Dekan's Kind Heart

"Pfft! It's so cold...!"

Eve burst into a sound of insincere joy as soon as she pushed open the hotel door.

"It's snowing now."

She brushed the snow off her coat and stepped into the hotel's first-floor restaurant.

A few scattered guests sat on the benches, warming themselves by the fire in the heater; the number of people was sparser than yesterday.

While the morning hours are partly a factor, it's really just that there are fewer travelers.

After all, it was still wartime, and those who could afford to stay in such high-end hotels were either high-level professionals or traveling merchants.

However, ever since Eve started mining with Dekan at the Demon Realm Hospital, she has purchased a lot of extremely valuable strategic materials. After arriving in the Holy Kingdom, she resold them. The Holy Gold Coin she has are enough for her to live a wealthy life in the Holy Kingdom for hundreds of years.

Eve, the kidnapping of Legion Commander Talomati would have terrified Eve.

But it was Delois decided to do it.

That seems quite reasonable.

At first, Eve felt apprehensive every day when she was with these two great demons, but later she gradually discovered that both of them were quite strange.

Surprisingly, they were all very easy to get along with.

After returning to the Holy Kingdom, Delois became like a real human being, completely devoid of the chaotic and evil aura he had in the Demon Realm.

Talomati, on the other hand, is extremely rational. Although she may feel disgusted by Delois, she will not make things difficult for Eve, who takes good care of her.

Since leaving the Demon Realm Hospital, Eve has been living an extremely leisurely life, seeing scenery she had never seen before along the way.

No longer do we have to live in fear for survival, nor do we have to work overtime to make a living.

Her daily tasks consisted only of taking care of Talomati and learning some Magic Engineering principles and key points to consider when a demon disguises itself as a human from Dekan.

Eve would even occasionally marvel at how her teacher truly lived up to his reputation as a legendary demon, possessing such a profound understanding of humanity that his disguise as a human gave the impression of a convincing deception.

Of course, she didn't know why the teacher became unusually angry when she praised him like that.

It doesn't matter.

She now feels exceptionally safe and secure with Delois and Talomati around.

I am now undoubtedly the safest demon in the world.

If my life were ever to be threatened, it would only be if both of them were gone.

Of course, this is impossible; who could possibly defeat this brother and sister?

Eve walked through the warm space and easily exhaled a puff of mist.

Eve no longer has dark circles under her eyes, her hair is smooth, and her eyes are bright. After disguising herself as a human, she looks like a vibrant and lovely young girl.

Seeing Eve carrying a large bag of groceries and occasionally taking small, quick steps to keep warm, the salesman couldn't help but smile and greet her.

"It must be cold outside, right? But winter has only just begun in the northern border region of the Holy Kingdom."

"Yes! I don't want to go out at all this winter!"

Eve replied with a smile.

She has completely learned how to interact with humans like a human does.

Unlike what the Demon Academy teaches, it doesn't teach the ultimate disguise and performance.

Her teacher told her to forget as much as possible that she was a demon, and to treat herself as a human being, earnestly imitating, experiencing, and understanding the human way of life.

Although this is like a strange game for the demons.

But even though it's not as direct as disguise, it seems to have surprisingly good results.

She never imagined that the safe place her teacher promised to take her to would be the Holy Kingdom, and the Clantes City even the most skilled special forces demons dared not easily infiltrate.

So when she was brought to Lunn's territory in a daze, she was almost scared to tears again.

It must be said that Delois was a devil with a wicked sense of humor, because Eve remembered that her teacher's lips twitched slightly when he saw her reaction.

He was clearly having fun with this.

However, after living there for a few days, Eve discovered that the Holy Kingdom was the place she had always dreamed of living in.

She preferred spending time with these gentle humans to dealing with demons who were always plotting evil.

After all, from the moment she was born, her greatest desire as a weak child was the will to survive.

As long as her demon identity isn't exposed, she truly never wants to return to the Demon Realm.

The only downside is that in the dead of winter, it gets so cold outside that even she finds it a bit unbearable.

