Chapter 4 – “Forget the Holy Light Technique”

Chapter 4- “Forget the Holy Light Technique”

Editor: Vivi

The knight’s movements were calm, and his hands exerted no force as he quietly covered the wet towel. The towel weighed almost nothing… but when it pressed against Arnold’s calf, he suddenly found himself in a daze.

He had already begun to daydream, thinking about how his ugly and deformed tail would feel and the response of the other person once it was exposed. He had imagined more than a dozen situations with various reactions, and in his heart, he had compiled many excuses from the other person’s perspective to spare him. Although… even he couldn’t be convinced by these reasons.

Once the situation occurred, the seemingly cold and fierce-looking, but actually devout and gentle, knight in front of him would definitely kill him without hesitation.

The faith of the atoning knight was unquestionable. And this part of his body was too much like a fallen person whose soul had been traded away by the devil.

Arnold was momentarily plunged into feelings of loss and depression, and this self-doubt and pessimism surpassed even his nervousness and fear. He stared at the other man’s broad and powerful hands, continuously feeling the strange rise of heat on the skin covered by the towel. He didn’t know if it was a psychological effect or reality.

It was better to die in the hands of Sir Kaos, rather than under a deadly potion of the Church. The young man lowered his eyes and thought to himself in despair.

The knight wore heavy armor and had no intention of taking it off at any time soon. He lowered his body, kneeling on the ground, and his whole body paused in front of the young man, exuding a cold and reliable temperament. Arnold sat in a chair, and from that angle, his attention was almost entirely attracted by the other person’s golden hair.

Subconsciously, he gradually looked towards the other person’s eyes, only to see the overlapping old bandages. Arnold’s gaze paused for a moment before he abruptly returned to his senses.

“Sir Knight…”

The other man did not respond, but continued to slowly massage the bruised area.

Arnold, who had been ignored, felt uneasy as he leaned over. He slightly approached the other person’s ear, beyond the acceptable boundary of social distance between people, and entered the other’s intimate space. “Sir Knight…”

“Call me by my name.” The other man replied.

The man’s voice was deep and hoarse, as if washed countless times by the wind and frost over the years. Arnold was immediately struck by the traces of this experience, and as if encountering an elder, he developed a sense of respect and affection. Unconsciously, with a sense of dependence, he changed his tone and called out, “… Mr. Kaos.”

“Name.” The other person raised his head.

Although there was no gaze, the sensation of being stared at still touched his heart. Arnold stumbled and changed his wording, suppressing his old habit of using respectful titles, “Ka… Kaos.”

“What is it?”

“I can do it myself, it’s fine.” Arnold tried to maintain his sincere tone and continued, “Please go and rest.”

For a moment, he forgot that he was sitting by the other person’s bed.

Kaos did not answer, but slowly stood up after a brief moment of silence.

One standing and one sitting, with the difference in height with the addition of armor in the cramped bedroom, Arnold felt a strong sense of oppression. He raised his head to look at the other man. At the same time, the knight also slightly lowered his head, and faced him directly.

“Do you know how believers of God deal with heretics?”, he asked.

Arnold’s heart tightened and he licked his lips to ease his emotions. He kept his breath steady and replied, “I just stumbled into this place by mistake. I don’t know about the church. Sir- Kaos.”

“They will burn them to death.” The people have a well-known saying, “They will crush their bones into powder and bury them under the throne of God. They will extract the soul from the spiritual sea, tear it into different pieces, and put them into the Sea of the Dead, leaving them to drift for eternity.”

The little monster involuntarily gripped the armrest of his chair, afraid to make a sound. He kept feeling as if he were about to be discovered. He was overly nervous, and felt his heart pounding so intensely, he was sure that the knight could hear something unusual.

“If you encounter heretics in the Dark Forest,” Kaos continued, “Run quickly and come back to me.”

I’m not going to hurt anyone. Arnold thought sadly to himself, unable to come up with a reason not to become a “heretic”, and at the same time felt guilty about his trust in the knight. He could only say in a low voice, “I know. I… I will leave tomorrow and won’t cause you any trouble…”

He didn’t fully understand the meaning of the later half of the other’s sentence.

The shadows under Kaos’ feet began to flow after this sentence, as if restless. If it weren’t for his own suppression, these tentacles would have spread out long ago, licking and kissing the entire body of the little monster, perhaps even lovingly entangling, attaching, and clinging to his otherworldly and exquisite tail.

