Chapter 232: Teasing and "Digestion"
"This…"
Seeing Luo En cough violently and then faint on the ground, both Hugh and Fors's minds froze for a moment. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion.
After two seconds of silence, Hugh was the first to react, almost instinctively rushing forward, kneeling on one knee, and beginning to check Luo En's condition.
"How is he? Is he okay? Is he hurt?" Fors also hurried over, her voice filled with worry and urgency.
Hugh didn't answer immediately. She stretched out her finger, carefully placing it under Luo En's nose to check his breathing, then moved to his neck to feel his pulse.
A moment later, she breathed a slight sigh of relief and looked up at Fors, saying, "It seems—he just fainted."
Fors's suspended heart also settled. She took a few steps closer, examining Luo En's pale and unfamiliar face in the dim light, her brows furrowing unconsciously: "His face just now—I feel like something was off."
The moment Luo En appeared, Fors vaguely felt there was something strange about his face, but the light was dim and the situation was urgent, so she couldn't see clearly. Only a strange sense of familiarity lingered in her heart.
"It might be that his disguise had a problem," Hugh mused. She stood up and explained, "Fors, he's the one who helped me exorcise evil at the gathering last time. He seems to be able to change his appearance."
"It's him?" Fors's eyes widened slightly.
"Mm." Hugh nodded. Because Luo En had mentioned it before, she wasn't entirely unprepared for possible changes in his face.
"Is that so—" Fors murmured to herself.
This explanation was very reasonable, but an unrealistic thought still arose in her heart.
A certain romantic possibility, existing only in novels: being miraculously saved by a certain pen pal at the last moment when she was on the verge of losing control and falling into the Abyss. Isn't this the kind of male protagonist who descends from the heavens, a plot found only in novels? If she could experience it once, let alone losing control, it would be worth it even if she turned into a Monster on the spot!
However, this thought only lasted for a few seconds before she herself extinguished it.
But that possibility was too low, almost a fantasy. She had just lost control, and that person just happened to appear?
The probability of such a coincidence was almost zero.
Fors sighed softly in her heart, stuffing those complex emotions mixed with girlish fantasies back into her heart.
"We can't let him just lie on the ground; the floor is too cold." Hugh's voice interrupted her wild thoughts, "Fors, come and lend a hand."
"Heave-ho!"
One lifted his shoulder, the other his leg, and with some effort, they managed to move the heavy Luo En onto the nearby sofa.
"What—what about the worms?" Fors pointed to the wriggling worms on the ground.
"Let's find something to cover them for now, and talk about it when he wakes up."
"Please don't be in trouble—" Hugh looked at the unconscious Luo En, her face full of worry.
She stared at Luo En for a while, seeing that his breathing was steady and he seemed to truly just be asleep. Only then did she turn her head and look at Fors with an unprecedentedly serious gaze:
"Fors, how long has your condition—been going on?"
Fors subconsciously wanted to shake her head, but when the words reached her lips, she saw Hugh's red, moist eyes, and the lingering fear and apprehension within them. She finally nodded honestly and admitted in a small voice: "—It's been a while."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner!" Hugh's voice suddenly rose, laced with uncontrollable sobs and reproach, "Do you know how scared I was just now?! If you—if you really turned into a Monster, I—"
"I—I was just afraid you'd worry." Fors's voice was as small as a mosquito's.
"Afraid I'd worry? Do you even consider me a friend?!" Hugh's emotions completely broke down, tears gushing out, "If we had arrived a step later, if you—if you—"
She choked, unable to utter the rest of the words.
"I'm sorry, Hugh. I'm sorry—" Fors stepped forward and tightly hugged her distraught friend, letting her cry uncontrollably in her arms, gently patting her back, "I'm fine now, aren't I—look, I'm already fine…"
Meanwhile, on the other side of Backlund.
Looking at Leonard, who was half-kneeling on the ground and breathing heavily, Klein, hidden behind his mask, showed a tired smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Flame Stream" for cover, "Flame Leap" for pulling, "Paper Figurine Substitute" for taking damage.