Although some say that people living in city-states far north of the northern mountains don't take this cold for granted.

But for delicate civilized people, winter is indeed a season that makes them long for warmth.

For this reason, mercenaries and merchants who want to make money usually try to accumulate enough funds between spring and autumn to get through the winter.

But this year.

Even at this time of year, groups of the Holy Kingdom warriors can still be seen in the Clantes City.

If you were to ask whether those who remain are purely poorly paid mercenaries, the answer would be no.

They truly disregarded everything else and threw themselves completely into the war between the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm.

Although the demon army is now in a state of collapse, and even in battle they are fighting while retreating their lines, mostly engaging in probing and covering operations, these demons still pose a considerable threat even in winter.

Some demons only become truly powerful during the snowy season, and only then can they rely on the environment and their cold resistance to become exceptionally strong.

Therefore, most of the Holy Kingdom's soldiers, mercenaries, or Holy Kingdom in this city will not stop their activities even as the coming winter approaches.

Most importantly, because of the extremely harsh environment, winter is the decisive moment when the dust settles.

As expected, the war between the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm will come to an end this winter.

This is what her teacher told her.

Eve quickly ran back upstairs with the goods in her hands.

As soon as I pushed open the door and entered the room, I saw Talomati leaning against the bed in the spacious room.

Sitting at a small table not far from the bed Dekan had reverted to his original gray hair and blue eyes.

Their appearances were slightly disguised, but it was still possible to tell that they were siblings.

So along the way, the soldiers at the city gate checkpoints almost all quickly believed the excuse that "the traveling merchant brother was taking his disabled sister, who couldn't take care of herself, to seek medical treatment."

Dekan and Talomati didn't exchange a single word, but Eve felt their interaction was surprisingly natural.

It seems the relationship between the two great demons has changed; the feeling that "the temperature around them would drop whenever they got close" from the journey is gone?

"Teacher, I've bought the food. It's gotten colder outside, and it's snowing heavily."

"Um."

Dekan put down his water glass and leaned back in his chair.

Seeing him turn his head to the side, looking out the window as if he were thinking about something, Eve tilted her head slightly, puzzled.

"Teacher, what's wrong?"

Eve also looked out the window.

You wouldn't notice it when you're on the street, but looking at it from inside the house like this, the falling snowflakes seem incredibly beautiful.

I believe these cotton-like snowflakes will soon blanket the town in white.

Eve walked over to Talomati, sat down on the edge of the bed, fed Talomati, said "Come," and then asked Dekan.

"Nothing."

Dekan smiled vaguely and shook his head.

After a slight pause, he asked calmly:

"Did you notice anything unusual in town on your way back?"

"Oh... it seems a delegation from the First Army has arrived in Clantes City?"

Despite Eve's deliberate avoidance of the routes the Great Demon might take, she still overheard much of the city-state's residents talking about it.

Public opinion in the city-state seems to be shifting towards questioning Lunn.

The mercenaries and knights, in particular, were more or less dissatisfied with Lunn's decision.

"Eve, let me test you, what are they here for?"

Dekan continued to ask.

Eve carefully fed Talomati while pondering for a while.

"Their goal is the same as yours, teacher: to feign gain Lunn's trust before plotting something sinister."

Eve answered with exceptional confidence.

Dekan was stunned by what he heard.

Eve was clever; she had already guessed that she had come to Lunn's territory to see Lunn.

But what's with the second half of the sentence?

What does it mean to "feign trust to gain trust," and what is a "secret that cannot be told"?

Dekan suppressed his doubts and continued to look at Eve, signaling her to finish speaking.

Seeing Eve, Eve wasn't sure if she was right or wrong, but it seemed the teacher really wanted to hear more.

She became more confident.

"Although the overall battle situation showed signs of collapse, there were some special circumstances where fighting was a better strategy than retreating for the First Army."

"And as for you, teacher, I'm sure you wouldn't want to see the war between the Demon Realm and the Holy Kingdom end so quickly."

"Now is the perfect opportunity to overturn the situation and extend the battle line for several more years!"

