Chapter 32: The Flying Underpants
A second bleeding wound appeared on Ashby’s forehead.
A drop of dark red blood splashed onto the altar. Ashby clutched his wound in pain, turning to look at Misha with utter bewilderment.
What is going on now?
Why is even Lord Demon King hitting me?
For a demon, this naturally wasn’t a serious injury. They were experts at self-healing, and a wound of this magnitude would be fully recovered by morning.
But Ashby was still shocked.
It was well known that this young Demon King was always lenient and kind. He had never heard of Misha hitting anyone, let alone inexplicably grabbing someone’s head and smashing it downward.
Ashby wasn’t the only one confused. Misha looked around nervously, realizing that everyone was staring at him in astonishment, unable to comprehend his sudden outburst.
No, I absolutely cannot reveal my identity.
Demons who fall into the Hero’s hands end up too miserable! I refuse to become the second Ashby!
Ashby: “Youâ”
Misha didn’t think twice. Raising his voice to completely drown out Ashby, he shouted, “Write! You have to write it today!”
Lance: “…”
Ashby felt incredibly wronged.
He couldn’t understand why Lord Demon King, clearly the ruler of all monsters, wasn’t siding with him at all. Instead, Misha was only helping this hateful Hero. Filled with grievances, he couldn’t stop a pitiful cry from escaping his lips: “Demonâ”
Misha slapped a hand over the back of Ashby’s head.
This time, he didn’t smash Ashby’s face into the ground. Instead, he leaned in with frantic nervous energy, lowered his voice, and whispered extremely quietly into Ashby’s ear, “I am undercover.”
Ashby: “…”
Misha: “You cannot expose my identity.”
Ashby: “…”
Amidst his dizziness, Ashby finally snapped back to reality.
So thatâs it.
Lord Demon King becoming a Divine Envoy wasn’t some kinky roleplay with the Hero. He was doing it to infiltrate the Hero’s side and dismantle the forces of justice from within!
That meant his near-blunder of shouting the Demon King’s title just now was a dangerous move that could have blown Misha’s cover.
With blood still streaking his face, he looked nervously at the people around them.
Arlo had turned his head away, unable to bear watching such a bloody scene. Samuel was staring at Misha in shock, evidently confused as to how Misha possessed such strength. Only Lance frowned slightly, his gaze lingering on Misha as if pondering the motive behind Mishaâs excessively bizarre behavior.
This is bad. If this goes on, Lord Demon Kingâs identity will definitely be exposed.
As a native-born demon, Ashby hadn’t particularly liked Misha at first.
He felt this Demon King was too young and didn’t seem fierce enough. For the Divine Realm to send such an inexperienced Demon King down, rather than choosing one from among the native demons, felt like an insult to them.
But after knowing him for a while, Ashby realized that this Demon King was truly easy to like. Not to mention, the little Demon King was good-looking and had real horns. Incubi were mostly creatures whose values were dictated by visual appeal… Yes, he couldn’t let the Demon King’s mission fail.
He had seen through it all. This Hero had a terrible personality, and no demon who fell into his hands would meet a good end. Even if he had been caught by the Hero, he had to find a way to protect other demons from the Hero’s harm.
It was time for him to make a contribution to the Demon Race!
Ashby loudly interrupted the Hero’s contemplation.
“I will not take orders from you,” Ashby declared. “You ugly Hero!”
Lance: “…”
Misha: “…”
Ashby, despite his blood-covered face, flashed the signature seductive smile that Incubi were most skilled at. “If you want to seduce me, you need a beauty to do it personally.”
Arlo, the renowned beauty of the Divine Realm, stiffened. He felt insulted and provoked by the demon.
He didn’t know if he should step forward. After hesitating for a long time, he could only frown slightly and whisper, “Youâ”
Ashby: “I want the shortest one.”
Arlo: “…”
Misha: “…”
Damn it, who are you calling short!
Misha didn’t think he was short.
