Darling, It's Time to Take Your Medicine!

He must have been overthinking it. That guy was probably just a pervert hopelessly obsessed with maids.

Meanwhile, the banquet continued.

People who had clearly known each other for ages still had to pretend they were meeting for the first time. For Qin Chu, it was a severe test. Noble etiquette was especially cumbersome, and only after several hours, when Qin Chu was beginning to feel utterly exhausted, did it finally start drawing to a close.

There was one final ritual at the banquet: every attendee had to take turns shaking hands with the most distinguished guest and bidding him farewell.

And this time, the most distinguished guest was naturally Qin Chu.

Qin Chu felt like a machine. With a stiff smile plastered across his face, he had become a heartless handshaking machine.

Especially when a handsome young noble shook his hand, then scratched his palm with one finger and even winked at him. Qin Chu shuddered all over, goosebumps scattering across the floor.

Fuck, he had never expected this world to have people from that purple qi rises from the east crowd too.

Angelica quietly followed behind Qin Chu. From this moment onward, there was no one else in Angelica's eyes but Qin Chu.

Qin Chu could feel Angelica's gaze. Rescuing her from Rosweisse this time would certainly make her grateful to him, but that alone was not enough.

After living through the first run, Qin Chu's temperament had changed drastically. No matter what sort of favor it was, before absolute benefits, it was all bullshit. In his previous life, he had saved so many people, yet those people had still shouted at the execution ground for him to be killed.

He wanted to turn Angelica into someone who could not live without him, make both her body and heart belong wholly to him. Only then could Qin Chu rest easy.

Unfortunately, he had not mastered abilities like hypnosis, mental manipulation, memory alteration, or thought control. If he possessed such an authority, controlling Angelica would have been much easier.

"Hey, can you teach me magic for mental manipulation or something?" Qin Chu grumbled inwardly while dealing with the noble before him.

Saya's body emerged from Qin Chu's back. As before, she lazily draped herself over his shoulder, her long silver hair gently drifting, faint dissatisfaction on her exquisite little face. "I'm the strongest Witch, but that doesn't mean I know everything."

"Still, such an authority does exist. The Pride Witch's authority, Pride's Dominion, can manipulate the wills of others. It's extremely powerful. But unfortunately, before the Pride Witch, the current you are not even an ant." Saya spoke disdainfully.

"Why has another Pride Witch appeared? Are there many Witches?"

"Of course. There are thirteen Witches currently in existence: the Dark Witch, Space Witch, Curse Witch, Vengeance Witch, Thunder Witch, Storm Witch, Flame Witch, Ice Witch, Pride Witch, Envy Witch, Gluttony Witch, Sloth Witch, and... the Daughter of Death."

"It's just that not every Witch mingles with devils."

"These Witches are all extraordinarily dangerous, especially the Daughter of Death. Even at my peak, she was someone I had no absolute confidence in defeating. If you encounter these Witches, you must be careful."

"And you absolutely cannot let the other Witches learn that I am residing within you and that my strength has vanished. Otherwise, you will become the target of every Witch's attacks."

"The Witches are hardly harmonious with one another. Among the Witches besides the thirteen currently existing ones, the Soul Witch was killed by the Daughter of Death, the Ocean Witch was swallowed by the Gluttony Witch, the Earth Witch was taken out by the Space Witch..."

These Witches were ruthless enough. They were all of the same kind.

"The Time Witch and the Avarice Witch were both killed by me, and I took their authorities too. The Wrath Witch and the Greed Witch were also killed by me. Unfortunately, I did not manage to seize their authorities before they vanished..."

"Now, they have been inherited by you."

Fine, she was even more ruthless. Worthy indeed of the title of strongest Witch—she had killed four Witches.

Fortunately, the Demonic Beasts were not so united either. Conflict between Witches never ceased. Otherwise, if all the devils and Witches had united, then even Qin Chu at his strongest in his first run might not have been a match for so many powerful beings.

