This time, I won't be the devil.

But by the smell, she immediately determined that it was Frey's hand.

So, anxiety turned into anticipation.

Frey's hand finally brushed across her eyelids, and Noelle couldn't help but frown as she felt a foreign object in her eyes.

At the same time, his nose was flicked.

"How long are you going to pretend to be asleep?"

Noelle opened her eyes and found Frey lying on top of her, his head resting between his legs.

"Let me make it clear first, this is force majeure."

After releasing the black destructive ray, Frey, who fell to the ground exhausted, seemed to have mastered the same flat fall as Rito Yuuki, and fell on Noelle just right.

Frey could only move one arm now. Although he could move it slightly if he tried, he soon found that this posture of facing the wall and thinking about his mistakes helped to speed up blood circulation and promote physical recovery, so he simply lay there.

"If you don't want to, just move away."

As her body gradually regained consciousness, Noelle could feel Frey's hot body temperature and breath.

Although she felt very shy, she did not refuse.

The two, dusty and exhausted, lay silently in the maze, feeling each other's warmth...

After a while, the crowing of a rooster broke their world of two.

A cockatrice came nearby.

What surprised Noelle was that the cockatrice just walked away as if it didn't see them.

Noelle then realized that since some time ago, a layer of faint black fog had enveloped them.

"It's about time we go back," Frey said.

Through the reaction of the cockatrice, he verified the effect of the skill [Mist of Confusion] that he had just mastered.

The appearance of the chicken snake beast also means that as the order has become invalid, the monsters originally sent to block the main road have returned one after another.

Hearing about returning to the surface, Noelle blinked subconsciously and said solemnly:

"But, the way I look now..."

If her golden eyes were discovered, it would likely bring disaster.

"You don't think I don't have a plan for this situation?"

After saying that, Frey took out a small mirror and placed it in front of Noelle.

Noelle discovered that her golden eyes had disappeared and her eye color had returned to its original blue.

As an expert in intelligence, Frey had naturally heard of the legend of the dragon's golden eyes.

He also anticipated the possibility that the seal on Noelle's bloodline would be lifted, and dragon-like characteristics would reappear on her body.

It would be troublesome if it grew horns and scales, but if it just had golden eyes, then the problem would be simple.

In order to deal with this situation, Frey asked Brother Dao to make a small prop in advance and put it in the space ring for use.

"While you were asleep, I put on your colored contact lenses..."

After a short rest, Frey had barely regained his ability to move.

He stood up, but found that Noelle's legs were still weak.

Seeing this, Frey squatted in front of Noelle, and the other party put his hand on his shoulder tacitly.

“Something like this happened before…” Noelle said with some nostalgia after being carried on Frey’s back.

Frey knew that Noelle was referring to the experience when he carried her out of the maze after killing the Rotten Giant.

"That time, after I fell asleep, you single-handedly defeated the enemy, Frey."

Noelle's voice became a little unsure when she said this.

"In the end, I was of no use this time."

"That's not the way it is," Frey retorted.

"This victory is thanks to everyone."

In this mutation, everyone has been working hard since the appearance of the sandworms.

Whether it was Wright who rushed towards the windmill, Palu who ambushed in the production base, the adventurers who participated in the battle, as well as Hanizi and Erzhin Monkey, all made their own contributions.

Although it was Frey who finally killed Jabberwock, and if we go by the game ratings, he did win the MVP award, but the others did not win easily either.

Especially Noelle. If she hadn't arrived in time, Frey would have escaped long ago.

If she hadn't used the dragon scales, Frey would have had to use his trump card on Ah Fei.

Without Noelle, even if Frey could have saved his life in the end, he wouldn't have achieved what he has now.

It was because of Noelle's presence that he was able to act like a hero for a bit.

But despite what Frey said, Noelle still looked as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. It seemed that what was really bothering her was something else.

After a while, Noelle finally made up her mind and confessed to Frey:

"Actually... when Jabba Walker invited me, I was really moved."

"I want to take Frey for myself, just as she said, deprive you of your freedom, and make you stay by my side for the rest of your life."

Noelle's voice deepened as she spoke.

"I guess I'm not the good kid you imagined, Frey..."

"I knew it a long time ago," Frey said.

Jabberwock once said that dragons' desires are stronger than humans', and Frey has personally experienced Noelle's desires.

When he rested his head on Noelle just now, besides the scorching heat, he also felt...

But Noelle herself didn't seem to understand what this meant, just as she hadn't understood Frey's reaction that night.

If you think about it, Noelle only has 10 months of memory, and of course no one taught her this knowledge.

In other words, she only had vague imaginations about things related to sex, but didn't know the specific process.

For Noelle like this, even if we put aside the feelings of companions and the value of being useful, and just talk about it from a man's perspective.

He was unwilling to let go of such a lovely guy.

So, Frey confessed his selfish and despicable desire to Noelle:

"I won't give up my freedom for you, nor will I become yours. I can't even promise you something as far-fetched as a lifetime."

"I probably can't give you the same amount of love..."

"But even so, I still hope you can stay with me."

Frey originally thought that his words would disappoint Noelle, but her expression became brighter than ever before.

"Frey, what are you talking about?" Noelle said with a smile.

"If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't be alive today. Just now, you saved me again."

Although it was unclear what Frey had done specifically, Noelle understood that he must have made great sacrifices in order to defeat Jabba Walker.

In return, Noelle has decided to dedicate everything she has to him.

“If it’s okay for a monster like me…” Noelle was halfway through her words when Frey interrupted her.

"I never thought you were a monster. Even if you were, you were just a cute little monster."

"Also, I'm saving you, not for anything in return."

"Didn't I tell you? If one day you are in danger, I will protect you."

"I just did what I wanted to do and fulfilled the promise I made at the time."

In this incident, Frey actually gained another huge benefit.

Van Dam once said that the condition for gaining the recognition of the Dark Knight Soul Crystal is to follow your heart and do what you think is right.

At the same time that Frey used the [Ring of Plenty], the Dark Knight's Soul Crystal in his possession began to glow.

This proves that he made a choice without regrets.

During these days, although he had gotten rid of his identity as the Demon King, Frey was always troubled by a sense of crisis.

He was actually very afraid that if his identity as the Demon King was exposed, all the relationships he had built up to this point would collapse.

In this regard, he and Noel, a member of the dragon clan, share the same suffering.

Thinking of this, Frey whispered in a voice that only he could hear:

[We are all little monsters, but since I promised to protect you, I will definitely do it]

"Frey, what did you just say?"

"Secret."

Noelle swayed her body and leaned forward.

And this action of hers almost caused Frey to fall.

Although the external injuries had been healed by the Ring of Plenty, Frey had burned a part of his life after all, and he was still in a state of severe exhaustion.

If it weren't for the existence of the [Golden Rule] in his body, he would probably have to stay in bed for several days.

Noelle had obviously noticed Frey's physical condition, so she said:

"Put me down."

Frey was well aware that unlike himself, Noelle's body had changed under the influence of the dragon's blood, and it would take longer to recover.

"You'd better stop being so stubborn."

But Noelle said firmly:

"I don't want to be a burden to you."

After getting off Frey's back, Noelle gathered all her strength and, although her steps were unsteady, she managed to stand up on her own.

Noelle stood up again, placed her hand on Frey's shoulder, and gave him an angelic smile.

"Let's go home together."