"Fan Qiandai, hand me the modesty cloth now!"

"A-ah, o-okay!" Wiping her tear-streaked face, Fan Qiandai passed the cloth to me.

If my idol had built a harem, he must be a fellow connoisseur of H-stuff. If he discovered I was male, my grand plan would be ruined!

Ryosuke snatched the magic scroll in a panic. Ignoring Fan Qiandai’s distress, he lifted his skirt right there in public, revealing a certain bulge. With swift, practiced motions, he secured the scroll beneath his clothes, then took a deep, calming breath before roaring:

"Operation Hawk S—commence!"

"Yes! Ah? What Operation Hawk?" Fan Qiandai jumped in surprise.

"Eh, just a codename! Don’t worry about it. Hand over the strongest single-target fire scroll you’ve got!"

"No, sir! You can’t mean to melt the ice with fire!"

"Huh? Isn’t melting ice with fire basic常识?"

"It won’t work! The Iceflower Evil God Dragon’s mastery of ice magic surpasses every ice mage on the Reno Continent combined. Dragonkin weave spells into their draconic tongue—casting magic as instinct. This ‘Sigh of the Evil God’ freezes flesh and soul together. Fire might melt the ice, but His Highness’s soul would vanish with it!"

*Sigh of the Evil God? More like the Evil God’s rage!* Ryosuke seethed inwardly.

"Then what the hell do we do?!"

"There’s no saving him… Waaah! Your Highness!!!" Fan Qiandai wailed, fresh tears streaming down.

Ryosuke frantically scoured the Demon Dragon’s memories for a counter-spell. After a splitting headache, he realized: this magic was irreversible.

*Sigh. So it’s truly hopeless. My idol… killed by my own hands. How laughable—I actually thought roasting him would work.*

*This blunder’s gone too far. No way to fix it now.*

Watching Fan Qiandai kneel before the ice sculpture, sobbing brokenly, a trace of sorrow rose in Ryosuke’s chest. Unthinkingly, he opened his arms and said calmly:

"Fan Qiandai. Cry in this lord’s embrace."

Tears like pear blossoms glistened on Fan Qiandai’s face as she gazed at Ryosuke—dressed as a woman more beautiful than herself. A memory surfaced: years ago, her parents lay bleeding in the dirt after assassins struck. As she wept helplessly, a red-haired youth appeared, wrapped her in his arms, and held her tight. From that moment, she vowed to become his shadow—to protect him, even rising to an A-rank member of the Orange Division, second only to its leader. But what did rank matter now? His Highness was gone.

*Why?! The Crimson Mercenary Corps betrayed him! They’re murderers! They must die!*

Biting her lip, Fan Qiandai lunged into Ryosuke’s arms, weeping uncontrollably.

Time blurred. When she finally pulled away, her face was pale but composed.

A true loli and a faux mature woman locked eyes—a silence stretching like centuries.

Ryosuke broke it with a chuckle. Today, he’d truly seen Fan Qiandai. He didn’t know what bond she’d shared with his idol, but it ran deep. And whether by accident or design… his idol died by his hand. Should he shoulder that responsibility now?

*In my past life, I toiled pointlessly,*

*Drowning in games and the net’s glow.*

*Others’ lives? None of my concern!*

*Just a nobody—*

*No strength to bind a chicken,*

*No prowess of a national athlete!*

*But now—*

*This past self and the era’s final BOSS have merged,*

*Becoming a heaven-defying existence!*

*Then—*

*I must bear heaven-defying duty!*

*I must forge heaven-defying deeds!*

"Lord of the Purple Division… help this servant take revenge! I want the Crimson Mercenary Corps to join His Highness in death!" Fan Qiandai hissed, her stutter vanished in fury.

"The ‘Tomato’ Mercenary Corps? I’d crush them anyway. If not for them, I wouldn’t have…" Ryosuke stared at the sky, avoiding her eyes.

"Ten thousand thanks! I, Fan Qiandai, swear to become your shadow! To serve you forever!" She knelt, kissing Ryosuke’s frosted toes.

He didn’t pull away.

