Arknights: The Holy Son's Leisurely Life — Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Serving the Holy Son is the Duty of an Angel

And that was how the dust settled.

For a variety of complicated reasons, Lucian reluctantly accepted Executor as his new roommate.

Executor was an elite agent of the Laterano Notarial Hall. To put it in perspective, his position was roughly equivalent to the absolute best secret operative a nation could produce, functioning as the ultimate, emotionless tool for the state. It went without saying that he had been dispatched specifically to ensure Lucian’s safety.

The sheer importance of Lucian’s status as the Holy Son to the nation of Laterano was unquestionable. It was one thing when he was simply running a tea shop in Lungmen, but the moment the higher-ups learned he was in direct contact with the deep waters of Rhodes Island, it became impossible for Laterano to sit back and do nothing.

They were also painfully aware that Lucian would never listen to their polite advice, and using military force to retrieve him was completely out of the question. So, they opted for a tactical detour. They sent Executor, an agent boasting overwhelming combat strength and absolute trustworthiness, to shadow the Holy Son.

For the usually inflexible and dogmatic angels, this pragmatic approach was nothing short of a stunning maneuver.

Granted, Executor’s interpersonal communication skills were an unmitigated disaster. Even someone like Exusiai possessed an emotional intelligence a hundred times greater than his. Yet, the mere fact that Laterano thought to use official diplomatic channels to insert their agent into Rhodes Island was a miracle worthy of being written into a textbook. It seemed that after Lucian had been gone for a few years, the upper echelons of Laterano genuinely wanted to turn over a new leaf. At the very least, they were trying their absolute best to win back the Holy Son’s favor.

But this was not enough. It was far from enough.

Executor’s capabilities were undeniably high, more than enough for the Laterano elites to feel completely at ease leaving him to guard Lucian at close quarters. The problem was that Lucian had absolutely no desire to be guarded in the first place.

Honestly speaking, compared to sharing a room with a tall, burly, straight-as-steel man who possessed the personality of a brick wall, Lucian naturally would have preferred to live with a cute girl. Or, to just skip to the perfect ending, he would have loved to share a room with Amiya. Being able to rub those soft bunny ears every single day sounded like a dream come true.

Unfortunately, he had only just arrived at Rhodes Island. It would take a considerable amount of time and scheming to achieve that particular goal, which was a deep pity.

So, he swallowed his complaints and accepted his fate as Executor’s roommate.

He had repeatedly emphasized to the stoic angel that he was not to act like a Holy Son was present within the halls of Rhodes Island. Executor was ordered not to let a single reverent word slip in front of the other operators, effectively commanding him to delete the word ‘Holy’ from his vocabulary entirely.

But the reason a straight-laced man is called a straight-laced man is because his mind is truly as unyielding as iron.

Lucian tossed and turned in his narrow bed, utterly unable to sleep. Finally, he threw the covers off and sat up in the dark.

He rubbed his temples, terribly annoyed. “I say, can you not stand right next to my bed?”

“Understood.”

Executor replied instantly, his voice devoid of any inflection. He took two precise steps backward, evolving his position from half a meter away from Lucian’s face to exactly one meter away.

Then, he continued to stare intently at the bed, not even making a sound as he breathed. His halo cast a faint, eerie glow in the pitch-black room.

Imagine the scene. Two grown men sharing a small dormitory. The lights are off, the room is dead silent. You are lying in bed, desperately trying to sleep, but your roommate is standing at attention right beside your mattress, staring down at you without blinking a single time.

You would have to be heavily sedated to fall asleep under those conditions.

Lucian’s eyebrow twitched violently in the gloom. “What I mean is, I cannot sleep with you looming over me like a ghost.”

“Please do not worry.” Executor said smoothly. “I have already laid fragmentation mines around the perimeter of the room. No one will hinder your peaceful sleep. I will also remain on high alert twenty-four hours a day, so please state any needs you may have.”

“Then go to sleep! Go back to your own bed!” Lucian sprang up from the mattress with a heavy thud.

Executor remained perfectly calm, his posture rigid. “I have undergone rigorous professional training and can maintain a low-power standby state, requiring absolutely no sleep or rest. This will not affect the efficiency of my guard duties in the slightest, so please rest assured.”

“I wasn’t worried about your efficiency, you blockhead…”

Lucian dragged a hand down his face, completely speechless. He had not experienced this brand of unwavering, robotic loyalty that completely ignored the spirit of his words in years. He still could not get used to it.

Since sleep was clearly impossible, Lucian gave up and reached over to turn on the bedside lamp. Warm light flooded the small room, illuminating Executor’s placid, handsome face.

Lucian sat on the edge of the bed and let out a long sigh. “I say, Federico… using your real name is too troublesome right now. From now on, just use your codename, Executor.”

