[You have reached Level 5!]

[Gained 20 Bonus Attribute Points]

[Sin Energy +10]

Name: Luka de Babylon

Age: 19

Race: Fallen - Stage One (Metamorphosis)

Level: 6

Class: Lord of Sin (Candidate)

[Combat Attributes]

Strength: 32

Endurance: 22 -> 30

Dexterity: 22 (+2) -> 32 (+2)

Agility: 20 -> 22

Willpower: 27 (-3)

[Extra Attributes]

Charm: 38

Corruption: 122

Bonus Points: 0

Desire: 210/1000

Sin Energy: 390/390

————

Luka stood at the edge of the forest, staring at the fifteen wild goblins impaled with arrows, easily brought down by their preemptive strike.

"Good work, Vaun."

He turned back to the master archer, squatting above him in the trees.

Her light frame was able to easily place a foot against the trunk, while launching accurate and deadly metre-long arrows in the throat of anything he pointed to.

In the distance, a massive rocky outcrop disturbed the forest, as a huge stone axe slammed down from the sky, cutting it in half.

’I wonder if the other half is inside the Fallen Lands...’ He pondered while the knights and hunters gouged the Mana Crystals free.

[Gerard has slain a goblin]

[You have gained a portion of his experience]

"Oh?"

Luka’s brows raised, a smile growing on his lips.

He didn’t expect the passage through the eastern forest to be so smooth, though Galatea still hadn’t reappeared. There wasn’t much he could do about that right now; the benefit of the night wouldn’t last much longer.

"My Lord, I have collected the spoils." A voice came from behind, turning to see who spoke, he found Zack holding a dozen or so shards.

"What about the wages and bonuses?"

"All settled, Sire!"

Zack then pointed to the knights who carefully tucked their hard-won shards into their small pouches with bright faces. "Good work, Zack. Take two shards for your efforts, as for the ten remaining, hand them to Vaun to manage."

"To Vaun, Sire?"

"Yes, Vauan will be in charge of finances from this moment onward. Just tell them to keep a small amount aside in case the need arises." Luka patted the knight’s shoulder, admiring the slightly foolish knight who started to grow stronger thanks to his help.

’His loyalty is above 100 without doing anything.’

Sometimes, a loyal fool surpassed a wary genius.

He watched the disappearing back of Zack with a smile, until a delicate hand tapped his shoulder, "Hmm?" Beside him, Luvia also held a couple of shards, slightly larger than the others. "You’ve done well."

However, to his compliment, she twisted her lips and pouted with a sigh.

"No! I am giving them to you, I already have enough..."

"So do I, wouldn’t it be nice to have some income to buy yourself new clothes or food?"

"Hah?! After what you did, isn’t that your duty!?" Her eyes trailed to the side, avoiding his searching glance as she rubbed the dirt with the ball of her foot.

"What exactly did I do?"

Luka tapped his chin while trying to understand what she meant.

There was a moment of complete silence between the pair as she violently grabbed the neck of his gambeson and glared at him. "You fornicated with me!"

"Did you hear that, boys? The Lord is a true man!"

"Waheeey!"

"Oh? Those two did...?" Brea’s lips curved upward as she chuckled.

"M-Master with a dirty, untrustworthy Dark Elf!?"

Her voice echoed through the camp, and many of the hunters with keen senses, Brea, an inhuman Templar, and of course, Vaun the half-elf’s ears twitched under her disguise. The only one who remained oblivious was Zack, counting his three new shares.

’Well, shit.’

Lukas couldn’t have missed their words, and Luvia, whose ears drooped upon their responses, clearly didn’t miss her mistake.

"I-I’m sorry..."

Though she was violent, lacked judgment at times and loved to be abused sexually.

He didn’t dislike Luvia anymore.

She made a mistake, but it was foolish to think they could hide it forever. The truth would come out someday when caught in the act.

"No, it’s fine. I don’t mind it being out in the open."

He didn’t want to affect the mission, gently holding her shoulder as he shouted to the group with a sharp, authoritative tone. "You might have overheard her. But leave the gossip till we return, this woman is one of your future ladies, never forget that."

Luvia’s shoulders trembled within his grasp.

Her eyes raised from the ground, staring deeply into his face.

"What’s wrong?" He asked, smiling at her strangely adorable reaction.

