Why is the Holy Son So Delicate?

Chapter 43

Inside the city of Atna, as the recent onslaught of monsters grew weaker and less frequent, the lives of the city’s residents gradually returned to normal.

In a concealed residence, within a dark underground chamber, six individuals dressed in black robes were gathered around a large magical circle. They were fervently and mysteriously performing a dance, invoking dark rituals.

“Ah, darkness, you are the beginning of all. At the dawn of creation, darkness shrouded the land, and within your embrace, all things were conceived.”

Yes, they were the most devout followers of the Dark Cult!

Their Bishop was named Patrick, and he was leading his disciples in a prayer to the Dark God, beseeching for His arrival to allow the forces of darkness to again dominate the continent!

Nowadays, various religions thrive across the entire continent, but the most influential was the Light Faith, while the Dark Cult was withering away.

Furthermore, the Dark Cult had always been despised by others, which fueled the fiery heart of Patrick.

Not long ago, the Son of Light and his followers came to Atna City, causing the Dark Cultists in the city to secretly go into hiding. They watched from the shadows as the Son of Light was warmly welcomed and basked in glory, which left them bitter with envy.

In this jealous state, Patrick began to pray to the Dark God, seeking a response fervently.

About three days ago, Patrick had indeed received a divine oracle, which greatly uplifted his spirit.

The Dark God had said that he would send a messenger to the mortal realm and that Patrick should obey the messenger’s commands.

Today, what Patrick and his followers were doing was to summon the messenger of the Dark God. They had meticulously prepared a magical circle, allowing the power of darkness to fill the entire underground chamber. Then, they began to dance devoutly.

Each middle-aged man, with slightly closed eyes, danced with ecstasy. The magic circle on the ground gradually emanated a deep purple color. Eventually, the power of darkness erupted, and an enchanting figure with red hair and purple eyes sensually materialized within the magical circle.

The moment he appeared, the devout followers of the Dark God gazed at him with infatuated expressions. They involuntarily slowed their movements, and their eyes were filled with greed.

The seductive figure, a handsome man, smiled indifferently and said, “Devout followers, have you summoned me?”

“Yes, my Lord Messenger!”

Patrick and the others were awakened and quickly prostrated themselves before the seductive figure, exclaiming loudly, “Please lead us to let the power of darkness rule the world!”

“Of course, I will lead you all properly,” replied the enchanting figure.

He gracefully stepped out of the magical circle, snatched Patrick’s black robe, draped it over himself, and proudly revealed his bare chest, exuding a sensual allure. His eyes carried mockery and contempt.

In his mind, he cursed these fools. What nonsense about the Dark God? If they were so devout, they couldn’t blame him, Succubus Xetis, for taking advantage of them!

Within a short half-day, under Xetis’s seduction, Patrick and his followers saw Xetis as their master and even gave him the title of the Dark Son, emulating the Light Faith’s practices.

Xetis smirked, biting his red nails, and issued a command, “My devout followers, now it’s time to embark on our first task!”

“Please give your orders!”

Xetis, with ambitious eyes, gazed out of the window toward the location of Prince Harry in the Atna City government. He thought, ‘What’s the point of playing with these broke and bankrupt Dark Cultists? If I’m going to play, it should be with rich and handsome royal princes.’ With a clenched fist, Xetis envisioned a beautiful future for himself:

He would enchant Harry, then his other brothers, seduce the king, and finally make the entire Kingdom of Sumeragada his playground!

In the vibrant sapphire forest, a group led by Lucifer was leisurely riding horses toward Atna City.

During a rest stop, Lucifer and Pei Xia were preparing to distribute Life Fruits. However, they only had five fruits, and there were eight people in the group, making it difficult to divide them.

Sir Buck and other knights attempted to refuse Lucifer’s gift, saying, “Holy Son, these are rewards from the Elf Queen for your bravery and valor. You and the captain risked your lives for them. We haven’t done much, so we can’t accept them.”

Beta and the others chimed in, “Exactly, we haven’t had much screen time. Please, Holy Son and the captain, keep them.”

Several holy knights vehemently refused. Pei Xia, who wasn’t very eloquent, had spent most of his life practicing flattery, and this was the time he was most eloquent in his life. He turned to Lucifer for help, seeking his guidance, and said, “Holy Son, what do you think?”

Lucifer patted his shoulder and said with a smile, “The Fruit of Life has great benefits for cultivation, but for me, the extent of improvement is limited. I believe it won’t be wasted in the right hands. Here’s the plan: Buck, the six of you will split three fruits, and the remaining two belong to Pei Xia. What do you think?”

Buck and the others replied, “Of course, Your Holiness, you are truly wise!”

Pei Xia was surprised and said, “Your Holiness, is this really appropriate?”

“Alright, Pei Xia, just follow my lead,” Lucifer said, patting his shoulder. He furrowed his brow slightly, adopting a more serious expression. “Do you want to defy orders, Pei Xia?”

Pei Xia scratched his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “Of course not.”

Thanks to Lucifer’s insistence, the distribution of the Fruit of Life was carried out according to his plan. With the most significant trouble of their journey resolved, they didn’t hurry back. Instead, they found a safe place and, under Lucifer’s guidance, began to consume and absorb the Fruit of Life.

Pei Xia didn’t join them; he felt that the Sapphire Forest might still not be safe. If all the Holy Knights were engaged in cultivation, who would protect Lucifer?

So, for now, he put the fruits into a box and placed them in the saddlebag on his horse. Then, he stood guard beside Lucifer.

