“Speaking of which, I have been meaning to ask why you are staying at the Demon King’s Castle, Qiaolin. What did you promise Gabriela?”
Fafna looked at Gabriela with a suspicious gaze.
She knew very well what the Demon King’s Castle meant to Qiaolin; it was impossible for him to choose to stay here of his own accord.
“Why are you staring at me? Can’t I invite Qiaolin over as a guest?”
“Do you think I’m stupid? Even if Qiaolin traveled across the entire continent, he would never come to your Demon King’s Castle,” Fafna said aggressively.
A twitch appeared at the corner of Gabriela’s mouth, and her eyes flashed with a hint of grievance.
Seeing this, Qiaolin spoke up to stop them.
“Don’t talk nonsense, Fafna. I am here to participate in… a celebration at the Demon King’s Castle.”
Qiaolin thought for a moment and then fabricated a reason.
“It is almost the end of the year, after all. I recall that the Demon King’s Castle also has a tradition of celebrating the New Year.”
Qiaolin gave Gabriela a meaningful look.
The young girl was startled for a moment, then nodded composedly and said, “I simply invited Qiaolin to spend the holiday here.”
“Hmph, the Dragon race celebrates the New Year as well! We can celebrate for ten days straight!”
“The Demon race’s New Year celebration lasts for half a month.”
“Then… Then I will extend ours by another ten days! Qiaolin, come to my place instead!”
Fafna looked at Qiaolin with urgent eyes, leaving the man with no choice but to rub his forehead helplessly.
“That is enough, Fafna. Let’s talk business. Regardless, I will give you an answer within half a month. As for other matters, you and Gabriela should communicate first.”
Having said that, Qiaolin stood up and left the room.
“Hey, wait, Qiaolin…”
Seeing that Qiaolin’s expression was off, Fafna wanted to stand up and stop him, but at that moment, her head felt as if it had been pricked by a needle.
It was Xiao Bai’s spirit venting its dissatisfaction toward her.
‘It’s all because of your sharp tongue. You clearly know that Brother Qiaolin is unwilling to let anyone mention that matter, yet you just had to…’
‘I… I just wanted to nitpick at that girl Gabriela. How was I supposed to know… Sigh, I’ll go apologize.’
Fafna sighed.
She wanted to chase after him, but the door in front of her was suddenly entwined by a burst of red and black Magic Power.
“What do you think you’re doing, Gabriela?”
Fafna turned her head.
She was in no mood to compete with her rival right now.
“Qiaolin wants to be alone for a while. We should continue our discussion.”
“Did he say that?”
Gabriela pursed her lips slightly. She looked into Fafna’s eyes and said seriously, “I heard that Qiaolin attends your birthday every single year to celebrate with you. In these past few centuries, you are likely the one who has spent the most time with him.”
“What exactly do you mean by that?”
“Hehe, I am actually quite jealous of you. Qiaolin… has never come to my birthday even once. You were right; this Demon King’s Castle is an old scar from the past to him. Over these past 300 years, he has learned every Healing Art and cured many people, but this scar has never been able to recover.”
“So you knew Qiaolin wouldn’t refuse you, so you intentionally called him here and made him stay in the place where Big Sister Tor died? What reason did you actually use?”
Fafna asked with a darkened expression.
“The reason is a matter between him and me; you needn’t worry about it. However, rest assured, it is not for my own private affairs.”
Gabriela continued, “I am telling you this only because I want to be honest with you. I understand him better than you do, and my concern and… feelings for him are absolutely not a bit less than yours!”
Fafna gritted her teeth inwardly. Gabriela looked serious, appearing as though she were not joking at all.
If she had always liked Qiaolin, then what did that make her?
“Tsk, who cares about you? Even back when Big Sister Tor was with him, I didn’t care. To me, Qiaolin is…”
‘An older brother?’
Just as Fafna was about to say the word, the thought that suddenly surfaced in her heart stuck in her throat.
‘The one who has always treated Qiaolin as a brother is Xiao Bai; what does that have to do with me?’
“I…”
Fafna paused.
Gabriela saw her hesitation and sighed as well, saying, “Let’s just continue our previous topic.”
“…Fine.”
***
After Qiaolin left Gabriela’s study, he paced the hallway for a few minutes before leaning against the railing.
