CHAPTER 309: HOME AT LAST

A terrible heat burned through his whole body.

The shock hitting his back was far beyond anything normal.

At this rate, he could die easily.

No human could endure this.

And he could feel an even bigger wave of energy coming.

If that hit him, he wouldn’t just turn into pieces of meat, he might be broken down to atoms.

Ah, right.

He had trapped the Aeon at the very limit, holding it tight and standing right in the center where the magic stones and magic blasts were fired.

He clawed at the invisible "floor," using both hands and feet, dragging himself like a worm to escape.

He knew staying here meant death.

He had made a promise.

He had sworn it with that person.

He had to live and go back.

He couldn’t die here.

He struggled with everything he had.

He twisted his body like a caterpillar or a worm and kept fighting, fighting, fighting.

At that moment...

"®%°°¢÷{`}}¢\"

He could here a voice.

Someone was speaking to him.

Someone was calling him.

"°%™€=€{. Shiao Yi. If you=die, I}will follow©you. We will always%be together."

No. He couldn’t let that happen.

He couldn’t let that person die after him.

But... when he thought, That’s his love for him, it made him strangely happy.

It made him shy.

Yeah, that’s right.

They had promised to stay together forever.

"You are not waking up, so I haven’t gone to the castle. I haven’t sent the report to Lord Quintus, and I haven’t answered the king’s repeated orders to come to court. As long as you stay asleep, I will stay here and never leave your side."

What? What did he just say?

He couldn’t ignore that.

That person wasn’t working because he wasn’t waking up?

Was he threatening him?

"Don’t blame me! You have to do your job! Don’t slack off!!"

Shiao Yi woke up with a snap.

Just like that, all at once.

And right in front of him was Dominic who is frozen with wide eyes.

His face was extremely close.

It was rare to see Dominic this shocked.

He felt like he had caught something special.

Damn it, a handsome man is still handsome even when surprised.

That should be illegal.

While Shiao Yi was grinning, Dominic, who had rebooted from the shock, suddenly hugged him tight.

Then Dominic rubbed his cheek against Shiao Yi’s cheek over and over.

Dominic’s cheek was wet, so he was probably crying.

That was rare too.

Yes, it was a parade of rare Dominic moments.

But... the rubbing kept going.

Rub, rub, rub.

How long was he planning to do this cheek rubbing?

It hurt.

Was Dominic shaving properly? Did he have stubble growing?

The sharp tips poked into Shiao Yi’s cheek and hurt.

A dull pain.

A prickly pain.

A faint but steady pain.

Even when Shiao Yi said "It hurts," Dominic didn’t stop rubbing his cheek.

Just like a broken robot, Dominic kept rubbing and rubbing without stopping.

Shiao Yi’s voice was hoarse and his throat hurt too.

He couldn’t make his voice any louder.

So, out of desperation, he smacked Dominic in the head with all his strength.

He was exhausted.

That smack had used up all the strength he had.

Shiao Yi fell back onto the bed with a heavy thump.

"Sh–Shiao Yi? Are you okay? What’s wrong?"

Don’t panic like that.

Nothing is wrong.

He was fine.

His body just felt heavy, like he had swallowed lead and he couldn’t move even a single finger.

And that was all Dominic’s fault, anyway.

So hurry up and go shave your jawline.

Once he did, Shiao Yi would let him rub cheeks or kiss him as much as he wanted.

Not long after that, the door burst open with a loud bang.

Ah, that must be Eline.

That meant he really was back in their home in Rosaria.

After all, ever since he woke up, the only thing he had seen was Dominic’s face filling his whole vision.

"My Lord!! You’re awake!!"

"There is a patient here. Please open the door quietly."

Ah, Jude, always the perfect butler. Yes, he had truly come home.

This was the place he belonged.

Being at Dominic’s side was where he was meant to be.

At that simple, obvious truth, Shiao Yi felt tears almost start to fall for some reason.

"Lord Shiao Yi, how are you feeling? Is anything hurting? Is anything uncomfortable?"

Jude asked him gently with his soft eyes.

Shiao Yi could tell he was truly happy.

Thank you, Jude.

"I... I’m... home..."

With his hoarse and rough voice, he managed to say only those words.

"Your throat must be dry. Please drink some water first."

Jude gave Eline instructions to prepare water, then turned his gaze to Dominic.

His face tightened into a strict expression.

"My Lord. First, please shave that unkempt beard. Change out of those worn-out clothes, and wash your face. If you show such a slovenly, dirty appearance to Lord Shiao Yi, even a hundred-year love would cool down and he may end up disliking you."

No, he wouldn’t stop loving him or get tired of him.

Dominic also stiffened in shock and his expression turned worried.

He didn’t need to worry like that.

It was just that the half-grown stubble was sharp and painful on Shiao Yi’s cheek.

Dominic rushed out of the room to fix his appearance.

"Well then, I will go prepare some food. You have not eaten for so long, so warm soup should come first."

Eline quickly go out as well.

As she ran quickly down the stairs, Shiao Yi heard her shout loudly.

"Lambard! Lambard! Lord Shiao Yi has woken up!"

"What?! Really?! Thank the gods!!"

"You all are too loud! Quiet down! Shiao Yi is still weak!!"

While they were shouting downstairs, Jude supported Shiao Yi’s body and helped him drink water slowly.

The water spread through his dried-out body.

Ahh, how delicious the water was.

He felt truly glad to be alive.