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That night, Lin Lin, while tearfully eating boiled radish with steamed millet, looked at the rock slime that brought her cabbage soup.
Lin Lin placed the hot soup-holding rock slime on the table to avoid burning her hands. The rock slime then slowly turned into liquid, sliding back to the ground.
As a lower-level creature, slimes can’t communicate directly with humans.
However, having signed a contract with the Demon King, Lin Lin could understand some keywords from the slime’s chirps.
Lin Lin poked the horn on the rock slime’s head and asked, “Is there any special meaning to touching a demon’s forehead horn?”
The dark golden rock slime thought seriously and answered: [Chirp! Sleep!]
Hmm… seems like an irrelevant answer. Maybe slimes don’t know everything either.
Bored, Lin Lin looked away, ignoring the rock slime’s frantic gestures, and struggled to swallow her food.
It tasted like wax.
Lin Lin had a regular routine; after eating, she returned to her room to rest.
Walking through the dark corridors, she had grown accustomed to the pure white demon statues standing on either side.
Each statue, with its different pose and lowered eyes, looked lifelike as if they could come to life at any moment.
The first time Lin Lin walked through this corridor, she felt like she was being watched from the shadows. Now, she had learned to ignore that strange feeling and clear her mind.
There was an unexpected turn of events this time.
Clearing one’s mind was not a wise choice.
Lin Lin began to reflect as everything turned pitch black.
The lights on the walls suddenly went out, the closed windows tightly blocking all light, making the already eerie and confined castle even more hauntingly silent.
Lin Lin looked around, but of course, she could see nothing. In the darkness, she heard a faint rustling sound, like leaves brushing against each other.
Humans are truly remarkable creatures. Perhaps due to their weakness, in moments of disadvantage, their senses, usually dull compared to demons or elves, become extraordinarily sensitive.
Even if some sensations might be wrong, mere illusions born of fear and tension.
The small sounds were amplified infinitely, like venomous snakes lurking and approaching in the dark, making Lin Lin’s heart race.
In the pitch-black corridor, there was not a glimmer of light. Lin Lin widened her eyes in vain, smelling a hint of fallen leaves.
There couldn’t possibly be fallen leaves inside the castle, let alone this eerie, slightly rotten, and fishy scent.
Someone was observing her. Perhaps not someone.
Lin Lin frowned and took two steps back, her back pressing against a demon statue standing in the corridor, the cold touch passing through her silk dress.
It was a curved statue.
In the dead silence, Lin Lin’s mind wandered, thinking this might be the demon with angelic wings.
Lin Lin had not paid special attention to the statue’s appearance, but compared to those terrifying demons with fanged faces, this indifferent and stern face did resemble an angel more.
Lin Lin herself had no interest in the legends of gods, but she had heard that some angels fall and become demons, their feathers turning from pure white to gray or black. If judged solely by the colorless statue, their handsome, cold faces and dignified, upright bodies were no different from their former angelic companions.
They were devout, chaste believers, warriors defending the light. They had solemn, serious faces and strong, warrior-like physiques.
Lin Lin heard the rustling again.
In the darkness where she couldn’t see, something was quietly approaching.
A faint breath brushed across her face. Sensations came from all directions, like countless cold threads wrapping around her face.
Lin Lin squinted slightly.
This was not her imagination; someone was standing around her, even observing her face-to-face.
Silent dark beings were watching her.
Lin Lin tried to appear calm, but her body couldn’t help but lean back. She pressed completely against the fallen angel statue’s wings, the hard stone making her back ache.
Lin Lin kept retreating, her foot slipped, and she accidentally fell into the arms of the fallen angel statue.
Fortunately, the statue was in a stance holding a scepter, and its slightly bent cold arms “supported” her.
Lin Lin steadied herself by holding onto the statue’s forearm.
The male body was broad and cold; Lin Lin could even feel the fine texture and tension of the statue’s taut muscles. The fallen angel statue, holding a scepter, embraced her in a half-confining, half-protective posture.
The tension in the darkness was palpable, yet she couldn’t control her mind from wandering.
Could there be creatures in the Demon King’s castle that harbor deep hatred for humans?
Lin Lin heard a rustling sound again.
