Chapter 240 Comparison
When they left the Bourne family, Mrs. Bourne and her daughter accompanied them all the way to the courtyard. Seeing that the black-haired young man seemed to be about to turn around and leave, Lina finally couldn't help but call out to him: "Mr. Nova!"
The pair of cold, smoky-gray eyes looked at her, seemingly not at all surprised that her identity was exposed. The girl mustered up her courage and stuffed the newspaper tightly clenched in her hand into the other person's arms.
"You, you have to be careful!" she stammered. "By tomorrow morning, everyone in Harvest Town will probably know that you've escaped from the Inquisition and are wanted by the Silver Iris Empire..."
The more she spoke, the softer her voice got. Finally, she couldn't help crying: "I almost reported you... Wuuuu... but you saved me and my mother... I really..."
"...This isn't your fault." The professor's expression stiffened, and he couldn't help but lean back slightly. Strictly speaking, the Bourne mother and daughter were completely implicated by him; otherwise, how could they have suffered such an unprovoked disaster?
"Miss Bourne, you did nothing wrong." Azuka on the side sighed slightly and said gently. He took a step forward and waved his slender fingers in front of the people. The two of them suddenly became dazed, their eyes unfocused, and stood there in a daze.
The savior's voice was gentle and clear, flowing softly in the night: "Lina, the potion finally worked. Mom's health gradually improved after drinking the medicine... It's really a blessing, isn't it?"
A happy smile gradually appeared on Lina's face.
Azuka suddenly felt something in his palm, someone silently poking his waist. He remained calm, grabbing the restless paw with his backhand and continuing his spell. "I'm so happy you found some money in the pocket of the uniform Ms. Walter gave you. It seems that mysterious gentleman returned the money to you. He's such a good man... Unfortunately, this may be the last time you see him. You decided to keep this secret deep in your heart and tell no one."
After putting the purse in the girl's hand, he looked at Mrs. Bourne, who was also in a trance. "As for you... you were in a coma tonight, having many nightmares, but you couldn't remember anything until the next morning - you were very happy to see your daughter's face."
With a crisp snap of their fingers, Lina and Mrs. Bourne turned around and walked back into the house in a daze. The professor narrowed his eyes slightly and saw the savior mutter something in Mrs. Bourne's direction. When he saw her looking over, the blond young man smiled slightly, but the smile was not yet in his eyes. "Don't worry, it won't hurt - it's just a small gift for reciprocity."
When they returned to the inn with the crumpled newspaper, Jophiel Yialos was still awake. The knight sat upright in a chair in the center of the room. When he heard the door lock click, he slowly raised his eyes.
These days, he was restricted to his room, unable to even leave. However, the rebel leader kept his word and generously provided the captive with food and medicine. After a few days, regardless of the hidden injuries, he looked no different from before, except for his missing right arm.
Azuka glanced at him calmly, took the professor's coat, straightened it carefully and put it on his arm. Yialos was used to this and didn't even blink.
These days, after witnessing with his own eyes a series of horrifying actions such as the gods tying ties for humans, rolling up their sleeves, and even speaking respectfully and taking care of the mushrooms that they picked out from their plates, he had been completely numb from the shock.
However, the guy who was so favored by the gods looked completely clueless, and it couldn't even be said that he was arrogant. He just accepted it all as a matter of course, intimately and naturally, like a cat lying on the human's thighs, having its fur stroked so smoothly that it purred in comfort - as if the person next to him was not a terrifying god, but a warm and comfortable cat bed covered with cat fur.
...But it is true. After all, he was the theologian who first proposed the theory that "God is human". In this way, he can be said to have unified knowledge and action.
The guy he was criticizing took up the soft sofa, took out the crumpled newspaper from his arms and put it on the table.
"I'm on the empire's wanted list." The black-haired young man announced calmly, but Yialos felt inexplicably excited when he heard it.
He glanced at the number calmly - it wasn't too much. It seemed that Her Majesty the Queen was indeed in deep trouble, so she had not been able to persuade those old foxes to pay more attention to the western part of the empire.
"I'm curious," those smoky gray eyes stared at him unblinkingly, "according to your internal wanted list, what's the approximate bounty on Ole Asaqi?"
"About five times yours," Yialos said coldly. He paused, then inexplicably explained, "Because you're an ordinary person, and he's a sorcerer close to becoming a saint. Aside from rebellious nobles or royals, the Empire rarely issues wanted notices for ordinary people. So, by that calculation, you're at least among the best among ordinary people."