Executor gave a crisp nod. “Understood. I will report this directive to the Notarial Hall immediately. Effective today, my official designation will be changed to Executor.”

“Fine, fine, whatever you want. You can change your name to Great Hero of Justice for all I care.”

Lucian was far too tired to keep complaining. He knew from past experience that when dealing with a typical Laterano agent like Executor, beating around the bush with sarcasm was entirely useless. The man took everything literally.

So, Lucian calmed his weary mind, propped his chin in his hand, and looked the angel in the eye. “Executor, listen to me. This is Rhodes Island, not Laterano. I do not want to be any Holy Son here. Within these walls, I am just a cooperative partner of Rhodes Island and a standard employee of Penguin Logistics.”

“I have already given up on trying to change your personal programming. But at the very least, when we are in front of others, do not do anything strange or overly respectful. Do you understand?”

“…Understood.”

This time, Executor took a few beats longer before responding with solemn gravity. His internal circuits had clearly analyzed Lucian’s command, determining that it was a matter of the highest priority, and thus he accepted it seriously.

But because he took it so seriously, he felt compelled to offer a warning. “Lord Lucian, if it is at all possible, I strongly recommend keeping a safe distance from the core of Rhodes Island.”

Lucian raised an eyebrow, reaching over to grab a carton of soy milk he had left on the nightstand. “Why do you say that?”

“Before boarding, I thoroughly analyzed the Rhodes Island landship,” Executor replied, his tone analytical. “This unconventional battleship holds far too many secrets and may harbor uncontrollable dangers within its hull.”

“, within the vessel itself, there are specialized personnel dedicated entirely to countering infiltration, assassination, and internal sabotage. They are hidden throughout the ship’s population. This could pose a direct threat to your safety.”

Lucian took a sip of his drink and nodded slowly. “You hit the nail right on the head.”

Executor rarely provided such meaningful, unprompted intelligence, and Lucian was genuinely touched by the effort. Of course, he already knew Rhodes Island was drowning in secrets. He simply chose to trust Amiya, meaning he had no intention of prying into their classified affairs until they were ready and willing to tell him themselves.

As for the anti-infiltration personnel Executor mentioned, Lucian knew exactly what that meant. They were internal cleaners. He could already guess who was leading that charge.

The little red-hooded Lupo named Projekt Red was clearly entirely different from the ordinary operators walking the halls. She was not a standard battlefield warrior; she was a professional, cold-blooded assassin. She operated as Kal’tsit’s direct subordinate, and her entire lethal style was completely out of sync with Rhodes Island’s public image as a benevolent pharmaceutical company. This proved that Kal’tsit had been deeply wary of internal spies and traitors from the very beginning.

Why did a mere medical company possess such complete, overwhelming military power? Why was its internal security so terrifyingly strict, acting as if the organization had suffered severe, bloody internal strife in the past?

Lucian could accept these dark secrets without batting an eye. It was perfectly normal for any massive organization to have skeletons in its closet. If someone revealed all their deepest secrets to a newcomer without any basis of trust, that would be truly alarming. It would mean they were either hopelessly foolish or actively malicious.

Compared to the shadowy depths of Rhodes Island, Lucian trusted the bright sincerity in Amiya’s eyes. The operators he had met so far were also genuinely good people.

He looked back at the stoic angel. “Being vigilant is a good trait to have. Thank you for the warning.”

“But do not overthink it,” Lucian continued. “Under reasonable premises, I trust Rhodes Island. If you notice any other specific concerns, please let me know anytime.”

Executor gave a steady, mechanical nod. “Understood.”

Although Executor’s rigid attitude was still miles away from the casual, equal relationship Lucian idealized, at least they could communicate normally now without the angel dropping to his knees.

Since they had finally spoken heart-to-heart, it was time to return to the original, pressing issue of getting some sleep.

Executor looked at him, his face completely expressionless. “Lord Lucian seems to desire a bedmate other than myself. As I serve the Notarial Hall and do not reside permanently in Laterano, I am unfortunately unfamiliar with your specific romantic preferences. You have my sincerest apologies.”

Lucian choked on his soy milk. ‘Wait, what?’

“I will immediately notify the female Sankta compatriots currently residing within the Rhodes Island vessel and request them to fulfill their duty to the Holy Son,” Executor stated, his tone as serious as if he were discussing a military operation. “May I ask, is one sufficient, or would you prefer several at once?”

“You and your entire family can go straight to hell.”

Lucian was no longer in the mood to even attempt a retort. He slammed the bedside lamp off, lay down flat, pulled the heavy covers all the way over his head, and let this iron-headed fool continue to stand guard in the dark.