The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated

Chapter 767: I’m… Innocent!

The group chatted and joked, the atmosphere relaxed.

However, two beings stood to the side, their moods less than pleasant.

More accurately, it was a person and a beast.

The person was Liel. This Stone Woman glared at the indifferent Ice Women in the village, as if they were mortal enemies, almost ready to challenge them. Even the Dragon Race, the strongest, felt threatened by the Ice Woman Clan’s return, let alone the Stone Woman Clan, which was always ranked lower.

How could Liel be happy? What made her even more unhappy was that her beloved master snuck out in the middle of the night with Shien and even witnessed the Ice Woman Clan’s return, while she, the loyal servant, stood guard outside, completely unaware, foolishly guarding an empty room all night.

Learning about this, Liel was dumbfounded, experiencing double the unhappiness, her face grim, almost turning into a literal stone statue.

Beside Liel was the scaled lion-tiger beast. Yes, this simp monster had also come along, seemingly unable to leave Shafney’s side, following her everywhere like a loyal pet, its dignity as a Legendary monster completely disregarded.

Liel wanted to stew it, even publicly, to show everyone that not just any random creature could get close to her master (a pointed message to a certain someone), but Shafney simply said, “Keep it for now. I’ll ride it when I’m tired.”

Faced with this dismissive remark, the scaled lion-tiger beast, instead of being offended, was overjoyed.

Therefore, it was here now, by Liel’s side, ready to serve as a mount. However… its master seemed to have forgotten about it, not riding it anymore, but constantly staying close to that seemingly unappetizing human…

Therefore, the scaled lion-tiger beast was also unhappy.

So, Liel glared at the Ice Women, the beast glared at Shafney, and Graty and Beauty glared at Shien, the four of them silent, a strange scene.

“?” Lilith, glancing at them, tilted her head in confusion.

“Don’t look, it’s contagious,” Yulin said, covering Lilith’s eyes and quickly pulling her away, as if they were a virus.

Airi and Shafney, oblivious to this, continued to bicker by Shien’s side, one teasing her younger sister, the other retorting. The two Demon Lords chattered incessantly, and if not for their beautiful voices and appearances, Shien would have found them annoying.

Finally, the Ice Woman Clan members, seemingly having received their instructions, dispersed, finding their own houses. Although incredibly powerful, none objected to living in this remote village, truly easy to please.

“Hmm?” Shien, watching them casually, suddenly felt a strong gaze on him.

But before he could locate its source, Hartley returned.

“Thank you for your company, Master Shafney, Master Airi,” she said, addressing Shafney and Airi.

“Don’t mention it,” Shafney said casually, “Big sister also said that your clansmen are currently weak, and it’s better to keep an eye on them in case someone tries to harm them.”

Since Shien also wanted to come and see, Shafney came along. For her, checking on the Ice Woman Clan was just a side task. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have bothered.

Airi was more direct.

“I just came with him,” she said, attributing her presence to Shien.

“Well,” Shien shrugged, “I was also a little concerned. Just think of me as being out for a stroll.”

Hearing this, Hartley didn’t say anything more and simply nodded, then explained the current situation.

“Currently, the Ice Woman Clan’s return hasn’t been announced. Lady Sara said it’s best to wait until they recover before making it public.”

“Therefore, they will be staying here until then, and Lady Sara will send people to watch over them.”

“If nothing unexpected happens, Lady Sara will personally come to visit and set up a barrier to protect them.”

Hartley explained the Ice Woman Clan’s situation.

“She’s really cautious,” Shafney muttered.

“Indeed,” Airi frowned.

Shien also understood why Sara was being so cautious.

“…It’s because of your missing sister and that missing Apostle, right?” he sighed.

These were two unusual matters.

“I can’t believe that even after being completely frozen with [Ice Prison] and imprisoned a thousand meters underground, that Apostle still disappeared. The Original Demon is truly pervasive,” Shafney said, curling her lip.

“To break your [Ice Prison], it would take someone at your level, or even stronger, right?” Airi asked Hartley.

“…I don’t know,” Hartley said after a moment of silence, “Generally, even someone on my level, without special abilities, can’t dispel my [Ice Prison].”

When the Ice Woman Clan was frozen, the surrounding spacetime was completely frozen. To dispel it, one needed either overwhelming power or the ability to manipulate space and time.

Therefore, even someone on the same level as Hartley needed a special ability to dispel her [Ice Prison].

“Even so, they couldn’t have rescued the prisoner unharmed,” Hartley said indifferently, “Therefore, I believe they probably destroyed my prison to silence him, disregarding his life.”

Saying this, Hartley paused and apologized to Shien.

“I apologize, Master Shien. I promised to watch over your captive, but I failed.”

She truly didn’t know how to explain this to Shien. He saved her clan, and yet she failed to protect his captive. This was incompetence.

