Chapter 93: The Burden of Peace and a Detour to the Orphanage

Wade, of course, remembered what it was like last time. Last time, after Lamia arrived, a few minor incidents occurred. Although they were resolved later, the two of them still slipped out through the back door, completely ignoring whatever Pope Jiao Huang was saying on stage.

Naturally, it was much the same this time. However, Lamia had unlocked a keyword when Pope Jiao Huang mentioned something related to demons, which prompted her brief discussion with Wade. In truth, he wasn’t overly concerned with other matters.

The relationship between demons and humans had been an unresolvable issue for many years. Lamia, naturally, belonged to the moderate faction, hoping that humans and demons could pursue a more peaceful path.

The Pope, on the other hand, clearly represented the most unyielding, uncompromising faction among humans. His words were filled with wariness and hostility towards demons, even viewing any appeasement or compromise as weakness or betrayal.

Wade listened to Lamia’s thoughts, and to her muttered ‘slipping out’ to herself. He could sense a subtle, almost imperceptible tension beneath her calm tone, and perhaps… a hint of sorrow?

As a proponent of peace, caught between the hawkish factions of both sides, her situation was far more difficult than it appeared. It was possible she couldn’t even voice her desire for peace.

“Do you think this will go on forever?”

Lamia looked at Wade, suddenly mumbling in a low voice, her gaze fixed on the Pope’s impassioned figure in the distance.

Wade remained silent for a moment, observing the faint shadows Lamia’s eyelashes cast beneath her eyelids.

“…I don’t know.”

His answer was honest, filled with uncertainty about the future’s possibilities. For now, he spoke merely as a human, an ordinary one at that.

Even the impassioned Pope on stage had no idea how much longer this confrontation would last.

Their current state could hardly be called a war. Instead, they seemed to exist in a subtly nauseating stalemate.

As the White Knight, and as a representative of humanity, Wade was constantly occupied with opening the Demon Lord’s castle gates each day.

Meanwhile, from the Demon Lord’s castle, as both a confrontation and a form of retaliation, a few scattered demons would periodically be sent to disrupt the daily lives of humans.

Yet, no one knew how long this situation would persist.

“But we have to try,” Wade asserted, “we have to take a step forward. If both sides merely remain locked in this confrontation forever, we might never truly understand each other’s intentions.”

Wade shook his head, articulating his most idealistic possibility.

‘People need to know,’ he thought. ‘The other side must eventually understand what we truly think. Otherwise, those hidden intentions, kept secret for a lifetime or even generations, will remain forever unknown.’

****

Lamia watched Wade in silence. His words, coming from the White Knight, offered her a valuable point of reference.

In a sense, the White Knight was also a pacifist. Although he was the one responsible for disrupting demon life, he believed that achieving peace without a single casualty would be even better.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have shouldered all these responsibilities himself. He could easily have dispatched more people, more knights, to lead, make decisions, or command, allowing them to carry out these duties. Why do it all alone?

He had always taken on these tasks alone precisely to prevent others from getting hurt. It made no difference to him; his body was powerful, and he possessed the White Knight’s armor. Even if injured, he would recover quickly and wasn’t easily harmed.

Thus, the two individuals constantly engaged in conflict—the White Knight and the Black Demon Lord—were, in fact, both advocates for peace. They fought the most ferociously, yet they were also the two who yearned for peace the most deeply.

It was precisely for this reason that Wade hadn’t hesitated for long in accepting Lamia.

He did not crave bloodshed.

He had never craved bloodshed.

If such an opportunity truly arose, if their relationship could forge peace, then he was willing to try.

However, everything they did required immense courage.

The moment they chose peace, they would likely be opposed by the prevailing currents of society.

What they would have to face, what they would have to contend with… it was too immense.

“Haah…”

Afterward, Lamia let out a long, weary sigh. Her thoughts had indeed flickered with a few phrases just moments ago, but mostly they expressed profound exhaustion.

Yes, merely contemplating the current situation was enough to induce weariness, and her position was even more complicated.

Furthermore, as the Demon Lord of all, as a demon whose individual thoughts had been confined by centuries of her existence as the Demon Lord, Lamia found it genuinely difficult to break free from these restrictions. It wasn’t just a limitation of power, but more significantly, a mental constraint.

It was like facing a dish you’d never tried before, especially when you had an allergic constitution.

