The Demon King’s Castle had long since been bathed in sunset light.
At the militia training ground, on a bench, Emilia faced the setting sun, gazing at Sig, who was dozing off beside her.
He looked utterly exhausted.
Though he hadn’t done much, he never seemed to have much energy—except for those rare moments when he became serious, and then he was full of vigor.
This had been apparent ever since they started working together.
She had asked him about it before, but he always brushed her off, showing no intention to answer.
It was probably the lingering internal injury from before.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but blame herself.
Silently, she lifted her delicate hand and gently touched his handsome cheek.
The skin felt decent, though he clearly didn’t take much care of it.
Encouraged, she began to stroke it tenderly, about to take things further—when Sig, suddenly awakened, lightly grasped her wrist.
“What are you doing? If you don’t eat, don’t go messing around. Sneaking hands while I’m asleep, huh? Female rogue or not, it’s still rogue behavior. Cross the line, and don’t blame me for responding—I believe in gender equality. I’ll hit both men and women without hesitation.”
He stretched lazily, scratching the back of his head in a listless manner.
His body was the same as always—an old skeleton.
This ached here, that hurt there.
This stiff, that sore.
As he touched his waist, a thought flashed through his mind: kidney deficiency.
Sometimes, after overexertion, his waist and legs ached and his spirit lagged.
It felt like his body had been hollowed out.
Maybe trying…
At that moment, a silver-haired girl’s voice interrupted unexpectedly.
From her bosom, she produced a freshly prepared sesame flatbread, steaming hot, and offered it to him.
After all, he hadn’t eaten much all day.
But he had to eat—people were iron, and rice was steel.
Skipping a meal would only make him hangrier, and if hunger caused trouble, she’d be heartbroken.
“Eat up. Once you finish, you’ll feel better.”
“No need, I’m not hungry. It’s just an old problem, nothing to worry about.”
He shook his head lightly, regaining some of his energy, yawning lazily as he explained, “Ever since the final battle, my body’s been like this. I was truly drained—after all, I was left with nothing but being alive. My strength is barely a tenth of what it was.”
He didn’t want to revisit the topic, so he quietly got up and looked toward the militia training, where someone had just finished.
Who was it again?
He pondered for a moment before recalling—it was Liv, the mourner.
Not only had she endured, but she had completed every exercise with some semblance of skill.
Whether she genuinely wanted to stay or was pretending to comply to lull them into a false sense of security so she could escape later, he didn’t know.
But either way, it didn’t matter… he could handle it either way.
The silver-haired girl tugged at his sleeve, pulling his attention back.
Perhaps she felt lingering unease—not just guilt, but a hope to take things further.
Emilia asked the question she had posed before but never received an answer to.
“Can you consider me a friend now?”
In that moment, Sig was slightly stunned, somewhat surprised.
He stroked his chin and smiled, as if recalling something.
Maybe he wanted to spare himself.
Maybe the timing was finally right.
He introduced himself: “My name’s Kira Yoshikage, 33 years old.”
“I’ll think about it… Alright. Building the Demon King’s Castle is more tangible than partnerships, which are just surface-level. Friends are easier for me to trust.”
He reintroduced himself: “I’m Sig Jäger. I was born free. In my previous life, you were my physical dad—not my biological dad. But this dad is different; I’m more advanced. And you? This familiar stranger.”
He should say that, naturally.
“You’re still 500 years early. Take your time to atone, or I may never forgive you this life. Just a heads up.”
After all, the betrayal was absurd and sudden.
Even if she did it for herself, betrayal is betrayal.
Especially when her miraculous actions had directly or indirectly caused him to bear a blood feud, the expectations of the demon clan, and even uncertainty about whether he could return home.
But… fooling oneself is no good either.
Was their relationship really like enemies?
Maybe it was before, but after talking it out, it wasn’t.
He didn’t want to lie to himself—it felt strange, clownish, and awkward.
Could he forgive her? Not yet.
For now, they were just acquaintances, friends who barely knew each other.
With those meaningful words said, his thoughts stopped abruptly.
Expressionless, he reached out his hand, waiting for her next move.
Soon, the girl gently placed her hand in his.
Her eyes revealed a trace of panic, a bit nervous, but deep down, she had long awaited this moment.
“I’m Emilia. It’s nice to meet you, Sig. I’ve been waiting for this moment a long time…”
She paused briefly, tidied her bangs, trying to show her best side.
Now that their statuses were equal, she could express herself freely.
Though she had been bold before, that was only the beginning.
Now, she was serious.
She hugged him softly, pressing tightly to feel his warmth, nuzzling and rubbing against him greedily, restlessly caressing his solid back.
“So, can we date now? I love you. I mean it. By the way, if I asked to marry you now, would you say yes? Would you? Sig, why aren’t you speaking, husband~ Speak to me.”
“Speak.”
Sig responded expressionlessly, like a robot, neither resisting nor struggling.
It was as if he were dead.
He somewhat regretted having shown goodwill to her.
She just kept pushing boundaries.
But it seemed too late for regrets.
Whatever, it didn’t matter.
Let the world end.
After holding him for a while, she came back to her senses and used her elbow to separate them—keeping a distance.
It seemed like a habit.
Neither showed any embarrassment the entire time.
They were like an old married couple flirting.
“Alright, I refuse. The reason is I can’t accept you. You seem a bit too impatient. Friends should act like friends—don’t go overboard.”
“Fine, I understand. I’ll keep trying.”
Clearly, she didn’t get it.
Emilia seemed to operate on her own independent logic, applying it only to Sig.
Even if rejected, she remained full of enthusiasm.
Just then, Liv approached cheerfully from afar, breaking the ambiguous atmosphere.
Though slightly tanned, she was naturally beautiful—fair-skinned and lovely, so these minor imperfections were insignificant.
She planned to cozy up for now—playing the part of the dragon king’s patient, seemingly compliant subordinate to lull these two into lowering their guard.
Then, when the time was right, she would strike a fatal blow.
“As long as Lord Magnus comes to save us, everything will be fine.”
Unfortunately, that noble called Magnus left only final words—“Hero, I’m fasting, no pain, fasting in the tree.”
Back to the present.
Liv was confident, even convinced everything was part of her plan.
She showed a sinister smile and pledged loyalty to the person before her, Hakimi.
But inwardly, she was thinking of the day she would kill that shameless bastard.
“Lord Sig, I am your loyal subordinate. Do you have any orders?”
“Interesting, Liv. You’re something else.”
Even though he knew she was putting on an act, he couldn’t help but smile knowingly.
He patted her shoulder lightly, gave a thumbs up, and shook his head.
“Well then, from now on, you’re promoted. Liv, be proud—you’ve gone from punching bag to my dog. This is the highest honor. Say it twice.”
“Woof, woof, woof. Is that okay, Lord Sig?”
At this moment, Liv held back her grievances so hard that tears welled up.
But for survival, for escape, she endured humiliation and called out.
As she spoke, Sig toyed with her twin green ponytails.
He murmured meaningfully but faintly sensed something was off.
He had a bad feeling.
“Good girl, good girl.”
As the words fell, the atmosphere behind them turned cold.
His body shivered, as if under the gaze of something terrifying.
Naturally, it was Emilia.
Her smile had vanished.
Cold as ice, she stared intently at Liv with a terrifying gaze.
No light remained, only endless darkness.
Liv was startled as well.
Seeing this, she thought of a better plan.
Her inspiration surged.
She decided to use her beauty to placate the demon—to disrupt the relationship between the two and seize a better opportunity.
Even if her charm was lacking, she knew how to handle men.
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