“…”
At this moment, a subtle silence fell over the conference room.
Everyone’s gaze was fixed on Shien, as if looking at a brave warrior.
Even Shafney was no exception.
“He’s really bold,” she murmured, a hint of displeasure in her voice. This guy, when he first met me, he acted as if he wanted to run away. Now, seeing my bad-tempered and dangerous little sister, not only does he not avoid her, he even puts his arm around her? He avoids me, a delicate beauty, like the plague, but can’t wait to get close to a truly dangerous person. What’s going on? Thinking of this, Shafney’s mood soured.
Kamina, on the other hand, stared at Shien, a complex flicker in her purple eyes.
This flicker of complexity quickly disappeared.
“I have to say, you’re very bold,” she said in a low voice, glancing at Shien’s arm around her shoulder, “I’ve lived for twenty thousand years, and this is the first time anyone dared to touch me so casually.”
This wasn’t meant to be intimidating.
Because, upon hearing her words, the other Demon Lords present lowered their eyes, a hint of respect in their silence. Clearly, even they hadn’t touched Kamina so casually.
Shafney had also said that Kamina’s poison was a terrifying toxin that even transcendent beings couldn’t ignore, and they usually didn’t dare to get too close to her.
Therefore, Kamina’s words were true.
Actually, Shien didn’t need her to say it; he already knew. The air around her was filled with an increasing amount of toxins, and his skin felt a burning sensation from touching her, as if being corroded. If not for the Holy Sword’s unsealed state, its divine power constantly purifying the toxins, he might have already collapsed. Even so, the burning sensation persisted, making him feel like his body was filled with molten lava.
But Shien was stubborn.
Enduring the pain, he said calmly,
“Unfortunately, I don’t have any outstanding qualities, except perhaps my boldness. If someone provokes me, I can’t feel at ease without retaliating.” His sarcasm was top-notch.
But Kamina didn’t get angry, instead chuckling softly.
“You, the Hero, are quite interesting, much more so than those fools before,” she said, then looked away, “I hope you can keep this up.”
She even ignored Shien’s arm around her.
Shien also stopped talking, silently enduring the burning pain and the toxins invading his body.
“Hopefully, [Inner Manifestation of Heaven’s Decree] will be useful.”
Although this skill couldn’t block Kamina’s poison, he remembered that one of its effects was increasing resistance with repeated exposure to the same attack.
Therefore, even if Kamina’s poison was terrifying, given enough time to adapt, his [Inner Manifestation] should eventually be able to withstand it. Moreover, the [Supreme God’s Blessing] also contained the effects of all Goddesses’ blessings, some of which should be effective against poison. With their combined effects, he should be able to completely ignore Kamina’s poison sooner or later.
This was one of his reasons for getting close to her. After all, judging by the current situation, his relationship with this Poison Demon wouldn’t be good. If they became enemies and had to fight, being immune to her poison would be a huge advantage. This was Shien’s plan, and coupled with his unwillingness to show weakness, he acted so boldly.
He didn’t know what kind of impact this deliberate action of his had on Kamina.
Kamina, feeling Shien’s arm around her shoulder and smelling his unfamiliar scent, felt slightly dazed.
(How long has it been since someone got this close to me?)
The last person who could get this close to her without changing their expression was already gone, right?
Having lived for twenty thousand years, no one had ever been this close to Kamina, except for… that person…
Thinking of the deceased, a faint sadness filled Kamina’s heart.
At the same time, her hostility towards Shien also lessened.
She wasn’t targeting him out of hatred, but simply because he was the Hero, the natural enemy of the Demon Race, yet was being protected by her older and younger sisters, which annoyed her.
Especially Airi.
That youngest sister, pampered by them all, was not only rebellious but also talked back to her for the sake of a Hero. This put Kamina in a bad mood.
Then, Lilith’s rampage in the Poison Demon Territory led to their fight, worsening their relationship.
These two reasons combined made Kamina act so aggressively towards Shien.
After all, she had a bad temper. Even a slight provocation was enough for her to make others suffer. Not completely dissolving them with her poison was already considered merciful. And Shien wasn’t one to take things lying down. Naturally, they clashed. But their conflict was just that, a clash, not deep-seated hatred. If it were true hatred, the poison Kamina released wouldn’t be so weak. Therefore, although Kamina had a bad impression of Shien, it wasn’t deep-seated hatred.
Now, being held so boldly by Shien, although feeling uncomfortable, she also missed the warmth of another’s body.
This actually greatly reduced her animosity towards him.
(Let’s see how long he can last.) Kamina felt a hint of anticipation.
A subtle silence filled the conference room.
Until…
“…What are you doing?”
A voice, too familiar to Shien, a voice he even missed, echoed through the conference room.
The Demon Lords perked up and looked towards the entrance.
“Yaa!” Lilith also exclaimed, then happily pounced forward.
“…” Shien didn’t turn around immediately, but the familiar aura, atmosphere, and faint dragon’s might told him who it was. He slowly turned his head and looked.
There, a dragon girl, holding a pillow and resembling a delicate doll, quietly appeared.
“It seems you’re alright, little one,” Airi said, a rare smile appearing on her childish face as she caught the pouncing Lilith. Although she looked the same age as Lilith, she acted like an elder, patting Lilith’s head.
“Hee hee.” Lilith beamed at Airi, clearly happy. After all, besides Shien and Lasha, Airi was the one who took care of her the most while she was with Shien. Although Airi was fond of sleeping, she was very caring towards Lilith. No, this dragon girl was also very caring towards Shien and Yulin. Despite her childish appearance, she had a thoughtful side.