Winning the male lead

Le Tian was startled again, his body jerking upwards, and his facial features scrunching together.

Land immediately appeared. “Apologies, did I scare you?”

Le Tian patted his chest, looking at the human-shaped light bulb in front of him speechlessly. “…Why are you here again? Didn’t I already agree to continue accepting the leadership of the church?”

Land wasn’t angered by his rudeness and gently said, “I sensed that you needed help.” He deliberately omitted the fact that he had been in the palace the entire time—he didn’t want things to get awkward between them.

Le Tian originally wanted to refuse but thought that, even though Land didn’t have a face, that didn’t necessarily mean he was useless. So, he anxiously said, “My fiancée went missing on the way here. Can you help me?”

“I can. I need an item she has used to track her aura,” Land responded warmly.

Le Tian: …Bro, are you some kind of search-and-rescue dog?

Unfortunately, the problem was that even though Helena was Cyril’s fiancée, they had never met before. Let alone having any of her personal belongings, Cyril had nothing of hers at all.

Le Tian told Land to wait while he sent someone to ask Helena’s maid.

He rang the bell and gave his instructions to the servant. When he turned back, the light bulb was gone again. “Land, are you still here?”

Land: “I’m here.”

Le Tian suddenly had a bad feeling. “You… haven’t been here the whole time, have you?”

The teachings of the church emphasized sincerity, and as the Pope, Land would never go against them. But admitting that he had watched Cyril… twice? That would be far too embarrassing. So, he tactfully replied, “God is present beside everyone.”

Le Tian found his words abstract and figured Land wouldn’t be that tactless.

Indeed, Land wasn’t that kind of person, but for some reason, he was unable to leave.

Still uneasy, Le Tian asked the system again, “Has that light bulb been here the whole time?”

System: “Light bulb?”

Le Tian: “Land.”

System: “…His divine power is on the same level as my system. We cannot perceive each other. If I knew he was here, I wouldn’t have been as freaked out as you were at the beginning.” The system had also been startled when Land appeared.

Le Tian: “Oh, right… Wait a minute. His divine power is on the same level as you?? That’s totally cheating!”

In every small world governed by the Alliance, if a system appeared, it would override the entire world structure. Yet, Land’s character setting was actually on the same level as the system.

System: “That’s just how he was designed. He’s a god, get it? Only by surpassing mortals can one be called a god. The fact that someone like you can be bound to a god (system) is an immense privilege.”

Le Tian: “Hehe, that means I must be a child of the gods.”

Land noticed Cyril lowering his head in silence for a long time. Worried he might grow suspicious, he quickly changed the subject. “Are you about to get married? I can officiate your wedding.”

Le Tian lifted his head and cast a melancholy glance at him. Just seeing his shining, glowing head made his head ache. He really didn’t want to talk to this human-shaped light bulb, cheat character, and search-and-rescue dog all in one.

“I won’t be marrying her,” he said indifferently.

Land: “I heard this marriage was arranged by your fathers.”

Le Tian: “So what? No one can force me to do something I don’t want to do.”

Land replied gently, “Apologies if I upset you.”

Le Tian casually responded, “I’m not upset. No one is worth my anger.” After speaking, he took out a small mirror from his sleeve and checked his reflection. “Getting angry makes people ugly.”

Land had never met a man who cared so much about his appearance. While he acknowledged that Cyril was indeed stunningly handsome, a rarity in the world, he still couldn’t understand whether he was obsessed with his beauty because of his loneliness, or if it was his beauty that had made him lonely. He hadn’t figured it out yet.

Soon, the servant returned with bad news. Helena’s maid had ridden in on horseback and had none of Helena’s belongings with her. They would need to reunite with the carriage team to retrieve something.

If the maid went back to fetch it, it would take a long time.

Le Tian acknowledged this and dismissed the servant. Once the servant left, he turned to Land. “Since you can appear here, you should be able to appear at Helena’s carriage, right?”

Land regretfully said, “I’m sorry, I can’t.”

Le Tian: “…What the hell? Weren’t you supposed to be overpowered?”

The disappointment on Cyril’s face was too obvious—so obvious that Land couldn’t bring himself to deceive him. Reluctantly, he confessed, “I’m having some… issues right now. I can’t stray too far from this palace.”

Le Tian squinted at him skeptically, as if asking, “Are you joking?”

Land sincerely replied, “Really.”

With the holy glow surrounding the light bulb, he probably wasn’t lying. Le Tian’s furrowed brows relaxed slightly, but then another thought struck him. He hastily asked, “How far is ‘not too far’? You’re not going to follow me around all the time, are you? I won’t even be able to—”

Land floated half a meter away from Le Tian. “About this far.”

Le Tian: “…”

Cyril’s beautiful face darkened as if covered in shadows. Reluctantly, he said, “Fine.”

Le Tian urgently asked the system, “What’s going on? Is this a bug?”

The system immediately ran a top-level code check in the background. “Let me see… It looks like your energy and his have entangled in this timeline due to their similarity. Since I’m bound to you, he’s also been default-bound to you.”

Le Tian: “Mom, I only love you. Please save your child…”

System: “Quit whining. I’ll find a way.”

Le Tian: “Yes, yes! Hurry up and get this light bulb out of here. He’s affecting the bond between mother and son.”

System: “Hah. You mean he’s interfering with your alone time, right?”

Le Tian: “Ugh, don’t talk about such things with a parental figure! It’s embarrassing~”

System: “…”

With no other choice, he had to drag along Land—the human light bulb—and personally set out to find the female lead.

