Demon King's Castle

Xia Lun discovered that spatial rifts were incredibly useful, especially when it came to disposing of evidence.

This idea had been inspired by Yisi earlier.

The chaotic spatial currents were enough to destroy most matter in the world, and anyone caught in them had no chance of survival.

Moreover… it also helped ease the guilt of taking a life.

Xia Lun knew that some people only made the world better by dying, but that didn’t mean he could kill without feeling anything.

In the past, his holy sword would become tainted, and if not for Aina, his heart might have been corrupted too.

"He’s gone… that person just disappeared?" Lian Na stared blankly at the scene before her, completely unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"Who are you people? No… I don’t want to be a slave… stay away from me…" Lian Na’s face was filled with panic, her emotions still unstable after what she had just endured.

Xia Lun was about to step forward and comfort the girl when Aina abruptly pulled him back. With a flick of her hand, Aina cast a calming spell, blue light shimmering around Lian Na.

"This is much more efficient than your gentle words," Aina said with a light scoff.

Xia Lun chuckled awkwardly—it seemed Lian Na wasn’t the one who needed comforting right now.

"So, what do we do with her?" Aina glanced at Lian Na. As an elf, the girl had a certain delicate beauty.

Though Lian Na had quieted down, fear still clouded her eyes, and she trembled slightly when Aina spoke.

"Aina, be gentler. Don’t scare her," Xia Lun said softly, his voice naturally soothing. "Your name is Lian Na, right? Don’t worry, we won’t hurt you."

Aina pressed her lips together. She held hostility toward any woman who got close to Xia Lun.

Despite Xia Lun’s reassurance, Lian Na’s gaze quickly dimmed again. Her father had already sold her… there was no going back home.

Xia Lun also couldn’t bring himself to tell her that her father had already been… dealt with.

……

"So, you just brought her back?" Liyana examined the young elf girl before her.

Lian Na stood timidly behind Xia Lun, silent.

"Well, since we helped her, we might as well see it through… We’ll be adventuring again soon, so maybe Lian Na could stay here as a maid to look after your place," Xia Lun suggested to Liyana.

If Liyana refused, Xia Lun planned to give Lian Na some money to start a new life—that would be the decent thing to do.

But of course, Liyana wasn’t about to turn down such an offer.

"Oh! What an adorable girl. She’d look absolutely charming in a maid’s outfit, wouldn’t she? Xia Lun, you’re a genius… There are plenty of rooms here, so no problem—I’ll take her in!" Liyana’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Xia Lun suddenly wondered if he had just pushed Lian Na into another kind of trouble.

"Um… excuse me… are you Lady Liyana?" Lian Na suddenly spoke up cautiously.

"Oh? Have we met before? You’re so young—how do you know me?" Liyana was surprised, as she hadn’t returned to the forest in a long time.

After hearing Liyana’s response, Lian Na seemed to perk up a little. "We haven’t met, Lady Liyana… but I knew this was your house."

Liyana gave a proud hum. Even a child this young had grown up hearing stories about her.

"By the way, Lady Liyana… I heard that you once defeated the Demon King—"

Before Lian Na could finish, Liyana frantically covered her mouth.

"—Is it true?" Lian Na mumbled the last words through Liyana’s fingers.

"Ahahaha… that’s not something you should ask so casually, little Lian Na… It’s, uh, kind of embarrassing…" Liyana kept her hand firmly over Lian Na’s mouth, shooting awkward glances at Xia Lun and Aina.

Xia Lun and Aina exchanged a look. Clearly, Liyana didn’t know that Little Lan had already spilled the secret.

"Liyana, what’s wrong?" Xia Lun asked knowingly. "What did Lian Na just say?"

"N-nothing!" Liyana shook her head vigorously.

Aina: "Lian Na mentioned something about the Demon King, didn’t she?"

"The Demon King… Demon King’s Castle! Right, she was asking if I’d ever been there! I haven’t—who even knows if it exists? It might just be something humans made up for their own purposes…" Liyana laughed nervously, trying to deflect.

The Demon King’s Castle was said to be the Demon King’s grand fortress, a city built with his boundless power, filled with countless treasures… and where the Demon King sat upon his throne, gazing down upon the world with disdain.

Of course, the Demon King’s Castle didn’t actually exist—Aina spent far more time sitting on Xia Lun than on any throne. To her, Xia Lun was the throne.

That said, Aina did have an extravagant, gothic castle back in the Blood Clan’s territory—her ancestral home. Perhaps that was the inspiration for the legends.

"A-anyway, I’ll take Lian Na to get settled in now… Ahahaha…" Liyana moved stiffly, like a puppet controlled by an amateur puppeteer, steering Lian Na away by the shoulders.

"Lady Liyana… what’s wrong? I wasn’t asking about the Demon King’s Castle…"

Once they were out of earshot, Lian Na asked in confusion.

Liyana gave her a strained smile.

"Lian Na… there’s something I need to tell you. Ahem… well… um… just…"

Lian Na watched as Liyana fumbled for words, failing to come up with a convincing excuse.

"Ah, just—please don’t ask anything about the Demon King, especially in front of those two, okay?" Liyana clasped her hands together pleadingly. "Please? If you promise not to bring it up, I’ll grant you any request!"

Lian Na: ?

She had thought Liyana was the one in charge here.

The legendary figure before her wasn’t quite what she had imagined. She’d expected someone cold and aloof, like Lady Aina.

But Liyana was surprisingly… down-to-earth. Calling her "unrefined" would be too rude, though.

"Is that Xia Lun the human hero?" Lian Na asked next.

"Lian Na… it’s been over a thousand years," Liyana replied, unsure how to explain.

Lian Na: "So?"

Having grown up in the Lybia Forest, she had little concept of human lifespans. To her, everyone lived long lives.

"Humans don’t live that long."

Lian Na nodded. "Oh, so he’s not the hero?"

"Well… depends on how you see it. Since he saved you, to you, he might as well be."