Stray

The other party’s breath sprayed in his ears that gave Nemo goosebumps all over. He subconsciously wanted to do it but was afraid the dark shadow would really stab the person in front of him, so he had to take a more compromised approach. Nemo gritted his teeth and swung his fist.

Jesse turned his head and lightly dodged his unskilled punch.

“Don’t be so shy.” He showed an expression similar to grievance. “I’m trying to help you—”

Nemo didn’t bother responding. He tried to stand up to get away from this inexplicable person.

“You are just bound by your cognition.” Jesse didn’t mind the cold treatment that he’d received. He propped his right arm on the trunk of a tree and stopped Nemo’s movement before continuing happily. This time, he raised his voice slightly. “As long as you always think you’re an ordinary person, your strength will be suppressed. How about relaxing that thought occasionally? For example, try to deny yourself that you’re an ordinary person.” He licked the corners of his lips, “…Or try to deny that you’re a human being.”

“If I remember correctly, I haven’t used any spells in front of you the few times we met.” Nemo took a deep breath, trying to make him sound as cold as possible. “So where did you come to this conclusion, Mr. Dylan?”

“Secret.” Jesse shrugged. “But that suggestion is from the bottom of my heart. You can’t—”

Before he finished speaking, Jesse moved back unnaturally causing Nemo to blink. Who knew when but Adrian had woken up and at this moment was pulling Jesse by the back collar and dragging him away from Nemo.

Nemo didn’t miss this opportunity and quickly moved to Oliver’s side. Although Oliver was still in a deep sleep, he felt united as the two of them had a common enemy.

“I see.” Ann put the fruit in her hand aside. She had no intention of eating it. “Maybe this guy is here to poach.”

“Poaching?” Nemo glanced at Oliver and asked with his mouth.

“Yes. I have been in this business for a long time. Everyone basically knows that I like to act alone. Cross is now a walking signboard for trouble, while Oliver’s power… If he wanted to poach Oliver, it won’t be such a hapless thing.”

Nemo couldn’t help but glanced at her slightly sad.

“Demon worshippers and warlocks generally have their own circles, and they usually don’t mix with ordinary people.” Adrian loosened Jesse’s collar as he added in a low voice. He looked a little more energetic after his nap. “Mr. Light is indeed an anomaly.”

“It may be that I’m careless, but you seem to be hinting at something,” Jesse said in an exaggerated tone. “I’m definitely not a demon worshipper. How can I be a demon worshipper without a demon? As for being a demon warlock… Well, this is really hard to prove.” He scratched his chin. “Ah yes, I’m not deformed! I don’t mind taking off my clothes to prove my innocence— Oh, we have a lady present. I forgot— Well one from the Holy Church. Do you want to check me? I really don’t mind.”

Adrian thought for a while before he said, “Yes, take it off.”

“…You’re really too reckless!” Jesse immediately hugged his arms. “Of course not here. It’s too bold in the wild during the day and I’ll be embarrassed. Maybe you can come to my room when we’re in Vincent Town—” he dragged the end of his sentence, incorporating some ambiguity in his tone.

Adrian turned around and left.

“You did not deny my previous statement,” Ann snorted. “You want to poach our mage? Give up. Our captain won’t let people go.”

“I didn’t want to go either,” Nemo muttered. Oliver, who was asleep, titled his head and rested on his left shoulder. The soft light brown hair was scattered on his shoulder and looked very soft. Nemo couldn’t help but touch it a few times; it felt really good to the touch.

“Maybe it was only in name of taking the boy away so he can poach me!” the grey parrot sighed wistfully. “I have no problem. Take me away. I’ve had enough of it here—”

“Of course!” Jesse opened his arms. “…I’m not admitting who I want to poach, but who would refuse such a smart and cute bird?”

The grey parrot made a strange noise that Nemo suspected it was going to cry. It seemed to have completely forgotten who was yelling at Jesse Dylan last night.

