The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated

Chapter 835: A Special Era

“…”

At this moment, Diere fell into an unspeakable silence. Stared at directly by Shafney’s enthusiastic gaze, even someone as taciturn as her found it a bit overwhelming.

Shafney’s charm was universally effective, so Diere, like Shien, had kept a respectful distance from her during her stay at the Buztout House.

Not only Diere, even Riley, Vivian, Lumia, and the others had been intentionally avoiding Shafney.

However, the maids and servants of the Buztout House, seemingly captivated after seeing the Succubus when she dealt with Meldo, often lingered near Shafney’s residence.

Shien had even specifically ordered that no one was allowed near that area. Therefore, in the Buztout House, apart from Shien, Yulin, and Lilith, no one else saw Shafney.

During the past few days, when Shien and Diere were sparring, Shafney hadn’t been present either.

Only today, on a whim, did Her Highness the Succubus appear here, expressing her desire to observe, and thus discovered Diere’s unique nature.

Although Diere had been deliberately cautious, facing Shafney’s overwhelming charm, she eventually relaxed her guard, leading to the discovery of the secret she had hidden for many years.

Now, being stared at so enthusiastically by Shafney, Diere felt uncomfortable and involuntarily took a step back.

But this step, instead of diminishing Shafney’s interest in Diere, intensified it.

After all, what Shafney loved most were those who dared to resist her charm.

Diere was clearly wary of Shafney, which only increased Shafney’s interest in her.

“Possessing a Unique Skill of the same nature as Millu’s, and also receiving Lildas’s blessing. I never expected that in the Mitra Kingdom, there would be such a little genius. Even compared to Roselucia Mitra, you’re not that far behind, are you?”

Shafney smiled, taking a step closer to Diere, her voice filled with an alluring quality that she herself seemed unaware of.

“I say, how about following me, coming with me to the Demon Realm?”

My goodness, she was already starting to poach.

This proved that in Shafney’s mind, Diere had received a high rating.

“No, thank you.”

Diere refused without hesitation, her attitude decisive and straightforward.

However, this girl didn’t know that the more she refused Shafney, the greater Shafney’s interest in her became.

“I can help persuade my sister to let Millu train you, make you even stronger.”

Shafney’s words, spoken in a coaxing manner, left Diere speechless.

This was indeed what Diere desired most at the moment.

Coupled with Shafney’s unique charm, Diere was indeed somewhat swayed.

Shafney naturally noticed this and intended to persuade her further.

However, the iron hand of justice finally descended at this moment.

“You, you’ve only been behaving for a few days, and you’re starting to cause trouble again?”

Shien couldn’t stand it any longer. He reached out, pinched Shafney’s delicate cheek, and pulled her over.

“Ouch!”

Shafney cried out in pain, the enchanting smile on her face instantly collapsing.

Ignoring the witch’s struggles, Shien pinched her breathtakingly beautiful face and looked at Diere.

“If you’ve truly made up your mind, then I’ll handle things with Millu for you.” Shien said, sounding resigned or perhaps just helpless. “The Tripartite Conference is approaching, and the demons will soon arrive in the Human Realm. I’ll talk to her then, but don’t blame me for not warning you, that girl is really a bit dangerous. Following her might be quite arduous.”

Hearing this, Diere adjusted her mindset and then looked at Shien.

“I know.” Diere said calmly, “I’m prepared.”

“Alright.” Shien stopped hesitating and said directly, “However, your duel with the Knight Commander will likely be shortly after the Tripartite Conference. There isn’t much time for you to grow stronger.”

Back in the King’s bedroom, when Shien arranged the duel between Diere and Aldia, it was scheduled for after the Tripartite Conference.

Before the conference, Aldia indeed didn’t have the energy for any unscheduled duels.

As the kingdom’s direct subordinate and highest combat power, Aldia had to maintain perfect condition at all times, just in case.

If the duel with Diere caused any problems for Aldia, it would indeed have a considerable impact during the Tripartite Conference.

Therefore, Shien and Aldia agreed to hold the duel after the conference.

As for the specific time, it would depend on the situation after the conference concluded.

If everything went smoothly, it naturally wouldn’t take long.

Since that was the case, there wasn’t much time left for Diere.

“I know.”

Diere still maintained her calm demeanor, without much emotional fluctuation.

“As long as you’re aware.”

Shien didn’t say anything more.

After that, Diere turned and left.

Only Shien and Shafney remained.

