Chapter 188: Does This Count as Betraying My Veya?

Translation by: Weebsread👹

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A searing wave of annihilative energy erupted before her. When Judgment’s voice rang out, Krulu squeezed her eyes shut, steeling herself for pain—perhaps even humiliation.

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But the agony, the degradation she braced for, never came.

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Confused, she cracked one eye open. The blazing, imperious radiance didn’t fade. Instead, it swelled, flooding her vision. Like living vines, it burrowed into her mind, snaking through her veins with wild abandon.

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"Ugh..."

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A feverish, scorching rush exploded within her. It surged with her blood, fusing with her body in a way she’d never felt before.

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That menacing, dangerous aura spilled through her, insidious and invasive. It reminded her all too much of the Evil God’s energy—how it once seeped into every corner of her being.

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But this time, the invader wasn’t the Evil God’s power. No, this was the very force she’d faced on the battlefield—the one sworn to annihilate her kind.

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"This... this is... Holy energy!?"

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Lin Wei offered no explanation. He simply gazed down at the stunned Krulu, his voice cold and merciless as ever.

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"Since you still have some use, I’ve decided to give you a chance to atone for your sins."

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"Thank you, Demon Lord!"

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She had been certain she was doomed—yet suddenly, a reprieve. Why it was Holy energy didn’t even register; only survival mattered.

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Krulu collapsed, trembling, her frail body pressed to the earth.

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She’d lost almost all her strength to her wounds. Even her form had regressed, leaving her as small and delicate as the day Lin Wei first found her—a sight that, in its own way, was heartbreakingly lovely.

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"From now on, you’re not Krulu, the Demon General I once favored. You’re just... my slave."

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He crouched, pinching her face between his fingers. Her lips were soft and yielding, carrying that unmistakable scent unique to demon women.

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"The Holy energy flooding your body—if you even think of betraying me again, I’ll detonate it on the spot."

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No mercy. No compassion. Only the cold, brutal transition from Demon General to slave.

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"Y-Yes... Demon Lord... Master!"

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Krulu accepted her fate without protest, her face the very image of obedience.

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As Lin Wei’s hand stroked her cheek, she instinctively began to lick and nibble at his fingers, eager to please in any way she could.

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There was no room left for forgiveness. Her docile, submissive expression held none of the pride one would expect from a Demon General.

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All she could do was try to make him happy, pressing herself closer to the Master she had once betrayed.

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Anyone who had seen the legendary "Blade of the Cat Spirit, Krulu" on the battlefield would never believe this was the same person.

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"Just like when I first picked you up..."

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She was supposedly twenty now, but whether it was the loss of strength or the way demons aged, her appearance was exactly the same as back then.

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The sensation of her rough, wet cat tongue against his fingertips only heightened the sense of animal-like submission.

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Back then, Lin Wei had seen her as a project—someone to mold into a weapon.

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Now? Now she was only a slave, a traitor—someone he would never again view as an equal.

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"I have two tasks for you."

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Krulu’s tongue curled around his finger as Lin Wei looked down at her, speaking slowly. With her wounds healing, she truly was like the girl he had rescued long ago.

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Her sun-kissed skin, her adorable, captivating face.

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She lacked the refinement and pride of Yalis or Iresha. She was a wild little cat, always ready to bare her fangs.

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Her small body was wrapped in soft armor, fluffy ears twitching, tail swaying—an exotic sight no human would ever witness.

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"First... you’ll leave tonight for the Selm Labyrinth. Find the Hero, conceal your demonic nature, and stay close. Especially keep an eye on the elf called Eileen."

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He stroked her cheek with his thumb. Krulu, still nibbling at his hand, looked up with puzzled amber eyes as he issued his orders.

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"I suspect there’s something off about her. Since she joined, the Hero’s Party has been on the verge of collapse."

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"And now, with the demon army invading deep into the Northern Countries—then ‘coincidentally’ retreating into the labyrinth, drawing in rescuers... Too many convenient ‘accidents.’ I sense something’s about to go very wrong."

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"So watch over them for me. And keep an eye on the mage, Iresha."

