It's so hard being a hero!

It growled in a low growl as it struggled, but Sophia flicked her finger with a golden light that entered its forehead. Its body stiffened abruptly and then went limp.

Lyra rushed in through the front door, saw the demon lying on the ground, and glanced at Sophia's rapier, which was still faintly glowing.

"Resolved?"

"Yes, just one. He must be a lone spy."

Sophia sheathed her sword, squatted down to examine the demon's attire, and found a small iron plate with strange symbols engraved on its belt.

She looked at it over and over, unsure what it was, but her intuition told her that it wasn't something she had just put on casually.

"Take it back and show it to the military; they might be able to find something out."

She handed the metal plaque to Leila, who took it, glanced at it, and then casually tucked it into her pocket.

The subsequent patrols proceeded without any further incidents.

This went on for several days.

Sofia goes on patrol with Leila every day, returns in the evening to eat, shower, and sleep, and then sets off again the next day.

That evening, Sophia and Laila had just entered the city gate of the City of Heaven's Wrath and hadn't even had time to hand in their patrol report when they saw a familiar figure leaning against the wall inside the city gate, with his hands behind his head and one leg bent and resting on the brick wall behind him. He looked relaxed, as if he was waiting for someone.

It's Vic.

He was dressed in dark gray casual clothes, with a simple longsword hanging at his waist. It didn't even have a proper scabbard; it was just casually tucked into his belt. He looked like an ordinary traveler who had just strolled over from some town.

But Sophia could recognize the lazy expression on his face even with her eyes closed.

"Oh, you're back?"

When Vic saw them, he straightened up and waved to Sophia.

"I was just thinking about whether to go to Frey's for a free meal, and then I ran into you."

Lyra greeted Vic as soon as she saw him.

"Uncle Vic, what brings you here?"

"Just passing by."

Vic waved his hand, his tone very casual.

Chapter 140 Reunion of Old Friends

Vic's nonchalant attitude made him look like he was sunbathing in his own backyard, not at all like someone who had just traveled hundreds of miles from the west.

Sophia looked him up and down.

He was dressed quite casually, but the weariness between his brows was undeniable. So she asked him a question.

"Lord Vic, when did you arrive?"

"We had just arrived and had been squatting at the city gate for about half an hour, trying to figure out how to sneak in and get a free meal, when we saw you guys come back."

As Vic spoke, he grinned at Leila, his tone carrying a familiar warmth typical of an elder.

"Little Laila, your armor is getting better and better with each wear, much better looking than your mother's back then."

Lyra was flattered by his praise, but she still pretended to be serious and replied, "Uncle Vic, please don't praise me as soon as we meet, or I'll get carried away."

"Let him be arrogant, when else will young people be arrogant if not now?"

Vic waved his hand, his gaze lingering on Lyra for a moment before returning to Sophia, his eyes holding something only Sophia could understand.

Leila didn't notice anything amiss; she picked up the patrol report and prepared to hand it in. She'd only taken two steps when she turned back and called out to Sophia.

"Sophia, take Uncle Vic to my mom's for a bit. I'll be right there after I finish submitting my report."

Sofia nodded, watching Lyra's figure disappear around the street corner.

Once Lyra was out of sight, she turned to look at Vic and said in a low voice.

"Let's go to Frey's place."

Vic hummed in agreement, but didn't say much more. Then the two of them walked side by side toward Frey's place.

Even at dusk, the streets of Tianqian City were still quite crowded. The footsteps of soldiers changing shifts could be heard from the city walls, and in the distance, a few children were kicking a deflated ball at an alley entrance, their laughter ringing out clearly.

After walking a short distance, Vic finally spoke, his voice low enough for Sophie Hanya to hear clearly.

"I heard someone managed to bring down that Lady of Light from the Sanctuary? Was it you who did it?"

Sophia didn't deny it, she just smiled.

"Yes, I personally went to the Sanctuary. I have some connection with that Sister Beatrice."

Vic glanced at her, his eyes filled with a complex expression.

"Someone the entire Vatican couldn't get, and you managed to get him here with just a few words? You must have some serious connections."

"Not at all. I only stayed in the Holy Land for three years back then, so I could get along with her fairly well."

