The Villains Must Win-Chapter 281: Vampire Hunt 41

Then came the guards.

Pairs of armored sentries patrolled the passageways, their halberds gleaming under the dim magical light. One patrol turned the corner and spotted them instantly.

"Halt! Intruders—"

Lucian didn’t even break stride. His sword was out, moving with such speed that Selis barely caught the flash of steel. Two guards slumped unconscious before the first syllable left their lips.

Selis clapped her hands together, whispering loudly, "Bravo, Captain. Truly inspiring. You gave them a five-star nap."

Lucian sheathed his blade, unbothered. "Noise draws attention. Sleeping opponents do not." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Spoken like a true romantic," she quipped, following behind.

Trap after trap, door after door, guard after guard—Lucian dismantled them all like it was a chore he’d done a thousand times before.

Where others would have died a dozen different deaths, he walked as if the Sanctum had rolled out a velvet carpet just for him.

Selis, half-exasperated and half-impressed, finally blurted out, "You do realize you’re making this look way too easy, right? At this point I feel like I should be carrying a fruit basket behind you like your assistant."

Lucian paused just long enough to look at her with that perfectly flat expression of his. "You’d eat the fruit before we got to the destination."

Selis choked on a laugh, clutching her stomach to stifle the sound. "Not . . . wrong."

By the time they reached the Sanctum’s innermost passage, Selis felt less like she was infiltrating enemy territory and more like she was tagging along on a tour Lucian himself was hosting. Every obstacle bent, broke, or surrendered under his hand.

And yet, beneath the humor, she couldn’t ignore the truth: walking beside him was terrifyingly reassuring. With Lucian there, danger felt like a rumor, death like an idle threat.

But she also knew—somewhere ahead, even he would face something he couldn’t simply walk through.

The hall stretched endlessly before them, its stone walls carved with fading sigils that glowed faintly like watchful eyes. Selis shivered at the silence, only their footsteps echoing as they descended deeper into the Sanctum’s heart.

"Hey, Captain," she said suddenly, her voice too light for such a suffocating place.

Lucian didn’t even glance at her, scanning the walls for hidden runes. "Hmm?"

"You ever think about what you’ll do after this is all over?"

The question hung in the air like a stone tossed into still water.

For once, Lucian didn’t have an instant answer. His silence was so long that Selis almost thought he hadn’t heard her.

Finally, he murmured, "I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it."

Selis smirked knowingly. "I thought so."

Then, in a burst of energy, she skipped ahead, spinning on her heel to face him while walking backward. Her grin was mischievous, almost glowing in the dim corridor. "Then how about living with me?"

Lucian frowned. "Who said I want to settle with you?"

She ignored him entirely, pressing her palms dramatically against her flat stomach. "By now, I think I’m carrying your child, Captain."

Lucian stopped mid-step. ". . . What?"

Selis clasped her hands together, her expression the picture of fake innocence. "Don’t give me that look! I’m telling you, I can feel it. A little Lucian—already kicking inside me." She tilted her head coyly. "Don’t you want to meet your heir?"

Lucian stared at her, unimpressed. "That’s not how biology works."

Selis leaned closer, her voice dropping into a teasing whisper. "Oh, so you have been thinking about it."

For the first time, Lucian didn’t answer. His eyes flickered down—just for a heartbeat—toward her flat stomach. He knew she was lying. Knew it was another one of her games to get under his skin.

And yet . . . something warm stirred inside him, a dangerous little seed of thought.

A child.

His child.

The idea rooted in his mind, unshakable. He could almost picture it: small hands tugging on his cloak, a laugh that sounded like Selis, sharp eyes like his.

A family.

The thought shouldn’t have mattered in a place like this, marching through deathtraps and enemy territory. But it hit him harder than any blade.

Selis caught the subtle change in his expression and widened her grin, sensing victory. "What’s wrong, Captain? You’re blushing."

"I’m not." His voice was calm, but his ears betrayed him with the faintest shade of red.

She gasped dramatically, clasping her stomach again. "See? You do care! Already worried about the little one."

Lucian exhaled slowly, shaking his head as if trying to scatter the thought. "You talk too much."

"Mm, but you didn’t say no." She winked, darting forward to walk by his side again. "Admit it—you like the idea."

Lucian didn’t answer. He kept his eyes fixed ahead, but his silence spoke louder than any denial.

And Selis, satisfied with the chaos she’d planted in his heart, hummed a little tune as they descended deeper—her hand still resting on her stomach, as though she already carried a future neither of them were ready to name.

At last, the stairwell ended, spitting them into a narrow landing before a massive, rune-engraved door. It pulsed faintly with power, humming like a beast in slumber.

The air was so heavy with magic that Selis instinctively took a step back.

"Well," she whispered, crossing her arms, "looks like the end of the road."

Lucian, however, was already moving. His expression was unreadable, his fingers brushing the glowing sigils like he was reading words only he understood. Then, without hesitation, he pulled a small crystal from his pouch, pressed it against the lock, and twisted.

A deep thrum vibrated through the air. The runes sparked, flared, then went dark—dead. The door shuddered and creaked open, the sound echoing through the sanctum like thunder.

Selis blinked. "You just . . . opened it?"

Lucian gave her a sidelong glance. "Were you expecting a struggle?"

"I don’t know—maybe some explosions, or demons pouring out, or at least one dramatic monologue?"

He pushed the door wider. "You’ve been reading too many adventure books."

Before Selis could argue, the world lurched. The floor beneath them shimmered, and in the blink of an eye, the corridor vanished.