Chapter 243: Cutscene of Waking Up To A Dream

The sounds of laughter and merriment rang all around him, and so when Han Jing finally opened his eyes and woke up—he would come across a scene that seemed more fictional than anything he had ever seen before. There were four people gathered at the dining table, and though he might have initially seen a family all gathered together, it would soon reveal that it was not the case.

The first two were his mother and sister, but instead of him and his father, the other two were the Wood Elf and the Demon Lord. They were all engaged in some lighthearted and polite conversation. There were even some snacks on the table that they were all sharing besides the box of donuts he had brought.

Han Jing groaned and rubbed his eye with his palm, "Am I dreaming?" He sat up from his bed and stared at them, unsure for a moment. Reality vs fiction, which was which?

"Han Jing! You never told me that you were having friends over." His mother scolded him with a light tone."I would have been able to prepare more if you told me beforehand."

He crossed his arms over his chest, "I'm okay, mother. Thanks for asking." Did the two Races here pull up some kind of brainwashing or magical spell to explain how exactly they brought a passed out man to his own house without any form of suspicion whatsoever?

"It's a good thing that you were with your friends—do drink some more water, Jing. Heatstroke is awful." his mother said. She clicked her tongue at him.

"Yeah, what your lovely mother has said." The Wood Elf nodded along. "Do be more careful."

A lovely smile curled on the Demon Lord's lips, "If you can't take the heat, do not bother it. It's fruitless trying to combat a sun when you're nothing but human." Even she had joined in on the lecturing of him.

One of Han Jing's eyes twitched for a moment. Nobody was suspicious over this? He looked over at his little sister and noticed that the young girl was staring blatantly at the Demon Lord in awe. And Han Jing knew it was her, the same straight jet black hair and her eyes were red like rubies. It was almost the last thing that he'd seen before passing out.

… Han Jing sighed and rubbed his head. Why wasn't he freaking out? Somehow he was taking this better than he thought he would. There were two very normal humans on the right side and two very nonhuman people on the left—and he was the only one who could tell the truth about this situation right now.

"Han Jing, how about you go run over a shop and bring over some drinks for our guests?" his mother then said. She gave him a smile. The kind of smile that would make a much younger Han Jing run out of the house to do her bidding.

But age had given him wisdom. It allowed him to contemplate other options. Why couldn't she have asked Jinjing? Did she really have to wait for him to wake up for this? He scratched the back of his head and sighed. "I don't think they're interested—"

"Now, now. We can't deny the hospitality that your mother is showing." the Wood Elf said with a gob smacking grin. He glanced briefly at his mother and gave a more charismatic smile, "What do you recommend, Mrs. Han?"

"I suppose all three of you could drink," his mother relented. There was a relaxed smile on her face, completely bewitched or something at this point. "Although, do buy some juice too for Jinjing alright, Jing?" When she addressed him, she was a little more authoritative.

Did the Wood Elf throw some wool over his mother's eyes?! She wasn't this accommodating with guests… Well, she was, but this was unacceptable!

Han Jing wasn't going to leave the house with these two still on the loose! Even if things hadn't exactly turned out chaotic while he had been passed out didn't ensure him at all. It didn't mean that things would be the same once he left.

His gaze fleeted between the two and he bit back a gulp. With his head now clear, it was as if seeing the one who had pummeled him to a pulp still made his muscles ache. "Well, I'm not going alone—you two should come with me."

"But we just got here!"

Compared to the Wood Elf's retort, the Demon Lord was nothing but silence, and she stared at him. If looks could kill—he would have been dead with such a look. Not to mention that his mother gave him the exact same disapproving look.

"You can do it on your own, Jing."

"Actually, I think my friend would be thrilled to accompany your son." the Wood Elf said with a smile that could have stolen Venus from Mars. Or something. In a group of friends, he would have been the one who got people to do all the work for him. Or the friend that the parents favored.

The Demon Lord threw a look at the Wood Elf, but then frowned. "Alright, I'll go."

Han Jing hadn't been able to look at her properly before, but the Demon Lord was wearing a long-sleeved black dress that showed off her shoulders and cleavage. She still maintained a very regal and elegant look. He would have believed that she was some kind of foreigner—or a cosplayer with very expensive clothes.

He fought back a shiver. He wanted both of them to ensure that the Wood Elf could keep the Demon in check, but he could already tell that the Wood Elf had no interest in leaving his house. He scratched the back of his head and made his way out of the door, "Follow me."

He probably wasn't going to die if she didn't kill him earlier, right?

If anything, it was the Wood Elf he was worried about. The guy kept throwing looks at his mother, and her mother didn't even seem to notice at all—completely charmed by one of his friends. This wasn't what he had in mind when he accepted the role to beta-test the game.

.

.

.

Contrary to his expectations of a short-fused, edgy and even diabolical Demon Lord, the one following from behind him wasn't anything like that. If anything, he was uncomfortable to have such a beautiful woman following him along. Han Jing would have whipped out some scriptures and quotes if he could to try and banish her away, but instead he walked without a word.

Why wasn't she speaking up?!

Surely someone like them would have a lot to say. Sweat seeped in his shirt and he tried to keep his wits together. The [ Mental Fortitude ] Skill didn't seem to function at all times or something? Or maybe it was because his mind could actually fathom the situation. This was the worst. Han Jing then spoke up, "Thank you."

He probably shouldn't have said it, but those were the words that escaped his lips.

A grunt escaped from the Succubus. "Your ally has made it a point to keep up with appearances, so you have nothing to thank me for. Instead, will you hurry up? What kind of twigs do you have for legs?" She sashayed past him.

Han Jing raised a brow, "Do you even know where you're going?"

The Demon Lord stopped in her tracks and then threw him a look. "Some kind of place to purchase drinks, isn't that right?"

"Close enough." he bit back a resigned smile and forced himself to move faster. "We're heading to the convenience store. Although, I'm a little surprised on why you're still here. I understand the uh..." Han Jing looked around at the street, a lot of people were passing by. Heck, a lot of the males were looking into their direction for obvious reasons.

This was unbelievable.

Han Jing waved a hand, "It's understandable why Hazelleaf is staying, but if you haven't exactly come here to put me permanently out of commission, then you could have probably left—"

"The two of us are not at the level to discuss such things with one another like intimate friends, nor do I wish to have that kind of bond with you." she said with an edge to her tone.

"Er, loud and clear, ma'am!"

The Demon Lord harrumphed, "I am known by many as Jilanya, but you will refer to me as—"

"Anya sounds like a good name." Han Jing rubbed his chin, "It sounds really foreign—like you came from the land of General Frost. It's a good pseudo."

She glared at him, the woman reappearing beside him. "You cannot shorten my name—"

"Right, er, sorry." Han Jing was unsure of how he was feeling right now. He was consciously aware that he was standing beside a Demon Lord who practically bested him by taking all of his hits. And yet his mouth continued to spout out words. Maybe it was a nervous tic. He had gotten so used as Han, who kept the atmosphere light, that he spoke up.

Even if he was facing a being that could probably kill him in one move.

"This is it, isn't it?" The woman stopped and then motioned discreetly at a small building. "A convenience store. This is where we'll obtain the drinks that your progenitor has ordered you to purchase."

"Yeah, you're right. I guess you would be able to read human language."

She scoffed, "Of course."

Right before the two of them could enter the convenience store, a familiar voice called out his name. "Han Jing!"