Chapter 394: Embrace Me, or Let Me Embrace You (Request Subscription)

“You despicable paladin!”

“Truly despicable!”

Luka Liyanushizhehebote ， Hendeyayangyang ， Zhibuzhudibaoyuandao ：“ Nizenmenengzhemeguofen ？ Nizenmezhemezisi ？”

“I’ve already made concessions—yet you still use her to pressure me!?”

Are you even a paladin?

No.

Are you even human?

The world works this way: some rejoice, others grieve; joy and sorrow never cross between people.

Smiles are conserved.

When Luka Liya ’s smile vanished, it didn’t disappear—it transferred to Herbert’s face.

The white-haired boy smiled warmly at the Mirror Sprite, shrugged, and teased: “Just tell me—does it work?”

“It works!”

Luka Liya answered quickly, angry yet cowed: “It works, so what!?”

“Even if it works, it won’t change how I see you! You disgraceful, lecherous shame of the paladins!”

“Despicable!”

“Lecherous!”

“Filthy!”

Herbert listened quietly to Luka Liya ’s verbal attacks, occasionally nodding along in agreement.

He wasn’t angry at all—quite the opposite, he almost wanted to laugh.

“Well, no matter what you say, as long as it works, that’s all that matters.”

When Luka Liya finally grew tired of yelling, he waved his hand with a smile: “No need to get so worked up—I won’t let you lose too much.”

A slap, then a sweet date.

The carrot-and-stick principle is simple, yet it remains a universal truth in many situations.

Herbert had initially demanded the impossible, rejected her terms outright, and after forcing her to compromise, he voluntarily stepped back, promising: “Don’t worry—your request will still be fulfilled. You have nothing to fear.”

“You lecherous monster-lover…” Luka Liya paused mid-insult.

She eyed Herbert suspiciously: “Are you serious?”

You’d be that kind?

Really? I don’t believe you!

“Serious, serious—I’m completely serious.”

Herbert nodded with a grin: “I’m a paladin, not a demon. Why would I do something so despicable? Don’t you agree?”

“I was just joking earlier—I never intended to force you. But your request for the number of people you can chat with still needs reconsideration.”

His smile faded slightly as he spoke seriously:

“I hope you understand my position—I can’t bring in new people to chat with you every single week.”

“You know what this place is. You know what ‘chatting with an Epic-level prisoner’ means.”

Not everyone can have Herbert’s mindset—calmly joking with an Epic-level monster girl, even harboring blasphemous thoughts.

Most people, upon seeing Luka Liya , are overwhelmed by her aura, reduced to trembling yes-men, some even fainting outright.

Even if Luka Liya suppresses her aura, not everyone can endure it.

“Finding suitable candidates is too difficult—I simply don’t have that many people on hand.”

Herbert gently explained his constraints, then offered an alternative: “But in return, I have some individuals who could become your long-term conversation partners.”

“Long-term? Who?” Luka Liya pressed.

If possible, she didn’t want to switch partners every couple of days.

When witnessing or crafting stories, she needed inspiration—seeking fresh souls.

But otherwise, Luka Liya still longed for a stable companion.

In the past, she never felt lonely, always wandering through mirrors, witnessing countless stories unfold.

Yet in these years within the Third Oath Prison, after reflecting on her past, she deeply realized how utterly alone she was.

She had no friend she could call an old companion—not one.

All that accompanied her were the stories she had witnessed over centuries, and the ones she herself had invented.

Seeing Luka Liya ’s reaction was better than he expected, Herbert smiled inwardly—he’d chosen the right answer.

“They possess sufficient strength, ample free time, and interest—oh, and shared experiences. They’ll surely become your close conversation partners for a long time.”

“Oh!”

Luka Liya suddenly realized who he meant: “You mean… the other prisoners?”

“Yes.”

Herbert nodded with a grin: “For example, Valentina. For example, Luciel. For example, the other prisoners in the Oath Prison.”

“If you’re interested, they can all become your listeners.”

“You don’t even need to limit it to two or three times a week—if they have time and mood, you can chat anytime.”

Lower the standard on one front, but raise it on another.

One up, one down—who can truly say whether it’s a loss or a gain?

Of course, it depends on the situation.

That kind of “cutting lunch breaks and salary, extending workdays and hours, forcing unpaid overtime to realize self-worth”—that’s not a deal. That’s divine blessing!

!!!

Luka Liya swiftly weighed Herbert’s proposal, then nodded firmly.

This was good.

If Herbert’s plan were carried out, it was far more advantageous than her original demand!

The cake looked delicious—but a new problem arose.

“But can you speak for them? What if they ignore you?” Luka Liya instinctively doubted.

She didn’t believe this boy had such power.

A plain, unremarkable jailer, barely legendary in strength.

Could he possibly command other legendary monster girls?

“Ignore me?”

Herbert chuckled at the question.

He didn’t defend himself—instead, he stepped aside, revealing the melancholy fallen angel behind him.

“Well? What do you think?”

Look at this—and ask again?

“...”

The Mirror Sprite fell silent.

She glanced cautiously at the weeping fallen angel, then quickly looked away, gesturing for Herbert to step back into place.

Ugh, bad!

She’d forgotten about this entirely.

If even a legendary Epic-level fallen angel obeyed him, how could other legendary monster girls possibly escape his control?

Of course.

A normal jailer could never have forced her into this situation.

Herbert was no ordinary jailer.

“Don’t worry—initial contact might be rough, but if you become friends, or even just acquaintances, you can chat freely.”

Herbert waved his hand, settling the matter.

