A black shirt clung to the figure’s broad back, and a long, fluttering cape danced behind him. Gold and rainbow particles shimmered across the flowing fabric like dragon wings.
“No way…”
How did he get here?
My lips trembled as I stared.
He gripped the sacred sword and shifted it, its tip angling toward the ground. His dark hair was tied back loosely, streaming behind him like a racing stallion’s tail.
And then a massive blade of light came crashing down from the sky, cleaving the wyrm in two.
“That’s…”
The wyrm was split neatly in half and crumpled to the ground. Glittering frost spread rapidly until its entire body was encased in ice.
It was the technique Lucas had been learning from Marshal Webber the morning after we arrived in Majaar. He’d mastered it.
I stared up in awe as he jumped down, completely captivated by him.
He landed with a steady, unshakeable strength. His beautiful face framed by his dark hair, his golden eyes blazing with the same light as the sacred sword in his hand… The radiance emanating from him was so pure, so sacred…it made me feel like bowing in reverence to him.
He truly was the Hero chosen by the goddess.
That was the truth I felt in that moment. And because of that, I began to tremble. He felt like someone beyond my reach.
But then he looked only at me. He walked straight toward me without hesitation, without even a glance to the side. “Sorry I took so long, Cecilia. Are you hurt?”
“L-Lukie…”
He kneeled before me, heedless of the dirt and grime. He reached out with his black-gloved hands and pulled me into his arms. He brushed my messy bangs aside, and I couldn’t hold back anymore. I buried my face against his chest.
His warmth, his voice, and the sound of concern in his voice brought streams of tears to my face.
“Cecilia? Are you hurt?”
I trusted the ring would protect me, and I’d been right. But I didn’t think he’d actually come in person.
I could barely speak. “N-no, I’m okay, Lucas. I just… I was so relieved, that’s all.” I somehow managed to respond. He pulled me in tighter, lifting my chin with one hand. He gazed at me gently, the corners of his eyes relaxing.
“My brave little wife scared me half to death. You believed in me?”
“Yes, because it was you. You promised me.”
“I did.”
He pressed a gentle, comforting kiss to my lips, and I felt all the tension leave my body. When he leaned in again, I instinctively tipped my face up to kiss him in return, only to remember where we were and freeze.
I almost let him kiss me again without thinking. The same thing that happened when Felix showed up back then!
“I-I’m fine now, really…” I quickly clamped a hand over my mouth, blushing furiously.
He smiled, his eyes glowing with mischief like a child who just got away with a prank.
“Good,” he murmured in a low, sweet voice. I realized I’d just admitted the kiss made me feel better, and I blushed all over again.
“Don’t tease me like that in the middle of a battle!”
“Ha ha. Sorry. I figured you’d be fine. I know you can hold your own, my little scamp.”
I gave his chest a light smack, and he laughed, scooping me up into his arms. He brushed the dust off my skirt and checked to make sure I wasn’t still frightened, without saying a word. My heart ached.
He always did just the thing that would calm me down.
And he was always so tender, I could barely keep my heart in check.
“B-being a scamp has nothing to do with this.”
I wanted to stay composed, but just one kiss from him and I was suddenly all soft and stupid again… As I ducked my head, trying to hide behind my bangs, he leaned in and brushed his lips against my ear.
“It has everything to do with it…” he whispered in a low, intimate tone that made my knees go weak. “I love my wild little wife who lets me spoil her. It makes me want to do everything I can for you, as your husband, and as your knight.”
Ugh, my husband has no right to be this hot and say things in that voice! It’s so unfair!
But this is not the time to be flustered!
While I was racking my brain for a response, he took my hand and led me to a slightly beat-up chair nearby. He eased me into the chair, then kissed the top of my hand. “I’m glad you’re okay. Alfred was the last person we needed to find. You must be exhausted…please stay here and rest. I’ll end this quickly.”
“Okay. Please be careful out there…”
Lucas conjured a cubic barrier of shimmering gold edges to shield us, then stepped back with a heavy footfall. His broad back blocked the wyrms from view, and he readjusted his grip on Eckesachs.
The profile of his face, turned toward the beast towering above the bazaar rooftops, was that of a true knight. He looked calm, fearless, and resolute. The surrounding people clasped their hands together, praying to him.
You always call yourself my knight, but… The truth is, I’ll never be able to keep you for myself. Not as long as you wield Eckesachs.
It filled me with pride and love, but also with pain. A familiar, bittersweet ache filled my chest. I almost called his name and begged him not to go, but I swallowed it back down.
“I’ll be waiting for your safe return, always.” As I whispered my prayer, my beloved knight turned toward the battlefield, his golden eyes glinting.
Everything that happened after that was a blur.
Lucas showed off a level of power that honestly made me want to call him a walking cheat code. He wiped out the swarm of monsters without breaking a sweat, then casually enhanced the magical defense barriers that Prince Leon had sent over, like he’d just come up with the idea on the spot.