Chapter 12: The Fated Trinity

“Ha…”

As a chill spread from his brow to his entire body, Herbert slowly opened his eyes and raised his hand to grasp at the air.

“Is this what it feels like to become a demon god’s Qiyuezhe ? Hm?”

Then Herbert raised an eyebrow and gripped the air again, uncertain.

Grasp.

Grasp!

Unyielding Grasp!

“...”

He furrowed his brow slightly, muttering in confusion: “Why do I feel like nothing changed?”

That’s not right.

That’s not how it works in TV shows!

When people turn dark, they get stronger.

At least tripled, no upper limit.

Down to punish bullies, up to punch open chaos.

Why does nothing happen to me?

The demon god silently watched Herbert’s exploration for a long while before finally speaking: 【“My ally, what are you doing?”】

“I’m exploring how much power a human gains after falling, and whether some great demon god is truly as generous as she claims.”

Herbert looked up at the ceiling, expression blank, and said:

“You give me zero abilities? That’s a bit hard to justify. If I die halfway, you lose your partner.”

Wow, I don’t even need much.

Just give me three or five thousand as a token gesture?

And you didn’t even give me a hundred!?

Nenasha couldn’t help laughing at Herbert’s complaint; she laughed until he nearly blushed red before stopping to explain:

【“First, I must correct you—you haven’t fallen at all.”】

“Huh… Huh?”

Herbert’s eyes widened, unsure how to react.

He’d assumed Nenasha was just stingy about granting blessings—but he hadn’t even taken the first step toward corruption.

So… is this my fault?

“Wait, aren’t you a demon god? I became your partner, signed the contract—doesn’t that count as falling?”

Herbert recalled the laws he’d seen during his investigation, quickly flipped open the scripture, and soon found the three sins that would kill any ascetic monk:

“Look here.”

The defiler who unites with a demon beast—flogged, then burned alive!—

The fallen one who signs a pact with a demon god—beheaded, then burned alive!—

The oathbreaker who breaks his vow—teeth pulled, tongue cut out, then burned alive!—

Even seeing these again, Herbert couldn’t help but complain.

Come on, are you ascetics or barbecue enthusiasts?

Why does every punishment always end up with a pyre?

This sect’s methods are unforgettable.

But…

The demon god dismissed it entirely.

【“What’s this supposed to be, falling?”】

“Isn’t it?”

【“Hah, of course not.”】

Nenasha sneered at those rigid commandments, then asked with deliberate weight: 【“If you can’t understand, let me ask you this.”】

【“In certain special circumstances, divine gods and demon gods have collaborated—so… were all divine gods fallen during those times?”】

【“Do demon gods become divine gods just by cooperating with humans, purified into saints?”】

【“Do you think that’s possible? Impossible!”】

【“Fall and purification are merely illusions, tools to control mortals.”】

Herbert listened to Nenasha’s words—they made sense, yet something felt off.

【“As for the sin of defilement—what defilement? Human ‘demon beasts’ are mostly just unique races created by various gods. Where is the evil or righteousness?”】

【“Among angels there are fallen killers; among demons there are peace-lovers. Can you generalize like that?”】

【“These commandments are nothing but iron chains binding mortals, shackles forged to control them!”】

A seductive whisper echoed endlessly in his mind, swirling through Herbert’s thoughts like a spell.

She was steadily implanting her philosophy, shaping his thinking.

But Nenasha was overestimating her influence.

Herbert didn’t need her teaching—he’d never cared for commandments to begin with.

“Stop, stop, I said stop—let’s get back to the point.”

Nenasha knew when to pull back; her seductive tone vanished instantly, replaced by a lazy, casual one:

【“Second, I have granted you a power—but not one for combat.”】

【“It’s… unparalleled charm!”】

【“Rejoice! With this charm, you will become irresistible to demon beasts—they will endlessly pursue you, desperate to claim you as their own!”】

Nenasha grew more excited, her voice trembling with enthusiasm:

【“And you can use this opportunity to approach them, absorb their power, turn them into your slaves, and gather your own servants!”】

【And right now, in this monastery, several powerful demon beasts are trapped together—if you find a chance to slip in, when you emerge, you’ll already be…】

“Wait, hold on.”

【“Hm?”】

Nenasha hummed skeptically, puzzled: 【“You don’t like this? Don’t lie to me! Your soul shows no resistance—you’ve never objected!”】

“That’s not what I mean!”

Herbert scratched his head, helplessly shrugging: “I know who you mean, and I could walk in anytime.”

“But have you considered one thing—I’m not their match!”

Hi, I’m Herbert, a newbie paladin.

Those demon beast girls aren’t just legendary—they’re epic. They’re beyond heavy vehicles.

They’re super-heavy freight trucks!

And I? I hate freight trucks.

I can’t even push one, let alone fight back.

If I charged in blindly, it’d be like throwing a meat bun to a dog—only one outcome: I get knocked to my knees, used as a shared Star Fury by all the demon beast girls.

【“My ally.”】

“Hm?”

【“Go on, I believe in you! You can do it!”】

【“You’ll win!”】

“But I don’t believe in myself!”

You believe in what?

【“Well, your problem isn’t unsolvable.”】

Fortunately, after her joke, Nenasha offered a solution:

【“I need demon beast materials—any part will do, the higher the quality, the better… With those magical materials, I can give you some small help.”】

“That shouldn’t be hard—I’ll check the prison tomorrow, see if I can scavenge some.”

After receiving Nenasha’s promise, Herbert exhaled in relief, about to thank her—then he remembered her earlier passionate speech.

“...Ah, so all that nonsense you just spouted was just to get me to do this?”

【“Hehe~”】

“So… now that I’m your partner, I’m inevitably doomed to side with demon beasts, betray my pure vows?”

Defilement, oathbreaking, falling—the three sins of the ascetics—I’ll commit them all.

What a perfect “Trinity”!

First flogging, then teeth pulled, tongue cut, then beheading, finally bound to the pyre!

Compared to me, even that Cheng guy looks like he got off easy.

【“You finally understand~”】

Nenasha chuckled, her voice sweet and innocent: 【“I meant to warn you, but you were the one begging to become my Qiyuezhe … It’s not my fault.”】

Ha, I believe you, sure.

【“At this point, you have no chance to turn back.”】

【“I won’t allow you to disappoint Nenasha.”】

“I don’t want to fail either.”

Herbert weakly curled his lips and grumbled, “After all, the one who’s going to be punished is me!”

Life and death are at stake; the pressure is immense.

Now I’ve got to think hard about how to conquer those dangerous demon girls…

At the same time, at this very moment, another strange feeling swelled within Herbert’s heart.

It seemed…

Everything had become interesting!

(End of Chapter)