Chapter 11: No! Don't Blacklist Me!
Rodel Holy Kingdom Palace
The morning sun streamed through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, casting light upon the soft Goose-down Bed.
"Brave One, it's time to get up~"
With a gentle call, several beautiful Personal Maids drew back the curtains.
Alicia—who was Song the Beast, Lilith's Best Friend—groggily opened her eyes. Before she could even react, she was surrounded by a flock of chattering maids.
"Brave One, this is Morning Dew Rose Water airlifted from the south. Please use it to wash your face."
"Brave One, this is the Royal Stylist. Today, he has designed a hairstyle for you that 'Combines Battle with Elegance.'"
"Brave One, the main course for breakfast is sirloin from a Tier 1 Magical Beast, the 'Frost-Kissed Snow Ox,' paired with Fruit Wine from the Elf Forest..."
..."Ah? Okay, okay..."
Alicia replied, looking utterly bewildered.
And so, for the next hour, she was like a doll, attended to by a group of people who bathed her, massaged her, did her skincare, and dressed her.
It wasn't until she sat at the long dining table, looking at the dazzling array of luxurious breakfast dishes before her, and the Third Princess elegantly cutting her steak across from her, that she suddenly awoke from this Sugar-coated Trap.
"No!"
She slammed her knife and fork onto the table, stood up abruptly, and forcefully patted her ample chest:
"Your Royal Highness! Didn't I say yesterday? I need to go cultivate quickly! I need to go to the Demon Realm to defeat the Demon Lord! How can you still have time to eat breakfast with me here?"
"What time is it?! Old Duan is still suffering in the Demon Lord's hands!"
Thinking of her Best Friend being forcibly bent by a terrifying man, cold sweat slowly trickled down Alicia's forehead.
In response, the princess calmly replied:
"Oh, Brave One, there's no need to rush such things~"
She put down her knife and fork, wiped her mouth with the most elegant posture of her life, and smiled reassuringly:
"Defeating the Demon Lord is a matter concerning the fate of the world, requiring long-term planning and meticulous deployment. If we act rashly, not only will we fail to save anyone, but we'll also put ourselves in danger. We need clear goals and plans."
"But... but..."
Alicia scratched her hair anxiously:
"Aren't there still many humans enslaved by demons at the border? Shouldn't we set off immediately to rescue them? Isn't that the Brave One's duty?"
"Emm..."
Hearing this, a hint of hesitation flickered in the princess's eyes, but she still said with innocent cheerfulness:
"The Royalty and Nobles are all in the Core Cities; protecting them is the priority. What happens to the Frontier Commoners doesn't really matter, does it?"
"Huh? What?"
At these words, Alicia thought she had misheard and blinked her eyes in confusion.
Seeing her reaction, the princess seemed to realize something, immediately pursed her lips into a smile, revealing her innocent and cute grin again, and said as a matter of course:
"Oh, it's nothing~ Then, as the Brave One says, we'll depart as soon as possible—but before we leave, shouldn't we first recruit the members for the 'Hero Squad'?"
"Ah?"
Alicia was momentarily stunned:
"Hero Squad?"
"Yes."
The princess continued to leisurely cut her steak:
"Warrior, Priest, Mage, Assassin... How can the Brave One manage alone without reliable companions? So, my Royal Father is holding a nationwide selection for your teammates, which will probably take... hmm, about a week."
"…"
"That... makes some sense?"
"But... but a week is too long! What about my brother?!"
—
Meanwhile, Demon Realm, Abyss Labyrinth
The scene shifted.
No sunlight, no rose water, no steak.
Only damp, gloomy air, dark, oppressive stone walls, and the chilling underground river.
Lilith, looking utterly resigned, was being pulled by the arm by Asmodeus, taking a boring stroll through the labyrinthine passages.
Asmodeus was nearly 1.9 meters tall, taking huge strides, walking with a powerful presence.
Lilith, on the other hand, was only 1.57 meters tall with short legs. Being dragged by him, she was essentially a series of stumbles and hurried steps, looking like a stern father forcibly dragging his daughter who didn't want to go to kindergarten.