According to the Divine Realm’s statistics on the average height of demons across various age groups, for his age, a Demon King was indeed about this height. It wasn’t his fault; blame the humans for having short lifespans and growing too fast. And Arlo was a Divine Envoy hundreds of years older than him, so naturally, he was taller.
Besides, his height exceeded the average by quite a bit. He was almost neck-and-neck with Arlo. When he reached Arlo’s age, he would definitely be taller than him.
But before he could express his rage regarding his height, Lance was already frowning. Before Misha could speak, Lance asked Ashby with a hint of displeasure, “…What did you just say?”
Ashby: “The shortest one…”
Lance: “You want him to seduce you?”
Ashby: “…”
Lance: “Say that again?”
Ashby: “…”
Ashby felt he understood now.
The Hero and the Demon King really didn’t have a roleplay relationship.
The Demon King’s heart was solely focused on the Divine Realm’s mission. But the Hero was different.
So, the Hero has a one-sided crush on the Demon King!
Although Misha was unsatisfied with Ashby’s phrasing, he still cleared his throat, awkwardly trying to smooth things over.
He understood Ashby’s concerns. Transactions between demons and humans had been going on forever, and until now, there had never been a case where a demon was coerced into modifying a contract.
If Ashby really modified the contract, it would be tantamount to a Great Demon setting a terrible precedent. Perhaps more humans and demons would follow suit.
But if this was ordered by the Demon King, then the nature of the matter changed entirely.
He was making a noble sacrifice for demonkind. To assist the Demon King, he had to temporarily bow his head to the detestable Hero.
Misha sighed.
Ashby was already pitiable enough. Since he had such a small wish, Misha might as well satisfy him.
Misha cleared his throat and whispered, “Just sign it.”
Lance: “…”
Ashby felt a heavy burden lift from his shoulders.
He finally picked up the pen, modified Lance’s and his names on the contract, and finally, with a sense of humiliation, signed his name at the very bottom.
The moment he finished the last stroke, Lance snatched the contract from his hand. He checked it earnestly, then said with a cold face, “Activate.”
He let go, and the contract floated in mid-air on its own. It suddenly burst into flames, scattering as a wisp of smoke. Lance then turned his gaze to Ashby.
Lance looked at him with disdain and asked coolly, “Are there many Incubi like you in your domain?”
Ashby: “…”
Ashby refused to answer.
Even if this bullshit contract was in effect, he was a noble Great Demon. He wasn’t going to answer every question this annoying Hero asked.
Lance raised an eyebrow. “Ashby.”
Ashby: “Yes, Lord Lance.”
Ashby: “???”
What just happened? What did I just say?!
“Good,” Lance said. “Take me there.”
Ashby clenched his teeth, determined not to say the second half of the sentence.
He believed in himself. As a Great Demon with immense magical power, he could definitely resist this hateful contract magic. He, Ashby, King of Incubi, would absolutely not bow down and submit to this human Hero!
Hearing no response, Lance called Ashby’s name again. “Ashby?”
Ashby felt the answer stuck in his throat, desperate to burst out. He could only rely on his willpower to forcibly resist. But clearly, resisting was proving too difficult, even for a Great Demon with profound magic.
Beads of sweat covered his forehead, veins popped on his temples, and his whole body couldn’t stop trembling. Lance frowned and asked, “Ashby, are you aware of the current situation?”
Ashby gritted his teeth, refusing to say a single word.
“Or perhapsâ” Lance clicked his tongue softly and asked, “You want to be punished?”
Misha: “…”
No matter the context, saying the word “punishment” to an Incubus sounded a bit too strange.
Misha turned his head carefully to check the others’ expressions. Sure enough, even Samuel gave an awkward cough. Everyone felt Lance’s choice of words was off; he really shouldn’t say things like that to an Incubus.
Ashby was still forcibly resisting the contract’s power. Straining to the limit, he squeezed the words out through his teeth: “Heh… Human Hero, don’t underestimate… us Incubi…”
Even if he was a demon famous for indulging in pleasure, he had his dignity. He would absolutely not yield to the human Hero’s despotic power.
Lance sighed softly.
