IRM Chapter 43

Demons are only loyal to their own desires.

This was the official definition given by the Demon Sword, which Ji Chi had originally just treated as an introductory statement. It wasn’t until he truly came to this world that he discovered just how outrageous these creatures really were.

Just like now, the Demon King’s Castle had been in grave danger and mortal peril in the morning, yet by evening they were able to hold a lively and bustling ball, with lanterns and decorations everywhere, laughter and joy all around, more festive and jubilant than New Year’s.

In Ji Chi’s view, this was just the carnival of a group of mentally unstable beings, but in Brandon’s eyes, this whole affair was utterly bewildering.

The young master had been huffing and puffing his way into the castle at dawn, when the fires of war raged everywhere, magic and sword light intermingled brilliantly, and blood and wails danced through the air.

But when he remembered something and turned around, then huffed and puffed his way back out of the castle, the Demon King’s Castle was already brightly lit, the demons dressed in splendid attire, with long dress trains and exquisite formal wear weaving through rose gardens, the fragrance of wine mingling with flower scents permeating the air.

The young master looked completely dumbfounded.

“Brandon! Where did you go? Don’t you need to prepare? The servants have prepared ball gowns for you all.” Saintess Coralie lifted her skirts with both hands as she walked down the spiral staircase beside the castle’s main hall.

She wore a brilliant red off-shoulder gown tonight, the hoop skirt supporting the softly glowing red satin into a graceful arc, with long and magnificent dress trains spreading behind her, adorned with dazzling flowers and gems.

Saintess Coralie looked down at Brandon with some confusion, a strand of black curls falling from beside her ear to her neck, also falling beside her increasingly exquisite features.

Brandon stared in a daze and let out a foolish “ah.”

Saintess Coralie carried with her a scent of rose fragrance as she stepped closer to the young master, noticing that his complexion didn’t look quite right, and frowned as she asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

The young master looked bewildered. “Didn’t you tell me to hide in the castle? But I suddenly remembered that we men of the Elliott family, how could we flee from danger and hide…”

Brandon’s voice grew smaller and smaller because he saw Saintess Coralie’s beautiful face gradually contorting.

Saintess Coralie took a deep breath and couldn’t help but roar, “You spent a whole damn day just running back and forth in the castle?!”

The familiar roaring voice of the little master carried far, and the demons near the castle shuddered all over, alertly lifted their heads to scan the surroundings, and after confirming safety, returned to the banquet with smiling faces.

Ji Chi had just arrived at the castle when he saw this scene, and turned his face away somewhat guiltily.

Although he knew that after the young master’s movement speed was halved by equipment, it would become extremely slow, he hadn’t expected it would be slow to such an outrageous degree.

But this couldn’t be blamed on me, Ji Chi thought, I’m responsible for at most 5% of this.

In the end, it was the guilty Ji Chi who stepped forward and kindly took the young master to change into formal wear in the castle’s guest room, preventing the young master from making another round trip, which might not finish until the training period ended.

When they returned to the castle’s main hall, the high-ranking demons of the Demon King’s Castle had all gathered together, spinning and dancing in the dance floor to the melodious waltz.

Theodore, mixed among the high-ranking demons, finally realized that having only one wing left really didn’t look good. However, he wasn’t foolish enough to follow Reize’s suggestion to cut it off, but instead added an invisibility spell to the wing, allowing himself to attend the ball with grace and elegance.

However, this rather low-level magic had no effect on Ji Chi. Every time his gaze swept over the formally dressed Theodore, he would be amused by the black wing sticking out behind him.

It was really quite arduous.

The Demon King’s awakening, the usually antagonistic Church being beaten to a pulp, the return of the little master and the Demon King’s wife—these consecutive joyous events made the demons beam with happiness.

Especially Lilith—God knew how stifled she had been all these years, so worried she didn’t even have time to find little toys.

But today… Lilith swirled the mellow wine in her crystal glass, her misty red eyes sweeping over the interweaving figures in the hall, her scarlet tongue tip lightly brushing across the corner of her lips.

This was her hunting moment.

Lilith wore a form-fitting gown today that displayed the succubus’s beautiful and graceful figure to perfection. She slightly raised her chin, drained the wine in her glass in one gulp, then slowly walked toward the center of the hall.

She had been eyeing those little darlings for a long time.

At this moment, Evan was looking down with lowered eyes, sniffing a silver cup of liquid. The pungent alcohol smell made him frown involuntarily, and he quickly put the cup back in its place, switching to a sweet fruit juice instead.

Lilith traced his gentle and obedient profile with her gaze, flicked her fingertips, and a brilliant rose bloomed in her tender white palm. She brought the flower near Evan’s lips and laughed softly. “Now that you’re in the Demon King’s Castle, how can you not taste the fine wine brewed by demons from roses?”

