Chapter 707: Hidden Agendas
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 707: Hidden Agendas
"Are they gone?"
Nian quietly opened her eyes.
The room appeared peaceful. Soft gauze curtains swayed gently in a stray breeze from an unknown source, making it look nothing like the cage meant to imprison them.
However, the Grand Duke of Bewitchment’s presence was far too overwhelming. Coupled with the fact that she likely intended to intimidate these "little lambs," they had spent the entire night feeling as though they were huddled next to a slumbering apex predator.
And that was only one of the problems. What was even harder to endure was that while the room was indeed well-insulated against sound, it couldn't block out the Grand Duke’s humming—nor could it block out those intense movements and noises.
Consequently, they had spent the night listening to the faint but unmistakably high-pitched moans, cries of pain, pleas for mercy, and the decadent sounds of someone repeatedly soaring to the clouds only to plummet back down.
"How can that Grand Duke of Bewitchment be so shameless!"
Nian’s cheeks were still flushed. Because of those sounds, she hadn't slept a wink. After all, for someone who had only learned from Feifei a few months ago that children weren't created through alchemy, experiencing such things from so close was far too stimulating.
Though, it seemed she was the only one who found it so.
The candlelight in the room remained dim and soft. The candles, made of some unknown material, seemed as if they would never burn out, emitting a faint, exotic fragrance that served to heighten the mood at certain times.
The most timid of them, Julia, was currently curled up in the bathtub. It was the spot furthest from the wall shared with the next room, and she had spent the night there.
As for that Miss Yali, whom Nian found rather annoying, she had also made the odd choice not to rest on the large, soft pink bed. Instead, she slept on the floor, leaning against a wall.
Both were now fast asleep. It seemed the noise from next door and the threat of a powerful foe were no match for the physical and mental exhaustion following their capture by the Demon Race.
As for Feifei...
She was still pressed against the wall, listening intently to the movements next door with lingering interest.
"Looks like they really are gone."
Noticing Nian walking over, Feifei stood up with a hint of regret.
She had maintained that position all night. The loss of her sight had made her other senses sharper, and the opportunity to eavesdrop on a Grand Duke of the Demon Race was a rare one indeed.
"Even a Grand Duke can only last one night? That’s not very impressive."
"Is that kind of thing really that interesting?"
Nian crossed her arms, utterly perplexed.
To think that something could keep Feifei—who usually slept twelve hours a day—awake all night just to eavesdrop... Was there really anything in this world more interesting than alchemy?
"Of course it’s interesting. This is the so-called Great Way of Life, the origin of all things... A pure little child like you definitely wouldn't understand." Feifei pinched Nian’s cheek.
"Who are you calling a child..." Nian slapped Feifei’s hand away and glared.
"Whoever is smaller is the child."
"You!"
"Alright, now isn't the time for bickering."
Feifei deliberately puffed out her chest to show off her ample curves. Before Nian could explode in anger, she pulled the conversation back to business, leaving Nian to stomp her foot in frustration.
"While I’d love to experience the Grand Duke of Bewitchment’s methods myself, I’m afraid now isn't the time to satisfy my personal desires. It’s a pity I prefer being the 'S' anyway; holding the whip is always more fun than being on the receiving end."
Feifei fumbled inside her sleeve and gave a gentle tug.
The candlelight flickered as she pulled a slender silver thread from her sleeve, quickly winding it into a ball.
"Here."
Feifei held the ball of silver thread out to Nian.
"Your turn."
"Hmph."
Nian let out a dissatisfied snort but still raised her hand, placing it over the silver ball.
"Transmute."
A faint trace of Mana surged from her palm.
Due to the restrictions on her shackles, the amount of Mana she could mobilize was extremely minuscule.
But it was enough.
Under Nian’s control, the silver ball rapidly melted, reshaped, and restructured itself.
This small-scale transformation at her fingertips condensed her exquisite alchemical skill.
As expected of the Stone Cauldron Association’s most famous recent genius, Feifei thought with secret admiration.
In just a few minutes, this small piece of magic material—specifically fashioned into a thread for easy concealment—was refined by Nian into the shape of a key.
Faint blue light pulsed across the key. The magic patterns refined within it only needed a slight adjustment to silently interface with most magic formations.
Nian took the key and inserted it into the shackles on her wrists. In truth, she hadn't been idle last night; she had been secretly analyzing the restriction. Now, with a gentle twist, the chains fell to the floor with a soft clatter.
Nian then unlocked Feifei’s shackles.
"Can you use that to open the door?" Feifei asked, rubbing her aching wrists.
"Of course. I caught a glimpse of the key that Demon held yesterday. I remember the general shape; I just need to fix a few details."
"How long will it take?"
"The door lock is custom-made and clearly has a restriction. It’ll take half an hour to crack."
"Faster than I expected."
"Naturally."
Nian puffed out her chest proudly. "There isn't a person in this world who can pick a lock faster than us alchemists."
"That doesn't sound much like a compliment."
"Shut up. I’m going to do the real work. You go deal with those two little tails."
Nian’s tone was displeased. She was finding it harder and harder to talk to this woman. If she didn't need her help for what came next, she would have kicked this annoying, silver-tongued person away long ago.
She was even more annoying than Margarita.
"Fine, fine. The 'annoying person' will go do some 'annoying things' then."
Even though she couldn't see, Feifei could easily imagine Nian’s pouting expression.
Lolis were always exceptionally cute when they were angry. It was a shame this one was a blockhead who only liked alchemy and muscular mechanical men.
The corners of her mouth curled slightly as she reached under her skirt again.
