“Why did you stop me this time? That guy was so arrogant; he even tried to attack you.”
On the way back to their room, Gabriela still seemed indignant.
In response, Qiaolin offered a gentle smile.
“I can’t just kill him because he said a few things that were unpleasant to hear.”
“I wouldn’t have killed him, of course.”
Gabriela opened her palm.
Red and black Magic Power wound around her fingertips, devouring the mana in the air.
“Since he’s so proud of his magical talent, I would have eaten all his magic along with his foundation, turning him into a cripple!”
“Wow, as expected of the current Demon King. You’re certainly ruthless enough!”
Qiaolin gave her a thumbs up, which caused the girl to blush.
“Don’t be so sarcastic,” Gabriela complained.
“I was seriously standing up for you.”
“I know, but I think you should understand me by now,” Qiaolin said with a laugh.
“That Karl has already received his punishment. His future will likely be hindered for the rest of his life because of this. I admit, if it were the old me, I would have crushed him like an ant if he dared show hostility.”
Qiaolin clenched his fist.
Seeing this, Gabriela nodded with satisfaction.
However, Qiaolin shook his head helplessly and gave the girl a light chop to the head.
“Ow!”
“Don’t be silly. Revealing killing intent so easily is a sign of immaturity. You’re already a King-level Powerhouse; don’t you understand that much?”
“Hmm… I suppose you’re right. I was being impulsive.”
Gabriela had forgotten that a Five-Crown Mage like Karl couldn’t possibly hurt Qiaolin.
Her emotions had gotten the better of her; he didn’t actually need her protection.
The two returned to their room.
After packing up, they were ready to set off.
Before they could leave, Qiaolin needed to visualize the layout of the Demon King’s Castle.
After all, the last time he had been there was 300 years ago.
“Speaking of which, the war that was about to break out between the human nations seems to have been put on hold because the mission to assassinate Osaran failed,” Gabriela said to Qiaolin while he was meditating.
“So, does this count as you stopping a war? Was this also within your expectations?”
Qiaolin suddenly opened his eyes with a bitter expression.
“Please stop nagging me. The Church maintains the balance of human wars; there’s no need for me to step in. Besides, even if the various tribes of the Demon Race started a civil war you couldn’t control, the Celestial Realm would send their people to help. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Oh…”
Feeling as though she were being scolded, Gabriela sat down quietly.
Seeing this, Qiaolin’s tone softened involuntarily.
“The Demon King’s Castle has probably changed a lot compared to before, hasn’t it?”
“Yes. After all, the battle back then leveled nearly half the city. It took several years just to rebuild it. It might be different from what you remember.”
“Then that’s a problem.”
Qiaolin frowned slightly.
Putting aside the fact that his memories of the old Demon King’s Castle were growing blurry, if the city’s structure and buildings had changed, then the Folding Warp would not work.
Seeing Qiaolin’s reaction, Gabriela immediately understood his difficulty.
“How about you try teaching the magic to me?”
“No, that’s Holy Magic. Your Demon Race cannot learn it.”
“That’s true.”
Gabriela looked distressed.
“Then what should we do?”
Qiaolin thought for a moment.
An idea had occurred to him the moment he realized he couldn’t recall the castle clearly.
He looked at Gabriela and spoke.
“I can read your memory of the Demon King’s Castle, if you trust me.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” the girl said without hesitation.
“Before that, I need to place my Mental Power into your consciousness. This—this is a very risky thing, but only for you.”
Qiaolin’s control over mental-type magic was not yet strong enough to read thoughts and memories out of thin air.
Moreover, he had long since forgotten those spells.
The most direct method was to place his own Mental Power into the other person’s consciousness and search manually.
The prerequisite was that the person being read had absolute trust.
Even a hint of resistance or rejection would drive him out, and their consciousness would be damaged as a result.
“I know this method. After all, if the other person’s Mental Power is allowed to run wild, even memories can be altered. You definitely wouldn’t do that, right?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“Then let’s do it.”
Gabriela leaned in closer and closed her eyes.
Seeing the girl act so decisively, Qiaolin could no longer hesitate.
He reached out to support the back of Gabriela’s head and brought his face close to hers.
Gabriela pursed her lips.
She could feel the man’s breath hitting the tip of her nose, and her cheeks couldn’t help but burn.
When a warm, cool sensation touched her forehead, she quickly calmed her heart and suppressed the shyness deep inside.
She couldn’t allow even a shred of resistance.
Qiaolin’s Mental Power spread slowly from her forehead like a warm current, finally piercing into the center of her brow.
“Qiaolin, you’re… inside?”
This was a one-sided intrusion.
Although Qiaolin didn’t feel much, as the owner of the Sea of Consciousness, Gabriela could clearly feel a slightly hot fluid seeping into her mind.
Qiaolin was like a small fish swimming in Gabriela’s Sea of Consciousness.
Every wave and every drop of water contained the girl’s emotions and memories.
The more precious and unforgettable the memory, the deeper it was hidden in the Sea of Consciousness.
However, those were not Qiaolin’s targets.
He only wanted her impressions of the Demon King’s Castle.
Since Gabriela spent most of her time there, her memories of the place were naturally the most common.
Qiaolin intercepted a frequently recurring memory—
The blonde girl sat high atop the throne in the Great Hall of the Demon King.
Her expression was solemn, and her bearing displayed the full majesty of a king, completely devoid of the coy innocence she showed when around Qiaolin.
Below the throne were demons of various shapes and sizes.
Qiaolin recognized most of them; every single one radiated the aura of a King-level Powerhouse.
After carefully examining the surrounding architectural layout, Qiaolin withdrew from that memory with satisfaction.
‘This should be foolproof now.’
He prepared to exit Gabriela’s Sea of Consciousness.
As he swam back the way he came, he accidentally touched an unknown stream of memories.
“Whoosh—”
Suddenly, he found himself standing in the Great Hall of the Demon King, but it was empty.
“Long time no see, Hero.”
Gabriela’s voice came from atop the stairs.
Qiaolin looked up blankly.
What met his eyes was a dark purple dress long enough to cover the entire throne.
Slender, porcelain-white legs swayed gently beneath the hem.
As his gaze drifted past her alluring waist and bust, he saw an exquisite face wearing a wicked smile atop her delicate shoulders.
The girl with blonde hair and crimson highlights looked down at him.
Her red eyes were filled with a contempt that resembled an icy mountain.
Qiaolin could never forget that gaze.
It was a desire to enslave all things and turn them into puppets.
No one could control her, and no one could get close to her.
“The Demon King of Domination, Archimondia!”
Even if this scene was only Gabriela’s memory, the pressure the woman exuded was no different from what Qiaolin had experienced back then.
In comparison, Gabriela was still far too naive in front of Archimondia!
“Even in death, you still want to show off in front of me, Archimondia?”
Qiaolin’s figure gradually turned into flowing water and disappeared from this memory region.
At that moment, the phantom known as Archimondia crossed her legs and rested her cheek against her fist in a lifelike manner.
“Heh heh, we will meet again, Hero.”