Chapter 27: You Are My Faith (VIII)

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Chapter 27: You Are My Faith (VIII)

“Lovers? What makes you think we could develop such a… profound relationship?” Shang Ke was certain that there had been nothing remotely ambiguous between him and Tylor over the past few months. Apart from Tylor occasionally coming over to mooch a meal and exchanging a few casual words with him, their interactions had been perfectly normal.

“I don’t know either,” Tylor replied with a perfectly calm expression.

You don’t know either?

Shang Ke had thought he might hear some unusually creative confession or declaration of love, but this guy actually said he didn’t know!

Tylor looked at Shang Ke and stated matter-of-factly, “Of the possible relationships between us, ‘lovers’ feels especially right to me. So I think we should try developing in that direction.”

Shang Ke: “…What exactly makes you think you can talk about starting a romantic relationship with another man so casually?”

Tylor fell silent for a moment before replying, “I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that if I don’t establish our relationship soon, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

For some inexplicable reason, Shang Ke felt a little guilty when he heard that, as though an arrow had struck him directly in the knee…

“What do you think?” Tylor asked.

“No, no, no. I don’t think anything,” Shang Ke hurriedly refused. “I think we should just keep things the way they are now—half rivals, half friends, neither too close nor too distant.”

Tylor lowered his eyes. His face was clearly expressionless, yet Shang Ke somehow managed to detect a trace of disappointment.

A moment later, Tylor looked up again. “Then let’s have a trial marriage. We’ll live like husband and wife and see whether we can cultivate romantic feelings.”

Shang Ke simply could not understand how this man’s brain worked. We’re skipping dating and going straight to a trial marriage? That’s an even bigger leap, okay?!

Shang Ke took a deep breath and repeated himself. “Let’s just keep our current relationship—half rivals, half friends, neither too close nor too distant.”

“Then it’s settled. We’ll start with a trial marriage,” Tylor said sincerely.

Damn it, who agreed to a trial marriage? Stop ignoring the important part!

“Daddy?” Just as Shang Ke was about to make another attempt at defending his basic human rights, Pupu stirred beside him and woke up, rubbing her eyes.

“You’re awake?” Shang Ke pinched her nose.

With her curly hair sticking up in every direction, Pupu sleepily poked her head out from beneath the blankets and looked around in confusion. Then, like a little silkworm, she wriggled into Shang Ke’s arms and lazily sprawled across his chest. Tilting her head toward Tylor at the bedside, she patted the spot where she had just been lying, apparently telling him not to stand there stupidly—she was willing to give him her place to sleep.

Shang Ke felt both gratified and deeply saddened by his daughter’s generosity.

Approval flashed through Tylor’s eyes. Good girl. I’ll cover all your future snacks and your dowry.

In the end, Shang Ke and Pupu temporarily remained at Tylor’s residence.

Kaiser had agreed mainly because he was worried Shang Ke would disregard his own safety in order to save others. Keeping him beside Tylor would at least ensure that outsiders could not hurt him. Once the crisis settled down, Kaiser intended to bring them home.

Every region was currently occupied with treating victims of demonic invasion and bringing the situation under control. Although the demonic-energy storm had ended quickly, the damage and lingering dangers it left behind were impossible to estimate.

The king summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures, and the plan to destroy the Devil’s Tree was once again placed on the agenda.

“The Devil’s Tree cannot be destroyed,” Shang Ke said. “It has existed for as long as recorded human history. Countless people have sacrificed their lives trying to destroy it, and without exception, every attempt has failed.”

“What do you think should be done?” Tylor set down his utensils and looked at Shang Ke across the dining table.

“I think that although the Devil’s Tree cannot be destroyed, it can be sealed.”

“Sealed?” Tylor’s expression immediately turned serious as he waited for Shang Ke to continue.

Shang Ke took the opportunity to introduce the method for sealing the Devil’s Tree. “The only thing in this world capable of suppressing demonic energy is the power of faith. So sealing the Devil’s Tree should also rely on the power of faith.”

“But no matter how powerful one person’s faith is, it could never contend with the Devil’s Tree.”

“Which is why we need to combine the strength of many people,” Shang Ke explained.

“How?”

“With Magic Crystals.”

Tylor’s eyes brightened as the idea gradually became clear.

Magic Crystals possessed a special property: gathering three or more together allowed them to form a barrier. Under ordinary circumstances, such a barrier seemed to have little practical use beyond making the air inside purer, flowers more fragrant, water clearer, and so on. But if the power of faith were channeled into it, that power could condense into an enormous net of faith capable of suppressing the Devil’s Tree.

Tylor had no doubt that the method was feasible, because Shang Ke himself was living proof. Through nothing but his own will and faith, he had imprisoned an enormous amount of demonic energy inside his body. If that demonic energy were viewed as the Devil’s Tree, then Shang Ke’s body itself was effectively a barrier of faith.

At that thought, Tylor looked at Shang Ke again. This young man probably had no idea what kind of miracle he had created. Throughout the continent’s history, no one had ever dared confront the erosion of demonic energy head-on. Everyone carefully concealed the vulnerabilities in their hearts and armored themselves as completely as possible. Shang Ke, however, had done the exact opposite. He willingly put himself in danger, opened his heart, and actively confronted the demonic energy. Rather than saying he was fighting demonic energy, it would be more accurate to say that he was confronting his own weaknesses.

