Eros shrugged. "Fine! If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. It’s still early, and the night air is quite pleasant. Come on, accompany me for a walk."

  Natalia frowned and refused without a second thought. "No!"

  Eros raised an eyebrow. "If you don't come with me, I’ll just keep talking, you know? Don't even think about running. If you try to flee, I’ll tie you up and whisper those 'consequences' in your ear for three days and three nights."

  "You..." Natalia’s chest heaved with suppressed rage. She had never met anyone so insufferable. How could someone possess such a wicked personality? After a long moment of calming herself, she hissed through gritted teeth, "Are you not aware that the streets are crawling with Church officials right now?"

  "Let’s go, let’s go! Hehe! What are you afraid of with me around? Don't you know that the Night belongs to the Night?"

  Eros hopped off the table, grabbed Natalia’s hand, and led her toward the cellar exit. Though reluctant, Natalia chose to endure his touch rather than suffer another lecture from this detestable Remnant of the Night. Just as he said, the Night belonged to the Night. Even though the Evil God of the Night had fallen tens of thousands of years ago, His authority still shrouded the darkness, sheltering His lineage.

  Once outside her rented house, Natalia looked at the hand still clutching hers and asked, feeling out of place, "Where are we going?"

  Eros didn't answer directly. Instead, he turned to her with an amused glint in his eyes. "Would you call this a date? Look, the night is perfect, the Silver Moon is high, and the world is silent and empty."

  Natalia gave a cold snort. "Coercion doesn't count as a date."

  Eros remained unfazed, his light smile lingering. "Ah, adults only care about results, not the process. As long as the objective is met, right?"

  Natalia fell silent, a tacit admission.

  "Come on, we’re heading to the clock tower in the East District. I heard it’s the tallest building in Indiles." With that, Eros wrapped an arm around her slender waist and began leaping across the rooftops.

  Forced to nestle against him, Natalia felt the warmth of his chest and the vigorous rhythm of his heartbeat. For a fleeting moment, she was dazed. If this man weren't so malicious, she thought with a silent sigh, she might have actually fallen for his mysterious and powerful persona—even if he was a Remnant of the Night.

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  But alas, why did he have to be so twisted? As for what happened in the forest previously, Natalia didn't actually hold a grudge. In her view, if a man couldn't even conquer her body, how could he ever hope to conquer her heart? She preferred this direct, overbearing style—an undeniable, irresistible strength. To her, those who were hesitant and indecisive were destined to be alone forever unless favored by a god.

  Using Shadow Leap, Eros reached the top of the clock tower in no time. Along the way, he witnessed three more incidents of Church officials dealing with contaminants, further solidifying his theory. Someone was definitely spreading pollution in Indiles on purpose.

  What are they trying to achieve in a city of millions? Are they trying to summon an Evil God from the Abyss? Or preparing a sacrifice for some unknown horror? He gave up on the thought. Forget it. That’s the Church’s headache, not mine. I just hope they settle it quickly so fewer commoners get caught in the crossfire.

  With a light sigh, Eros turned to look at Natalia, who sat beside him with her legs drawn up. The moonlight bathed her exquisite features, lending her an air of cold mystery. Noticing his gaze, she asked, "Why do you keep staring at me?"

  "I was thinking... should we seek a bit of 'excitement'?" Eros said enthusiastically.

  Natalia was bewildered. Wandering around while the city is under a Church lockdown isn't exciting enough for you? Eros didn't explain. He simply patted his lap. "Come! Sit here!"

  Natalia’s brow furrowed. They shared that kind of relationship, yes, but such an intimate gesture still made her uneasy.

  "Don't you want to know the specific details of the security personnel at the Academy’s containment vault?" Eros tempted her.

  "You know them?" Natalia’s face lit up with hope.

  "Of course~" Eros was supremely confident. Having spent so much time at the Academy, Barbara had long since mapped out every guard post outside the vault.

  Natalia studied him. Though his face was obscured, she could hear the absolute certainty in his voice. After a moment of hesitation, she gritted her teeth and sat in his lap. She quickly realized what he meant by "excitement." Her face flushed crimson, her eyes filled with bashful shame.

  Eros chuckled, his tone comforting. "Don't worry! You’re wearing a skirt; it hides all the details. No one can see anything, and besides, there’s no one else here."

  Just as the words left his mouth, a terrifying roar erupted from a house just dozens of meters away. Eros fell silent, turning his head awkwardly toward the sound. Under his gaze, the building collapsed with a deafening crash.

  In the center of the ruins, a mass of green matter began to expand, stopping only when it reached the height of a three-story building. It was a gargantuan, pus-dripping creature with green skin. At first glance, Eros almost mistook it for a demon from his previous life.

  Before long, a squad of clergymen in deep blue robes arrived and began to battle the monster. In the shadows atop the clock tower, Eros gave a dry laugh.

  "Relax... with me here, they won't find us."

  Three minutes later, perhaps because the thrill of hiding right next to Church officials as two heretics was too much to bear, Natalia leaned forward and bit down hard on Eros’s shoulder...