Betrayed, I Knocked Demon Lord's Door - Chapter 55: Chapter 55

By the time they stepped out of the mall, the sky had already fallen into complete darkness. A sharp, cold wind lashed against their faces, thick with dampness and bone-deep chill.
Leon exhaled softly, shivering a little. "Ekavine City sure turns cold fast."
"Fast? I think it's been pretty slow," Caitlyn replied flatly.
They turned to look at each other, both let out a short huff, then turned their heads back in sync.
"Let's head home. The rain's stopped for now, but according to the forecast, it'll start again soon," Leon said as he tightened his hold on her hand and led her briskly toward the scooter shed.
Caitlyn tilted her head up, staring absentmindedly at the glowing billboards on the side of the mall building, her steps slow and languid as Leon gently tugged her along.
His hand was warm...
They didn't bother with the raincoat on the ride back.
Leon started the scooter, and the pink streak of light they left behind sliced through the steel and concrete jungle of Ekavine City.
The dim streetlamps cast a muted yellow glow, but the air remained eerily cold.
The scooter sped away from the city center, leaving behind its nightlife of neon lights and booming music—Ekavine's way of masking its icy soul with a false sense of warmth and cheer.
Leon picked up speed, the damp wind biting at his face. He squinted slightly.
Was Caitlyn cold?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a pair of soft arms wrapped gently around his waist from behind. Her warm, delicate body pressed lightly against his back.
"A little cold," she said softly, the wind nearly stealing her voice.
"Yeah." He smiled, and the scooter dashed onward, cutting through the night toward home.
That night, both of them slept soundly.
The next morning, Caitlyn had no classes, which meant she had every intention of sleeping in. It wasn't until the sun was high that she groggily dragged herself out of bed.
She cracked open the door and a wave of cool air greeted her, sending a shiver down her spine and clearing her head slightly.
Nose wrinkling, eyes half-lidded, she noticed Leon standing there—arms folded, staring at her like he'd been waiting forever.
"What?" she mumbled, voice soft and hazy with sleep. Leon suppressed a smirk and reached out to ruffle her messy bed hair.
"Hah. A little cowlick sticking straight up. Adorable," he thought.
Caitlyn stood there in stunned silence before her eyes snapped open, glaring up at him.
How dare he touch her like that?
But Leon remained calm. "Put on a jacket before washing your face. It's colder today—you'll catch a cold."
Caitlyn continued glaring, cheeks puffed up, and his hand still hadn't moved.
She was about to hit him.
As if he knew, Leon let go just in time, lifting both palms to shield himself as Caitlyn's not-so-light punch came swinging in.
"I'm heading out today, so you'll have the house to yourself," he added.
"What, you think I'm a kid who can't be left alone? Before you showed up, I was living alone just fine. I took you in, remember? You were the stray."
"True." Leon chuckled and caught her dainty fist between his hands. "And I'm really grateful Caitlyn took me in—someone tossed aside by the Human Alliance, hated by the world, a rogue with no place to go."
Caitlyn had been about to pull away, but those words struck a chord. Her heart clenched, and she couldn't bring herself to shake him off.
Leon only held her a moment longer before nudging her gently back into her room. "Go throw on a coat before brushing your teeth. It's too easy to catch cold today."
She was being babied. Again. And yet, wasn't he the one being looked after more?
"I'm off," Leon said.
"When are you coming back?"
"Not sure. Maybe noon, maybe later. But if you miss me, just send a message—I'll fly right home."
"Pfft. Who'd miss you?" Caitlyn snapped, face flushed.
Leon grinned, completely satisfied, and strolled out the door. He hopped on his scooter and gunned the throttle—full power.
Just then, his phone buzzed. It was a notification from someone on his priority list.
Caitlyn: [You'd better not get a speeding ticket linked to my name.]
Because of certain... deliberate oversights by a certain city lord, Leon was still technically undocumented in Ekavine. Which meant the scooter's registration—and its fines—were all under Caitlyn's name.
Leon scoffed. As if that could stop him?
Still, with a long-suffering sigh, he adjusted the gear back to standard mode. It had just rained after all, and the roads were slick. No need to tempt fate.
He was, after all, very concerned about personal safety.
At Ekavine Academy, after coming to terms with his total lack of cooking talent, Leon had accepted the harsh truth: without a proper teacher, there was no way he'd manage to whip up a decent birthday meal for Caitlyn on his own.
So, he'd gone to find the best teacher he could.
His destination? The acting principal's office—where he sought out Arwen.
Upon hearing Leon's request, Arwen—Vice President of the Leon & Caitlyn Forever Together Fan Club—happily agreed.
She brought him straight to the top chef on campus: the legendary man behind No. 3 Canteen, Andrew Moses, whom they found in the middle of trying to chat up two female students.
"I'm just inviting you to a movie, that's all," the scruffy, unshaven man said smoothly. "There's two of you—nothing to worry about. I'm just a chef. Even if I had bad intentions, wouldn't Ekavine's top students be able to take me down easily?"
"Andrew," Arwen's voice cut through the air like a blade, cold and angry. "Didn't I tell you to stop harassing students?"
The man blinked and turned. "Caught again..."
The girls giggled, clearly used to this routine. "Looks like you're in trouble again, Andrew. We'll be going now!"
Andrew called after them, "So about that movie?"
"We'll see!" they chirped before disappearing.
Arwen glared at his retreating flirty smirk.
But fine, even she had to admit: he was pretty good-looking in a roguish, older-man kind of way.
He turned back to face them—and that's when Leon got his first good look at Andrew Moses.
The guy was scruffy as hell—messy hair, a face full of unshaven stubble, skin a little dull, and eyes that looked like they hadn't seen a good night's sleep in years. And yet...
Somehow, despite all that, the man radiated this rough-around-the-edges charm, that elusive air of a brooding older guy. For some girls? Absolutely lethal.
Still, Leon tilted his chin confidently.
He was better looking clean-shaven—and probably with a beard too.
Andrew gave Arwen a look of mock betrayal. "Couldn't you have shown up ten minutes later? You totally ruined my night."
"If I hadn't yet to see a single pregnant student pounding on my door, you'd have been fired already!" she growled.
"Oh please, I'm not that bad—wait, who's this guy? One of your new boy toys?"
"You want a beating?" Leon's voice dropped several octaves. A chilling aura burst out like a tidal wave, engulfing the space in raw pressure.
Andrew grunted, staggering back a step. Sweat instantly beaded on his forehead, his pupils contracting in pure shock.
That aura was strong.
Leon's gaze turned glacial. His gentleness was for Caitlyn—and Caitlyn only.
Arwen flinched, heart hammering as she instinctively took half a step back.
She muttered under her breath, "Please don't let the blood splash on me..."