Chapter 72: Are You a Devil? (Bonus Chapter 33)

Her first formal conversation with the Devil Young Lady did not go well.

She was uncooperative.

Perhaps it was because she was shy.

"How could I possibly be shy over something like this! Sigh…"

Crete sighed in silence, rubbing her temples with her fingers, slightly headache-ridden.

"Oh?"

Herbert asked in surprise: "Can you read minds?"

Wow, is that really that powerful?

"Of course not! But have you looked at your own expression? You've written everything you wanted to say right on your face."

Crete narrowed her eyes, looking uncertainly at the knight before her.

Since she first noticed Herbert, she had been observing him.

Observing every movement, sensing every word he spoke.

Crete believed no mortal could escape her gaze.

But now, she was beginning to doubt herself.

Was this new warden truly a Holy Knight?

From him, apart from his virtuous appearance and that dazzlingly pure blessing, she saw no quality matching it.

Cunning, deceitful, ambitious, confident—even arrogant… He resembled a skilled Devil Contracter far more than a Holy Knight.

He had the audacity to come personally to the Bronze Fortress to meet her, completely ignoring her invisible seduction.

And most importantly, the noble aura on him—even his charred garments could not conceal it.

This was a noble.

Yes!

A young noble, ambitious, dissatisfied with his current state, and persecuted!

It was truly… perfect.

People like Herbert were Crete's favorites!

They were the easiest to seduce, the most convenient to guide.

They were already standing at the edge of the Abyss; a gentle push from behind would send them tumbling straight into the bottomless depths.

No.

Not even a push was needed—just a whisper, a fleeting illusion of hope, and they would leap in themselves, eager and desperate.

That should be correct.

But this man before her… gave Crete a different feeling.

He appeared full of flaws, yet there was a sense that "if you strike first, you'll fall into his trap."

Was he truly as he appeared?

"Heh… no, it's better if he's different!"

Difference makes it challenging.

Crete lightly licked her red lips, feeling a long-absent ripple stir within her boredom.

As an excellent hunter, she loved nothing more than a superior prey.

This man before her was a challenging, perfect prey!

Crete was eager to seduce him.

To make him fall!

"…Huh."

While Crete observed Herbert, she herself was being observed.

What was that saying again?

When you gaze into the Abyss, the Abyss gazes back into you.

Herbert observed the Devil Young Lady, silently analyzing her, and ultimately reached a conclusion.

"This one… won't be easy to convert…"

From Crete, he sensed an extremely terrifying malice.

And more than that deep evil, what left the deeper impression was its purity.

Pure malice.

Not the kind born of persecution and twisted into madness, but her nature itself.

Inherently evil.

She showed no burden or remorse for past sins—only boredom.

And now, her boredom had vanished—she had a new target.

So, who exactly would that target be?

Hard to guess!

"Caught so quickly? You're this eager to make me fall? Am I really that alluring… huh."

Afraid?

Not at all…

Herbert wasn't afraid at all; his heart was perfectly calm.

When lice pile up, you stop feeling the itch.

So many people are watching me—what makes you special?

Never mind others—just consider that so-called Miss Xie Shen, who never behaves properly in daily life.

Would She tolerate something like this happening?

Impossible.

She might casually watch other matters unfold like a play, but when someone digs at her foundation, she absolutely won't sit still!

You, go fight Nie Nasha first.

You go eliminate Her!

Only the one among you two who wins has the right to covet me!

Moreover, the very idea of "making Herbert fall" is itself a false proposition.

He's already a fallen one bound by a pact with Miss Xie Shen—how could he fall further?

It can't be a good fall, can it?

But I'm a holy knight who took a sacred vow—how could I fall well?

It can't be an evil fall, can it?

So, there's a bug~

In this regard, I'm invincible!

The current situation is quite interesting.

Cretei felt she held all the cards and could easily take down Herbert.

And Herbert also felt himself invincible, utterly unafraid.

At that moment, the two scheming individuals simultaneously felt they held the advantage, exchanged glances, and both smiled knowingly.

"Heh."

"Hehe…"

Boom!!!

A piercing roar shattered their stare; flames and tremors shook the entire fortress.

Herbert raised an eyebrow, knowing the demon was throwing stones again, and asked: "What's she doing?"

But even if this were useful, it'd be fine—but right now, isn't it obvious this is useless?

If it's useless, then why is she throwing it?

"She's just gone mad."

Cretei sneered, scoffing: "Demons are trash—they go mad for half the year every century; you get used to it."

Demons and devils have always been at odds, unable to stand each other.

Demons think devils are hypocritical weaklings; devils think demons are mindless Bai Chi.

The two have been fighting since they met, for over ten thousand years, with no resolution.

Herbert was confident in his suspicion: the monastery locking these two together was the greatest punishment for them both.

"Gone mad…?"

Herbert narrowed his eyes, thinking for a moment, skeptical of this explanation.

Because when he first came here with the archbishop, the demon lady was one of the few prisoners who seemed perfectly normal and easy to talk to…

Then, out of nowhere, with no one interfering, she just screamed and went mad?

That doesn't make sense.

This is a sealed room, so the only possible suspect here is one person.

"Did you provoke her?"

"Me?"

Cretei blinked, snorted, and said casually: "Sort of. She was bored and throwing things at me, so I kept chanting sutras right next to her ear."

"Chanting sutras?"

"Here, look—this is the sutra I swindled from a legendary Wu Seng back then. Something about liberating souls, I think."

After flipping through it and confirming it was genuine, Herbert blinked, unable to help remarking: "Wow, you're a devil, aren't you?"

Doesn't reading it yourself give you discomfort?

Hurting others but harming yourself…

A thousand for them, eight hundred for you, right?

"Of course I am!"

Cretei sneered triumphantly, then returned to the subject: "Alright, let's stop worrying about her. Herbert, I have a question for you."

"Hmm?"

The devil's violet eyes fixed on the boy; her red lips parted, and she asked softly:

"You…"

"Do you crave power?"

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(End of Chapter)