Morning arrived with a pale grey light spreading over the outpost.

The copper flames slowly faded under the cold mist rolling over the eastern mountain range. Tired knights wafted their yawns as they changed shifts and stable boys fed the horses, preparing for the day’s upcoming journey.

Luka’s tent flap opened.

Then Luvia stumbled out unsteadily.

Her silver hair was loose and messy, spilling over her shoulders, while her lips looked swollen, covered in bite marks and glossy beneath the morning light. Her golden eyes were puffy, with faint dark rings beneath them, and the way her legs trembled with each step made even walking appear troublesome.

"...Bastard... that damn perverted man..."

She pressed one hand against her buttocks, the slight swelling visible from her loose robes, biting her lower lip as a thick translucent fluid dripped from between her thighs.

The memories of last night flashed through her mind.

It had not been gentle, his hormones and lust raging after successive battles on the brink of death... and she too couldn’t help but lose herself in the waves of pleasure that overwhelmed her each time his large hands slapped her uselessly big buttocks.

Her body still trembled, remembering everything he did, every rough touch and hunger bite carved into her dark skin. Even now, a shameful heat stirred beneath her robe, making her want to rush back inside for another round.

She pressed her thighs together, leaking a wet squelch.

’There’s too much...’

"!!!"

Then she froze.

Galatea approached from the opposite side of the camp, carrying a tray with bread, dried meat and a wooden cup of soup.

’Why now!?’

Although this would technically be a win over Galatea for the dark elf, she still had some pride... her body marred with Luka’s bite marks, fingerprints, and the huge amount of his seed that still sloshed inside her were something she didn’t want to share.

Even to win against her rival.

Their eyes almost met.

A faint green mist slipped from her pores, the sudden release of Miasma sending intense pulses of pleasure as if she was reliving the night once again.

Yet she held her lips as her body blurred into the morning shadows.

’I’ll get you back for this, Luke...!’

...

Galatea stopped walking and glanced around, her blue eyes narrowing where Luvia had stood a moment earlier. The grass now clumped together and was sticky, yet she ignored it. Maybe thinking it was just the morning dew.

"Strange..."

She looked around the path, then shrugged and approached Luka’s tent.

The flap moved for the second time.

Luka stepped outside, his face practically glowing with colour. He slowly fastened the clasp of his cloak with one hand. His hair was slightly damp, dripping with cold water, but she noticed just how calmer his expression was compared to the night before.

’He looks so sexy in the morning... I love how his wet hair clings to his pretty face...’

Galatea hesitated, staring at him with the breakfast tray in her hands.

"L-Luka..."

Her voice was too quiet for him to hear as she cleared her throat and shook her head to remove any unclean and wasteful thoughts.

"My Lord, it’s breakfast!"

"Thank you."

Luka accepted the cup first, drinking without hesitation.

Galatea’s gaze lowered briefly toward the inside of the tent.

"Did you sleep well?"

He seemed to hesitate for a moment before chuckling, his eyes narrowing as he looked off into the distance.

"I got enough, yeah."

"...I see."

She struggled to control her tone as she remembered bits and pieces of last night and revealed more than she wanted to.

Luka looked at her for a moment, then smiled faintly.

"Are you angry?"

"No."

"Hmmm, did you wish you had caught me half asleep and climbed into my bed again?"

"Yes.... W-Wait... I mean no. Just eat your damn soup!"

"Hahahaha, okay, okay."

Luka never shouted or blamed her, which Galatea didn’t mind. Yet sometimes she yearned for the strict, harsh tone he used when scolding Luvia or Brea. She couldn’t help but remember the look Brea gave him after fighting the Troll inside the cave.

’Why are there so many rivals in this life?!’

Luka finished the soup and handed the cup back.

"Galatea, thanks for the breakfast. I really appreciate it. Can you wake Vaun for me? Tell her that we leave in ten minutes."

Galatea lowered her head.

"As you command—Hnnnn?!"

