Chapter 4: Chapter 6: His Majesty, the ATM

“That’s all I need! Hehe, in that case, I’ll trouble you to deliver this first letter to His Majesty the Demon King in the next day or two~”

With that, Allyrose pulled a prepared envelope from her pocket. She held it reverently to her chest and began to read aloud with great passion:

[To His Majesty, the Demon King:

Your humble servant, Allyrose, was formerly deceived by the Church and falsely claimed the title of Saintess. I resisted the royal army and suffered great misfortune. Coerced by the Church, pressured by the Saintess, and abandoned by my kin, my life hung by a thread, and only then did I see the error of my ways. Your Majesty’s renown spreads far and wide; all the world knows of your brilliance and divine might, and of the peerless valor of your soldiers. The Demon King’s army is invincible, triumphant in every battle, conquering all before it. The common people welcome you with open hearts. Truly, you are the world’s greatest hero. I wish to join your cause and aid in your grand ambition, to avenge myself against the Church and soothe the hatred in my heart. I will serve you with the loyalty of a faithful hound.

I have heard that Your Majesty gathers talents of all kinds without prejudice. Thus, I have sent this messenger to offer my service as a spy. I shall record every secret of the Hero and the Saintess and present them to you by letter. My sincerity is as clear as the heavens and the earth. I pray Your Majesty will not doubt me. I beseech you to grant me magical artifacts to aid in my duties. Should you grace me with your favor, this humble servant will gladly give her life in return, sparing no effort, be it in white stockings or black.

With this letter, I humbly present my plea.

Respectfully, Allyrose]

****

He… he didn’t understand a word!

But it sounded so sincere!

“Hehe, so? What do you think?” Allyrose’s lips curled into a cat-like smile as she giggled from the side.

“It’s written pretty well, right? With prose like this, surely His Majesty the Demon King will feel the sincerity of my defection?”

“Feel…” Luo Jia fell silent for a moment. After a long pause and a deep breath, he suddenly looked up at Allyrose and asked earnestly, “Allyrose, are you truly, as the letter says, sincere in your desire to join the Demon King?”

‘Hm?’

The twin-tailed girl blinked. Why did it suddenly seem like a flash of anticipation crossed the white-haired boy’s eyes?

After a moment, however, she waved her hand dismissively and declared with smug satisfaction, “Well~ of course… not! Pfft, how could I ever really join the Demon King! Hmph~ What good could possibly come from following a hyper-masculine brute who kills and commits arson? Wait around for him to give me STDs? Hehe, but I guess you can’t say that entirely… I do have high hopes for the Demon King ATM~ Hey, pretty boy, what kind of treasures do you think His Majesty will give me to deal with Vivian and Jason? The Demon King’s army must have a lot of good stuff, right? Hehe, I can get their support just by writing a few letters. I can write a letter as sincere as he wants~!”

‘Completely insincere!’

Upon hearing the wicked woman’s words, the corner of Luo Jia’s mouth twitched. Good heavens… this woman saw him as nothing more than a machine that automatically spits out money and items…

And who… who was a hyper-masculine brute who kills and commits arson?!

‘Hiss… What should I do? I can already feel the urge to teach this fake Saintess a lesson!’

‘Tsk—’

As if hearing the white-haired boy’s click of his tongue, Allyrose raised an eyebrow. A moment later, she leaned in close to Luo Jia, pointed a finger at his nose, and said with a frown, “You, pretty boy, you’d better not say anything bad about me to the Demon King, or else… hmph, you know what’ll happen. With a snap of my fingers, you’ll be dead! Oh, right. What’s your name, pretty boy?”

“Luo… Luo Jia…”

The Demon King hesitated, considering a fake name. But then he realized that no one actually knew his real name, while some of his aliases were far more famous. There was little difference. Besides, he had just signed the contract with his real name… ‘Tsk, so why even ask me! Is this woman blind?’

“Luo Jia? Hmm… I’ve never heard that name before. It’s quite unique~”

Allyrose pinched her chin, feeling a faint sense of familiarity with the name, but she couldn’t place it. She didn’t dwell on it for too long. After a moment, she stood up and used a key to unlock the iron cage of the dungeon. Luo Jia tilted his head as the twin-tailed girl gave him a small smile and a wink.

“Alright, the self-introductions are officially over. Come on, little doggy, let’s go home~”

“Go… home?”

This woman was taking him home?!

“Of course! What else? Little doggy, if you don’t come with me, are you planning to sleep on the streets?”

“Uh…”

****

Since Luo Jia was, in fact, homeless in the royal capital, the Demon King ended up being easily led home by Allyrose.

The girl’s house was a typical three-story Western-style villa… no, to be more precise, it was a castle. Not only was it vast, but its décor was also elegant and luxurious, a glittering display of gold. Finding a room for Luo Jia to settle in was a simple matter.

To say nothing of the fact that Allyrose was now the only one living there. The space was more than ample; it was so empty it felt almost unnerving.

But…

As the saying goes, don’t flaunt your wealth. A house built of gold is bound to attract thieves.

Allyrose took a deep breath, carefully recalling the plot of the novel…

Suddenly, with a loud “BANG—!”, the door to her castle was violently thrown open by several guards in iron armor.

Immediately after, a flurry of footsteps followed as a dozen people dressed in Church vestments strode in, quickly falling into formation by the entrance.

‘So… it’s today, isn’t it? In the original story, the real Saintess’s first attack on the fake one. What a coincidence!’

Allyrose smirked with her back to the newcomers, then slowly turned to face the crowd. Her eyes immediately locked onto the petite girl emerging from their midst.

Then, Allyrose frowned and said softly, “Your Holiness the Saintess, what is… the meaning of this?”

“S-Sister Allyrose, I’m so sorry. Did I disturb you by visiting so suddenly? Um… we, we should probably go, Tok. Sister Allyrose seems busy.”

The golden-haired girl standing at the center of the crowd, like the moon surrounded by stars, was none other than the novel’s protagonist, the true Saintess, Vivian. Standing at a petite five-foot-one, with an innocent and lovely face, she spoke in a small, pitiful tone dripping with insincerity. For a moment, even Allyrose could understand why her original self in the book had trusted Vivian for so long.

Who would ever guess that beneath this gentle, sweet, and adorable exterior was a ruthless, crazed woman?

Now, in their first real confrontation, the other girl was still using that same white-lotus act, as if she had no control over her own legs. Having seen through her, Allyrose wanted to laugh from sheer anger.

Her stammering and evasiveness were a perfect match for the novel’s plot. The newly ascended true Saintess was impatient to reclaim the dozen years of life she had lost.

“Go? Why should we go! Hah, someone else should be the one leaving!”

Upon hearing Vivian’s words, a burly, green-haired man beside her scoffed. His arrogant gaze shifted to Allyrose as he strode forward menacingly.