“She’s gone, aren’t you going to let go?”

Shafney slapped Shien’s hand away, glaring at him indignantly.

“Who told you to poach my people?”

Shien didn’t feel guilty but retorted instead.

Shafney wasn’t to be outdone.

“Who told your people to be so interesting?” Shafney’s glare turned into a stare, her tone strange. “I really don’t know how you have such good luck. The women around you are each more interesting than the last. One is a Kingdom Treasure, deeply loved by the Divine Race and feared by the Demon Race, and now another little girl appears, not much inferior to that princess. Throughout human history, it would be difficult to find two such special talents, wouldn’t it?”

Indeed.

Not to mention anything else, just their Unique Skills alone were extremely special.

One could transform into a god, wielding the world’s strongest authority, recognized by the Holy Sword of Mitra, the first being in history besides the Hero to have the possibility of self-transcendence.

The other could transform into a ghost, possessing a power of the same nature as one of the Six Demon Lords, the Ghost Demon. Given time, she, a descendant of the Hero, could even grow infinitely.

Such potential, such talent, not to mention among humans, even among the Divine and Demon Races, there wasn’t a single one to be found.

The most feared aspect of the human race had always been the Hero. Apart from the Hero, other humans weren’t really considered much in the eyes of high-level powerhouses. The only ones who could be considered outstanding were probably the Thirteen Heroes from a thousand years ago.

But now, before Shafney’s eyes, there were two human girls who possessed potential far surpassing the legendary Thirteen Heroes.

The appearance of even one such genius could shake the entire Omnipotence, and now there were two.

Moreover, these two happened to be Shien’s first and…well, another wife, both from the Mitra Kingdom, both descendants of the Hero, and both blessed by the Goddess of Fate.

Even Shafney couldn’t help but marvel at this.

Shien, on the other hand, curled his lip.

“In this era, it’s not just the two of them who have become special existences.”

This was Shien’s thought.

Perhaps, in the eyes of those like Shafney, who had lived for a long time and witnessed the development of this world, the emergence of Lucy and Diere was considered a miracle.

But in Shien’s view, there were still other special existences in this world, no less remarkable than Lucy and Diere.

For example, the Erei survivor who manipulated Mara from behind the scenes, took the Branch of Rejuvenation, and had already become half a Transcendent Level existence.

And then there was Melika, whose ordinary life was changed because of him, gaining immense potential and abilities, and was thus brought back to the Divine Realm by Nadue, receiving the blessing of the Goddess of Nature.

The stories of these two were equally unprecedented in human history.

Just how powerful and special they would become in the future, Shien himself didn’t know.

As Shien thought about this, he noticed Shafney casting a meaningful glance at him.

With the ability of [Ripple Heart Demon], this Succubus, as always, read Shien’s thoughts.

Therefore, she said,

“This era has indeed seen the emergence of many special existences that didn’t exist before, breaking some of the long-standing rules of Omnipotence.”

Shafney’s voice was soft and low.

“Such a special era has never occurred, even when the Demon King and the Supreme God still existed.”

While saying this, Shafney silently added in her heart, “(The most special existence has actually also come to this world, or rather, returned to this world.)”

Thinking about this, Shafney glanced at Shien.

Perhaps, he was the center of the vortex of this special era.

Although everything about him didn’t originally belong to him, when they all converged and coexisted within him, he undoubtedly became the most special person.

Moreover, this special era might very well have emerged to accommodate his arrival.

After all, upon careful consideration, one would find that all the aforementioned special existences would eventually have more or less karmic connections and relationships with this special person from another world.

“(This situation, I presume, is not only noticed by us but also by the Divine Race, to some extent, right?)”

So, what actions would those goddesses take in response to this special era?

It wasn’t difficult to guess.

The Divine Race had always been the Hero’s loyal supporters; their existence was for the sake of the Hero.

In that case, the Divine Race would definitely continue in this era as Shien’s strongest backing.

However…

“(This Hero belongs not only to you but also to our Demon Race.)”

Shafney’s gaze towards Shien became intense, and she smiled sweetly.

“(We won’t let you steal our person, Divine Race.)”

Chapter 836: “What Has Blinded My Eyes?”

Shien naturally wouldn’t know what Shafney was thinking.

But he had a feeling this girl was up to something again.

At least, he noticed her burning gaze.

So, Shien couldn’t help but think…

“Could this woman be wanting it again?”

Shien felt he could oblige.

