Chapter 3: The Little Demon King’s Act

The Saintess who had perished with him before, now stood before him once more?!

Alexius gazed at the person before him, his initial shock quickly giving way to confusion. Perhaps Lulu’s appearance here wasn’t so unusual, given that he had indeed encountered her five years prior.

Yet… should she not have intervened?

Indeed, if his memory served him right, in his previous life, the white-haired lady had merely observed. But this time, she had actually acted, coming to the aid of his distressed self?

It seemed the worldline had undergone some sort of change… No, that wasn’t right. Perhaps, it was…!

Alexius reacted swiftly, a chill of dread creeping through him. Could it be… that Miss Lulu, standing before him, had also been reborn?

But if so, why would she save him?

‘[Aha, the little Demon King is stunned. Oh, what an innocent face he has. It’s impossible to connect him with the Demon King he’ll become later. Hmm… he’s so cute, it almost makes me reluctant to kill him.]’

‘[Speaking of which, I suppose I saved his life, didn’t I? Ha… this shouldn’t count as secretly colluding with the Demon King’s army, right? I just found those idiots too much of an eyesore. As for the little Demon King, it truly feels like revenge only if I personally deal with him!]’

Lulu’s lips curved into a cat-like smile, her heart swelling with wild glee. She remained oblivious, however, that her recent thoughts had fully manifested in Alexius’s mind.

The little Demon King felt a surge of awkwardness, then began to devise a counter-strategy in his heart.

No, he couldn’t. He was currently just a defenseless boy. Though her strength was not as formidable as it would be five years later, she was still a prodigious mage.

Even if he was the reincarnation of the Demon King, with high hidden potential that allowed him to advance quickly without the slow progression of others, it would still take at least a year to recover his peak strength.

He absolutely could not confront Luxstina directly right now. To face this genius mage, he would need at least six months to regain his power!

But now… what was he to do?

Before Alexius could formulate a plan, Lulu had already reined in her inner elation. After a moment of composing herself, her expression turned grim.

She slowly raised her magic staff, pointing it at the little Demon King before her.

‘[I’m truly sorry, little Demon King. Though you are still but a child, I cannot allow you to wreak havoc upon the world in the future. Die—!]’

Lulu roared inwardly, steeling herself to strike and eliminate future troubles once and for all!

Unexpectedly, the very next second…

The Oscar-worthy performance began!

Just then, the boy suddenly dropped to his knees before her with a thud, tears welling in his eyes. He threw his arms around Lulu’s leg, even giving it a squeeze.

‘It was quite soft.’

“W-wah—!”

This sudden action completely flustered Lulu, leaving her stunned and wanting to retreat a couple of steps. The little Demon King clung tightly to her leg, refusing to let go.

Startled, Lulu instinctively kicked twice, yet couldn’t dislodge him.

‘W-w-w-w-what… What the heck is going on?’

Lulu stared blankly at the little Demon King before her. The boy, however, looked up, his eyes glistening with tears, and called out to her:

“Thank you, my benefactor. Was… was it you who saved me?”

That was it! Alexius had made up his mind. Anyway… judging by the white-haired girl’s reaction, she clearly hadn’t heard his thoughts, whereas he could hear hers.

This created an information asymmetry: Lulu didn’t know he had been reborn, but he knew she had. Therefore… for now, he would play submissive!

If she realized he was also a reborn individual, she would undoubtedly eliminate him. But if she didn’t know, he could stall and buy time until the Demon King’s army executives, who had rescued him in his previous life, arrived!

“Ahaha… Y-yes, I suppose so?”

Lulu immediately felt a pang of embarrassment. Gazing at the grateful boy at her feet, she lightly rubbed the back of her head, a little self-conscious.

‘[Actually, I was just about to make a move on you too…]’

Ugh… Alexius quickly suppressed his urge to retort. He absolutely couldn’t complain right now.

It was the first time he so desperately wished not to hear her thoughts, fearing that if he lost his composure, it would turn into a truly dark joke.

There was no choice. He had to continue his act and try to win her sympathy!

“Thank you, Big Sister. If you hadn’t intervened in time, I would surely have been killed by those who were chasing me. I… I truly thank you. My… my parents were murdered, and they still want to exterminate me completely. I… now, my home… my parents… my siblings… everything, everything is gone… W-wah… I…”

The boy below her was already sobbing uncontrollably, utterly choked with emotion. Listening to his heartbreaking whimpers, the girl stood frozen in place.

The little Demon King… The girl found herself speechless. After a moment of silence, Lulu slowly let out a sigh.

‘[Yes, he… he is still just a child, after all.]’

‘[Moreover, he’s an innocent boy who hasn’t yet strayed onto the wrong path.]’

‘[No matter how much of a scoundrel the future Demon King becomes, how deserving of death, at least… this boy before me hasn’t done anything yet.]’

‘[He… shouldn’t be held accountable for the future Demon King’s actions. What if… this time, he could be guided onto the right path?]’

‘[Besides, I just saved him. In his heart, I must be someone he can rely on, right? If I were to suddenly kill him now, what kind of emotions would he experience in his final moments?]’

‘[After all, the current him is innocent!]’

Lulu looked with a measure of pity at the sobbing boy on the ground. After a long moment, she slowly knelt down and gently stroked the boy’s head.

His dust-matted hair was still streaked with traces of blood, and a scar marked his scalp, likely from his earlier escape.

The disheveled little one instantly ignited an even stronger protective instinct within Lulu. After a brief pause, Lulu spoke softly, beginning to comfort the injured boy before her.

“Hey, don’t cry. Big Sister will help you. What… what’s your name?”

“My name is Alexius. Big Sister can just call me ‘Shu.’ Thank you, Big Sister, w-wah… I, I also want to know Big Sister’s name!”

The Oscar-worthy little Demon King looked up, gazing at the white-haired mage whose protective instincts were now in full bloom. Lulu was silent for a moment, then replied, “Oh, me? I’m Luxstina. Just call me Lulu; everyone does…”

Mmm… After exchanging names, the two who already knew each other’s identities fell silent. Lulu awkwardly observed the scene before her, beginning to ponder her next move.

‘[Hmm… this can’t go on like this. The child is so pitiful and all alone. If things continue this way, he might be targeted and pursued by his enemies again. Perhaps… I should take him in?]’

Upon hearing this, the little Demon King was momentarily touched. He hadn’t expected her to abandon her plan of eliminating future troubles, all due to pity for his current self…

“Hey, little Shu,” Lulu suddenly spoke up, “Well… since you have nowhere to go, and I feel quite sorry for you, how about it? Would you be willing to become my disciple? Your Big Sister is a famous mage for miles around, you know!”

Lulu suddenly spoke up, making such an offer. Alexius, upon hearing this, was momentarily stunned.

‘Become… Luxstina’s disciple?’

She actually wanted to take him in? They… they were sworn enemies in their previous lives. This… she was truly so gentle…

‘[Ah, while I don’t want to kill this child, I absolutely cannot let a tiger return to the mountains! I must take this little fellow away and raise him to be useless from childhood! I absolutely cannot let him bring disaster to the world!]’

Lulu clenched her fists, thinking thus…

The little Demon King’s lips twitched.

Damn it.