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Krulu didn’t understand why her Master cared about the Hero’s Party, but she nodded dutifully. All she needed to do was obey.

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"Just to confirm—the demon army’s invasion of the Northern Countries wasn’t your doing, was it?"

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She shook her head, worried she might anger him, her voice muffled as she continued tending to his hand.

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"No... Krulu’s been on the run for days now. This was Sabela’s plan. I don’t know her true goal."

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"I’ll find out for you, Master."

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"Good. Now, the second task."

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The obedient little cat was as charming as ever. Lin Wei gazed down at her, his pinky idly rubbing his chin, savoring the strange comfort of her touch.

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What had he thought when he first saw Krulu?

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Thin. Wary. Helpless.

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Like a cat that had suffered too many wounds—weak, yet still trying to act fierce, eyes full of suspicion.

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And after he brought her to the Demon Lord’s castle?

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She’d worked tirelessly, always eager for praise, always at his side—until she went to war and became a terror on the battlefield.

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She had been his Demon General, the one he’d hoped would grow strong enough to stand on her own.

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But now... a strange new emotion flickered through him. Her desperate attempts to please him, the way she sucked on his fingers, was oddly moving.

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It was as if she had slipped seamlessly into her role as a slave, doing anything to soothe his anger.

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"Have I ever... complimented you on how soft your tongue is?"

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"Krulu?"

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She didn’t understand. After a moment’s thought, she shook her head, her voice muffled.

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"Krulu doesn’t remember Master saying that."

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"Well, I’m saying it now. And... do what a slave should do for me."

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Thoughts he’d never entertained before felt strangely natural in this moment. As he drew his fingers from her mouth, Krulu looked up, confused.

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With a gentle push, her soft body was pinned against a tree, and Lin Wei’s shadow fell over her.

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"Mmph!!"

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The next instant—

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Krulu’s eyes flew wide, speechless with shock.

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◇

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Half an hour later.

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The proud, ferocious wildcat now fawned over him like a loyal dog.

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Lin Wei scratched his head, uncertain if it was the sting of her betrayal—or the fact that he’d deliberately avoided seeing Veya at the Holy See today—that had finally gotten to him.

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He would never have done something like this before, not to Krulu—the girl he’d worked so hard to raise.

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It was like waking up one day and finding himself holding Yalis, the girl he’d always treated as a little sister. No matter how he tried to rationalize it, something about it just felt... wrong.

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"Whatever. Let’s call it punishment for becoming a slave."

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Who would have thought that, after all these years, taming a wildcat could be so... oddly satisfying?

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"Hm..."

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Krulu was still kneeling, gazing up at him. Lin Wei composed himself, conjuring a sphere of water magic and hovering it before her.

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"Now, go carry out my orders. And if you ever betray me again—you know what will happen."

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"Please rest assured, Krulu will never betray Master again."

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She drank the water, then looked up at him with a sweet, innocent face. Her tanned skin and amber eyes were captivating.

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It felt strange, but she didn’t mind. No matter what her Master demanded, as long as it pleased him, she would do it.

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"Go do your job. When I reach the labyrinth... I’ll find you."

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"Yes, Master!"

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She glanced longingly at Lin Wei, then—now clean—turned and slipped into the forest, vanishing among the trees.

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"Tch. I must be losing my mind."

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"I’ve been married for years and never done anything reckless, and suddenly I’m acting like a villain. Even if she’s my slave... good thing nobody saw."

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Guilt gnawed at him in the silence. He hadn’t truly "taken" her, and honestly, she probably saw it as a reward.

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But it wasn’t something he could just brush aside. He had definitely let himself get carried away.

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"Calm down. Deep breath... The Saintess is still waiting for me. She’s probably scared out of her mind."

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There’s a limit to how much training hardship can provide. Fortunately, he’d never had any strange thoughts about Yalis—she was just a little sister to him.

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Krulu had betrayed him, after all his care—and that, more than anything, was why he’d treated her this way.

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"Enough of these messy thoughts. Just get back to camp."

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Lin Wei took a deep breath and stood, heading out.