Although he had been teased quite a bit by this woman a few days ago, leading to some intense activities, and before that, he had also been quite busy with Lucy and Diere, leaving him feeling a bit drained for the past few days, several days had passed. Since he could spar with Diere like this, he had naturally recovered his vitality.

Even if this vitality would likely be completely drained if they really got down to business, this Succubus was simply too enchanting, always leaving him wanting more. But since there was a chance for some free fun…cough, cough…a chance for some enjoyment, Shien naturally wouldn’t refuse.

Anyway, this girl didn’t make him take responsibility, so why not?

As Shien was thinking this, he discovered that the gaze of Her Highness the Succubus beside him had changed from burning hot to murderous.

“…I’m going to the palace!”

Seeing that the situation wasn’t good, Shien immediately used Instant Movement to disappear, making his escape.

Leaving Shafney alone, gnashing her teeth in frustration.

But soon, she smiled again.

A beautiful smile, and also a chilling one.

“Do you really think you can take such a big advantage and not pay anything in return?” Shafney murmured, “Just you wait.”

Clearly, Shien had been targeted.

Unaware of all this, Shien teleported directly to the palace and walked towards Lucy’s chambers.

This princess had been acting strangely lately, giving Shien the cold shoulder for several days, leaving him unable to even see her.

Initially, Shien thought Lucy was genuinely busy.

However, after a few days, Shien discovered that this princess wasn’t busy at all but was instead slacking off in her chambers every day.

All the affairs of the Tripartite Conference were being handled by Ancil and Lia. Lucy, the princess about to be married, only needed to appear on certain special occasions and didn’t have to do anything else.

In other words, this woman was clearly free, constantly slacking off, yet she was giving Shien the cold shoulder, standing him up.

Intuition told Shien that this woman was also up to something.

“Looks like she needs some disciplining.”

The thought irritated Shien.

So, today, Shien was determined to assert his husbandly authority.

Otherwise, the women in his household were all becoming disobedient, acting as if they were above him.

With this in mind, Shien didn’t want to enter Lucy’s chambers through the main entrance. Instead, he used Instant Movement to teleport directly into Lucy’s room, giving the Holy Sword Knights guarding outside no chance to stop him or warn her in advance.

For this, Shien deliberately activated the superb concealment effect of [Inner Perception of Heaven’s Decree], masking his aura and magic power, stealthily entering Lucy’s room.

Upon entering, Shien was astonished to find that he had teleported to the wrong place.

“What’s going on?”

Shien was bewildered.

Unbeknownst to him, in Lucy’s chambers, the princess, whose specialty and dream were to slack off, was coldly humming.

“Three days. That idiot must have realized I did it on purpose and is now furiously coming to settle the score, right?”

It had to be said, the princess had a very good understanding of her fiancé.

But she wasn’t panicking at all.

Because Lucy had already used the power of fate, manipulating destiny, fixing the fate of “Shien will not be able to see her no matter what.”

Thanks to this, fate would operate in various ways, preventing Shien from achieving the result of “seeing Lucy.”

As for what would happen to stop Shien, that was none of Lucy’s concern.

Perhaps someone would happen to ask for Shien, making him too busy to see Lucy.

Perhaps an incident would suddenly occur, requiring Shien to resolve it.

Naturally, it was also possible that Shien’s Instant Movement would suddenly malfunction, causing him to teleport to the wrong place, unable to reach Lucy’s location.

In short, fate had been fixed like this, and various factors would definitely arise, preventing Shien from seeing Lucy.

Of course, Lucy’s revenge on Shien didn’t stop there.

She also manipulated another fate.

That was, whenever Shien wanted to do something mischievous, he would definitely fail.

It was possible that someone would suddenly appear to stop him.

It was possible that some other accident would occur.

Even, whenever Shien wanted to do something mischievous, he would definitely be unlucky and encounter frustrating things.

“This is your punishment. See if you dare to flirt around again.”

Lucy hummed, feeling smug.

It had to be said, this princess was indeed Shien’s nemesis. Although human, she possessed the power to manipulate fate, rendering Shien’s blessing, which granted immunity to the Divine Race’s power interference, useless.

However, at this moment, Lucy didn’t know that Shien’s [Supreme God’s Blessing] not only granted him immunity to the Divine Race’s power interference but also the protection of the world.

With the world’s protection, Shien could escape danger in any situation, turn bad luck into good fortune, and through various coincidences, encounter all sorts of adventures and opportunities.

