Nailey nodded, not speaking. She pretended to look up at the dome, analyzing the attitudes of these people: It seemed Piping was not under their constant surveillance, to the point that they were unaware he had not died by her hand. If so, his words had not been leaked…
She gathered her thoughts, focusing her gaze on these four people, and spoke: “I hear the demon army is already outside the city.”
Meanwhile, the magical flames had already climbed to the dome, instantly melting the iron hooks and causing molten iron to drip down. The rope trembled, the iron hook softening and stretching out before dissolving into liquid. The rope was scorched black at one end, detaching from the wall and falling downward along with Nali.
Everything in her vision became blurry and slow.
Nali tried to adjust her posture in mid-air, attempting to use body techniques to approach the wall. However, the skill she had used when jumping out the window had not yet cooled down, and she was only carrying one rope, leaving her momentarily helpless. She could only watch as the empty southern courtyard of the Red Fortress rushed towards her.
She did not close her eyes in resignation, but instead her entire body trembled slightly. She was no stranger to the feeling of falling, and was even habitually expecting someone to catch her. Her expectation was not in vain.
Her peripheral vision first caught the shadow of black wings, and then her sense of touch and hearing revived in the rapid descent. The person caught and embraced her, with a chest temperature higher than usual. She even suspected she heard a rapid and panicked heartbeat. His chin pressed against her head, applying slight pressure, as if he didn’t want her to look up at him.
But she still wriggled out of his restraint, tilting her head back, yet looking up calmly from beneath her slightly lowered eyelashes. She looked into those familiar red eyes.
Kalsas did not linger in mid-air. He softly chanted a spell and instantly transported Nali to an unfamiliar room. There were no windows or doors in sight, and the room was sparsely furnished, so minimalist that it appeared cold and lifeless.
He placed Nali in an armchair and lowered his head, speaking softly: “This is my magic barrier. No one can take you out except me.” He paused, his eye corners lifting mockingly: “Of course, if I die, you’ll be free.”
Nali clenched her fists, feigning composure: “So, how long do you plan to keep me here?”
The Demon King straightened his back, took a step back, and casually removed his heavy cloak, answering: “Until I end everything.”
“But even if you destroy the device, you still can’t…” Nali began to stand involuntarily.
Kalsas moved closer, placing his hands on the chair’s armrests and leaning forward, forcing her back into her seat. Cold flames flickered in his deep red eyes, his tone now aggressive: “Do you believe their claims? What exactly did Pepin tell you? What happened in the Chancellor’s Tower?”
Nali was stunned by his sudden change in attitude, suppressing her instinct to retreat, and asked: “You can’t monitor what happened in the Chancellor’s Tower?”
The Demon King’s pupils contracted, and he said coldly: “That was Pepin’s final move, a barrier even the Grand Sage cannot break. Apart from you, probably no one knows what happened inside. Tell me, what did he say to you?”
Nali lowered her eyes, her forehead touching his, and whispered: “The truth in his eyes.”
A moment of dead silence.
“And you believe him,” Kalsas spoke each word as if it had been soaked in frost.
“Yes, I believe him,” Nali answered bitterly. “I believe he didn’t lie. He… proved his sincerity with his life. He was different from the other four.”
The Demon King sneered: “Different? Should I say you’re naive or stupid?”
Perhaps Nali’s choice enraged him, and Kalsas regained his previous venomous attitude. He seemed to care nothing for Nali’s thoughts, only wanting to vent his inner anger through cruel words: “You’re too easily moved, too easily trusting. Pepin saw this and led you by the nose to complete everything for him. But did you forget? Who originally led the creation of the device? The great and selfless Lord Pepin.”
He suddenly stood straight, his lips maintaining an attractive yet cold curve: “Who designed the cold-blooded strategy of letting me imprison you, manipulating your emotions, all to achieve time reversal? The big-picture-focused Lord Pepin. The so-called observers are the leaders of those madmen. Isn’t the person who can lead a group of lunatics supposed to be doubly crazy and inhuman? Their internal strife is just a group of mad dogs biting each other, and you want to get involved? You think one side holds the truth?”
Kalsas suddenly lowered and softened his voice, pronouncing each word exceptionally slowly, yet making one’s heart turn cold: “Perhaps, compared to me, he is the true demon.”
He raised his eyes to meet Nali’s gaze, the corner of his eye curving: “And you want to believe him?”
Nali looked at him for a long moment, her expression changing several times, and finally she smiled slightly: “I know Pepin single-handedly created the suffering I experienced.” She saw his eyebrows raise in astonishment, then turn to look at the empty vase on the side table. She continued calmly: “Considering it from his perspective, I can understand his actions.”
Before he could retort, she made a silencing gesture, her voice soft: “I understand him, but I won’t approve of him. But because I understand, I can see that he is the most painful one.”
She tilted her head back: “The more one wants to save, the less one can save. Someone in such painful despair used his life to beg me. How could I refuse?”
“I am indeed easily moved and easily deceived. But this time, I feel I haven’t chosen wrong.” Nali’s eyes filled with a gentle smile. “Holding grudges is too troublesome and painful. If his plan can truly resolve everything perfectly, why would I continue to resent him?”
Karl Sas remained silent for a long time, his lips curving into a strange arc. A low laugh emerged from deep in his throat: “So what are you going to do?”
Nali’s expression turned serious, and she did not answer.
He laughed again, walking around Nali with his hands behind his back.
Finally, he stopped behind her, crossing his arms over the chair back, tilting his head to rest on his arms. He spoke softly yet coldly: “Whether it’s Pepin’s plan or the proposals of the other four, an essential step is to kill me.”
He leaned down from above, breathing close to Nelly’s ear: “So are you ready to do this?”
These words struck Nelly’s soft spot, and she bit her lip, unable to respond.
“What? Afraid?” Karl Sas’s tone unchanged, his fingers sliding from her earlobe to her neck. Nelly trembled slightly, and he scoffed: “Wasn’t it you who said you walk your path, I have my arrangements, and if I get in the way, we’ll settle it? You were just confidently talking about implementing Pepin’s plan, so why are you backing down now?”
He dropped his hands to her chest, loosely embracing her from behind. His chin rubbed against her hair, with a rhythmic slowness: “Or are you afraid I’ll kill you first?”
Before Nelly could answer, Karl Sas spoke again: “I won’t do that. Think carefully, how could such clever people give you the status of a hero for no reason?” He lowered his head, meeting Nelly’s eyes: “What chips could you possibly have with them? Nothing more than your soul.”
Nelly’s eyes widened in shock, then she pressed her lips together restrainedly. Karl Sas saw this and sighed: “In that case, I only have one path left.
“
But before he could finish his sentence, Nelly reached back and held the back of his head, pressing her lips to his. After a moment of contact, she pulled back, clearly whispering: “Stop talking.”