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The dark, twisting forest loomed, sinister and unsettling, but Lin Wei barely noticed.

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Soon, he spotted a campfire in the distance—and, sitting by a tree, the ever-vigilant Yalis, alert and shivering.

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He composed himself, donned his usual calm demeanor, and stepped into the light with a smile.

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"Well, well—our Saintess is braver than she looks. You really managed to stay here all alone?"

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"Mr. Lin Wei!"

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At the sight of him, Yalis’s eyes lit up, her delicate face blooming into a radiant smile. It was the kind of smile that could lighten anyone’s heart, as if wrapped in Holy Light.

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"Saintess, you really are the cutest."

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Lin Wei felt a strange peace settle over him, basking in her smile—right up until her next words sent a chill down his spine.

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"Hm? There’s a weird smell in the air."

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Yalis wrinkled her nose, sniffing curiously at him.

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"It’s almost like... a cat? Did you run into any monsters on your way here, Mr. Lin Wei?"

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"Uh, of course! It’s a forest, after all—monsters are everywhere. You’ve got a pretty good nose, Yalis."

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I swear I made Krulu clean up before she left—how is there still a cat scent? And for Yalis to notice... that’s absurd.

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Lin Wei stared at her, genuinely surprised. He didn’t have any skills like that himself.

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"Hehe~ My sense of smell really is pretty good! I actually got it by chance when I joined the Holy See—a random Holy Skill awakened, and voilà!"

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Yalis beamed, proud to be praised by Mr. Lin Wei. As long as he was here, the darkness of the night didn’t bother her at all.

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Maybe... maybe she truly couldn’t live without him anymore. At least, not for this journey.

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But once she reached her father’s base and had to part ways with Mr. Lin Wei, it would be unbearable.

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If only he could come with her on the return trip—maybe she could introduce him to her father, and then... who knows? Perhaps she could stay by his side forever.

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Such thoughts tumbled through her mind, impossible to suppress now that they’d surfaced. She was already daydreaming about a future together.

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"I see..."

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A skill like that? I’ll have to be careful around Yalis from now on. Wait—why? It’s not like I’m up to anything shady. Why would I need to hide from the Saintess?

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Then again, what just happened was a one-time slip. It can’t really count as betraying Veya... can it?

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A prick of guilt stabbed at Lin Wei. Sure, this world didn’t ban polygamy, but...

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Still. I should probably confess to Alicia the Goddess later.

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"Let’s get some sleep, Yalis. We have to reach the City-State of Brook tomorrow, and if all goes well, we’ll head straight into the labyrinth."

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"Understood!"

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Her daydreams disrupted, Yalis nodded eagerly. There would be plenty of time to make her hopes a reality—right now, she just needed to rest.

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Tomorrow... they would enter the labyrinth.

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"Goodnight, Mr. Lin Wei."

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With a heart full of hope, Yalis crawled into her sleeping bag.

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Being bundled up in the wild like this felt strange, but... if Mr. Lin Wei were holding her, it might be really nice!

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"Mmm..."

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A sudden wave of embarrassment hit her. She buried her face in the sleeping bag. How could she think something like that?!

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—

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The Holy Church City.

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Golden light flickered, making the city shine with sacred splendor. Veya, the Pope, lay in bed, gazing out the window, her body restless with a strange sensation.

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"Damn you, Lin Wei!"

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She muttered under her breath. Either come up here or don’t come at all—what’s with sneaking all the way to the door and then running off?

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"How can you hold back like that? Hmph, you’re not having any strange thoughts alone with Yalis, are you?"

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The great Lady Pope couldn’t help but imagine the possibility—but quickly dismissed it. Her Lin Wei would never lay a hand on a young girl!

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"So what is he doing now? Tossing and turning, unable to sleep like me?"

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Thinking of Lin Wei, now somewhere in the Northern Countries, Veya sat up abruptly, her dignified face full of frustration.

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"Bastard! When you get back, you’re not leaving the room—don’t even think about mercy!"

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With that, Veya finally managed to drift off to sleep, a wicked smile playing on her lips.