Chapter 71: Must Not Be Neglected

After the young Vampire girl carefully measured Fafna’s dimensions, she prepared to start making the clothes.

“I didn’t expect a guest from the Dragon Race today, especially such a cute little Black Dragon girl,” the Vampire girl said with a smile.

Fafna, however, was somewhat dissatisfied.

She was clearly the fiercest, most ruthless dragon of her race.

While she didn’t hate the word “cute,” hearing others use it to describe her was a bit annoying.

Whether it was Black Fafna or Xiao Bai, they both preferred it when Qiaolin was the one calling them cute.

However, since Qiaolin was present, Fafna couldn’t very well throw a fit.

She could only let the matter go.

“Just get to work. This is the Demon King’s honored guest, along with Mr. Jolin. The Demon King said they must not be neglected,” Lockes reminded her.

The Vampire girl’s face initially showed a hint of displeasure, but upon hearing Qiaolin’s name, her eyes suddenly brightened.

“You’re Jolin? The one Lady Demigula mentioned?”

“Eh? Did she say something?”

Qiaolin wore a strange expression.

‘Is Demigula trying to cause trouble for me on purpose? She shouldn’t be that vengeful… then again, it’s hard to say.’

At that moment, the Vampire girl began to study Qiaolin seriously.

Her gaze was like someone looking at a new curiosity, but the novelty soon faded.

She didn’t find Jolin to be any different from a regular human; she couldn’t even sense any Magic Power from him.

“Why did Lady Demigula insist that all the Vampires under her command treat him with extra respect?”

“Lady Demigula instructed us to take good care of you. At the very least, you won’t have to pay for any of your purchases in my shop.”

“Oh, really? Thank you.”

The Vampire girl waved her hand and laughed.

“If you want to give thanks, say it to Lady Demigula. We’re just following orders. Mr. Jolin, you can come back to pick up the clothes before sunset.”

With that, she took the fabrics Fafna had chosen and walked toward the back room.

“All right.”

Once the group stepped out of the shop, Lockes finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sorry if I made things difficult for you. I could have handled the negotiations myself,” Qiaolin said.

“Dif… difficult?”

Lockes blinked, stunned for a moment.

Then, as if realizing something, he looked at Loki.

“Did you tell Mr. Jolin something strange again?”

“What do you mean ‘again’? You make me sound like a big mouth. Besides, your little situation is common knowledge in the Demon King’s Castle. It’s not exactly a secret,” Loki said with a shrug.

Lockes’ teeth were gritted as if he were about to snap, but seeing that Qiaolin was still beside them, he could only restrain himself.

“I’ll settle the score with you another day…”

“I’ll be waiting,” Loki replied lazily.

Watching the two of them bicker, Fafna suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity.

The little dragon girl pulled on Qiaolin’s sleeve.

He leaned down, placing his ear close to her.

“They feel a lot like Brother Jolin and Sister Tor,” Xiao Bai said in her soft, sweet voice.

“Is that so? That does bring back some memories,” Qiaolin said with a smile.

He then set off, following their two guides further into the city with Fafna.

After a bit of sightseeing, Qiaolin gained a general understanding of the current state of the Demon King’s Castle.

Just as it had been hundreds of years ago, the majority of the residents in the Demon King’s Castle were Beastmen.

They were a diverse race with many lineages.

Although their magical talent was weak, their physical builds were powerful.

In the assessments given by the Holy Hero Church, these Beastmen with low magic levels were classified as Lower Demons.

Back then, Qiaolin had merely viewed them as a vast number of foot soldiers.

“Grumble—”

A series of hungry echoes rumbled from Fafna’s stomach.

Even with a small body, the dragon girl still needed to eat.

“Mm… this Empress is a bit hungry.”

Fafna sniffed the aroma of roasted meat wafting through the street, her eyes locking onto a sturdy Beastman standing by the roadside.

Lockes was suddenly startled.

He had long heard that dragons weren’t picky about their food and especially loved eating live prey.

Did she plan to eat someone right in the middle of the street?

“His roasted meat is indeed excellent. We can give it a try,” Loki said at that moment.

She walked past Lockes, shooting the young man a mocking glance.

Lockes looked closer and realized that Fafna was simply staring at the meat the Beastman was grilling.

The group found a place to sit.

Lockes stepped forward to communicate with the owner in the Demon Language.

The Common Language established by the Holy Hero Church had not yet begun to circulate in the Demon King’s Castle, but Qiaolin had learned the Demon Language and could understand what the two were saying.

However, upon learning that Qiaolin was a human, the owner stated he would not sell his goods to a human.

No matter how Lockes tried to persuade him—even bringing up the Demon King’s orders—the vendor remained unmoved.

Finally, Loki stepped in and stated that the four of them would only buy three portions.

Only then did the owner happily agree.

“The intelligence of these Beastmen hasn’t improved at all over the years. No wonder the Demon King doesn’t dare open the Demon King’s Castle for trade with human nations,” Loki laughed.

“They are just simple-minded. There’s nothing wrong with that,” Lockes said quietly.

He turned to Qiaolin, his eyes showing a hint of apology.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Jolin. Please overlook the attitude of that Beastman just now.”

“I don’t really mind, as long as it doesn’t ruin her appetite.”

Qiaolin handed the roasted meat to Fafna.

The little dragon girl wasn’t shy about feasting, and in the blink of an eye, she had devoured all three portions.

‘It’s a good thing Fafna doesn’t understand the Demon Language,’ Qiaolin thought to himself, feeling a sense of relief.

For the rest of the trip, Lockes grew a bit smarter.

He stopped intentionally pointing out Qiaolin’s identity and interacted with people in his own name.

“By the way, Loki, do many people in this city know about your half-blood status?”

Qiaolin asked.

“If you were to grab a random person off the street and ask them to identify me, they definitely couldn’t do it. But demons of a high social standing, like Kross, almost all know me,” Loki explained.

“Specifically, those you humans call High-tier Demons.”

The Demon Race didn’t have a detailed internal division of “high-tier” or “lower,” but if one truly wanted to distinguish rank, they only needed to reveal their Magic Power.

Magic Power passed down through bloodlines was enough to prove the background and strength of any demon.

In the past, every such demon in Qiaolin’s eyes would have been considered a formidable rival.

But in this era, such demons were quite rare.

The few demons Qiaolin was familiar with were already among the small number of “High-tier Demons” left.

“Then, logically speaking, you should be doing quite well in the Demon King’s Castle. Compared to Aurora, her appearance is much more human-like, which is why she…”

Loki waved her hand, cutting Qiaolin off.

“I know what you mean, Mr. Jolin. But reality is what it is. If they refuse to accept humans, I can’t exactly cut off my human half, can I? Haha.”

Loki’s statement left Qiaolin deeply moved.

It was clear that she had long since accepted her identity.

People who could truly understand themselves were often the ones who could go the furthest.