Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

Chapter 1314  Queen of Abruptness

Ria's face drained even further when Quinlan drew Felicity fully into his side, and the girl, with a beyond-happy face, nuzzled close.

But both of them were armored, making it a rather awkward gesture.

Or that should've been the case. However, in reality, he didn't crush her against steel because Synchra reacted on her own with her surface shifting under the girl's cheek. The plates thinned into something closer to a fitted suit, warm to the touch instead of cold metal. "W-what kind of armor is that?!" She yelped, floored with shock. This was… "Unbelievable!"

Felicity let out a shaky sound and pressed her face into him. "I… I'm so happy you're here…"

Quinlan's arm pulled her a little closer. His hand rose to her back with steady, reassuring taps on her armor.

"You've done well, Felicity."

The praise hit harder than any magic could. She could nullify those, but not what her heart was feeling right now.

But even if she could, she would not want to nullify anything she felt right now. Felicity's breath hitched. Her eyes blurred. The tears she'd kept locked behind gritted teeth for the entire kidnapping finally slipped free.

"I'm not… I was useless against the undead!"

He continued, voice calm but firm. "You're a young girl on her first adventure. You were taken by undead filth, trapped in a disgusting place like this, facing freaks I'll be sure to castrate a thousand times- I mean, being threatened with horrible things… and you still held your ground. You didn't break. You didn't cry because you knew that if you broke, the others might follow you down into the hole of desperation. That isn't something most trained adults could manage."

Felicity bit down on her lip. The tears only came faster after hearing his analysis of her bravery. It was true… She tried so hard not to break for the sake of her friends, and having it recognized by Quinlan felt beyond what her vocabulary could properly describe.

Quinlan patted her back a few more times and eased her slightly to the side. Not away, just enough to look at the other three.

Lyra stood closest. The usually stoic, professional, and always available, always reliable subordinate. She tended to have no desires of her own; merely being present and being allowed to stay with them was enough for the girl. But not now. Her cheeks were tinted pink. She didn't speak, but her eyes kept flicking between his open arm and his face.

He parted his arm wide with a big, welcoming smile.

Lyra moved.

Slow steps. Careful. She stopped right before she reached him, hesitated for a beat, then leaned her forehead against his chest.

"I'm sorry for failing to protect them-"

"I'll stop you right there."

Quinlan didn't explain himself any further, but Lyra understood instantly. She was not allowed to blame herself for what happened. A big smile erupted onto her delicate features as her cheeks now fully represented her unique hair color.

His gaze shifted again.

Iris stared right back. Raven-black hair, messy from the fight and beating she got afterward. Her expression was flat, refusing to crack.

"Iris Dearest, are you not happy to see me?" Quinlan mused with a playful voice. "Not even a greeting?"

She gave no answer.

"You were in quite the predicament~" he added, tone mockingly thoughtful. "If I recall correctly, a kidnapped princess is required to greet her knight in shining armor with a kiss on the cheek after he slays the big bad dragon~"

Iris deadpanned at him with even more intensity. Clearly, she knew something like this was coming, hence her expressionless face. In reality, she was just bracing for the inevitable.

Her features immediately softened.

It didn't crumble like Felicity's. It didn't tint like Lyra's. It shifted with subtle, quiet warmth that hit harder because she was extremely non-expressive.

A smile spread across her face. It was real, right, and startling in how beautiful it was.

"I can't believe it… I missed even your dumb, uncalled-for, and overly arrogant remarks…" she groaned painedly under her breath.

She stepped close, leaned forward, and touched her cheek to his chestplate, which was momentarily taking up the form of soft fabric. Only for a moment. Soft, quick, almost shy. "Thank you… for coming."

Quinlan chuckled. "You forgot the 'my handsome knight' part."

Iris lifted her head slightly. "Did I?"

Her voice carried a tiny hint of playfulness she rarely let anyone hear.

Then, on the smallest breath…

She rose onto her tiptoes.

It wasn't smooth. It wasn't practiced. Her armor scraped lightly against his, and her balance wobbled. Her face tilted up, eyes fixed on a point somewhere near his jaw because looking directly at him was clearly too much.

And then…

A soft, warm press against his cheek.

Quick. Feather-light. Barely there.

But it happened.

She darted back as if she'd touched fire, her lips pulling away in an instant. Before Quinlan could blink, her face was once again buried against his chest, cheek pressed against Synchra's softened plates, refusing to surface.

Quinlan's eyes widened.

This woman… She was the queen of abruptness. Even after all this time, he was still unable to predict her next action. Who could've guessed that his horrible, cheesy line would end with this result? He wasn't even trying to flirt with the woman, just messing with her as he liked to do from time to time, trying to earn a few cute reactions for himself.

But this…

He lifted a hand and caught her chin between his fingers, gentle but insistent as he tried to tilt her face up. He needed to see it. The expression he knew would be, without question, one of the single most precious sights in existence.

A flustered Iris.

How utterly adorable she must be right now.

Except…

Her head refused to move.

She tensed her jaw, dug her heels in, and when he kept trying…

A low, warning growl vibrated against his chest.

Quinlan ignored it.

The growl got sharper.

"… fine." He sighed and released her chin. "Did you just kiss my cheek?"

"No!" Iris snapped, voice muffled into him.

He turned slightly. "Lyra, did she kiss my cheek?"

"Lyra…" She also received a growl of threat from Iris.

The pink-haired knight's soul left her body for a moment. She stood rigid, caught between loyalty to her lord and loyalty to her friend. Not only had she spent months with Iris on this trip, but she now thought of the woman as perhaps her closest friend.

Her mouth opened, struggling but having steeled her heart.

Only for a giggle to cut through the tension.

"Yes! Yes! I saw it!" Felicity chirped, eyes sparkling as she'd just witnessed a legendary scene from one of her fairy-tale books. "Iris even tiptoed to reach you! When I'm back in the capital, I'll commission a painting of it from my favorite artist! It was so beautiful!"

Iris emitted another growl, but this one was both panicked and murderous at the same time.

"Hie!"

Felicity squeaked and hid behind Quinlan's arm, peeking out with the huge grin of a teenage girl who had just witnessed peak romance in real time.

Lyra ended up doing her utmost to choke back a laugh under her breath, unable to help herself.

Ria, still half-shielded behind Quinlan's broad back, covered her mouth.

She was far too floored by all these revelations hitting her poor little brain one after another, leaving her no room to recover. Every new detail piled over the last until her head felt like it was about to explode - or shut down.

She didn't know which.

But the worst part landed when her gaze drifted back to Iris.

Ria had spent months watching that woman tear through battlefields with the brutality of a wild beast defending her territory. She cut through ambushes, held lines alone when everyone else stumbled, and walked away with the same steady posture she had walked in with.

Off the field, she planned like she was a meticulous strategist, making one hard decision after another.

A complete menace, that's what she was. A genius. A predator in human shape.

Ria had shaped her entire idea of strength around that woman. In fact, Iris was her epitome of 'female badassery,' she was the most epic, kick-ass woman Ria has ever seen.

Which was why her stomach flipped when Iris leaned in and placed a short peck on Quinlan's cheek.

Her captain.

The wild beast of their gang, already making a name for herself despite only signing up a few months ago.

Kissing - actually kissing - the man Ria had been quietly - okay, maybe not so quietly - idolizing since the first day she heard him called the Primordial Villain.

Her captain.

Her idol.

Together.

Her thoughts blew apart on the spot.

Mind = Blown