Chapter 387
Nina’s face clouded with worry. “Is your injury acting up again p>
She glanced at Setan’s exposed arms. The scars had faded slightly, but they definitely weren’t healed. Then again, he had been kneeling on durians for the past few days, so he probably hadn’t applied any medicine.
She looked up at him. “Come on, let’s go back to the room. I’ll help you apply the ointment p>
Hearing her agree, Setan was overjoyed. “Mhm. Thank you, Nina p>
The other beast husbands opened their mouths to speak but ultimately held their tongues. They actually wanted to suggest that any random male could help him, but they were worried Nina would think they were overly jealous.
Setan followed Nina back to his room.
“Take off your shirt so I can put it on for you,” Nina said.
“Alright p>
Setan pulled off his shirt, revealing a well-built torso covered in a crisscross of overlapping scars. A pang of heartache flashed in Nina’s eyes.
How did he get so many injuries?
“Turn around and sit in the chair,” she instructed.
Setan handed her the medicine, obediently turned around, and sat down. His back was broad and muscular, radiating the same sense of safety and reliability that he always did. However, the sheer number of scars stretching across his back was startling.
Noticing that the wounds on his back were significantly worse, Nina frowned.
“Did you not put any medicine on your back before p>
Setan lowered his head slightly. “No p>
“Why not?” she asked.
“Your medicine is very precious, and I can’t see my own back. I was afraid… afraid of wasting it,” Setan mumbled softly. “They aren’t serious injuries anyway. A few days of rest and they’ll be fine p>
Medicine capable of healing such wounds had to be incredibly rare. How could he possibly waste Nina’s medicine?
“Then why didn’t you ask the other beastmen for help?” Nina countered.
“I didn’t… didn’t want to trouble anyone else,” Setan said.
That really had been his initial thought—to just endure it and let it heal on its own. While he knew those wounds healed slowly, he hadn’t expected his usually powerful physique to recover this sluggishly.
Besides, his back genuinely hurt today, and he knew Nina would be leaving soon. He couldn’t let his injuries drag him down anymore.
Nina scooped up some ointment and gently rubbed it onto his skin. “Oh, so now you know how to complain about the pain and ask for help p>
“Actually, it doesn’t hurt that much,” Setan muttered, the tips of his ears turning a bright crimson. “I… I just wanted to be close to you p>
He had come up with a dozen excuses before approaching her, but in the end, he wanted to be completely honest with her. He could absolutely tolerate this level of pain. Going to his father for advice earlier was mainly because he didn’t want his injuries to become a burden to Nina later on.
Nina let out a helpless laugh. “Then why didn’t you just come to me in the first place p>
Embarrassed, Setan stammered, “F-Father taught me to do this p>
Nina chuckled. At least he was honest. Looking at his flushed ears, she suddenly found his fiercely loyal, simple-minded nature quite adorable.
Without another word, she carefully tended to the wounds on his back. After a while, she finally finished.
“Your back is all done. You can turn around now,” Nina said.
Setan turned to face her. “Since the back is done, you can do the rest yourself p>
Setan nervously pinched the hem of his clothes. “Nina, can you help me with the front too? I… I want you to apply it. I don’t want to do it myself p>
Nina looked at him, the corners of her lips curling into a slight smile.
Setan gripped his clothes so hard his knuckles turned white. “Is… is that not okay p>
A flicker of disappointment crossed his face. “I’m sorry, Nina. I’ll just do it myself p>
Nina let out a soft chuckle. “It’s fine, I’ll help you. Scoot a bit closer p>
Secretly thrilled, Setan blushed and edged a little nearer to her.
Nina leaned in and began applying the ointment to his chest. As her soft fingertips gently brushed over his heart, Setan’s pulse began to race. He gripped the edges of the chair tightly, doing everything he could to suppress his wild, erratic heartbeat.
He looked down at Nina, who was applying the medicine with absolute calm and composure. He finally understood why his father said that tending to wounds could nurture feelings—though, right now, it felt like it was only working on his end.
When her soft touch swept across his abdomen, Setan couldn’t help but shudder slightly.
Nina looked up. “Did I hurt you p>
His handsome face flushed a deep crimson. “N-No p>
Seeing the bright blush on his face, Nina instantly realized he was just incredibly shy. She blinked in amusement.
Look at that blushing face. Is this big, goofy lion really this innocent?
Unlike him, she was already a seasoned veteran; touching a set of abs didn’t faze her in the slightest. Lowering her head, she went back to treating his wounds and finished up in no time.
Nina straightened her back. “Hold out your arms p>
She quickly finished coating his arms as well. Holding his arm to inspect her work, she asked, “That should be everything, right p>
Setan bit his lip, a flash of bashfulness crossing his face. He wanted to say there were more spots, but the words stuck in his throat.
He felt that acting this way was far too forward and shameless, but at the same time, he thought his father’s advice made a lot of sense.
He tightly gripped the hem of his clothes, completely torn over whether to speak up.
Seeing his prolonged silence, Nina asked, “Is there still a spot we missed p>
Setan took a deep breath, preparing to throw caution to the wind and just go for it, when the door was suddenly thrown open with a loud BANG.
Rin rushed into the room like a whirlwind, shouting at the top of his lungs, “Setan, we’ve found something regarding the matter with Serpent City p>
Both Setan and Nina whipped their heads around to look at him.
Rin froze in surprise upon seeing Nina.
Why is Nina here too? Didn’t those other males say only Setan was in here?
The realization hit him like a truck—he had been tricked!
Hmph, what a bunch of scheming males. They deliberately sent me in here to ruin things between Setan and Nina!
If he had known Nina was in his grandson’s room, he would have come back much later.
Rin gave a sheepish laugh. “Ah, sorry about that! My bad for interrupting. I’ll come back later, you two just carry on with… whatever you were doing p>
Noticing Nina holding Setan’s arm, he felt a surge of secret delight.
The brat is actually making progress! He’s already holding hands with Nina.
Now that they were holding hands, could the rest be far behind? He absolutely could not stand in the way of his grandson’s romance.
Just as Rin was about to back out of the room, Nina called out to him, “Grandpa, did you say you found something about Serpent City? Would you mind telling me about it p>
Rin turned back around. “Of course I don’t mind! Nina is family, after all. Grandpa will tell you all about it right now p>
Setan let out a sigh of relief, though a pang of regret lingered in his heart.
Nina pointed to a seat nearby. “Grandpa Rin, please sit down and tell us p>
Rin took a seat. “Nina, we managed to uncover some clues from the traitors who were colluding with Serpent City p>
He pulled out several pieces of black crystal. “These crystals can absorb the energy from other beastmen’s bodies and convert it for the user’s own consumption p>
“How sinister. Does the Beast World actually have this kind of crystal?” Nina asked, frowning.
“No, the crystal itself is just a vessel,” Rin explained. “What gives the crystal this ability is a specialized power infused into it. Serpent City gave these to the traitors p>
“So, the beastmen who were completely drained of life must have fallen victim to this power. Their bodily energy was violently siphoned away,” Nina deduced.