Chapter: 216
The power, which had momentarily stalled, soon kicked back into gear and began searching for answers.
Totally different appearances, the phrase “most precious existence,” family.
Combining those three keywords, the answer came easily.
“Lover.”
Lian’s power interpreted Iris as a “former lover.” Given that Lian’s romantic experience and knowledge were basically zero, if he were told, “You actually had a girlfriend, so act like it,” it was no surprise that he would malfunction.
The overwhelming force of his power, capable of ensuring [self-censorship] and [self-censorship], meant that his lack of knowledge was utterly harmless.
Artificial “love” arose in Lian’s eyes, and memories he had never experienced before were etched into his mind.
“I’m so sorry… I must have worried you too much.”
“…?!”
Honey, darling, baby… Various expressions spun in his mind, but the most neutral word slipped out. Iris was so surprised it basically sucked her tears back in, leaving her frozen.
When he wrapped her in his gentle embrace, she nearly collapsed.
Thud, thud!
Her heart raced so wildly it felt like it might leap out of her throat.
“I’ll never leave your side again.”
The moment those words she had longed to hear flowed from his lips, Iris swallowed the joy she couldn’t contain.
At that moment, she instinctively knew that every bit of the air, sound, and warmth would be deeply engraved in her memory.
Thus, Lian began to think of Iris as a “lover” due to his power.
Living alone in a broken world is one thing; living with others is completely different.
Even if Lian acted like a regular person when encountering abominations, if Iris reacted as she did, the perception would inevitably shatter.
“Alright, be careful not to get hurt.”
Just like it was a lie that he had previously viewed the ruined road and collapsed buildings as normal, Lian now avoided the broken path to ensure Iris wouldn’t get hurt.
“…Let’s go around that way.”
If Lian had the power, it wouldn’t matter, but Iris was an ordinary person, so she realized the abominations would pose a bad influence on her. Accordingly, she began to dodge them.
With Iris’s presence alone, Lian started to act like a resident of this fallen world.
The change made Iris tense up as well. The abominations, which had oddly not attacked Lian before, now seemed likely to come at him wildly.
“Good thing I have a weapon.”
Iris placed her hand on the hilt of the sword at her waist, exhaling a sigh of relief.
“Uh?!”
“Gah..!”
“What the… hey!”
At that moment, unfamiliar voices echoed from a distance. Turning her head, she spotted a group of people staring at Iris with shocked faces.
“An… Angel?”
Someone gawked, mouth agape as if a fly might fly in.
White hair flowed down smoothly, sparkling like snowflakes. The pure silk cascading over her shoulders resembled an angel’s wings, and her eyes, holding the light of the night sky, displayed an exotic beauty rarely seen.
There was no reason for an angel not to appear in a world crumbling due to abominations, and Iris just happened to flaunt an appearance of a different class. These two facts combined led to such a silly remark.
Upon hearing the word “angel,” Iris frowned her delicate brows, placing her hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to draw it at any moment. Just then, her vision was suddenly blocked.
“Ha ha, sure, our girl is as pretty as an angel.”
Suddenly blocking her view was Lian, standing beside her. At the compliment that flowed from his lips, Iris’s cheeks flushed a deep cherry red. She was so embarrassed her ears turned bright as well.
Creak.
Iris’s blushing face snapped back to reality as she felt the pressure on her hand. Looking down, she noticed Lian gripping her hand just tightly enough to mildly hurt.
Iris instinctively raised her head to glance at Lian’s back. She couldn’t see his expression, leaving her unsure why he held her hand so tightly.
‘Is he… scared of them?’
The thought that he might be clutching her hand out of anxiety or fear made her expression harden. She quickly moved a step to the side, standing next to Lian to confirm her worries.
Thanks to Lian shielding her with his body, the people regaining their composure all stared blankly at Iris once again.
“Whoa…”
“Ah…”
Iris was momentarily taken aback by the clumsy way the group seemed to stare blankly instead of looking dangerous. Did Lian tense up upon seeing such foolish people?
Unable to hold back her rising confusion, she turned her gaze back to Lian. Though his mouth smiled, his eyes were not smiling at all, and she felt the fiery emotion in his gaze was so vividly close.
A feeling that was all too familiar to Iris.
‘Jealousy?’
It was an emotion she would have never expected to see from Lian. The realization of that fact made her heart flutter heavily, starting to race wildly.
As she tightened her grip on his hand, Lian looked at her with wide eyes, surprised.
Iris wanted to whisper to Lian that she was his and would never leave his side, but the heat rising to her head made it hard to speak. Instead, she expressed her feelings through action.
Bam.
With a delightfully soft sound, Iris buried her face in Lian’s embrace. Then, she slowly wrapped her arms around his waist with her empty hands.
The warm body heat that connected them entwined Lian. The warmth that came for no reason momentarily dulled Lian’s senses.
‘Ah, my lover.’
His brain, which had been fumbling, settled down at the word “lover.” Lian naturally extended his empty hand and pulled Iris closer, embracing her.
Regardless of the misunderstanding caused by his power, Lian held his breath for a moment, then exhaled at the tingling sensation deep in his chest.
“What’s going on…”
“It might be a charming abomination!”
As the two suddenly started snuggling right in the middle of a collapsed road, those who regained their senses began to slowly back away. The mood between Iris and Lian felt incredibly incompatible with the crumbling world—they found it “abnormal.”
Before long, a crowd of people ran away, leaving just the two of them amidst the wreckage. They held on a bit longer, their faces flushed, before they began moving again, hands tightly clasped.
*
Lovers.
A lover means two people in a romantic relationship. It’s not just about holding hands and going for walks.
Because of his power, Lian now saw Iris as a “lover,” and even recognized the very concept of a lover through that power. The problem lay in the vast difference between knowing something and acting on it.
No matter how much his power commanded him to engage in intimate interactions characteristic of lovers, his body fumbled and failed to work properly. This was not solely due to his lack of romantic experience.
Receiving affection from someone and returning that affection was far too unfamiliar and difficult for Lian; it was a trauma.
It was alright to hold hands, but when it came to wrapping her waist or getting close enough that their breaths mingled, Lian would stiffen, unable to act.
It was Iris who boldly stepped forward first. There was no way she would let such an opportunity slip by.
“Oppa, I’m cold.”
“Uh? W-what?”
“Yeah, let’s stay close.”
As night fell and the sun set, even though it wasn’t that cold, Iris clung tightly to Lian and refused to let go. She sat between his legs and pulled his arm around her waist. Leaning against his chest comfortably, her soft hair swayed gently under Lian’s chin.
As Iris nestled against him, an inexplicable floral fragrance instantly clouded Lian’s mind. He could feel the rapid beating of their hearts through their bodies. That was the sound of Iris’s heart—her emotions so starkly felt made Lian’s own heart begin to race wildly.
Heeeeet…
Creeeek…
As the abominations wandered in the dark, making eerie sounds, the two simply spent their sweet time as if they were in a completely different world.
Until sunrise the next day, they didn’t let go of one another, and Lian had to stay up half the night, not getting a wink of sleep.
“Oppa… are you okay?”
“Uh, mm… I’m fine.”
Iris asked worriedly, looking at Lian’s noticeably exhausted look. He straightened up and nodded quickly. For some reason, he didn’t want to show weakness in front of her.
And thus, a new day dawned upon the world headed for ruin.
“Oppa, have a bite, ah -…”
“Ahhh…”
In a world slowly choking to death, the atmosphere between the two remained as vibrant as spring.
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