Arknights: The Holy Son's Leisurely Life — Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Don’t Be His Girlfriend!You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

Senior Superintendent of the Lungmen Guard Department. The beautiful, elite officer, Madam Ch’en. Full name: Ch’en Hui-chieh.

If Lucian had to give his honest opinion, the name sounded a bit too delicate, entirely at odds with the woman’s fiery, explosive temper. Perhaps she was aware of that contradiction herself, which was why she kept her full name strictly under wraps, forbidding anyone from using it unless absolutely necessary.

But that prohibition didn’t apply to innocent children.

“Both Big Brother Lucian and Big Sister Hui-chieh are here today!” Xiao Ling cheered, riding high on Ch’en’s shoulders with a bright, gap-toothed smile. “What a lucky day!”

“Yes, yes…” Ch’en laughed awkwardly, clearly out of her element.

She had traded her crisp L.G.D. uniform for casual street clothes, the brim of a plain baseball cap pulled low over her eyes in a flimsy attempt to conceal her identity. After all, a Senior Superintendent sneaking into the Slums after hours wasn’t exactly a glorious affair she wanted on her public record.

Lucian bit the inside of his cheek, trying hard to suppress a laugh as she shot him a murderous glare. “Madam Ch’en… no, wait, Hui-chieh. You’ve worked hard today. On duty all morning and still trekking out here in the afternoon? Shouldn’t you be heading home to rest?”

“Today was supposed to be my day off! And whose fault do you think it is that I’m working overtime?!” Ch’en’s crimson eyes narrowed into a fierce, bloodshot glare. “If you dare call me by my first name again, I’ll chop you to pieces right here! I’ll grind your bones to dust and flush you down the Lungmen sewers!”

A dignified Senior Superintendent threatening to murder a law-abiding citizen in broad daylight. How tragic.

But thankfully, before Lucian could pretend to record her for a lawsuit, Xiao Ling’s bright smile wilted into a mask of pure sorrow. “Big Sister Hui-chieh… do you hate Big Brother Lucian? Did you two get into a fight?”

“Eh? W-Wait!” Ch’en panicked, her authoritative aura instantly shattering as she scrambled for an explanation. “No, I’m not fighting with him! It’s just that he always provokes me on purpose, and I just—”

“Big Sister Hui-chieh, are you and Big Brother Lucian not getting along?” Xiao Ling sniffled, her big eyes watering pitifully. “Are you breaking up?…If you are, can I be Big Brother Lucian’s girlfriend instead?”

“No! Absolutely not!” Ch’en roared instinctively.

A split second later, she realized exactly how that sounded. Her face flushed a brilliant shade of scarlet. “Ah, no! What I mean by ‘no’ is that you can’t be this kind of man’s girlfriend, Xiao Ling! He’ll definitely trick you! And it’s not that I don’t want to break up with him… No! I’m not even dating him in the first place, okay?! Who said I was involved with this idiot?!”

“You’re confessing everything without a prompt, Officer Ch’en,” Lucian sighed, shaking his head. Did the Lungmen Guard Department skip anti-interrogation training at the academy?

Xiao Ling, whose fake-crying routine was easily Oscar-worthy, instantly dropped the tears and giggled. She hopped nimbly from Ch’en’s shoulders over to Lucian’s side, looking incredibly smug. “How was that, Big Brother Lucian? Did you get that on tape? Big Sister Hui-chieh just admitted she doesn’t want to break up with you!”

Lucian chuckled, patting the girl’s head. “You’re too clever for your own good, Xiao Ling. But let’s not bully your Big Sister Hui-chieh too much, or I’m going to die a very miserable death.”

The female dragon’s face was currently burning as red as her horns. One more tease, and she really would draw her sword. Lucian preferred keeping all his limbs attached; he had no intention of dying young.

Because her favorite older brother and sister had both come to visit, an overly excited Xiao Ling refused to part ways. Lucian simply brought her along as he pushed his cart through the dusty streets, delivering hot food to the elderly residents living alone.

The lively little girl was a recognized ray of sunshine in this bleak district. Even the hardened, wary locals who usually avoided outsiders softened at the sight of her, offering polite nods and kindness that made Lucian’s job significantly easier.

As Xiao Ling eagerly grabbed a packed meal and ran upstairs to deliver it, Lucian and Ch’en lingered by the stairwell, the bustling noise of the Slums fading into a quiet, intimate space between them.

