The Return Of The Exiled Villain-Chapter 193: A Trip To The City Of Sword & Magic (X)

"Yawwnn..."

"Mhm~"

A small yawn escaped Gray’s lips as he lay back against the pillows, one arm wrapped around Lyra’s warm body.

She was still half-asleep, humming quietly against his chest, her warm breathing hitting his chest lightly.

The room of the inn was quiet, filled only with the faint morning light that leaked through the curtains.

They had slept together the whole night like this.

Of course, they didn’t fuck or anything as Gray really wanted to take things slow with Lyra, even though they had seen each other naked before.

"Morning, baby...♡" Lyra muttered lighly, her sleepy eyes landing on Gray’s face.

She pressed her palms against his chest, gathering a bit of strength, then lifted herself slightly and leaned forward, pressing her lips against his.

"Chuu~"

The kiss sounded strangely loud in the silent room. Gray smiled faintly, his fingers reaching out to caress her cheek before their lips parted again.

"Slept well?" Gray inquired softly as he gently fixed her messy morning hair.

"Yeaah..." she replied softly.

She relaxed completely in his arms, burying her face in the nape of his neck, her breath warm against his skin. Her body melted against his, as if she truly belonged there.

Staying in Gray’s arms truly felt like heaven for Lyra.

Rustle~

She shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position. Without realizing it, her thigh brushed against him, her body rubbing lightly against his lower half.

His face darkened lightly as he remembered a scene that had happened before.

"Don’t move too much, or we will have an accident like before," he decided to warn her.

Hearing his words, Lyra lifted her head slowly, confusion on her face at first, but as she saw Gray’s lazy eyes that pointed out to his lower body, she instantly remembered the scene, and her face flushed instantly.

"I-I’ll try not to move much..." she stammered, clearly embarrassed.

"Mhm, don’t worry. There’s still a quarter and an hour to nine am, we have a lot of time," he replied lighly, patting her head, messing with her light brown, almost golden locks.

"...Did you dye your hair or something?" he couldn’t help but ask, as in their first meeting, she truly had only light brown hair.

But now... it had almost reached a rich golden colour, containing small hints of it.

"Ah!" Lyra yelped softly as she grabbed a handful of her hair and examined it thoroughly. "Mhm... maybe it’s because of an inheritance I got?"

"An inheritance?" Gray raised an eyebrow, even though he was extremely pleased.

After all, she was about to tell him her first secret... and maybe one day, she would tell him that she’s the vessel of the Five Main Gods!

"Yep... before we met each other, I’ve found one of those inheritance dungeons, and passed its trials. There, I met an old man who granted me power and told me that my body would probably have some changes the stronger I get."

"Ohh... It’s such a pity, though..." he muttered dejectly.

"Why?" Lyra stared into his deep, hypnotic eyes.

"I really loved your light brown hair," Gray grabbed a little bit of her hair, and kissed it gently before his gaze shifted towards Lyra.

"!!!"

Lyra instantly turned her head away, her ears burning red.

[The Blessing of Beauty has reached level 5!]

[The Authority of 『Beauty』has reached level 5!]

At the same time, a few notifications instantly rang in his head.

"...You’re unfair," she muttered lighly, and Gray instantly slid the notifications away.

"Am I?" Gray replied lazily, his chin resting lightly on the top of her head.

"I just said what I thought."

Her fingers clenched slightly in his shirt.

"You’re always teasing me..." she pouted, her cheeks puffing out, causing Gray to reach out and poke them lighly.

"Pftt..."

Rustle!~

Suddenly, Gray pulled Lyra strongly to his chest, running his hand up and down her back as if smoothing out every trace of embarrassment.

Lyra gradually relaxed his caring movements.

The room grew quiet again, filled with the soft sound of breathing and the faint noises of the city waking up outside.

Somewhere far away, people were already shouting, carts rolling across stone streets, but none of it reached them clearly.

"...Baby," Lyra spoke after a while.

"Mhm?"

"Would you still love me if I were a worm?" she asked hesitantly.

He opened his eyes and looked down at her with a confused expression. Her expression was serious now, a little worried, a little uncertain.

