The Real World, Alliance Camp.
The exploration of the simulation world had come to a temporary standstill, with the Windchime Family regarding him as someone harboring ulterior motives for retesting, especially under Yueqi’s vigilant watch, making it difficult for Aoki to approach the core secrets. He had no choice but to shift more of his focus back to reality.
The Allied Forces had achieved a critical victory in their counteroffensive. Under Lin Qiyou’s peerlessly brave sword, the elite team of the alliance successfully raided a forward outpost of the Demon King’s army, not only destroying the stronghold but also capturing a high-ranking demon officer—a Shadow Demon commander skilled in manipulating shadows and seducing minds.
The interrogation of this captive became a top priority. Conventional torture methods were of limited effect on demons, especially those like the Shadow Demon with extraordinary mental resistance. Ultimately, it was led by Nongli, whose spiritual power was formidable, aided by Yuelan’s holy light purification, with Lin Qiyou standing by with sword aura for intimidation, to prevent any sudden outburst or self-destruction.
Aoki, as tactical advisor, also participated in the interrogation process. He stood a little farther away, calmly observing the Shadow Demon commander twisting and struggling under the mental erosion of Nongli and the burning holy light.
The interrogation was exceptionally arduous; the Shadow Demon’s mental defenses were like a tenacious web. But under Nongli’s relentless assault and the holy light’s natural restraint against demons, cracks finally began to appear in the defenses. Some fragmented memories and pieces of information were forcibly extracted.
Most of the information consisted of scattered intelligence on the Demon King’s army’s troop deployments and battle plans, which the alliance’s strategists eagerly documented and analyzed. However, amid a seemingly insignificant memory fragment about internal factional struggles within the demon race, Aoki caught a name that sent shockwaves through his heart!
That fragment showed that the Shadow Demon commander had once overheard higher-ranking demon leaders mentioning in a secret meeting that there seemed to be some ancient, unknown “tacit understanding” or “connection” between the Demon King’s army and “that replaced Hero”—a connection that had existed even before Yueqi officially became the Hero and reached the height of her fame! The Shadow Demon commander hadn’t thought much of it at the time, assuming it was just a rumor spread by the upper ranks for some strategic purpose, but now, under forced mental search, the memory surfaced.
“The replaced Hero”… Yueqi!
Aoki’s heart suddenly sank. This was the reason Yuelan had killed Yueqi back then, and now, it was indirectly corroborated from the memory of a Demon King’s army officer! Moreover, could this connection really trace back to such an early period?
What did this mean? It meant Yueqi’s “fall” or her association with the demons might have roots far deeper than anyone realized, perhaps planted even before she became the Hero—possibly during her time in the Windchime Family, within that seemingly peaceful timeline of the simulation world!
But the problem was, Yueqi had always claimed the name of the gods as her reason, but there was a connection with the Demon King’s army—how could this be explained?
The clues from the real world and the exploration of the simulation world suddenly intertwined. Aoki realized that he might have been looking in the wrong direction in the simulation world all along! He had focused too much on the aspects of faith power and divine whispers that appeared “lofty,” yet had overlooked the possible anomalies in Yueqi’s own actions! The seed of her connection with the demons might be hidden in the most ordinary details of her daily life!
He had to return to the simulation world immediately and adjust his focus of observation!
Back in the Windchime Family’s guest room, Aoki swiftly revised his strategy. He knew that in his current state of suspicion, directly investigating the connection between Yueqi and the demons would be pure fantasy. He needed to regain trust—especially Yueqi’s.
He restrained his previous overt enthusiasm for theology and family secrets, redirecting his efforts toward the more visible task of “helping the Windchime Family rise.” Using his experience and strategy from his previous life, he began to advise Marquis Windchime, proposing a series of precise and effective countermeasures against the family’s political enemies and business rivals.
These plans were not mere intrigue, but a blend of political, economic, and intelligence strategies, with outstanding results. The Windchime Family won several small but significant confrontations in succession, and both their reputation and strength saw real improvements.