What was it in front of her?
Compared to a demon, the unknown was even more terrifying, especially with the slow, light breathing that gently caressed her exposed skin.
It was unbearable. Though there was no direct contact, the meticulous observation was equally unsettling, even eliciting a sticky, nauseating feeling.
From an undiscernible direction, shallow breaths brushed across Lin Lin’s soft face, approaching her slender neck.
Instinctively, Lin Lin wanted to move away, but her body felt paralyzed. She opened her mouth, feeling a bit dry.
Lin Lin couldn’t see it, but in the darkness, a humanoid creature revealed sharp teeth, closing in on her delicate neck, ready to leave a mark with just a bite.
Lin Lin felt uncomfortable. This discomfort stemmed from her fear of the dark and an inexplicable sense of alertness, as if a third person was calmly advising her to avoid it.
She turned her body, and the mark left by the Demon King on her neck felt slightly warm.
The sharp teeth grazed the air near her neck but didn’t touch her skin.
The underground creature stared silently at Lin Lin’s face. It sensed the dangerous aura of the Demon King’s mark, yet couldn’t help but salivate as it evaluated whether this human woman was worth the risk.
The warm, soft breath of the human woman spread through the air, easily detected by the surface creature’s high body temperature, even her suppressed fear exuded a delicious scent.
The dark creature completed its assessment.
It stepped forward again.
A force repelled it, preventing it from getting closer. The dark creature narrowed its eyes.
Like a small lamp igniting in the night.
In the pitch-black, the statue of a fallen angel, previously with closed eyes as if asleep, slowly opened its eyes, cradling Lin Lin protectively.
The statue’s golden eyes emitted a faint glow.
The fallen angel’s pale golden eyes coldly scrutinized the intruder lurking in the darkness, and the staff in its hand radiated a faint light. Despite having embraced darkness, the fallen angel still displayed a hint of disdain towards the dark creature.
Regardless of their fall, angels always respond to humans’ plea for protection.
The intruder in the dark didn’t retreat but lowered its body into a more animalistic posture, engaging in a tense, dangerous standoff.
The greedy are best at licking blood from the blade.
A silent confrontation ensued.
Lin Lin couldn’t see any of this. She only knew danger was approaching.
But she was getting impatient.
If you can harm me, do it. If not, get lost! Why all this drama? Don’t you know some people have work tomorrow!
“What kind of sewer rat hides from the light?” Lin Lin cursed, “Come on, I’ll give you a couple of punches.”
Her voice cut through the silence.
The deathly stillness was shattered.
Lin Lin started swinging her fists at the air.
The creature lurking in the darkness reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. A cool breeze brushed past Lin Lin’s ear as something quickly retreated.
She was trapped between an unknown dark creature and the statue of a fallen angel.
The statue behind her was equally cold, and the pervasive chill from all directions made her shiver uncontrollably.
“Hello?” Lin Lin spoke softly, managing to steady her emotions once again.
There was no response.
Lin Lin closed her eyes, which were useless in the darkness, using her other senses to capture details. She then noticed that one side of her loose hair was being gently lifted.
The other party did not touch her skin. Lin Lin pondered this.
Throughout the process, it wasn’t just Lin Lin who was being cautious.
This realization allowed Lin Lin to calm down once more as the lights on the walls gradually reignited, illuminating the empty corridor.
Lin Lin blinked, adjusting to the sudden brightness. She leaned against the chest of the statue to steady her racing heart. That fight was a bit intense.
After half a minute, Lin Lin supported herself on the fallen angel statue’s arm and left its embrace, standing upright again.
She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but Lin Lin felt the curve of the statue’s lowered eyes was different from before.
Lin Lin tilted her head slightly, examining the statue closely.
“Lin?”
Lin Lin turned around.
The demon king, standing at the other end of the corridor, greeted her. The young man looked at her with a bit of confusion, “What are you doing?”
Lin Lin gathered her long hair, still faintly feeling the demon king’s mark burning, “I was just entangled by something disgusting. Can you recall any dark, disgusting creatures in the castle?”
The demon king flashed a brilliant smile, “Isn’t it a coincidence? This place is full of them! All trash!”
You’re quite proud of that!
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