If Lucy’s power caused Shien to be unlucky, the world would also immediately react, turning bad things into good things for Shien.

Just like now, Shien’s teleportation malfunctioned, and he didn’t arrive in Lucy’s room but instead arrived in a room where he definitely encountered something good.

“Splash…”

The faint sound of water echoed in the air.

Steam filled the surroundings, creating a white mist.

However, even so, this mist couldn’t conceal the spring scenery within the room.

“So comfortable.”

Lia was lying comfortably in a bathtub, her eyes closed, her skin flushed and moist, smooth and glowing.

Beside her, Charl, having removed her usual heavy armor, was completely naked, adding hot water to Lia’s bath.

“Your Highness, you don’t have much time left to rest. If you bathe now, will you be able to make it to your next task?”

Charl knelt on one knee by the bathtub in a rather compromising position, adding hot water while speaking.

“Don’t worry, even if I’m a little late, it won’t cause any major problems.”

Lia didn’t even open her eyes, leaning against the edge of the bathtub, stretching her limbs freely.

That posture, that figure, the mere hot water and steam couldn’t conceal it. The places that should be seen were basically all seen.

“Are you really sure it’s alright?”

Charl was still a bit worried.

“It’s alright, it’s alright. It’s not preparation work for the Tripartite Conference. Father has taken over all of that. What I’m dealing with now are the follow-up issues caused by Her Highness the Succubus’s arrival in the Royal Capital, like those citizens in the commercial district who haven’t regained their senses and are still clamoring to see the goddess, and confirming the contact and current status of the important figures from various powers who were affected.”

Lia spoke, her tone full of resentment.

“That hateful Hero, all he does is create trouble for me. Clearly, these matters are all his fault, but I have to clean up after him while he hides at home, flirting with Her Highness the Succubus. Since that’s the case, I’m going to enjoy myself.”

Lia’s words were filled with resentment.

“This… this isn’t really Sir Buztout’s fault, is it?” Charl said with an awkward expression, “The root cause is ultimately Her Highness the Succubus. Sir Buztout is also implicated. It’s already good that this matter has been resolved peacefully.”

Charl put in a few good words for Shien.

Unfortunately, Lia didn’t relent.

“Even if he wasn’t the cause, he still participated!” Lia said indignantly, “He’s actually hiding that Succubus in his house. Who knows if he’s already taken a fancy to her?”

“He probably… wouldn’t go that far… would he…?” Charl’s voice weakened.

For Charl, who hadn’t met Shafney, she still couldn’t believe that Shien would be captivated by her, or rather, she didn’t believe that the dignified Hero would be tempted by mere beauty.

“Why wouldn’t he?” Lia snorted coldly. “Just look at these past few days, that guy has basically stayed at home. Even Lucy doesn’t want to see him, and he’s still acting all nonchalant. I think he’s probably, like those superficial men, completely bewitched by that Succubus.”

The more she spoke, the more indignant Lia became.

So, the future queen of the Mitra Kingdom stood up from the bath.

“No, I have to find a time to go to the Buztout House and see what that guy is doing all day long.”

As she spoke, Lia, without putting on any clothes, stepped directly out of the bath.

“Your Highness! Your clothes!”

Charl quickly grabbed Lia’s clothes and chased after her, herself still naked.

The two just walked right past Shien, who was hidden from view, leaving him bewildered and still unable to comprehend what had just happened.

However…

“Such ample…assets.”

“Such fair…skin.”

“What has blinded my eyes?”

“Is it money?”

“No!”

These lines of dialogue flashed through Shien’s mind, making him feel a slight stiffening in his body, wanting to show some respect.

Fortunately…

“It’s a good thing I have [Inner Perception of Heaven’s Decree]…”

Shien touched his nose, confirming that there was nothing extra flowing out, before sighing in relief.

And this subconscious sigh wasn’t just in his mind, but spoken aloud.

“Who…!?”

Charl, chasing after Lia, seemed to sense something and abruptly turned around, her sharp gaze piercing towards where Shien was.

But naturally, there was nothing there.

“What’s wrong?”

Lia was startled by Charl’s shout, involuntarily hugging herself, stopping in her tracks, a hint of panic appearing on her face.

“…Nothing, nothing. I must have misheard.”

Charl didn’t find anything unusual and could only frown, coming to this conclusion.

Little did she know, Shien had already used Instant Movement to escape.

Yep, having enjoyed the unexpected view, he made his getaway.