Vic gave a soft hum, the teasing tone fading somewhat, replaced by a more genuine sentiment.

"Alright, you managed to do what others couldn't. That's more like you. I knew it. The old man's influence is nothing in the Holy Domain. You really have to take matters into your own hands."

Sophia was slightly moved by his words, but she didn't show it on her face and just asked casually.

"How about your end? Is everything sorted out?"

"It's all done."

With his hands behind his head, Vic spoke with a sense of relief, as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Everything that needed to be cleaned up has been cleaned up, and all the remaining messy handover work has been dumped on others. Anyway, I'm too lazy to deal with it."

He paused, then continued.

"I plan to leave today."

Sophia stopped abruptly.

"So soon? You're leaving after just arriving?"

"if not?"

Vic turned his head to look at her, a hint of seriousness appearing in his previously lazy smile.

"My wife is still waiting for me in the south. I can't just leave her waiting alone on the beach, can I? Besides, the demons aren't going to cause any major trouble for the time being. With that Lady of Light in charge, there shouldn't be any new problems in the short term."

Sophia was silent for a moment, then sighed softly, her tone filled with undisguised envy.

"You're living a pretty carefree life, going wherever you want and doing whatever you want..."

Vic chuckled, a laugh that contained both smugness and a satisfaction that Sophia could detect.

"Of course! I've fought all the battles I needed to fight in my life, and I've repaid all the favors I needed to repay. Shouldn't I be enjoying my remaining days? But you, you still have a lot to do."

Sophia rolled her eyes and couldn't help but retort.

"Do you think I want to? I'm being forced into this. If I had a choice, I'd like to travel the world with my wife like you."

Upon hearing this, Vic seemed to have been caught red-handed, and his tone immediately became frivolous.

"Hey, speaking of which, have you and your partner reunited yet? Or are you still putting on this teacher-student act?"

Sophia's expression froze for a moment after he touched a nerve, and she awkwardly looked away, giving a vague reply.

"I've already accepted it."

"You've admitted it?"

Vic raised an eyebrow, his tone clearly showing disbelief.

"How do you define 'acknowledgment'? Don't tell me it's just that you don't say anything and she doesn't say anything either, and then the two of you tacitly act as if nothing happened. Is that what you call acknowledgment?"

Sophia was speechless at his words. She opened her mouth to refute him, but found that she really had nothing to say in response.

What happened between her and Frey wasn't exactly a dramatic reunion.

One night, Frey brought it up first, and she went along with it. The two hugged and talked all night, and the next day they went about their business as usual.

If we're talking about "recognition," then yes, they did recognize each other, but there was absolutely no sense of ceremony or formal confession.

Seeing her expression, Vic immediately understood and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Look at you, I knew it. You two are both like silent gourds. You know exactly what's going on in your hearts, but you insist on putting on an act for each other. It's exhausting to watch you two."

Sophia felt a little embarrassed by his words and muttered something.

"Stop making sarcastic remarks. This is called tacit understanding."

"tacit agreement?"

Vic almost burst out laughing at this statement.

"Okay, okay, if you call it tacit understanding, then it's tacit understanding."

After he finished laughing, the two of them turned into the alley where Frey lived.

The gate to the courtyard was not closed. Sophia pushed the gate open and went in, and saw Frey sitting in the courtyard picking vegetables.

She looked up and saw Sophia and Vic walking in one after the other, but she wasn't too surprised.

"Oh, what wind has blown you, the Sun King, here?"

Vic walked in casually, dragged out a chair and sat down as if he were at home.

"Just passing by, thought I'd drop by to see how you three are doing."

Frey chuckled softly, not in a hurry to ask further questions, but simply stood up and went to the kitchen to get another set of bowls and chopsticks.

The three of them sat in the courtyard and ate a simple dinner as dusk fell.

Lyra arrived shortly afterward, and upon entering, seeing Vic still there, she came over and chatted for a few minutes.

After dinner, Lyra was called away by a knight who said it was urgent. As he left, he winked at Sophia, implying that she should keep Vik company and have a good chat.

Vic leaned back in his chair, looking up at the last rays of sunset slowly fading into darkness, and suddenly asked a question.

"Su Lan".

He called that name.

Sophia did not correct him.