Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"war."

“It wasn’t just Otus; most countries across the continent had slavery. Slaves and the poor made up more than 90 percent of the population, and it was they who maintained the functioning of the upper echelons of these countries.”

"Regardless of the means used to change things, it will be a major transformation, and major transformations inevitably involve bloodshed..."

"So that's what you mean. I want to promote the system in Linhu Territory..."

"But that means I'll become a thorn in the side of many people, and even the interests of the church will be hindered. Then I'll need enough power, after all, this is going against the entire world, there are tons of humanoid monsters like Heavenly Rank and Saint Rank..."

"Therefore I must acquire all the power I can obtain, whether it be territory, talent, or the abilities of heretics..."

At this point, under Ryūka's devilish expression, Hafren was already drenched in sweat and trembling all over. She instantly understood that the difference between her and this young man wasn't in strength, but in other, indescribable ways…

Suddenly, Ryuka released Hefren, who was suffocating, and revealed a bright smile.

"Ah~ isn't this exactly what I'm doing right now? It's just that I'm not a saint with unwavering resolve, so I sometimes use things like this to amuse myself and balance things out~"

As she spoke, Ryuga walked towards the little girl on her own. When she got close enough, the little girl realized who was beside her. Looking at Ryuga in his armor, she immediately timidly lowered her head. No matter who the other person was, this outfit made him seem like a high and mighty adult to her.

Liu Xia didn't help her up; instead, she knelt beside the corpse and silently made hand gestures to the withered adult female corpse that weighed less than a few dozen pounds.

The little girl finally dared to raise her head, looking at Ryuka with a puzzled expression. Ryuka gave her a gentle smile in return.

"Her soul has been guided, and Lord Chloe will take good care of her."

“Lady Chloe…” the little girl murmured dreamily, “Really? Does Lady Chloe exist? My master said there is only one goddess in the world, and those of us who are not human will not receive blessings…”

“Yes, I exist, because I am her divine messenger,” Ryuka said with a smile.

For this timid girl, using any other identity wouldn't earn her trust, especially since she believed all important people were bad. Using Chloe's name, on the contrary, made her feel at ease.

Heflene overheard these words.

Chloeur, isn't he a heretical deity banned by the Church? Is that guy's power derived from him?

A glimmer of light appeared in the little girl's dim eyes: "If I'm a good slave, can I see Lord Chloe like my mother when I die? And won't I have to be a slave in my next life?"

“No, that’s not it…” Ryuga smiled wryly at the little girl’s expectant expression. “Lady Chloe never asked you to be good slaves. She just had compassion and blessed the poor dead so that they would no longer suffer. Even those slaves who rebelled against their masters, Lady Chloe would bless their souls.”

"Is that so? Lady Chloe is so kind... Then Father's spirit must be at peace now..."

Was her father killed for rebelling against his master? Ryuga looked at the little girl's smile. Even though her parents were dead, her slave mentality was deeply ingrained; all she could think about was whether she should be a 'good slave' or a 'bad slave'…

"What's your name?"

"Sasha."

"Alright, Sasha, would you like to come with me?"

"where to?"

"Go to a place where we don't have to be slaves."

"If I don't have to be a slave, then what should I do?"

"Do whatever you want."

"Will Lord Chloe still protect me?"

"Well, although Lady Chloe is the goddess of slaves, she hopes that no one will have to be a slave, which is why a divine messenger like me came to take you away. After all, Lady Chloe is very gentle."

"But our owner won't let us trust strangers, saying they're all liars who will torment us and that only he will take care of us. Big brother, are you a liar?"

"How could I be a liar? I am Lord Chloe's divine messenger. How about this, you take me to see your master, let me have a proper 'talk' with him, and spread the word about Lord Chloe's mercy, how about that?"

"Um……"

It was practically like a kidnapping... As Hafulen watched Ryuka patiently interact with the little girl, a strange sense of disorientation arose in her heart.

This demon, could she be planning to trick the child into a wicked, heretical sacrifice? After all, in her mind, heretics are all like this…

But at the same time, she also hoped that Ryūka truly wanted to save the child and help her escape her fate as a slave...

As for Ryūka's suggestion to "have a good talk" with the slave owner, Hafren already knew what was going to happen.

After all, this place is very close to Linhu Territory, and at this distance, it wouldn't be a problem to take away a large number of slaves.

