A Tyrant’s Faster Way to Die

Erus stayed still while watching the shadow limp into the cage to retrieve the dead Teumessian fox. It moved with swift, calculated effort, taking the body out of the cage without a single word. If not for his enhanced sight, he would never have witnessed how an old Teumessian fox could move like a lethal assassin despite the violent sandstorm. He could kill them in an instant if he wanted to. Mesi could avenge his grandson this very moment from those fools who tortured it to death, because Erus understood how painful it was to witness someone you love suffer unjust pain and be completely unable to save them. But Mesi only glanced at him once and nodded before leaping out of sight, blending into the sandstorm until only Erus could trace his faint trail.

So, Teumessian foxes weren't just strong the way history books described them. They were lethal enough that a single one could lead a troop of knights to raze a kingdom. Was this the real reason the crown fabricated those false beliefs—to mislead the public and slaughter a potential threat out of pure, unadulterated fear?

"​My prince..."

Erus's heart immediately thumped hard upon hearing Cana's weak call. His eyes went wide seeing her slowly drop to the ground, losing her cool composure. Before he could even say a word, he found himself catching and pulling her into a tight hug.

"Cana!" he frantically called her name, confused by her sudden collapse. Worry took over him as Cana's icy demeanor plummeted. There was a dullness in her eyes that you only saw in the sick or someone utterly exhausted.

He cupped her face with one hand while trying to keep her awake. When he moved to use his healing skill on her, she stopped his hands, catching them instead and guiding them to her chest.

"Bear with me for days, please," she said, her voice genuinely pleading.

"You don't have to ask. But why stop me from healing you?"

Cana shook her head. "My real power is backfiring. We definitely cannot afford to be bedridden at the same time."

"What?" He didn't fully grasp what real power she was referring to, assuming his own S-tier magic was at least somewhat close to her triple-S tier.

"I just want to go home and rest, please. And your friends shouldn't stay here long. Calamity will cling to this place until I fully recover."

"So, it really was you," Erus muttered, finally getting confirmation about the unnatural weather.

He brushed aside the urge to push her with more questions. Scooping Cana up in both arms, he teleported back to his team. They jumped in surprise at seeing him carry a woman they quickly identified as Cana—completely caught off guard since she hadn't been with him earlier.

"The beast is already dead. Our duty here is done. You can either stay and play heroes for this pathetic kingdom, or go home with me," he blatantly told his team.

The Grand Abyss exchanged glances while Glecy gripped her scepter tight. As a support and healer, it was natural for her to feel empathy for anyone needing aid, but her eyes reflected pure disgust as she looked at the mortal chaos unfolding around them.

"The King already ran to save his own skin, and we never swore an oath to play heroes for this kingdom. We're hunters of our own accord," Kyla boldly stated.

"Definitely. We only take paid quests," Akiro seconded.

"I'd rather scoop your poop than help people who spat on you," Glecy fired off with a sharp eyeroll, leaving them all momentarily stunned.

"Too vulgar," Erus commented, though there wasn't a trace of anger in his voice.

"Sorry, Captain, but I couldn't find any other words to express how utterly disgusted I feel right now."

Erus smirked at how honest Glecy had become, noticing how much stronger she was now. She wasn't the shy, easily frightened girl he used to train anymore.

"Let's go, Captain. I badly want a cozy bed right now," Verna said, hurrying to step beside Erus.

The others followed without a shred of remorse, turning their backs on citizens who clearly needed help. But helping them was a lost cause anyway—like trying to save a drowning man only for him to drag you under just to keep his own head above water.

​In a matter of seconds, they finally arrived at their training base, where Erus could freely use his teleportation spell—which was already known to the Grand Abyss as their squad's secret.

"Thanks, Captain," Akiro said.

"Do you need a hand with Cana?" Glecy asked, looking bothered ever since she saw him carrying Cana, who looked unwell.

"No," Erus answered with certainty. "Did you break through?" he asked next.

"Ah—yeah." Despite wanting to hide it, the evidence had clearly leaked when she used her support magic while Erus teleported them. He had felt it.

"Good. This place will be useful again soon," Erus said before disappearing with Cana.

Glecy's face turned sour while the rest grinned like fools at her. She knew she'd be undergoing square-zero training all over again with Solari.

"Told you so," Ryden said patting her head but his words did not help her at all.