The flow of shadows intensified.

Kaos didn’t answer, but unexpectedly asked, “Do you know the Holy Light Technique?”

Arnold’s sadness came to an abrupt end.

He didn’t tell the other party his true identity, nor did he say any reasonable-sounding lies. He actually knew, having learned the healing mantra of the Holy Light Arts by ear over the past decade at the Church. However, the Church relied on the most basic beliefs to achieve it. As his faith was non-existent, he could only use it after self-hypnotic psychological cues.

In this situation, he could have said “no”, but as he spoke, the other person’s phrase, “be pious” inexplicably came to mind. Arnold hesitated for a moment and replied stiffly, “A little bit.”

Kaos told him, “Forget the Holy Light Technique.”

Arnold raised his eyes in surprise, shocked by the words. He couldn’t have imagined that the other man would not only ignore his confusing words and his unclear identity, but instead tell him, “Forget the Holy Light Technique.”

This was not the mindset a knight should have. The Knight of the God of Light and Eternity should help spread His words, rather than make a person forget. He couldn’t figure out the logic in their conversation. He was so bewildered, he couldn’t even immediately react to the uncontrollable small fangs growing out of his mouth.

Fortunately, Arnold was always vigilant about what might happen, and instinctively raised his hand to cover his mouth. His small vampire-like fangs slightly pressed against his lower lip. The little monster raised his gaze and carefully stared at Sir Knight. After realizing that there was nothing unusual about him, he tentatively put down his hand, licked his teeth, and whispered, “Okay. I understand.”

His fangs were transplanted into his body through surgical experiments. They were the fangs of a magical creature, but this animal had a strange purity. The experimenters had knocked out the teeth of the creature, and chose the most complete pair with the greatest light energy ,cut open his skin and flesh, injected potions, and sewn them into the position his original teeth used to be.

In order not to harm this enchanting face, multiple transplant surgeries were performed on the small fangs, using many complex potions to heal his wounds. Unfortunately, the final experimental results were not satisfactory. Arnold still remembered the experimenter holding a notebook and looking at him in disappointment. The efforts of more than a dozen experimenters, who worked day and night forgoing food and sleep, were in vain. When he was looked at by that kind of gaze, he felt as if it were his fault.

Arnold, who relied on the experimenters to feed him to survive until now, had neither hatred nor goodwill towards these people who had been ordered to act. He felt nothing but fear, only desiring to run away and escape.

After many years of having them, the small fangs had already become a part of his body. Arnold was already familiar with the physical changes that would occur when he lost control. After realizing that Kaos was truly unresponsive, he slowly let go of his fear.

Fortunately, it wasn’t his tail, he thought with relief.

“The Dark Forest is very dangerous for you.” Kaos continued, “If you leave alone, only death awaits.”

It was the first time Arnold had ever openly revealed his abnormal body in front of strangers. Although he knew that the other person could not see him, the behavior itself brought great encouragement and comfort to the young man. He also knew that it would be difficult for him to escape from the forest, and he needed the help of Sir Knight.

Despite this knowledge, he knew he was in no position and had no reason to make such a request.

Arnold possessed a unique blend of fragility and resilience. His sense of vulnerability was engraved on every inch of his body, from the tips of his hair to his fingertips, like a crystal ball that could break at any time. Under this premise, his persistence of not wanting to give up on living made him even more admirable.

“I’m terribly sorry… I seem to have caused you trouble.”

The knight paused and spoke, “Stay here for now. Do you know how to cook?”

When it came to the feeling of being needed by another, it was an area he knew nothing about. Arnold’s face burned with shame, “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t know…”

“You can stay and cook.” The man seemed to be randomly looking for a reason for him to stay and didn’t care if he could really do it. “The prey I hunt will be left to you to handle.”

“Sir Kaos…”

“My name.”

“…Kaos,” Arnold said, “I can’t satisfy you, I’ll only keep bothering you.”

The little tentacles flowing in the knight’s shadow tangled and intertwined, as if feeling a sense of unease at the young man’s continuous and unmistakable refusals. They had already eagerly gnawed at the skin of the little monster, giving birth to a fantasy-like intimacy.

It’s just that they were one-sided and self-righteous.

However, they were also a part of Kaos, and the thoughts of the tentacles may not necessarily be free of Kaos’ involvement. It can be said that some of his own thoughts already resided within the tentacles.

“You don’t know how to satisfy me,” he repeated.