But he's a demon! Could it really be that simple? Would he sacrifice the entire village in a bloodbath? Although Hafran also wanted to kill the little girl's slave owner and exact revenge, she both hoped for that outcome and didn't want to believe that Ryukyu would do the same thing.

Two conflicting thoughts battled within Hefleen's mind. In the end, she gave up trying to think it through and could only watch the little girl nod silently as she stood up, taking Ryuka's hand.

Could this guy actually be a good person?

"My lord, who is this lady?"

“She is a sinner, so I am punishing her.”

"A sinner? A bad slave?"

"Well... it's still a little different."

"My lord, why is there a thin string sticking out from under this woman's skirt?"

"Ahem, this is a way to punish criminals. Children shouldn't ask too many questions!"

Hefley blushed as she listened to their conversation, realizing that she was destined to be displayed such humiliation in front of this little girl. Luckily, the girl was too young to understand anything...

And Ryusha actually tugged at the rope that put her in the humiliating gap between heaven and hell right in front of the little girl, causing Hefleen to let out a delicate cry under the little girl's questioning gaze. She involuntarily squeezed her legs together and bent over, the humiliating posture making Hefleen feel extremely ashamed and indignant!

"Let's go, you sinner~"

This guy! He really is a demon! A wicked thing!!!

That guy! Sure enough...

Chapter 38 The 'CPU' of Heflelin

To Hafulen's surprise, after helping Sasha up, Ryusha released her from her restraints and even dispelled her fighting spirit. He then handed her the longsword and gestured towards the ground with his lip.

"Go ahead and dig. Weren't you so reluctant just now?"

After saying that, Ryusha turned her back and started chatting with Sasha, even taking out bread and fruit she had taken from the landlord's warehouse in the first village and giving them to him.

This guy!

Heflian gripped the sword hilt tightly. Although the other party was a high-ranking official, having the weapon in her hand, and especially with her fighting spirit rising, immediately made her more alert.

The two were only three steps apart, with the other person crouching on the ground with their back to them. If a sword were to strike their head at this moment, it would surely slice out the inside of that pretty little brain...

Heflian gritted her teeth, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly, and finally let out a cold snort as battle aura erupted from her longsword.

Then they dug up the soil.

This is definitely a trap! This despicable guy is toying with me, giving me a glimmer of hope so he can see how I'll fare after I fail, and then take the opportunity to humiliate me even more cruelly!

Heflian gripped her longsword and dug into the grave. With her freed hands, she imagined the soil beneath her feet as Ryusha's buttocks, digging hard with each stroke, imagining the demon boy suffering the same pain as herself.

Ryuka turned her head and smiled. After all the torment along the way, Hafulen had learned her lesson. If she didn't dare to act now, she might not be able to later.

"My Lord, why does my older sister look so angry?"

"Don't worry about it, that's just how she is. Sasha shouldn't imitate her, people who get angry easily age quickly~"

Hearing the teasing around her, Haifulian swallowed her anger and quickly dug the grave with both hands.

"Here you go!" Heflian coldly handed the longsword to Ryukyu, pretending not to care.

"Take it first. You want to personally handle the 'negotiations' with that slave owner, don't you?"

Ryusha squinted, like a fox, and her easygoing tone and attitude only made Hafulien more wary.

Indeed, after witnessing Sasha's tragic fate, Hefren had long wanted to kill someone. Especially after digging up the grave, her body, having warmed up, was yearning for a more satisfying release to vent the frustration she had felt from being bullied by Ryusha these past few days.

But this feeling of being left to her own devices made Hafulen uncomfortable. She clearly told herself that Ryusha's relaxed attitude stemmed from absolute confidence in his strength, and that he was not afraid of her sneak attacking or running away.

However, at this moment, Heflian's limbs were free and her fighting spirit had been restored. Her only weapon was also in her hands. If she didn't even dare to try, her sense of defeat would only intensify...

Liuxia knew this, which is why she used this incident as an excuse to give her freedom. Judging from Haifulian's conflicted expression, she probably wished she could be bound again.

After all, that would give her the psychological excuse of being 'tied up and unable to resist,' but now she can only blame herself for not having the courage.

That's right, that's exactly who she is—a carefree young lady/knight who is actually very sensitive inside.