Though Saye Nikolas had warned him that Witches were extremely dangerous, Qin Chu still committed the matter to memory. If he ever got the chance, he would seize Pride's Dominion, then directly control Rosweisse and turn her into...

Just thinking about it was exciting.

"By the way, can someone who has already died truly be resurrected?" Qin Chu suddenly asked inwardly. "The ten members of the Hero's Party wanted to kill me in order to resurrect the First-Generation Hero, Jello. They say my blood can open the door to Jello's resurrection. Is something like that really possible?"

"Of course. As long as Jello's soul has not completely vanished, and as long as Rosweisse and the others can gather Jello's Soul Fragments and reassemble his soul, there is a chance to resurrect Jello." Saya immediately gave him an answer.

"When Jello challenged the Eternal Monarch Nag, I was right beside him. Though that guy was not as strong as you, his soul was extremely resilient. It was shattered into pieces, but it did not completely disperse. His Soul Fragments drifted throughout the world."

Saya's words made Qin Chu feel threatened. Though he had never met Jello, Qin Chu had already instinctively regarded him as an enemy. After all, Rosweisse and the others had harmed him precisely to resurrect Jello.

"Tell me, if I can find Jello's Soul Fragments, could I use them to threaten Rosweisse, Ekaterina, and the others?" A wicked smile flowed through Qin Chu's eyes.

Using the soul of the man they loved deeply to threaten those women, watching them brim with resentment, hatred, and fury yet have no choice but to obey his demands and do this and that... that should feel quite good, right? It would have the thrill of making cuckolds of others.

"Tsk, I really underestimated you. You are truly shameless, truly filthy. Are you really not a devil?"

"Sorry to disappoint you. I'm a genuine human."

"Then your personality truly is more twisted than a devil's. But I like it. Since that is the case, I'll help you once more. I know where one of Jello's Soul Fragments is scattered... Whether you can get it will depend on your own ability."

Pride's Dominion, Jello's Soul Fragment... Qin Chu narrowed his eyes into slits. For his revenge plan, these two things were necessities.

He could steadily build up his strength, then directly kill all those people. But that would be far too boring. More importantly, Qin Chu could not wait that long. He was desperate to see their pained and despairing expressions.

While pondering wicked thoughts inwardly, Qin Chu maintained a warm smile on his face. He had just seen off one noble when another man, somewhat hunched and with shifty eyes, appeared before him.

"By the goddess above, I am Count Egbert Donald. If Lord Hero has time, please honor my estate with your presence. My wife and daughter will certainly welcome you warmly, my lord."

Qin Chu still wore that mechanical smile as he extended his hand and clasped Egbert Donald's. His hand was cold, like that of a corpse, with almost no warmth to it.

Though Qin Chu found it strange, he did not think much of it.

But at that moment, Saya suddenly floated up and sat on Qin Chu's shoulder, her slender legs swaying before his chest. In the entire banquet hall, aside from Qin Chu, no one noticed Saya's existence.

Saya paid no attention whatsoever to the fact that her soft thigh was pressed completely against Qin Chu's face.

Her crimson eyes were fixed intently on Count Donald ahead.

"Hey, be careful. This guy... is a devil!"

The second update is here.

Saya's words made Qin Chu's heart tighten.

Though her strength had vanished, Saya remained extremely sensitive to devils and strange entities. Her instincts could not possibly be wrong.

"This guy is a Phantom Demon, an oddity among the Devil Race. They excel at Shapeshifting, but their own combat power is average."

"Their work is usually gathering intelligence, though they occasionally take assassination jobs too. This guy has already left a mark on you... This mark can guide other devil assassins lurking in the city to attack the target."

Saya unhesitatingly took Qin Chu's side. After all, Saya could only survive by relying on Qin Chu now. If Qin Chu died, Saya's existence would vanish as well.

It could be said that in this world, the one who least wanted Qin Chu to die and most wholeheartedly assisted him was this former strongest Witch.

