“Sovinia? The Demon Castle is dangerous. Lord Hero, don’t you agree?”
Linaliya’s words were watertight.
She showed concern for the team while seizing the moral high ground.
The subtext was obvious: Sovinia’s behavior was selfish and dangerous.
If it had been the real Elven Princess, or any creature with normal social needs, they probably would have backed down under such pressure.
Unfortunately, she was dealing with Kimi the Coldhearted.
Sovinia calmly gazed at Linaliya’s face, which was plastered with “sincerity” and “concern.”
A few seconds later, she spoke.
“I don’t want to say.”
Short, curt, devoid of any emotion.
It was like stating a fact—”the sky is blue” or “the sea is also blue.”
The smile on Linaliya’s face froze for a moment.
She clearly hadn’t expected such a… cold reply.
But she quickly adjusted, her expression growing even more worried.
“But… Sovinia, I’m not forcing you. I just think, for everyone’s safety…”
She tried to continue pressuring.
“We’re all survivors who escaped from that terrible place. We’re comrades, sisters. There shouldn’t be secrets between sisters, right?”
Sovinia didn’t even bother looking at her again.
She sheathed her sword, turned around, and walked away from the two faces with their varied expressions.
‘We’re not teammates. We’re hunter and prey. And the hunter has a stupid dog with her.’
‘Moral blackmail? What a childish trick.’
‘Back when I was a mine slave, I could stab a companion to death for half a moldy piece of bread. That was when I threw away all notions of “morality” and “emotion,” along with my useless human heart, into the deepest darkness of the mine.’
She strode forward on her long legs, heading deeper into the corridor on her own.
Only a cold, hard back remained.
“Lord Hero, she…”
“She just lacks a sense of security.”
Behind her came the exchanged words between Linaliya and Wohard.
The journey went smoothly.
No “promoted” mini-team crossed their path.
Time reached noon.
The blazing sun of the Demon World couldn’t pierce the thick dome of the Demon Castle, though a few beams of light fell through cracks in the walls, illuminating countless dust motes dancing in the air.
The three found a side hall suitable for rest.
It might have once been a rest area for some demon officer, but now only an overturned stone table and a few disassembled chairs remained.
A stale, strange odor hung in the air.
Wohard sat down against the wall, unstrapping his longsword.
Linaliya immediately sidled up to him, while Sovinia kept her distance, leaning against the opposite wall, scanning every corner of this temporary refuge.
Only one exit.
The doorway was low.
The ceiling wasn’t high either.
‘Mm… perfect for hunting flying prey.’
The murder plan had already taken shape in her mind, as clear as a battle map engraved on a wooden board.
She planned to strike soon.
Linaliya—or rather, the Succubus Heavenly King—was a huge variable.
This woman’s understanding of her far exceeded that of the stupid dog.
They had worked together for decades.
Even if they didn’t know every detail of each other’s backgrounds, they were far from strangers.
Especially concerning the Blazing Forgehammer.
Sovinia glanced at the large black leather backpack on her back.
The forgehammer was inside.
It was the key to upgrading her cards, her only reliance in this fragile body.
And the Succubus Heavenly King was one of the few who knew that this forgehammer was one of the most important treasures of “Kimi the Coldhearted.”
She knew it was closely tied to Kimi’s abilities.
There were mana points nearby, enough to charge and upgrade cards.
She couldn’t avoid using it just to keep from being exposed, could she?
Using it meant risking exposure.
Now, a girl claiming to be the Elven Princess named Sovinia not only knew the Demon Castle like the back of her hand, but also carried Kimi’s forgehammer around, and even used a strange ability that required “finishing blows” to grow stronger.
As long as the Succubus Heavenly King had a working brain, she would eventually catch on.
Maybe right now she was still immersed in her game of playing with the stamp-collecting stupid dog and pretending to be the princess.
But as time passed, her suspicion would inevitably creep in like climbing ivy.
Once she put the pieces together, Sovinia’s identity would be completely exposed.
The hunter and the prey were one and the same.
Either she led the stupid dog to hunt down the Succubus Heavenly King, or the Succubus Heavenly King led the stupid dog to hunt her.
So she had to strike first.
Just as Sovinia was refining the assassination details in her mind, Linaliya’s voice came again, making Sovinia unable to help but look over.
“Lord Hero, don’t move.”
Linaliya’s voice was dripping with sweetness.
She knelt beside Wohard, tearing strips from her tattered long skirt to wipe his face.
“The wounds on your face… they’re so heartbreaking. Though a man’s scars are medals of honor, it must hurt terribly, right?”
As she spoke, a gentle holy light gathered at her fingertips.
She lightly touched the deformed helmet.
The metal gave a nearly inaudible hum, and the dents slowly smoothed out under the glow.
Repair Technique.
Her movements were gentle, carrying an almost sacred tenderness.
