Stray

Jesse Dylan knew very well that the moment he decided to take this human being back from death, it would be difficult to hold on to his identity. If the other party was an ignorant child or an ignorant commoner, he could come up with countless excuses for coaxing.

Adrian Cross was different; he had fought everywhere as the commander of the Knights of Judgement, so he was probably the person who was most familiar with “death” itself in the entire world.

No religion, no matter how exaggerated, would dare to claim that “God will bring back the dead”.

After all, even Nemo Light couldn’t heal the body of humans who had begun to gradually die. He could keep that body alive, but the thing that survived would never be the original “human”. Although his Morning Star didn’t know about this, combined with the previous manifestations of “Jesse Dylan”, his identity wasn’t really too difficult to guess.

Jesse rubbed his cheeks with both hands and looked at the person standing opposite.

Adrian Cross stood upright, his black monk uniform clinging to his upper body, making him look like a black dagger nailed to the ground.

His eyes, as always, were calm and solemn.

“I have a question for you, Zenni.” The devout believer was calling for his God. It wasn’t a test but rather taboo, but Adrian’s tone was full of affirmation.

However, the star in his mind still didn’t flicker. This human wasn’t normal.

Jesse knew this a long time ago, but now that he saw the calm Adrian, he couldn’t help repeating it to himself. Out of some subtle emotion, he rescued Adrian and forcibly continued this meaningless observation.

However, his frustration didn’t diminish, but became stronger.

He didn’t know what expression to use to face this human being at first. Having watched countless people, he even knew how to deal with the craziest and most unreasonable. A “beautiful” face from a human perspective was his weapon, and with the right expression, he was unbeatable.

Perhaps he should sneer, should show disdain and arrogance. Or maybe he should put on a clean smile and fool the headstrong knight again.

But Jesse rubbed his face for a long time, only to feel that everything suddenly became boring.

Forget it.

The white mist flickered, and the beautiful young man in untidy clothes disappeared again. The huge white beast lowered his head and looked down at the human in front of him, with no expression on his hairy face.

“Ask.” He responded without emotion.

“Why?” The human raised his head, his expression still damn calm.

A simple question. Jesse snorted.

Why did he come, why did he save him, why did he do things that were intended to shake him… The answer was all the same.

“Because of boredom,” Jesse replied, hanging the huge beast’s head lower.

At this distance, as long as he opened his mouth, he could easily smash the opponent’s skull, just like biting a cherry. Jesse thought carelessly, and this thought made him unconsciously murderous, and he didn’t even bother to hide it.

The answer was undoubtedly cruel, and the murderous spirit was also extremely obvious, but Adrian didn’t blink.

“I am not the ‘God’ you love, and I don’t love you either.” After a pause for a few seconds, Jesse continued. “I told you, right? Don’t die so easily. You didn’t keep your end of the bargain, and now the game is over.”

His words were extremely cold, but his expression was still the same.

Unable to calculate, unable to speculate, unable to see through human thoughts, the sense of loss of control made him a little bored. Jesse shook his tail— The huge white tail directly knocked the small table aside directly into tiny pieces of wood, and the vase on the table smashed into the bits, shattering into several large pieces.

The water in the vase spread on the carpet, the color of the thin coral-red carpet gradually darkened, seemingly making the flowers and fragments lie on top of a pool of blood.

There was no anger or disappointment. Adrian just smiled.

“You don’t love me, I know,” he said, frighteningly calm. “I always knew. Whether it was the initial encounter, the previous Black Chapter Jesse, or the current you, but there is one thing I don’t agree with.”

Jesse retracted his tail to his side, and the beast’s pupils closed into thin slits in the sun.

“You are indeed the ‘God’ I love.”

“It’s just self-righteous love. This isn’t what I really look like. It’s better to be an atheist… Believers who have seen my true appearance, none could maintain their sanity. No matter how firm their faith is, the ending is all the same,” he responded indifferently.

“I see,” Adrian replied calmly, without half wanting to prove his meaning.

Restless.

Jesse shook his tail again, this time smashing the window on the side. The castle itself was high, and the cold autumn wind suddenly poured into the room.

Adrian Cross was still the same. No matter what exaggerated things he did, this human was always calm and collected.