A fluid set of operations, coupled with various talismans issued by the Society, made a well-prepared Magician almost invincible in a direct battle against those of the same Sequence.
"Damn it!" Leonard wiped a bit of blood foam from the corner of his mouth, looking quite disheveled.
This masked guy in front of him had an extremely "dirty" fighting style, with all sorts of strange tools appearing endlessly. Moreover, the opponent seemed unusually familiar with his fighting style, every attack and dodge was extremely targeted. In a one-on-one situation, he was indeed not an opponent.
"Old man, think of a way, this guy is too difficult to deal with!"
"Old man?"
Leonard lowered his voice, anxiously asking for help from his cohabitant within him. However, no matter how he called out in his mind, the old man at this moment seemed to have completely fallen asleep, without any response, uncharacteristically remaining silent.
"No, I absolutely cannot retreat." Leonard gritted his teeth, swaying as he stood up again.
He was usually a bit lazy, but when it came to upholding the Night Church's prestige, his bones were harder than anyone else's.
Seeing Leonard's unyielding appearance, Klein clenched his fist.
Since that's the case, Leonard, I can only let you sleep for a while—
Just as he was about to make his move—
"Tap, tap, tap."
A clear and steady sound of footsteps came from a distance, instantly attracting the attention of both of them.
The moment he recognized the newcomer, Leonard's face showed uncontrollable surprise, while Klein's heart "thumped" and sank straight to the bottom.
He knew the person who came; it was none other than Crestet Cesima, the "Sword of the Goddess" who had investigated him in Tingen!
Damn it, why is he here?
Klein's mind buzzed, almost blank. He knew that this high-ranking deacon of the Church was an existence capable of contending with a Sequence 4 demigod. His appearance almost meant that he had no chance of escaping tonight.
Just as Klein was momentarily stunned, Leonard suddenly struck!
He seized this fleeting opening, suddenly bursting forth with all his strength, and lunged forward. Klein subconsciously dodged to the side, but he was still half a beat too slow.
"Bang!"
A heavy punch landed squarely on his mask.
"Crack—"
The pure white mask shattered in response, fragments scattering everywhere.
!!!
However, when Leonard saw the face beneath the mask, his subsequent attack movements also abruptly froze.
It was an ordinary face, yet with a hint of vicissitude, but it had a strange sense of familiarity.
Not good!
An alarm bell rang in Klein's heart, and he immediately raised his hand to cover his face.
"Don't struggle, you can't escape!" Leonard suppressed the surprise and doubt in his heart, roaring as he attacked again.
What to do—I really can't escape. A chill surged into his heart.
With the "Sword of the Goddess" personally present, Irin and the others would probably also be in dire straits—once I am caught, the charge of "traitor" will be completely sealed.
Being locked in Chanis Gate, never to see the light of day, would be the best outcome. It's possible I could be purified on the spot, or even made into a Sealed Artifact.
Just as Klein was frantically thinking of countermeasures and feeling his life turn bleak.
"Don't be afraid."
A low, hoarse, yet unusually gentle voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
Immediately after, a bronze-colored hand reached out from the void without warning, gently pressing on his arm.
The next second, the world before Klein's eyes instantly twisted and stretched, and he felt as if he had been pulled into a ripple of strange colors.
!!!
Watching the living target disappear before his eyes, Leonard's pupils suddenly constricted, and Cesima, who had rushed over from a distance, as well as several obscure gazes around the warehouse, all fell into a brief silence.
Luo En's eyelids fluttered a few times, and he laboriously opened a slit.
What greeted his eyes was an unfamiliar ceiling, and the air was filled with a mixed scent of books and black tea. He could feel himself lying on a sofa, covered with a thin blanket carrying a faint fragrance.
Why did he faint?
The crazy words, the crimson moonlight, the shattered glasses, and the strange worm that was spat out—these memories appeared in his mind one after another.