You wouldn’t know how to reach out, how to open your mouth. You wouldn’t know what consequences eating it might bring.

If an allergic reaction occurred, how would you go to work tomorrow? How would you explain to others what you’d eaten, why you had an allergy?

This would then trigger a series of events requiring explanation and resolution—even public opinion issues. People would whisper behind your back, asking why you ate something unfamiliar, questioning if you knew nothing about your own constitution.

What followed would be a cascade of problems, not merely your own, but more significantly, issues concerning how society viewed your actions.

This was all because Lamia was the Demon Lord. Her very position was enough to place her on the chopping block, scrutinized by all.

She had too much to consider… she couldn’t afford to stake everything on one gamble.

Even this outing was likely something she had fought hard for, gritting her teeth all the while.

“Shall we go clear our heads? We originally came out today just to wander around.”

Seeing Lamia’s expression grow increasingly somber, Wade decided it was best to distract her from these thoughts.

True, she was the Demon Lord, but even a Demon Lord deserved time to rest. She shouldn’t let everything overwhelm her; once she was crushed, her thoughts would only become more chaotic.

“Hmm… then where should we go?”

“Why don’t you two go check on the children at the orphanage in the back? At this hour, those kids should be playing in the open field.”

Just as Wade and Lamia were still deliberating where to go, Zelin, who was nearby, finally spoke up.

In truth, Zelin also had a few minor tasks, more or less. For instance, the old Pope had instructed him to keep a close eye on Wade and Lamia. If either of them showed any signs of distress within the church, he was to step in and help them alleviate those emotions.

Primarily, the old man feared that if Wade and Lamia were to fight within the church, the built-in defensive formations might detect their true identities, thus exposing rather troublesome matters.

So, Zelin’s mission was to soothe them both. Whether it was sorrow, negative emotions, or any other unpleasant feelings, he was responsible for stepping in and offering advice.

Now, it seemed, was his moment to act.

Just moments ago, when Wade had nearly crushed the chair, Zelin had been terrified.

Zelin had no idea of Wade’s true identity. He still thought Wade was merely a civilian aide to the Commander. A civilian aide with such immense strength, enough to crush a chair directly, and with only a slight redness on his hands, no injuries at all…

Zelin was no fool. In that instant, he realized Wade was likely no ordinary person, and the old man’s instructions concerning him were undoubtedly due to this very fact.

However, Zelin would never speak of it. He knew he was now entangled with some very important figures. If he blabbed, his life would be forfeit. And his numerous aunts and uncles—those relatives who sent him gifts for holidays and even remembered his birthday, treating him better than his own parents—he absolutely couldn’t implicate them.

It was precisely for this reason that Zelin suggested they visit the children at the orphanage in the back courtyard to clear their minds.

Children always had a way of soothing emotions, especially well-behaved ones—the kind you could interact with without taking on full responsibility.

They merely needed to watch the children play, observing their noisy antics and joyful laughter. Even if a child fell to the ground, they wouldn’t have to pick them up. As orphans from the welfare institution, there was no need to worry about parents making false accusations or complaints. Without family support, such children typically matured early and wouldn’t cause trouble.

While these thoughts might sound a little cynical, all in all, such adorable children were the best.

“You mean the orphanage in the back?”

“Yes, the one behind the building. Just follow this road to the end. Haven’t you ever been there?”

“…”

Hearing the words ‘orphanage,’ Wade couldn’t help but sigh.

When the old man had first picked him up, he had simply dropped him off there.

When Osias, the former Pope, had taken him in, he hadn’t immediately settled him into a luxurious papal suite. Instead, like other children, Wade had been brought to the orphanage—the large one located in the church’s back courtyard.

He had lived there for a long time afterward, relying solely on his own means to survive.

After all, Wade had been a child rescued from an alleyway back then. Osias needed to observe him carefully, discerning whether his character was suitable to become the White Knight through various mundane daily occurrences.

Of course, Osias also intervened to some extent, teaching Wade what was right and what was wrong, then allowing him to make his own choices.

As a result, Wade’s conduct thoroughly pleased Osias, and thus, Wade became the bearer of the White Knight title.

However, Wade hadn’t been back to the orphanage for a very long time.

Even in his youth, his personality was quite independent, so he had few friends there. He always completed his tasks alone.

By now, it must have been over a decade.

That original group of children would surely have left. They would either have been adopted by others or, being old enough, would have gone out to find work and start families of their own.

