Sieg floated slowly in the air, waving his flower-shaped hand bored out of his mind as he looked for someone.
In his mind, he pondered the great questions of life. The sun’s scorching heat had tanned both sides of him golden brown, his face stretched into a grim expression.
He was trying to figure out whether he had crossed over at the exact moment he was hit by that huge truck, or if it was after he died. It was truly an unimaginable problem, especially since he lost consciousness the instant he was struck.
When he woke up, he was in a pristine, natural ecological toilet—like a school unearthed by archaeologists—and in an extremely fragile infant state. It was undoubtedly the most catastrophic start one could have in another world, yet against all odds, he had survived.
As for how he managed to live through it—he didn’t want to think about it, really.
Honestly, he hadn’t expected his demonic parents to be so unbelievably overpowered—so much that it was hard to handle in every aspect. For example, just because they gave birth to him didn’t mean they had to care for or raise him.
Their emotional connection was thin at best, and the reason for his birth was even more absurd. They merely wanted to test something they had read about in a book—see what changes would occur in the body, and whether it affected magical power.
When he heard that, a modern twenty-first-century young man like him was dumbfounded.
He immediately admitted defeat and left.
You could say that demons were emotionally distant—well, maybe not entirely…
Their emotional system was practically non-existent and had to be slowly learned and installed. The process was unexpectedly long.
That was why only the ancient ones who lived long enough developed any semblance of warmth or humanity.
As for why he wasn’t affected… to be honest, he had no clue. He just felt fine about it.
Speaking of the whole crossing-over thing, his last memory was lying on a bed, eating hot pot and singing, when in the blink of an eye, a massive truck crashed through the door and barreled in.
Gotta admit, the truck driver was pretty polite—at least he came in through the door.
And then his thoughts abruptly stopped.
Golden eyes suddenly caught sight of something and a faint smile appeared.
A flash of green—that wasn’t his family’s little green dog?
It was clear she had taken a few teammates and was trying to make a run for it. Too bad—there was no escaping my Five Finger Mountain.
With that, he descended silently like a superhero, ready to give them a big surprise.
Quickly and quietly, he appeared behind them, spouting nonsense with a serious face, sitting high up with a smirk.
“Where are you all going? Surely not into my heart?”
Nearby, in the ruins, conversations continued. Because they were familiar with each other, the usual probing and formalities were absent, replaced by simple and straightforward talk without any fuss.
At this moment, Orlay hoped to appeal to reason and emotion—not some kind of moral coercion.
That tactic, he definitely wouldn’t dare try on Emilia.
“Yes, Lady Emilia, I want you to help handle the Empire’s affairs. The Empire can’t do without you now, and only you can turn the tide. I know you might resist, or find it unacceptable—I can understand your feelings. If it were me, I wouldn’t accept it either. I might not even want to return.”
He spoke empathetically, watching the girl’s expression constantly, ready to switch topics at any moment.
Seeing her reaction was decent enough, he continued.
“Don’t worry, all those who framed you are dead—none left alive. Even the ringleader Gerard has vanished into nothingness. The people of the Empire truly wronged you. I apologize to you on their behalf, alright? They know their mistakes now. Rest assured, I’m not the type to just talk—I will offer a price sufficient to move you. After all, this will be mutually beneficial.”
He paused, sensing the words might not be quite right—too forced, perhaps. The Empire had wronged Emilia too much, and it sounded somewhat like forcing her. He needed a better way to say it.
Something more fitting.
“How about this, Lady Emilia—what if we hire you as the Empire’s advisor? That way, you won’t be conflicted anymore. It’ll just be a business exchange, no personal feelings involved. I’ll pay you…”
He silently raised a finger, but the expressionless Emilia was already curious.
She had no intention of nodding. She had said she wouldn’t interfere in any Empire matters—not joking.
Her gaze lowered slightly, revealing a trace of past wounds—betrayal, exile. Those scenes were painful to relive no matter how many times.
Otherwise, eating free meals here every day—I’d lose my mind.
These people looked worse than before, probably because their pants’ crotches had endured unimaginable horrors—everything you could imagine, even living creatures. No one wanted to go through that again.
At this moment, he looked completely relaxed, glancing around, and fixed his eyes on the girl to confirm they were heading back.
“Looks like we’re back. The coordinates are right. Strange, where’s that guy? Emilia, do you see that one called—what’s his name again…”
He really wasn’t good at remembering unfamiliar names.
“That one is called Orlay. Emilia, he’s right under your feet.”
Startled, Sieg quickly stepped aside and reached out to help the other up, saying,
“Sorry, brother, I thought you were a speed bump.”
“No worries. You already called me brother, so I’ve got nothing to complain about.”
Orlay was initially a bit annoyed but, after dusting himself off, decided to hold back his frustration. It was better to tolerate for now and maybe build some connections. A few minor injuries were no big deal.
“By the way, where were you guys in your conversation?”
Since that was the case, Sieg stopped worrying and asked casually—only to receive an unexpected answer and an expression from the girl.
She was actually being asked to return to the Empire for help? That was putting her in a tough spot.
The pain of that could only be borne by him.
Such cunning intentions—he couldn’t stand to watch.
He simply waved his hand, shaking his head meaningfully as he spoke.
Then he volunteered himself. After all, if there’s money to be made, why not? His tone became extremely flattering as he started serving tea, completely different from before.
So many gold coins… and here I was, pockets empty without a single penny. Looks like I just became a sucker.
He even began competing to get hired by the Empire.
“Lord Orlay, do you think I’m suitable? Emilia, what is she? She can only do one person’s job—I can do the work of five, and my salary is only half of hers. Five thousand a day, don’t worry. My résumé and experience are definitely much better than Emilia’s. Current Demon Lord…”