The Saint Wants to Rest - Chapter 52.2
“No matter how much the bugs struggle, I will never let them touch you, Lord Ian. I exist here solely to protect you, to become your sword.”
A large, bloodstained hand grasped the hem of Ian’s clothes carefully, with trembling fingertips as if daring not to defile them.
“Use me. As a hunting dog that slaughters every last demon threatening you, please handle me as you please.”
At that blind and heavy confession, the noise of the dungeon ringing in Ian’s ears felt distantly far away for a moment.
The beast he had always considered a nuisance. This crazy knight, whom he had only pushed away to keep at a distance, was prostrating himself at Ian’s feet, staking his life and his very reason for existence on “Ian” alone. His peaceful and quiet life had already been shattered by the demons, but in the middle of that horrific battlefield, an overwhelming conviction that at least this man would be on his side forever shook Ian’s heart violently.
‘Seriously, a madman.’
Ian reached out as if possessed and cupped Vermouth’s cheek, which was stained with blood. At that, the solid and broad shoulders stiffened. Ian leaned forward and pressed his lips against the lips of the man looking up at him.
“……!”
It was an impulsive kiss, hot enough to take one’s breath away.
The scent of blood, a thick body musk, and their mutual warmth intertwined. When Ian pulled his lips away, Vermouth’s purple eyes were shaking violently as if he could not believe it.
Ian looked down at him with languid, wet eyes and asked.
“Can you continue to live only for me in the future as well?”
He did not speak of the world’s destruction or the salvation of humanity. It was a selfish question asking if the knight would willingly fight only for him, for his peace.
But to Vermouth, that question was the sweetest and most perfect salvation granted at the end of a long thirst.
A deep and arrogant, yet absolutely submissive smile spread across Vermouth’s lips.
“Yes. Willingly.”
The knight’s oath cut through the darkness of the dungeon and was driven into the depths of Ian’s heart like a wedge.
***
The world keeps turning even amidst chaos. Seoul was no exception.
The city showed clear signs of anxiety from yesterday’s sudden Gate incident, but the daily routine, like a giant gear, was rolling along without fail. Complaints were non-stop among the people gathered in front of the crosswalk.
“Ugh. A gate opened yesterday, and I still have to go to work today?”
“You have to. You’d probably have to do it even if the world was ending.”
“Damn it. Why is making a living so tough?”
Amidst the vast crowd, a man wearing a neatly pressed suit and carrying a briefcase in one hand stood before the crosswalk with an indifferent face.
[Taesung Logistics & Distribution – Sales Management Dept. Kim Min-cheol]
The employee ID dangling from his chest swayed lightly in the breeze. The demon, wearing a perfect human shell, swallowed a fishy laugh inside while smelling the scent of the weak humans filling the surroundings.
‘Stupid and weak things. You’re soaked in peace without even knowing who is standing right next to you.’
His gaze turned toward the office workers walking busily while looking at their smartphones. Today, as an employee of Taesung Logistics, he was scheduled to personally deliver food supplies and special goods to Choi Jae-heon’s Stigma Guild headquarters. He would be walking legally into the heart of the escort that should be the most vigilant, the place closest to Ian, without a single shred of suspicion.
‘Wait just a little longer, Saint. The moment you feel most secure, I will be the first to bite through that white neck of yours.’
It was just as Kim Min-cheol was about to step onto the crosswalk while pulling the corners of his mouth into a bizarre grin.
Beep—!
In the middle of the city, the giant electronic billboards installed in the plaza stopped their regular broadcasts all at once and displayed bright red subtitles.
[BREAKING NEWS!]
At the same time, emergency news alerts rang out piercingly from the smartphones of hundreds of people walking through the plaza.
“What is it? Another Gate?”
“Wait, the US? The Empire Guild is making a simultaneous major announcement to the whole world!”
The footsteps of people rushing to work came to a halt, and countless gazes turned simultaneously toward the large electronic billboards. Kim Min-cheol also raised his head, furrowing his brow.
On the screen, against the backdrop of the American flag and the flashy emblem of the Empire Guild, a blonde man boasting a perfect suit fit, Alexander Gray, stood before the podium. He wore a heavy and cold expression befitting the leader of the number one guild in the United States, having perfectly erased his usual goofy smile.
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