Stepping out of the teleportation rift, the clatter of hammered iron and the chatter of working men greeted Erus. No one noticed his arrival until he started walking down the middle of the pathway. The workers were shocked and surprised to see him materialize out of nowhere, having no idea when he had actually arrived. They immediately stopped whatever they were doing and bowed until he passed through the mansion's main doors. They were all desperately curious about the woman Erus was carrying. His notorious reputation when it came to females usually resembled a contagious disease, so seeing their captain holding one with such care was entirely abnormal. But none of them dared speak a word, well aware of how terrifyingly enhanced his senses were.

The elves arranging the interior design of the house were all stunned to see him enter while carrying an obvious woman. He said nothing and headed straight for the stairs leading to the upper rooms. The elves just looked at each other and kept their mouths shut, too.

Erus headed toward the main rooms, arguing briefly with himself over which one to enter. There were two master suites, but he had no idea which one had actually been designed for him. Not wanting to call attention to himself, he just gave the nearest door a light kick. Inside, the room was finished, though some furniture was still stacked off to one side. Fortunately, the bed was already made, as if they had been expecting a surprise visit from him to inspect the progress of the mansion.

He carefully placed Cana on the bed, where she was completely unguarded. She had completely given out, not even making a sound to complain. Looking at her face, he realized she was a total mess; her exposed skin was covered in sand just like his, and her clothes were filthy.

He sighed, knowing he was going to need help after all.

"Hey, can you hear me?" he whispered to Cana. She let out a soft moan in confirmation. ​"I'll have someone change your clothes. Do you mind?"

"Don't."

"You really need those clothes changed. Don't worry, we can trust—"

Cana opened her dulled eyes, cutting him off. "My divine shield is up. Only you can touch me."

Erus didn't react at first, staring down at her and trying to process if he'd heard her right. He had assumed any barrier would look like her usual purging shield.

"You can't see it. It's embedded inside me," Cana explained, catching the confusion in his eyes. "Anyone else touches me, they die."

"I..." but Erus could not find the words to slip out of the idea of changing her clothes.

Although Cana had touched his whole body before when he was sick and suffering from the backlash of his own power, today was different. He was a man and had zero experience with women. How was he going to handle Cana without accidentally crossing a line or provoking her?

"I don't totally understand what you meant by that, but—will you be mad if I undress you myself?" he blurted out, instantly regretting the poor choice of words. He only wanted to be straightforward, but he had chosen the worst possible phrasing. He sounded like a lowlife leecher.

When Cana didn't respond immediately, he almost thought everything they had built, or whatever fragile relationship they had, was completely ruined. She definitely had to think he was a creep now.

"Sorry for the trouble, Erus. Once I'm well, I'll make it up to you."

Surprised, Erus stared down at her for a full minute. Just how deeply did she trust him to allow a man to undress and change her clothes?

"Use your water ability when you clean me, please. Ordinary water will be useless on me right now," she added, her voice weak but steady.

Erus, with no other choice, nodded gently.

"Anything I can help with for that backlash? Food? Medicine? Is there anything hurting in your body that I should be aware of?"

Cana offered a weak smile. "Nothing to panic about. I'm alright. I just need a few days of straight rest."

"What about food?"

"Make food when I wake up, not now."

"Sorry. I'm just not used to seeing you like this," Erus admitted honestly. He had never been this frantic over someone being sick, let alone personally handling matters to take care of them. "Can I clean you now?"

"Just don't overthink everything when it comes to me. Your emotions can resonate with me sometimes."

"What?"

"I'll sleep now. Do whatever you need to." Just as she said it, she closed her eyes. While her hands traveled to Erus and gave him a gentle pat on the chest, assuring him she had her full permission and that there was nothing to be worried about.

Erus sighed in defeat. Minutes passed of staring at Cana's sleeping face until he heard her breathing steady, meaning she was literally asleep now. He opened and closed his fist not knowing which to do first. But then, looking at her peaceful face and still feeling the warmth of that gentle pat on his chest, he finally settled down.

Now came the real challenge, a battle he was not trained for but he needed to sign up. Thinking about it, his heart raced again.

"Damn this head! Just get it done," he cursed under his breath.

Fired by his irritation against himself, he removed and tossed away his cloak, followed by his heavy gloves and battle gear. After quickly slipping into lighter, comfortable clothes meant for indoors, he stepped back over to Cana.