From here, he could see most of the scenery of the Demon King’s Castle.
With Qiaolin’s eyesight, he could even see the members of the Demon race walking to and fro.
Their expressions were peaceful, sweeping away the usual violence and bellicosity of the past.
Many demons looked similar to humans.
Initially, the way to determine if someone was a demon was by their long, pointed ears or their heterochromatic eyes.
Even though some had black horns growing from their heads or tails trailing behind them, at the end of the day, they were no different from humans.
The reason the Demon race was as bloodthirsty and warlike as the rumors suggested was entirely due to the pressure of their environment.
Their ancestors had emerged from prolonged struggles, and they had devoted almost all their abilities to learning how to kill one another.
If one did not fight, they would be eliminated and killed, their bloodline cut off.
This was the tradition the Demon race had always followed.
But in the eyes of the former Qiaolin, this was a form of barbarism.
A true civilization should be decent and full of order.
But the current Qiaolin thought about many things.
He was not a sage capable of leading a civilization to prosperity, nor did he possess much talent for governing a country.
But there was one thing he could be certain of: the Hero who repeatedly claimed the Demon race was a species that only understood violence and greed had, in the end, acted no differently than the “low-class” race he despised.
It was simply that the Hero was more powerful.
When the Hero slaughtered those demons, who could stand up and demand justice for them?
Just like when Tor finally passed away in that battle, who should be held responsible for that matter?
Fafna’s words were like a splash of boiling water on Qiaolin’s wound.
He didn’t dare come to the Demon King’s Castle, nor did he want to.
For Qiaolin, this place held only the shadows of past cruelty and despair, along with the wails of countless souls who had fallen under the blade.
And now, Gabriela was the only young girl who could link the Demon King’s Castle to him.
Qiaolin did not want to let down anyone’s expectations again, but fear still lingered in his heart…
“Phew…”
Qiaolin let out a long, faint breath, allowing his hair to flutter messily in the high wind.
“You better not be thinking of doing something reckless, Mr. Jolin.”
A playful female voice came from behind him.
Qiaolin turned his head and saw the black-haired girl.
“You are… Miss Loki?”
“You actually still remember me? They say that important people have short memories, but yours is quite good.”
“Hehe, after all, you are my personal guard. I have to know a little bit about you.”
Qiaolin turned around and smiled.
“I heard your magic can reflect other spells like a mirror?”
Hearing Qiaolin’s words, Loki was stunned for a moment before bursting out into laughter.
“Hahaha! Where did you hear that? My Bloodline Source is indeed related to mirrors, but reflecting things is just too overpowered.”
“Overpowered?”
Qiaolin’s brow furrowed slightly.
The word she used surprised him.
Had that term already spread so widely?
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh, please continue…”
Qiaolin nodded, signaling Loki to keep explaining.
“My magic is based on my perception of Magic Power and my understanding of spell structures. I can construct the spells used by the opponent, making the power and scale even better—likely about 50% stronger.”
Qiaolin was shocked upon hearing this.
“This… since when did the Demon race’s magic become so heaven-defying? Can you mimic any spell? And make it stronger than the original?”
“Anyway, since I was born, there hasn’t been any magic I couldn’t copy. Of course, if it’s an inherent property of the Magic Power itself, like the Demon King’s Gluttony Magic, I might not be able to replicate it. Furthermore, every copied spell requires more Magic Power to consume. In the same battle, even for spells with weaker power, I cannot replicate them too many times.”
“That is still very strong…”
Qiaolin pondered.
“Your magic is perfectly suited for a counterattack. Under the right conditions, you can copy the opponent’s finishing move. It could completely serve as a trump card.”
“Oh my, Mr. Jolin truly is knowledgeable. Your words are so pleasant to hear.”
A look of admiration appeared in Loki’s eyes.
Some people still thought she was just intentionally hiding in the back to pick up leftovers.
Loki’s appearance shifted Qiaolin’s attention toward something that interested him more.
Afterward, the two of them chatted about “Mirror Magic,” and Loki told him various key points about her magic without any reservation.
“Miss Loki, this is your unique ability. You shouldn’t go around publicizing it.”
Loki smiled and shook her head.
“I’m only sharing it with you. I suppose we could consider this a chance meeting with a soulmate.”