The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated

Chapter 403: Becoming a Public Enemy

“We’re here.”

On the back of the black dragon, Lasha looked at the bustling city standing on the earth below and said,

“I’m back, royal capital.”

Leisha, who had once invaded the royal capital as a member of the Old Demon Faction, looked at the prosperous city and sighed with emotion.

“Roar!”

Yulin roared, flapping her wings and landing in the clouds above the capital.

Shien, holding Lilith’s hand, smiled.

“Look, that’s the royal capital.”

Shien smiled at Lilith beside him and introduced the city.

Lilith nodded, gazing at the bustling city below, curiosity in her eyes.

Because this was the first time Lilith had left the Stalim Duchy and come to a city in another territory.

For the past ten thousand years, although Lilith wasn’t completely sealed in the dark temple like her uncontrolled main body and had a certain degree of freedom, this freedom was relative.

She could leave the temple, the independent space where the temple was exiled, and even Cosmos, but she couldn’t leave the Stalim Duchy, straying too far from her main body’s location.

As the rational half, if Lilith left her main body’s location too far, she might lose her connection with it and be unable to return to the temple.

Therefore, Beatrice, Lilith’s previous self, had only been active within the Stalim Duchy and had never left.

Until now, Lilith was finally able to leave the Stalim Duchy. The world was vast, and there was no place this evil god, comparable to a Demon Lord, couldn’t go.

Of course, wherever the Hero beside her was, that was where she should be.

Lilith had already made this decision. Therefore, as long as Shien was willing to stay in the Stalim Duchy, she was also willing to stay.

However, Shien naturally wouldn’t want to stay in the Stalim Duchy forever.

Even though Barry had been dealt with, and it was no longer enemy territory, Shien had no intention of staying there.

For the current Shien, the only place he could settle down was the royal capital.

After all, his home was there, and there were people he cared about, and who cared about him.

The Shien who swore not to stay in the royal capital was dead!

How ironic!

As Shien felt a sense of frustration, he noticed Airi, who was yawning beside him, frowning.

“What’s wrong?”

Shien asked.

“Nothing.” Airi relaxed her frown, seemingly uninterested. “I just feel like there are more people in the royal capital, and the city seems livelier than before.”

“Livelier?” Shien was slightly taken aback, then looked down.

He noticed that even from the clouds, he could still see streams of people, like ants, coming from all directions, continuously entering the capital, making it much more bustling and noisy than usual.

Shien even sensed considerable magic power from those people.

What did this mean?

It meant that those people coming from all directions were all quite powerful.

“Why are there so many experts suddenly?”

Shien was surprised.

“Those people seem to be nobles from other places and the knight orders escorting them.”

Leisha also seemed to notice this, using some magic to investigate, and became puzzled.

“Nobles and knight orders from other places?”

Shien frowned.

Why were there so many nobles suddenly coming to the royal capital?

Had something happened?

Shien pondered.

Seeing Shien lost in thought, Lasha said with an impassive face, “Let’s go back, Mr. Shien.”

“You’re right.” Shien nodded. “Instead of guessing here, it’s better to go back and see for ourselves.”

Saying so, Shien patted Yulin’s head.

“Roar!”

Yulin immediately understood Shien’s meaning and, after a roar, swooped down.

The scene of the black dragon descending from the clouds and flying towards the royal capital was seen by many people inside and outside the city.

“A dragon…!?”

“There’s a dragon!”

“A dragon appeared!”

“Oh my god!”

Outside the capital, many people were shocked and panicked.

On the other hand, the people inside the capital, and some nobles, although their expressions changed upon seeing the descending black dragon, didn’t lose their composure.

“Is that the black dragon of Atlus?”

“Viscount Buztout’s tamed mount…?”

“So, Viscount Buztout is on its back?”

“I heard he recently left the capital and went to the Stalim Duchy.”

“It seems he’s back.”

“Tsk, coming back at this time…”

“Hmph…”

Some of these people were curious, some were scrutinizing, but most of them seemed resentful and unwilling for some reason, chattering amongst themselves.

Even the people inside the capital were like this.

“Viscount Buztout is back!”

“He’s finally back?”