“Bagelmaurus,” he carefully said, “do you remember what you are?”

Bagelmaurus turned his head and mooned him, obviously not intending to answer his question.

“If I really succeed in taking anyone away from you, it must be by the power of true love,” the blond young man said passionately, still maintain a posture of slightly opened arm. “Before that, I’m just a weak and harmless colleague.”

Nemo didn’t want to continue talking to him, but Jesse Dylan’s words lingered in his mind. He stretched out his right hand and tried to empty his thoughts. A dark purple ball of light slowly condensed in his palm. He carefully manipulated the spell, which felt like water droplets sliding on a lotus leaf. Just as he thought he had stabilized it, it slipped away form under his nose again.

He really didn’t need to perform any incantations.

Rather, he didn’t even know what kind of spell this was. Bagelmaurus has used it several times, so he made a similar one like it. God knows if its destructive effect was the same. Nemo sighed, and the ball of light dissipated in an instant. He didn’t intend to do this kind of unethical experiment on such a peaceful occasion.

Not sure if it was due to Nemo’s movement, but Oliver’s breathing became a little faster. Oliver frowned, opened his eyes, and looked around bleary-eyed. Nemo looked at him in silence for a moment and found that the tip of his ears was a little red.

“Ollie, would you like some water?” Nemo was worried. He grabbed Oliver and put his forehead against Oliver’s forehead. “Your body temperature is a bit high. Don’t get heatstroke.”

“He’s not.” Ann sounded as if she was holding back a smile “…Just leave him alone.”

Oliver used magic to conjure up a piece of ice and began to chew on it with a complicated expression.

“Oh— I see.” Jesse, who had finally quieted down, opened his mouth again. “What a pity. I lost two opportunities.”

“You didn’t even have half an opportunity in the first place.”

“Really? But I think… Oh?” He quickly changed his words. “Do you smell it?”

Ann had already stood up vigilantly while Adrian took off the longbow he was carrying on his back. Oliver drew out his sword quickly this time, though he still looked a little confused. Nemo sniffed and smelled a strange sweet fishy scent in the air.

“Scorpion-tailed wolves,” Adrian frowned. “But it’s still daytime.”

“There’s a problem.” Ann glanced at Jesse, who raised his hands giving her an innocent expression.

The wolves came extremely quick. They were specially divided into several teams as they surrounded the five people. Scorpion-tailed wolves were larger than ordinary wolves. They didn’t have hair, but bare red and wrinkled skin and a scorpion tail grew where their normal tail should be. The tip of the tail was bright blue; anyone could tell that it was poisonous from a single glance. 

Ann put away the spear.

“This quantity should be fine.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “Cross, aren’t you going to teach Oliver how to use a sword? This is a good opportunity.”

Several scorpion-tailed wolves close to them lowered their bodies. They pressed their sharp claws into the soil, their milky white eyes locked on Ann’s movements, and their throat let out a sticky unpleasant growl. Adrian carefully mounted the longbow on his back. He frowned, as if intending to say something, but Oliver took the lead.

“The scorpion-tailed wolf will only hurt people when it feels threatened.” Oliver sounded a bit hesitant. “They are extremely afraid of the sun and would never move during the day unless they have to. In other words…”

“What did we do that frightened them so much? They thought it was useless to run away so they plan to fight to the death?” Nemo added in an unpleasant tone. The conjecture made him a little irritable.

“They’re afraid.” Oliver put down his sword. “Mr. Cross, I really want to learn combat skills, but can you wait a bit?”

“Why do you care about the reason?” Jesse shrugged. “You see, whether it’s because of appetite or fear, these ugly things made the first move. What are you waiting for?”

After that he simply threw out a dagger and slashed the throat of a scorpion-tailed wolf. Fuchsia color blood sprayed everywhere. The wolves stirred for a moment and the low growl became louder.

Jesse magically summoned more daggers and sandwiched them between his fingers. He seemed to be in a happy mood. Just as he was about to throw out a second one, his wrist was grabbed by another thin pale hand.

