Chapter 17: Undercurrents Stirring

“When are you planning to leave?”

Laiyinmute leaned against the door frame, watching Rui Na huddled in bed under the covers like a caterpillar.

A muffled voice came from under the blanket, tinged with laziness.

“Don’t be in such a hurry to kick me out, bro. I’ve only been back a few days. I haven’t had my fill of Sister Raphael’s cooking yet.”

After Raphael threatened Rui Na with an egg feast every day, Rui Na had to stop calling her “sister-in-law.”

The last time she ate so many eggs left a deep shadow in her heart.

Now the mere sight of eggs made her want to vomit.

Laiyinmute irritably ran his hand through his hair and yanked the blanket off.

Rui Na stared at her big brother in bewilderment.

“What’s the matter? Can’t you be a little gentler?”

Laiyinmute stood in front of her expressionlessly and spoke coldly.

“You definitely didn’t come back just for some boring reason. The academy wouldn’t easily grant time off. No matter what, I’m still your brother, and I know your personality better than anyone. Don’t try to make excuses to fool me.”

He paused briefly and continued.

“Besides… I’m quite familiar with your teacher.”

Seeing that her little tricks were useless against her brother, Rui Na decided to come clean.

“Sigh… I have to admit, there’s really nothing that can be hidden from you, bro.”

Laiyinmute’s mouth twitched.

He looked at her like she was an idiot.

“Fine, fine. I know I’m a bad actor, okay? Besides, I never planned to hide it from you in the first place.”

Rui Na leaned comfortably against the propped-up pillow, and her expression instantly turned serious.

“Bro, you should know that Sister Raphael’s identity isn’t simple, right?”

Laiyinmute nodded. Of course he knew that.

When Raphael first appeared in the town, he had already started paying attention.

A member of the Demon Race living among humans—it was no less than dropping a bomb into the most densely populated residential area of the royal city.

Raphael had appeared out of nowhere right into the town where he lived.

She had appeared without any trace.

But after a month of observation, once he confirmed she was harmless, he had planned to wait a while longer before deciding.

It was only because he couldn’t bear to watch what those few men were about to do that he intervened.

He wasn’t actually a person who enjoyed killing, but when he saw that scene, he seemed to blank out for a moment.

When he came to, he had swung his sword, and their heads had already hit the ground.

Perhaps Raphael had some special ability that could interfere with his thinking, but it wasn’t anything particularly important.

And then things became what they are now.

“Since you know, bro, you should remember the Kingdom’s handling of the Demon Race some time ago, right?”

Laiyinmute was a bit puzzled how his sister knew this, since he had never told her.

“How do you know? And it seems I never mentioned it to you.”

The atmosphere between the siblings grew tense, as if they might come to blows at any moment.

Rui Na sighed helplessly and spread her hands.

“Sigh, I heard it from the teacher. Some time ago, the teacher came back from the Council Hall, and I went to find him because I wanted to consult him about a bottleneck in my research topic.”

After weighing her words a little, she continued.

“Do you know what I overheard?”

Laiyinmute grew a little impatient at Rui Na’s fragmented speech.

“What?”

“Mm… I heard them talking about you.”

Laiyinmute’s originally agitated expression forcibly calmed down.

“Tch… Those guys really are persistent.”

Laiyinmute knew there were quite a few eyes from the Imperial Capital around his home, but he hadn’t expected them to be this fast.

Rui Na went on.

“I heard them say you’ve gotten mixed up with a Demon Race woman they’d never seen before. Do you know what they plan to do?”

Laiyinmute rubbed his aching temples.

“Just the same old methods. Even if they want to make a move against me, they have to weigh my status. Breaking ties is the last thing those old geezers want to see.”

Rui Na fell silent.

An eerie quiet settled between the siblings.

After a long while, she slowly let out a sentence.

“You don’t mind, but… what about Sister Raphael?”

Those words were like a wake-up call.

Only then did Laiyinmute realize the key point.

Yes, he wouldn’t be easily moved, but what about Raphael?

Those old fogies had a ton of methods for dealing with Demon Race people.

Whether it was specially made secret potions or holy artifacts, they could kill a Demon Race member without anyone noticing, leaving no trace.

Even if he was a Sword Saint, it would take considerable effort to find any clues.

“Mm… I understand. But I’ll do my best to protect her, to the best of my ability.”

A conflicted expression crossed Rui Na’s face, but she still spoke her mind.

“Then why don’t you let her leave? Please, I’m begging you, don’t put yourself in the middle of the vortex, okay? It’s for your own good, and for Sister Raphael’s good.”

That last sentence was almost a plea.

She truly didn’t want to see her brother dragged into the struggle again, even though his identity would never allow him not to be dragged in.

Laiyinmute spoke firmly.

“I’ll think it over. You… let me have some time to think.”

Rui Na’s expression gradually fell.

How could she not understand her own brother?

When he said those words, she already knew the choice Laiyinmute had made.

Laiyinmute paused as he held the doorknob, turned back, and gave a smile.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. It’s almost dinner time. Remember to come out and eat later.”

He pushed the door open and walked out, leaving Rui Na alone in the room.

When he reached the living room, he saw Raphael sitting there alone, staring blankly into space.

When she noticed him come out, she was about to stand up, but he gestured for her to remain seated.

Laiyinmute smiled and ruffled Raphael’s long white hair.

Her pair of horns were exposed to the air.

Since both Laiyinmute and Rui Na already knew she was part of the Demon Race, there was no need for her to hide it.

Fortunately, she had turned off the mechanism art in the bracelet.

It was as soft to the touch as always—no tangles or dryness.

Raphael no longer resisted such overly intimate behavior.

She even nuzzled against his somewhat rough palm.

“Go cook first. I’m going out for a bit. I’ll be right back.”

Then Laiyinmute put on his coat, pushed open the door, and walked out.

Raphael watched his figure disappear, and her mind recalled the conversation Laiyinmute had just had with Rui Na in the room.

The nightmare she had a few days ago was involuntarily brought to mind again.

She had still heard what the siblings said, even though they had lowered their voices.

But she had caught the gist.

Somewhat stiffly, she stood up and walked to the kitchen to start preparing dinner.

“Ah, running fast, aren’t you… but do you really think that’s useful?”

Laiyinmute looked in one direction.

His hind leg kicked hard, stirring up a cloud of dust.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared in a forest not far from his home.

“Ah… ah…”

A man dressed entirely in black was gripped in his hand.

The man was struggling to make sounds due to the force of Laiyinmute’s grip.

A sword appeared in Laiyinmute’s hand.

Without mercy, he drove it into the man’s shoulder, pinning him to a tree.

A purple magic formation coalesced in his hand.

When the man saw the formation, a look of terror appeared on his face.

“Now, I ask, and you answer. If I’m not satisfied, your fate will be… death.”