Becoming a wet nurse is not the end of the story.

Volume 8 Demon King and Priest: Chapter 17 Rose and Iron Blood

In the dimly lit dungeon, Lin Xueyin and Ailiya, led by a lizardman soldier, slowly walked through the prison filled with wails. The stench of decay and the damp, cold air created a nauseating smell that made Lin Xueyin frown.

Thinking back to yesterday, after Nana mocked Aria, she told her that there was a very strong knight in the demon dungeon. If she wanted to protect Lin Xueyin, she should go find that knight and have him teach her to become an even stronger knight. Only in this way could she become a qualified guardian knight.

"Yukine, you didn't actually need to come with me. I could have come by myself."

Looking at the girl in the holy priest's robes following him, the Demon King had forcibly removed the magic-suppressing ring from her wrist after they met yesterday.

In just a moment, the intense aura that erupted from her, though only for a fleeting instant, made Aria feel a suffocating danger.

The gap between herself and her was still so huge, which strengthened Aria's desire to become stronger. She guessed that Elufina had also seen her desire, which was why she told her about this powerful human.

"It's okay, I've been free anyway. It's been a long time since I've felt so carefree. I came out with you to see who Nana really admires."

As for the wails around her, Lin Xueyin chose to ignore them, especially when she saw some familiar faces. They were the ones who had led people into her house and attacked her without saying a word. If it weren't for the royal guards stopping her, she probably would have been seriously injured.

However, seeing them beaten to a pulp, I felt a faint, faint sense of pleasure. Sure enough, being with the Demon King made me become more and more wicked.

Yes, that's right, it's all the Demon King's fault. As a holy priest, how could I possibly have such gloating and revengeful thoughts towards Xuehen?

"It's Pastor Lin, it really is Pastor Lin, she's come to save us. Pastor Lin, we were wrong, please let us go, we really can't take it anymore."

"Huh? You've mistaken me for someone else. I'm not Pastor Lin, I'm a maid of the Demon King. Pastor Lin has been imprisoned by the Demon King."

Ailiya stared in horror at Lin Xueyin, who was spouting nonsense with a straight face. When did this girl become so dark? Had she not noticed before, or had she been led astray by the Demon King?

"Hey, don't talk nonsense. I can't save them. Besides, these are the nobles who injured me back then, hoping to use me to appease the Demon King's anger and were preparing to send me out. Nana said she would get revenge for me, but I guess you could call it her revenge."

Hearing Lin Xueyin's soft explanation, Ailiya frowned deeply. Although she couldn't agree with their methods, she was even more disgusted by their betrayal of Lin Xueyin. So she said nothing more and continued to follow the lizardmen soldiers leading her deeper into the underground prison.

"Shut up, all of you. You haven't been beaten enough, have you? Since you still have the energy, we'll give you another beating later."

The jailers, who had heard the commotion nearby, rushed over. They were about to bow when they saw the two girls, but Lin Xueyin stopped them with a look. She had just managed to quiet them down, and if they were to expose her, it would be even more troublesome.

Knowing that the princess did not want to reveal her identity, she simply lowered her head, made a silent bow, and hurriedly suppressed the hopeful nobles.

The Demon King gave instructions that these people should not die easily, but they should not live comfortably either. Their suffering should serve as atonement for their previous actions of harming the Queen.

"I said, when will you ever stop? If you have something to say, just say it. Kill me or beat me, but what's the point of keeping me locked up like this?"

A cold voice reached Lin Xueyin's ears even before she arrived. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she had heard it before.

As they ventured deeper, a cell that didn't quite resemble a prison cell gradually came into view. Why didn't it resemble a prison cell? Because the cell was very clean, clearly indicating that someone was cleaning it every day.

Moreover, even the bed for prisoners to rest on was kept very clean and had a very comfortable mattress. If it weren't for the fact that the place was a bit dark, it would probably be comparable to a hotel outside.

Lin Xueyin also looked at the small dining table in front of her, and the snacks on it were clearly not the kind of treatment that prisoners in prison should receive.

"Yes...yes...Duke Pandelina."

Arya stared intently at the woman inside, whose limbs were chained and who could only move within the prison. Although she was dressed in coarse linen, it could not erase her indomitable spirit. Her unyielding pride remained undiminished on her resolute and beautiful face.

"Holy crap, it really is Duke Penderina, but shouldn't she be in the north? Why is she suddenly here?"

Lin Xueyin looked at the Grand Duke in front of her in surprise. Back then, she was imprisoned and the Grand Duke wanted to clear her name. Now, the positions were reversed. The Grand Duke was the one in prison, while she had regained her freedom.