Erus started cleaning her face, wiping away the dust brought by the sandstorm using his water ability. Next, he cleaned her hair, which he enjoyed and which totally calmed him down. But that peace only lasted until the real deal—undressing Cana.

Erus drew in a slow, steady breath as he reached out and untied the laces of her cloak. He lifted half her body with extreme gentleness, terrified he might wake her up. Then, with excruciating care, he unclasped the heavy outer fabric, peeling back the layers of the long-sleeved combat shirt and thick pants piece by agonizing piece. He tried his best to control his trembling fingers because everything he was doing felt wrong. It was literally invading a sacred space meant only for her and someone special, but what choice did he have? He couldn't bear watching her stay dirty and uncomfortable while she was unwell.

Just like with the cloak, he had to lift half her body again to slip off the combat clothes. Cana's exposed skin brushed against his, making him pause for a moment and swallow hard, his throat feeling as dry as the desert.

"Please forgive me. I'll let you settle scores with me once you get well," he whispered over her head.

Once he fully removed the combat clothes, the air in the room suddenly thinned. Before his eyes were her undergarments—a front-laced bralette and the lower garment clinging to her skin. Having a dangerously clear view of her while holding her, he quickly snapped back to his senses and averted his gaze. Where the hell was he looking?

He had not counted how many times he swallowed while clenching his knuckles white.

His brain completely derailed as he tried to figure out whether he had to remove the undergarments too or leave them be. Just the thought of unlacing them made his heart beat loud enough to wake the dead. This was infinitely harder than any completed quest in his life. He would honestly rather face an army of killers barehanded than deal with this.

How could Cana treat his naked body before without sweating like him? No matter how many times he had hated and avoided other women, he couldn't deny the fact that only Cana could affect him, truly rippling his soul.

"Cana, if you can hear me... I understand if you'll be offended after this, but I'm doing this for your own good," he whispered, holding his breath. "Just kill me after this," he added with gritted teeth.

With all his might, he reached for the end lace of the bralette, untying it in a swift but gentle motion. Then, he swallowed hard, realizing just how blessed she was. But he snapped his gaze away as fast as he could, desperately hoping the image would erase itself from his head just as quickly. Next came the remaining lower garments. He removed them with his eyes tightly closed and as fast as he could, like his life depended on that specific task, then quickly covered her with a towel before he dared to open his eyes again. He tried his best to keep his eyes elsewhere while he got another towel from his dimensional storage to cover those proud weapons of Cana that could kill him anytime.

"The hell with heavens! Do I die first before you could even kill me?" he murmured while scratching his head to ease his nervousness.

He had no idea that removing a woman's clothes was like a life and death matter. But here he was, starting to sweat bullets while reaching out again to wipe her clean. What he was truly afraid of was what if Cana woke up and saw what he was doing right now? She gave him permission, but did not specify what was allowed and what wasn't.

He even had to hold his other arm to steady it and stop his hand from slightly trembling while wiping her skin.

​"Tsk! I don't get how you became too exhausted, not even having the strength to wake up and slap me right now." His tone sounded pissed and worried at the same time.

While cleaning her, his mind eventually eased, though his body was honestly tensing up, fully aware of what he was doing.

"But I can't believe you almost roasted two of the mortals I despised." He scoffed a laugh, thinking back to the Northland king and the prince who were almost killed by scorching lightning.

He knew that was Cana's doing because it wore her signature dark aura, and the timing was too precise when those two fools were throwing insults at him.

"Just so you know, I'm having a mortal crisis doing this," he said while wiping her thighs and legs, "so if you can recover faster, just do it," he said, trying to think that Cana could actually hear and understand him. "The hell! This is torture," then he cursed because whatever random words he said, the feeling was still there. "Hey! Cana, don't think I'm complaining here. If I do this every day, maybe I'll get used to it, right?" he said with his eyes darting to Cana's face to check if she was ready to attack him, but he got no response, not even a small movement.

Erus sighed with concern, followed by a wry smile. Despite his natural troubles as a man, he really was worried about Cana's well-being. This was the first time he had seen her this weak. He was used to her energetic and jolly side, he almost forgot she was mortal too, just like him.

When he was finally done cleaning Cana, he let her wear his oversized shirt because he had no access to her dimensional storage. It suited her so well that he couldn't take his eyes off her for a good several minutes.

"Rest well, my Little Rabbit."