Time is Running Out

“Lady Hai Zhu!”

Lyte instantly understood that Hai Zhu had saved him. He tried to rise and express his gratitude, but a powerful force held him pinned, rendering him immobile.

“Don’t move recklessly.”

Hai Zhu gently stroked Lyte’s head, and a warm, comforting sensation swiftly enveloped his entire body, causing his taut nerves and muscles to relax in an instant.

Any words of thanks, any feelings of potentially having offended her, all dissipated with this newfound ease and comfort.

Only one thought remained—

“Lady Hai Zhu, is Shenhong alright?”

Xie Hai Zhu’s lips curled into a faint smile.

“He’s perfectly fine. Everyone is, in fact, except for Sima Le.”

“I see…”

Noticing Lyte’s continued look of worry, Xie Hai Zhu asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m worried about you, Lady Hai Zhu.”

“Why would you think that?”

To the world, Hai Zhu was the sacred and inviolable Saintess, the very pillar of the kingdom, invincible, exalted, omnipotent, akin to a deity.

The notion of anyone worrying about her was inconceivable, let alone from Lyte, who worshipped Hai Zhu even more fervently than the average person.

“Because this is an incredibly painful thing to endure… You, Lady Hai Zhu, love everything about this kingdom so deeply.”

‘So that’s it,’ Xie Hai Zhu mused. While Lyte worshipped her, he hadn’t stripped her of her humanity. She smiled contentedly and stated calmly,

“Sima Le died from a blood oath; I did not kill him… Of course, his descent into error was indeed due to my own shortcomings.”

“Lady Hai Zhu.”

“Yes?”

“I will strive to become stronger, and then I will contribute my strength to protect this kingdom!”

This was not empty consolation, nor was it hollow encouragement.

It was certainly not some vague, ethereal promise to “share her burdens.”

Rather, it was a fervent desire to fight alongside Xie Hai Zhu.

For this kingdom belonged to everyone.

Both she and he were included.

“Go forth, my knight.”

Gazing at the golden-haired youth, the only person in the world capable of stirring a flicker of emotion within her, Xie Hai Zhu offered a gentle smile.

Yet, she then noticed Lyte staring intently at her.

“What is it?”

“N-nothing at all.”

Lyte’s face flushed faintly, and he closed his eyes in embarrassment.

‘How endearing,’ she thought.

Xie Hai Zhu leaned down and gently blew a breath into Lyte’s ear, startling him so much that he practically leaped sideways.

“L-Lady Hai Zhu, w-what are you doing?”

Xie Hai Zhu rested her chin on one hand, observing the innocent young man before her with amused interest.

“I simply wished to make you more comfortable.”

Indeed, Hai Zhu’s warm breath was no ordinary breeze; the moment it wafted into his ear, Lyte’s entire body tingled with a blissful numbness. He felt as if he were floating, wanting nothing more than to give up all effort and simply nestle in Hai Zhu’s embrace for the rest of his life.

Ultimately, however, reason prevailed. Lyte resisted the temptation and regained his composure.

“Lady Hai Zhu, I’m completely recovered now, so I won’t disturb your rest any further!”

Lyte hastily fled. This was not because he feared Hai Zhu would harm him, but because her playful teasing had sent his heart racing.

He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from revealing his true feelings.

Watching Lyte’s retreating figure, Xie Hai Zhu reverted to her usual doll-like, indifferent expression.

While healing Lyte just now, another memory fragment had surged into her mind.

At the border between the kingdom and the empire, she had scared away the imperial pursuers.

She had saved a golden-haired boy, perhaps twelve or thirteen years old.

“Can I… truly stay in this country?” the golden-haired boy had asked, as if grasping at a last straw.

“Yes, you can, if you wish.”

She had replied with a self-abandoned indifference, as if nothing mattered.

‘That child must have been Lyte when he first arrived in the kingdom, but was Hai Zhu… already on the verge of death back then?’

‘Or perhaps…’

After pondering for a moment, Xie Hai Zhu shook her head, compartmentalized the memory, and teleported out of the office.

****

Two hours later, Xie Shenhong received a message from Lyte on his phone.

“This is taking too long. What has he been doing since then?”

Xie Shenhong immediately headed to the park where they had agreed to meet and found Lyte seated on a bench.

“Here.”

Lyte handed him a yellowish-brown envelope.

Xie Shenhong’s heart stirred. He took the envelope, tore it open, and indeed found the commendation certificate for the recent incident, along with the approval for the second review of the Crimson Knights.

“All that’s left is tomorrow’s interview,” Lyte said, “but at this stage, unless you perform exceptionally poorly, you’ll almost certainly pass.”

Silently putting everything away, Xie Shenhong sat down beside Lyte.

Lyte was long accustomed to this and had prepared himself for being scolded as a busybody.

“Thank you.”

“Huh?” Lyte paused, taken aback.

“Lyte, thank you.”

‘Is Shenhong pretending to be friendly again?’

Seeing everything revert to how it was, Lyte couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment.

Yet, he quickly pulled himself together.

After all, they had known each other for less than a week, and Shenhong had consistently treated him with suspicion, viewing him as an enemy… Reaching this level of rapport was, in fact, a significant step forward.

‘Don’t rush it. Take it step by step. With perseverance, I can definitely turn Shenhong from an enemy into a friend!’

Lyte held this conviction firmly.

He turned his head, bracing himself for Shenhong’s outwardly enthusiastic, yet inwardly indifferent, expression.

But in the next moment, he froze.

