CHAPTER 124: LOKA’S WAY

The next morning was Gara’s shift at the clinic. After providing one hundred liters of water into the storage and another hundred into the Liner camp, Gara headed for the village clinic.

It had been about two weeks since they moved to this village. Everything seemed to be running smoothly.

His experiments were close to success. The druids had followed the false trail and were already on their way to another county.

Maybe—just maybe—this village could become their permanent home.

His thought scattered the moment he noticed the clinic door already open. From the threshold, he spotted Loka tidying up inside.

"Gara, you’re here," Loka greeted him, eyes bright.

"Why are you here?" Gara asked back.

"After mooching off your dish yesterday, I figured I should return the favor. The investigation team isn’t fetching water today, we’re checking the contaminated source instead. But Mohan’s still discussing things with the town guards, so I came here to help you in the meantime," Loka explained in one long breath.

Gara nodded slowly.

Meanwhile, Narin stood outside Gara’s house. She wasn’t looking for him. She was looking for Madha.

Madha regarded her with a bored expression.

"Mohan told me to call you to the Liner camp," Narin said quickly. "There’s a meeting with the town guard representatives. The vice-captain who’s in charge here went back to town and hasn’t returned yet, so... I came to fetch you instead."

Her bright blue eyes brimmed with false sincerity. She only hoped Madha would believe her story. If not, she’d just come up with another excuse, anything to get him to follow her.

Madha, however, nodded right away, no questions asked. After all, he had once carried Captain Tristan’s message to Mohan. Which meant, after the vice-captain, it wasn’t wrong for Mohan to treat Madha as the guards’ representative.

Narin, who didn’t need to twist her story any further, was delighted. She quickly led Madha toward the Liner Camp.

Along the way, she kept talking, her voice sweet and persistent, but Madha never once responded.

"Even though you see plenty of men approach me, I’ve never been close to any of them. I’ve never spent time alone with anyone, except now..."

Her longing gaze lingered on Madha, but the sharp-jawed man kept his expression flat, eyes fixed ahead.

She tried reaching for his hand, but Madha noticed and picked up his pace, slipping away with effortless ease.

Narin narrowed her eyes in irritation. Just then, she spotted the clinic in the distance.

"There! That’s the clinic. Gara should be inside, right?" she pointed eagerly at the small building. "Why don’t we drop by and greet him?"

Madha gave a slight nod, his expression softening for the first time. Narin’s annoyance flickered, but behind it curled a sly smile.

Meanwhile, inside the clinic, something strange was unfolding.

Gara’s back was pressed against the wall, both arms pinned above his head, restrained by earthen shackles. The position left his pale stomach—completely healed, without a trace of stitches—fully exposed.

In front of him, Loka’s eyes burned with desire.

Gara scoffed, never imagining things would turn out like this.

Only minutes ago, he and Loka had simply been tidying the clinic, chatting casually. Then, out of nowhere, Loka pressed up behind him as Gara was refilling the medicine cabinet.

When Gara tried to sidestep, the bigger man pinned him with one arm, breath heavy against his ear.

Warning bells went off in Gara’s head.

Goddess Freya, don’t tell me my Max Charm activated again! Answer me!

"Max Charm activates when it detects you’re in a situation suited for—"

CRAZY GODDESS! INSANE SYSTEM! Do you want me to get assaulted?! I already went through enough with Langga! I don’t need to get violated by some random man just to end up pregnant!

Fury burned through Gara. This time the system had truly crossed the line.

He didn’t say a word, but his face flushed bright red.

Then Loka whispered, voice low and trembling, "I like you. From the very first time I saw you, my heart has been racing. I don’t care if you’re a man or not."

Gara felt something hard press against his back and let out a sharp breath.

Back with Langga, he hadn’t been strong enough to fight. But this time...

He drove his elbow hard into Loka’s stomach. The strike wasn’t that strong, but it startled the man enough to make him flinch and loosen his grip.

That was all Gara needed. With quick, fluid movements, he slipped free and made for the clinic door. He had to put distance between them before Loka fell any deeper under his Max Charm.

Boom!

The ground in front of the doorway erupted upward, sealing off the entrance completely.

"Don’t leave before we finish talking."

"Loka, we can talk another time. There’s still plenty of chances."

"No. Right now, Gara."

When Gara met Loka’s gaze, the man’s eyes were hazy, clouded with lust.

Loka raised his hand. Earth surged through the window, wrapping around Gara’s wrists and pinning him against the wall.

"Loka, if you go any further, I won’t hold back!" Gara’s expression darkened.

He’d been gentle before only because Loka was under the sway of his Max Charm, but that didn’t mean he’d allow himself to be bullied.

Loka stepped closer, ignoring the warning. "The quickest way to be closer... is to become one," he whispered, leaning in.

Gara’s patience snapped. From his bound wrists, water seeped out, soaking into the earth shackles until they crumbled apart.

"H-how is that possible?" Loka’s eyes widened as Gara freed himself and stood tall.

"This ends here. I’ll act as if nothing happened." Gara calmly brushed dirt from his hair and shoulder, then walked toward the door.

"NO!" Loka’s shout shook the room. Earth flew in again, wrapping around Gara’s torso down to his knees.

Thud. Gara’s immobilized body hit the wooden floor.

"I won’t let you go! Not until I show you just how deep my love runs!"

Instead of panicking, Gara only clicked his tongue.

Is this guy really that stupid? Doesn’t he realize that his earth won’t be able to defeat my water?

...