Cyril had refused to leave the palace ever since he was old enough to make his own decisions. He feared being surrounded by ugly people outside, and he also feared that his own beauty might be too much for them to handle.

So, Le Tian temporarily had the servants find him a mask. The mask only revealed his eyes, but he still felt uncomfortable, so he added a helmet on top.

Though Cyril rarely left the palace, he was, after all, a man with six-pack abs and defined obliques. Even in armor, he felt himself remain agile and upright.

The royal guards assembled, and for the first time, they didn’t have to blindfold themselves in the presence of their king.

The king was clad in silver armor, his entire body wrapped tightly, revealing only a pair of lake-green eyes. The arrogance and dominance in those eyes made it impossible for anyone to meet his gaze directly. The guards instinctively lowered their heads in submission.

A deep, sultry voice echoed from inside the helmet.

“Full speed ahead. Find Helena.”

Land thought he was a delicate flower from a greenhouse, but it turned out he wasn’t.

Le Tian had no idea what Land was thinking and kept wailing to the system, “Ahhh! The wind is blowing on my face! I need moisturizer! Ahhh!”

System: “…Stop yelling, there isn’t any.” It was currently running at full capacity, trying to find a way to unbind Land from Le Tian. It was rare for Le Tian to not be interested in the male lead, so to avoid any unnecessary complications, the system had to hurry and separate them.

They rode for an entire afternoon, and by the time the sun was about to set, Cyril ordered the team to set up camp. The road they were taking was flanked by vast plains, making it an ideal place for the group to eat and rest. The guards quickly set up a tent for Cyril, who wasted no time crawling inside, with Land following close behind.

Le Tian removed his helmet, then took off his mask.

The intense riding throughout the afternoon had left him drenched in sweat. His golden hair was damp, and beads of sweat trickled down his slender neck. Le Tian wiped his forehead roughly and shook off the sweat before hastily trying to remove his armor. Due to his inexperience, he accidentally cut his finger. With a slight gasp, he put the injured finger in his mouth to suck on it.

Land materialized before him. “Let me help you.”

Le Tian thought to himself that although Land was like a walking lightbulb, at least he wasn’t unpleasant to look at, so he allowed him to help. Land, the all-knowing and omnipotent son of God, was effortlessly skilled at everything. In just a few swift motions, he had undone Cyril’s armor.

Le Tian breathed a sigh of relief and immediately pulled out his small mirror, carefully tidying his tousled hair. No matter how much he tried, he wasn’t satisfied. Frowning, he said, “I need to find a place to bathe.”

He then called out to the guards outside the tent, ordering them to find a nearby water source.

Land, noticing his concern, suggested, “Would you like to try a Holy Light bath?”

Le Tian looked up, surprised. “Holy Light can be used for bathing?”

Land didn’t explain. Instead, he raised his hand, and a gentle yet powerful stream of Holy Light flowed from his palm, enveloping Le Tian entirely. A wave of warmth washed over Le Tian, and in the next moment, the sticky discomfort was gone. He quickly lifted his mirror to inspect himself and was delighted to see his golden curls restored to their fluffy, voluminous state. His sweat was gone, and his skin was smooth and radiant, as if he had just stepped out of a luxurious bath.

He shot Land a look of pure joy. Oh my god—this is like a high-end beauty device! Suddenly, the humanoid lightbulb didn’t seem so annoying anymore. He sincerely said, “Thank you.”

This was the first time he had ever shown Land any kindness. The ever-dignified Pope actually felt a bit flustered, as if he had been caught off guard by the gratitude. “No need to thank me. It was just a small effort.”

Le Tian was deeply moved. “No, it matters! Anyone who contributes to my beauty is a god.” For the first time, he genuinely acknowledged Land as God’s messenger.

Just then, the guards returned with bad news: there was no running water nearby.

At this point, Le Tian was looking at Land as if he were his savior.

The captain of the guard stood outside the tent, requesting instructions. “Your Majesty, the weather looks clear tonight. If we finish eating, we can continue our journey.”

Le Tian called out, “No need. We’ll rest here.”

No way—finding the female lead was important, but getting his beauty sleep was even more critical! What if traveling overnight gave him dark circles?

So, the entire escort team set up camp for the night. A few guards brought heated rations to his tent, and he quickly pulled the food inside, leaving only a small gap in the tent flap.

Land watched this and was reminded of a cat that had once appeared in the Holy Sea.

That cat had been very timid. Whenever the maids fed it, they would leave the food near its hiding place, and the cat would cautiously stretch out a paw to test the area before suddenly snatching the food away.

Cyril was behaving just like that cat.

Thinking this, he couldn’t help but smile to himself.

Le Tian took a bite of the stuffed bread and found it rather unappetizing. He turned to Land and asked, “Do you want some?”

Land shook his head. “I don’t need to eat.” He had long transcended the needs of mortals; food and drink held no meaning for him.

Le Tian’s eyes lit up even more. A lightbulb that doesn’t need recharging, can track missing people, improve his beauty, and now even accompany him for meals? Aside from not being able to share a bed, this was practically the perfect companion! In a softened voice, he said, “Alright, let’s eat together.”

Land, seeing his sincerity, decided to oblige. Cyril was probably used to dining alone, and perhaps sharing a meal would be a small comfort. “Alright. I’ll join you.”

Le Tian: This dude can light up the place, track people down, act as a beauty treatment, and even keep me company while eating. If only he could sleep beside me, he’d be flawless!

Meanwhile, the system finally returned after struggling to debug for a long time, only to see Le Tian and Land sitting together, happily sharing a meal.

System: What the hell happened while I was gone?!