The next moment, his entire body was thrown into the Forest—without even getting a single sip of tea.
Lu Xien clapped his hands together and was just about to brew a fresh pot when a soft cough came from behind him.
“Lu Xien.”
Lu Xien’s entire body shuddered.
He slowly turned around.
Standing behind him was an elderly man with snow-white hair.
His white beard hung down to his chest, his eyes were kind, and he held an ancient bronze Staff in his hand.
But beneath that kindness lay a presence of authority that could silence the entire faculty.
Lu Xien immediately rubbed his hands together and put on a fawning smile.
“Oh~ Academy Director, with all the affairs weighing on you, how do you find time to visit us?”
The Academy Director stroked his beard and glanced at the shattered door.
“Tell me. What happened to this door?”
Lu Xien let out a sigh, putting on the pained expression of a man who had just been scammed.
“This… This was Wei’erna. He came to me with a request to investigate the Forest. He was a little agitated, and before I knew it, he’d broken the door.”
The Academy Director smiled warmly at him.
“Oh? He wouldn’t just break a door without reason. What did you do?”
“I was diligently organizing the archives.”
Lu Xien said with an honest face.
“I was so focused that I didn’t hear anything that happened.”
The Academy Director continued stroking his beard, staring at Lu Xien.
“He’s a child I personally selected. Strong in both character and ability.”
“So you’re saying the child I selected is rude?”
“Of course the Academy Director couldn’t be rude! Young people, they can be a little rash sometimes. It’s normal.”
“Then.”
The Academy Director said slowly.
“Surely Lu Xien wouldn’t mind covering the repair costs for this door, right?”
Lu Xien’s smile stiffened.
“Um, Academy Director, I still have archives and training schedules to review, so I’ll be heading back now. As for the door, I’ll have a stern talk with Wei’erna.”
With that, he opened a Portal and left.
The Academy Director watched the spot where he vanished and let out a soft sigh.
“That man, honestly.”
He looked down at the door split in two.
“I’ll just deduct it from his salary later.”
When Lu Xien landed, he was already at the side gate of the Demon King’s Castle. He looked around.
The towering black stone walls stood silently in the distance, and deep purple banners hung from the Tower.
The flag surface was lifted by the night wind, revealing the ancient Demon Race’s Emblem.
‘Sigh… Same as always. Doesn’t the Demon King ever think about hiring someone to clean up?’
Lu Xien patted his sleeves and entered through the side gate.
When he opened the study door, the Demon King was sitting in a chair, reading a book.
She had black hair and black pupils, a face indistinguishable from a Human Race’s.
Lu Xien stared at her for two seconds, unable to stop the thought in his mind.
After all these years, how does she still look the same?
The Demon King looked up.
“What’s wrong, Lu Qing? Why the sudden visit?”
Lu Xien immediately straightened his back and put on a solemn expression.
“Demon King, your subject has come to retrieve some necessary items.”
He gave a slight bow.
“May the Demon King remain in good health. I’ll be on my way now.”
With that, he started walking toward the storeroom.
The Demon King set down her book.
“Wait.”
Lu Xien stopped in his tracks.
The Demon King frowned at him.
“Why did you use Emergency Teleportation Magic? Did something happen surviving in the Human Race’s world?”
“No.”
Lu Xien said with complete ease.
“I just broke a door and got charged for it. I didn’t want to pay.”
The Demon King: “…”
Her face darkened as she said sternly:
“If the Academy Director finds out about this, won’t it damage Human-Demon relations again? We worked so hard to achieve peace. Do you want to destroy it just like that?!”
“It’s fine.”
Lu Xien gave a thumbs up, full of pride.
“The Academy Director is used to it. This isn’t the first time.”
“You’re supposed to be a strategist!”
The Demon King finally couldn’t help but clutch her forehead.
“How did you end up like this after the War ended…?”
Lu Xien was silent for a moment.
The image of a distant battlefield surfaced in his mind.
Back then, he had poured his life’s work into creating a spellbook capable of casting High-Level Black Magic. But because the Hero was too strong, he hadn’t even lasted ten moves before being struck down by the Hero’s blade. After that, his life philosophy underwent a subtle shift.
“What strategist? I’m a teacher now.”
He said with complete seriousness:
“I will work tirelessly for my students’ future development. And I will continue to strive for peace between Humans and Demons.”
The Demon King looked at him.
She didn’t believe a word.
Still, she didn’t pursue the matter further. Instead, she rose from her seat and walked over to Lu Xien.
“So then, Teacher.”
Her voice dropped slightly.
“Is there any movement from the Human Race and the Celestial Wing Tribe?”
Lu Xien’s expression also turned somewhat serious.
“This examination saw student casualties beyond the norm.”
