Chapter 183: Am I, Kailun, a Demon?
With the return of Fox and Shirley, the courtyard became much livelier. Even Winnie, who had been holed up in the library improving herself, came out to join the fun.
To liven up the atmosphere, Kailun called out Anna, who had finished processing the intelligence reports, and the dancers, asking them to perform a fiery dance in the courtyard.
He lay in Carol’s arms, enjoying her massage, eating grapes fed to him by Fox, feeling utterly content.
Looking at the beautiful women before him, he felt like he was in heaven.
Looking up, besides Carol’s burgeoning “mountains,” he also saw Isabella standing by the window of the small building, holding a scroll in her hand.
However, judging from her posture, Kailun suspected that she was standing on a small stool.
Perhaps sensing Kailun’s rude gaze, Isabella glared at him, shook her cute little fist, and left the window.
“If I remember correctly, you had something you wanted to ask me before?”
Kailun retracted his gaze and looked at Fox beside him.
“Ah? Did I? You must be mistaken.”
Fox denied her previous behavior while fighting Bella with her tail.
“Oh, is that so?”
Kailun ate another grape fed to him by Fox and didn’t ask any further questions.
Not everyone could enjoy this kind of tolerance. For example, poor Hilna was currently helping Shirley sort and categorize the parchment scrolls in the large chest.
What was even more heartbreaking than the labor was that she could see the incredibly valuable knowledge on the scrolls but couldn’t absorb any of it.
What was even more depressing was that her loyal knight, Shirley, had gone “crazy.” Influenced by Kailun, she could no longer distinguish her own position.
Hilna learned about what had happened in the town from Shirley, and she was even more convinced that Kailun was a demon.
“Shirley, do you think we still have a chance to escape?”
Hilna hung her head low, not even noticing her red hair falling to the ground. She was a stark contrast to the lively courtyard.
Everyone else was happy, but she had nothing.
“Your Highness, please don’t think like that. Kailun’s terror is beyond the norm. Not even you, let alone me, can resist him.”
Shirley couldn’t help but speak the harsh truth, as if bullying Hilna had become her instinct.
“What do you mean by ‘not even you’? Shirley, you’re truly evil.” Hilna swatted Shirley with a scroll.
“Sorry, sorry, it was a subconscious reaction. I hope you don’t mind. In my heart, Your Highness will always be the closest person to me. Your orders are my motivation.”
Shirley corrected her attitude and declared her loyalty.
“…”
Hilna: “Since you’re so obedient, can you go over to Kailun and kick him hard?”
“I can’t. I can’t do it, even if I get beaten.”
Shirley shook her head repeatedly and moved away from Hilna. She wouldn’t do such a suicidal thing.
She might have tried to obey in the past, but not now.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t loyal anymore, but she would now consider the pros and cons. Doing something meaningless would only result in being “ground” by Kailun, without any reward.
Hilna said angrily, “Shirley, you’ve disappointed me. I’m going to replace you with a more obedient knight.”
“Give up, Your Highness. You’re already restricted by Kailun. You can’t even leave this manor. Where would you find a more loyal knight? Look around. Everyone here is Kailun’s person.”
The honest Shirley spoke the truth again. She wanted Hilna to face reality so they could make the next step of their plan.
Let alone a deposed princess, even the newly formed White Jade Alliance didn’t dare to provoke Kailun. They had already lost two ninth-rank mages.
“Forget it. You can follow that demon.”
Hilna stood up angrily, grabbed the notebook with the inventory, and walked towards Kailun.
“Slap!”
Hilna, still fuming, threw the notebook in front of Kailun. “See for yourself. I’ve finished the inventory.”
After saying that, Hilna turned to leave.
“Stop!” Kailun narrowed his eyes and shouted softly. “Princess, are you taking out your frustration on me because you didn’t get enough sleep?”
Hilna, a chill running down her spine, came to her senses. She quickly explained, “No, I just…”
“See those dancers on the stage?”
Kailun pointed at the dancers in their revealing outfits. “Find some time to learn from them. If you’re too embarrassed or think it’s beneath you, you can ask Winnie for help. If you perform well, I might even return some of the power of the Xiya Kingdom to you.”
