Her soft, fragrant body nestled against Roy's chest, her delicate, heart-shaped face resting on his shoulder.
She was beauty in its purest, untainted form—no cosmetics adorned her, yet her features bore the exquisite craftsmanship of nature itself. As she lay unconscious, her breath carried a faint, sweet fragrance that teased Roy's ear, stirring an irresistible itch in his heart.
In this moment, the maiden seemed so pitiable, as if she had forgotten all her suffering and pain, merely sleeping in tranquil peace. Roy couldn't help but recall the flash of sorrow and desolation in her wine-red eyes just before he had knocked her out with a single punch.
'She's had it hard. Her life hasn't been kind to her.'
The thought flickered through Roy's mind.
His hand rested on her slender waist, yet to his surprise, no improper thoughts arose within him—only a deep sense of compassion for the woman in his arms.
"Could this be what love feels like?"
Roy found it almost unbelievable that he could experience such an emotion, that there would come a day when he would feel this way about a woman.
He had always thought himself heartless, but now he realized he was merely sentimental.
Looking back on his life, during his time in the world of Campione, though he had never seemed to develop genuine feelings for Erica and the others, the man named Roy had always been striving for their futures.
Roy's desire to complete the ritual known as "Gold" was, in truth, a wish to never part from those beautiful maidens—to give them the chance to follow in his footsteps.
I thought I was a scoundrel, but it turns out I'm just too tenderhearted.
Roy consoled himself with this thought. "I'm not heartless at all—it's just that you're all too beautiful."
Scooping the woman in his arms into a princess carry, Roy found her as light as he had imagined—like a willow branch swaying over a clear river on a bright spring afternoon.
Her jade-like skin was flawless, delicate as fine silk, yet Roy harbored no improper thoughts. He didn't even consider taking advantage of the situation.
Handling her as carefully as if she were the world's most precious treasure, Roy carried her onto his horse, holding her close as the steed moved forward at a leisurely pace.
But someone shattered the tranquil tenderness of the moment.
"General, your might is unmatched! Capturing this blood-sucking demoness has saved the people of Kuaiji from suffering!"
Several Daoist priests hurried forward, bowing deeply to Roy with flattering voices that still tried to feign detachment, making them seem like clowns.
Exchanging glances, one of them spoke:
"...According to our sect's records, this demoness is an ancient evil, having lived for untold years. In her lifetime, she has slain countless humans. Our elders have long sought to capture her, yet none succeeded—many instead fell to her blade."
"...As you've witnessed, this fiend can transform into a sea of blood. Ordinary weapons cannot harm her. Only through the Daoist Arts and sealing rituals can she be suppressed, preventing her from harming others again."
"General, why not hand her over to us? We shall refine her in the earth's furnace for forty-nine days, purging her wickedness. Once she is purified, we shall report your contributions to the Emperor, ensuring your deeds are honored for the people of Kuaiji."
The lead priest clasped his hands, his voice booming as he piled on labels like "evil," "savage," and "monster" onto the woman. It was a form of coercion—if Roy appeared too enthralled by the creature's beauty, it could easily sow distrust among his soldiers.
Though the First Emperor had passed, and the Second Emperor held little favor for these Daoists, they still held considerable influence in the Qin Empire.
Roy knew the priest wasn't entirely wrong. The inhuman woman in his arms had undoubtedly killed many in her long existence. But no matter how many lives she had taken, could they compare to his own? Roy, who had once enacted the "Incinerate of Human Order," had slaughtered humans in numbers beyond counting—like the sands of the Ganges.
If this world truly had a Demon King, he was the greatest among them.
Seeing the greed in the priest's eyes, Roy nearly laughed. He knew exactly what they wanted—the secret to immortality hidden within this woman.
"What a bunch of ignorant fools," Roy thought coldly. "They have no idea of this woman's true origins. Refining her for forty-nine days? They must have fried their brains with all that alchemy. Given her real identity, even if you captured her and tried every method, you couldn't kill her. Do they think they're the Supreme Lord Laozi refining the Monkey King?"
"Is that so?" Roy's voice feigned the bewilderment of one truly deceived by these daoist priests.
The daoist priest inwardly rejoiced but maintained a calm facade. "Indeed, General. We implore you to prioritize the lives of the hundreds of thousands in Kuaiji!"
"The world has suffered long under Qin's tyranny! The First Emperor's cruelty persists because of you daoist priests and your lies about immortality—wasting lives and resources, bringing ruin upon the empire! Guards! Chop them into mincemeat and feed them to the dogs!" Roy's pleasant expression vanished in an instant, his murderous command cutting through the air.
Before the daoist priests could react, the soldiers—trained to obey Roy's orders without hesitation—raised their blades and struck. Screams filled the air as the daoist priests, stripped of their magic and powerless like latter-day stage magicians, fell easily to cold steel.
"Leave one alive," Roy added after a moment. "Find out where their base is. Then send troops to exterminate them all." He believed in uprooting weeds before they could regrow—these daoist priests, though minor nuisances, were best eradicated to avoid future trouble.
"Spare us, General! Mercy!"
"The General's word is law. If he says you die, you die. Begging won't help." The soldiers hacked away ruthlessly. These were Roy's elite guards, well-treated with families settled in Kuaiji—loyalty ensured through collective accountability.
Roy ignored the pleas, riding off under his men's awed gazes. Soon, wild dogs were let loose to feast, while an officer dragged forward the sole surviving, broken daoist priest. "Mission accomplished, General. The deceivers have been fed to the hounds."
"Good. Dismiss the troops for today. My personal guard will return with me."
As Roy looked down at the unconscious woman in his arms, his icy demeanor softened. Spurring his horse toward the Xiang family estate in Wu County, he wondered—had he just abducted an innocent woman or claimed a bandit's bride?