Lu Xin ran back to Morning Breeze Town with the honey jar in his arms. Did he feel any fear or regret about what he had just done?
The answer was no.
Just like how he had wondered in the forest why he hadn’t encountered any monsters, Lu Xin wouldn’t let the unknown affect his mood.
At worst, he could make Ailya the cake and then run away. If Ailya was willing to run away with him, he’d take her along.
Once he was strong enough, he wouldn’t need to fear these knights anyway.
Meanwhile, over with Jack, the few of them had washed the sticky honey off their faces with clean water. Each of them wore a grim expression.
“Damn it. Let’s go kill that brat right now.”
Jack spoke viciously. Anyone who dared to attack members of the Knight Order—they had to make an example of these ignorant commoners in the border town.
But that was all they could do—think about it. On the way, they ran headfirst into several members of the Knight Order.
“Are you the ones in charge of surveying the forest?”
Faced with their inquiry, Jack didn’t dare show any displeasure and quickly replied.
“Fall in behind us. The squad responsible for surveying the eastern district was attacked by monsters. We’re heading to rescue them now.”
“This… but…”
“Hm?”
Since the others were on horseback, Jack had to look up at them. After hesitating for a moment, he said:
“Just now, there was a civilian. He came out of the forest and… and attacked us. We were planning to—”
“Attacked by a civilian?”
Hearing Jack’s words, the several knights on horseback exchanged glances and laughed out loud without any restraint.
It was obvious they didn’t believe what Jack was saying. They even thought it was just a cowardly excuse to avoid facing monsters.
“Enough talk, you cowards. Fall in.”
Without waiting for Jack and his two companions to say more, they spurred their horses and rushed into the Misty Forest.
Jack glanced at the two men beside him and could only follow timidly.
After all, they were only knights temporarily assigned to the ‘Iron Wall Rose’ under orders, while those few just now were Audrey’s trusted aides.
The ‘Iron Wall Rose’ was one of the elite forces of the Delk Kingdom. Even their weakest warrior was at Tier 4.
So these knights under Audrey’s command always treated them like errand boys, bossing them around as they pleased, but they didn’t dare complain.
Ailya propped her slender hands on the wooden fence, staring blankly at the small path leading to the Misty Forest.
She had been watching ever since Lu Xin left in the morning. If he wasn’t back by afternoon, she planned to go look for him.
When she spotted a small dark figure in the distance, Ailya’s amber eyes seemed to light up, widening instantly.
She trotted over to Lu Xin, her long red hair swaying freely behind her.
“Wow, you’re so slow coming back.”
“Honestly, if you hadn’t come back by now, I was about to go find you.”
“Did you run into any monsters? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Watching Ailya circle around him, Lu Xin couldn’t get a word in edgewise and could only smile helplessly.
After confirming that Lu Xin was missing no arms or legs, Ailya finally walked side by side with him.
She tilted her head and looked at the honey jar Lu Xin was holding. Her red lips had already formed a small ‘O’ shape.
After giving a little sniff with her nose to catch the scent, Ailya’s tears practically started leaking from the corner of her mouth.
“Mmm… I can’t take it. It’s tempting me.”
Ailya grabbed Lu Xin’s arm, blinking her eyes at him, and flashed a grin showing her little fangs.
“Lu Xin, can I try a little first? Just a little.”
Feeling his arm sink into a soft, comfortable place, Lu Xin’s body trembled slightly.
‘I can’t take it. It’s tempting me.’
Lu Xin didn’t pull his arm away. This was what he deserved after working so hard all day. What was wrong with that?
After clearing his throat, Lu Xin nodded. “Sure, you little glutton, as long as you don’t eat it all.”
“Hehe, I knew Lu Xin was the best.”
Ailya giggled, took the honey jar, and took a taste right away, her cheeks puffing out.
A bit of honey seeped out and smeared on her red lips, glistening under the sunlight.
Watching this scene, Lu Xin suddenly had a question. After taking a bite like that, wouldn’t Ailya find it cloyingly sweet?
He knew Ailya could eat a lot—abnormally a lot, even—but this once again refreshed Lu Xin’s understanding of her.
Shaking off his thoughts, Lu Xin figured he should tell Ailya about the friction with the knights.
When she heard that the knights had picked a fight with Lu Xin on his way back, Ailya’s movements as she ate the honey paused slightly.
A flicker of coldness flashed in her eyes, along with a possessiveness over something.
Lu Xin only noticed her pause in movement but didn’t catch that look in her eyes just now.
He thought Ailya was worried for him. For a kind and gentle… dancer who could throw a knife for self-defense, the status of knights was still quite high.
But before he could bring up his plan to run away, Ailya spoke up.
“It’s fine. We haven’t done anything wrong.”
“If they really come after you for such a trivial matter, I’ll protect you then.”
Ailya turned her head, smiling warmly at the young man before her. A bit of honey was still smudged on the tip of her nose.
Lu Xin sighed inwardly. ‘She really gets it everywhere, huh.’
“Haha, is that so? Well then, you protect me. If danger comes, I’ll run first.”
“No problem, but—”
“But?”
“I want payment too.”
“Payment?”
“Mm-hmm. Payment is honey cake. From now on, I’ll protect you, and you’ll make me cake. And also…”
Lu Xin walked along, casting a sidelong glance at Ailya beside him, but she trailed off, her face starting to turn red.
“And what?”
“Uh… forget it. I’ll tell you later. You’ll just owe me one for now.”
Lu Xin: “???”
Ignoring Lu Xin’s confused expression, Ailya buried her head and got back to devouring the honey, practically wanting to put the jar lid over her face to block Lu Xin’s view.
The process of making the honey cake went much smoother than Lu Xin had imagined.
[Precise Temperature Control] kept the oven’s temperature perfectly within the ideal range, and [Liquid Manipulation] blended the batter and honey together flawlessly.
Really, the most dangerous step was when Ailya almost drank all the honey on the way back.
But luckily, Lu Xin managed to save just enough for the cake.
When the golden cake was taken out of the simple oven, the entire courtyard was filled with a sweet, rich aroma.
Ailya was lying by the table, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the cake, saliva practically dripping onto the table.
“Can I eat it now?”
“Wait a bit longer. Let it cool so you don’t burn yourself.”
“But I’m not afraid of heat.” Ailya protested, but she obediently didn’t reach out.
Watching her like this, Lu Xin felt satisfied himself.
Thinking about it, he had been here for almost half a month. From the very beginning, when even a slime could step on him, to now barely managing to stand on his own.
He even had a friend like Ailya. Sure, she was a little strange, but at least she was sincere.
But thinking about the friction with the knights, Lu Xin couldn’t help but feel frustrated about his lack of strength.
Then again, speaking of the knights, it suddenly hit him—why hadn’t those three come to get revenge?
Could it be… they had a change of heart?
Thanks for the chapter!