My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 354 Loyalty is not absolute, it is absolutely disloyal

"Hey Roland, didn't we just see that great sage? Why didn't you stop?"

On the dragon's back, a magical shield blocked out the fierce winds. The Demon King, sitting on the dragon's back, turned his head to look at Roland and asked a question.

In the small town we had just passed, the great sage's magical aura was not concealed in the slightest.

Roland was speechless: "What's wrong with you? We didn't really come here to help."

"Moreover, so far, we haven't seen any assassins coming to kill us, nor have we witnessed any large-scale warfare, which means the mission is going very smoothly, doesn't it?"

"It seems that Lord Dracula was not lying when he said that the Blood Lord was buying time for the smooth implementation of the plan."

"In that case, our primary objective is to locate the prototypes as soon as possible and then eliminate them."

"Once we've dealt with the prototype, we'll look for a way to break free from mind control... So, have you found the prototype's location?"

The Demon King shrugged: "No, I can only confirm that we haven't left the vicinity of Heria City. And we're not within the city limits."

“I’ve looked at the map. There’s a mountain range between Heria and the neighboring Yalan. Although there’s an official road through the mountains, apart from the few hundred meters along the road, the rest of the area is still wild forest.”

"The mountains are home to a large number of magical beasts and wild animals, and are a popular destination for members of the surrounding adventurers' associations. The principle is the same as Blackthorn Territory: although there are many magical beasts and wild animals, there are not many powerful ones."

"However, apart from adventurer teams that come here to take on quests and make quick money, there's not much of a person around here."

Even caravans and pedestrians who had to take this route would try to get through as quickly as possible.

"Moreover, with the recent progress of the war, that road has been completely controlled by the Demon Clan's royal army. The troops from Yalan City have guarded the entire road, and their temporary camp is not far from the outside of the road."

Roland sighed and rubbed his forehead: "You mean I have to go to the enemy's headquarters to look for clues?"

“No need for that.” The Demon King laughed. “Once we get close, their disguises will be more than enough to keep outsiders in the dark.”

"But it's not so easy to completely ignore my senses."

"Even if we can't pinpoint the location directly, we can still clearly detect the hiding place by sensing the surrounding area."

"Just eliminate them one by one, it won't take long."

Roland turned to the Demon King: "You go by yourself?"

"How is that possible?" The Demon King shrugged. "Compared to my peak, I am now completely powerless."

"Although my magical abilities are equivalent to those of a sixth-circle mage, I have many limitations and weaknesses. I need a bodyguard."

“I think Cherlinina is a very good girl. Coincidentally, I still want to ask her about some things concerning the Cangya family.”

Upon hearing this, Roland looked at Cellina: "Nina, are you willing?"

“…It’s not a matter of whether I want to or not, it seems I’m the most suitable candidate, right?” Cellina glanced at the personnel composition and then sighed.

"You are the Grand Duke of the Empire, and putting aside your ostentatious appearance, you are sure to attract a lot of attention."

“Even people from the Vatican and the Society.”

"The Demon King's identity is sensitive. Even if the Vatican and the Society haven't shown any hostility yet, we still have to be careful. Moreover, if you go out of the city with her to look for things nearby, it's easy for someone to keep an eye on you."

"Polysia is unreliable too... Although she has no problem with strength and status, she is immature. The Demon King, an old fox who has lived for thousands of years, can completely fool her."

After saying that, Cellina looked at Roland: "I can accompany the Demon King to find the prototype, and to be on the safe side, it would be best if the two of us went down now."

"To be on the safe side, it's not appropriate for the Demon King and me to appear in the public eye with you before we find a prototype."

"And similarly... I also have some questions for the Demon King regarding family matters."

Roland sighed: "Take the badges I gave you, okay? Keep them safe. I can sense if they're triggered."

"I understand." The Demon King waved his hand impatiently, then looked at Roland and said, "Make this child fly slower and lower, otherwise it will be difficult for me to jump down."

“No need for all that trouble.” Roland laughed, and before the Demon King and Cherlinina could react, the two of them were on the ground.

Looking up, all that could be seen was a patch of eerie purple flame left behind by the bone dragon as it disappeared into the distance.

"What...what happened?" Cellina was completely bewildered. What had Roland just done? She was utterly unable to process what had happened.

After a brief moment of thought, the Demon King deduced Roland's method from the traces of magic remaining on his body: "Interesting, a time-stopping technique combined with this kid's teleportation spell?"

"Alright, little girl, stop overthinking. Get back to work. Even if we can't find the prototype's location, at least we can eliminate a misaligned address in advance."

The Demon King turned and patted Cherinina on the shoulder, then enveloped himself in a spherical, transparent shield, isolating himself from the outside world. He then pushed aside the bushes in the forest and walked deeper into the woods.

Cherlinina sighed, put on her hooded cloak, placed her hand on the hilt of her sword at her waist, and followed the Demon King into the depths of the forest.

However, unlike the Demon King, who was humming a tune and enjoying the scenery in an unexpectedly good mood, Cherlinina was rather impatient.

