That was why, even though he really didn't want to think about it…
Maybe it was finally time to ask the question he'd been avoiding.
Was he… being held captive?
If Li Shen assumed that all the things Somnus had told him about this world were true, then that meant the man known as "Prince of Darkness" or "Dominator of Arcane Magic" with all those over-the-top titles… was him.
And if that was the case, then maybe he really was some kind of dangerous person.
Someone with power comparable to a tactical nuke, roaming around solo.
Then that person—Li Shen—lost his memory, mentally regressed to a clueless 17 years old boy and forgot everything.
Wouldn't it make sense for the people around him to treat him kindly, handle him carefully, maybe even manipulate him just enough… not outright brainwashing, but just nudging his thoughts in the right direction?
Turn him into a perfectly obedient tool—
"…Tch."
The thought got so ridiculous, he couldn't help but scoff through his nose. The sudden movement brought pain again, but he didn't care.
Overthinking things never helped anyway.
Even if he tried to figure it all out—what could he really do in this situation?
It was always the same.
No matter how much he thought or acted, nobody ever came to save him.
In the end, all he could do was accept whatever was handed to him and be swept along by it.
So, before his thoughts turned fully dark, Li Shen welcomed the weight in his eyelids and exhaled slowly.
He decided to sleep a bit more.
As his awareness began to slip away, he thought he heard a voice.
A voice that felt oddly… familiar.
Then say it. Say "Help me."
Li Shen couldn't understand what the voice meant. Not really.
But the next day, after sleeping soundly through the night, he would witness a shocking display of Somnus's unbelievable powers.
Seriously, was he even human...?
His Majesty the Emperor was on another level.
This was…
Dangerous.
Li Shen might seriously fall for him…
...
Soft… so soft.
It felt like he was wrapped in something warm and fluffy.
A gentle sensation that made him aware he was waking up, but also immediately made him frown inside because something about it felt… strange.
Ugh, did I fall asleep again...? I've been sleeping so much lately. At this rate, my brain's gonna rot or something… Wait—what is this? It's warm… and it feels really good… Also… is this grass? No, flowers? It smells like flowers... This is actually kind of soothing—WAIT. GRASS!? FLOWERS?! WHERE AM I NOW!?
Panic hit him hard. Don't tell me I woke up in another unknown place again!? No no no—please not again!!
Terrified, Li Shen opened his eyes—
—and the next moment, all the tension in his body melted away when he saw a very familiar, absurdly beautiful man's face up close.
He froze, staring blankly at the elegant man smiling gently at him from just inches away. Then came that low, calm voice Li Shen had grown used to.