But somehow... that phrase gave him a strange sense of Déjà vu.

Still, after rummaging through his brain for a small moment, he gave the best answer he could think of.

"Of course I’d still love you."

"I’d put you in the best soil I could find, feed you orange peels, scoop you up in my hands, and hold you whenever being a worm gets too hard." He pinched her nose lightly, a faint smile forming on his lips.

Lyra froze for a second.

Then her face lit up, her eyes sparkling as if he had just told her the most precious secret in the world.

"Really?" she asked softly.

"Really."

She hugged him tighter.

"Then... will you ever leave me?"

"Of course not."

At his words, Lyra pulled back slightly and eyed him suspiciously, her gaze searching his face as if trying to catch even the smallest crack in his words.

She stared into his eyes for a long moment, her lips pressed together, her grip still tight around him.

After confirming there was no trace of a lie, she finally let out a slow sigh of relief and relaxed against his chest again.

"...Okay," she murmured softly.

And just like that, the questions didn’t stop.

And just like that, for the rest of the hour and fifteen minutes, Lyra kept asking him these kinds of questions.

What if she became a burden?

What if someone more beautiful and talented than her appeared?

And every single time, Gray answered her without impatience, and surprisingly without showing any signs of annoyance.

Finally, at exactly nine in the morning, everyone regrouped at the foot of the inn.

"Is everyone here?" Adrian asked lightly, his eyes scanning everyone.

One by one, he counted them.

After a few seconds, he nodded and turned toward Leon.

"Then, let’s go now, as we can’t bother to waste more time," Leon declared, being the first one to lead the way.

Without waiting, he stepped forward, naturally taking the lead. They still had a week and two days of travel ahead of them, and no matter how much they didn’t want it to, time passed slowly.

The first few days were calm, almost boring.

They crossed long dirt roads that stretched endlessly under the sun, passed through open plains where the wind blew freely, and camped at night beneath wide, star-filled skies.

Sometimes they stayed at small roadside inns, other times they slept outside, taking turns keeping watch.

There were monster encounters, but nothing too dangerous.

Packs of low-level beasts, wandering creatures drawn by mana, and the occasional ambush that was dealt with quickly.

Gray handled most of them with ease, while the others supported or cleaned up what remained.

Of course, Ronan complained a lot.

About the walking.

About the food.

About the lack of women.

Lyra electrocuted him twice during that week.

Some days, rain followed them from morning until night, soaking their clothes and turning the roads into thick mud.

Other days, the heat was unbearable, the sun burning down on them without mercy.

They crossed rivers using old wooden bridges, climbed steep paths carved into rocky hills, and passed through small towns that barely deserved to be called villages.

As the days went on, the atmosphere slowly changed as the roads became wider, and the number of travelers increased.

And especially more adventurers appeared, many wearing academy uniforms from different regions.

By the time the seventh day passed, massive stone roads replaced dirt paths, engraved with old runes that faintly glowed when mana passed through them.

And on the morning of the ninth day...

They finally saw a familiar emblem.

"...There," Selene muttered, slowing her steps.

Everyone stopped.

Ahead of them, rising from the land like a colossal fortress, stood the so-called City of Sword & Magic.

Giant stone walls stretched endlessly to the left and right, covered in layers of enchantments and scars from what seemed to be past battles.

The walls were so high that it was hard to see the top without tilting one’s head back.

At the center stood enormous gates made of dark metal and reinforced stone.

Above the gates, carved deep into the wall itself, was a massive symbol, the one that represented the city itself...

A sword crossed with a magic staff.

The emblem was sharp, powerful, and overwhelming, radiating an aura that made even strong people feel insanely small.

[...An Emperor-Grade Defensive Artifact?]

Jasmine muttered lightly, causing Gray to raise an eyebrow.

’Really?’

[...I’m quite sure.]

If the first look at the emblem caused Gray to feel a little small, now, his eyes were filled of greed towards the emblem.

An Emperor-Grade Defensive Artifact?

How could anyone miss this?!

But unfortunately for him, he had another thing to worry about...

[Rank: Peak Grandmaster (95%)]