"Slow... slower..."
Lilith panted, her heart filled with bitterness.
"This can't go on..."
"If I stay here, this innocent pervert will eventually devour me!"
"I have to find a way to get out of this cursed seal... Once I'm out, I'll find Song the Beast, help that good-for-nothing cultivate to max level, and then come back for revenge!"
"That's right! Endure humiliation, suffer hardship, all for revenge!"
Having made up her mind, Lilith's gaze gradually firmed.
She adjusted her breathing, then tentatively spoke in a soft, sweet voice:
"Um~ Demon Lord~ It's not good for us to keep going in circles here, is it? Shouldn't we find a way out?"
"Yes, that's right."
Asmodeus slowed his pace slightly, but his voice remained calm:
"I am also looking for a way out."
"Then..."
Lilith pointed to the dark rock ceiling above, feigning an innocent and cute expression:
"Why are we still strolling around so leisurely? You're so powerful, if you just punch through the ceiling, wouldn't we be out? Right, right?"
Hearing this, Asmodeus finally stopped.
However, it wasn't until he turned sideways that Lilith realized he was looking at her with an expression that said, "An uneducated woman is truly terrifying."
"It seems you don't understand anything, Little Meow."
"You're Little Meow!"
Lilith silently fumed, but her adorable smile remained unchanged:
"How so? What are your insights, my lord?"
So Asmodeus patiently explained:
"This is 'Ragnarok,' a super-tier forbidden sealing technique used to seal me, combining the power of various races."
He pointed to the faintly visible magic patterns on the surrounding rock walls:
"This seal is connected to the entire Demon Realm's leylines. If it were forcibly broken from within with violence, the immense magical backlash would cause extremely terrifying chain reactions—equivalent to detonating a forbidden-level bomb in the center of the Demon Realm."
"At that time, not only would the seal remain unbroken, but you and I would also be severely wounded and fall into slumber again, and even the entire Demon Realm would be reduced to ashes."
At this point, Asmodeus's face was serious:
"I am here to rule the Demon Realm, not to destroy it. So, to get out safely, we must find the source of the sealing power on this layer, or rather, the core of the seal, and perform a technical Cracking. Otherwise, why do you think I would drag you around here?"
"Oh... so that's how it is..."
Lilith nodded, half-understanding.
"So it can't be broken by force... Hmph, it seems this Demon Lord isn't omnipotent after all."
Thinking this, Lilith curled her lip and glanced at Asmodeus disdainfully:
"What a small fry."
Then, her eyes darted around, and another plan formed:
"If we split up, I'll have a chance to slip away."
"If I find the exit first, you can stay in this Sewer Labyrinth forever, you perverted Demon Lord!"
With this thought, Lilith's lips curved into a slightly smug, somewhat annoying, mischievous girl's smile:
"Then, then~ Demon Lord! The labyrinth is so big, how about we split up to search? That way, it'll be more efficient, and we might find the core faster!"
"…"
Asmodeus looked down at Lilith, who had a look that said, "I'm so smart, praise me."
After a moment of thought, he frowned and flatly refused:
"No."
"Although the Abyssal Watcher has been scattered, it might reassemble at any time. You are so weak; what if you encounter it alone?"
"It's very interested in you. Aren't you afraid?"
"Uh..."
Lilith was speechless, and the terrifying image from yesterday flashed through her mind, making her shiver.
Before she could retort, Asmodeus had already grabbed her arm again:
"So, stick close to me. Don't wander off."
"Uh..."
And so, it was another drag.
Lilith was dragged along like a pendant, her face filled with despair, feeling that the road ahead was pitch black... well, the labyrinth was indeed very dark.
However, just then, her mobile phone in her pocket vibrated.
Lilith secretly pulled it out and saw a text message from Song the Beast:
[Old Duan, did the Demon Lord do anything to you last night? The King has already issued a recruitment order for teammates, and we can probably set off in about a week! You must hold on!]