“I’ve already asked Lady Sara to send people to investigate the prison. There are signs of large-scale destruction, which might leave some clues. With Lady Sara’s insight, she might be able to discover something.”

Hartley looked at Shien.

“I will give you an explanation for this matter.” She was determined to find the culprit who made her fail to fulfill Shien’s request and lose face before him.

Shien, seemingly seeing through her thoughts, waved his hand.

“Since it’s already happened, there’s no point in dwelling on it,” he said, having already let it go, “Those guys are pervasive. They’ve been involved in several incidents I’ve experienced, and we already have a score to settle. Even if we can’t get anything out of them now, we’ll deal with them sooner or later.”

Saying this, he looked at Hartley.

“What about your missing sister? What are you going to do?”

His words made Airi and Shafney look at Hartley, as did Graty, Beauty, Liel, Yulin, and even Lilith.

However, Hartley’s expression remained unchanged.

“Lady Sara is already investigating this matter,” she simply said, “The disappearance of an Ice Woman Clan member is no small matter. Perhaps the Original Demon is also involved. Lady Sara is taking this seriously.”

In other words, she would treat this as official business, even though the missing person was her sister.

“Alright,” Shien didn’t say anything more.

But this incident made him realize that the Original Demon’s infiltration of the Demon Race might be even more thorough than he imagined.

What had they been doing in secret?

And what did this mean?

As Shien pondered this, he suddenly felt that distinct gaze again.

This time, he followed it and saw a little girl hiding in a corner, quietly watching him.

“Who is she…?” He almost didn’t recognize her.

Hartley also seemed to notice her and said directly,

“She’s the little girl you freed from the ice first.”

Hearing this, Airi and Shafney instinctively looked at the girl.

The girl, however, showed no fear, continuing to stare at Shien, as if she had a deep impression of him.

Everyone exchanged glances.

“It seems she likes you very much,” Hartley commented.

“…” Airi and Shafney looked at Shien, one with a cold expression, the other with a smirk.

“As expected of stupid master,” Yulin said, making Lilith nod repeatedly.

As for Liel, Graty, and Beauty, they looked at Shien with disdain.

Shien blinked.

I’m… innocent!

Chapter 768: “Itchy Hands are Normal.”

Ice Woman Village.

This was the name Shafney casually gave to the village where the Ice Woman Clan resided before leaving. It was uninspired and unimaginative, making Shien wonder if he should even comment on it. But Hartley accepted the name without batting an eye, making Shien suspect that she would accept even the most ridiculous names.

The Ice Woman Clan was temporarily settled here, unlikely to leave before they recovered. Shien even suspected that Sara would hide them, using them as a secret weapon. At least, he had been warned by Airi and Shafney to keep the Ice Woman Village’s existence a secret, as were Yulin, Lilith, Liel, Graty, and Beauty.

“I’m not a gossip,” Yulin said.

“?” Lilith, still the same Lilith, probably didn’t understand, but this was reassuring.

“I wouldn’t use such underhanded methods against those Ice Women. If I want to defeat them, I’ll do it head-on,” Liel declared, like a simple-minded thug.

As for Graty and Beauty, they didn’t say much.

“We have more important matters to attend to,” Graty said, holding her wine barrel.

“Master, if possible, we’d like to discuss something with you. We might need to borrow your… person…” Beauty said to Airi.

Shien felt that these two women were plotting something against him. Along the way, they kept staring at him with hungry eyes.

He wanted to run away.

But before he could, Airi grabbed him by the back of his collar with surprising strength, almost choking him.

“What are you doing?” Shien complained.

Airi didn’t give him any face.

“What did I say last time?” she asked, her expression unfriendly, “I told you I would take you somewhere, and you’ve already forgotten?”

Hearing this, Shien remembered.

“That good place that can enhance my strength, right?” he asked, his eyes lighting up, abandoning his plan to escape.

“A good place that can enhance strength?” Yulin’s eyes also lit up.

Liel, Graty, and Beauty, however, seemed to realize something.

“Could it be that place?” Liel asked, surprised.

“No way, Master!” Graty and Beauty said hurriedly, “How can you casually use that place? And it’s useless for humans anyway!” The two dragon women were anxious.

“What? What place are you talking about?” Yulin asked curiously, pulling Lilith closer, wanting to know.

Unfortunately, Airi dismissed them all.

“You wouldn’t understand, so don’t ask so many questions,” she said, interrupting the executives’ objections, then said to Yulin, “And you, there’s no point in getting excited. You’re already at Limit Level. Even if you go there, it won’t enhance your power any further.”

“Tsk…” Yulin clicked her tongue, disappointed.

“Master Shafney,” Liel said, looking at Shafney, seemingly wanting to say something.

“Enough,” Shafney said, not giving her a chance to speak, “We know what we’re doing. You can return to the Supreme Castle. There’s no need to wait for us.”