"Grand Duchess Pandelina".

Knowing that Aria could not speak first, Lin Xueyin could only speak to the woman known as the Iron-Blooded Rose.

"you are?"

Looking at the human girl dressed in the holy priest's robe, Pandelina could hardly believe that this was the same rising human she had met before, Lin Xueyin, the priest Lin.

"It's me, Yukine."

"It really is you. I never expected you to surrender to the demons. I really misjudged you."

Uh, Lin Xueyin was slightly taken aback. What did he mean by that? When did she ever join the Demon Clan? Hmmm, if you think about it carefully, she really did join the Demon Clan, but she was sold to the Demon King by the human race.

"Your Grace, that's not how it is. Please let me explain."

Ailiya didn't want Lin Xueyin to be misunderstood, so she hurriedly stepped forward, hoping to explain what had happened to Lin Xueyin.

"Hmph, what's wrong with that? Isn't it a fact that she's standing here right now? We humans can die standing up, how can we live a life of cowardice?"

"Well, actually, that's what you think, but many people would rather live on their knees than die." Lin Xueyin sighed softly. If all humans were like this duke, how could they have been defeated by the demons so easily? Ultimately, they became vassals of the demons.

Volume 8 Demon King and Priest: Chapter 18 Arya's Training

Counting the days, Lin Xueyin realized that she had been in the Demon Realm for more than two months. Every night, she played all kinds of games with Nana, which made her almost forget the passage of time.

During this time, Aria also learned combat skills from Duke Pendelina and even continued to practice her battle aura, constantly honing her own abilities.

Speaking of Pandelina, Lin Xueyin felt a headache coming on. Even now, Pandelina still harbored deep resentment towards her. It was understandable, given that Lin Xueyin was now close to the person who had nearly wiped out humanity. It would be strange if she didn't have any grudges.

However, although she could understand, Lin Xueyin still felt a little uncomfortable. Of course, she was very careful not to let the Demon King Elphielna notice this.

It must be said that Elufina really doted on herself. Even when many demons wanted to execute her, she still used a high-pressure approach to suppress all dissent.

However, as a guy, being pampered like this by a girl... well, while there's a tiny bit of secret joy, the majority of it is resentment. After all, always being protected by a girl is definitely not a pleasant feeling for a guy.

Unknowingly, she arrived at the indoor training ground of the Demon King's Castle. The shouts coming from inside made her pause slightly. Thinking of her friends inside, she felt that she hadn't seen them for a while. She pushed open the door and slowly walked in.

Pandelina frowned slightly as she watched the girl slowly walk in. Although she knew the girl was also a victim, she still harbored some resentment towards her.

Why are you here?

"I've come to see Arya."

Lin Xueyin did not confront Pandelina directly, but instead focused all her attention on her friend who was concentrating on wielding her weapon. Every shout she made gave the impression of giving it her all.

“Aria has great potential, and her previous teacher, Mavis, was also a very powerful knight. She has a good foundation and learns very quickly. I estimate she will graduate soon.”

Looking at Aria, who was sweating profusely, Lin Xueyin was silent for a moment. "You still hate me, don't you?"

"I wouldn't say I hate you, after all, you didn't want this to happen either. But to say that I don't have any resentment at all is a bit unrealistic. Your current status is really something I can't accept."

Looking at her priest's robe with a bitter smile, Lin Xueyin realized that although it was the same as before, her situation had completely changed. She used to be free, but now she was like a caged bird.

"Yukine, you've already gotten so close to the Demon King, you can't..."

"Absolutely not." Lin Xueyin straightened her back, coldly staring at the woman before her. Given her status, it was understandable for her to say such a thing, but Lin Xueyin wasn't the kind of person to be foolish enough to believe that the world would only be at peace once the Demon King was gone.

"I know what you're really thinking. Put away your unrealistic fantasies. Putting aside whether what you think is possible or not, just considering the relationship between Nana and me, I would never allow her to be in any danger."

"You are truly stubborn. The Demon King is evil, and good will always prevail over evil. There will always be a hero who will defeat the Demon King. At that time, you will be wiped out along with the Demon King, and even nailed to the pillar of shame of the human race."

For some reason, Lin Xueyin chuckled. She looked at the duke, who had a serious expression, with amusement. A hero? Well, she really wanted to know which hero had the honor of entering this place and defeating the Demon King.

"Duke Pandelina, I think if there are any heroes, it will be a long time from now. Whether we will still be here by then is unknown."