What kind of open, fearless heart and unwavering courage did that require?

“Thank you for the suggestion. I’ll return to the palace this afternoon and report this immediately.” Tylor clearly regarded the matter with great importance.

Once the serious discussion ended, the atmosphere between them gradually relaxed.

At that moment, Shang Ke suddenly asked, “There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask. Why do you always dress more elaborately at home than you do outside?”

Every day, Tylor wore exquisite formal clothes, kept his hair immaculately styled, and even seemed to wear cologne.

At those words, the muscles in Tylor’s face stiffened for half a second before he fell into a strange silence.

There was a behavior in the animal kingdom known as courtship—a peacock spreading its tail, for example… Shang Ke clearly didn’t watch much wildlife.

Pupu nibbled on her bread and looked from one man to the other, her large eyes blinking curiously.

After that day, Tylor stopped wearing formal clothes at home and returned to dressing normally.

Shang Ke could finally stop worrying that his eyes would be blinded by the glare.

Tylor reported the method for sealing the Devil’s Tree to his father, and it immediately received serious attention. Large quantities of Magic Crystals were gathered, and experiments began at once.

The experiments quickly confirmed that the method worked. The ruler of the Holy Empire immediately sent the information to the other nations of the continent, hoping they would join in the operation to seal the Devil’s Tree.

While they waited for responses, conditions throughout the affected regions gradually stabilized, and order returned to the Imperial Capital.

Shang Ke lived extremely comfortably at Tylor’s residence, with servants taking care of his food, clothing, lodging, and daily needs. He even made late-night snacks every evening, and over the course of a dozen or so days, he gained several pounds. Pupu became even softer and rosier, like a plump, ripe peach.

Tylor faithfully followed the lifestyle of their supposed trial marriage. Every day, he came home on time, ate with Shang Ke, walked with Shang Ke, hugged Shang Ke, and slept in the same bed as Shang Ke… The first time Tylor proposed sharing a bed, Shang Ke strongly protested.

Tylor seriously considered the matter for several seconds. Then he went to another room, brought back a large stuffed toy, shoved it into Shang Ke’s arms, picked up Pupu, and turned to leave the bedroom.

“Wait. Where are you taking Pupu?” Shang Ke chased after him while still clutching the stuffed toy, following him all the way into Tylor’s master bedroom.

Tylor reached back, pushed the door shut, and locked it in one seamless motion, effortlessly trapping the little lamb inside his wolf’s den.

Shang Ke looked at the tightly closed door, then at Tylor. “…”

Tylor said, “Since you’re already here, we might as well sleep together.”

He placed Pupu on his bed.

Pupu rolled around on the bed, then happily waved at Shang Ke. “Daddy, hurry over~~”

Tylor beckoned to him as well. “Come here.”

Shang Ke stared speechlessly at the pair. Am I seriously the only one who thinks this development is a little strange?!

That night, Shang Ke helplessly ended up sharing a bed with Tylor.

Before they fell asleep, Pupu lay between the two of them. When Shang Ke woke up, Pupu was in his arms—and he was in Tylor’s…

One morning half a month later, Tylor rested a hand on Shang Ke’s waist and asked seriously, “Shang Ke, do you think we can be lovers now?”

“No!” Shang Ke pulled Tylor’s arm away.

Tylor leaned down and kissed his forehead. “How about now?”

“Still no.”

Tylor stared deeply at him for a long moment. “I understand.”

What exactly did you understand? Shang Ke didn’t even get the chance to ask before warmth pressed against his lips and someone decisively gave him a deep, wet kiss.

Shang Ke instinctively tried to pull away, but Tylor held the back of his head in place and deepened the kiss.

A moment later, Tylor released him and asked hoarsely, “Are you sure now?”

Shang Ke breathed slightly harder, his eyes misty. He had just opened his mouth to speak when Tylor added, “If you’re still not sure, we can take things a little further.”

Shang Ke immediately snapped his mouth shut and glared fiercely at him. Now he was certain—this was the same man he had encountered in the previous two worlds. Tylor was practically a combination of Ravel and Jian Chenfeng, possessing Ravel’s noble bearing along with Jian Chenfeng’s shameless streak.

Tylor slowly traced the contours of Shang Ke’s face with one finger. The crimson in his eyes seemed to deepen, blazing like two burning flames.

Perhaps Shang Ke still had his uncertainties, but Tylor already had his answer. He wanted this young man as his lover.

The feeling of his heart being stirred was overwhelmingly strong. He could no longer find any reason to let Shang Ke leave. He wanted this man to stay beside him for the rest of his life.

As soon as his assignment ended, Kaiser went straight to Tylor’s residence to bring Shang Ke home.

Tylor told Kaiser, “Shang Ke will live at my residence from now on.”

“Why?” Kaiser frowned.

“Because I don’t want my lover living with another man.”

Kaiser: Are my ears malfunctioning, or is there something wrong with Tylor’s head?

Lovers? Him and Shang Ke? Two men?

The Holy Empire had never recognized same-sex relationships. Even ordinary people usually kept such relationships hidden, yet Prince Tylor spoke of it without the slightest hesitation?

Kaiser looked utterly stunned, while an inexplicable sourness settled in his chest.

Could two men really be together?

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