MTLNOVEL Chapter 216: Silenced
She poured herself another cup of tea and drank it fast, like it could drown the echo of his voice still stuck in her throat.
She knew the look. She'd seen it before in boardrooms, gala halls, on the faces of dragons and men who thought they could buy everything.
But Lux's version was different.
He didn't want to own her.
He wanted her to know him.
And choose anyway.
Mira wiped a spot of blood from her cheek with a napkin and stared at the tea. Not her blood.
She could walk away.
She could.
Technically.
But she'd already learned his scent.
She'd already memorized the way his eyes changed color mid-fight.
Wait, wait, wait… she did fall for him?
No way, right?
Right???
"…Stupid demon," she muttered.
And finally—finally—she let herself lean back.
Not defeated.
Just… tempted.
Like an heiress in front of a forbidden asset.
One she wanted to risk.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Meanwhile—
Lux stepped out of the restaurant like nothing had happened.
Like he hadn't just bled over custom tiles and gotten straddled by a dragon heiress during dessert.
The door shut behind him with a polite click.
He didn't look back.
Didn't pause to check if Mira followed.
She didn't.
Which, honestly?
Good.
Because if she had stepped out right now, with those battle-torn legs and that face still flushed with danger and denial, he might've ruined the whole damn sidewalk with what he was thinking.
Instead—
He walked.
Not rushed.
Not prowling.
Just… walking.
But his mind?
A disaster zone.
He didn't even leave a tip.
Which was wild.
Because Lux Vaelthorn always left a tip.
Usually a hundred-dollar one.
But right now, his thoughts drowned out everything except the noise in his head.
The late afternoon sun slanted across the streets in buttery gold. The city glowed in that early evening way, soft shadows stretching over marble buildings and the scent of blooming neroli and concrete warmth curling together in the air.
His coat flared slightly with the breeze, ripped at the sleeve, his once-pristine blazer stained with ichor and… something else. Probably blood. Hopefully not wine. That would've been a waste.
People glanced at him as he passed.
Some stared.
Not because they knew him.
Not because they recognized him as the CFO of Hell, the heir of Greed, the man who'd once personally negotiated a ceasefire between Lust and Sloth during a naked ballroom war.
No.
They stared because…
Yeah.
He looked like sex and sin and chaos in slow motion.
Tousled hair.
Designer clothes clinging in the right places, even if half of it was torn.
A face that made people forget to breathe.
And he didn't care.
Not today.
Not after that fight.
Not after her.
He exhaled through his nose, rubbing the back of his neck as he walked, voice low and sharp inside his own mind.
"Can you tell me what that attack was about?" he muttered. "And the source. The hell were those things doing here?"
[System: Under Analysis]
[Threat Class: Scavenger / Hunter-Type Swarm]
[Species: Shadow Rattok Demons]
[Approximate Level Range: 25 – 45]
[Quantity: 150]
[Conclusion: Mass Summon Attack]
[They were clearly low-level. However…]
[Your current bounty has now reached multiple bounty circuits, including low and mid-tier.]
[As a result, your trace signature can now be accessed by weaker mercenary and summoner networks.]
Lux sighed.
"And the rats?"
[Rattok Demons specialize in hunting magic-rich targets. Due to olfactory override glands in their skulls, they can distinguish between illusions, doppelgangers, and reality. Your scent… was the only one they locked onto.]
"So… even if they're dumb, they smelled the real me."
[Affirmative.]
He clicked his tongue.
"Great. So I've reached the part where even sewer rats are gunning for me."
[Technically they're swamp-birthed rat fiends, not sewers.]
"Shut up."
[Noted.]
Lux stepped past a row of polished hotel windows, his reflection distorted in the gold-tinted glass.
He looked…
Well, he looked like a man walking away from a high-end explosion and a hotter-than-sin maybe-romance with dragon royalty.
He adjusted his collar.
"Any news from the clones?" he asked, quieter now.
[Clone Status: Active — 5 Units]
[Summary of Movements: Compiled]
[Clone #1 – Location: Ivy District.]
[Was followed by a celestial entity for 11 minutes. Disappeared using Teleport. Currently laying low inside an upscale lingerie store for 'blending purposes.' (You may wish to address this later.)]
Lux exhaled.
Of course that one went lingerie shopping.
[Clone #2 – Location: Central Metro.]
[Detected faint demonic trail matching Wrath's frequency. Logged data and set three hex-sensor traps before returning to designated roaming circuit.]
"Hm," Lux muttered. "So Wrath's either sniffing or testing waters."
[Clone #3 – Location: Borderline.]
[Got sprayed with unknown liquid by three cloaked figures. Identified the substance as memory pollen, most likely harvested from Lust Realm orchids. Clone faked amnesia, seduced one attacker, and vanished.]
"…Holy Hell," Lux muttered, rubbing his eyes. "I'm raising five disasters."
[Correct.]
[Clone #4 – Location: Silver Bank Sector.]
[Nothing notable. Spent two hours analyzing mana flux in trading district. Possibly eavesdropped on two nobles arguing about Naomi's canceled engagement. Currently sipping martini. Hasn't blinked in 22 minutes.]
Lux squinted.
"…Is he pretending to be a statue?"
[Statue. Art installation. Emotional support gigolo. Hard to tell.]
[Clone #5 – Location: Unknown.]
[Sent faint pulse of danger. Data fragmented. Aura flared once—then vanished. No contact since.]
Lux stopped walking.
The breeze shifted. Warm.
He turned his head slightly.
"…What do you mean vanished?"
[Connection temporarily severed. No sign of disintegration. No soul tether damage. Possibly captured or forcibly silenced.]
His heart slowed.
Just a little.
Not panic.
Not yet.
But that clone had been the furthest. The one tracing the bounty routes. The one assigned to find where the contract originated.
If someone caught that version—
They weren't just guessing anymore.
They were getting close.
Lux's hand curled loosely, the faint shimmer of magic sparking between his fingers before vanishing again. His nails darkened just a touch—like obsidian glass in the sunlight—before going back to normal.
He walked again.
Slower now. Focused.