The crowd was surprised, and no one stopped the Demon King’s steps.
Avira originally wanted to struggle free from the Demon King’s embrace, but in public, she could only put on a shy and bashful appearance.
This guy! Was she not afraid of being misunderstood?
“She is my person. From now on, none of you are allowed to disobey Vera’s orders~”
If the Demon King had become obsessed with women, forgotten about conquering the world, and even handed power over to some unknown woman, Avira would certainly voice strong condemnation and spit on this incompetent ruler for being so decadent and reckless.
But now, that breathtakingly beautiful and favored girl was actually herself!
She felt both love and hate toward the Demon King.
She claimed to like taking advantage, but saying such things in front of the vanguard and the Moon Heaven King was simply…
Truly wonderful~
Avira secretly resolved that if she ever truly replaced Ophitia’s position, using schemes and tactics to hollow out the Demon Race, she would definitely humiliate Ophitia harshly—making her give massages every day, bathe and cook every day, and serve in bed every day!
Of course, the prerequisite was that she had to gain Ophitia’s trust~
Avira was now wearing horns, and her pair of crimson eyes made her look even more like a pure high-level demon. However, she discovered that her body still differed greatly from ordinary demons.
Compared to the other demon vanguards, horns, wings, and eye pupils were not the defining features of the Demon Race. In fact, demons recognized their own kind in a very simple way…
For example, Field, one of the Moon Heaven Kings, known as the Demon Flame Swordsman, had a head of fiery red horns, an inconspicuous white spike on his chin, and pitch-black nails like sharp short blades.
These were standard high demon traits.
And Avira had just prepared some horn props…
Although the Demon King would conceal her identity, as more and more demons “returned to the nest,” the fact that Avira was human would eventually be exposed.
This wouldn’t do; she still needed to find a way.
“I understand. Then, next, I will go visit Miss Lena and Miss Lace.”
“Field, you head straight to pursue the humans. They’re heading toward the southwest corner.” Avira said solemnly, her stern tone like that of a superior—not entirely natural, but she was originally the highest-ranking person by the Demon King’s side.
She had even held back a bit. Toward the disloyal, she usually just killed them outright.
This time, Avira wasn’t in a hurry.
She would complete the necessary tasks first.
“What…”
The moment Field received the order, his eye corner reddened, the depths of his eyes turned black, and he nearly failed to control the rage in his heart.
Ever since the Demon King had assembled her army two years ago, he was the first to respond to the call, join the demon forces, and be conferred the title of [Moon Heaven King]. He was Ophitia’s most important pawn—why was he now arbitrarily replaced by some woman!
Had the Demon King truly fallen?! Outrageous!
Field’s mouth twitched, but he couldn’t disobey Avira’s order. He had no choice but to command his legion to regroup and withdraw downward.
However, no one noticed that the moment Field turned to leave, he let out a chilling, eerie laugh.
“Heh heh…”
“Vera, is it? Interesting.”
—
The Gold Vault was originally a royal stronghold in Tilves, heavily guarded and storing golden treasures.
Now, the Gold Vault was unmanned, a scene of utter desolation. A few crows circled in the sky, perching on the clawing branches of trees. Under the pitch-black sky, it resembled a nest brewing evil.
The so-called guards had fled according to Avira’s plan… However, based on the intel from Lena and Lace, there might still be troublesome fellows lurking inside the Gold Vault.
To avoid trouble, Avira used her perception ability to scan once… and found only a few humans about to flee from the Gold Vault. She finally relaxed.
In other words, her original plan could be executed perfectly.
Hugged by the Demon King, they flew to the main entrance of the Gold Vault, crossing the only massive stone bridge leading to the mountaintop vault. A circular door, like an enormous safe, appeared before them.
However, this “safe” was exaggeratedly the size of ten football fields.
Under the moonlight, the door gleamed with metallic luster, ten layers of metal overlapping, requiring ten different keys to unlock.
But it was just ordinary, after all—
The Demon King extended her slender index finger and slid it gently across the door. Neat arc-shaped cracks appeared on the metal door, which then collapsed with a boom, forming an arched entrance.
Entering the door, a pungent metallic scent hit them, and in the center of the hall stood a particularly conspicuous hemispherical pedestal.
Demon King Ophitia stepped forward and inserted the pure gold key Avira had given her into the keyhole before her.
Then, a white orb emerged on the pedestal, like glowing holy water but with a pitch-black core. It was like a seal wrapping some dark power.
“Demon King, I will guard your surroundings. Please absorb the seal at your leisure.”
Absorbing the seal would plunge one into an illusion. Based on Avira’s experience and Ophitia’s prior description, the process would last about an hour.
Ophitia nodded. “Mm, thank you, Vera. I’ll be out soon~”
“This is what I should do.”
Avira smiled slyly.
As Ophitia knelt before the seal, hands clasped together, the seal’s white orb shone on her like a lighthouse. Ophitia’s power seeped from her body, greedily absorbing the black energy.
And at that moment, Avira, standing behind her, had reverted to her original appearance.
Peerlessly beautiful, with exquisite and refined features, her crimson eyes adding a touch of bewitching allure.
A few strands of black hair seemed to foreshadow something, but she paid it no mind.
Avira extended her hand toward the Demon King, and three feathers conjured from magic appeared beside her. They arranged orderly into three layers of silver-white protective barriers, shielding Ophitia.
“This should be foolproof.”
Avira clapped her hands, her eyes sharpening as she dashed out of the Gold Vault in one breath.
She had been deceiving Ophitia all along.
In truth, besides the seal, there was another important item to retrieve from the secret chamber at the top of the Gold Vault.
The Holy Sword.
If she obtained the Holy Sword and the Hero’s power, Avira’s path ahead would shine like a protagonist’s. Not this cursed Saintess Bloodline…
Every time she recalled the Great Sage’s words—”The Saintess Bloodline is a curse; you will die miserably”—she grew dizzy with anger. And before the time regression, it had even come true.
Thus, she wouldn’t truly stay by the Demon King’s side.
Even so, she had split off three feathers to protect Ophitia…
Based on known information, even five or eight years in the future, destroying her three feathers in short order was a pipe dream.
“This time, I won’t trust anyone.” Avira’s voice was like icy thorns.
Her movements were clean and swift, leaping across protrusions on the Gold Vault and mountain rocks. Soon, she reached the top of the Gold Vault.
At the end of the roof, where it connected to the mountain peak, there was a hidden secret door.
Avira approached and, following her memory, smoothly found the secret door’s mechanism and infused it with magic power.
The metal secret door opened, revealing a space the size of a latrine. In the center, atop a gray boulder, stood the pure white Holy Sword, emanating a faint glow.
“Perfect. Now then…”
Before Avira could savor her victory, she suddenly turned her head, vigilantly staring ahead.
“There’s another troublesome person.”
A few seconds later, a shadowy figure sneaked onto the roof and landed before her.
Silver hair identical to Avira’s, a face with five or six points of similarity. Only, this girl’s figure was even more voluptuous and mature, as if she were the elder sister.
“Maryvian,” Avira murmured.
At that moment, Maryvian, having found Avira, breathed a partial sigh of relief.
She hurried forward, intending to pull the princess away to escape quickly, but inadvertently caught sight of those crimson eyes, strikingly vivid in the night.
“Sister, y-your eyes…”