Perhaps things have come to the point where he should let this human who didn’t know the height of the sky see his true form— Even if this human didn’t seem to enjoy much and failed to be defeated by human instinctive desire, he would waver in instinctive fear.

He didn’t know why, but Jesse didn’t really want to do that.

At any rate, he wasted a piece of flesh. If Adrian really went crazy so quickly, it wouldn’t be good for him. He tried to explain it to himself this way— This was supposed to be his ace, his last resort. Before then, he still had time to find another way to make that anomalous star flicker.

He still didn’t want to admit defeat, especially to a human who had only lived for about 30 years.

The long-haired tail swept slowly unhappily, and the room was a mess. Adrian was still staring at him, not knowing what he was thinking.

Finally, the human acted.

The former Knight of Judgement stretched out his arms and put his hands on both sides of the long wolf-like mouth.

This action made the side of his nose itchy, and Jesse wrinkled it quite distractedly, showing his long fangs. So far, he wasn’t even in the mood to maintain his human form, let alone pretend to be kind.

The maker of his frustration, the young knight, leaned forward slightly…

It wasn’t with dedication-like piety, nor was it mixed with fanatical obsession. Just like kissing the petals of a flower, Adrian Cross gently kissed the fangs.

The soft and warm lips brushed the sharp teeth like the tip of a knife, and they closed at the touch.

“Thank you for your honesty. I think you got one thing wrong.”

After retracting his hands, the human knight said with a smile.

“It has nothing to do with your appearance, personality, or motivation. I did ask you the reason, but it was just curiosity, not expectation. I don’t need you to respond to anything, nor will I embellish any facts. I live my way, just as you live yours.”

There was no prayer gesture, no formal rituals. He just continued to smile.

“Just to confirm that you do exist— For me, this is already a kind of romance.”

After that, he even stretched out his warm fingers and touched the cold nose of the beast, with a smile in his voice. “May the glory of Zenni last forever.”

Incorrigible.

Jesse just wanted to shake his head when the door was opened again, and Ann took the lead entering the room.

The female warrior’s serious gaze swept across the wrecked bedroom, turned around the huge beast a few times, and finally pierced Adrian by the window.

“Cross,” Ann pointed to the white beast solemnly. “Where did this thing come from—”

Looking at her mouth shape, she seemed to want to habitually spit out the word “beast”, but after not seeing her for more than a month, the Queen of Alban was obviously tortured enough by etiquette training, that she swallowed the word abruptly.

“Where’s Dylan, has he been eaten by it?” she continued to ask seriously.

“You are so humorous, lovely lady,” Jesse responded dryly.

Ann hitched her breath.

“Follow me, Oliver will be there soon. I first need someone to explain this to me.”

She glanced at the long, soft, snowy white hairs and staggered hard.

“…I hope you’re not counting on running around my house naked right now, Dylan,” Ann added seriously.

“……”

Less than ten minutes later, Oliver led the gray parrot through the door. He first turned around to thank the maid who led the way politely, closed the door of the conference room, and finally turned his head.

There was a large round table in the wide room, and the servants had prepared snacks and drinks in advance. It was just that there were only two people sitting at the round table that could accommodate at least twenty people.

In addition to the usual demeanor, the former knight commander drank tea quietly, while the queen was tugging at white fur with a stern face. A huge white beast was resting its long mouth on the wooden table, glancing at Adrian’s expression for a while, and squinting at the plate full of snacks.

Oliver wouldn’t mistake who Jesse was. Now his opinion was a clear as fire and ice regarding the difference between Dylan and other creatures. He simply nodded and put Bagelmaurus who was on his shoulder next to the plate of snacks.

“I don’t like to eat this.”

The gray parrot finally opened his mouth, sounding terribly depressed.

“I like lighter-flavored ones. Light never gave me the wrong stuff.”

“……Sorry,” Oliver murmured.

The gray parrot lowered its head, walked soulfully over to another plate of treats, then stuck its whole head in, moving like an ostrich.

“It seems that I’m the only person in this room who is surprised by this thing.” Ann pointed to Jesse, keenly grasping the point. “I need an explanation.”

“I died in the previous mission.” It was Adrian who spoke first.

The former Knight of Judgment added some milk to his teacup, and then pushed the snack tray next to him to Jesse’s mouth.

Jesse retracted his gaze and moved his mouth away.

