Chapter 362: What Is Your Desire (Please Subscribe)

Liukaliya cracked.

Not a mental breakdown — a literal, physical crack.

That round mirror split in two, with Rushill and Herbert each holding a half, casually pinched in their hands.

Of course, her spirit didn't escape unscathed either — it cracked just the same.

Why didn't anyone tell me he could bring prisoners from other floors into different cells!?!?

Earlier, after being firmly refused by Liukaliya, Herbert said nothing more and simply opened a portal leading into the Mirror Space.

You won't let me look, right?

Fine.

Then I'll do it myself.

Without another word, Herbert grabbed the sword-bearing guard Rushill, seized Liukaliya's avatar, and in the most unreasonable manner possible stormed straight into the Mirror Space.

When the Fallen Angel descended within the Mirror Space, Liukaliya realized she had been wrong.

This Fallen Angel wasn't as strong as she had imagined — she was… far stronger.

Almost unreasonably so.

Being able to blink-teleport was forgivable — the strong always had some special movement tricks.

But still!

Once or twice would be understandable.

How can you keep teleporting forever!?!?

Swoosh swoosh swoosh—

Within the Mirror Space, Rushill displayed a terrifying teleportation-blink ability, vanishing again and again, then reappearing out of thin air somewhere else.

Each time, every confinement array Liukaliya had painstakingly prepared was rendered useless, and she could only watch helplessly as they casually slipped through her Thousand-Mirror Net.

Is this right?

Friend, does your teleportation ability really have no limit at all?

Whether to show off or to prove her strength, Rushill simply let her wings droop and held Herbert against her chest with all four hands.

She neither flew nor walked, choosing instead to teleport the whole way like a pure display of skill.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh—

Feet never touching the ground, she darted about the Mirror Space with Herbert — and kept heading in the right direction all the while.

The painstakingly constructed Mirror Labyrinth didn't work in the slightest!

Wait — how are they not getting lost!?!?

Absurd. Truly, utterly absurd.

Although the Fallen Angel hadn't shown any proper offensive power, this ability to teleport infinitely was enough to raise her danger rating in Liukaliya's mind to the highest level.

This was truly an opponent she could never defeat no matter how hard she fought.

Facing such an enemy was nothing short of a nightmare.

Catch her — can't catch her.

Run — can't run.

Unless one could tank it head-on with raw personal strength, the odds were overwhelmingly stacked toward death.

Unfortunately for her, Liukaliya wasn't a combat-specialized type.

If not for the Mirror Demon Young Lady's instinctive grasp of spatial laws, constantly shifting about within the Mirror World, her true body would long since have been attacked point-blank.

Even so, the Mirror Demon Young Lady didn't last ten minutes — she raised the white flag early, surrendering on her own accord, and actively dissolved the Mirror Labyrinth, throwing the doors wide open to welcome the two unwelcome guests.

I surrender!

I'm done playing!

After dozens of rounds of cat-and-mouse, Liukaliya also realized that Herbert and his companion harbored no real malice — they were simply toying with her out of sheer whimsy.

The Mirror Space, though it claimed the mirror spaces within could extend infinitely, still had its own rules and a discoverable end.

Especially as a "pendant," Liukaliya, viewing things from her avatar's perspective, gained a deeper understanding of Herbert and his companion's intentions.

By the fifth minute, they had already possessed the ability to teleport directly in front of her — yet they deliberately held back.

Like cats toying with a mouse, they would teleport to a spot not far from her and watch with amusement as she fled in a sorry state.

That's right.

They simply wanted to see her "powerless to resist" pitiful appearance.

These two really do have terrible personalities!

To avoid further humiliation, Liukaliya finally gave herself some dignity and chose to surrender on her own rather than be forcibly caught.

Before her true body, the Liukaliya in the mirror stared at Herbert with deep grievance.

Is this proper?

Can a Warden privately let prisoners run loose?

Someone tell me!?!?

And can a Warden take prisoners to other cells to commit crimes?

Answer me!

