Chapter 003: Affection

Tasia watched Du Fan’s expression, growing more and more puzzled. But seeing his serious look, she didn’t dare say much. Instead, she imitated him and quietly poked her head out to peek.

In the silent ancient city at the bottom of the cave, faint wind sounds could be heard from afar. At such moments, even the sound of a needle falling to the ground could be clearly heard.

A rapid breathing sound approached from afar, as if someone was trying hard to avoid something.

Du Fan’s ears twitched suddenly. He took a deep breath and whispered, “They’re here!”

Tasia nodded slightly. By now, the sound was getting closer—almost audible even to a deaf person. Yet Du Fan’s sudden remark carried an odd tone.

The constant light from above shone into the ancient city, but the old warehouse where Du Fan and Tasia were located was extremely dark due to its sealed surroundings.

Suddenly, the breathing stopped, followed by a muffled scream. Then there was a loud crash as something fell from the top of the warehouse, lighting up the interior instantly.

Tasia struggled to adjust to the brightness, but when she saw what was in front of her, she almost screamed.

Fortunately, Du Fan was prepared. Seeing her reaction, he quickly covered her mouth with his right hand.

Tasia looked shocked and uncertain. After a moment, she calmed down and stared at the corpse that had shattered the warehouse’s roof, unable to speak for a while.

She turned to look at Du Fan, who was staring intently at the corpse. After a pause, he let out a cold laugh.

The corpse that had fallen in from outside was already dead. Though its condition was gruesome, Du Fan and Tasia immediately recognized it—it was one of the four remaining Temple Knights.

Tasia finally calmed down. Pointing at the corpse, she whispered, “He… how could he be here? Could it be Aldas?”

Du Fan sneered coldly, his smile carrying a mix of emotions. Many things he had never been able to understand suddenly became clear to him. He glanced at Tasia and said calmly, “Oldas? Oldas probably can’t make it here right now. But as for who he is, I think you’ll find out soon enough… However… Miss Tasia, don’t make a sound later, or once that Temple Knight shows up, it will definitely be our end.”

A strange feeling surged in Tasia’s heart. Facing Du Fan’s eyes that seemed to see through everything, she nodded slightly, as if she had guessed something.

At that moment, two more figures rushed in through the gap at the top of the warehouse. Tasia took a look and was stunned, almost falling to the ground. Du Fan quickly supported her and whispered in her ear, “Watch. Don’t say anything. Don’t do anything… Just watch… that’s enough…”

One of the suddenly appeared men, who was taller, walked over to the corpse, took a look, then turned with a smile and said, “Lord Nicholas… It seems this guy is dead for sure. Only one is left. Once we take care of him, our plan will be foolproof.”

As he spoke, the light shone on him—could it be anyone but Alfred? Although Du Fan had already guessed somewhat earlier, confirming their identities now made him sigh again. He glanced down at Tasia; she was completely frozen. Facing this situation, she could probably guess what had happened, but perhaps deep down, she still didn’t want to believe it.

Nicholas nodded slightly. After scanning the warehouse a few times, he walked up to the corpse, waved his hand, and a holy flame burst into flames. In less than a moment, the bloody corpse was reduced to ashes. Nicholas folded his hands in front of his chest and prayed for a while before saying, “Child, may you return to the Lord’s embrace.”

Seeing Nicholas’s actions, Alfred’s eyebrows raised. He said, “Nicholas, how many times have I told you? These people are dead—what does it matter? Why waste your divine power? You know, if we fail to complete this mission, everything will be ruined.”

Nicholas shook his head and suddenly gave a bitter smile. “These children trust us… yet we betrayed them, betrayed their faith… If I can’t even do this for them in the end… I won’t be able to sleep peacefully.” As he spoke, a hint of sorrow appeared on Nicholas’s face, as if he were a grieving young wife. Alfred, seeing his state, showed a rare expression of pity. He put his arms around Nicholas’s waist and said softly, “Dear Nick, I know you’re tired… but there’s nothing we can do about it, right?… Ever since… ever since those bastards from Roland Academy found out about us… how many things have we been forced to do? If we don’t do them, will things turn out any better? One mistake… and it leads to more mistakes…” Nicholas turned to look at Alfred, his eyes seemingly filled with passion. With another sigh, he suddenly stood on tiptoes and kissed Alfred’s cheek with his soft lips. “De… I’m so tired today… So tired… How about we spare Ferre for now? It’s not hard to kill him anyway—let him live one more day… Shall we act tomorrow?” Alfred hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Okay… Then wait for me here… I’ll go get something so we can spend the night here.” Nicholas nodded gently and kissed Alfred’s forehead. “Come back soon…” At this moment, Saint Nicholas no longer resembled a saint at all; he was as delicate as a woman, almost as if he were about to hold a child and nurse it. Alfred, kissed by him, looked extremely happy. He planted a kiss on Nicholas’s neck and then said softly, “I’ll be right back…” After saying that, the two exchanged reluctant glances for a moment before Alfred quickly left through the gap at the top of the warehouse. Nicholas watched as he left, touching his kissed neck. With a long sigh, he stood there like a watchful stone. Du Fan and Tasia were both stunned. If seeing Nicholas and Alfred chasing after the Temple Knights had already shocked them greatly, what happened next was simply unacceptable.

Du Fan was somewhat better off. In the world of his past life, such culture was still popular in some countries, so he wasn’t completely shocked. He just remembered the look on Nicholas’s face when they first met—like that of a submissive partner—and couldn’t help but think to himself: This guy… is really a submissive… This… this… it’s so damn homoerotic…

But Tasia couldn’t take it. Although some corrupt nobles in the capital occasionally engaged in such things, she had never seen anything like it before. Moreover, it happened to Saint Nicholas and Alfred—the shock it caused her was beyond description. She was completely frozen, unable even to scream.

If it weren’t for Du Fan supporting her, she probably wouldn’t have known how many times she had collapsed.

Nicholas gazed deeply at the spot where Alfred had disappeared for a moment before finally turning away. He sat down casually but couldn’t help looking up at the ceiling. His gaze was unfocused, unclear what he was seeing, but after a long while, he sighed deeply: “Life… is truly as lonely as snow… Alfred… Alfred… Can’t you understand my heart? All I want is to be with you… not like this now…”

Time passed in this way. The light coming from outside seemed to dim slightly, as if even inside this cave, the days and nights changed just like outside.

When Alfred reappeared, he was carrying several bundles of rotten firewood.

Seeing Nicholas’s state, he quickly threw the firewood aside and went to support him. “Ni, what’s wrong?”

Nicholas shook his head slightly. “De… I just… I just… Never mind… You’d better get ready… I’m tired too. I want to rest…”

Although Alfred didn’t understand why his dear Ni had suddenly changed like this, he quickly piled the firewood together and struck a match, creating a small flame.

After doing all this, Alfred walked over to Nicholas and sat down, then simply picked him up and leaned in to kiss him.

But Nicholas suddenly turned aside. “De… don’t…”

Alfred was momentarily stunned, but he didn’t force Nicholas. Instead, he said softly, “Ni… what’s really wrong with you today?”