Eve made a bold guess.

Based on her understanding of Delois, this legendary great demon was constantly influencing and manipulating the battle from the shadows, probably playing a grand game.

Eve initially didn't understand why Delois would do something so illogical as to help the humans rescue the Saintess of Darkness.

But now she is gradually understanding Delois's deeper meaning—

He wanted to give humanity a glimmer of hope first.

Gain their trust.

Then, when they are closest to victory, crush them into utter despair!

She hadn't thought that far ahead; perhaps Delois was planning something even more Terror.

For example, he could cause both the Demon Realm and the Holy Kingdom to be destroyed through his manipulation.

It is also possible that this war will continue for hundreds or thousands of years, turning this world into an infernal Purgatory from which there is no return.

Of course, the perverse Delois might even deliberately reveal some clues, wanting to see the Demon Realm and the Holy Kingdom, after discovering the truth and the real mastermind— Delois —forced to disgust each other and join forces to fight.

"What you truly desire is to plunge both humans and demons into utter despair! Compared to your plans, the First Army's schemes are as naive as a baby's!"

When Eve stated her conclusion, she couldn't help but feel grateful to have become Delois's successor—that damn sense of security!

Even Talomati, who was swallowing his food, couldn't hide his approval of Eve and nodded slightly.

However, she also felt a little sorry for her; such a good girl had chosen Delois as her teacher, and her future looked bleak.

If Delois truly intends to do as Eve claims, Talomati could understand it.

When your loved one is gone, it's like "losing my love forever, surrounded by desolation."

Although it sounds like a serious illness, it's surprisingly reasonable.

The Delois of Calamity is even more capable of accomplishing such a thing.

However, in Delois over the years, some things have indeed changed.

Delois, who was originally more inclined to neutrality, may have ultimately gone astray into extreme evil.

However, it's impossible for a demon to actually turn towards good.

Maintaining neutrality is already the "boundary" of evil.

"..."

Dekan stared blankly, unable to speak.

Forget about Eve.

Talomati, don't you think that answer is absurd?

Do you really think I'm such Terror demon after spending a month with you?

Is there any possibility?

I'm a human being, and I really am a peace angel!

"Eve, and you, Talomati, listen to me, I've come to the Clantes City today for only one thing,"

Dekan took a deep breath and reprimanded his apprentice and sister with exceptional seriousness.

That is love and peace!

Eve and Talomati stared at Dekan in surprise.

His declaration clearly shocked them.

However, the next second...

"Hahaha, teacher, you were so funny just now! Wahaha, I can't stand it!"

Eve clutched her stomach and laughed, momentarily putting down the snacks she was about to feed Talomati.

She had never laughed so happily before.

Although humans might not get the jokes about Delois, she believed that even the Royal Capital laugh at her teacher's performance.

"Sister Talomati, did you hear that? The teacher said he did it for love and peace, so does that mean Lunn is the real traitor?"

As she spoke, Eve mimicked Dekan's expression and tone from earlier, repeating the same performance.

It must be said that Eve's learning ability is outstanding in every aspect; she can understand Dekan's tone and expression after seeing it only once.

"Stop... stop talking..."

Even Talomati couldn't help but tremble slightly in his shoulders.

She never imagined that one day she would be amused by Delois.

Talomati and Eve laughed for almost a full minute.

However.

They gradually realized that Dekan was looking at them with a look of utter exasperation.

Is it funny?

Dekan crossed his arms, his face as black as a pot.

She seems genuinely angry.

"Could it be... teacher, you weren't joking just now?"

Eve swallowed hard, gradually realizing the seriousness of the problem.

Is he really going to do something good?

What is the principle behind this?

Although Eve couldn't understand what her teacher was thinking, she just felt that the virtuous Delois was more human than the wicked Delois.

"Once the snow subsides a bit, I'll take you to the Lunn residence! The facts will show you whether I'm stirring up trouble or maintaining peace! You'll see."

"Dekan I said angrily."

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, tomorrow will be the moment when Delois demonstrates his benevolent and virtuous heart to the world!