Tsukika’s little face darkened with displeasure.

Li Wei had indeed taken off pants—but not his own.

*Was this how I was supposed to be thanked?*

She shot him a look of utter disgust and turned her head away. Aside from Li Wei, she could barely muster a trace of interest in any other male.

“What are you doing?”

Still facing away, Tsukika couldn’t help but ask again.

“Checking this guy’s identity.”

Li Wei calmly prodded the corpse of the fallen holy warrior with a stick.

He’d brought humanity glory and made great contributions—but plenty still wanted him dead in secret.

Unavoidable. A vast forest holds all kinds of fools.

“Aren’t they assassins from the Holy Hall?”

Li Wei murmured, scanning the body. No blood tattoo marks anywhere.

Though the style echoed that reckless, lawless assassin guild, this man wasn’t a planted agent sent to ambush him.

His gaze shifted to the carriage.

He’d only deduced from Tsukika’s reaction that these weren’t innocents—but their true purpose remained unknown.

Asking her directly? With the Demon Lord’s temperament? No chance.

Clues were his only path.

But the moment he opened the sealed chest inside the carriage, Li Wei froze.

His dark pupils slightly narrowed. Inside lay stacked corpses of demons and monsters—destined for material harvesting.

A thick, suffocating stench of blood choked the cramped space.

Yet his focus wasn’t on the surface layer.

Using the stick, he moved aside limbs, revealing bodies buried beneath—frozen in stiff, pleading gestures, faces locked in twisted agony.

What stirred him: unlike the subterranean dwellers common in the Immovable Demon King Citadel, these were unmistakably human.

Grotesque demonic organs sprouted from their flesh.

“Truly deserved their fate…”

A cold edge seeped into Li Wei’s voice.

Now he understood why the caravan attacked the moment they recognized him.

Kidnapping ordinary folk—or even fellow Chosen Heroes—dumping them into demon nests to force demonic transformation, then harvesting their corrupted bodies… a trade explicitly banned in the human realm.

Yet rare demonic materials boosted gear, potions, skills—temptation proved too strong. Some abducted the powerless, betrayed comrades, even cultivated “demonic material” nests inside the Demon King Citadel itself.

Most operators had been purged years ago; survivors hid like sewer rats. To see new ones rise so soon…

In truth, these human vermin within their own ranks were far more loathsome than demons, humanity’s natural foes.

Him discovering them today didn’t mean they’d just started. Likely, they’d operated in shadows for years.

Yet the Iron Guard controlling this region had never breathed a word of demonic incidents.

Had they truly noticed nothing… or…?

Li Wei turned to Tsukika, pausing.

“Do you know where these men came from?”

Tsukika stared at him oddly, tilting her head.

“You’re… asking *me*?”

She pursed her lips.

“Chosen Hero, please respect my title. I’m the Demon Lord.”

“Filtering out these few for your peace of mind is already my limit of mercy. Did you expect me to become justice’s poster child and dismantle this whole wicked chain for you?”

“Aren’t you counting on this Chosen Hero to clear obstacles in *your* path?” Li Wei countered.

“…”

Tsukika nearly nodded—then caught herself. A dry chuckle escaped. “Different matter. I could do that only because you couldn’t resist. Want my help? Try forcing me… if you can.”

Li Wei pondered. “Let me rephrase.”

“Handling this might earn me more goodwill toward you. Help you reach your goals.”

“???”

“Chosen Hero, have you no shame?” Tsukika rolled her eyes. If he hadn’t said it so bluntly, she might’ve almost believed him. *Did he think she was some naive daughter to fool?*

Still… his tone had shifted. For better or worse?

She glanced at him, expression faintly complex. “I’ve zero interest in ‘justice’.”

“Besides, the Daughter’s Curse needs constant suppression. You don’t want me slaughtering innocents—so leaving these scum alive works perfectly.”

“Let evil meet its due punishment sometimes. Saves me hunting materials. Everyone gets a ‘bright future’.”

“Huh. By that logic, *I’m* the justice hero now? Human justice was always late before me—and who knows if it’ll ever arrive.”

Tsukika wore a vexed look, as if annoyed she’d “fallen to darkness” before the Chosen Hero.

Li Wei wasn’t surprised. If the Demon Lord were this agreeable, *that* would worry him.

“Then keep these corpses,” he said.

“With so many materials already, a few more won’t matter.”

Choosing not to shoulder messy duty wasn’t the same as cold indifference.

Li Wei wouldn’t handle it himself—but as an anonymous good Samaritan, he could offer the bodies as evidence.

Tsukika shot him a glance, silent. With a flick of her wrist, blood-red energy coiling across the ground swallowed the carriage.

Earlier, other corpses and carriages had already been consumed by her Domain, their vitality drawn into a single crimson bead glowing in her palm.

As the carriage expelled several corpses before vanishing, Li Wei quietly fetched a large leaf and covered them.

“Please preserve these a little longer.” He met her gaze.

“?”

Tsukika’s silver twin tails trembled. Suppressing irritation, she sneered, “What do you take me for, Chosen Hero?”

“…A carriage?”

Before she could flare up, Li Wei said calmly:

“Once. I’ll cooperate with you.”

Tsukika stilled. Studying him with surprise and suspicion: “Just once. Don’t think this clears your debt. Don’t overestimate yourself.”

“Then forget it. I’ll carry them back. If trouble follows… you won’t just watch, right?”

Tsukika: “?????”

“Threatening me? Think I won’t deal with you now?”

“You can’t. Forgot you drained me dry yesterday?” Li Wei remained serene—now he had leverage.

Tsukika: “…”

Her modest chest rose and fell. She inhaled deeply, narrowed her lovely eyes at him, and said coldly:

“Once. Don’t forget.”

Watching his calm, handsome face, frustration swelled—but strangely, this little “sparring”… didn’t annoy her at all.

(Unseen by her, Li Wei’s own expression held a flicker of conflict after he turned away.)

“Just once…”

Blood-red energy surged again, swallowing the preserved corpses.

As the Domain began fading, Li Wei thought it was over—until he tried to move. His legs wouldn’t budge.

He looked down. Fading crimson strands clung to his calves, rooting him firmly.

A bad feeling prickled. His eye twitched as Tsukika approached—hands behind her back, silver tails bouncing lightly with each step.

“…What else do you plan?”

Tsukika smiled sweetly. “Asking that… scared, Chosen Hero? Weren’t you *so* confident you had nothing left? Why worry?”

“But relax~ I’ve no interest in *that* right now.”

“Just… your mouth’s gotten sharp lately. A little punishment to remind you of your place in the household pecking order.”

She slipped off her black leather shoes. Under Li Wei’s trembling gaze, she lifted a foot, wiggled her toes playfully, and peeled off her sheer white stockings.

*Pop.* Like unwrapping a popsicle. That soft sound made his heart skip.

“Taste my ultimate artifact~”

She shoved it straight in.

“Mmph?!”

Warm, silky fabric carrying a faint floral scent stuffed his mouth. Li Wei’s composure shattered.

Ignoring his muffled protests, Tsukika clapped, laughed, and snapped her fingers.

*Kong—*

A wind howled as if torn from the void.

Massive bone wings erupted from the earth, stretching skyward. A colossal skeletal dragon materialized, cradling them both as it soared into the heavens.

Tsukika held the wind-tousled Li Wei, utterly satisfied.

*So satisfying~*