With the magic of the contract restricting the demon, he didn’t even need to do much. A simple sentence was enough to inflict punishment on Ashby, who had signed the pact.
Under normal circumstances, he didn’t like altering someone’s nature. if possible, he preferred that everyone follow their own personalities and preferences to do things they enjoyed.
But today was different. The Ashby saying these things was different.
Lance raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Then let the punishment begin.”
He spoke softly.
Everyone paused, their gazes fixed on Ashby, waiting for his reaction.
Misha still felt that punishment was very out of character for the Hero. He watched Ashby carefully, observing any changes, thinking that if Lance went too far, he would stop him, even if it meant revealing his identity as the Demon King.
But Ashby just stiffened. Aside from that, there didn’t seem to be any other reaction.
Lance softly repeated his earlier demand.
Lance: “Take us to your domain.”
Only then did Ashby raise his head, his gaze slowly settling on Lance.
He looked no different from before, yet it was as if he had become a different person. His gaze was peacefulâoddly so. Upon hearing Lance’s words, he merely nodded obediently, as if he would comply with anything the Hero said.
So weird. This Ashby looks so weird.
Misha watched helplessly as Ashby agreed to several of the Hero’s conditions, feeling increasingly strange about it.
This didn’t seem like the Ashby he knew at all. He was worried Ashby had fallen for some trick of the Hero’s. So, when everyone went back to pack their luggage for the trip to the Demon Domain, Misha volunteered to stay behind and guard Ashby.
Since Misha was staying, Lance stopped as well. But Misha wanted to ask about Ashby’s condition, and if Lance was there, it would be difficult to get a chance to speak with Ashby.
Misha winked at Arlo. Arlo immediately understood Misha’s meaning. He coughed lightly and said, “I’ll stay to keep Misha company too.”
Lance: “…”
Lance finally nodded.
Watching Lance leave with Samuel, Misha anxiously turned around and looked nervously at Ashby.
“Ashby?” Misha whispered tensely. “Are you okay?”
Ashby’s tone was peaceful, a faint smile playing on his lips. “I am very well.”
Misha: “…”
What on earth did the Hero punish Ashby with?!
Why does this Ashby seem so weird!
He looked Ashby up and down. For some reason, he had a strange illusion that the person in front of him right now wasn’t the King of Incubi, but…
A church bishop who wasn’t wearing clothes.
Even though he wasn’t wearing much besides a plethora of accessories, he still looked… somewhat holy.
Misha swallowed, trying to shake the nonsensical thoughts from his head. He couldn’t help asking, “That Hero… how did he punish you?”
Ashby turned his gentle gaze toward Misha. “He helped me find my true self.”
Misha: “Huh?”
“The me of the past was always lost in a sea of desire.” Ashby slowly looked up at the quiet night sky, a look of guilt and hesitation appearing on his face. “Back then, I never realized the world was so vast, so wonderful.”
Misha: “?”
Ashby maintained his beatific, holy smile. “The old me is dead. The current me is reborn.”
Misha: “???”
Misha was dumbfounded.
“Lord Demon King, you should repent as well,” Ashby sighed softly. “Stop deceiving people.”
Misha took a step back, turning to look at Arlo, who was just as astonished as he was.
“Is he broken?” Misha whispered.
“The Scripture says that humans are born with many sins, and lying is one of them,” Ashby sighed gently. “And lust is the first among all evilsâ”
Suddenly, his whole body shuddered. He blinked in confusion, then looked at Misha and Arlo in shock. The expression on his face finally returned to normal.
Misha: “Um…”
Ashby: “…”
Misha: ” The original Ashby?”
Ashby: “…”
Ashby: “I’m going to kill that Hero! AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!”
It took Misha a long time to finally get the enraged Ashby to calm down even slightly.
Facing Misha’s questions, Ashby clutched his head in pain, forcing himself to recall what he had just felt.
“It was too terrifying,” Ashby said. “What exactly did that Hero do just now?”
Misha scratched his head, puzzled.
Ashby: “For that split second, it was like… everything I loved didn’t matter anymore.”
Misha: “Deventer?”
