True Immortal Heart-Chapter 31: Elias Felt Awkward

Noticing Elias beginning to pay attention to her, Viper didn’t panic. After all, in her memory, she was supposed to be the victim here.

"Are you talking nonsense? If something had happened to me, would I even be here talking to you?" she replied.

Seraphine, upon hearing that, immediately felt a deep sense of unease. These two cared about each other this much? Could there be something special going on between them?

If the woman was a lover, Seraphine didn’t believe it—she knew Elias loved her deeply. But what if the girl was a relative? Wouldn’t that mean she’d just done something incredibly stupid?

The more she thought about it, the more chaotic her mind became. Her embrace grew even tighter.

Elias, sensing that, gently patted her head and smiled.

"Are you alright? Don’t worry about anything. I’m here now, and I’ll take care of everything for you."

He said that, then turned away from her, scratching his head awkwardly.

"Haha... my bad. I shouldn’t have asked that. But still, why didn’t that guy hurt you?" he asked, though a strange feeling had already begun to creep into his heart.

A serial killer acting that docile? Even if someone beat him to death, he wouldn’t believe that the man had suddenly felt compassion upon meeting Viper.

"What kind of cop have you become exactly? Don’t you remember there were two other people in my car? If you had provoked him back then, he might’ve killed me. But if he saw a chance to live, why would he act recklessly? Even if he looks like some dumb, mentally unstable lunatic, he still knows how to stay alive," she scolded Elias.

She mainly scolded him for fun, but part of it was also revenge—revenge for how he almost made her lose that ’encyclopedia’.

’What the hell? Why’s she yelling at me too? What did I even do wrong? What’s her problem, insulting me like that?’

Dusk’s lips twitched uncontrollably. He didn’t understand why she suddenly cursed at him for no reason.

Elias scratched his head sheepishly, realizing he’d been rushing around without giving anything much thought.

She wasn’t wrong. If the criminal wanted to survive, there was no reason for him to recklessly risk everything just to kill another person.

From the information Elias had received, Dusk was the type who only targeted weak individuals to kill, so in his eyes, the perpetrator was clearly a coward.

"It was my fault. The important thing is that you’re safe. We’ll track down the criminal as quickly as possible so the people can feel at ease."

Elias stood straight, placing a hand over his chest, speaking as though he were making the most solemn vow of his life.

At that moment, his gaze happened to fall upon Dusk—a masked man who instantly triggered Elias’s intuition.

He furrowed his brow, staring at Dusk as if he believed the man might be a criminal.

"You there. Why are you wearing a mask?"

Before Dusk could reply, Viper wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him to her side. Smiling, she answered for him.

"He’s my personal bodyguard. I went out earlier and forgot to bring him along, and then I ran into trouble. That made me feel really uneasy, so I called him to come stay by my side. He’s someone my father raised since childhood. He has severe social anxiety and uses the mask to hide himself from the world. But don’t worry—he’s a good man. He’s been with me for a long time, and I can vouch for him."

Hearing her words, Elias found himself more inclined to believe than to doubt. After all, in his eyes, she was just a poor victim.

"I’m sorry. That criminal’s had me so paranoid lately. Clearly, you’re the victim here, and I didn’t realize he was one of the good guys. My apologies."

Elias scratched his head awkwardly as he offered his apology.

Strangely enough, his intuition—so sharp just moments ago—completely shut off. Otherwise, he might have secretly followed Dusk later on.

Meanwhile, Seraphine was growing more and more baffled by how things were unfolding. She had called Elias here to get justice for her, but... why did this feel more like a meeting between a police officer and a victim?

"Hey, Elias! Don’t you remember why I called you here? They brought people to bully me!" she cried, nearly in tears.

After settling the situation, Elias once again became the most devoted lover in the world. He pulled her into his arms and turned to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, could we all take a moment to explain things clearly? We are civilized people, after all—shouldn’t we handle matters with reason and decorum?"

With those words, he bestowed upon them a compliment, subtly elevating their social standing. By calling them "civilized," he hoped to flatter them into behaving more rationally.

Still, one glance at this group of burly men was enough for Elias to doubt their intellectual credentials.

He worried that if things went south, a brawl might erupt right then and there—and there was no way he could handle such a crowd on his own.

Sure, he had a gun, but his professional ethics didn’t allow him to draw a weapon on civilians. That would go against the very justice he had always upheld.

Before Viper’s men could say anything, Seraphine’s mother suddenly stepped in.

"You people might not know this, but young Elias here is the son of the police commissioner of Blackreach. You’d best be on your best behavior, or the consequences could be quite... severe."

At those words, Elias’s expression tightened. He hated when officials used their power to pressure common people.

But... she was the mother of the woman he loved. For the moment, he found himself caught in a difficult position.

"This matter is quite simple, actually," Viper said gently. "According to Aldric, we’re here to help him uphold the engagement and prevent his family from being bullied. Whether the engagement is real or not—would you be willing to help us verify that, Officer?"

Her tone was soft, but her words cut like a blade, aimed directly at Elias’s heart.

With just a glance, he could tell there was more than an 80% chance the documents were genuine.

But if that were the case... wouldn’t that mean he’d have to step aside and hand over the woman he loved?

Unacceptable!

In his heart, she was second only to justice itself. There was no way he would allow anyone to take her from him.