Evan turned to look at her, blinked, took the fresh flower, and held it in his hands, examining it from all angles. “Roses can be used to brew wine too?”

A hint of subtle smile flashed in Lilith’s eyes as she murmured softly, “Of course… rose-like desires are the best for intoxication…”

Evan plucked a petal to examine it, and before she could finish speaking, continued asking: “How amazing, are there requirements for rose varieties then?”

Lilith’s seductive expression froze slightly. “…Huh?”

Evan earnestly sought her guidance. “How many roses are needed to produce one bottle of wine? Are there environmental requirements? How long does the brewing process take? Is the brewing process the same as for malt beer?”

Lilith’s smile stiffened on her face as she laughed dryly twice. “Probably… maybe?”

Evan wasn’t very satisfied with this answer. The light in his eyes immediately dimmed, and he disappointedly said “oh,” turning back to continue drinking his fruit juice.

Lilith’s mouth twitched. Damn it, you bookworm, wake up! Who discusses brewing processes with a succubus at a ball!

Lilith took a deep breath and comforted herself—this one just wasn’t suitable.

She put on a perfect smile again and gracefully approached Brandon.

This red-haired youth was also quite interesting—his flamboyant vitality like flames was his most brilliant ornament.

However, this was the young master’s first time wearing clothes prepared by other servants, and his whole demeanor seemed off. He frowned and tugged at his somewhat tight collar.

Ah, so uncomfortable. This fabric wasn’t actually made from cloud silkworm silk woven by tree spirits… This shirt’s waistline was actually a quarter of a gold coin wider than my waist circumference… And most unreasonably of all! This collar actually covered two-fifths of my neck—how terribly impolite!

As soon as Brandon found himself in this kind of lamp-lit ballroom environment, he automatically transformed into the fastidious and particular Young Master Eliott, son of Count Eliott. However, the young master was very well-mannered—he wouldn’t complain aloud, just maintained a composed expression, which made him appear both flamboyant yet steady, giving the spirited young man a charming allure.

Lilith smiled as she looked at him, conjured another rose, and sighed. “Indeed, passionate roses should be given to passionate youths~”

The young master glanced at her, his expression changing slightly. “Sorry, I can’t get too close to flowers. Too close and I’ll… ah, ah-choo——”

Lilith didn’t give up, quickly removing the flower and laughing coquettishly with meaning. “What a pity, the rose petal baths of Demon King’s Castle are something many races wish to experience…”

The young master’s expression changed dramatically. “Bathing with flower petals?”

Lilith’s slender white fingers caressed her crystal glass. “Yes~ Scattering passionate roses in open-air spring water brings comfort to both body and soul…”

The young master’s expression changed wildly. “And it’s open-air too?!”

The young master couldn’t hold back anymore, asking incredulously, “How can this be! Have the rose petals been sorted? What if other petals got mixed in and compromised the purity of the scent! Have the petals been trimmed? What if you accidentally get scratched during bathing! Is the open-air spring water far from the room? What if the servants let the tea cool below optimal tasting temperature while serving!”

Lilith broke down. She listened silently to the end, then left without looking back, leaving the young master still there expressing his disbelief alone.

Damn, what kind of precious princess is this!

Honestly, Lilith was somewhat defeated at this point. Her gaze searched around and settled on the mysterious Eastern youth not far away.

She hesitated for a moment, because she inexplicably feared the aura emanating from the black-eyed youth.

However… I am Lilith of the Demon King’s Castle! Lilith rallied her spirits, the corners of her mouth curving into a confident and charming smile as she picked up another rose and walked toward Ji Chi.

Ji Chi had originally thought he would enjoy such a passionate and magnificent feast, but after observing for a while, he found it boring. The overly enthusiastic clamor actually made him somewhat uncomfortable.

He didn’t want to disturb others, so he just stood quietly in a corner of the hall.

Because he had his own way of entertainment—drawing cards for fun~

This was also one of the reasons he desperately wanted to obtain summoner skills. Who could resist the temptation of drawing cards?

Ji Chi took a continuous healing potion for himself, then began—summoning!

At this moment, Lilith obviously hadn’t realized how serious things were about to become. She looked at the black-haired youth and sighed softly.

Ah~ A melancholy, aloof, and exquisite Eastern youth, let your sister come to—

Suddenly, an inconspicuous flash of light appeared in the corner of the hall, and a massive, ferocious three-headed hellhound appeared out of nowhere. It shook the red mane on its body, exhaled scorching flames from its mouth and nose, and just as it was about to howl toward the sky, Ji Chi heartlessly waved his hand, and it disappeared in a stream of light.

