The adoration practically overflowing from the man was clearly genuine. He was just a little too enthusiastic, forcing Shu to lean back slightly.
The bearded man looked so rugged, but the way he held Shu's hand was like that of a shy, fidgety schoolgirl.
His hands weren't so innocent, though; they kept stroking Shu's.
"Mr. Shu, I admire you so, so much! I've been your most zealous follower ever since I first saw you on the livestream three months ago!"
This time, his "Mr. Shu" was pronounced even more accurately. Shu's eye twitched as the simultaneous translation rendered the word "follower" as "believer." He felt an urge to speak but couldn't find the words.
Believer? He means fan, right? It has to be fan, right? I'm not some god, nor am I an Overseer. If you're looking for an Overseer, go find Otto, he's the professional at that!
As the bearded man leaned in closer, Shu felt goosebumps erupt all over his body and race up to the top of his head.
And the bearded man was still gushing.
"Your invincible form has been seared into my mind ever since! Every word you said, every move you made during that broadcast, I've committed it all to memory!
"Oh, God... no, it should be Lord Shu! Those must have been the actions of a god! Words that only a Prometheus who loves all humanity could utter!"
"'I make this promise to you, to him, to everyone!'" he recited, switching flawlessly back to Mandarin. The man's expression was so devout he looked ready to kneel on the ground, which made Shu lean back even further.
"What kind of person could say such words! Those are words everyone should have tattooed on their body!"
With that, he ripped off his ammo rig, revealing a dense tapestry of words tattooed on his body—in Mandarin characters, no less!
The pale skin, golden body hair, and black characters all mingled together, right in front of Shu's face. He was forced to glance at it, and a strange sense of familiarity washed over him.
Wait, aren't these all the things I said during that battle?!
His name and codename were there, too. And when the bearded man turned around, Shu saw an image of himself sitting on the edge of a building tattooed on the man's back...
During all this, the bearded man demonstrated his superb body control, managing to turn around completely in front of Shu without ever letting go of his hand.
He turned back and actually knelt beside the car. Because the sports car was so low to the ground, the kneeling man was now at eye level with Shu.
"Mr. Shu! May I kiss the back of your hand? May I bask in your radiance? May I—"
"Ahem—!"
"Mark!"
Cocolia and the other guard spoke at almost the same time. The bearded man flinched, then shot the other guard a look one might reserve for their father's killer.
"Mark, Mr. Shu is from Shenzhou, after all. Over there, they..."
The bearded man's burly frame shuddered, and a mournful expression appeared on his face.
"Oh, Mr. Shu, I deeply regret that I cannot spend a wonderful night with you..."
Shu's eyes went wide. He knew he'd had a bad feeling! So that's what you were about to say?!
Shu glanced at his hand, still held captive by the man, and the desire to pull it back was stronger than it had ever been.
But in the end, he endured it. He was amazed that his own tolerance had reached such a level, though when he recalled it later, Shu figured he was more likely just scared stiff.
"Mr. Mark, Shu has a more important mission right now. I don't think I need to explain why I brought him here," Cocolia said. She knew this man's personality; there was a very good reason she had assigned these two to this post.
The bearded man gave Shu a pitiful look, then quickly bowed his head and rubbed it against Shu's hand before standing up to open the car door for him.
Shu quickly got out of the car and walked straight toward the villa without looking back. The bearded man was left behind, sighing as he watched Shu's back.
"Truly worthy of being Lord Shu... Such a decisive and direct person, yet he was willing to spare a moment for someone like me."
Cocolia, who had gotten out of the car herself, shot a sidelong glance at Mark before striding into the villa.
The moment he stepped through the gate, Shu paused.
"Is that... a piano?"
He looked up at the villa. A beautiful piano melody was drifting from inside. The sound was not faint; it wasn't something you could only hear once you were within this range.
He took a small step back, and the piano music in his ears vanished completely.
This is also a domain... one that perfectly envelops the entire villa.
And this domain felt very familiar. It seemed to have the same kind of power fluctuation as the unknown Herrscher from before.
Could the Herrscher be in here? But if so, why would they attack him and the others? Cocolia had no reason to do that.
And this domain didn't feel like it had just been set up, nor were there any signs of it expanding...
Could it be a disguise... or... a counter-control?
Shu turned to look at Cocolia, scanning her discreetly.
No, I can't detect any trace of it... Is she stronger than me? Or is it...
Click—
Cocolia took out her keys and opened the door. She took off her shoes at the entrance, slipped on a pair of slippers, and walked into the house as if she were coming home.
Shu paused, glanced down at his own shoes, then took them off as well, put on a pair of slippers, and followed Cocolia into the...
...perfectly normal villa.
It looked just like a cozy home, with normal furnishings: a TV, fruit on the coffee table, spices in the kitchen, and even bookshelves and photos on the walls.
Shu looked at a group photo. Standing beside Cocolia was a well-behaved-looking child. For some reason, the way the child stood next to her suddenly reminded Shu of Frélle.
Yes... that same kind of reserved posture, as if it were instinctual.
"Noah, where are you?" Cocolia's voice was so gentle it made Shu look over. At her call, the piano music in the villa stopped abruptly, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps.
A boy with very delicate features came running down the stairs. Shu watched as he trotted up to Cocolia and spoke with an excited expression.
"Welcome home, Mama Cocolia!"
"Mm, Noah has been a good boy today, too," Cocolia said, gently reaching out to pat Noah's little head. But a strange look flickered in her eyes.
She was grieving for him...