Hilna: “…”
The first part of his words made her sad, but the latter part made her think that it might not be a bad idea.
Her life couldn’t get any worse. She had lost almost everything she could lose. Even her once loyal knight had been “corrupted.” So why not think about herself for a change?
Instead of living like a walking corpse, she wanted to regain what belonged to her.
She didn’t ask what Kailun meant by “power” because she knew he wouldn’t give her a clear answer right now.
“I understand.”
Hilna bowed to Kailun and left the courtyard. As she passed by Illusion and Vivian, the two little girls gave her mocking looks.
She pretended not to see them and quickened her pace, deciding to endure it for now and seek revenge later.
After Hilna left the courtyard, Shirley walked up to Kailun and asked, “You’re more tolerant than I imagined. I thought you would bully the Princess even more ruthlessly.”
Kailun said nonchalantly, “Constant oppression will only break her spirit. I need a pet that can continuously bring me amusement. Since she can’t forget about her power, I’ll indulge her. But she also has to bear the consequences of her incompetence.”
He had already paved the way for Hilna. When her dancing could successfully catch his eye, Kailun would hand over the Xiya Kingdom’s economy to her.
Then Hilna would face the Rose Kingdom, whose territory had expanded several times over.
This was a game between two queens, but one was real, and the other was fake.
Kailun was curious how Hilna would handle it. The pressure was far beyond what her delicate shoulders could bear.
He didn’t care which of them gained control of the economy because the Rose Kingdom was already his vassal state. Profits and losses were just a matter of transferring money from one hand to the other.
If they fought fiercely, it might even stimulate the economy.
He wasn’t worried about them messing things up. The vast amount of treasure stored in his treasury could cover their losses many times over.
If Hilna could actually grow from this opportunity, it would be even more interesting. He could have Queen Rose pouring him wine on his left and Queen Hilna massaging his feet on his right.
Hmm… He was missing one more. Then his “collection” would be complete.
“I don’t understand your thoughts. You don’t seem to want to completely destroy her.”
Shirley scratched her head, curious about Kailun’s true intentions.
Kailun: “Don’t overthink it, Shirley. Just focus on getting stronger. You can report any resources you need to Anna or Phils. There’s plenty.”
He saw Shirley’s confusion but didn’t intend to interfere. This was an opportunity for her to examine herself.
Shirley was a talented knight, worth nurturing. If she was trained well, her abilities wouldn’t be inferior to Eve and the others.
After dealing with Shirley, Kailun continued to enjoy his leisure time. Without external pressure or harassment from Chrissy and Phils, he could relax and enjoy the lively atmosphere.
Queen Rose, with Bruce’s help, would “acquire” the surrounding kingdoms. Under normal circumstances, no one would be foolish enough to stop them.
Dean Edlin was directing the miners to sneak into the Temple of the Celestial God’s territory from various directions. Some of them had been intercepted along the way, giving Edlin a big headache.
To her, every lost miner represented a loss of gold.
According to reports from the front lines, the people sent by the White Jade Alliance had arrived at the second mine and were currently stationed there.
The old Werewolf King’s faction had received more reinforcements, estimated to be two.
At this point, almost half of the world’s top forces had gathered around the second mine. A major battle would erupt in a few days.
For Kailun, it wasn’t necessarily a good thing for more people to gather at the second mine. If it exceeded a certain limit, it would become a headache for him.
Paul, on the surface, belonged to the White Jade Alliance, but secretly, he was a member of the Temple of the Celestial God. In reality, he was a double agent.
It was a very twisted situation. Kailun was curious what Paul would do during the battle.
He suddenly thought of something and turned to Carol. “Where’s Afra? I haven’t seen her all afternoon.”
“Sister Afra is planning to go back to the Duke’s territory. She’s probably already packed her bags and is planning to leave this evening,” Carol replied after a moment’s thought.
She clearly remembered the change in Afra’s expression when she learned that Fox was returning this afternoon. She had looked like a little girl who had done something wrong, perhaps afraid of Kailun’s punishment.
Carol didn’t know the details, but she knew that Afra had achieved a major victory last night. Otherwise, Kailun wouldn’t have woken up so late this morning, looking completely drained.
Therefore, Carol guessed that Afra was avoiding Kailun’s “revenge.”