After all, on a night when Hefren was exhausted and asleep, Ryuka tried to use magic to slowly decipher her diary and read through her thoughts over the years.

While some people say that serious people don't keep diaries, Hafley definitely did keep one seriously...

Her attitude towards her subordinates, her almost vengeful generosity, and her quick wavering resolve after setbacks all demonstrate that Hafley is far less mature than she appears.

Hmm... her imposing Heavenly Rank father, her family's adherence to neutrality, and her impulse to risk everything to secretly ally with the Third Prince's faction in order to prove herself.

Ryuu smiled knowingly. It was highly likely that Haifulian lacked love and recognition during her childhood because her father was too old-fashioned and strict. The strict upbringing and family style made her prone to exaggerating her own mistakes in her heart...

Well, judging from her outgoing and easygoing nature, which makes her more likely to mingle with men, it's highly probable that she was raised as a boy. However, after entering puberty, her father realized she was ultimately a girl and changed his approach to her, which likely led her to more urgently seek a sense of belonging…

In other words, to win her over, all you need to do is play the role of the 'father' she admires.

Well, if she knew what kind of clothes her father, General Alvarez, liked to wear, what weapons he used, and what kind of incense his room smelled like, she would inexplicably feel inferior to him.

Thinking this, Ryuka suddenly smiled and ordered Hafulen, who was struggling with whether or not to chop off her own head:

Haflian gritted his teeth. Was he really going to... in front of Sasha, this little girl...?

Are you kidding me! He has the sword in his own hand! Isn't he afraid of getting it sliced ​​off?!

But the ingrained habit of obeying orders over the past few days began to make her hesitate, and her knees involuntarily went weak.

Ryūka watched as her face flushed red, and she looked at Sasha with a humiliated expression, as if to say, 'Let her leave, and I'll do as you say…'

This guy has really gotten used to obeying me.

"That's not what I meant. What are you thinking in front of children? That's disgusting."

"Well!"

Hefren, caught in her breath by Ryuka's flippant mockery, gritted her teeth and cursed Ryuka furiously. Then, in front of the boy who was half a head shorter than her, she slowly bent her knees...

Then, a warm hand stroked the top of her head.

Although the hand wasn't big, the rough and careless way it touched her gave Haiflian a sense of déjà vu.

"Hafleen, you're a compassionate girl, which is why I chose to trust you and give you the opportunity to do what you want. Of course, I can understand if you want to raise your sword against me, and I will forgive you no matter what you do..."

ha?

Heflian was stunned, listening to Ryusha's inexplicable words, completely baffled as to why this crazy boy wanted to do this.

What does it mean to be a 'good child'? He's just a little kid in his own eyes!

However, a strange sadness welled up from the bottom of her heart, and for a moment, Heflin had an urge to hug Ryusha and cry.

But then she remembered her subordinates who had been killed by Ryūka…

*Slap!* Hafulen slapped Ryuka's hand away! She jumped up and yelled angrily at Ryuka.

"What utter nonsense are you spouting! I will never forgive you! Fine! You dare trust me then! Let's see if I'll stab you in the back!!!"

Instead of getting angry, Ryuka spoke in a tone as if coaxing a child:

"Haha~ Okay~ But if you lose, I'll punish you~"

Chapter 39 Please Take Responsibility, Miss Heflin

'Haflian is such a wonderful child!'

'I will defeat Dad and become the strongest general in the empire!'

'Haha~ Great~ When you grow up, you'll definitely be stronger than Daddy~ Ah~ Daddy was defeated by Heflin~ Hahaha~'

……

'Haferen! Why did you hit the prime minister's daughter!'

'That guy said I'm a girl and I hang out with the guards all the time! He even insulted my family!'

So you beat her up?! And left a scar on her face?!

'I was just giving her a little talking-to! Father, you said you'd uphold dignity, didn't you?'

'Anyway, you need to reflect on your actions! Also! You've reached the age where you should be more reserved! Don't be so close to your subordinates!'

……

Seeing Hafulian's red eyes, Ryusha felt a surge of emotions, but he wasn't angry at all. Instead, he acted as if nothing had happened, pulling Sasha up and gently asking her to lead the way for them.

It's normal for Hefren to be agitated, after all, there's a blood feud between them, but Ryuka just wants to keep provoking Hefren's emotions until they fade.