No, Wade had never really gone back to look closely. Moreover, since it was a church orphanage, it didn’t require his donations, so he hadn’t made a special effort to visit the place where he had once lived.

He trusted his grandfather to manage the orphanage well, and he believed this newly appointed Pope would also take good care of it. After all, the Pope was a human supremacist; how could such a person neglect children?

“Never mind, I’ll take you. Come on, I’ll lead the way.”

Seeing Wade’s expressionless face and silence, Zelin felt a touch of nervousness. His current task was to stabilize Wade and Lamia’s emotions. Wade usually wore a cheerful smile, so his sudden lack of it was genuinely a little unnerving.

In truth, Wade wasn’t angry or sad. He simply hadn’t fully recovered from Lamia’s rather heavy conversation, and coincidentally, he had recalled his life at the orphanage. There was no actual change in his expression. Yet, precisely because of the recent somber atmosphere, Zelin couldn’t shake the feeling that something dangerous might be brewing.

So, Zelin simply ‘skipped class’ once more.

Although Zelin always appeared restless, unable to sit still anywhere, he had actually always sat dutifully through the Pope’s lectures.

‘But now, with more important matters at hand, it seemed there really wasn’t much of a problem, right? Listening to a couple of sections of the Pope’s lecture should be enough to save his life, right? Besides, the former Pope, though no longer in power, still wielded immense strength. He surely wouldn’t put my name on some death list just for skipping one class. Be careful, don’t expose too much. We’ll sneak away this time, so the Pope doesn’t notice us—’

“—Over there!”

Just as Zelin was hunching over, ready to slip away, the sharp-eyed Pope immediately spotted the three of them near the back door, clearly preparing to skip out. After all, those by the back door usually intended to sneak away, so the Pope’s peripheral vision had always been fixed on that spot. The moment Zelin stood up, the old man instantly saw the trio furtively crowding towards the back exit.

“Go, go!”

But once their butts were off the seats, there was no going back. Zelin directly grabbed Wade, who then quickly pulled Lamia along. They had originally planned to sneak away, but due to the Pope’s shout, the three of them openly and brazenly walked out through the back door in full view of everyone. After exiting, they even closed the door behind them, as if pretending not to hear the Pope’s roaring behind them.

“Haah…! That was close!”

Zelin walked quickly ahead, with Wade and Lamia following behind, trying to keep up. Last time had been easier; it was a passive escape, and he could have claimed he was ‘kidnapped.’ He tried it once, and though he knew the old man could probably smooth things over, he was still a little nervous doing it for the first time.

“We finally escaped… you escaped with me too.”

Wade took a deep breath from behind. In a flash, they were already downstairs. He turned to look at the windows above, where he could vaguely see others peering out at the three of them.

“What do you mean ‘me too’… wasn’t I the one offering to take you? Wasn’t I thoughtfully leading the way for you? Weren’t you lost? Wasn’t I thoughtfully leading the way for you!”

“Of course I know the way. I come here often. How could I not know where the orphanage is?”

“Wh-what… you—”

Hearing this, Zelin flushed crimson with anger and embarrassment. But soon, he pressed a hand to his forehead and shook his head in resignation.

“Forget it… I’ll just pretend I’m escaping with my brothers. I’ll go along with it… Now I might also need the joyful laughter of those cute children to calm my nerves…”

Although Zelin was complaining, he kindly cleared the path for Lamia and Wade, allowing them to walk side-by-side. As for him—he certainly didn’t want to be a third wheel, so he followed behind, maintaining a polite social distance.

[The orphanage… is it a place where humans take in children…?]

[To think there’s a specialized institution to take in homeless children…]

Lamia was genuinely shocked when she heard about the orphanage.

Among demons, strength was paramount; survival depended entirely on oneself. It was good if a ‘kind’ demon helped you, but otherwise, you were left to fend for yourself.

Lamia had never even considered such things. Should those children who couldn’t survive receive help? Should an institution be established to take in young demons who struggled to live? She had never thought about these matters before, only rescuing a few lone demons and keeping them in the Demon Lord’s castle camp.

Karen was one such case; she had been rescued by Lamia at a very young age. Afterward, because Karen clung to her relentlessly, Lamia simply kept her by her side.

Wade, hearing Lamia’s thoughts, tightly clasped her hand.

“Come, I’ll take you.”

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