Betrayed, I Knocked Demon Lord's Door - Chapter 35: Chapter 35

Leon scrolled through the forum with a slight frown, but his expression gradually relaxed.
He said, "Thanks a lot for your noble report, classmate!"
"No need to thank me! Just call me Dewayne, Lord Radford!" Dewayne Sloan said.
Leon glanced at a post shipping him and Caitlyn as a couple, and couldn't stop the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.
He thought, 'Wow... Ekavine Academy really has its fair share of creative geniuses.
'The captions are so convincing, even I am starting to buy into it.
'And honestly? The ship is so good. Shipping myself with Caitlyn? Not bad at all.'
He cleared his throat and turned to Dewayne. "Those shipping posts… they're fine. The photos of me and Caitlyn together—if they're already out there, I'll just pretend I didn't see them. But…"
He paused, and his gaze suddenly sharpened. "If I find out someone's been secretly taking pictures of Caitlyn—"
"Rest assured, Lord Radford! I'll be your eyes and ears! I'll keep watch over the forums, the group chats, every shadowy corner of the net!
"I'll protect the sacred, pure, and glorious love between you and Lady Caitlyn—with my life!"
"Whoa, whoa—okay, that's a little much! You sound like you're reciting a cult manifesto or something…"
Leon twitched at the corners of his mouth, but his cheeks were clearly tinged with red.
"About that love stuff… Caitlyn and I aren't actually... dating," Leon said.
"What?" Dewayne froze. "But… you two are so close! You look just like a couple in the middle of their honeymoon phase!"
"Well… Yeah, but the reality is, nothing's going on. For now, it's all just in your heads."
Dewayne went quiet for a moment, then suddenly smiled like he'd figured something out. "I see!"
He thought, ''For now', huh? Just a matter of time!'
Leon nodded. "Glad we're on the same page. Anyway, if you catch anyone taking photos of Caitlyn without permission—"
"Don't worry, I'll report them right away! And any solo pics of Lady Caitlyn floating around online—I'll erase every single one of them!"
"Wait, are you a hacker or something?"
Leon raised an eyebrow.
Dewayne scratched his head sheepishly. "Well… I'm not exactly cut out to be a warrior, so I started looking into other skills… unconventional ones, I guess."
"That's not 'unconventional' at all." Leon suddenly looked at him seriously.
He continued, "It's a talent—your talent. And it's an incredible one. Can't you tell?
"I'm kind of at a loss with stuff like this… but you, Dewayne—you can help me."
Dewayne stared at him, stunned. His eyes started to glisten. He thought, 'This feeling… being seen for once…'
He thought back on all he'd been through—being mocked, pushed around… trying so hard to improve but always falling short, always getting stepped on.
But now… maybe he did have something to offer. Maybe he could even help the person he'd admired all this time.
"I... I'll do my best!" His voice trembled slightly.
Leon smiled. "You're going to do great things."
Dewayne's whole body shook, his eyes already brimming with tears. Yep—he was definitely about to cry.
"But uh…" Leon scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "You… took photos of me, right? Just so you know, I like girls, so... yeah…"
Dewayne blinked at Leon for a second, then suddenly widened his eyes and waved his hands frantically.
"I like girls too, Lord Radford! Really! I only took your pictures because I admire you—nothing else, I swear!
"Actually… I'm not even from Ekavine originally. I don't know if you remember, but a long time ago, you helped a small country fend off a wave of beasts?"
"Well… I think I do remember something like that. It was years ago. I was on a mission in a country called… Asrita, right?"
"Yes!" Dewayne's face lit up, eyes welling with emotion. "Back then, my family almost got killed by those monsters. You saved us. That moment—your silhouette in the chaos—it's burned into my memory.
"Ever since that day, I've looked up to you. I even dreamed of becoming a warrior like you… but I just wasn't cut out for it. Still, that's okay.
"I've finally found a way to be useful to you. I've never had the chance to say this until now, but from the bottom of my heart—thank you."
He drew a deep breath, eyes full of sincerity. "Lord Radford, I mean it. Thank you. You saved my life… and my parents'. I'll never forget that."
"I see…" Leon's expression softened, caught off guard by the heartfelt gratitude.
"Oh! And I know the Human Alliance framed you! I swear, I'll do everything I can to—"
"Hold up," Leon cut in with a small smile, his eyes flickering.
"I've already dealt with everyone in the Human Alliance who needed dealing with.
"The rest are just insects—I couldn't care less. And as for what people think of me… that doesn't matter anymore. Right now, I just want a quiet, normal life with Caitlyn. That's all I need."
"I get it…" Dewayne lowered his head, then clenched his fists with resolve. "Still, I'm going to do everything I can to clear your name!"
"That won't be easy," Leon said, chuckling softly. "And honestly, I don't care. Everyone I wanted gone is gone.
"As long as I get to stay by Caitlyn's side, that's enough for me."
"But I can't stand seeing people who owe you their lives turning around and trashing your name!"
"No need to get worked up. They're just misinformed—I don't hate them."
"...Still, I'll do what I can to set the record straight."
Leon fell quiet for a moment before nodding slightly. "Thank you."
"No—thank you, Lord Radford." Dewayne grinned.
They exchanged a look and couldn't help but laugh.
Leon took a long breath, tilted his head back, and gazed up at the clear blue sky.
Dewayne tilted his head back too, mimicking him.
"So, uh…"
"Yes, sir?"
"Those pictures of Caitlyn online…"
"Don't worry, I'll make sure every single one gets wiped clean!"
"Before you delete them, could you, um… forward them to me first?"
Leon kept staring at the sky, as if he hadn't said anything.
Dewayne looked at him in stunned silence, then suddenly burst out laughing.
"As you wish!"
"Do you know where the infirmary is?"
"I've got a real-time interactive campus map I made. I'll send it to you."
After parting ways with Dewayne, Leon hadn't even made it halfway across campus when his phone started blowing up with notifications.
He opened it to find dozens of messages—Dewayne had already sent over all the Caitlyn photos.
Dewayne: [There were only 18 solo photos of Lady Caitlyn. Now, Lord Radford, you're the only one who has them. Every other copy has been wiped from the internet—completely gone. Even my own. I'm deleting them as we speak!]
Leon: [Damn, you're fast. Impressive! If anything like this happens again—]
Dewayne: [No worries, Lord Radford! I'll forward the photos to you first, then track down the photographer and make sure they end up behind bars.]
Leon: [I'm genuinely glad to have a friend like you.]
Dewayne: [Lord Radford... does that mean… we're friends?]
Leon: [Of course.]
Dewayne burst into tears, his fingers shaking with emotion as he typed.
Dewayne: [I swear I'll give everything I have for you!]
Guided by the map, Leon stumbled his way across campus and finally found the infirmary.
He'd come to ask about his insomnia...
Just as he reached for the door, he froze.
From inside, he could hear rhythmic sounds of movement...
Leon sucked in a sharp breath. He thought, 'Man, Ekavine Academy really is a little too open-minded.
'But wait... why does that voice sound so familiar?'