What met his gaze was not a forced smile, but an expression of genuine honesty.

“What’s wrong?”

Shenhong waved a hand. Seeing Lyte still staring blankly, he pondered for a moment before realizing, “Are you startled by my change in attitude?”

“Yes, I am.”

Lyte said, incredulously, “I always thought this would be my ultimate goal.”

“To call it an ‘ultimate goal’ is a bit much,” Shenhong said, lowering his head in embarrassment. “But it’s perfectly normal for you to have questions… I admit I’ve been suspicious of you, viewing you as an enemy, but now I understand.”

Shenhong looked up, meeting Lyte’s eyes.

“Lyte, you are a truly good person. I’m sorry… No, thank you for all your help.”

Shenhong offered a grateful smile, one he had never before shown exclusively to Lyte.

No, it was even more profound than that.

It was unreserved, brimming with trust, and even held an emotion that might have been admiration or something more.

“Shenhong, there’s something I must clarify beforehand.” Lyte quickly turned his head away. “I already have someone I like.”

“That’s wonderful! Who do you like? Do you need my help?”

‘Huh? This isn’t quite how he imagined it would go.’

Still, this was for the best.

He wasn’t afraid of how Shenhong’s significant change might affect him.

Rather, he feared he wouldn’t be able to reciprocate Shenhong’s expectations and trust.

After all, such terrifying power resided within him… All he could do was act with integrity and confess everything he could.

“I like Lady Hai Zhu.”

After a moment of silence, Xie Shenhong asked faintly,

“Just to be certain, let me ask: Is this a continuation of that conversation from a few days ago?”

“More or less. Back then, I couldn’t be sure, but now I understand. I truly do like Lady Hai Zhu.”

“Is it the kind of reverence a knight holds for a Saintess or a princess?”

For some reason, Shenhong’s voice sounded a little unsettled.

‘Could it be…’

“Shenhong, could it be that you also like Lady Hai Zhu?” Lyte blurted out instinctively. “But of course, Lady Hai Zhu is so gentle and considerate, and she’s beautiful too. Her slight playfulness only highlights her charm and cuteness…”

Lyte praised her effusively for a while, then turned his head to find Shenhong’s face flushed almost to the color of his hair.

“Shenhong, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere? Could it be that your injuries from the battle haven’t healed yet?”

“I’m fine!” Shenhong retorted, exasperated. “I was just startled by your unrestrained confession!”

“My apologies.” Lyte realized he had been speaking too openly. “But my feelings are genuine. Of course, I know this isn’t something that can be spoken about openly… which is why I’ve only told you.”

“I won’t say anything.”

Perhaps sensing that Lyte was once again trying to earn trust through candid honesty, Shenhong made an effort to calm his tone.

“Thank you. But even if it slipped out, it wouldn’t matter much. As you said, everyone respects Lady Hai Zhu to some extent… as long as she herself isn’t told.”

“Lyte, is there anything else you wish to discuss?”

For some reason, Shenhong seemed a little angry, despite his tone remaining relatively calm.

The good news, however, was that whether it was his earlier gratitude, his retort, or his current anger, Shenhong was not feigning any of it.

Shenhong’s politeness and courtesy towards him genuinely stemmed from a desire to build a good relationship… and that truly was wonderful.

Lyte smiled contentedly, then shifted to the main topic:

“Also, regarding this incident, it might not be possible to disclose our true names. They said it’s to protect us.”

“I have no objections. What are your thoughts?”

“I have no objections either. I’m certainly not qualified for a hero’s title yet.” Lyte recalled his powerlessness and weakness when facing Sima Le, silently clenching his fists. “There’s one more thing: the authorities said they don’t plan to reveal Sima Le’s treason. Instead, they’ll publicly announce that he was assassinated by an imperial spy.”

Shenhong remained silent.

Seeing Shenhong’s crestfallen and somewhat self-reproaching figure, Lyte inexplicably thought of Hai Zhu and quickly said,

“Shenhong, that’s not your responsibility alone.”

“I know.”

“You don’t have to feel like you must bear everything alone either. For all major matters, you have me—”

“Lyte.” Shenhong interrupted him, extending a hand. “Will you protect the kingdom with me?”

“Of course.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, caring not who took the lead or who initiated it, Lyte immediately extended his hand.

Indeed, the golden-haired youth named Lyte was, at this moment, simply a knight who loved the kingdom and was devoted to protecting it.

Though he would later betray the kingdom, leading to its destruction.

Perhaps his consciousness had been corrupted by that dark-attribute power.

Perhaps for some other reason entirely.

But none of that mattered now.

Xie Shenhong had already decided: he would trust him and fight alongside him.

Together, they would change the future.

“Shenhong.”

“Yes?”

“How should I put it… you look quite beautiful today.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Shenhong stiffened completely.

“No, I mean, your smile is really beautiful.”

Perhaps realizing the ambiguity of his words, Lyte quickly clarified.

Though this explanation wasn’t much better.

Nevertheless, Xie Shenhong understood what he was trying to convey.

It was likely that Lyte meant he looked happy, and hoped he would continue to be so in the future.

To always be happy.

“Thank you.”

‘What an idiot,’ he thought.

Though he wasn’t really in a position to call anyone else an idiot.

Xie Shenhong took out his golden pocket watch.

Before boarding the Lihuo airship, the hour hand had been at the two o’clock mark.

Now, it rested at the three o’clock position.

In this past week, two changes in the mark.

No, even including the very first change.

All were because of Lyte.