The professor hummed calmly, and no one knew what he was thinking.
"...Ten minutes before you returned, the innkeeper and some people found an excuse to knock on my door." The knight suddenly spoke again: "He asked me when my 'companion' would be back. You have been discovered, 'Mr. Nova'."
The black-haired young man blinked slowly: "Oh."
"You don't look surprised at all." Yialos looked at his expression carefully - no fluctuation, as if everything was within the other party's calculations.
...But since Jolini Bateman returned to the royal city, these are all things that can be speculated.
"I'm surprised you didn't expose me as the 'Ghost', but instead just issued a ridiculous warrant to get by, while also secretly undermining the Vatican." The professor snorted and replied nonchalantly, "Why? Are you afraid of admitting another defeat at the hands of the same person, or are you worried someone might flee to Port Morris?"
...What an arrogant fellow. The Knight Commander snorted coldly, "Perhaps even without the call of the 'Ghost', those fools hungry for bounty will flock to me on their own?"
The guy didn't get angry, just leaning lazily against the back of the sofa. The god was standing behind him, one hand on the back of the sofa, his fingertips gently entwining the short hair on the other's neck, an intimate but implicitly controlling gesture.
"I won't test human nature, because it's meaningless." Nova said calmly: "The reason for increasing the risk is just to prove that human nature is greedy and selfish. You are the ones who are arrogant and foolish."
"What's more, I have a god beside me. I can bully others with my power. What do I have to fear?" He suddenly twitched his lips, revealing a rather vicious and arrogant expression. "Shouldn't you understand this best, Your Excellency the Knight Commander?"
Yialos: “…”
This man was a master at irritating people; even he couldn't help but feel his brow throb. The blond god's gaze softened, even to the point of doting, a sense of pride and honor that made one's teeth ache.
The rebel leader scolded him and left. Although Yialos vaguely knew that this person must have other motives, it now seemed as if he had suddenly come to annoy him on a whim before going to bed.
He lay back on the bed, lying on his back as he had for decades, staring at the ceiling. His hands should have been placed on his abdomen, but this posture reminded him all the time that he had lost his right arm that held the gun - he was now almost useless.
Her Majesty the Queen was deeply tormented by the God of Love. Although the other party did not allow him to intervene, a sharp-eyed person like Ialos could still see the clues.
Jophiel Yialos, Knight Commander of the Kite Heart Guards, the sharpest and most loyal spear in His Majesty's hand. Yet, he never shared his rebellious thoughts with anyone, not even His Majesty.
After all, that was a god, Ialos repeatedly admonished himself, gods were always like this and must not be disrespected - the goddess representing lust was even more famous for her passion for teasing humans, making them deeply experience the pain and madness of love.
And the other party is not even considered cruel among the gods.
...But even after just a few days together, this god could still see that the other party was completely different from the goddess of love, Analene.
For example, when dealing with ordinary people—even those who were not rebel leaders and could be crushed to death with a flick of the finger—they were always gentle and polite. For example, when it came to the trivialities of life, the gods always maintained human habits, even doing everything themselves, without the slightest airs. Furthermore, they respected their opponents, showed mercy to the weak, and upheld justice...
Rather than the god he imagined, he seemed more like the perfect hero and savior of the bards' stories. Strong individuals are not rare, but those so powerful yet maintaining moral vigilance and self-control are rarer. Yialos couldn't help but wonder, if gods weren't inherently cruel and capricious—then why would he allow the god of love to torture his majesty, for whom he had sworn his life?
The god whom he praised sincerely hugged the person tightly as soon as he returned to his room, and sniffed the neck of the person in his arms deeply.
"I like the way you 'take advantage of your power'." He sighed, resisting the urge to hug her tighter, preferably burying himself deep in her vulnerable belly and rubbing hard, and leaned over to kiss her between the eyebrows: "So cute - I want to fuck you so much."
professor:"……"
By the way, isn't this guy's way of praising people becoming more and more wrong?
"No, rejected." He perfunctorily kissed the side of the savior's cheek, then coldly and ruthlessly pushed away that gentle and beautiful face that was completely unexpected to say such obscene nonsense: "I have something to do tomorrow, so I'll have to trouble you to cast a confusion spell tonight to prevent anyone from coming to the hotel to cause trouble - damn it!"
He suddenly retracted his hand, covering the finger that was bitten lightly through the glove, and glared at the innocent-looking savior: "What's wrong with you that you keep biting me - where did your mysophobia go?!"
The guy winked at him and said, "You mean, if I take off my gloves, I can continue?"
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