With an indifferent shrug, he continued to observe Arya's training, seemingly ignoring the confrontation between himself and Pandelina. Arya focused all her attention on her own cultivation.

"Your Grace, I don't know what kind of existence the demons are in your heart. However, some things are not so simple. I hope you can think about it carefully and act thrice before acting."

With a heavy slash of her longsword, she cleaved the suddenly appearing puppet in two. Aria gently wiped the sweat from her face before turning her gaze toward the direction from which the sound came.

"Are you tired?"

He gently moved in front of Aria and wiped away the sweat from her slightly bowed forehead, his gentle eyes radiating a tender light.

"Yukine, you don't need to do this."

"Of course it's necessary. You're probably not having a good time here. I need to make a show of strength for you so that no one will dare to bully my friend."

Aria sighed inwardly, glancing at the girl wiping her sweat. She really wanted to take her away from this oppressive Demon King's castle. Although she didn't know the details, she heard people talking every day about how the Demon King was constantly punishing this human priest at night.

"Yukine, is the Demon King treating you well?"

Huh? Slightly taken aback, Lin Xueyin had no idea why Aria would suddenly ask this question. However, she didn't know how to answer it, as it was a rather private matter. Her nightly activities, cough cough, sometimes, she couldn't talk about them.

As expected, although you acted normally, you did so many things against the demon race, it's normal for the Demon King to punish you. But why didn't you tell us, and only showed us your best side?

Looking at Lin Xueyin, who was stammering and unsure how to speak to her, Ailiya could only feel helpless in her heart once again.

As an observer, Pandelina was well aware of the inner turmoil her apprentice was experiencing. However, faced with a powerful enemy, no matter how hard she tried, she would not find any redemption and could only watch her friend step by step walk into the abyss, never to recover.

"Aria, don't worry, I'm fine. Nana won't do anything to me. You don't need to worry about me."

Lin Xueyin gently placed her hand on Ailiya's chest, feeling the vigorous heartbeat inside. Her mind was free of any distracting thoughts, and she didn't feel anything particularly soft or comfortable.

"Of course you're wonderful, how could I possibly let you suffer any injustice?"

A cold voice came from the doorway, followed by Elufina with a cold expression. Elufina was furious that Lin Xueyin had secretly come to see her friend.

Thank you so much to reader @凌の绫 for the generous donation! I'm truly grateful. As the author, my abilities are limited, and I feel I haven't done justice to these generous donations.

Volume 8: The Demon King and the Priest: Chapter 19 The Sculpture

Looking at Elufina, whose pretty face was cold and aloof as she walked in, Lin Xueyin felt inexplicably guilty, even though she really hadn't done anything wrong.

Suppressing her fear, she looked up at Elufina again, only to find her already standing before her. Her cold, beautiful face made her only dare to fidget with her fingers, and she lowered her head again.

"What, feeling guilty?"

His fingers gently touched the girl's round chin, slowly lifting her pure and pretty face. Her full and soft cherry lips trembled slightly, as if enticing him to savor them more deeply.

"No, no, but weren't you busy with something? Why did you suddenly think of contacting me?"

Turning his head to the side allowed him to avoid Elufina's mischievous finger that was groping his chin, but it also made Elufina chuckle.

"Little girl, are you jealous?"

"Huh? What clue led you to this answer?"

"Your face tells me you're jealous, little girl, you're jealous."

Gritting her teeth, Lin Xueyin glared at the woman emitting that irritating laugh. She desperately wanted to bite down hard on the hand the woman was using to cover her mouth while laughing. However, remembering the positions the woman had made her into the previous night, Lin Xueyin decided that her survival instincts were still strong.

"Little girl, alright, I know you've been a bit bored in Demon King's Castle lately. Once I'm done with my work, let's go out for a stroll."

"Huh? Really? We're going out for a walk together? Um, how about we bring Aria and the others along?"

Upon hearing that Elufina was going to take her out, Lin Xueyin's eyes instantly lit up with excitement. Her expectant gaze made Elufina wonder if she had been too strict with her before, making her so bored.

"Okay, don't worry, I'll take you out once I've resolved the problem with the Cursed Temple."

"The Temple of Curses, ah, I wonder when that will be resolved."

Lin Xueyin had been with Elufina the whole time, so she naturally knew what Elufina was busy with. However, the matter was indeed quite troublesome. After all, it was a religion that had a deep-rooted following among the demons, so it wouldn't be so easy to abolish it.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it as soon as possible."