A magic wand nearly half the height of a person was pulled out directly. It was a mystery where she had hidden it to evade the Demon Race’s search.
She walked over to Miss Yali and Miss Julia, letting out a leisurely sigh.
"While I don't particularly enjoy ambushing beautiful girls, it’s a pity we have our own business to attend to. We can't take any dead weight with us while escaping. Therefore, I’ll have to ask you two to sleep a little longer. If you’re lucky, by the time you wake up, an opportunity to escape this place will have presented itself."
"If you’re unlucky... I’m sorry, but we don't have the strength to save everyone. You’ll just have to look out for yourselves."
Feifei gave her wand a light wave, casting a Sleep Spell. A faint light shimmered, turning into snowflake-like motes that settled onto the two girls.
At this moment, she was actually somewhat grateful for the restrictions the Demons had placed on them. Since her cultivation was mostly sealed, she only needed to cast a minor spell; it didn't consume much Mana to keep these two in a deep slumber for a long time.
After the Sleep Spell was cast, Feifei hesitated for a moment before consuming extra Mana to place a Life Blessing on them.
This was a special magic from the Church. The recipient appeared no different, but if they encountered a life-threatening danger, the blessing would activate at the critical moment to preserve a sliver of life.
She knew this wouldn't actually be of much use. This was the Demon Race’s headquarters, after all. Facing a Demon Grand Duke, no amount of extra lives would matter.
"Just for peace of mind," Feifei sighed softly. "Since we did cross paths, after all."
"Are you done?" Nian asked suddenly.
"Just a small favor."
"Then hurry up and help me!"
"Oh my, oh my... I thought you could handle it alone."
"Of course I can!" Nian stomped her foot hard. "But Leita’s group will probably move faster than me. If I don't hurry, I won't be able to follow the plan."
"Alright, alright. In that case, let big sister give you a hand."
Before turning to leave, Feifei clasped her hands together and prayed sincerely:
"Goddess above, may the Holy Light be with you... and with us."
*
"A combination technique of Holy Light and Mana?"
Ariel opened her eyes and looked at her palm, murmuring in surprise, "Are Miss Feifei and Miss Nian actually people from the Church?"
She had known those two were unusual—their mindsets were nothing like those of pitiful prisoners captured by Demons—but she hadn't expected them to have such significant backgrounds.
"It seems I need to move quickly as well."
Ariel’s open palm suddenly clenched into a fist.
"This matter is more complicated than I thought. If I don't save the girls soon, there might not be another chance."
And most importantly...
"Miss Muse, don't be afraid."
Ariel pulled out a precision instrument crafted by her teacher and began cracking the door’s lock and restriction at a speed far exceeding that of Feifei and Nian.
"I’m coming to save you!"
*
"It’s open."
With a faint friction sound, the tightly shut door slowly creaked open.
The light in the hallway was much brighter than inside the room, causing both people to squint as they adjusted from the dim yellow light.
"Faster than I thought. It only took twenty minutes. As expected of the Stone Cauldron Association’s pride and joy."
Mawen happily patted Leita on the shoulder, causing the poorly made braids on his head to sway, nearly falling apart.
Leita glanced at the braids he had spent so long weaving but said nothing. He silently retracted a small metal mechanism into his mechanical arm.
Mawen was used to Leita’s silence. The guy was always a man of few words; aside from his daily interactions with Annie, he barely squeezed out a few syllables even to those he spent every day with.
"Alright, we need to move fast."
Mawen stretched his body. "I talked a big game yesterday, but the thought of a demon lesbian lusting after my perfect body makes me sick. I have no desire to become a dainty little femboy—not physically, and certainly not physiologically."
Leita looked into the room.
On the pink bed, a beautiful girl with wavy golden hair lay sleeping in her clothes.
In any other situation, this would be a scene capable of sparking endless fantasies, but no one cared right now.
"It’s fine. I just slipped a little something into the chicken leg I gave her last night."
Mawen sighed. "Though it truly pains my heart to do this to such a beautiful young lady, I have no choice. Who told me to be such a responsible, good man? I wouldn't dare disobey the instructions of that ill-tempered Princess back home."
"..."
"What’s with that look? Forget it, there’s no point talking to a cold, rigid guy like you. Let’s go. Don't keep Miss Feifei and Miss Nian waiting."
The door closed silently once more.
Everything returned to silence. Combined with the sleeping golden-haired beauty on the bed, it seemed this silence would last a long time.
But suddenly, even without a prince’s kiss, the sleeping beauty’s long eyelashes fluttered. Under the candlelight, she slowly opened her beautiful eyes.
"Feifei? Nian? Does she mean Miss Fei'er and Miss Annie?"
Muen stared at the ceiling, murmuring with a strange expression, "Nearly half of the former Saintess candidates and God-Attendant Knights are here. This lineup is even more extravagant than I imagined... As expected, you all know something, and you’re clearly planning something big."
In an infiltration mission full of disguises, he had encountered more acquaintances than he ever expected. Truly, this damn fate never missed an opportunity to try and hit him, the yellow-haired villain, with a "One Thousand Years of Death."
Pity that for now, he had no choice but to keep his guard up and hide as best he could. However, from another perspective, the messier the situation became, the easier it would be for him to see through the mist surrounding the Demon Race.
"I should get moving too."
Muen sat up and looked toward the door—the same door Mawen and Leita had spent twenty minutes tinkering with. A disdainful smile played on his lips.
"You two are pathetic. You actually needed twenty minutes?"
Muen pulled out a leftover chicken bone from the night before.
"Watch me crack it in two."