In the end, Liukaliya couldn't hold it in any longer and muttered, "This violates the rules of the Penitentiary. This is dereliction of duty! This is letting a criminal harm others!"

Hm?

Herbert paused at this complaint, then couldn't help but laugh.

Listen to this — just listen! How refreshing!

A prisoner lecturing me, the Warden, on the law.

If Herbert were a truly legitimate Holy Knight, he would at this moment carefully explain the "compliance and legitimacy" of his actions to Lucalilia, using eloquent words to prove his innocence.

But he isn't.

Herbert is a rather unorthodox Holy Knight.

"Rules?"

Herbert smiled at the remark, winking at his reflection in the mirror: "Don't you understand? Right now, in this prison, my word is the rule."

My rules are the rules!

Young Lady, if you think I'm a dark force, then today I am.

Fatty, aren't you going to support the vessel?

"... Hmph."

Ultimately, under Herbert's (Lucil's) intimidation, the Mirror Spirit Young Lady ceased arguing, merely letting out a cold snort and falling silent.

Lucalilia fell quiet, and Herbert finally turned his attention to the mirror before him.

"Is this your true form?"

He glanced at it and couldn't help exclaiming: "No way, this is pretty cool! Why hide it from everyone?"

It was a massive oval full-length mirror radiating an ancient aura, resembling a dressing mirror, yet larger than ordinary doorways, like a giant wall.

The mirror's frame, like obsidian, was carved with silver vines, their silvery-mystic luster seeming once alive with vitality.

The vines stretched outward—not the work of mortals, but as if frozen in place by some great power at a single moment.

The ancient mirror, interwoven in black and silver, drifted gently within the Mirror Realm, emitting a faint ghostly light that illuminated a patch of darkness.

After growing accustomed to the monstrous or terrifying true forms of demon girls and powerful beings, seeing such an ancient mirror stirred in Herbert a sense of "simplicity."

Though he never doubted Lucalilia's strength, this appearance... was it too unremarkable?

Lucalilia saw the thought in Herbert's eyes and couldn't help complaining: "Hey! What's that look for? Don't stare at my true form with such a disappointed expression!"

I'm just a mirror. So what?

What's wrong with being a mirror!!?

"No, I'm not that disappointed—it's just that this looks a bit too... uh, Lucil, what do you think?"

Herbert couldn't think of a suitable adjective and prepared to let the blunt, sword-bearing attendant speak frankly for him.

But the previously obedient and sensible Fallen Angel Young Lady said nothing.

"Hm?"

Herbert turned to look at Lucil and found her staring at the mirror with a complex expression, utterly absorbed—beneath her black eye patch, traces of liquid had seeped out.

What!!?

Lucil is crying?

"Lucil!"

Shocked back to awareness, Herbert hurried forward to awaken her.

"I advise you not to disturb her now."

The Mirror Spirit's calm voice halted Herbert's movement.

"She's probably seeing something she's longed for for ages. Even you—if you interrupt her—she might not say it aloud, but she'll surely resent you deeply."

Herbert frowned slightly, slowly withdrawing his hand, and looked at the half-mirror in his palm: "What did Lucil see?"

Did Lucalilia do something?

Is this her trump card—some method to forcibly control Lucil?

But... the Mirror Spirit Young Lady didn't seize the chance to attack Herbert. Instead, she shrugged indifferently: "Who knows?"

"Everyone who sees my true form sees only what they desire. How would I know what she longs for?"

Lucalilia carelessly tossed aside the Fallen Angel she had previously "licked" for so long, her interest now fixed on Herbert: "Instead of worrying about her, you'd better worry about yourself."

"Me?"

Herbert blinked, tilting his head curiously: "What about me?"

What's wrong with me?

"Yes, you! What's going on with you?"

Lucalilia stared intently at Herbert, searching for clues, puzzled: "What did you see? Why aren't you affected at all?"

Strange.

At this moment, Lucalilia's curiosity toward Herbert officially surpassed her curiosity toward Lucil.

This boy has secrets.

Big secrets!

Before her innate talent, even this special Epic Fallen Angel was affected—but this boy completely ignored it.