In their idle moments, Pei Xia couldn’t help but ask Lucifer a question, “Your Holiness, do you think we’ve completely eradicated all the demons?”

Lucifer, now dressed in clean clothes, sat by the campfire and shook his head, “Even before we entered the underground kingdom of the Dark Elves, some demons had already broken free and come to the city of Atna. Besides the Blackheart Demon, there might be other demons out there.”

Pei Xia, a mix of fear and sighs, said, “The Dark Elf King is truly insane. I thought the Elves would never join forces with demons.”

Lucifer smiled and said, “Elves are just one of the many races on this continent. And like all races, they have their desires and flaws. Thousands of years ago, the Dark Elves were driven underground due to conflicts between the two races. Even though the Elves are more noble and proud, don’t forget that pride is a sin.”

Pei Xia enthusiastically applauded, not fully comprehending but feeling it sounded impressive. “You’re absolutely right!”

“I wonder how the Forest Elves will treat the Dark Elves,” Pei Xia pondered, his curiosity piqued.

“Don’t worry, with the wisdom of the Elf Queen, she won’t act recklessly.”

The Dark Elf King certainly won’t die, but what price they’ll pay is uncertain.

Afterward, the Holy Knights who had consumed half a fruit gradually awakened from their meditation, each bursting with an aura as if they had leveled up.

Pei Xia watched with great excitement, eager to return to Atna City and level up himself.

So, the group mounted their horses again and headed towards Atna City.

About seven days later, they finally arrived at the outskirts of Atna City. Amidst the welcome from the people, Lucifer and his companions went to the accommodations arranged by the authorities.

The original camp had been dismantled and was no longer suitable for esteemed guests, so they were arranged in an elegant courtyard near the government building.

As they approached, Lucifer glanced at the nearby government building and then turned to Pei Xia with a smile, saying, “Pei Xia, since we’re already here, and this place lacks a Church of the Light, why don’t we stay here for a few more days and spread the teachings to the people?”

One of the purposes of their journey across the continent was to spread the light throughout the land. Pei Xia naturally had no objections to this suggestion, so they decided to stay a few more days.

On the first day, they reported on the situation in the Sapphire Forest to the governor. They had initially planned to rest for a day, but there were just too many visitors. They included officials, wealthy individuals, and even some enthusiastic commoners who came bearing gifts, filling the courtyard to the brim.

Lucifer, during his time in Atna City, had unconsciously developed a group of devoted fans.

Being approachable, he didn’t turn people away when they arrived. He even invited in the commoners who were shy and self-conscious, hesitant to approach the noble gentlemen, and preferred to watch from outside the courtyard.

In the end, they simply opened the gates wide, as the courtyard couldn’t contain so many people.

Lucifer spoke to them about the doctrine of the Light among the crowd.

Pei Xia felt a pang of pity; Lucifer had been tired for a long time and had talked for quite a while. His throat was almost dry, so he brewed a pot of black tea and handed it to Lucifer during a break.

“Your Holiness, please have some water to moisten your throat.”

“Sweet?” Lucifer didn’t suspect anything and took a sip before realizing the tea was sweet.

Pei Xia said, “I added honey to it to soothe your throat.”

The pure-hearted Holy Son, sitting in the midst of the crowd, looked at his black-haired knight, deepening his standard smile and beaming at him. “Thank you.”

The crowd erupted in cheers because Lucifer’s smile was simply too beautiful.

As for Pei Xia, he involuntarily became the focus of everyone’s attention, and they curiously chatted and discussed with those around them, wondering what was special about the black-haired Holy Knight that made the Holy Son treat him so specially.

It seemed that he was the knight who had previously fought alongside the Holy Son to defeat the Blackheart Demon.

“Ah, now I understand!”

“What is it? I want to hear too.”

Pei Xia felt a bit awkward under their gaze, his face blushing. He wanted to retreat to a less conspicuous corner.

But when he tried to move, Lucifer disagreed and held his wrist. Those eyes, as clear and beautiful as the sky, were even more translucent than crystal. He looked at Pei Xia and said, “Pei Xia, can you do me a favor?”

“Of course, Your Holiness,” Pei Xia quickly replied.

Lucifer smiled and said in a cheerful tone, “I’m a bit tired. Can you help me teach everyone the ‘Book of Light’?”

Pei Xia cleared his throat and said, “Certainly, Your Holiness!”

To uphold the image of the Church of the Light and Lucifer, the black-haired Holy Knight straightened his back, took a deep breath, and faced the endless crowd. With a clear voice, he began reciting.

“Ah, Light, you are the beginning of all things. At the dawn of creation…”

As the young man got into the flow, the crowd gradually fell silent. In the end, only the sound of Pei Xia reciting the Book of Light echoed in the courtyard. Everyone watched Lucifer and Pei Xia in the center, their faces unconsciously displaying smiles and longing.

As the final syllable fell, Pei Xia nervously pursed his dry lips.

Clap, clap, clap.

In the quiet courtyard, the first sound was Lucifer applauding, followed by sporadic applause that eventually merged into continuous applause. Everyone in the courtyard began to clap.

Pei Xia’s face turned bright red, feeling incredibly embarrassed. He couldn’t help but wonder why reciting a scripture made it seem like he had accomplished something remarkable.

Moreover, the gazes of the people looking at him were filled with encouragement:

“Sir Knight, you must protect His Holiness well!”

“Sir Knight, go for it! I’ll bless you!”

“Since it’s His Holiness’s choice, I’ll definitely support you!!!”

Pei Xia: ‘Why does this feel so strange?’