Luvia’s brows quickly furrowed as she pulled back, "Are you crazy?! What kind of human would gladly announce his partnership with a Dark Elf?! Even I know how those haughty nobles and royals see us...!"

’Ah, I was a bit lacking in tact.’

He shook his head, grabbing her in his arms before she could react.

"Do not care for their foolish words. From the moment we committed the act together, I resolved myself to accept everything that followed. Luvia, I do not ask you to change or be bound by human logic or thought. Can I ask you to trust me if no one else?"

Her eyes widened.

He became addicted to the slight tremble of her golden orbs.

"Y-You won’t gain anything from this..." Her voice stuttered, lacking the same fierce tone she used, yet Luvia remained tucked into his embrace, even slightly resting her weight against his chest. "W-What of those women, will they not seek issue with your promiscuity?"

The surroundings became quiet.

He couldn’t see most of the hunters or knights—perhaps they moved to the mountain, giving the pair some privacy and a moment.

’It’s probably Brea’s act.’

Luvia shuffled inside his embrace.

Her scent carried a whiff of vanilla, a dash of citrus, and a trace of lavender.

Despite her submissive nature, he found Luvia to hold an endearing level of pride. The moment he accepted her, it was like something clicked into place. A subtle shift in the tectonic plates of their relationship allows them to bridge the subtle gap.

He could feel her fingers digging into his back, gently clawing at him as if desperate to hang on to him or something tangible.

[Luvia’s Affection Increased]

[Luvia’s Loyalty Increased Greatly]

Yet she acted so differently on the outside.

"This is such a foolish choice, I have nothing to give but my body in return..."

"There is no such thing, what man would need anything but you?"

"!?" A strange expression washed across her face as she stared at him with her jaw agape, eyes brimming with faint tears.

"I-diot..."

"Yes, I am an idiot. A selfish man who cannot promise you exclusivity, nor that I won’t take other women to my bed."

"You!"

She raised her thigh, pressing her knee against his crotch as if warning him.

He ignored her subtle provocation, "But, even if that happens... You are my first, and I will never forsake you, so long as you remain beside me."

Luvia buried her face against his chest, the damp heat from her breath spreading through his gambeson and the faint black mist.

Luka didn’t rush her to move or accept things.

Instead, he gazed over her shoulder, watching the darkness shift, calculating the time it would take to clear the mountain at this pace. He wanted to enjoy the softness of his first woman longer, but there was no helping it.

’This is fine, a few moments won’t ruin my plans.’

The distance to the village was much shorter, thanks to the crescent shape of the mountain range and the proximity of the Hammerfell mountains to Amol Village.

He just hoped that Iris wouldn’t become too enthusiastic and rush when they planned for her group to wait before entering the tunnels.

While stroking Luvia’s back, he focused on his abdomen.

To avoid the pleasant sensation of her soft mounds squished against his chest or the hand placed over his crotch. Luka started manipulating his Miasma in slow, figure-of-eight patterns to avoid becoming overwhelmed by lust.

...

Meanwhile, at the overtaken outpost.

Iris stood in the darkness, holding a makeshift torch that barely lit a few metres ahead of her. In this darkness, only goblins, fallen or those with dark vision, could hope to fight without great restrictions.

Beside her, the old knight shook his head.

"Lady, Iris, we planned to wait here for two hours, giving My Master time to reach the prime position to assist us."

To his words, the fiery dwarf stopped on the stone flooring.

"Foolishness! My people are suffering as we speak. We must head out now, Gerard!"

’This girl is too young...’

Gerard shook his head, thinking about his own immature granddaughter and hoping she didn’t cause trouble with his new Lord.

"We cannot rush, Lady Iris. Though it was a short fight, the men are tired... three days of constant battle and barely any sleep. To push on without a proper break is nothing but the actions of a fool."

Iris stood masked by the darkness, her face barely visible as her pink lips trembled at Gerard’s words.

She wasn’t a foolish woman, nor naive.

He knew this from how she led so many dedicated warriors.

’But I cannot let my Lord’s future wife suffer, or come to harm!’

"Sir Gerard!"

Her shout echoed through the tunnel, causing her to cover her mouth instantly.

Gerard covered his face and muttered, "Dear Wife, please grant me the strength to deal with this willful girl."