The reason she was willing to follow the Demon King alone was not entirely because she was the most suitable candidate, but also because of the Demon King's words.

Cangya family.

This word, which now only exists in her memory, remains a sensitive point in her heart even after decades.

The family's downfall was very simple and straightforward, without any hidden conspiracy.

The Demon King's Court only wanted to seize the two runestones that the Cangya family had entrusted to the Demon King; that was all.

This attempt even began when Cellina was a child.

Initially, the family wanted to hand over the runestone in order to survive, since the Demon King had passed away... The Cangya family, as guards, also needed to survive.

The Azure Moon Wolf Clan was not a powerful demon clan; it only rose to prominence during the Thousand-Year War because of the Demon King's trust and approval. After losing the Demon King and the powerful elders who had followed him, the Azure Moon Wolf Clan had no room to negotiate with the royal court.

But then… Celinina was born.

A talisman flew into her body and disappeared without a trace.

There is absolutely no way to retrieve the runestone unless Celinina is killed.

then……

Watching the Demon King's retreating figure, Cherinina couldn't help but recall that night when the snow was falling so heavily that she could barely open her eyes.

Wang Tingjun's legion commander led his troops into the clan's territory, setting a raging fire that would destroy everything in the freezing snowy night.

She could only run, head down, under the guidance of her loyal family guards and her mother, running and running...

People around me keep disappearing.

Perhaps they were taking advantage of the chaos to escape. Or perhaps they were staying behind to cover their retreat with their lives.

Finally, as they approached the border of the Kingdom of Hertzti, a federation of nations, even his own mother was forced to stay behind to create a final chance for her survival.

She survived.

But everything she remembered had disappeared.

She's still running.

Keep running.

Just so that I can reach a truly safe place.

Thinking of this, she looked at the Demon King... She knew that everything actually had nothing to do with this once infamous Demon King.

But... she couldn't help but wonder, if the Demon King hadn't chosen to entrust the runestone to the Cangya family for safekeeping, would there have been so many problems?

Just as she later thought, if she had discovered Wang Ting's needs earlier and ended her life... then wouldn't everyone in her family have been able to survive?

Although she hadn't thought about these things for a long time, the memories still inevitably surfaced.

At this moment, the Demon King stopped and turned to look at Cherlinina: "You have many questions for me, don't you?"

"But in reality, I've already told you everything I could tell you."

"After I realized the special nature of the Primal Runestones, I stopped being obsessed with collecting them."

"So I entrusted the two runestones that I had plundered from humans to the person I trusted most at the time."

"But now, I can reveal a little more."

"For example, the origin and function of these two rune stones."

"One of them, the one you have on you. I don't know its name, but its former owner was the invincible war god of the Holy Empire."

"Relying on the power of this rune stone, even though he was already one of the top experts on the continent, I was unable to defeat him in a short time, even though I had reached the God Realm. In the end, it was only by outnumbering him and with the cover of the Demon King's City's artillery fire that I finally wore him down."

"The other one, I got from a saint of the Vatican, as you probably already know."

"That saint was undoubtedly a truly noble person. Even though we were on different sides and hostile to each other, I still admire his character and ideas."

"But the rune stone on his body, unlike the one on the Invincible God of War, does not provide strong combat support."

"So he asked to speak with me, hoping to end this pointless war peacefully."

"But in the end... I persuaded him. In order to stop the crisis of world destruction, that saint chose to sacrifice himself and handed the runestone to me. I also kept my promise and did not pursue the defeated human army further. Instead, I chose to let the demon king's army rest and reorganize on the spot."

"But unfortunately, a talisman that can enlighten others and restore their faith and hope in the hands of a noble person will have a different effect in the hands of a treacherous person."

"This is the current state of the federation of nations."

"The power of that runestone is to guide the direction of the mind... at least that's what the saint told me before he died, and after his death the runestone lost its power."

"At this point, I also realized that even if it is given voluntarily, the rune stone will fall into dormancy after the original owner dies."

The Demon King laughed as he spoke: "I know the questions you want to ask me, and you also know very well that I don't actually know much about your family."

"The matter of the runes is simply that I want to find a trustworthy force."

"Regarding Wang Tingjun's previous decision... or rather, Wang Tingjun's behavior, at least in my opinion, it did not conform to the rules."

"At least in my opinion, the three royal courts of Blood Demon, Gargoyle, and Lich, while not exactly friendly with the Cangya family, will not do anything detrimental to the Cangya family out of respect for me."

"Although the Demon King's Court of Whipping Hearts has ambitions to collect rune stones, the act of activating the covenant and calling on all demons to search for rune stones and their holders is not something that one court can decide on its own."

"To invoke the formal covenant, at least six votes from the seven royal courts are required, and the patriarch of the Carrion King's Court retains a veto power."

"That's why I'm still unwilling to fully trust Danso."

“He had something else to hide from me, something very important.”

"Loyalty that is not absolute is absolute disloyalty."

"At the very least, the purpose behind the Demon King's Court's collection of runestones and even its intention to start a war is definitely not as simple as Danso said."

(End of this chapter)