“Tsk, that’s no fun. She’s the pillar of the Xiya Kingdom during this time. I can’t do without her.”
Kailun stood up and looked around.
He would be allocating most of his attribute points to others during this period and needed Afra’s protection. Although he had set up many magic circles in the manor, it wasn’t foolproof.
If someone like the Empress came to assassinate him, he wouldn’t be able to resist, unless he disregarded the lives of Roden and the others and chose to protect himself first.
Admittedly, there was only a slim chance that Roden and the others would be exposed after he withdrew his attribute points, but ignoring that slim chance could ruin everything.
“I’m going to bring Afra back. You guys have fun. Just don’t kill anyone.”
After saying that, Kailun left the manor using Instantaneous Movement magic. Fox and Bella, who were beside him, exchanged glances and pounced on each other. This time, they used not only their tails but also their hands and feet.
Unfortunately, they were both eighth-rank mages. This kind of fighting wouldn’t kill anyone.
……
“Are we really going back to the Duke’s territory? Will we meet Lord Kailun’s parents?”
Eve, the young knight, asked with a blush, preparing to leave with Afra.
“Yes, they will welcome you warmly. They’re currently enjoying their retirement.”
Afra looked at the pretty young knight with satisfaction.
The Duke and Duchess had long been hoping that Kailun would bring some of his “girlfriends” back to visit, but he had always refused, saying that he was too busy.
However, Afra understood. Kailun had always been busy and tired. He rarely stopped to rest, and even after their “battles” at night, he would frantically read books to supplement his knowledge.
He seemed tireless, always pushing himself to keep running, as if he would face disaster if he stopped.
She decided to take advantage of this free time to go home and visit. She planned to return to the manor in four days, which wouldn’t affect Kailun’s main plan.
Of course, this trip back home also served as an escape. After all, she had transformed into a true “knight” last night and had been quite “ruthless.”
Thinking of the thrill of that “battle,” Afra couldn’t help but clench her legs. She, with her sensitivity, had never thought that she would achieve such a glorious victory.
It was worth it!
Afra smiled at Eve. “Let’s go. We need to leave quickly, or it will be bad if Kailun realizes. I told Carol not to tell him, but she looked at me strangely.”
“Where is my dear sister planning to go?”
Kailun suddenly appeared behind Afra, his warm breath brushing against her neck.
Afra gasped and jumped to the side, clutching her neck. She stared at Kailun, surprised by his sudden appearance.
“Can you tell me where you’re going, cute little Eve?”
After Afra jumped away, Kailun walked over to Eve and pinched her nose.
Eve was dazed by Kailun’s endearment and replied blankly, “Lady Afra is taking me back to the Duke’s territory. We’ll be back in about four days.”
“Good girl. It seems that Eve is the obedient knight.”
Kailun patted Eve’s head with satisfaction and then turned to Afra. “So, Sister Afra, are you planning to run away after winning? If that’s what you’re worried about, there’s no need. I’m not that petty. I won’t hold it against you.”
“No! I’m just worried about the safety of the manor.” Various expressions flickered across Afra’s usually cold face.
“You don’t have to worry about the manor’s safety. Remember the other two young knights who were with Eve? Their names are Kirin and Charlene. I’ve already transferred them back to the territory. They’re the last line of defense.”
Kailun was still smiling, but his smile was cold.
His power was limited. If something really happened at the manor and one ninth-rank attribute point wasn’t enough… he could only apologize to Kailson.
One always had to make choices and compromises.
However, for the safety of his plans, he would stay in the Xiya Kingdom and be the most obvious target.
The undefended Royal City was the most tempting flame. If there were any moths, they wouldn’t miss this opportunity.
‘I really have no conscience.’
He sighed inwardly and grabbed Afra’s wrist. “Let’s go back to the manor. Everyone is waiting for you, their big sister. Don’t worry, I won’t take revenge on you. Am I, Kailun, that kind of demon?”
“Oh~”
Afra, who never learned her lesson, believed Kailun’s words once again.
……
“You demon!”
That night, poor Afra clutched the sheets and denounced Kailun’s despicable actions.
Even the elf sisters, who were standing guard outside the door, could hear her cries.
The two sisters exchanged glances and gulped subconsciously.
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