As for them both being Demonic Beasts? Sorry, Saya had never considered other Demonic Beasts her kin.

Qin Chu recalled it too. After the banquet in his first run ended, he had headed to his residence under the escort of a group of experts.

The Hero's existence was an enormous threat to Demonic Beasts. Those Demonic Beasts would pay any price to eliminate the Hero. Though the upper echelons of the Skyvault Continent were all scum... that did not mean they were fools.

On the contrary, those people were far smarter than ordinary people. To exploit the common people so severely and still maintain their own rule required extraordinarily skillful methods in itself.

They all knew perfectly well how sensitive and dangerous the Hero's situation was. Not only had they arranged for numerous experts to protect him, they had even kept Qin Chu's whereabouts strictly confidential. To prevent the Hero from being targeted, they had even arranged several carriages as decoys.

Yet even with such meticulous arrangements, Qin Chu had been attacked by a group of Demonic Beasts that very night and nearly lost his life.

Now it seemed that the reason was likely the mark this Phantom Demon had left on him.

"What are you planning to do?" Saya still sat leisurely on Qin Chu's shoulder and asked crisply.

"We're both at zero strength right now. Don't you think this guy is actually a pretty good experience pack?" Qin Chu raised an eyebrow and replied inwardly.

If he wanted revenge, strength was the foundation of everything. Though he had made Rosweisse lose all face through schemes and methods, he had not caused any substantive damage. The current him was no match for Rosweisse, and he did not even have the slightest ability to protect himself.

Qin Chu urgently needed to raise his combat strength in a short time, and authorities were an important asset. What Qin Chu valued most was the special ability Devourer brought by the authority Greed. This ability allowed him to seize the power, even the authorities, of others for himself.

Of course, without sufficient strength, rashly devouring someone else's power could easily result in being killed instead.

But as Saya had said, Phantom Demons were an oddity among Demonic Beasts. As their levels rose, their magic power would steadily increase, but their combat power remained from beginning to end no different from that of an ordinary adult human. Almost all their abilities were locked onto Shapeshifting. Beyond that, the only magic they seemed to possess was Illusion Creation, and they were not particularly proficient at it.

The higher their level, the more abundant their magic power, and the more lifelike their Shapeshifting became. Even those closest to them would find it hard to spot anything wrong with their appearance.

The highest-level Phantom Demons left no flaw whatsoever. Not only could they replicate appearance, but also voice, habitual movements, tone of speech, verbal tics, and unconscious little gestures. Even if they completely replaced the target they had transformed into and lived in the human world as a human, they would not arouse any suspicion.

The real Donald had long been killed by Demonic Beasts. Here at the banquet were many experts, including Wadsworth, Saint Monica, Augustus, and the Thirteen Sages, yet not one of them could detect its identity as a Phantom Demon.

To earn the title of Grand Sage, one hard requirement was reaching level eighty. At the same time, one had to master enough spells, including at least one Transcendent Magic spell and three high-tier spells.

As for Wadsworth, Saint Monica, and Augustus, the three of them were even stronger, probably around level ninety.

To conceal its Demonic Beast identity before these experts, this Phantom Demon had to be at least level sixty.

In other words, Count Donald before him was a gigantic experience pack with little killing power. How could Qin Chu possibly let it go?

After devouring this guy, Qin Chu believed his magic power would definitely grow enormously.

Moreover, Qin Chu was extremely interested in this Phantom Demon's Shapeshifting authority. He had a premonition that if he could devour this authority, it would surely bring him tremendous help in the days to come.

Saya did not stop Qin Chu. After all, they truly lacked power right now.

"Have you figured out how to explain this?"

"Of course. I have my own arrangements."

While Qin Chu and Saya communicated, Count Donald's pea-sized eyes, narrowed into slits, were staring at the Hero opposite him. Though his face was covered in a fawning smile, a trace of disdain and killing intent flickered faintly in the depths of his eyes.

