CHAPTER 245: JEALOUS HEARTS

"Dominic, you idiot!"

Shiao Yi shouted the words like a weapon, his voice echoing through the corridor as he slammed the door open and stormed outside.

The image of Dominic’s surprised, handsome face burned in his mind while sitting there in the middle of a group of women crowding around him in that tavern-slash-dining hall.

What the hell am I doing? Am I a child? he thought bitterly. I’m acting like some jealous kid!

He couldn’t believe himself. And I’m supposed to be a B.O.W numbe rone agent? What a joke!

Lately, his emotions had been all over the place. Especially whenever he was near Dominic. His self-control seemed to slip away and he felt like he was regressing into someone childish and more dependent on him.

Whenever he felt Dominic’s presence, a strange sense of peace came over him. But still—! That didn’t mean he wanted to cling to him or depend on him like some lovesick fool! That was unacceptable. He refused to admit it. Absolutely not!

Two full years had passed since Shiao Yi and Dominic began their long journey, destroying the traces of gateways leading to the Demon Realm while collecting fragments of ancient spells.

Their travels had taken them far beyond the borders of the Rosaria Kingdom, deep into neighboring lands and even further. They had set up more than a dozen teleportation bases across distant regions.

Now they were far to the east, in lands so remote that Rosaria’s maps didn’t even show them. Only the most reckless adventurers would come here and even then, only with a one-way ticket.

They had crossed mountain ranges, barren wastelands, and even a narrow path stretched like a bridge across a sea channel.

Below the cliff bridge, the waves had carved deep tunnels into the rock, rumbling endlessly with a loud sound.

Someday, erosion would destroy that bridge entirely.

It felt as if that sea bridge marked the boundary of the known world. Beyond it, everything, the people, their culture, their way of life was completely different from Rosaria.

There were no kingdoms here, only clusters of settlements.

The land was split apart by forests and mountains and many different races seemed to live together in these scattered regions.

The people here came in all kinds of skin tones, wearing all sorts of clothes.

Most of them could be called human, but there were also those with long, pointed ears and shining silver hair.

Shiao Yi was sure, those people had to be elves. It felt like something straight out of a fantasy tale.

Dominic was just as fascinated, his eyes widening as he watched the strange and beautiful people of this land.

The diplomacy had never been his strong point and he knew it.

Both he and Shiao Yi agreed that the Rosaria Kingdom should be cautious before trying to make contact or start any kind of trade with these people.

The cultural differences, after all, could easily lead to misunderstandings, sometimes even tragic ones. Still, Shiao Yi was glad that the language didn’t change. Being able to communicate clearly was an important blessing in itself.

Even so, there was one thing that kept surprising him, everyone here was tall. He hadn’t yet met a single race or tribe shorter than himself.

Why? he wondered.

Was everyone in this part of the world just naturally huge? Even the thin ones were thicker and broader than him.

Something’s not right here, he thought bitterly.

Because of that, everywhere they went, people treated him like a child. Sometimes they even asked if he was Dominic’s kid.

It’s unbelievable, he thought in frustration.

Every time that happened, Dominic would burst out laughing, completely unable to hide it even when he tried to cover his mouth or turn away.

Damn it! How humiliating!

And when Dominic reached out while chuckling, he would said, "Sorry, sorry," while patting his head, Shiao Yi’s pride flared even higher.

"Don’t do that!" he wanted to snap.

That only makes it worse!

During their travels through various villages, they eventually heard a rumor, somewhere far to the north, deep in the mountains, there was a hidden settlement where a lost tribe still lived.

A tribe said to be ancient, perhaps dating all the way back to mythic times.

If that was true, then maybe they had records or legends about the Aeon.

That possibility was enough for Shiao Yi and Dominic to decide to go north in search of them.

The further north they went, the rougher the terrain became. Mountains rose higher, and the paths grew narrow and wild.

They followed a road that wound along a river cutting between the ridges.

Even here, they could see deep wheel marks in the dirt, it’s proof that traders still passed through these dangerous mountain paths.

Shiao Yi guided his horse, Marengo, carefully along the uneven mountain road, making sure its hooves didn’t slip on the stones scattered across the rough, hole-filled path.

The two of them rode close together under a single blanket, their bodies pressed tightly beneath it.

It was freezing cold.

Even though it was only early autumn, the air was so sharp that a moment’s carelessness could lead to frostbite or worse.

Marengo, too, had been covered with a blanket to keep its body from losing warmth.

The snow hadn’t reached this area yet, but the peaks ahead were already capped in white.

Under the shared blanket, wrapped in Dominic’s body heat, it was pleasantly warm. Almost too warm. The closeness that brought comfort also carried a dangerous tension.

After all, the two of them were deeply in love.

When two people who desired each other so much stayed pressed together, feeling each breath and every beat of warmth through their clothes, it was impossible for something to not awaken between them.

And Dominic, well, Dominic was a man of endless desire.

Just being near Shiao Yi was enough to send sparks through his veins. Keeping things under control during a long journey like this was already a miracle.