By the time Hoshiguma walked Lucian out of the Lungmen Guard Department, the sky was already getting dark.
Originally, Swire had booked a Presidential Suite. At this hour, the two of them should've been locked in a very different kind of "duel."
So how did it end up like this instead? This duel definitely wasn't the type to make anyone smile.
Hoshiguma had spent the entire time taking his statement with this amused half-smile, like she found the whole thing entertaining. Truly a big sister with a mean streak.
Meanwhile, in the next room, Swire and Ch'en were still bickering through the entire process. Swire's Lungmen Expletive—cat-themed and dragon-themed varieties both—never stopped, and they were still at it even as Lucian left.
According to Hoshiguma, the whole situation had conveniently been turned into "Swire conducting a plainclothes sting operation."
Which meant the part about the heiress publicly making out with a guy had been erased—this was now officially a Lungmen Guard Department operation. That let them control what the media would report.
But no matter how Lucian looked at it, he felt like he was the biggest loser here.
So what did that make him? A gigolo Swire hired? Or a pimp she arrested? Who was going to compensate him for this reputation disaster?
Lucian sighed his way home. Inside, Texas was sitting on the couch, eating Pocky and reading a magazine.
Her ears twitched as she glanced at him. "Yo."
"Texas!"
Lucian collapsed onto her lap like Nobita flinging himself at Doraemon.
Texas stiffened for a second at the sudden ambush—every hair on her tail puffed up.
But her expression didn't change, and she didn't push him away.
"What happened? Someone bully you?" she asked calmly.
Lucian rubbed his head against her lap like he was soaking in comfort. "Not bullied. Just tired. Let me lie here for a bit."
"Mm." Texas didn't ask further. She just stuck a Pocky between his lips.
Compared to those fiery, overwhelming women, Texas was truly his safe harbor—being around her felt like bliss.
Now that everything with Swire was out in the open, she was definitely going to be even more aggressive from now on.
Lucian didn't dislike that. He wasn't that much of a masochist.
But. honestly? He really didn't have the capacity to handle it all.
Lucian scratched lightly at Texas's knee through her tights as he kept talking. "I'm already drowning in work. I've got the shop to run, candy to make from all the Blood Drawing, food deliveries for the kids in the Slums, plus logistics contracts. and now Angelina too. That girl's Infected—it's fine if she stays hidden, but we need a contingency plan. I need to take her to meet Mr. Lin eventually. So much stuff to do every day. Where am I supposed to find time for a relationship?"
Even he could get exhausted.
His special constitution meant he could donate a whole bag of blood a day without any harm, and his Halo kept his mind clear—but mental fatigue and clarity were two different things.
"Hmph." Texas chuckled.
She slapped away his wandering hand on her tights and absentmindedly played with his hair. "What a luxurious problem. But you're doing all this because you like it, right?"
Lucian laughed too. "Of course. I brought all this on myself. It's fulfilling."
It wasn't that he didn't like the idea of dating Swire.
But half the reason he didn't want to cause her more scandals was for her sake. The other half. was simply that he didn't have the time or energy to devote to a girlfriend.
Which was why he was sprawled across Texas's lap instead. Not being in a relationship was so much easier.
After warming up her thighs, Lucian finally rolled over, grabbed the remote on the table, and turned on the TV.
The Lungmen News Channel—normally filled with entertainment gossip or financial updates—was running a breaking international report.
The anchorwoman read, "『Two hours ago, the Ursus Empire—still caught in an Infected Extremist Organization attack—issued a statement. They announced that the Fourth Army Group stationed around Chernobog has begun operations. Working with the local Military Police, they have largely suppressed the terrorist attack. Officials estimate that all remaining criminals will be apprehended within a week. Now, we invite a renowned military analyst to discuss the latest situation in Chernobog.』"
"Terrorist attacks again, huh." Lucian sighed.
The program continued with the analyst and host discussing the Ursus military and the Empire's situation, with a tone that bordered on sarcastic.
After all, in Ursus, going a whole month without a terrorist attack was newsworthy.
The conflict between its Aristocracy and civilians, plus their ruthlessly inhumane treatment of the Infected, meant many people had no choice but to become desperate.
So Lucian wasn't surprised. This Chernobog attack was probably just one spark among countless others.
But he still paid attention—because he had already met one of the attackers.
Lucian asked, "Texas, do you know a Lupo woman named Lyudmila?"
Texas shook her head. "Never heard of her. Doesn't sound like a Siracusan name. Where'd you hear it?"
"There." Lucian pointed at the screen, which was showing a drone shot of Chernobog.
The city looked peaceful from above—no Reunion Movement members in sight. Nothing like Lungmen's chaos.
Lucian continued, "I met members of the Reunion Movement in the Slums before. Their leader was a Lupo called Crownslayer. Real name seems to be Lyudmila. She's skilled—not some random street thug."
"Were you hurt?" Texas asked immediately.
Lucian grinned smugly. "Of course not. She's decent, but nowhere near your level. Still, she had a great figure. Probably older than you—definitely a mature big-sister type. You couldn't tell under that baggy hoodie, but when I grabbed her I could totally feel—ow ow ow!"
Texas's cold, expressionless stare paired nicely with the pressure-point strike she drove into his waist, nearly knocking him off the sofa.
Why did all these women like attacking a man's waist? What if they broke something important?!
He swallowed his complaints and shut his mouth, letting Texas huff before she continued.
"Most Lupo are Siracusan. But starting from my parents' generation, a lot of families who couldn't survive in Siracusa fled abroad and settled down under new names. The one you met might be like that. Her skills were probably taught by an old wolf from her clan."
Texas added flatly, "But a Lupo who abandons her family loses her pride. A wolf that turns its back becomes a dog."
Lucian hummed. "A dog, huh. She didn't seem like one. She had the air of a very clear-cut assassin."
"You think this Reunion Movement is something unusual?"
"That depends on the comparison. Any Infected who rises up has already been pushed to the edge. Only when their last bit of survival is stripped from them do they pick up a blade. None of them could ever be called 'ordinary'."
Lucian spoke with unusual seriousness—so different from his usual banter.
Texas stared at his profile, almost dazed.
Then she smiled, poking his cheek. "You really are a Holy Son."
"What? Is that supposed to be an insult?"
Lucian flushed, unsure how to respond.