In this currently explorable Oath Prison, he was absolute—tell them to go east, they’d never dare go west.

What about the hungry dragon, the mermaid, the vampire, the dark elf… every single one of them—do any of them disobey me?

Disobey?

Hmph!

If they disobey, I’ll just ignore them—before I lose my patience.

After presenting these generous terms, Herbert added his final card.

“And if even these people can’t satisfy your insatiable desire to talk, here’s one more option.”

He raised his index finger and pointed to himself with a smile: “Me.”

“You?”

“Yes, me.”

Herbert nodded with a grin, gently touching the mirror’s surface—the reflection mimicked his motion exactly.

To an observer, it seemed as if his palm connected with the mirror’s image, sharing warmth.

He lowered his gaze and whispered: “Luka Liya , if you wish, I’m happy to be your loyal listener and conversation partner.”

“I’m deeply interested in the stories you’ve recorded. Besides—you didn’t want to share them with me all along?”

As he spoke, Herbert himself began to smile.

Come to think of it—it’s rather amusing.

At first, Lykalia deliberately escaped to the Aurora Sanctuary just so Herbert could come often and keep her company.

In the end, after winding through a vast circle, she found herself back on the very path she had originally intended.

Perhaps this, too, is one facet of fate.

“...”

The figure in the mirror gazed silently at the one outside.

Lykalia watched Herbert with deep eyes, silently sensing the emotional fluctuations in him, evaluating in silence.

Is the boy before her an honest person?

The answer was somewhat surprising—yes, he had not lied.

Though he had concealed parts of his words, the boy had not hidden his greed, desires, or ambitions.

Herbert was indeed using her abilities to gain power for his own goals.

But wasn’t she, too, using him?

In struggle, there are no winners; in cooperation, there are no losers.

Their cooperation was, from the start, a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Is Herbert worth expecting?

Yes.

In Herbert, Lykalia saw an exceedingly rare trait—he was drawn by fate, and drew fate to himself.

The storm of fate was converging upon him.

In her past memories, every being with such a trait had become a tide-turner in the great currents of history.

Heroes. Warlords.

The savior everyone awaited. The villain others loathed and feared.

No matter their final fates, they would all leave their mark upon history.

Like brilliant meteors streaking across the night sky, illuminating a stretch of darkness.

Lykalia had an instinct that she would witness “an interesting story.”

Thus, her final answer no longer needed thought.

“Heh.”

The figure in the mirror laughed softly, reaching a hand out from the mirror to grasp the hand of the one outside—fingers entwined.

Lykalia gripped Herbert’s hand and smiled: “I accept your terms. I hope you won’t break our agreement.”

Huh?

After being suddenly struck by the Mirror Demoness’s unexpected “heart-to-heart challenge,” Herbert froze.

Miss, why did you suddenly grab my hand? Isn’t that inappropriate?

I’m quite conservative, you know!

But he quickly recovered, gently returning the grip and nodding with a smile: “Don’t worry. I never break agreements.”

Herbert was delighted.

Lykalia might be hard to deceive, but she wasn’t impossible to deceive.

As a Mirror Demoness who had seen countless beings, Lykalia was nearly the hardest to fool among all demon girls.

He had fully expected to pay a heavy price in this negotiation.

Yet the final outcome was that Herbert gained her immensely powerful special ability at nearly zero cost.

Was it Lykalia’s pity? Or did she have her own agenda?

Herbert cared—but not too much.

Whatever the Mirror Demoness planned, for now, the benefits far outweighed the risks.

With this two-way teleportation ability, his future plans could now proceed smoothly.

After reaching a friendly agreement with the Mirror Demoness, Herbert finally turned his attention to Luciel, who was clearly in distress.

The Fallen Angel girl looked utterly dejected, her wings drooping, her whole frame slumped.

“Luciel, what did you see in the mirror?” Herbert asked softly.

At his words, Luciel gave a slight reaction, slowly lifting her head to look at Herbert.

“I...”

She opened her mouth to answer, but seemed unsure what to say.

After a pause, she shook her head and fell silent.

Herbert observed her reaction closely, nodding thoughtfully.

“Hm.”

The boy narrowed his eyes at her, waited a moment, and seeing her mood unchanged, said slowly: “Luciel, hug me.”

Huh?

“...What?” The Fallen Angel girl froze, thinking she had misheard, instinctively lifting her head.

She saw the boy opening his arms toward her.

She hadn’t misheard.

But if she hadn’t... why?

She didn’t understand why Herbert chose this exact moment to make such a move.

“You won’t hug me, then?”

Seeing Luciel standing motionless, Herbert smirked, lowering his arms.

Then...

“Fine.”

“Then I’ll hug you.”

Herbert stepped forward and without hesitation pulled Luciel into a tight embrace.

From his back unfolded a pair of massive crimson wings, encircling them like arms.

Throughout this, Herbert said nothing.

Just as Luciel had not volunteered an explanation, he did not ask.

Everyone has their own reasons for sorrow; one cannot truly feel another’s pain.

Sometimes, too many words bring no comfort—only the opposite.

A silent gesture often brings more solace.

Luciel said nothing, so Herbert asked nothing.

All Herbert could do was offer her a warm embrace in her most vulnerable moment.

That was enough.

“...”

After initial confusion, Luciel bit her lips, raised her four arms, and clung tightly to Herbert’s body.

It was as if a drowning person clung desperately to something.

Moments later, just as Herbert was about to release her, he heard a whisper, faint as a mosquito’s hum.

She said:

“...The sun has set.”

(End of Chapter)