Luka gently patted her ass as he walked past, giving it a slight squeeze, before chuckling to himself. "My knight has the finest ass, indeed."

’!?’

"Who was he comparing me to...?"

Though the compliment didn’t offend her, in fact, Galatea’s cheeks burned with a comfortable heat listening to his words as she held the half-empty tray and glanced back at the distant back of Luka.

...

The outpost and its people moved quickly after that.

Furia was saddled before the sun cleared the ridge. Reina stood nearby, looking far too pleased with herself as Luvia reappeared beside her, now wrapped in a thicker robe over her leather clothing. However, her sarcastic grin returned the moment she saw Galatea following after Luka’s ass.

Vaun arrived last, her half-elf features hidden once more beneath plain cloth and the dull styling of a greying middle-aged man. Only her eyes remained filled with vitality after the evening spent with the other women.

Old Levi stood near the gate wearing a neat suit while holding the reins to a regular horse.

He looked older beneath the morning light.

"My Lord."

"Levi."

Lucifer wasn’t permitted to call him Old Levi, as it was a nickname only the original could use.

The old steward bowed, then offered a folded packet.

"I must apologise and give the latest manor reports. Lady Aldebaron’s party remains inside Babylon. They brought carriages, healers, and armed guards. For what reason we cannot know, but those from Ironhold are rather arrogant and abrasive, please prepare yourself."

But in return, he also gave more support to the Archangel who wouldn’t know everything.

"Healers?"

"Yes, from the temple of Matthew."

Levi’s expression lingered between confusion and sorrow.

"Though it doesn’t make sense, as they’ve also brought supplies. Griain, salted meat, medicine, leather, tools and two wagons of iron fittings..."

Luka paused while reading the list as he shifted atop Furia.

’It is strange...’

He couldn’t understand this woman’s thoughts.

In the original world, Ironhold abandoned Babylon the moment Amol fell. There was no support for weeks, and yet in just a few days, this Lady Aldebaron managed to bring in so much support.

He couldn’t accept it at face value.

"I’ll need to meet this esteemed lady."

"That is not the behaviour of someone who came to break an engagement or cause trouble, is it?" Vaun asked from his side.

"No."

Luka read the packet and truly couldn’t understand.

’This is nothing like my past life...’

In the world Galatea remembered, Ironhold had turned its back on Babylon.

In the fragments left behind by the original Luka, Vivienne Aldebaron had been beautiful, frightening, and impossible to refuse. But those memories were hazy, twisted by the strange pulsing of his heart... each time he recalled her name, Lucifer’s chest became tight.

’What the hell is this...?’

Revenant feelings from the previous Luka?

The girl came to him with too few soldiers to pose a threat.

She even brought merchants to boost the territory’s sales in the last months of summer, as autumn approached.

’I can no longer follow my memories as a script, let them become nothing more than a vague guide for the future events... A warning at most, perhaps.’

Levi watched him quietly.

"Will you receive her kindly?"

"I will receive her as a guest who came to support Babylon."

"And as your fiancée?"

Luka looked toward the road and couldn’t help but want to see through the blurred visage of Vivienne Aldebaron.

There was a growing sense of excitement upon meeting her.

"That depends on her."

Levi’s brow lifted slightly, but he said nothing more.

The party left soon after.

The ride from the outpost to Babylon was shorter than the road from Amol, but the silence between them made it feel longer.

Galatea rode close to Luka’s right, constantly glancing over at him as if she had something to say. While Luvia remained on his left, occasionally stretching with a slight groan as if her body ached in places she wanted somebody to notice.

Luka tried to ignore the dark elf, knowing she planned to cause trouble.

Galatea seemed too focused on something that she didn’t even entertain the dark elves’ mockery and games.

The biggest change might’ve been Vaun, who seemed to be preparing something as she scanned every hill, fence and distant village with keen eyes.

’She plans to reveal her true self when we return...’

Luka shook his head, a little jealous that his secret little elf would become known to others.

All that remained now was to return home.