The Marquis’s attitude toward Aoki gradually softened; though still wary, he at least acknowledged Aoki’s capability and value. As for Yueqi, although she still harbored some resentment over Aoki’s previous actions, seeing him genuinely work for the family’s interests—and displaying wisdom far beyond that of ordinary young nobles—the cold hostility in her eyes thawed a little. She even began to occasionally ask Aoki for advice on tactics and training, and their relationship entered a relatively peaceful stage, even with a hint of tacit understanding.
Aoki patiently played the role of “capable fiancé,” while secretly focusing almost all his attention on Yueqi. He did not try to restrict or interfere with her actions; he simply watched in silence.
He observed her training, her socializing, how she handled family affairs—her every daily routine. Yueqi’s life was orderly and disciplined. Apart from necessary family activities and social engagements, most of her time was devoted to almost harsh sword training. She kept a certain distance from everyone, including Aoki—polite but detached. Her eyes were always clear and determined, her goal obvious: to become stronger, to take on the responsibility of protecting her family and the continent.
Everything appeared perfectly normal, even exemplary for a noble’s offspring. Aoki watched for a long time without discovering the slightest trace of any connection to the demons. The people Yueqi interacted with, the places she went, the matters she handled—none of it seemed suspicious.
Could the Shadow Demon commander’s memory be wrong? Or was the “connection” buried so deep it didn’t manifest in daily behavior?
Just as Aoki was beginning to doubt his own judgment, an accidental discovery caught his attention—a faint but unusual sign.
It happened during a mission organized by the family to wipe out low-level demons harassing a village on the edge of their territory. Such a task should have been a breeze for the powerful Yueqi. Aoki, as her fiancé and “advisor,” went along as well.
The battle held no suspense. Yueqi wielded her longsword, the blade’s light like the wind, and those lowly skeleton soldiers and lesser demons were cut down before her as if they were grass. Her movements were clean, efficient, and ruthless.
Yet, Aoki keenly noticed a detail—Yueqi’s strength and expenditure of battle energy when dealing with these weak demons seemed… excessively abundant?
She didn’t just defeat the monsters—every swing of her sword seemed to be delivered with all her might, the sword wind so fierce it shredded demon remains into powder, battle energy blazing so bright it was blinding. To defeat a shambling skeleton soldier, she used as much strength and technique as she would against a fully armored human soldier.
It looked like she was pursuing perfection, or perhaps lacked control over her strength—but given Yueqi’s mastery of swordsmanship and her calm temperament, the latter was extremely unlikely. And if it was the pursuit of perfection, such excessive use of power against weak foes was actually unwise in real combat.
Aoki was suspicious, but said nothing, simply observing more closely.
In subsequent demon-clearing and bandit-suppression missions, he confirmed the pattern. No matter who the opponent was, strong or weak, Yueqi would erupt with overwhelming force from the outset, seeking to destroy the enemy as quickly and thoroughly as possible—almost as if driven by a barely detectable restlessness, or some deep-seated aversion, desperate to completely erase the target’s existence.
This fighting style was not so much brave as it was… an act of being forced to go all out?
Aoki recalled that Yueqi would die and be replaced in the future, and the “Yueqi” who replaced her was obsessed with purging “otherworldly intruders” and “world viruses.” This extreme rejection and urge to utterly eradicate “foreign elements”—could the seeds of that have already been planted in the present Yueqi? And her “connection” with the demons—could it be not a collaboration, but some deeper, perhaps even subconscious, resonance or attraction to an opposing force?
He vaguely sensed that he was on the verge of the truth. The anomaly in Yueqi may not have stemmed from conscious betrayal, but rather from some intrinsic trait or fate, some complex and as-yet-unrevealed bond between her, the demons, and the will behind the scenes.
The next priority was to clarify the root cause of this “excessive reaction,” and whether it would become a breakthrough point for some future “connection.” Aoki knew he would have to be even more careful, even more patient. The truth, it seemed, was hidden in these seemingly inconspicuous details.