“Your faceplate is a bit crooked. It’ll rub against your wound.”
She murmured, adjusting the metal faceplate and slowly pulling it down, just enough to cover the hideous burn on that half of his face.
“There… isn’t that better? At least when the wind blows, it won’t hurt as much.”
This motion forced her to lean closer.
From her angle, Sovinia could clearly see the curve of Linaliya’s waist as she bent forward, and the thigh wrapped in torn black stockings peeking out from under the ragged skirt.
The lace stocking top appeared and disappeared in the shadows, like a deadly seduction rune.
To be honest, it was beautiful.
Sovinia could appreciate this dangerous beauty.
The body of the Succubus Heavenly King was an ultimate weapon, honed over thousands of years specifically to capture males.
Every curve, every glance, could precisely arouse male desire.
But the thought that this perfect “weapon” was currently putting on a show for that stupid dog, trying to steal away the useful “tool” she had picked up…
Sovinia felt an inexplicable irritation.
It was like she had casually tossed a bone, and a stupid dog had come wagging its tail, licking it.
It could fight, it could take hits, it was very useful.
But now, someone had pushed a cart full of bones.
And the stupid dog trotted over to it.
‘Damn it, trying to steal my useful dog.’
“Alright, I’ll start cooking.”
Sovinia’s voice was cold as ice.
She pulled out a small pot, some dried meat, and spices from her backpack, and began to build a fire.
She was cooking herself—it had become a routine.
Linaliya glanced at her but made no move to help.
She sat comfortably beside Wohard, adjusting herself to a cozier position, looking every bit the lady of the house.
She idly watched Sovinia expertly handle ingredients, light the fire, and boil water, as if watching a servant at work.
Wohard came over to help, but Sovinia only said, “Same as before. Rest.”
The broth in the pot soon rolled to a boil, and a rich aroma filled the room.
From the very bottom of her backpack, in a hidden compartment, Sovinia pulled out a small bottle wrapped in oilpaper.
Inside was poison extracted from the stinger of a Manticore—colorless, odorless, paralyzing muscles, stopping the heart.
With her back to the other two, she used the motion of adding spices to the pot to silently pour a pinch of the deadly powder into the ladle.
Then she precisely ladled that spoonful of soup into one of the bowls.
Everything was done flawlessly.
When the food’s aroma reached its peak, Linaliya finally deigned to speak.
She stretched lazily, making her chest appear even fuller.
“Sovinia, I’m a little thirsty,” she said softly.
“Could you trouble yourself to bring my soup over? I’ve expended too much energy helping Lord Hero adjust his armor. I can hardly stand up now.”
“Sure.”
Sovinia’s face betrayed nothing.
She filled two bowls of soup.
She picked up the one with the added dose and the other clean one, and walked toward them.
She handed the clean bowl to Wohard, then offered the lethal bowl of soup to Linaliya.
Linaliya picked up the spoon, blew on it gracefully, and took a small sip.
“Mmm… the flavor is not bad.”
She nodded, her tone flat, as if evaluating whether a cook’s skill was acceptable.
“Just a little too much salt. Pay more attention next time.”
And she just ate it without any guard.
A flicker of surprise passed through Sovinia’s heart.
She had anticipated the other party might suspect something, might make Wohard taste it first, or even use magic to detect poison.
But she had done nothing.
The Succubus Heavenly King was arrogant to this extent.
“Want more?”
Sovinia watched her finish more than half the bowl, asking calmly.
“There’s still some in the pot. I’ll fill it for you.”
“Sister, why don’t you take off your helmet?”
Linaliya handed back the empty bowl, a matter-of-fact smile on her face.
“Doesn’t wearing it all the time look ugly? And it’s inconvenient for eating, right?”
Sovinia didn’t reply.
She simply took the bowl, turned back to the pot, and filled another full bowl.
Carrying this scalding hot soup, she walked back step by step, offering it to Linaliya.
The latter smiled, chatting with Wohad as she reached out her hand.
The moment the bowl was about to enter Linaliya’s grasp—
Sovinia’s hand suddenly jerked, flinging the entire bowl of soup, meat and all, like a cannonball straight at Linaliya’s face.
The attack came without warning!
Linaliya’s reaction was astonishingly fast.
Acting purely on succubus instinct, she instinctively leaned back while raising both hands to block or catch the flying bowl.
Now!
In that instant of imbalance and open guard, Sovinia moved.
Her left hand was still completing the throwing motion, but her right hand had already grasped the Moonlight Blade at her waist.
A silver flash of sword light burst forth, swift as lightning, as she took a large step forward.
The blade rushed forward, leaving no margin, straight for the other’s defenseless heart.
“Succubus Heavenly King, die!”
At the same time, Sovinia chanted in her mind: Infinite Change Cards, activate!
First round.
First draw: [Swift Strike+], [Double Strike], [Attack].
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