"Damn it—"
After reading the message, Lilith almost fainted, so she started typing on the screen with one hand:
[You damn Song the Beast! You're too slow! What kind of teammates are you recruiting?! Just have the Holy Kingdom send over an existing knight order and be done with it!]
Then her Best Friend quickly replied:
[I can't help it! Even though I'm the Brave One now, I'm only Tier 1, basically a mascot.]
[I don't have a say in the Knight Order's matters, but I'll be as quick as possible. You hold on!]
Then Lilith typed in despair:
[Hold on? Hold your ass!]
[If you lived with a Succubus Loli for a year or two, could you resist not touching her?!]
[Ultimately, isn't it because you want some kind of 'King's Path Brave One' script that your initial level is so low? I bet by the time you arrive, you'll be attending the full moon celebration for the Demon Lord's and my child!]
[If that really happens, I'll blacklist you, and you can be your King's Path Brave One forever! Enjoy your harem!]
[(Removing sunglasses and crying.jpg)]
After that message was sent, Song the Beast fell silent.
Lilith's pupils trembled, and she felt a sudden panic, thinking her good brother would really abandon her: "D-did I say too much?!"
However, the next second, a voice message came through.
Lilith instinctively tapped it open;
The result was a series of earth-shattering, ghost-wailing cries from an older sister:
"No! No, Old Duan! We've been brothers for over a decade! Don't blacklist me!"
The desperate and extremely loud roar echoed through the vast, silent labyrinth:
"You absolutely cannot become the Demon Lord's Wife! You must protect your chastity! Otherwise, wouldn't I be the only Transmigrator left in this world?!"
"No matter what, you must not succumb to the Demon Lord's tyranny! Hold your ground!"
"Duan! My brother! My Best Friend!"
"My bro!!!"
..."F**k."
Listening to the wailing from her mobile phone, Lilith's face was covered in black lines, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
On the other side, Asmodeus also stopped, slowly turned his head, his brows furrowed, staring suspiciously at the 'magical artifact' in Lilith's hand:
"What is this magical artifact called a mobile phone chattering about? So hysterical? Is it your family?"
"Huh?!"
Lilith's hand trembled in fright, and she quickly slammed the volume button to silence it.
"It's... it's my brother... oh no, it's my sister!"
She stuffed the mobile phone back into her pocket, plastering an awkward but polite fake smile on her face, and started spouting nonsense:
"She, well, she has some mental issues, she's a bit of a scatterbrain, often goes crazy... Demon Lord, you don't need to mind her, hehe, hehehe..."
"Hmm?"
Hearing Lilith's words, Asmodeus narrowed his eyes, seemingly scrutinizing the truthfulness of her statement... and also pondering what'scatterbrain' meant.
A moment later, he seemed to realize something and suddenly took a step closer to Lilith—with a slight pull, he dragged the poor Succubus Loli into his arms, then possessively wrapped his arm around her slender waist, pinching her chin to assert his claim:
"No matter if your family agrees or not, you are already my fiancée—no matter what, I will not let you leave!"
"Mm-hmm, okay~ I know~"
Lilith outwardly nodded obediently, her smile as sweet as a flower.
In reality, she was gritting her teeth, mentally cursing Asmodeus's entire ancestry:
"Bullshit! Who's your fiancée?!"
"I only lied to you for food! I wish I could stomp you to death!"
"Once I get out of this broken labyrinth, the first thing I'll do is find Song the Beast! Even if I have to tie her up, I'll drag her to the leveling zone to grind monsters! When I reach max level, I'll come back and twist your head off! Just you wait!"
Lilith secretly swore a venomous oath in her heart.
But anger aside, the problem remained unsolved.
"If I can't find the seal core, I can't get out... If I can't get out, I'll have to sleep with him every day..."
Lilith restlessly fiddled with her mobile phone.
Just then, her finger accidentally swiped across the screen, and her gaze fell upon a familiar app icon.
[omniscient and omnipotent ai solver].
The girl's movements paused.
She blinked, looked at the mobile phone, then at the incredibly complex magic patterns around them, and an extremely bold idea suddenly exploded in her mind.
"Oh right... I can do that?"