddess of Love and the actions of her devotees.
Aglaea blinked, slightly surprised by Lucas's sudden declaration, but not particularly offended. After all, she was accustomed to being the center of attention, to being stared at wherever she went. What was the big deal?
After a moment's contemplation, Aglaea extended her hand. Above her palm, a Century Gate materialized. A golden cloak quickly descended from it, which Aglaea then presented to Lucas. "This is for you," she said. "Wearing this will shield you from the corruption of the Outer Gods."
Lucas immediately knelt on one knee, raised both hands above his head, and tremulously accepted the cloak. Thanks to his Master Hand ability, he instantly grasped its protective properties upon touching it.
With its unparalleled defensive capabilities, this cloak could withstand physical, magical, and even mental attacks to an extraordinary degree. It was no exaggeration to say that no attack from beings below demigod status could even scratch this cloak!
In the hands of a mortal, this was undoubtedly a Divine Artifact—essentially a permanent invincibility buff.
Lucas immediately declared, "Thank you for this Divine Grace. From this day forward, I pledge everything I have to you!"
As he spoke, Aglaea could clearly sense the power of faith beginning to emanate from the thief, surging toward her. In that very moment, he had become her Believer—not just a casual follower, but at least a devout one.
Aglaea: "..."
She didn't quite know how to react. The cloak she had given him was actually made from scraps left over from crafting other garments, patched together with a failed prototype to create a large, ugly piece of fabric. Too hideous to keep, Aglaea had casually tossed it aside.
Since she had only recently started weaving clothes, this was perfectly normal. She had casually tossed the unwanted scrap to Lucas, thinking he might find a use for it later, only to end up with a devoted believer?
Ah, jeez.
By now, Lucas had already draped the cloak over himself, wrapping himself tightly within it. Only his head remained visible, creating a somewhat bizarre appearance.
After all, Lucas was a thief, and Aglaea's cloak was golden—even as a failed attempt, its very material made it strikingly conspicuous and eye-catching. Wearing it would instantly negate any stealth techniques he possessed, rendering him visible to anyone nearby.
Was such an item really a good gift for a thief?
Especially now that Aglaea saw how utterly delighted Lucas was, she worried he might actually wear this golden cloak on stealth missions in the future. Could he really charge straight through enemy defenses, relying on his invincible golden armor to withstand all attacks, then brazenly steal the target or assassinate them?
Emmm, maybe it's not so bad after all?
As she pondered this, the pair had already reached the city's edge. Aglaea could see zombie-like civilians wandering around the city gates. These people seemed to lack skin, their entire bodies a bloody crimson, with muscle tissue visibly exposed.
No, perhaps it's because their muscles are constantly swelling, bursting through their skin.
Additionally, these "zombies" had massive, fleshy growths—like pulsing hearts—on their heads, necks, or shoulders, expanding and contracting in slow, rhythmic beats.
As the pair approached, a zombie nearby seemed to sense them. It turned its head slightly, its grotesque face contorting as a raspy voice, like a broken bellows, croaked, "Save... save me..."
This startled Aglaea. The zombie's eyes weren't the chaotic, murky gaze she expected, but retained a faint glimmer of clarity. This creature still retained a shred of consciousness.
Normally, the pollution from an Outer God-level entity would instantly drive ordinary people mad, transforming them into monsters or Outer God's puppets. But the current situation was different.
As Aglaea pondered this, the man who had been shouting for help suddenly sprang to life like a charging cheetah. He dropped to all fours and, with a thud, surged forward with incredible speed, leaving afterimages in his wake.
Lucas moved just as swiftly, meeting the creature head-on. Leaning forward, he seemed to skim the ground like a low-flying bird, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye.
The zombie swung its arms forward like massive, closing pincers, but Lucas arched backward, pressing his body even lower until his back was mere centimeters from the ground, narrowly dodging the blow.
As he slid beneath the zombie, he plunged his dagger with pinpoint accuracy into its neck.
Their figures crossed in a blur. Lucas sprang upright like a coiled spring, glancing down to check his cloak for dust. The zombie, driven forward by inertia, staggered forward a few more steps before collapsing heavily to the ground.