“Looking at how energetic she is, you’d never guess she was sick,” Ch’en murmured, her gaze following the child before shifting to Lucian. “It’s fine that you want to play the good Samaritan, but keep your head down. Rumors have already reached the Guard Department. People are whispering that the tea shop owner who sells soy milk is constantly sneaking into the Slums, and that the food he sells might transmit Oripathy.”

Lucian let out a dry, disdainful scoff. “Oripathy isn’t transmitted through food. You know that better than anyone, Madam Ch’en. No matter how severe an Infected’s symptoms get, there’s zero risk of infection without direct blood-to-blood contact. It’s basic medical science. If those idiots still want to discriminate, let them panic. Ah, but if I sprinkled some raw Originium fragments into the soup, that might actually do the trick.”and support the real translator.Read at elysianreads.com This is a stolen translation. You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

Ch’en’s expression hardened instantly. “Watch your mouth. Don’t joke about things like that carelessly.”

She wasn’t flustered or angry like she was when he teased her. She looked at him with absolute, unyielding seriousness, her bright red eyes carrying a heavy, commanding weight.

Lucian met her gaze, the casual amusement fading from his face. He nodded slowly. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m not Infected, so I can’t truly understand their pain. It wasn’t my place to make a joke out of it.”

“…Not Infected, huh.”

Ch’en lowered her gaze, the complex emotions swirling in her eyes deepening as she studied him. “You’re right. You’re completely clean. You aren’t Infected, yet you’re always out here, running into the Slums, taking care of these people with a bleeding heart. What exactly is your endgame, Lucian? Are you trying to be some kind of saint? Or are you just here to preach to the helpless?”

Lucian let out a soft, self-deprecating laugh. “Laterano doesn’t accept the Infected either, you know. If an Angel contracts Oripathy, they’re exiled. Stripped of their rights, cast out, and never allowed to return home… Let’s drop the heavy topics. It ruins the mood.”

He smoothly pivoted the conversation, burying the grim reality of his homeland.

“Enough about me, Madam Ch’en. What about you?” To dispel the lingering tension, he leaned against his cart, watching her closely. “I’m just a civilian. I can wander wherever I please. But you’re a Senior Superintendent. Every move you make sets an example for your subordinates. Doesn’t a high-ranking officer constantly sneaking into the Slums set a bad precedent?”

Ch’en glared at him, crossing her arms defensively. “Subordinates, my foot. You should call them officers… Ah, whatever, just call them police!”

Wait, didn’t you just use slang yourself? Lucian thought, amused.

Ch’en coughed awkwardly into her fist, deliberately looking away to pretend nothing had happened. “This is my private time. I’m off the clock, and I have the freedom to go wherever I want. There isn’t a single law in Lungmen that states a Senior Superintendent can’t visit the Slums… I mean, the Outer Ring. Right?”

Lucian nodded, his voice softening. “That’s right. This is Lungmen’s Outer Ring.”

It was still a part of Lungmen.

Even if the government turned a blind eye to it. Even if there were no police patrols, no property management, and no safety nets. The men, women, and children here were left to fend for themselves in the dirt, often relying on ruthless local gangs just to maintain a fragile semblance of order… but it was still Lungmen.

…Perhaps Ch’en realized how hollow her own excuse sounded. The defensive posture melted away, and her expression visibly darkened as she stared at the cracked pavement.

Lucian watched her profile—the sharp line of her jaw, the slight droop of her usually proud posture. He half-seriously considered wrapping an arm around her shoulders to comfort her, but quickly calculated the exact probability of getting sliced in half. To be safe, he kept his hands to himself.

Instead, he reached into a hidden compartment of his food cart and pulled out a small, neatly wrapped piece of brown sugar candy—his special blood-replenishing sugar. He held it out to her. “Here. Have one. It’s good for your health.”

“…” Ch’en eyed the dark, richly colored candy with deep suspicion, then looked up at Lucian, silently judging his intentions.

Finally, she relented. She plucked the candy from his palm and popped it into her mouth.

Her fair cheeks puffed out as she chewed, and she shot him a dissatisfied look. “Stop treating me like a child. And is this stuff you make even hygienic? What kind of ingredients are you putting in this? Every time I eat your candy, my heart starts racing and my body gets incredibly hot, like I just ran a ten-mile sprint.”

Lucian smiled, offering a perfectly smooth, perfunctory lie. “That just means your metabolism is speeding up. It’s all perfectly natural.”You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.