"...Ah, what a shame."

I watched Xia Xi abandon her current task and couldn’t help sighing, deeply regretful.

"Hmm, but there’ll be other chances."

I shifted my thoughts, relaxing instantly.

*Huff...*

Xia Xi neatly folded her armor and clothes, placing them on a nearby table. Then she pulled out her personal white towel embroidered with pale flowers. Dipping it gently into hot water, she began wiping her upper body.

I didn’t know why Xia Xi hid her female identity as a man, but some habits never changed—like bathing. Even the Holy Son had to make do with a basin of hot water here. Years of training made her unpretentious, yet as a woman, she’d clean herself when possible. That was how I’d discovered her true gender—I’d sensed it from the start, but her nightly undressing confirmed it.

Now, as she wiped her body with the damp towel, the inevitable loomed.

I didn’t rush. I waited silently for time to pass.

Sitting by the table, Xia Xi washed with a calm expression, the day’s fatigue melting away—

"Time’s up. Move."

*BOOM!*

A massive explosion roared outside the tent!

!

Xia Xi froze mid-wipe, then snapped alert, trying to stand against the threat. But as she rose, her eyes widened in utter disbelief. Her body had lost all strength instantly. She crumpled limply to the side!

"Tsk tsk, such poor vigilance—how can you be Holy Son?"

The moment she began to collapse, I sprang from my silent watch. One stride brought me to her. My right hand shot out, cradling her back and head to spare her skull the floor’s impact.

"What...!?"

Everything happened too fast. Xia Xi stared wide-eyed at my sudden appearance, utterly bewildered.

"You... you’re... the Daytime Overlord, Xia!"

After a stunned pause, she recognized my face. The First Overlord of the Demon Race.

"Ah, it’s me!" I grinned wickedly, leaning close to the knight in my arms. "An honor to be remembered by the Holy Son... or should I say Holy Maiden?"

"You... what did you... do to me..." Xia Xi glared through gritted teeth, her voice strained but defiant. Clearly, she’d lost all strength—even her Holy Light was gone.

"Poison, obviously." I stroked her long hair like a pet. "[Silent Vanishing]—a colorless, odorless negative-energy toxin. Powder scraped from high-tier Plague Lich bones. It caused the Great Plague that killed thousands... familiar, right?" I tilted her chin playfully. "I added a personal touch: it seals Holy Light too. Give up. You’re a fish on the chopping block."

I’d never be stupid enough to fight Xia Xi head-on. Lily forbade mass casualties, so airborne or food poison was out. Only one option: exploit her need to bathe as a girl. I’d hidden a lethal dose of powder in her towel.

"...How... is this possible..."

Xia Xi clenched her teeth. In her wide eyes, beyond shock, I saw unbreakable will. While others would panic, she strained to muster strength for a counterattack. Endless failures hadn’t dimmed her resolve—not a trace. She fought to purge the silent poison infecting her.