Li Ang glanced out the window; the sky had darkened without him noticing.
Winter nights always arrived especially early.
He stood up and added some firewood to the stove.
The flames immediately grew stronger, filling the room with even more warmth.
What troubled Li Ang, however, was that the pile of firewood was running low. He would need to find more tomorrow.
He pulled an old manual from the desk beside him.
It contained the insights into potion-making left by the elderly man who had adopted him over the years.
He still remembered that his very first main quest had been to make potions.
One night should be enough to finish reading this entire booklet, right?
As for why he wasn’t sleeping, of course, it was because there was only one bed in the whole room—underneath the little Succubus.
Since she was already asleep, Li Ang naturally had nowhere to lie down.
Besides, he worried that the little Succubus’s condition might worsen overnight.
After all, she had been buried in the heavy snow for so long that she nearly froze to death.
He wasn’t even sure if Succubi could get fevers.
He also wondered if the medicinal agent he secretly mixed into the rice porridge had any effect on her.
Countless thoughts flashed through Li Ang’s mind, but the only sound in his ears was the girl’s even breathing.
He paused for a moment, then chuckled softly.
It seemed the healing agent was working.
He gently flipped through the old manual.
In the section on basic healing potions, a line stood out:
The drawback of basic healing potions is that the recipient will feel drowsy shortly after ingestion, and the potion accelerates physical recovery during sleep.
Generally, it should be used only in a safe environment.
The required ingredients are…
Serenity Flower, Silverleaf Grass, and Pure Water.
Pure Water refers to a liquid purified of all magical energy through mana purification.
It is very gentle and can serve as a medium to hold the medicinal properties of herbs.
Li Ang’s headache deepened.
The Pure Water left by his grandfather was almost gone, and since he couldn’t use mana himself, he had no idea where to obtain more once it ran out.
Outside the window, the nighttime blizzard raged with increasing ferocity, howling as it lashed against the window frame.
The swirling snow threatened to completely swallow the small town.
Inside the quiet, warm room, the flickering fire cast a soft orange glow that illuminated one corner.
The boy sat quietly in his chair, fingers lightly turning the yellowed pages, the faint rustling the only sound.
Li Ang rubbed his dry eyes and set the booklet aside, casting his gaze toward the bed.
The girl was curled up in a corner of the bed for some unknown reason, the blanket scattered on the floor beside her.
Frowning, Li Ang stood and approached the bedside, picking up a corner of the blanket to cover her again.
But as he neared the little Succubus, he noticed her face was unusually pale, fear stark in her expression, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
Was she having a nightmare?
His hand froze mid-motion.
At that moment, the little Succubus suddenly snapped her eyes open.
Her pupils still held traces of terror, and the instant she saw Li Ang, her body tensed like a drawn bowstring.
Almost instinctively, she opened her mouth and snapped at Li Ang’s hand holding the blanket.
Again?!
Li Ang quickly withdrew his hand and took two steps back.
Lias was now pressed tightly against the wall in the corner, trembling uncontrollably.
Her eyes brimmed with lingering fear and extreme vigilance, glaring at Li Ang with hostility.
“You… what were you trying to do just now?”
Li Ang eyed his hand warily, then looked at the little Succubus whose fur was standing on end like a startled kitten.
He gestured helplessly at the blanket lying on the floor.
“I just wanted to cover you up. I didn’t expect you to be having a nightmare.”
Following his finger, Lias naturally saw the scattered bedding and slowly recalled that this was indeed the case.
However, having just awakened from the nightmare, her nerves were still on high alert.
Thinking about the nightmare, Lias’s red eyes dimmed, and her once-tense whip-like tail drooped.
She had dreamt of her sister killing their mother and then hunting her down…
How she wished it were only a nightmare and not reality.
Seeing her breathing gradually even out, Li Ang bent down and placed the blanket back on the bed, his voice softening.
“You don’t have to be so tense. It’s very safe here, and I think you can try to trust me a little.”
Lias returned to the bed, pulling the blanket over herself again.
But she scoffed quietly at the latter half of Li Ang’s words.
A demon like her trusting a human?
Hmph, no way!
She curled back into the blanket, pain faintly emanating from her body—probably from her wounds reopening due to her earlier movements.
Li Ang watched the little Succubus shrink back into a shell like a turtle and smiled helplessly.
He sat back down in his chair and picked up the booklet again.
He wasn’t in a hurry to earn the little Succubus’s trust; after all, they still had a long time ahead.
Silence fell over the room once more.
The tightly closed blanket on the bed quietly parted slightly.
A small face wrapped in bandages peeked out, and the dark red eyes fixed intently on the boy dozing not far away.
Is he… watching over me?
Could he really be a good human?
Lias’s gaze flickered with mixed emotions before she buried her small head back in the blanket, her thoughts in turmoil.
Before she could figure it out, sleepiness crept over her, and she slowly closed her eyes.
Perhaps it was because of Li Ang’s earlier words, but the girl’s petite body gradually relaxed.
This time, she had no nightmares and slept peacefully.
***
Demon Realm, Demon King’s Castle.
In the vast and gloomy throne hall, the air seemed thick and motionless.
Reclining lazily on the high throne was a woman of alluring beauty, radiating an invisible pressure.
She possessed a face so stunning it could captivate all who beheld it, her skin like the finest mutton-fat jade, faintly shimmering with an enchanting glow.
Her long, silky dark red hair fell carelessly about her shoulders, a few strands slipping over her collarbone, adding to her seductive aura.
Most striking were her slitted eyes—one pupil deep black, the other a soul-devouring crimson—casually gazing down below.
Her slender, graceful neck led to delicate shoulders, and beneath her slim waist, a long, flexible black tail swayed unconsciously, the tip occasionally tracing a dangerous arc.
“Speak. What is it you want?”
Her voice was lazily husky but clearly pierced through the vast hall.
Below the throne, a female demon knelt prostrate, her body trembling slightly out of reverence.
She kept her head bowed low, not daring to raise it even slightly.
Rumor had it that any living being who dared to meet the Queen’s gaze would be consumed by endless desire, unable to escape.
“Your… Majesty,” the female demon’s voice trembled with intense fear, “the human side has made no response. What should we do next?”
“Oh?”
The Demon Queen straightened with interest, a thoughtful glint flickering in her heterochromatic eyes.
The black tail seemed to sense her owner’s intrigue, its swaying growing more vigorous.
Her red lips parted slightly.
“Has anything happened recently in Solaris’s capital?”
The female demon shivered but answered truthfully, “It seems they captured a boy related to the Evil God…”
“His name is… Li Ang.”
As the words fell, the hall instantly fell silent.
The female demon cowered, trembling in place, unable to utter another word.
The Succubus Queen on the throne smiled dangerously, a bewitching expression blooming on her face upon hearing that familiar name.