*If she knew I killed her prince… what then? She must realize even a ‘Lord of the Purple Division’ can’t defeat the Iceflower Evil God Dragon. That’s why she’s pushing me to target the ‘Tomato’ Corps instead.*

*Life’s such a farce.*

*Often, the one who wounds us deepest… is the one we love most.*

Ryosuke roared at the heavens:

"Frostbound Dragon Valley! Hear this! Any fool who dares step within a hundred meters of this ice sculpture—this lord will reduce them to dust!"

His roar didn’t shake the earth, but it sent tremors through the valley. Every beast and insect fled the area, guarding it fiercely. To trespass meant death. The place became a forbidden zone even among Demon Kind and humans.

*This is my atonement,* Ryosuke thought.

To Fan Qiandai, it sounded like he’d defy the entire valley for her sake. Her heart swelled; her cheeks flushed. *Maybe… this Purple Division lord isn’t so bad after all.*

Unspoken burdens lifted. Their bond deepened.

"Now then, Fan Qiandai," Ryosuke snapped back to his blustering self. "Out with everything you’ve hidden from this lord. How else can I take revenge?"

Still kneeling, Fan Qiandai glanced up—and froze at the sight of Ryosuke’s fluttering "modesty cloth." She jerked her head down like she’d touched fire.

"T-t-to report, sir… it’s a l-long story…"

"Shorten it!" Ryosuke didn’t want to listen to this stuttering loli until dawn.

"Y-yes, sir!"

*Ah, this stuttering Fan Qiandai… she’s the real deal.*

"Three reasons led to this: First, the Dark Lord’s threat from another continent. Second, the princes’ struggle for the throne in the Imperial Capital. Third… His Highness himself." Fan Qiandai took a breath and continued.

"When Zhanma IX learned of Demon King Lucifer’s existence, he panicked. The First and Second Princes seized the chance, urging him to prevent Lucifer’s alliance with the Evil God Dragon—or the Reno Continent would fall. His Highness, the Third Prince, never wanted the throne. But his brothers ‘honored’ him by sending him as envoy to meet the Demon Dragon first, ‘proving’ the royal family’s sincerity. They didn’t expect aid against the Dark Lord—just neutrality. The Crimson Mercenary Corps was assigned as his guard. Yet His Highness received secret orders: *Slay* the Iceflower Evil God Dragon. Bound by his brothers’ authority, he went… and became a political sacrifice. I was near death when he saved me. I swore to serve as his shadow. I joined the Crimson Corps to stay close, but after he was made its leader, he was always guarded. I couldn’t reach him—not even when they marched to war. I arrived too late… only hearing the Demon Dragon’s furious roar, seeing the Crimson Corps shattered. I fainted from grief… and you know the rest."

Ryosuke stroked his chin, silent for a long moment. Then he sighed.

*My idol was sold out while counting the coins. Roaring at a godlike dragon? Was he naive… or an idiot? Yet he became emperor. Bizarre. Maybe he had hidden depths.*

*But this loli… hopelessly naive.*

"You’re a loyal shadow. Seeking vengeance after your master’s death."

"A-ah…"

"Don’t think you can hide it from this lord. You planned to use these recovered weapons to infiltrate the ‘Tomato’ Corps and destroy them from within. Foolish. Suicide."

Fan Qiandai’s mouth hung open, speechless.

"Enough. Leave this to me."

*History changed. The future Zhanma X is dead—by my hand. Originally, negotiations must have succeeded. But I shattered them.*

*Irony.*

*Then… I’ll fulfill Zhanma X’s dream. Bear his burdens.*

*Rest easy, my idol. Your dream of becoming a harem king and emperor—*

*This lord will achieve it for you!*

"Fan Qiandai! It’s time we honor these brave souls who died defending His Highness—and His Highness himself—with our bard’s duty!"

"Yes, sir!" Fan Qiandai sprang up, hands clasped over her chest like a holy maiden. Her ethereal voice began to sing…

No warning came—just wonder bright,

Your radiant light tore through the night.

Winds howled, earth roared in reply,

Your life’s flame lit love’s hope on high.

Break time’s chains, cross death’s divide,

This life I carve where hope won’t hide—

Unfading hope…

Unfading hope…