Chapter 47: An Unforeseen Encounter and a Brewing Displeasure

“Well, I doubt any man could refuse this posture… Oh, he’s here.”

Just as Qiaolun approached the leisurely pavilion where the two women rested, a brilliant blue light erupted before him, and silvery-grey hair billowed wildly in the biting, icy wind.

Ramola conjured two massive ice cones from thin air, stopping less than an inch from Qiaolun’s eyes.

Frost crystallized on his eyelashes, yet Qiaolun exhaled a seemingly calm puff of white mist.

“Oh?” Ramola slowly advanced towards the stunned Qiaolun, her voice laced with intrigued amusement. “Why didn’t you dodge?”

“Because I’m not afraid.”

‘Damn it, because I couldn’t even see them… Still, sometimes being slow to react isn’t entirely a bad thing.’

Qiaolun mused to himself, a surge of secret relief washing over him. Since things had come to this, he might as well play the part of the fearless hero.

“Not afraid? Why aren’t you afraid?”

With the two of them standing intimately close, Qiaolun scrutinized Ramola, discovering to his astonishment that the mature, strikingly proportioned woman before him was vastly different from the youthful girl he had previously encountered.

He could roughly discern that this was still Duke Madal, with her characteristic defiance and slyness in her eyes, but now imbued with an added aura of nobility and elegance.

‘Holy hell… This is truly astounding!’

Qiaolun’s gaze was drawn to the newcomer, to the mature curves that seemed ample enough to be cupped in one hand, the mere glimpse of their subtle outline enough to spark a myriad of fantasies.

“Not afraid, just not afraid!”

No sooner had Qiaolun uttered these words than a warm gush erupted from his nose.

Instinctively, he wiped at it, finding vibrant red blood steaming on his palm.

“How… did I get hurt? When?”

“See, my dear Yunajin, men are precisely this kind of creature,” Ramola declared to Yunajin, her expression a mix of seductive triumph.

“Huh?! That’s not it at all! I think I’ve sustained some internal injury… And this blood just keeps gushing.”

Noticing the aggrieved look on Yunajin’s face, Qiaolun turned away, attempting to wipe his nosebleed clean.

Yunajin rose, her toes digging into the ground, her heavy steps leaving indentations.

She sprang before Qiaolun, her face clouded with displeasure, hands on her hips, her chest thrust out.

Qiaolun sensed an oppressive aura emanating from her, one that felt no less menacing than the killing intent she had displayed when they first fought.

‘Actually, even small ones… are quite cute.’

“Believe me, Yunajin, I was definitely ambushed by her. This blood couldn’t possibly just start flowing on its own, could it?”

“Really?”

Qiaolun desperately tried to explain that he hadn’t been swayed by beauty, but rather by the effects of her magic.

“Then let me dispel it for you.” Yunajin moved to unfasten ‘Twilight’ from her waist, but Qiaolun quickly stopped her. Forcing a strained laugh, he said, “Hehe, no need to trouble yourself. I can easily overcome this minor magic.”

Under Yunajin’s suspicious gaze, Qiaolun took a sharp inhale, sucking all the blood back into his nose.

“Wow~ Amazing, amazing!” Yunajin clapped her small hands, smiling, genuinely oblivious to Qiaolun’s contorted grin.

Ramola shook her head in resignation, dispelling the ice cones. Out of consideration for the young Demon Lord, she ultimately reverted to her original form.

Despite the brief interlude, Qiaolun’s appetite remained unaffected. With the permission of Duke Madal, Ramola, the city-state’s mistress, he eagerly devoured the pastries on the table, while Yunajin gently urged him to eat slower, simultaneously offering him tea.

Having spent the previous week often wandering the desert on an empty stomach, the chocolates Yunajin had given him were initially treasured.

However, Qiaolun, overcome by craving, devoured them all on the very first day.

Coupled with his utterly abysmal cooking skills, he had rarely eaten a proper meal since.

“I’m sorry, Qiaolun, I should have told you earlier. The deep autumn Western Wasteland has a harsh environment, with rampant demonic beast activity. You’ve truly suffered these past few days.”

Watching Qiaolun eat, Yunajin’s heart ached, and she affectionately patted his head in comfort.

‘How strange. I didn’t appear *that* hungry, did I? I wasn’t wolfing it down; I was quite composed and proper!’

Qiaolun cast a puzzled glance at Yunajin, then hesitated, words catching in his throat.

“Do you have something to say?” Ramola inquired, leaning back in her chair.

The Duke’s gaze was as sharp as ever. Qiaolun had initially wondered why the Demon Lord had summoned him here; if it were just the two of them, it would align perfectly with her personality.

However, with Duke Madal present, if important matters were to be discussed, it certainly wouldn’t be his place, a mere human, to observe.

“You… why did you call me here?” Qiaolun stammered, pausing his meal to gauge Yunajin’s expression.

“To eat together, of course. Madal City has some specialties here, and I wanted you to try them.” Yunajin’s straightforward answer failed to convince Ramola, who, frowning skeptically, straightened her posture.

‘If *you* called him over, then what is *my* purpose here? Wait, wasn’t it *this Duke* who invited you in the first place?’

For Qiaolun, however, Yunajin’s seemingly simple answer was something he had grown accustomed to; the Demon Lord had no ulterior motives.

Eating together simply meant eating, and walking together meant walking.

In Qiaolun’s mind, this was implicitly the most truthful response.

Yet, he might not have realized that Yunajin was deliberately fostering their relationship.

Both were young and inexperienced, and awkwardness in expressing themselves was perfectly normal.

“This fruit is quite good, just a little sour…”

“Here, have this red one!”

“Oh, thank you.”

Ramola’s displeasure was palpable.

“Alright, that’s enough!” she exclaimed, clearly annoyed.

A Demonkin and a human, this pairing again. While she couldn’t control ordinary Demonkin, did the Demon Lord truly come standard with a useless human?

“What’s wrong, Little Icy? Why are you so agitated?”

Qiaolun, despite his internal panic, strove to maintain a calm expression.

He was acutely aware that this was a strong-willed and unpredictable Demonkin, and he couldn’t tell if she would suddenly lash out and conjure a massive iceberg to crush him.

Yunajin, on the other hand, thought that the other party might simply be accustomed to prolonged solitude.

If that were truly the case, she would be even more pitiable.

However, our Demon Lord was not overflowing with excess compassion.

‘No offense, but even if you can change your body and appearance, it doesn’t prove your charm surpasses that of *this King*.’

‘That night, Qiaolun should have been looking at *this King*!’

In truth, Qiaolun had wanted to witness the allure of both women simultaneously, believing that even a more youthful physique held treasures worth exploring.

Of course, Qiaolun’s true objective was to research the Demonkin’s magic replenishment process. ‘Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat!’

“It’s nothing…” Seemingly realizing her own lapse, Ramola let out a soft breath, her icy expression returning to its usual composure.

“I was just reminded of my elder sister, the Third Demon Lord, your predecessor. She, too, once fell in love with a human.”