Ashby nodded, then shook his head, adding, “Not just him.”
Recalling the feeling, the terrified demon couldn’t stop trembling. In that moment, his heart had been utterly tranquil, filled with a terrifying aura of excessive holiness. All his past hobbies turned to dust; he had completely lost the things that were important to a demon.
Ashby covered his face in agony. “Just now, I…”
Misha: “Yeah?”
Ashby: “It seems…”
Misha leaned in closer, pricking up his ears to listen carefully to Ashby’s next words.
Ashby: “I completely lost that kind of worldly desire.”
Misha: “…”
Ashby: “Thinking of my little sweetie Deventer, I actually just wanted to advise him to go home so his parents wouldn’t be sad.”
Misha: “…”
What else!?
What else would you be thinking about!!!
“But I wasn’t like this before,” Ashby choked out painfully. “An Incubus. I am an Incubus.”
Misha: “You…”
Ashby: “Aside from that kind of thing, what else can an Incubus think about!”
Misha: “…”
Ashby: “I didn’t even want that anymore!”
Misha: “…”
Ashby: “What is the point of me even living!”
Before he could finish his sentence, his body suddenly jolted, and he instantly hid behind Misha. Startled by the movement, Misha looked around, only to see Lance walking toward them from across the garden in the distance.
From that far away? Really, Ashby?!
But after witnessing what happened to Ashby, Misha deeply felt the Hero’s cold cruelty toward demons. He nervously stood up along with Ashby, looking apprehensively at the approaching Hero.
Misha cleared his throat. “Lord Lance, is there something else?”
Lance: “…”
“You two go back and rest,” Lance said. “I’ll watch him.”
Misha: “Eh?”
Ashby: “…”
Lance: “Rest well. Goodnight.”
Misha: “Eh??”
He was at a loss, while Ashby, tears filling his eyes, grabbed onto Misha’s leg.
“No.” Ashby trembled all over. “I don’t want to stay with him!”
Misha: “…”
When someone who never cried looked at you with an expression like that, it was truly hard to refuse their request.
Misha insisted on staying, just in case the Hero did something strange again and hurt poor Ashby.
Arlo’s injury hadn’t fully healed, so he needed to recover his magic power. He went back to Samuel’s manor to rest first, leaving only Misha squatting beside the shivering Ashby, looking uneasily at the Hero in front of them.
He was very nervous.
He hadn’t been that afraid of the Hero before. He used to think Lance seemed like a good person, at most having a quirky obsession with making money. But now it was different. He suddenly realized that demons who fell into Lance’s hands ended up in miserable states, and fear washed over him.
He didn’t want to blow his cover.
He didn’t want to become like Ashby.
Just based on how the Hero had frantically kneaded his tail that day, Misha felt deeply that if his identity was exposed here, he definitely wouldn’t meet a good end.
Right. Not just now.
He had to be more respectful to the Hero. That way, after the Hero came to the Demon King’s Castle and defeated him, he wouldn’t refuse to kill him just to torture him like he was toying with Ashby.
Misha took a deep breath and flashed a brilliant smile at the silent Lance.
Lance: “…”
But Lance didn’t pay much attention to the smile. Instead, he rummaged through the unassuming satchel he always carried at his waist for a long time before suddenly pulling out a large bundle of grayish-white cloth.
Misha paused, instinctively craning his neck to lookâ
Just how big is that unremarkable little bag of the Hero’s?
But he didn’t see anything else.
Lance snapped the small bag shut extremely quickly. Then, looking at the terrified Ashby, he tossed the bundle of cloth to him.
Ashby didn’t know what it was. He only knew that as the King of Incubi, his dignity absolutely would not allow him to accept charity from a human Hero.
Trembling, he shouted at the Hero, “Give it up, human Heroâ”
Lance: “Want to do it again?”
Ashby maintained the momentum of his shouting: “âI will accept it right now!”
Misha: “…”
Ashby picked up the bundle and shook it open with trembling hands, asking confusedly, “Wha… what is this?”
“Pants,” Lance said with utter disgust. “Put some pants on first.”
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