It had to be said—Queen Lia had truly spared no expense.
When Duanmu Huai arrived at the castle located halfway up the mountainside near the town, what he saw was a magnificent and imposing fortress. There were inner walls within, and even farmland outside. It was obvious that Queen Lia had this built entirely to royal capital standards. Not only that, she had also dispatched a dedicated team of maids, while the guards were drawn separately from both Lisas and Seth—something that was clearly the result of negotiations between King Gandhi and Queen Lia.
Duanmu Huai didn't particularly care about this. After all, rather than a Judicatory stronghold, this place was more like an administrative office. So he wasn't worried about someone occupying his nest—if anything, the nest itself had been built by the dove. Why would it have nothing better to do than occupy its own home?
Basically, everything had already been arranged. Duanmu Huai could move in with just his bag—no need to bring anything at all.
Naturally, he didn't stand on ceremony.
After arriving at the castle, the first thing he did was summon Saezer back and ask about the situation in the Demon Realm.
"The Demon Realm… can't really be said to be peaceful right now…"
Kneeling before Duanmu Huai, Saezer showed not the slightest trace of the pride expected of a demon. After personally witnessing the fates of Gick and Camilla, she felt that simply being alive… wasn't such a bad thing after all.
At the very least, it was better than being torn in half alive, having one's head twisted off, or even having one's demon blood soul destroyed.
According to Saezer, after learning that Camilla's invasion of Seth had failed and that she herself had been killed, Keblis flew into a rage and even tried to rally a great army to launch another ferocious assault on Seth. However, the Hounette faction seized this opportunity and adopted a posture as if they were about to make a move themselves, forcing Keblis to refrain from acting rashly.
Originally, two demons from the Hounette faction had been killed by Duanmu Huai in Lisas, severely weakening their power, which was why the Keblis faction had risen in influence. But this battle with Seth resulted in Keblis's side losing three demons outright—two killed in battle, one defecting. Their losses were even greater than Hounette's. As a result, no matter how furious Keblis was, he had no choice but to lie low to avoid being taken advantage of by Hounette.
"However, Lord Keblis has already issued an order to kill you at all costs…"
At this point, even Saezer sounded somewhat speechless.
"Because he had been secretly in love with Lady Camilla for many years. In fact, Lord Keblis always wanted to marry Lady Camilla, but she refused. The two even fought over it once. Although Lady Camilla lost, Lord Keblis didn't gain much either. Originally, Lady Camilla's attack on Seth was largely to reclaim some face—but in the end…"
In the end, not only did she fail to turn things around, she also dragged herself down with it.
"If he's not afraid of death, he can come try. Let's see if I don't smash him to death."
Duanmu Huai snorted dismissively. Saezer didn't think he was bluffing either. She knew that although Camilla had lost to Keblis back then, the two had fought for several days before a victor was decided. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai had essentially one-shot Camilla the moment they met. From that alone, it was obvious that even if Keblis came personally, the result would likely be exactly the same.
Next, Duanmu Huai asked about the angels under Saezer's command. When this topic came up… Saezer was clearly embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, my lord. Most of the angels were unwilling to follow me. They believe my betrayal of the demon race is unforgivable, so… I've only managed to gather a little over three hundred subordinates so far…"
"That's fine. It'll do for now."
Duanmu Huai knew this wasn't easy. Being able to bring over three hundred angels was already enough for the time being. If it really wasn't sufficient, they could figure something out later.
Seeing that Duanmu Huai didn't fly into a rage, Saezer finally let out a sigh of relief and quickly took her leave.
Soon, night fell.
Kanami went to report Duanmu Huai's return to Queen Lia. Presumably, that queen would come rushing over tomorrow. Shizuka returned to her room to rest. Duanmu Huai didn't say much. After dinner, he went back to his own room—honestly, it really was quite decadent.
Knock knock knock.
Just as Duanmu Huai was about to rest, there was suddenly a knock at the door. He turned his head and looked toward it.
"Come in."
"Please forgive my intrusion."
The door opened, and a maid-dressed girl walked in. She had long blue hair, her slender and graceful figure wrapped in a maid's uniform. She pushed a cart with tea utensils and incense placed on it.
"You are…?"