"You didn't see anything?"

Lucalilia hesitated, speaking strangely: "Could it be... you have no desires at all?"

That can't be right.

Did my talent malfunction?

How could this guy have no desires at all!

"You mean me? I..."

Herbert tilted his head toward the ancient mirror, and the surface, which had never reflected anyone before, finally reacted.

"... Huh?"

After staring for a moment, Herbert hesitated, letting out a soft exclamation: "Er, this is impossible, but I'll ask anyway... uh, is this mirror, by any chance, a surveillance device?"

"What?"

Mirror Demon Young Lady was bewildered, not understanding what Herbert meant.

"I mean... why are there so many screens?" Herbert asked, puzzled.

At this moment, Herbert felt as though he had skipped decades of detours, gone straight into the neighborhood, and become an old security guard uncle watching monitors in a surveillance room.

In his eyes, the mirror's image was split into several completely different screens, all of them live-streaming videos.

Valentina smacking her lips in deep sleep, Fu Leimei spraying water from her mouth like a fountain statue, Eliza licking with her head stuck into the Holy Blood jar, Kreti writing long poems cursing demons in her little notebook, and Flora coldly watching all of this from the shadows behind her... plus several other scattered small screens.

And that one... eh? Is this Swanny's True Weight body?

A wheat-skinned elven girl was tinkering with various models of "Swanny" units, big and small.

Even though every Swanny shared the same face, the subtle differences gave each one a distinct feeling.

And when Herbert looked at her carefully, the screen automatically zoomed in while the others shrank and faded away, just like a surveillance feed.

At the same time, Swanny was the only one who had a special reaction.

Swanny instinctively frowned, looked cautiously around, trying to find the prying gaze.

After carefully surveying her surroundings, she actually slightly raised her head and stared straight "at" Herbert!

!!?

The awkward feeling of being caught peeping made Herbert instinctively exit the single-gaze state and return to the previous multi-screen view.

Did Swanny notice?

Herbert hesitated at first, then quickly realized something was off.

Not right!

That's not the point.

The True Weight point is—this feed is really live!!?

Herbert withdrew his gaze and asked in a low voice: "Did you see that? She seemed to have sensed it!"

Herbert was serious, but Liukaliya appeared quite nonchalant: "Herbert, I already told you, a mirror cannot see itself."

"Mirror demons can only exist by relying on others' reflections, mimicking their movements; they cannot see themselves."

"If you really want me to help clear up your doubts, you should tell me now—what did you see?"

"I saw... wait, what's that?"

Herbert looked at the ancient mirror again, staring at one of the screens that looked somewhat unfamiliar.

That place is—Elda!!?

In the screen, the half-blood girl Teresa had returned to her normal human form, sitting cross-legged by the water, gently combing her hair.

A girl by the water—this should have been a beautiful scene.

But after Herbert saw this, a strange thought suddenly rose in his heart—reach out.

"..."

He hesitated for a moment, then without thinking, reached his hand straight toward the mirror.

Without any resistance, Herbert's palm actually sank into the mirror surface—no, that's not right!

It—directly appeared inside the screen!

Herbert's hand emerged from the water's edge, just a few centimeters behind Teresa!

Splash.

The faint sound of water breaking the silence by the water made the girl, who was humming while combing her hair, vaguely sense something.

"Hmm? What was that sound?" she wondered, about to turn her head.

Just as Teresa was about to turn around, the hand behind her suddenly shot out, grabbed her waist, and dragged her straight into the water.

Splash!

"Wha—ah!!?"

"Hiss!"

Herbert found himself face-to-face with the girl he had just yanked over, and couldn't help biting his lip and sucking in a cold breath, tentatively offering a greeting.

"... Uh, hi?"

!!?

"Uh uh!"

Caught completely off guard, Teresa fell into total confusion, able only to produce incoherent questioning sounds.

"I, uh, ah!!?"

Herbert watched the girl's stammering, flustered state, and suddenly calmed down, a thought flashing through his mind.

So, this is what it feels like to be a water monkey?

(End of chapter)