Meanwhile, Asmodeus and Ciela took on some basic quests to start their funds running. Liana and Alice were now together roaming the city and looking for a trustworthy blacksmith and merchant store they could deal with before leaving.

"Liana, I can see why you fell for that man so quickly."

"Fweh?! Aunt--Gweh..."

"You mean, big sister, right?"

"Y-Yes~ big sister Alice, darling is amazing, yet he doesn''t deny his negative factors! He also lets those he loves help him in different ways to avoid us fighting!"

"Ah, I see, the most important aspect for the Demon Lord, right? Harem management!"

Alice nodded as she listened to her niece. Her past life self didn''t have such a positive view of relationships and had never been involved with any men since she was born.

However, it was because of her curse, which carried different struggles compared to Liana, who was being devoured by her magic, and Velvet, who lost her sight and five senses thanks to the curse before awakening.

''Can he help me? I always tried to conquer my curse like Velvet, yet it never worked; even Anne, who lost all magic because of her curse, seems to have been freed by that man. He is handsome, charming and intelligent. Although he can be violent and rough, isn''t that an excellent trait, especially in the bedroom?

None of those girls ever complains despite begging for mercy and yowling like cats all night.''

The plans she held were quite long-term, though she wished to see Grigor grow and protect it now. Alice understood from a young age that being well known and under the eyes of the public and church would limit anyone like her brother, Alan.

He suffered and lost everything and yet could only praise Lumina and the church, unable to protect his life if they abandoned him.

Alice wished to change the world, or at least change Grigor. If the hero wasn''t needed, and she could make the next demon king their ally, be it through marriage or deals and promises, she felt more able to trust someone she could see daily than someone who appeared only to hurt her beloved family.

"Sister Alice... Darling isn''t really that lustful towards others. Have you not noticed by now? Well, you should watch him, because our beloved man doesn''t force anyone, and has been waiting for me even now, he has only kissed me twice. Yet when he strokes my cheek and gazes into my eyes, I can feel it. The overwhelming love he holds for me.

I am sure if I entered his room naked and asked him to take me, he would. Yet... his charm is that he doesn''t force it, my sister Anne, nor the beautiful elf, or our other companion. He only touched Ciela when she was ready; for the others, he is still waiting for the right moment."

The pair entered a small blacksmith, as Liana''s cheeks were bright red.

She couldn''t hold back when speaking about Asmodeus. Her love for him was bottomless, and even now, she didn''t remove her demon form. Instead, it''s become her true form even without being like Anne, who was reborn.

Liana could ask him and anytime she would be reborn happily, yet he respects her and doesn''t ask.

"You really love him, don''t you, Lia?" Alice showed a rare smile; her height was close to Asmodeus, so she looked down at her cute niece and could only squeeze her cheeks. "Alright, let us focus on this. I will have plenty of time to speak with that man later."

"Right!"

A tall shadow emerged from the roof of a nearby building, revealing a man with a devilishly handsome face. His hair was jet black, and his eyes shone with ocean blue while holding a two-handed sword with a black and red glow.

''Why?!'' Alice opened her eyes wide, watching that familiar back, his wide shoulders and powerful body walking towards the remaining bandit adventurers with a single sword, while behind him, a barrier formed.

A barrier that protected the onlookers with only those who could see magic and mana able to realise. ''Why is this demon king, who the world shuns, so gentle and kind to others?''

"Surrender, and I''ll let you live; at least you can aim for another chance of freedom that way," Asmodeus spoke with an elegant and charming voice, the smooth vibrations pleasant to the ear, like a gentle sheet of silk flowing through the wind beside one''s ear.

"Go fuck yourself!" The leader spat, his hand clenched his sword''s handle, and he moved swiftly, aiming to pierce the young man''s chest.

The demon king didn''t move, though, and watched the spear slowly approach his chest, yet it stopped as if hitting a solid wall; the next moment, his eyes fluttered, and a flash of magic shone before thin blades of blood then shot forward and sliced the man''s arms off.

"Kyaaa!!!"

"S-Save me!"

The adventurers screamed and crawled away, yet the demon king only sighed and shook his head; after sheathing his sword, he pointed his hands towards them before he uttered in a deep, compelling voice. "Shoot them down, my little wife."

"Yes, darling."

With that, the beautiful dark elf with brilliant eyes stepped out of the shadows, her bow glowing with the power of lightning, and a storm of arrows rained down upon the adventurers. This time, however, her arrows penetrated them, and, in an instant, their screams ended, and their bodies became bloody piles of flesh.

The people had stunned and fearful expressions on their faces; the guards bowed and thanked the couple, who appeared like a god of death and justice.

"There are two alive. I think he is their sub-leader, and this one is the contact they were hired by." Ciela carried two bleeding bodies towards the knights as she handed their item bags to them and gave a polite bow.

''He''s more of a hero than Alan... what is this man thinking?'' Alice knew Asmodeus on a basic level. She trusted him because of their shared interests and secrets.

''He could have taken care of it faster by killing them all and would get the same reward. Yet he didn''t kill them. That is what makes him stand out the most.''

Alice watched as he showed his identification to the knights and felt a strange shock to her system, his handsome face seriously speaking to the guards and how she knew this man would now become the main target of the revenge instead of the inn that now only had a young girl and her father standing in the door...

''Wait... the mother?! The mistress was covered in blood. When did she get healed?! Alice looked between the family and then towards Asmodeus, who came from the inn''s roof.

He winked at her, then placed a finger on his lips before she covered her face. ''He healed her? A woman with no relation... why did the nobles in our kingdom call this man a barbarian, a tyrant? I don''t understand!''

She turned her head and gazed up at the sky, her heart thudding and her cheeks growing warm as she smiled to herself, ''I want to know him more... what makes him so strange, why he is more of a hero than my brother... and why I cannot take my eyes off him!''

"As expected, Darling is just so amazing~ hehehe~ I want to become his." Liana gushed beside her, while Alice began to feel this trip and risky plan might not be so bad after all.