"Pleased to meet you, my lord."
The girl obediently lowered her head and bowed to Duanmu Huai.
"I am Xiaoling, here to serve you."
"Serve?"
"Yes. I've come to prepare tonight's program for you…"
As she spoke, the maid named Xiaoling lifted her head, her golden eyes gazing straight at Duanmu Huai.
"Please take a look."
"…Alright."
Duanmu Huai hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He was actually curious about what kind of nighttime program this would be. At least judging from the maid's outfit, it didn't seem to be something as simple as just bed pleasures. He sat down on the sofa. The maid placed the teacup and teapot on the chair beside him, then stepped back two paces, lifted her skirt, and bowed again.
"Please enjoy at your leisure. Then… we begin…"
As she spoke, Xiaoling reached out and turned off the lights. The next moment, the entire bedroom sank into darkness, with only the pure moonlight streaming in through the window, barely illuminating the scene. Then, a flicker of candlelight appeared, dispersing the darkness. Under the faint glow, Xiaoling stepped forward—and with her movement, the maid outfit slid off her body, revealing the delicate, transparent gauze beneath.
Then Xiaoling raised both hands and began to dance.
It had to be said—this truly surprised Duanmu Huai. He hadn't expected such a nighttime program. The girl's dance was light and agile, and under the dim night and candlelight, it carried an irresistible allure. The movement of her pale arms, the forward-leaping steps—all of it was filled with a strange and captivating temptation.
This was…
Seeing this, Duanmu Huai swallowed. It wasn't that he'd never heard of things like pole dancing, but what was before him was far more stimulating. Xiaoling wasn't like those dancers who simply used their bodies to seduce men. On the contrary, at this moment, her entire being radiated a lethal aura. Every smile, every glance—even the smallest movement—made Duanmu Huai's heart beat faster. In that instant, it felt as if the entire world before his eyes had turned pink, even the moonlight outside becoming increasingly hazy.
Something was wrong. Something wasn't right.
Compared to that, Duanmu Huai's rationality was still desperately clinging to a sliver of clarity. He could feel that there was something wrong with this dance. At the very least, an ordinary dance could never elevate his mental state to this degree. At this moment, Duanmu Huai even felt his emotions surging and swelling, like a flood pounding violently against the embankment called reason, on the verge of bursting forth!
"…!"
Duanmu Huai clenched his hands, trying to stand up from the chair. However, the maid seemed to have anticipated this long ago. She let out a soft laugh, stepped in front of him, and pressed both hands down on his arms.
The next moment, that sweet fragrance washed over him.
And at that moment, Duanmu Huai's rationality finally reached its limit.
What happened next… Duanmu Huai no longer had a clear memory of it…
"Ugh…"
When Duanmu Huai opened his eyes again, the entire room was already a complete mess. Torn clothing was scattered across the floor, and foul, filthy traces were everywhere—on the bed, on the floor, even on the walls and ceiling, none spared. Beside him, a small, slender figure was curled up there, completely motionless.
Bruises covered her brown skin, yet Duanmu Huai was utterly unmoved. He reached out and grabbed the girl by the neck. At the same time, the girl opened her eyes, looked at Duanmu Huai, and revealed a sly smile.
"I really didn't expect that even this wouldn't be able to kill you. It seems Mr. Duanmu is quite an interesting person."
"Who are you, and why did you come to kill me?"
Duanmu Huai stared at the girl and asked in a low voice. He wasn't an idiot—everything the girl had done earlier had clearly been preparation for killing him. Originally, he had suspected she might be an assassin sent by the demon race, but he hadn't sensed anything like a demon or monster aura from her…
Hearing Duanmu Huai's question, the girl's golden eyes suddenly narrowed. Her originally pure and cute gaze revealed a chilling, bone-piercing killing intent.
But very quickly, the girl returned to her original expression, grinning at Duanmu Huai, seemingly not afraid at all that he might snap her neck.
"My name is Suzume. I'm from O.J, Lord Duanmu Huai."
As she spoke, Suzume flashed a playful smile. Then she blinked at him, cheerfully gazing up.
"As for why I came to kill you… how about we put our clothes back on first, and then slowly discuss that question?"
(End of Chapter)