He paused.
“On the Human side, there’s a strange artifact from the Ten-Year War era. On the Celestial Wing Tribe side… there’s also a strange one.”
The Demon King was briefly taken aback.
“Celestial Wing Tribe?”
“Whether it truly counts as Celestial Wing Tribe remains to be seen.”
Lu Xien rubbed his chin, recalling the twisted mass he’d seen from above.
“As for that strange artifact, it’s a Hand Crossbow.”
He continued.
“Powered by Magic Stones. The user has no Mana. She said it was a family heirloom.”
“A Human with no Mana?”
For the first time, the Demon King’s voice grew heavy.
“Yes. Cause unknown.”
Lu Xien looked up at her.
“Does the Demon King know anything?”
The Demon King was silent for a moment.
“Theoretically, it’s impossible.”
She said slowly.
“Any life born on this continent, having come into existence in a Magus-rich environment, cannot be completely devoid of Mana. Even if it’s so weak that casting is nearly impossible, there would always be some circuit reaction.”
“Unless—”
She paused, and Lu Xien narrowed his eyes at her.
“Unless?”
“Unless they came from the Eastern Continent.”
The Demon King turned to look out the window.
“The people of the Eastern Continent cultivate in a completely different way from us. They don’t rely on Magus, and some systems even reject it. However, the two continents have long been separated by the Stormy Seas—the sea routes swallowed by eternal storms, and the air routes lacking any safe passages. Logically, no one should be able to come here.”
“Descendants of those Immortal Masters from the Eastern Continent?”
“Perhaps.”
The Demon King shook her head.
“But the possibility is extremely low.”
Lu Xien nodded on the surface, but his mind had already drifted elsewhere.
Like what he could grab from the storeroom to go with red tea.
Like whether the Demon King’s Castle had better desserts.
Like whether he could conveniently “borrow” a few more storage containers.
The Demon King watched his wandering gaze and sighed.
“Lu Qing, what do you think?”
“Your subject doesn’t know either.”
Lu Xien immediately responded, as if he’d been listening attentively the whole time.
“But she’s at the Academy. She’ll come into contact again. I’ll also actively search for relevant materials.”
As he spoke, he took a half-step back.
“So then, Demon King, I’ll be heading off to find the necessary supplies?”
The Demon King waved her hand.
“Fine. Go.”
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she lowered her voice.
“Also, bring me a few good books next time.”
Lu Xien stopped.
“What genre?”
The Demon King’s gaze shifted slightly away.
“…Something I haven’t read before.”
“More specific?”
“For example, friendship between girls… or romance novels or something.”
The tips of her ears turned slightly red.
“Understood, Demon King—huh?”
Lu Xien looked at her with a horrified expression, but received a glare.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, no.”
Lu Xien bowed his head.
“Your subject will do as asked. The Demon King has, uh, a very refined taste in reading.”
“I’ll be going now.”
With that, he bolted toward the warehouse at light speed.
As he ran, cold sweat poured down his forehead.
Since when did the Demon King’s taste in books change after fighting the Hero?
No good.
He needed to find some Magic related to dispelling mental interference.
What if the Hero left some strange aftereffect on the Demon King?
He arrived at the warehouse and searched around.
He saw a pile of small trinkets from the Holy Kingdom Era, old books, accessories, and some well-sealed clothing boxes. In the corner, there was also a picture frame.
Lu Xien walked over and picked up the frame.
In the photo was a picture of them from their school days in Dawn Town, many years ago.
Back then, Joseph had yet to ascend the throne.
Demihumans hadn’t been labeled as the Demon Race.
And she wasn’t the Demon King.
She stood at the edge of the photo, her expression awkward, but she hadn’t left. Beside her was Lu Xien from back then, along with a few old friends whose whereabouts were long unknown.
Back then, everyone believed the world would only get better.
They believed the conflicts could be resolved.
“How times have changed.”
Lu Xien let out a soft breath.
He placed the photo back where it had been.
The Demon King used to hate this kind of thing.
Yet now she kept it so well.
That was even harder to adjust to than her sudden interest in romance novels.
Lu Xien was silent for a long time.
Then, he began looking for what he came for.
Some small trinkets that could pass as “book exchange gifts.”
Finally, he noticed several delicate little dresses in the wardrobe beside him.
Maybe he could use those as reference.
After all, the Demon King’s request was quite abstract. He needed to assess whether her current aesthetic had severely shifted.
“Forget it, I’ll grab some reference materials.”
He muttered to himself.
“The Demon King probably won’t care about things with no practical value.”
He picked out a few old dresses and accessories and stuffed them into his storage space.
Then he locked the door again, as if nothing had happened, and slipped out of the small warehouse.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.