Chapter 174

"Master, I indeed heard a voice coming from another cell."

Flora furrowed her brow slightly and said uncertainly, "But whether it was a hymn, I cannot be sure."

Even the demon sage, well-traveled and knowledgeable, dared not confirm whether that language, saturated with blasphemy and corruption, could be called a hymn.

"Different from other hymns?"

"Different, completely different—the lyrics are filled with blasphemy and mockery of the gods."

A fallen hymn?

Herbert raised an eyebrow, a faint stir in his heart.

The last hymn he had heard, though earworm-like, was no different from ordinary hymns—all praise and glorification of the gods.

But now, Flora said the lyrics had changed… and seemed to differ slightly from the earworm rhythms he had heard before.

"Can you still remember what the lyrics said?"

Unexpectedly, Flora hesitated at this moment; she thought carefully for a moment, then shook her head uncertainly.

"... No, I can't recall the exact words."

"I have a strong aversion to that voice itself—just hearing it makes me restless and agitated."

She didn't remember?

If before had merely surprised Herbert slightly, this discovery now startled him sharply.

A legendary-level demon couldn't recall what she had heard?

The fallen angel's power might be even higher than he imagined—or perhaps… her former rank before her fall was not low at all.

Then the question arises: how did I manage to remember those lyrics?

Could it be…

That I'm a one-in-a-million priest prodigy?

【"Me! It's me! Can't you think of me at a time like this!!!"】

The Hexed God interrupted indignantly, its shadowy tentacles jabbing fiercely at the sole of Herbert's shoe.

I!

That was my doing!

Are you pretending to forget just to pick a fight?

…Hey, you actually are!

"Hehe, don't get flustered, I was just joking."

【"Hmph!"】

Herbert knew well that most of his unique traits stemmed from his alliance with Nie Nasha.

It was through Nie Nasha's power that he gained special abilities from the demon girls and became who he is today.

Both had reached this point together—neither could have done it without the other.

After slightly appeasing Nie Nasha after his teasing, Herbert continued pondering the problem before him.

Pretend not to notice?

Or go straight for reinforcements?

Or risk meeting her first?

After a moment of silence, Herbert shook his head, then firmly nodded, sighing softly in his heart:

"... I still have to meet her."

That fallen angel is dangerous.

That is beyond doubt.

Even if she harbors no ill will toward him, her very existence is a threat to Herbert's life.

Not to mention, her true intentions cannot be confirmed at all.

To Herbert, the fallen angel was now a mysterious, dangerous explosive.

If possible, he did not wish to contact her so soon—but she seemed unwilling to let him off so easily.

If there had been only one or two anomalies, perhaps they could be dismissed as accidents.

But repeated anomalies clearly conveyed a message—to the outside world, or rather, to Herbert.

"I want to see you…?"

Herbert analyzed the situation and couldn't help raising an eyebrow.

So intense!

To be honest, he had never encountered such an enthusiastic demon girl prisoner before.

All previous demon girls—whether Valentina, already tamed into a loyal hound, or Fu Leimei, nearly tamed—had started off with poor attitudes.

Not entirely true—there was one demon girl who did crave him.

But that was Elisabeth, who craved his blood—she lusted after his body!

By the way, after spending some time with her, her image in Herbert's mind had completely collapsed.

From a somewhat dignified vampire prince, she evolved into a full-blown comedic character, forever slurping at his holy blood.

Truly too fallen.

A disgraceful, worthless vampire!

As for whether this fallen angel might show Herbert emotions beyond hostility?

Herbert could not be certain.

But since she had invited him so enthusiastically, if he didn't go, he'd surely be laughed at.

This is the Third Commandment Prison—she is the prisoner, and I am the warden.

What kind of sense does it make for a warden to be afraid of his own prisoner?

Back when his strength was weak, Herbert didn't dare to choose — choosing meant death.

But now his strength was worlds apart from before; if he still didn't dare to choose, wouldn't all that growth have been for nothing?

No way.

Charge in!

Let me go meet her!

I want to see just how many eyes she's grown on her head!

However, after settling on his next death-seeking plan, Herbert did not set out immediately.

Reckless is reckless, but not the kind that goes straight to his death.

Better to make a few more preparations.

This absolutely isn't cowardice — this is caution!

"Flora, can you grant me a blessing? One that protects the mind."

The petite succubus blinked, catching on to something, and, frowning at Herbert, asked: "You're going to see that one?"

Herbert nodded and said frankly:

"Sooner or later I'll have to go. Since she's invited me like this, I ought to at least take a look."

Seeing Herbert's mind was made up, Flora shook her head, offered no further persuasion, and instead asked about something else:

"But do you really want me to bless you? Aren't you a Holy Knight?"

She pointed at herself, then at the holy mark on the back of Herbert's hand, and spread her hands.

She clearly hadn't said a word, yet somehow seemed to have said everything.

You see how appropriate that is?

A demon and a Holy Knight — their pairing wasn't exactly fire and water, but it was the kind where meeting meant fighting to the death.

Me blessing you isn't a problem, but… can you really bear the price of being blessed by a demon?

Do you want to become a fallen one seduced by a demon?

But Herbert was utterly dismissive of all that.

You? You think you can make me fall?

Heh.

Let's compare — when it comes to falling, your attainments really aren't necessarily a match for mine.

Little sis, you still need more practice!

He curled his lip, then asked back: "Flora, are you evil?"

The demon frowned and shook her head firmly: "I don't think I am."

In her whole life, apart from her birth, she had basically nothing to do with evil.

Even when she had incited those slaves to rebel back then, she had her own principles.

Although a great many slaves died because of it, she didn't feel she had done anything wrong.

"Well, there you have it, then?"

Seeing her so firm, Herbert laughed as well, spreading his hands with a grin:

"Having a strong being who isn't evil bless me — what's the problem with that?"

Nothing wrong with it, right?

Thanks to Er Jiu Sui and Counterclockwise Distortion for the tips!

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(End of this chapter)