“You too,” Airi said to Graty, Beauty, Yulin, and Lilith, “Go back to the Supreme Castle first. And remember, don’t leak any information.”

Liel, Graty, and Beauty exchanged glances, then reluctantly obeyed.

Yulin seemed to have some objections, but thinking that this concerned Shien’s growth, she picked up Lilith, spread her wings, and flew away. This dragon girl, compared to before her transformation, had matured considerably.

Lilith, however, seemed reluctant to leave Shien, but in the end, she obediently followed Yulin under Airi’s persuasion.

They quickly disappeared.

Only Shien, Airi, and Shafney remained.

Seeing this, Shien felt a strange sense of unease. Being alone with either of them was fine, but now, with both his fiancée and his… complicated “friend,” who were also sisters, together, he couldn’t help but worry.

Just as he thought this, a hand suddenly slapped him.

“(｀°Д°′)!!” Shien was startled.

“Second Sister?” Even Airi was taken aback by this sudden action.

It was Shafney who slapped him.

“It’s nothing,” she said calmly, withdrawing her hand, “My hand was just a little itchy.”

Inwardly, however, she was fuming.

What did he mean by “complicated friend”? Did he think she was his mistress just because they slept together? Even if they had a complicated relationship, she never thought of herself as a mistress!

Clearly, the enraged Succubus had once again read Shien’s thoughts through [Ripple Heart Demon].

“Ahem…” Shien coughed, “Itchy hands are normal. Mine also get itchy sometimes, yes, that’s right.”

Saying this, as if to prove his point, he swung his hand.

“Slap!” With a crisp sound, little Airi’s head received a loving pat.

“???” Airi was dumbfounded.

After a moment, she looked at Shien, her eyes filled with killing intent.

“What… what’s wrong?” Shien asked, instantly regretting his actions, but forcing himself to act tough.

He failed.

“Bang!” With an explosive sound, a large rock by the roadside was shattered by a small fist.

Airi withdrew her fist and said impassively,

“Next time, if my hand is itchy, I hope you won’t find it too strange.”

The Dragon Demon’s slightly childish voice silenced the tough-acting Hero.

Looking at the shattered rock, Shien winced inwardly, then turned his gaze to the source of all this.

“Pfft!” The Succubus chuckled, unable to contain her amusement.

Shien, looking at her, finally couldn’t hold back and swung his hand again.

“Slap!” With another crisp sound, Shien teleported and vanished.

“Yaaah!” A scream echoed after a moment.

“You bastard!” Shafney jumped, feeling a burning sensation on her backside, telling everyone where Shien’s hand had landed.

“Don’t run!” She gritted her teeth and chased after him, leaving Airi standing there, dumbfounded for the second time.

What… just happened…?

A few seconds later, the dragon girl, having confirmed that what just happened was real, spread her wings and joined the chase, her face filled with killing intent.

…

Central City, outside the city gates.

In an open area away from the main roads, several Demon Lords silently appeared one after another.

“They’re here!” Millu cheered, descending from the sky and landing in the open area.

“Big sister, you’re already here?” Lid, sitting on Millu’s head, looked at Sara.

“I just arrived,” Sara said, having worked all night. Although she didn’t seem tired, she couldn’t help but yawn.

Besides Sara, Kamina had also arrived early.

“Aren’t Airi and the others here yet?” Kamina asked, lightly touching a nearby tree with her finger, making it wither and shrivel rapidly, a terrifying sight.

“Don’t casually destroy plants, Kamina,” Lid scolded, then said, “They should still be with Shien at the Ice Woman Clan’s village.”

“Wuuu…” Millu hugged Lid, holding her like a doll, and whined, “Millu wants to go too.”

“Don’t go, there’s nothing fun there,” Kamina said, then asked, “Has the Ice Woman Clan really returned?”

“They have,” Sara smiled faintly, “Fortunately, I anticipated this and made arrangements before that Hero came to the Demon Realm. Otherwise, the news of their return would have spread immediately.”

Sara had indeed anticipated everything. After all, she knew how the Ice Woman Clan could be freed and also knew about Hartley’s trip to the Human Realm and her purpose. Therefore, while the other demon executives who went to the Human Realm without permission were punished, Hartley wasn’t. Sara knew that Hartley went there not to cause trouble for the Hero, but to ask for his help. Therefore, when she confirmed that Shien was coming to the Demon Realm, she was certain that Hartley would ask him to free the Ice Woman Clan. Under such circumstances, she naturally made all the necessary preparations, arranging everything for the Ice Woman Clan quickly.

She just didn’t expect Gorud to disappear, and that Hartley’s sister would also be missing.

Thinking of this, Sara’s mind raced.

(Someone who can dispel Hartley’s [Ice Prison]…)

She had some bold guesses, but they were just guesses, not yet confirmed. However, she had a lead and believed she would soon find the culprit.