A Hero’s Audition and a Demon Lord’s Revelation

A complete reversal of roles.

Li Yue, brimming with pride, found herself evaluating the two interviewers instead.

Yet, her performance perhaps truly warranted such confidence, for even in Mo Changhong’s estimation, this golden-haired girl was among the most formidable individuals he had ever encountered.

He turned to his chief maid, silently asking with his eyes if she should step in, but she merely shook her head.

“Winning so decisively has already proven her capabilities, Master, there’s no need for me to engage, is there?”

Indeed, even seasoned special forces veterans would likely be no match for her.

Despite being a young, rather slender girl, she exuded a seasoned veteran’s prowess, honed through countless battles—a mastery that couldn’t be achieved through mere daily exercise or combat training.

Her reactions and instincts during battle, in particular, were as if she could foresee her opponent’s every move, instinctively responding without a hint of tension.

Such intense sparring was as effortless to her as eating and drinking, as though she were a true warrior, forged in the crucible of countless bloody conflicts.

She could likely kill without a second thought, capable of dispatching three people with just a pencil in a bar.

Mo Changhong inwardly awarded Li Yue a remarkably high score.

Consequently, he paid little mind to her brazen attitude of outshining her hosts.

However, the mystery surrounding Li Yue’s identity remained a significant concern.

She had no discernible past, no traceable information, as if she had simply materialized out of thin air.

He wondered where his daughter had managed to unearth such an extraordinary individual, a veritable Victorious Fighting Buddha at that.

“What? Are you all stunned?”

Li Yue propped the golden baseball bat on her shoulder, ignoring the resentful glares of the two female bodyguards, and walked directly towards Mo Changhong and Mo Linyu.

The fact that Li Yue had taken down Mo Changhong’s bodyguards even made Mo Linyu proudly straighten up in her seat, much like a parent boasting at a school meeting because their child had topped the class.

‘Behold! This is the strength of the Hero who defeated me back then!’

She would likely announce it with such fanfare to anyone in the know.

“You’re hired.”

Mo Changhong declared the inevitable outcome.

“I will employ you as Linyu’s personal bodyguard, but if any harm should befall her…”

“Don’t worry, you can have me buried alongside her if that happens.” Li Yue merely shrugged.

She didn’t believe Mo Linyu would encounter any other dangers; the possibility of something going wrong with her by her side was slim.

“Excellent. Dong Lu, take her measurements, then have a uniform custom-made for her.”

Mo Changhong said, but Dong Lu replied, “Master, Miss Li’s measurements have already been taken.”

“Then have it made quickly.”

“Hm? A uniform?” Li Yue paused, then glanced at the short-haired female bodyguard duo applying liniment in the distance.

“Uncle, you’re not going to make me wear a suit out in this scorching heat, are you?”

Just imagining it made her feel as though she would melt.

“This is for your and Linyu’s safety. Kevlar lining, anti-cut fabric—a bodyguard’s uniform is more than just for show.”

Mo Changhong explained, and Dong Lu added:

“If you wear that suit, the 9mm bullets used by the kidnappers you dealt with last time would, at most, only sting a little if you were shot… Of course, it’s best not to get shot at all.”

A bulletproof suit?

“Oh, that actually sounds useful.”

Li Yue showed a flicker of interest at Dong Lu’s description.

“But we won’t be issuing you a firearm. You don’t seem to need one anyway… A gun permit is even harder to obtain than an ID card, and with your current status, it’s impossible to acquire.”

“Yes, I don’t need one,” Li Yue replied.

Rather than fumbling with an unfamiliar handgun, she preferred to perfect her Holy Sword throwing.

With a throwable weapon that always returned, who needed a gun?

“Then can I take her out tomorrow?”

“Once your contract and uniform are ready…”

“Father, a little more time won’t hurt, will it?”

Mo Changhong was still somewhat reluctant, but he had to keep his word in front of his daughter.

“Very well.”

He had relented.

****

The Mo family’s private hot spring.

“Why is it always a bath scene? If I lived in a novel, the author must be out of ideas to keep dishing out fan service bath scenes every day.” Li Yue grumbled while soaking in the hot spring.

Despite her complaints, the warmth of the spring gradually enveloped her body, her skin embraced by the hot water, making her senses more acute.

Even unintentional touches or the soothing stir of the water brought waves of pleasure.

“Comfortable~”

She was enjoying the hot spring alone.

Although the earlier “interview” had been effortless, it didn’t mean the physical exertion was low.

As her aching muscles soaked in the spring, Li Yue felt her ‘HP bar’ constantly refilling.

Of course, she didn’t actually have an HP bar above her head.

“Hmph~”

Li Yue was leaning back against the stone wall, eyes closed, enjoying the spring’s healing embrace, when she suddenly felt ripples spread across the water’s surface.

Li Yue opened her eyes, annoyed. “Why did you come in too? Can’t you let me enjoy myself for a bit?”

Mo Linyu had quietly slipped into the hot spring while Li Yue’s eyes were closed, but the moment her foot touched the water, she was keenly detected.

“What? Does soaking with me make you unable to enjoy yourself?” Mo Linyu retorted.

She was still wrapped in a bath towel, revealing skin as smooth as ivory, her figure curving gracefully like a meticulously sculpted ancient Indian artwork, every inch radiating an alluring glow.

But the one flaw was…

That black mind-reading dialogue box on her chest was far too obtrusive.

However, that wasn’t Mo Linyu’s problem; it was Li Yue’s.

Although Li Yue herself was happy to see the dialogue box, without it, she wouldn’t be able to chat and laugh with Mo Linyu in the hot spring.

“Congratulations on passing the interview,” Mo Linyu stated candidly.

“I never imagined that in the end, the Hero would actually rescue the Demon Lord. Who wrote this script? Was it the Goddess again?”

“Who knows.”

Li Yue thought for a moment, then added, “But my passing the interview might actually be thanks to her. Without this mind-reading ability, I might not have been able to defeat your father’s two female bodyguards.”

[Oh, right, if you look at me, you can only see the dialogue box on my chest, right?]

Mo Linyu suddenly realized something and began communicating with Li Yue through the dialogue box.

“Yes, a natural censor.”

Li Yue shook her head with a helpless sigh, then gestured at Mo Linyu’s chest. “Right at that spot.”

[Can you see my scar?]

Li Yue still replied, “…Yes, the scar is above the dialogue box.”

[Then, this seems unnecessary.]

Mo Linyu stood up in the hot spring, and in front of Li Yue, she untied the bath towel wrapped around her chest, tossing it casually onto the edge of the pool.

Li Yue didn’t avert her gaze, as she couldn’t see anything anyway.

Still, she commented with a touch of sarcasm, “Tsk, you’re quite bold, you perverted Demon Lord. Does doing this make you feel good?”

Yet, the buoyant peaks undulated on the water’s surface, and the ripples they created helped Li Yue to imagine.

Mo Linyu merely countered, “Perverted? What’s perverted about it? What’s there to hide when girls bathe together?”

“…Ugh, I’m too lazy to explain it to you again.”

Li Yue waved her hand, and Mo Linyu continued, “Even I don’t like wrapping myself in a bath towel. To soak comfortably, one must shed all restraints… Since you can’t see anything anyway, why should I inconvenience myself for your sake?”

But just then, a golden light suddenly shot out from Li Yue’s chest, then soared directly skyward, disappearing into the bathroom ceiling, as if something had been taken back by the Goddess.

And then…

Mo Linyu’s dialogue box simply vanished, replaced by…

(.Y .)

“Huh?”