“Our leader is Ollie.” Nemo squeezed Jesse’s right wrist hard. “It’s not you.”

“His indecision will kill you.” Jesse arched an eyebrow. “Isn’t it natural to hunt monsters?”

“He said that because he could defend himself.” Nemo increased his strength. “…Fear is not a capital crime.”

“Oh God, do you love the scorpion-tailed wolf so much that—”

“I don’t care about these wolves,” Nemo said softly. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your approach, but you’d better get this through your head— you’re not qualified to ask us to obey your ideas.”

As he said it, he turned his gaze to Oliver.

Oliver didn’t pay attention to the movements over there. He took two cautious steps back, lowered his body, and inserted the silver sword into the soil. The wolf was standing opposite of him. It was the largest of the scorpion-tailed wolves. Almost the entire bony tail had uncomfortable blue stripes on it. It wrinkled its nose, and revealed almost all its sharp teeth, as it lowly growled and salvia was leaking from between its teeth.

Oliver looked back a few times, as if he had drawn a circle with his gaze. Nemo was familiar with this movement. He was estimating the position of the ice shield— then Oliver turned his head and painted a complex array in the air.

“We’re not malicious.” His finger left light green traces in the air, and the flashing frequency of the magic array was like a beating heart. “…Don’t be afraid,” he said softly.

The wolf looked at him suspiciously, still baring its teeth, but the volume of its low growl decreased. Its milky white iris and white eyes couldn’t be separated. Only the dark vertical pupils were embedded in the eyeball. Its tail hung down a little.

Oliver moved his other hand away from the hilt of the sword. When the magic array was completed, a reassuring light flickered in the air.

“Don’t be afraid,” he repeated again.

The wolf retracted its teeth and stretched out its tongue to lick its nose and sniffed the air suspiciously.

“Come,” Oliver stretched out his hands.

“…Is he touching it?” Jesse shouted. “Oh God, doesn’t he feel sick?”

“How can I put this; I think it should feel better than touching you.” Nemo said quietly, releasing the hand that was holding on Jesse’s wrist.

The wolf cried a few times without resisting Oliver’s touch. It squinted its eyes and even shook its ugly tail. The scorpion-tailed wolves gradually dispersed and bypassed all five of them. They drilled into the trees and shadows and soon disappeared.

“Forest ballad,” Ann muttered. “People still use this thing these days?”

“Forest ballad?”

“It’s a way to show your emotions to a life that doesn’t understand the language, but it has little value. Generally, the time to complete it is enough for the other party to bite your head off ten times over. Oliver’s speed… Only with that much mana can he afford this kind of waste.” Ann curled the corners of her lips uncomfortably. “Most people prefer to use this on animals in cages.”

“Isn’t this good?” Oliver clapped his hands and put the sword back into the scabbard. “It’s better to speak clearly. They didn’t want to eat us and we’re not going to eat them.”

“Huh, I have to admit, it’s really troublesome dealing with the poison of scorpion-tailed wolves. It’s best that no one is injured.” Ann put away her weapon. “It seems that Cross can only teach you how to chop the air.”

Jesse put away his daggers in disappointment, then resumed his signature smile.

No one had noticed the damage to his calf. When the wolves retreated, one of them passing by gave him a hard blow. The skin under his clothes quickly changed from bruising to pitch black, before quickly returning to a healthy white again.

“Indeed, it’s best that no one was injured.” Jesse Dylan smiled and spread out his hands. “You’re absolutely right!”

The author has something to say：

Grey Parrot: He said I’m cute!

Nemo: Are you really a superior demon, my friend?

Grey parrot: But he said I’m cute!

……Bagelmaurus has lost his dignity.

It’s a pity that Jesse didn’t include it in his love at first sight. What a pity.

Kinky Thoughts:

Nemo’s so cute. Protecting his hubby. I love all these small interaction between Nemo and Ollie.