Via had actually always known that the movements she made could not escape the Demon King’s eyes.
The little girl’s cute appearance could not deceive her.
After all, this was someone who, upon ascending to the position of Demon King, immediately tilted the balance of confrontation between humans and demons.
There was no way she was an ordinary person.
Moreover, Lilith was unanimously recognized by the Demon Lords as the Demon King.
From the very beginning, this little Demon King never relaxed her surveillance over Via.
She had no idea how many spells had been placed in her residence by the Demon King, so she never held a very good attitude toward her.
“My sheltering of the Saint was a comprehensive consideration of the current battlefield. Are you, Your Majesty the Demon King, planning to hold me accountable for this?”
Feeling the chill from Lilith’s skin, Via didn’t push her away but instead gently wrapped her arms around the girl’s slender waist.
If those old demons saw such a sacrilegious act, they would probably gossip and point fingers again.
But Via knew Lilith was not that kind of ancient and conservative demon.
The demons of today were no longer the closed and old-fashioned race they once were.
“Of course not. Isn’t it a good thing for us that you managed to win over the Saint to join the demons?”
The Demon King smiled understandingly. At this moment, she was innocent and adorable, like the embodiment of kindness in this world.
“If that’s the case, may I have full authority over the Saint’s matters?”
“Certainly. After all, you’re the one who brought her over. But, Sister Via, have you really never considered becoming one of my close attendants? Right now, I truly lack someone reliable by my side.”
“I’d rather just work honestly,” Via declined the offer.
“There are powerful demons beside you besides me, and besides, isn’t it quite rare for a Demon Lord to act as the Demon King’s guard?”
“Sometimes you’re too stubborn, sister. If only back then, as a succubus, you had thrown away your human reservations, you could have gained immense power. Maybe then you would have even secured a spot in the top five of the Thirteen Demon Lords.”
“By ‘throwing away those reservations,’ do you mean letting myself become a warm weapon for other Demon Lords and demon princes? It sounds like you think this kind of thing is quite normal.”
“It is indeed normal. After all, in human rumors, I’m a terrifying existence who can collectively capture women to bring back to the demon race, or transform men into women and so on.”
“Those aren’t just rumors.”
At least the latter, Via was certain wasn’t a rumor, since she was a living example — though thankfully, she hadn’t suffered that fate yet.
“If Sister Via thinks so poorly of me, I might as well just die.”
The Demon King raised her small hand pitifully, pointing to her chest.
A spell condensed, ready to pierce through her fragile body in the next moment.
Veya looked at her coldly, without the slightest hesitation to stop her.
Even after a long wait, as the wind blade formed by the spell cut through the tender skin, Lilith still didn’t receive any obstruction from Veya.
“You really have the patience, sister.”
“Anyway, you won’t die.”
The vitality of blood demons was so extraordinary that calling it monstrous was an understatement.
Especially for someone like Lilith, one of the top blood demons—she could recover quickly even if sliced into seventeen pieces.
When Via first tried to assassinate her, she used her sword techniques from her human days to complete decapitation, heart piercing, and abdominal splitting in an instant.
Yet, when she turned to lock the Demon King’s palace door, Lilith was already standing behind her with a smiling face.
“But even though I can’t die, it hurts my feelings that you don’t even try to stop me. Emotional value should be given some consideration.”
“There is no such thing between us.”
Via’s tone remained cold.
“So heartless, Sister Via. But let me ask seriously — what is it now that makes you so resolute in sheltering the Saint?”
“… That’s none of your business.”
“Then I’ll just guess,” the Demon King took light, ballet-like steps, speaking as she walked, “Could it be, Via, that you’re nostalgic for your former self? That you pity the Saint who once gave everything but received no understanding or kindness?”
“Boom!”
A hammer-like gale burst forth without warning.
With it, the Demon King’s delicate body was shattered in an instant, blood mist flying everywhere.
“Oh dear, it seems my little Via is angry. Sorry, I was just guessing casually, don’t mind me~”
Despite losing most of her body, the Demon King’s bloodied face still wore a faint smile.
Her broken bones regrew as if time reversed, and scattered flesh rapidly healed.
She even took time to fix her gown.
“Don’t forget, Demon King, I never said I’d forget revenge. Even against you.”
Via lowered her hand.
Her spells couldn’t kill the Demon King.
The hammer spell could inflict widespread bodily destruction, but it only slowed down her regeneration.
“I’m looking forward to it, Saint.”
The fake innocence vanished from the Demon King’s face.
Her blood-red eyes were filled with mockery and contempt.
To Veya, the Saint was a “toy” in the Demon King’s mouth.
And to the Demon King, Via was also a toy—just used differently.
“By the way, I came with serious business this time. Soon, we will be going to war with the blood tribe, but manpower is insufficient. I’ll be drawing some of your forces to meet the demands on that front. You don’t need to launch any more attacks for now.”
“Blood tribe? You still intend to completely annex them?”
The Demon King herself was a blood demon, part of the blood tribe.
The blood demon race was once a whole, but some blood tribes chose to cooperate with the demons and gradually merged into their ranks.
Those who didn’t side with the demons remained an independent tribe.
“The blood tribe is like stagnant water now, still clinging to that so-called pureblood ideology. Compared to their outdated system, survival of the fittest is almost advanced,” Lilith waved her hand, then returned to her harmless appearance.
“All right, Sister Via, that’s all I have to say today. And a little reminder—Toys are fun, but if a toy is too good, it might just end up taking over the master.”
“No need to remind me.”
Veya snapped back irritably.
The Demon King smiled ambiguously, then her figure scattered into countless little bats and disappeared from Veya’s sight.
Via didn’t take Lilith’s words seriously.
Cecilia was no threat now.
The idea of a toy taking over the master?
Only if the sun rose in the west.
Besides, she had already firmly grasped the Demon King’s psyche.
Such a possibility simply did not exist.