What he didn't know was that at that moment, the crystal monocle, the cufflink used for disguise, and the words of a certain King of Angels, combined with Fors's prayer, inadvertently formed a peculiar mystical element under specific circumstances, causing a direct impact on him.
"..—So that's what happened! That's how you two met!"
A female voice, filled with uncontrollable excitement, entered his ears, pulling Luo En back from his jumbled thoughts.
It was Fors.
"This, this is a plot that even novels can't write! It's too romantic!"
"Indeed, reality is the best Author." Fors excitedly shook Hugh's shoulder, her eyes shining as if she had discovered a treasure, "Details? Quick, tell me the specific details? This is excellent inspiration!"
The Author's instinct had completely taken over; she was just worrying about not having inspiration for her next book!
"A noble lady in distress, meeting a mysterious and powerful Beyonder during her escape. The two get to know each other through an accident, and feelings develop during their adventures—Oh my goodness, I've already thought about how to write my next book!"
"Wait, Fors, what nonsense are you talking about?!" Hugh's voice instantly rose, her cheeks flushing visibly. When it came to such matters, her skin had always been very thin.
"I knew I shouldn't have told you anything. Hmph!" Hugh feigned anger, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Hugh~" Fors drew out her tone, leaning closer to her and winking mischievously, "Are you perhaps shy?"
"Haven't you already watched over him all night? You wouldn't even go to rest when I told you to." Fors crossed her arms, continuing to tease, "He helped me, so I should be the one to watch over him."
"I invited him here; ensuring his safety is my responsibility." Hugh tried to remain calm, but her cheeks were inexplicably warm.
"Oh~ Is it really just 'responsibility'?" Fors deliberately raised her voice, smiling like a cat that had stolen fish.
"Cough cough!"
A hoarse cough suddenly came from the sofa.
"Ladies, can you please not tease in front of the person concerned?"
Luo En supported his somewhat swollen forehead and slowly sat up.
The two ladies' conversation instantly paused, and they both looked over in unison.
Good, there's nothing seriously wrong with my body. Luo En secretly checked himself; he hadn't been ambushed or tied up, which showed that these two people's character was indeed trustworthy—but are Authors' imaginations always this wild? Thinking of Fors's passionate plot idea just now, Luo En felt a wave of speechlessness.
"Um, are you okay? Is anything uncomfortable?" Hugh was the first to react, asking worriedly.
"I'm fine, but—" Luo En glanced at the slightly narrow sofa beneath him, deliberately teasing, "I helped you two so much, and you won't even let me sleep in a bed?"
"Ah—this." Luo En's sudden complaint made Hugh stutter, at a loss for what to do for a moment, "I—um—"
Just as Hugh was looking down, nervously rubbing her fingers, hesitating on how to answer, Fors, beside her, suddenly rolled her eyes and said with a smile: "Sir, may I interpret your words as you being very interested in my friend's bedroom?"
Hearing this, Luo En raised an eyebrow and glanced at Hugh, who was already so embarrassed she almost buried herself. He suddenly felt a mischievous impulse and, following Fors's words, the corner of his mouth curved slightly upward: "More or less."
"Oh~" Fors drew out her voice, making a "please" gesture, "I can take you on a tour!"
"Hey! What are you two talking about?!" Seeing the two of them, with their inexplicably husband-and-wife-like banter, Hugh finally couldn't help but let out a low growl of anger and embarrassment.
"Alright." Luo En reined in his expression and brought up the serious matter, "Are my things still here?"
"Yes." Fors handed him the playing card and the already somewhat broken monocle from the nearby coffee table.
Luo En took them and briefly inspected them. When he saw the fine cracks on the lens, his brows furrowed slightly.
He then simply asked about what happened after he fainted, then turned his gaze to Fors, saying seriously: "When did the signs of losing control on you begin? How long have you been a Beyonder, and have you digested the potion?"
"Digested?"
Fors was stunned for a moment; the word was somewhat unfamiliar to her. She subconsciously looked at Hugh, finding that the other person also had a bewildered expression.
She asked hesitantly: "—What does 'digested' mean?"
"Huh?"