The knight’s palm descended slowly. This hand that was supposed to be heavy and able to wield a knight’s sword, that seemed to be able to crush hard steel, when it touched Arnold’s face, it was as gentle as a feather.

The blind knight slowly learned about the other person’s appearance through touch, his sharp touch, nerves, and even the chaotic parts of his mind. Kaos’ hands were exploring, comforting, and showing kindness to the lovely young man, but they were also gradually becoming invasive.

Wrapped in this sense of aggression, Arnold was so stiff that he dared not even flutter his eyelashes, and hid his sharp teeth between his lips with extreme restraint.

“Perhaps what you did,” the knight said as he withdrew his hand, “is what I am most satisfied with.”

After finishing this sentence, he once again became the formidable knight in crimson armor. He turned around, and pushed the door to leave. Arnold’s body went slack for a moment as he lifted his hand to cover his face, still able to feel the slow, and lingering touch on his cheeks.

The feeling of suffocation gradually faded away. Arnold slowly breathed in the clear air around him. At the same time, he remembered the magician’s notebook which carried the mysteries of the world in his mind. His heart beat fiercely, and the temptation to stay by the knight’s side suddenly became an absolute possibility.

The place was originally very big, and he was very clear about his strength. It would be too difficult for him to walk out of this forest alone. The best result would be if he could quickly learn sorcery and rely on the power of magic to leave the mysterious dark forest, this city, and go as far as possible from the holy city.

After thinking about it for a while, Arnold could only choose to heed Sir Knight’s words. He could only take the risk of becoming a monster and be killed by the other man. He took a deep breath, calmed down, and waited for his fangs to slowly subside. Looking back on his experiences the past few days, he fell into a trance, thinking about his dramatically changed world.

Outside the door, the knight in red armor stopped, and silently stood in place.

His hanging palm slowly melted and flowed down like a liquid, causing flesh and blood to lose its shape. Along with his muscular and smooth arms, everything melted away and flowed to the ground.

Within the heavy armor that seemed to be supported by his body, there was nothing there. Inside the steel contraption everything was hollowed out into liquid, and blended into his shadow.

A dark and soft tentacle emerged from the shadow, standing tall, with a rotating eye protruding from the tip. There was a mouth full of several rows of sharp teeth that had cracked open under the eye, “Destroy him.”

Kaos raised his head.

Destroy him. He silently recited the words.

“Take control of him, break him, he’s too beautiful.” It said, as it’s eyes turned crimson, “His teeth, did you see them? He was so lovely, those teeth were only pretty when they were in his mouth.”

“I saw it.”

Kaos was inherently fluid, and was not surprised at his shape. Even though this scene seemed like a conversation, it could only be considered a monologue. His thoughts could appear from the shadows, on tentacles, from every part of his body. If he raised another idea in the next moment, a separate mouth would join the argument, this was how it originally was.

Another tentacle emerged.

“How can I quench my thirst? His body, such powerful light magic, and the delicious scent of his body…” It said, “Eat him or lick him. Isn’t that what you want to do?”

The kind of delicate and flawless flesh, covered in vitality, with a slightly fearful expression as he revealed his pointed teeth and special body, was adorable to the extreme. Who wouldn’t want to see the monster shatter? See his flesh and fresh blood melt into one in his embrace, scatter like flying dust? See his eyes rest in the gaze of an evil god. See a kind but resilient flower torn apart and destroyed by him, sweet nectar flowing all over his palm in a sticky crimson color.

Kaos changed his stance and expressionlessly “watched” a dozen tentacles arguing with each other in front of him. Countless thoughts rose and gradually fell, and the body of the deceased person was slowly occupied by his power. The liquid flowing arm wriggled back and reassembled into a solid arm.

Perhaps the knight did not take off his armor not because of his habits or beliefs, but simply because his armor contained strange and indescribable things.

He lifted his feet and the shadows moved. The squabbling tentacles quietly retreated into the figure. Kaos grabbed the wrist of the other hand and slowly turned it back and forth a few times. The muscles and bones that had been moved were assembled more precisely. He lowered his head slightly, and there were no eyes in the dry sockets under the bandage. However, there were thousands of “eyes” in the air, gazing at the world for him.

Shredding, licking, digesting, fusing… Saving.

To save…

He thought for a moment and then shook his head.

Collect.

Yes… Collect.

---

T/L Note: Thank you for reading! Hope to see you in chapter 5!