No matter how powerful he might become later, a Hero who had just been summoned was still as weak as an ant.

Even he, who did not excel at combat, was confident he could kill the Hero on the spot here.

But if he truly stabbed the Hero to death here, so many experts at the banquet would not let him go. Professional work should be left to professional people. All he needed to do was leave a mark on the Hero to guide other assassins toward him.

With a slight smile, the Phantom Demon disguised as Count Donald spoke again. "Then, Lord Hero, I shall take my leave. The count's estate will always welcome Lord Hero's visit."

After delivering those words with proper gentlemanly etiquette, Donald prepared to withdraw his hand. There were other nobles behind him waiting to shake the Hero's hand, and he could not take up too much of the Hero's time. Such behavior would damage a noble's dignity.

But Donald suddenly discovered that Qin Chu had tightly gripped his hand, and he could not break free for a moment. He instinctively applied a little more force, but Qin Chu's hand was like a pair of iron pincers, tightly clamped around his wrist. He could not break free at all.

This made Donald furrow his brows as he looked up at Qin Chu.

The instant he saw Qin Chu's expression, Donald's voice caught in his throat.

A furry sort of terror instantly seeped through his entire body.

Donald could not say exactly what was wrong. The face was still that same face, still covered in a gentle smile, yet the moment he saw Qin Chu's eyes, his body jolted with a violent shudder, and a chill ran through him from head to toe.

It was a strange, indescribable fear.

Those pitch-black eyes carried a gaze that pierced through everything. In a daze, Donald felt as though every secret within him had become plain for this man to see.

He was clearly only a Hero who had just been summoned, a powerless person even someone as weak as Donald could kill. Why did he inspire such dense terror?

In a haze, Donald saw the man before him shrouded from head to toe in thick blood mist. Around the Hero lay countless shattered Demonic Beast corpses, blood flowing into rivers.

Creak, creak, creak...

The intense terror made strange sounds uncontrollably spill from Donald's throat.

"L-Lord Hero, what... what are you doing..." Donald's teeth clattered violently. Could it be that the Hero had seen through his true identity?

No... that was impossible.

Not even the Pope, High Priest, or Emperor could see through his Shapeshifting. How could a powerless Hero who had just been summoned possibly do so?

Qin Chu slightly bared his teeth and gave Donald a faint smile.

That smile made Donald's hair stand on end, his scalp nearly exploding.

The next second, Qin Chu's lips moved.

Devourer.

In an instant, a scene that horrified Donald into despair unfolded.

A terrifying suction force suddenly erupted from Qin Chu's palm. The magic power within Donald's body, as though caught by a water pump, began to drain away madly!

The first chapter is here.

The draining magic power made Donald's expression change drastically. He felt his body rapidly weakening. His once well-maintained skin wrinkled in an instant, one hollow after another appearing across it.

Qin Chu, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Abundant magic power continuously surged into his body, transforming into Qin Chu's own strength. On the panel, the Spirit attribute closely tied to magic power was constantly jumping.

The devoured magic power also drove up his experience points, and his level was slowly rising.

Almost every second, Qin Chu could feel himself growing stronger. The sensation was simply incredible.

The abnormality here also drew the attention of the others nearby. Pairs of eyes turned in their direction. No one knew what exactly was happening; they could only see Donald struggling desperately.

The chaotic flow of magic power even interfered with the magical lamps in the banquet hall. Their light flickered bright and dim, and the entire venue was shrouded in a strange atmosphere.

Donald's eyes had already turned cloudy. His body trembled continuously as though electrocuted, while something seemed to squirm beneath his skin, bulging into one grotesque lump after another.

"Lord Hero, what are you doing... Do you intend to kill a noble of the Empire in broad daylight?" Donald growled in a low voice, trying to use his noble status to stop Qin Chu.

But unfortunately, those words were utterly useless to Qin Chu. "Shut up, you vile creature."