“What a lucky guy…”

“Indeed…”

At this moment, whether nobles or commoners, they all looked at the descending black dragon, some whispering, some discussing, some lost in thought, some showing the same resentment and unwillingness, and some even exuding hostility, glaring at the black dragon as if it were their mortal enemy.

And at this moment, Shien, on the dragon’s back, was dumbfounded.

The reason was simple.

As he got closer to the royal capital and appeared before everyone, Shien discovered that his [Enemy Detection] skill was reacting intensely.

Red dots, symbolizing enemies, rapidly appeared in Shien’s mind, increasing at an alarming rate, telling him that a large number of people in the capital were hostile towards him.

These hostile people almost occupied the entire capital.

“This…”

Shien was stunned and dumbfounded.

What was going on?

Had he done something wrong?

Why did it seem like he had become a public enemy in the capital after just a few days away?

“What’s wrong? Your expression is so strange.”

Leisha noticed Shien’s dazed state and asked, half surprised, half confused.

“N-nothing.” Shien finally suppressed his shock, but he was still shaken. He looked at Leisha, hesitated, and asked in a low voice, “Did I do something wrong?”

This sudden question stunned Leisha.

She looked at Shien, and the first thing that appeared in her ruby-like eyes wasn’t surprise or confusion, but an inexplicable emotion.

Shien seemed to see a sentence in Leisha’s eyes.

“Whether you did something wrong or not, don’t you know yourself?”

Shien saw this sentence in Leisha’s eyes.

Shien fell silent.

He couldn’t refute it!

Therefore, Shien also panicked a little.

“Could it be that something I did was exposed?”

Shien desperately racked his brains, hoping to remember something.

Sadly, Shien discovered that there were quite a few things he had a clue about!

This made Shien completely unsure which one had been exposed.

After thinking about it, Shien could only think of one possibility.

“It must be because I was too kind and took in Leisha, a wanted criminal of the Kingdom, and this matter was exposed, which is why I became a public enemy in the capital!”

Shien immediately used his Unique Skill—[Shifting Blame].

Shien unconsciously reached out and grabbed Leisha’s shoulder.

“…What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? Then why are you grabbing my shoulder?”

“Because we have a good relationship, right?”

“…Is that so?”

“Of course. People with good relationships often put their arms around each other’s shoulders. Didn’t you know?”

“I know, but I don’t know why I feel a little uneasy now. I feel like you’re planning something bad.”

“You’re overthinking it.”

“…Really?”

“Really.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Then can you tell me what you’re thinking right now?”

“Nothing. I’m just thinking, if the matter of me taking you in is exposed, then handing you over might not only clear my name but also earn me some merit.”

“…”

“…”

After this exchange, Shien and Leisha fell silent, then started fighting without saying a word.

And as the two were fighting, Yulin flew into the royal capital, heading towards the center of the noble district.

There, the Buztout mansion appeared before everyone’s eyes.

However, they discovered that a large number of nobles and commoners were gathered in front of the Buztout mansion’s gate.

These nobles and commoners gathered together, and voices continuously rang out.

“I’m the son of Count Citri! Viscount Buztout, come out and face me in a duel!”

“I’m the son of Count Kiduse! Viscount Buztout, come out and face me in a duel!”

“I’m from a Marquis family!”

“I’m from a Duke family!”

“Accept our challenge!”

“We demand a duel!”

“Yes! A duel!”

The nobles shouted, with knights standing guard beside them, and commoners gathered around, seemingly wanting to see what the owner of this mansion was capable of, making the scene very noisy.

It was as if someone had implemented tyrannical policies, and the innocent citizens couldn’t bear it any longer, rising up to protest and overthrow the tyrant and dictator.

“Th-th-th-this…!?”

Shien was dumbfounded.

Even the others were startled by this scene.

“Are… are you this unpopular in the capital?”

Leisha was bewildered.

“…You… didn’t you really do something terrible?”

Even Airi looked at him with suspicion.

“…”

Lasha didn’t say anything, just silently stared at Shien, but it gave him the greatest pressure.

“?”

Lilith tilted her head, her face full of question marks.

Shien really wanted to shout,

“What’s going on…!?”

Just like that, without even knowing it, Shien had become a public enemy.

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