028 The Gift

TAK TAK TAK 

Sounds of the galloping horses echoed through the thick canopy of trees as the trio made their way through it. 

Esper took the lead as she guided them through the narrow passage that was slicing the forest in two. 

"How long?" Lilith asked as she whined at Esper. She was back in her disguise, and her black eyes were narrowed in on Esper while her lips were pursed. 

"It will take a month to reach the demon continent and another two weeks to meet the master. 

TSK 

Lilith could only click her tongue in annoyance as she looked away from Esper. She knew that it would take a long time to reach the demon continent, as she herself had traversed that distance a few decades back. 

She then turned toward Aurelius, who had been silent from the start of their journey. Lilith nudged her horse to go close to Aurelius and asked, "My lord, are you alright?" 

Concern was evident in her voice, with her eyes narrowed at him in worry. 'This is my fault! I shouldn't have revealed my true form!' she mumbled as she clenched her jaw. 

"Hm~?" Aurelius mumbled as he was startled awake by Lilith's question. His deep blue eyes darted toward Lilith and saw her worried face. Her ears were etched red while there was a hint of redness in her cheeks; her black eyes were moistened a little, and her jaw was clenched. 

"I am all right, Lilith," Aurelius said as a small, reassuring smile bloomed on his face, giving Lilith a small sense of relief. 

Aurelius then turned straight ahead, his eyes staring at Esper's back as his smile turned into a bloody grin. Pride and arrogance oozed out of his eyes, showcasing overwhelming confidence as he continued, "I am just thinking about the gift I am going to give to my mother-in-law!" 

Esper narrowed her eyes dangerously as she listened to Aurelius, 'Hah! What gift could a weak man give master!' She scoffed at him internally, finding it ridiculous that a nobody was even thinking of gifting something to her master. 

"What is the gift, my husband?!" Lilith asked with a slight blush on her face. She was relieved that Aurelius wasn't saddened by their current situation and was, in fact, looking forward to it. 

"Hmm?" Aurelius hummed as he turned toward Lilith, with his bloody grin widening, showing his pristine white teeth; he answered shamelessly, "What else but me!? I am the greatest gift that my mother-in-law will ever receive!" 

'This fucker!!' Esper's mouth twitched heavily as she yanked her head backward to see only Aurelius's grin. 

Her hands glowed purple as her entire body wanted to smack that arrogant grin off his face, but she held herself. 'Calm down, Esper! Calm down!' she chanted to herself as she turned around. 

CHUCKLE 

Lilith chuckled at Aurelius, a small, beautiful smile blooming on her face as she replied, "I think so too, husband!" 

"Right!?" Aurelius's face beamed as he smiled, with his eyes fixed on Esper. He continued, "I think mother-in-law would jump for joy the moment she sees me!" 

GRIT 

'Asshole! She will kill you the moment she sees you!' Esper commented inwardly as she gritted her teeth in annoyance. Her hands were blinking with purple light coming in and out of existence. 

"I also think that mother-in-law---" 

"One more word and I will slit your throat, plaything!" 

Esper's cold, hatred-filled voice cut through Aurelius's rant like a hot knife through butter. She turned her head to the side, her purple eyes glowed as she glared at Aurelius, daring him to utter a single more word. 

Lilith and Aurelius looked back at Esper, with Lilith squinting her eyes at Esper, not liking the way she was talking to her husband and lord. 

Aurelius, however, met Esper's glare with his usual grin; there was no fear in his eyes. With his grin spreading to the edges of his face, his back straight and flaunting his chest open, he resembled a lion king asserting its dominance, fearless even when death was glaring back at him. 

Esper's glare intensified as she saw his demeanor; they both stared at each other, each trying to subdue the other: Esper, with her overwhelming might, and Aurelius with his unyielding will. 

BOOM 

NEIGH 

The three horses neighed loudly as they came to a screeching halt, almost making Aurelius and Lilith fall off of them as Esper released her aura. 

Immediately, the air around them turned heavy with a purple aura, forcing everything it touched to its knees. The trees around them groaned as their branches were immediately hung low due to the weight. 

The horses went back and forth, snorting and hitting their shaking hooves on the ground, afraid of the aura coming off Esper. 

GRIT 

Aurelius clenched his jaw in resolve, still maintaining the grin on his face: 'I cannot back down now! I have to show her that I am not afraid of her!' He could feel the weight of her aura on his skin as he felt like an elephant was stepping on him, crushing him to pieces. 

GULP 

'Hold On!' He chanted again as he forcefully gulped down the blood formed in his mouth. His joints creaked in pain as he continued to endure Esper's aura. 

Lilith stayed silent as she watched Aurelius and Esper stand off against each other; she knew that her lord was doing something and that her intervention would not help him. 

But that doesn't mean that she was okay; her hands were tightly curled around the reins, almost turning bone white while her heart drummed against her chest with worry. 

TSK 

They both stared at each other for a few minutes before Esper clicked her tongue and backed away, retracting her aura. 

"You win for now!" she muttered as she slowly retracted her aura, but the damage to the surroundings was already done, as the tree branches that used to look at the sky were now kissing the ground. 

Any animal or bird within a five-meter radius was crushed to death, while any small plants were turned into a paste. 

NEIGH 

Esper pulled the reins of the horse to order it to move, but the horse refused to move an inch and instead neighed in protest. 

"It looks like all you could scare were these pitiful horses, Esper!" Aurelius mocked as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouths. 

Esper narrowed her eyes as she pulled on the reins once again, ignoring Aurelius. 

THUD 

"It's no use pulling on that rope; the horses are too scared!" he said as he got off the horse with a thud. 

But Aurelius's face scrunched up in pain as his joints ached, but he immediately hid it and continued, "I think we should stop here for today. Let the horses rest and continue tomorrow." 

"And also, you owe me a story!" he said as he turned toward Lilith, as a glint ran across his deep blue eyes; it's time to know just who Lilith really is.