The Demon Lord’s Wiles and the Hero’s Epiphany

“So, that’s what happened. The police still came knocking because of your street racing incident, didn’t they?”

Mo Linyu explained the entire situation to her maid, Dong Lu, over the phone. Dong Lu then confirmed, “And then, you need to arrange an identity for Miss Li Yue? Is she currently undocumented?”

“…More or less. Still, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t ask too many questions.”

After a moment of thought, Dong Lu replied, “This ID card… Young Miss, I’m afraid it won’t be that simple to arrange.”

“No ID card is necessary, just a three-month temporary residency. After three months… well, she’ll return to her own country.”

Mo Linyu uttered a lie that wouldn’t be easily exposed.

Listening in, Li Yue mused that in three months, regardless of whether all the souls from the other world could be gathered, the person known as “Li Yue” would likely cease to exist.

‘Wait, is that entirely true?’

‘The other souls from the alternate world bear no fatal wounds from the Holy Sword; they won’t be killed by past life injuries, and they would still live even if Mo Linyu were to die.’

‘And the influence between the alternate world souls still persists. So, if they were to approach me, perhaps I would transform back into the young Hero’s form?’

‘It would be disastrous if I changed size in the middle of the street.’

“Tsk…”

She couldn’t help but click her tongue.

‘This was not something she dared to gamble on; she had to resolve it before Mo Linyu kicked the bucket from that old injury.’

Just as Li Yue was raking her fingers through her golden hair in frustration, Mo Linyu had already ended the call.

“It’s all sorted, Hero. How do you plan to thank me?”

Closing the leather flap of her phone, she announced triumphantly, “Dong Lu will handle this matter, but afterwards, you’ll need to retake your motorcycle license test and drive according to the rules… Hmm? What’s with that expression?”

Mo Linyu then realized that Li Yue’s expression was laced with a certain profound bitterness.

Li Yue then lifted her head, placed a hand on Mo Linyu’s shoulder, and spoke with an air of utmost seriousness.

“…Demon Lord, I truly cannot let you die.”

Lacking telepathy, Mo Linyu was naturally unable to follow Li Yue’s sudden shift in thought.

“Huh? Why the sudden declaration?”

Li Yue simply continued, “I just suddenly realized… your existence is incredibly important to me. Without you, my future life would become a nightmare.”

[Hmm? That sounds a bit like a confession, doesn’t it?]

A thought bubble, causing Li Yue to gape, appeared, while a teasing smile curved Mo Linyu’s lips.

Yet, she playfully teased, “Oh~? What do you mean by that? Has the great Hero finally realized she can’t live without me?”

“No, what are you even thinking? What I meant was—”

“Shhh~”

Mo Linyu extended a slender index finger, gently pressing it against Li Yue’s lips, interrupting her with a coquettish tone.

“No need to explain; I understand perfectly. As the Demon Lord, this queen indeed possesses an irresistible charm…”

Mo Linyu’s fingertip trailed to Li Yue’s jawline, then gently lifted her chin.

“…But I never expected even the Hero to fall under its spell.”

Li Yue, however, swatted Mo Linyu’s hand away.

“Huh? You understand jack-shit! There’s a limit to narcissism, isn’t there?”

****

“Hello, everyone in the stream! It’s me again today, filling in for big brother~”

The moment the stream went live, Mo Linyu seemed to transform, her voice becoming noticeably higher-pitched.

“Though it’s a bit regrettable, big brother probably won’t be back anytime soon~ So, I hope you’ll all look forward to my performance as a new streamer!”

[Huh? Where did Brother Long go?]

Some comments in the live chat still inquired about the whereabouts of “Long Ya,” which brought a measure of relief to Li Yue.

However, the majority of the comments still read…

[It’s fine, we prefer watching little sister’s stream more.]

[Little sister diligently fighting the boss, her clumsy controls, yet one can feel her perseverance.]

[Little sister’s voice is pleasant; in comparison, Brother Long is just a boor.]

At this point, Li Yue genuinely believed that if she didn’t stream herself soon, her entire fanbase would be “peacefully assimilated” by Mo Linyu.

Mo Linyu’s affected high-pitched voice was surprisingly similar to Li Yue’s current voice, though of course, Li Yue could never speak in such a cutesy manner.

However, if Li Yue herself were to manage the stream, it would not quite fit. As they were originally the same individual, her speaking tone and gaming style would easily tip off fans, perhaps even leading them to believe ‘Brother Long was using a voice changer.’

In comparison, Mo Linyu’s acting skills were superior.

Li Yue herself returned to the living room sofa, sprawling casually, her hands clasped behind her head, her golden hair fanned out across a good portion of the couch.

Then, she glanced at Mo Linyu.

The Young Miss, currently streaming, sat elegantly in the computer chair. Most of the time, Mo Linyu’s posture was perfectly straight when seated, her long legs crossed, the controller clutched in both hands resting on her lap.

Like most gaming novices, she pressed the controller with considerable force, even causing her arms to move, which in turn made the flesh on her chest jiggle.

She peeked at the live chat comments.

“Oh my? You want to see my face? But big brother said I shouldn’t casually show my face on stream~”

Li Yue couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Mo Linyu’s sickly sweet voice.

She began to mentally organize the clues she had gathered today.

First, there was the thief at Runze Workshop.

Though their hands weren’t exactly clean, the fact that the person was constantly on the move had allowed Mo Linyu to confirm their identity, yet now, reporting them to the police was out of the question.

Second, there was the alternate world soul within Tianyuan City First High School.

However, with summer vacation in full swing, it wasn’t suitable for investigation, as most teachers and students were absent from school. Action would have to wait until the day they returned after the break.

So, what method could they use to catch the thief?

The simplest way would be to continue using valuable phones as bait to lure them in. However, both Li Yue’s and Mo Linyu’s faces had been memorized by the thief today, so tricking them into coming out would likely not be easy.

“Hey, what are you thinking about?”

Li Yue opened her eyes. Mo Linyu had wheeled her computer chair over to the edge of the sofa and nudged Li Yue’s leg, which was draped over the armrest, with her foot.

“What about the stream?”

“I said I was going to the restroom and temporarily muted the mic.”

Li Yue sat up, looking at the stream screen, the controller now resting on the table.

Mo Linyu continued, “I saw you lying there all by yourself, looking so troubled. Did something come to mind?”

“We should pretend to be tourists to act as bait, but our appearances have already been noted by the thief. We’ll probably need to disguise ourselves… However, both your hair color and mine are too conspicuous; merely applying makeup might not be enough.”

Aside from the golden hair, Mo Linyu’s long, gradient dark purple hair was quite eye-catching in a crowd.

“Hmm, then why don’t we just find someone else?”

Mo Linyu said nonchalantly.

Li Yue retorted, “Who would we find?”

“Oh my? Could it be that you… don’t have any friends?”

Mo Linyu began to act smug again, but then continued, “Actually, we happen to have a suitable candidate in mind, someone you could say you know.”

“Who?” Li Yue asked.

Mo Linyu gave her a wink, then pointed a finger at her own chest.

[Han Xiaoyu, of course.]

The thought bubble read.