“That scared me to death. The real version is so much uglier…” Ji Chi complained quietly.

Lilith, who had been frightened into petrification, froze in place, then silently watched as a fire-breathing dragon appeared in the corner of the hall for a while, then a gargoyle appeared, then a snow wolf…

Famous, powerful, world-destroying creatures of the Demon Sword Continent appeared in rotation in this small corner.

Lilith turned around without hesitation—little toys were fun, but her life was more important.

However, as soon as she turned around, her path was blocked by four mountain-like figures.

Lilith raised her delicate chin to look up, and immediately felt a bad premonition surge in her heart.

Succubi actually weren’t very picky, but there was one race they would absolutely keep at a respectful distance from… That’s right! Beastmen!

Those unromantic, inconsiderate big [beep——] blockheads were the most unbearable creatures for succubi!

Lilith stared wide-eyed at the four furry big pie faces in front of her, her tender heart trembling frantically!

Bill stared deeply at Lilith, his rough voice deep and resonant. “We noticed you’ve been approaching our friends.”

The second, third, and fourth brothers stared straight at Lilith, nodding in unison.

Lilith thought, damn, do these idiots think I’m here for revenge? What do they want to do? Intimidate? Fight? Do they only have combat in their brains?

Bill said: “And always carrying that red flower with pointy thorns.”

The second, third, and fourth brothers nodded.

Lilith smiled with difficulty. “This flower isn’t a weapon, it’s…”

Bill said: “Is it delicious?”

The second, third, and fourth brothers nodded.

Their eyes sparkled with bright light.

Lilith was stunned, and the rose in her hand nearly wilted. She remembered now—beastman’s brains didn’t only contain combat, but also food…

Bill put on a reminiscent expression. “I remember mother said honey comes from flowers… so is this flower delicious?”

Lilith: “…” Wait, didn’t you skip many steps in between!

Being stared at by four pairs of sparkling eyes, Lilith took a deep breath. She knew that at this moment, the wisest approach was not to get entangled. She glumly took rose after rose from her item bag, like a little flower girl on the street. “Here, here, here.”

The bears happily took the roses and with “ah-woo” sounds, stuffed one flower per bite into their mouths.

They munched loudly on those roses filled with intoxicating desires, brilliant passion, and exquisite fragrance, also chewing a succubus’s rippling heart to pieces…

Lilith wore an empty smile on her face.

Fine, fine, I’ll never dare again. What kind of people are these…

“Lilith, so you’re here. I’ve been looking for you for so long.” Saintess Coralie lifted her skirts and walked out from the dance floor, coming before her.

Lilith snapped back to attention and bowed her head to greet softly, “Little master.”

Saintess Coralie stepped forward and linked arms with her. “Come quickly, mother has been wanting to see you. She’s missed you so much all these years.”

Lilith was startled, then laughed softly, genuine tenderness appearing on her face. “Mm, I’ve… missed her very much too.”

The ball proceeded to its conclusion amid everyone’s revelry. At this time, the Demon King suddenly walked to the front of the hall, standing on the raised platform atop the steps.

He raised his scepter and lightly tapped the marble floor. The crisp collision sound carried far, suppressing the clamor throughout the castle.

Under everyone’s gaze, the Demon King cleared his throat lightly and declared loudly, “Today is an extraordinary day for the Demon King’s Castle. We have experienced a perilous ordeal and gained freedom and hope.”

The Demon King’s gaze swept over Ji Chi with a smile, pausing beside him as he continued. “But I believe that under the leadership of the new generation Demon King, the future of the Demon King’s Castle will be even more glorious!”

The demons had long been half-drunk, and upon hearing the Demon King speak, their first reaction was a mindless “hooray~” cheer. Only after the words “new generation Demon King” had circled through their minds several times did they suddenly come to their senses—

The demons were confused: “???”

The Demon King chuckled, removed the brilliant and magnificent golden crown from his head, and solemnly placed it on Saintess Coralie’s head.

He stepped back and bowed to Saintess Coralie. “Welcome, symbolizing freedom and hope, the fourteenth Demon King of Demon King’s Castle, Your Highness Nightingale.”

Saintess Coralie was surprised for a moment, then calmly accepted the heavy crown. She took the rose scepter from the Demon King’s hands, turned to face a hall full of stunned demons, and her magnificent, enormous bone wings spread wide behind her.

She raised her chin slightly, her gaze looking straight toward the castle gates and the brilliantly lit Demon King’s Castle beyond. “I swear on my life that I will forever guard the undying glory of the Demon King’s Castle!”

The demons were horrified: “!!!”