Dawn in the Demonkind Dungeon.

Alquett crouched inside her cell.

Sleepless all night.

Last night’s events were too complex, too intense—etching shadows into her heart that wouldn’t fade anytime soon.

To save Xiao Wei, she’d steeled herself for humiliation, wounds, even death before stepping foot here.

Iron bars and shackles, fortress walls and sealed gates, torture and torment by demons—none of it frightened her.

*Demonkind may cage my body,* she thought, *but never my fearless Hero’s spirit!*

Yet alone in the silent cell, staring at cold iron bars and the same dull window view, her mind wandered in the deep night. Unbidden scenes flashed before her eyes.

Like Xiao Wei bound in chains, covered in scars, eyes brimming with shame and terror as the evil Dragonmaid and her minions pinned her against a wall—ravaging, violating, forcing pleasure upon her until she drowned in helpless rage, trapped between sinful ecstasy and crushing guilt, sobbing without escape.

Or Xiao Wei half-undressed, flushed cheeks, hazy eyes cradled in the Dragonmaid’s arms. Strange heart-shaped runes glowed on her lower belly. Her dewy lips parted with longing, chasing the demons’ touch day and night, marking their skin with kisses steeped in forbidden desire.

And then…

Every time these thoughts surfaced, Alquett slapped her own face hard, fighting to shut them out.

But the harder she resisted, the more violently the images flooded back.

Especially in the dead of night, locked alone in this cell—eyes fixed on endless gloom, ears filled only with dripping water. Her thoughts spun wildly, impossible to control.

She tried resting on the bed to calm herself.

Xiao Wei’s bed. It carried the soothing scent of jasmine—her favorite bath oil. A fragrance that once brought Alquett comfort…

But even in sleep, peace eluded her.

Faint, breathy moans seemed to whisper in the dark. She opened her eyes.

Xiao Wei knelt on Lilith’s bed, wearing a French maid dress with a plunging neckline, cat ears on her head, a playful cat tail swaying behind her. Beneath her, Lilith—green-faced and fanged, eight-pack abs glistening—glared with predatory hunger.

Xiao Wei glistened with sweat from exertion. Her eyes rolled back, unfocused and glassy. Her lips parted in ragged gasps, revealing white teeth and a trembling tongue. Her hands lifted, forming a V-sign.

Then, as if sensing Alquett’s presence, she lowered her head. A blissful, lust-drunk smile curved her lips. Her dewy eyes locked onto the Dragonmaid beneath her. In that sweet voice Alquett knew so well, she whispered like a demon:

“Haaah… my love… Lilith’s technique… is perfect… I’ve become exactly what a Dragonmaid should be…”

“I’m sorry… Alquett… We… can’t go back…”

“I can’t… spend a single day away from my master anymore…”

“STOP IT! STOOOOOP—!”

Alquett jolted awake.

A damp patch soaked the sheets beneath her.

Curled into a ball on the bed, knees hugged to her chest, she buried her face in her arms.

*This shouldn’t be happening…*

*This wasn’t how it was supposed to end…*

*Did I come too late?*

*Where did I go wrong?*

*Why is the God of Light punishing me like this?!*

…

She remembered when they first met. Xiao Wei had been so shy.

The team’s most gifted mage—a true prodigy—yet she’d hide behind others during battles, flustered and waving her hands: “I-I can’t do it!”

She’d carried the vital roles of healer and buffer for so long, yet remained nearly invisible in the group.

Always last to claim reward money. Always first to rush toward the wounded.

Unlike other adventurers who flocked to Alquett, begging for favors or connections… Xiao Wei simply did her duty. She offered kindness and comfort to suffering villagers without expectation. She rarely spoke to Alquett directly.

She seldom joined tavern gatherings. Alquett could barely recall seeing her smile.

In this corrupt era—where nobles drowned in luxury and vice—Xiao Wei was a pure white lotus untouched by the mud. Precious. Fragile.

For a fleeting moment, Alquett had felt… *She’s like me.*

Equally aloof. Equally simple. Equally out of place in this debauched world.

Using quiet defiance—not weakness—to fight back.

Romantic. Lonely.

So Alquett found herself drawn to her. Cherishing her. Protecting this lonely girl.

She wanted to close the distance. To step into her heart.

To tell her: *You’re not alone in this fight.*

That’s why Alquett always invited Xiao Wei first on every quest, excitement bubbling in her chest.

If she could just talk to her a little more under the guise of duty… maybe, someday, Xiao Wei would open up.

She could’ve used magic to claim Xiao Wei’s body easily.

But Alquett believed in sincerity.

Friends conjured by spells weren’t real friends.

Just another sycophant worshipping the title “Hero,” like all the rest.

So when her squad was ambushed by the Demonlord’s Four Generals—and she learned the wounded Xiao Wei had been captured by demons—Alquett’s world went black. The sky collapsed.

She dared not dwell on it. Yet her mind kept wandering back.

*Maybe Xiao Wei escaped along the way.*

*Maybe the demons ignored her—she had no combat value, no presence.*

*Would she be crying in a cell right now… waiting for me to save her?*

But three days passed. No word.

…She’d planned to storm the Darklord Citadel that very day.

Instead, the Church seized the chance. They confined her to the city under “medical care,” forbidding all visitors.

Even the novice nun who brought her meals wore a full-body protective cloak, moving with hushed caution.

Five rows of elite armored guards always flanked her. Their stares felt like prison bars.

*Why?* Alquett wondered.

*I am the Champion of the Night, wielder of one of the Seven Holy Swords…*

*Do they truly fear me like a wolf at the door?*

…Time and again, she shouted through the thick, reinforced stained-glass window at the bishop. His reply never changed:

“Rest and heal. Stay put. Wait for orders.”

…

But her wounds had long since closed.

Everyone knew her body healed faster than any known race’s.

…