When it comes to who in this world cares most about the Hero’s mental health.
It’s definitely Lia.
After all, 1700 slashes per second — only those who’ve experienced it know the pain.
If the Hero ever gets driven mad by these humans and triggers a full-blown purge, there’s no point in fighting for the Demon King Throne anymore — just start Chicken Dinner Survival on the spot.
So, whenever Lia spotted this sunny big guy showing signs of stress overload, she’d jump out to help him decompress.
She’d even go as far as to flop in his palm like a Cat, letting him scratch her chin and stroke her, while proactively making cute “Mmm huhu~” noises.
— Such a huge sacrifice!
Sigh~ Another day of worrying herself sick over her archrival, the Hero~
Lia thought: If this was back on Earth, she’d have won at least two Nobel Peace Prizes by now.
After stroking the “Pupu Cat” for a while, Jon felt his mood lift, and even the yard seemed brighter.
He turned his head and looked at the girl peeking timidly from behind the rockery — a Chick. Prostitute.
Jon waved her over.
The Chick.
Prostitute ran over, lifted her skirt slightly, and performed a graceful Noblewoman Ceremony, her bright eyes swirling with a maturity and world-weariness far beyond her age.
“…Do you have any family left? I can send you home.”
“Can’t find them.”
The girl shook her head instantly, not looking very sad.
“The aunt who raised me said my parents were refugees who fled here. That year, there was a great drought, and many came south, starving along the way. They sold me to my aunt.”
“Sorry. Would you be willing to go to a refugee camp? I could help you find a family willing to adopt you, though… the conditions might not be great.”
The girl’s lashes fluttered weakly as she cautiously asked, “Honored Hero, can I stay with you? I’m willing to do anything. I’ve learned dance, arithmetic, and a bit of classical literature appreciation. I can recite poetry with you, serve as your bedside secretary…”
Jon was about to shake his head when he suddenly paused.
“Wait, what did you say you learned?”
“Dance, arithmetic, literature appreciation…”
Jon couldn’t help but marvel: Whoa, a real all-rounder! In a huge refugee camp, she’d be considered a high-level intellectual.
Even if she’s only thirteen or fourteen.
“Would you like to be a teacher for my Pupu?”
Jon asked immediately.
“Huh?”
The girl was momentarily stunned.
A teacher?
She’d played “teacher” for the city lord before, but that was the kind where you teach while saying, “City lord, please don’t~”, a roleplay kind of teacher.
And — what does it mean to teach Pupu?
“She’s very smart.”
Jon nudged Lia, who was enjoying her half-closed eyes.
“You can teach her arithmetic, dance, and reading. It’ll help take some burden off my teacher too.”
“Honored Hero, this is… Pupu? I thought it was a magic fairy!”
The girl’s eyes widened in shock, then shifted to excitement at seeing a cute creature, her small hands itching to touch.
“C-Can I pet her?”
“You’ll have to ask her.”
Jon shook Lia and grinned.
“Lili, would you like to learn from this new teacher?”
Lia had planned to refuse, but then she realized that if she accepted this loli teacher and took more “literature” and “arithmetic” lessons, it’d be easier to explain her exceptional skills in math or language in the future.
“Reading books” was a good excuse, too.
But from what she’d heard, in this era, all printing was done through “magical hand-copying,” making books perpetually expensive.
It’s not that no one had invented block printing before — it’s just that the day after its invention, the person was hanged by the Church for ruining the “Scholar” priesthood’s livelihood.
Back then, she’d made her first bucket of gold in the Demon King business selling pirated books and smut.
Once the Demon King Kingdom was established, maybe she could revive it again.
“Teacher! Lili likes you!”
Lia said sweetly.
“Welcome! Teacher!”
“Wah, she’s so cute…”
The girl couldn’t resist rubbing Lia’s tiny head, her voice going up in pitch.
“What should I call you?”
Jon asked.
“Um, my stage name is ‘Butterfly,’ but my real name is Anna. Hero, you can call me whatever you like.”
Anna smiled at Jon, with a mixture of charm and youthful allure between her brows.
Jon remained unfazed and answered seriously.
“Alright, Teacher Anna, please make sure to teach her how to dance.”
Lia: ?!
Anna giggled.
“Don’t worry, Honored Hero. Dancing is my specialty.”
Lia: ?!!
Wait — I want to learn math! I want to learn math!
Poor Lia, for the first time in her life, loved math so much, only to encounter a Waterloo in her mathematical pursuits.
For the first trial lesson, she could only despair as Anna arranged her in various poses, forcing her to memorize seductive dance moves that felt more and more inappropriate the longer she practiced.
“No! Lili wants to learn arithmetic! And listen to stories!”
She tried to protest.
But Jon just patted her head and soothed her gently.
“Good girl, Lili. There are no books right now. Once we have books, we’ll teach you other things, okay?”
“Honored Hero, there’s a light novel in my room that I bought from the demons. How about I bring it over and use it to teach her to read?”
Anna suggested.
Lia’s eyes sparkled.
A demon book! It might even be a textbook she wrote herself! Perfect for her to study with!
“Of course.”
Jon nodded.
Anna immediately ran back to her room and soon returned, hugging a thick book.
But when Lia saw the cover, her vision darkened and she almost fainted.
On the cover were six bold characters:
— Damn succubi! Is this what you used the moveable-type printer I left behind for?
“This is the most popular demon book on sale right now.”
Anna said with a bright smile.
“Everyone’s interested in the secret scandals of Demon King Lia.”
“I’m interested too.”
Jon couldn’t help sitting up straighter, ears pricked.
Only Lia’s face drooped in despair.
Anna opened to the bookmark.
“Ahem… Story sixty-four: After Demon King Lia was defeated, his Royal Queen and Royal Concubine surrendered en masse to the human army, tearfully declaring they were ‘completely forced, never willing participants.’”
“The Saintess asked: How did the Demon King force you?”
“The Royal Queen replied: He gave too much.”
“The Royal Concubine replied: He gave too big.”
“Our tribe’s Princess replied: He threatened not to give me any.”
Closing the book, Anna couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
Jon didn’t get it, staring blankly.
But he noticed “Lili” seemed to enjoy listening.
Her body was so hot it was practically boiling.
Excited, she almost melted into a puddle, clinging to his finger, nuzzling it again and again.
Meanwhile, with her temperature at 1800℃ and about to vaporize, Lia had only one thought in her mind.
[I shall never share the same sky with the succubi!]
[This feud will not rest until vengeance is mine!]