“…This joke isn’t funny.” Ann’s expression was blank for a moment. “Cross, you’re not suitable for telling jokes.”

“I’m not lying. You should have heard of the spell taught by the Laddism Church called Meteor Execution.”

“Meteor Execution? ‘Shatter the heart so that only death can stop it’. Of course I know, but that’s impossible—”

“Jesse Dylan saved me.” Adrian took a sip of tea. He didn’t sound like he was in a bad mood. “In other words, Zenni saved me.”

He glanced at Ann. “I’m not speaking metaphorically. It’s in the literal sense.”

When Ann was listening to him, she was still tugging at the white long fur that felt very good in her hands. As soon as she heard him say this, she quickly retracted her hand with a whoosh, as if teeth had suddenly spawned from those hairs.

“What?” She did a double take.

“This is Zenni.”

“I see, I haven’t woken up yet.” Ann sounded very sure of herself as she leaned back into the soft back of her chair and tilted her head up. “Good night, everyone.”

Oliver reluctantly smiled. “Ann.”

“If this is a joint joke,” Ann opened one eye and looked over at Jesse, who had rolled his tongue at the snack plate. “You’re all screwed, you hear me? It’s over.”

She tried to relax her tone, but no one showed an apologetic smile on their faces, or jumped up and declared that it was just to liven things up. Even Bagelmaurus continued to bury its head in the macaroons without moving a muscle.

“…Are you serious?” After five minutes of silence, Ann’s voice trembled a little.

“Nn.” Oliver lowered his gaze. “Sorry, Ann, I’ve been hiding it from you. If I’m not mistaken, Mr. Cross should have just learned about it, and Bagelmaurus and I knew about it earlier. You know, this matter… is not easy to talk about.”

“Zenni.” Ann looked erratically at the white beast with his mouth on the table. “Although I am not religious, this is too… I mean, even though I believe in the existence of God, but…”

She was shocked to hear her voice, her expression twitching a little.

Oliver carefully pulled out a chair and sat down, trying not to make too much noise. Ann’s mouth opened and closed, opened and closed, like a fish struggling for air in the desert.

“You told Bagelmaurus, but you didn’t tell me.”

After struggling for more than ten minutes, her voice became more indistinct.

“Why? I am definitely more trustworthy than that parrot— Don’t deny it, since you know it, Nemo must know it too. If Cross is just finding out, wouldn’t it be just the two of us who were kept in the dark?!”

“Yes, I’m sorry.” Oliver didn’t defend himself.

“And you, Cross.” Ann’s tongue seemed to have lost control, and she didn’t even have the right intonation, and she spoke like she was drunk. “If that’s Zenni, you… How could you be so…”

“This isn’t the first time we have met. If you are interested, I can tell you after the meeting.” Adrian sighed, pushing away the nose of the beast that was also approaching with doubt. “I mind other questions more.”

He looked at Oliver with burning eyes.

“I don’t think Mr. Dylan… Zenni will tell you who he really is or Mr. Light. Bagelmaurus isn’t a top superior demon, and it’s impossible for it to find out by itself. Then it should have been discovered by the two of you.”

Ann blinked and shook her heard abruptly so she could try collect her thoughts.

“And although this is sensational, it is not a ‘bad thing’ that cannot be told to us.”

Adrian’s gaze became sharper and sharper.

“Since you didn’t tell us, it meant that the way you two found out wasn’t very convenient for the two of you to speak of. Miss Savage and I are very aware of the abnormality caused to you by the Withered Castle. If you’re the discoverer, there is no motive to conceal it from us. Now that Mr. Light is in the Abyss and you’re in such a situation…”

“I’ll just asked directly, Mr. Ramon. Who exactly is Nemo Light? …Or, what is he?”

Oliver held his breath, persistently staring at the Tumbleweed members while holding a teacup in his hand and finally raised his face.

There was no hesitation, no doubt. Oliver took a soft breath, and when he spoke again, his voice was extremely clear.

“He is what the surface calls the ‘Demon King’.”

He said in a very solemn tone.

“…And to this day, I still love him.”

The author has something to say:

Jesse: ??? Your attitude.

Jesse: Do you remember you slept with me? (……

Knight Commander: …

——

Ann: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! FML you’re kidding, right??!

Jesse: This is the right attitude (***)