Plan After the End

On the desolate wild plains where sandstorms raged, the scorching sun baked the cracked earth until it was blistering hot, and in the distance, dust rolled like golden curtains.

A small patch of space was abruptly shielded, with all traces concealed.

Not to mention that no one would ever pass through here—even if someone did, they wouldn't discover a thing.

As an adventurer, Aina naturally always carried a tent in her spatial ring.

Their first experience together, at least, wasn't in such a wretched place as the barren wilderness.

The bat wings wrapped around the two slowly unfurled.

Inside the tent, on the ground spread with a soft white animal-fur blanket, two figures had just ended a heated bout of intimacy.

Aina looked a bit disheveled, her body covered in a fine layer of sweat, a strand of hair sticking to the corner of her mouth. She lay on Xia Lun's chest, her lips still trembling slightly.

Xia Lun squinted, the restlessness in his body having faded, his mind now unusually clear as he savored the lingering afterglow.

"What's this…?"

Xia Lun glanced at the blanket beneath them, where a stark crimson stain marked the spot.

A flicker of doubt crossed Xia Lun's eyes. "Aina, did you drink my blood just now? I don't really remember…"

He touched his own neck, but found no bite mark left by Aina.

Aina grabbed a handful of clothes scattered nearby to cover her body, her face as cold as frost. "If you dare ask again, don't blame me if I actually kill you."

Xia Lun paused, seemingly grasping something, a glimmer of unspoken tenderness passing through his eyes.

"Aina…"

He cautiously leaned in, trying to kiss her cheek, but was pushed away with clear disdain.

"Get lost! Don't touch me."

Aina wasn't in a great mood.

In truth, if neither party had experience, most people's first time probably turned out pretty awful.

Because Aina had been the one to initiate the seduction, Xia Lun hadn't bothered to consider her feelings at all.

What frustrated Aina even more was…

She realized that in this area, she might not be a match for Xia Lun either.

This guy's energy and stamina were ridiculously good; Aina felt as though her whole body had been run through a stone mill.

It was far more exhausting than when she had fought Xia Lun before.

"Aina…"

Xia Lun sat to the side looking a little wronged, like an abandoned little animal.

The sight softened Aina's heart, and the anger from before unwittingly faded a bit.

Aina suddenly felt she had been a bit too harsh.

"Fine, let's just have a light hug then… No wandering hands," Aina finally relented with a pursed lip, compromising slightly.

Xia Lun's face instantly lit up with joy.

Aina thought she had laid out every step, making the hero fall in love with her so she could easily control him—but wasn't Xia Lun doing the same?

Sure, as a Demon Lord, Aina held a high position and possessed great power… but wasn't she also just a novice, a young girl with little life experience? In matters of love, Aina was a completely blank slate, waiting for Xia Lun to paint it with his own colors.

A long time ago, Xia Lun had already schemed against Aina with clear intent.

Xia Lun saw nothing shameful in this—when you met someone you liked, why let them go easily? Besides, every method he used was aboveboard.

And today, the net had finally been drawn closed…

"From now on, you are my wife," Xia Lun said, rubbing his cheek vigorously against Aina's, savoring the delicate, cool sensation, unable to resist leaving another gentle kiss.

"Don't push your luck." Aina's gaze turned slightly sharp as she wiped away the saliva Xia Lun had left on her face.

"Sorry, sorry." But the joyful curve of Xia Lun's lips refused to fall.

" What do we do now?" After tidying up their rumpled clothes, Aina simply combed her hair. "Just so you know, I don't want to expose my identity as Demon Lord… Even the demons under me don't know."

"Oh? What about him?" Xia Lun offered a mild hint. "The gentleman who traveled with you…"

He asked casually, but seemed genuinely curious about him.

"Dorian is my teacher, someone I can trust." Aina gave a knowing smile, as if seeing right through Xia Lun. "Even though he knows who I am… after we return, I'll delete his memories."

"Is that really necessary?" Xia Lun couldn't help but ask.

"He suggested it himself." Aina shook her head, her silver hair flowing with a soft sheen in the dim light. "I don't want to let his goodwill go to waste."

"Then he must be a very important elder to you," Xia Lun remarked with feeling.

"Not jealous anymore?" Aina's tone lifted slightly.

"Ah, no, not at all." Xia Lun cleared his throat and looked away.

Since Aina had decided to stop invading the human realm, she obviously needed a good reason to explain it to the demons under her command.

"What do you think of faking your death? Say that I defeated you…" Xia Lun suggested, holding Aina.

"No way!" Aina refused outright.

"Why not?"

"I am a Demon Lord, with my dignity to uphold. How could I let some guy like you just 'defeat me'?" Aina snorted coldly. "Even if you took drugs… don't think you're actually capable of killing me."

Xia Lun scratched his head. He knew in his heart that if Aina truly wanted to escape, or fight to the death, she did have a chance of survival—and he wouldn't come out unscathed either.

"So what do we do?"

"Just tell everyone you sealed me away," Aina came up with an idea. "That, I can reluctantly accept… After that, I'll still return with you as the vampire mage Aina and marry you."

"Sounds good." Xia Lun gave a slight nod, agreeing with Aina's plan.

The Demon Lord's identity had always been shrouded in mystery; aside from the two of them, probably no one else knew.

"To throw everyone off the scent… I'll make some big commotion later, enough for other cities to notice what's happening here. When the dust settles and others come to check, just tell them I've been sealed by you."

Aina thought for a moment, then raised her hand slightly, summoning her full suit of armor in front of her.

This armor covered the entire body tightly, and unless someone opened it to look, no one would know it was just an empty shell.

"Leave this here, so the story doesn't fall apart."

Xia Lun nodded, though he felt it was a bit wasteful.

"But I don't really know any sealing techniques…"

"Don't worry, I'll handle it."

Aina extended her hand slightly, and her dark staff materialized before her.

A massive magic circle unfolded beneath her feet.

Xia Lun gazed at his lover, who looked like a deity amid the glow of her magic.

This relationship, born from calculation, might turn out to be the most beautiful accident of their lives.