Palpitations

Vivian tailed Garen and his party from behind.

It wasn’t until three days later, after the team had completely left the Evernight territory, that she finally let out a complete sigh of relief.

After nearly two weeks, she had finally seen these guys off.

It really hadn’t been easy.

For the better part of the first ten days, Vivian had been constantly directing troop movements and night raids, setting up countless traps and ambushes along their path, and keeping a close watch on their movements.

It was safe to say she had barely rested at all.

So when the Heroes and the crusade army had finally left, tailed and pursued, Vivian finally relaxed.

Unable to fight off the drowsiness, she slowly sat down on a branch of a large tree, leaned back against the trunk, and fell asleep.

When Vivian woke up, it was already the next day.

Aria, Lunai, As, and several other demon captains, plus the Winter Messenger Luo Lu, were all waiting quietly for Vivian not far away.

Although they were in the wilderness, this was the most comfortable sleep Vivian had ever had.

“Well then… time to go home and start farming again.”

Vivian stretched, then landed gracefully and walked toward her subordinates.

“Lady Demon Lord.”

Facing Vivian, the group called out respectfully in unison and knelt on one knee.

“All of you, rise. No need for formalities. Have the battle losses been tallied?”

“Fewer than a hundred killed in action, and one hundred and ninety-three wounded. But we inflicted at least two to three thousand casualties on the crusade army. A loss ratio of almost one to twenty, Lady Demon Lord.”

Although Aria still maintained a respectful demeanor, she couldn’t help but speak with an excited tone, her fluffy black tail wagging back and forth.

It was clear she was very happy.

After all, with two thousand against twenty thousand, achieving such a loss ratio was a miraculous victory anywhere, even a great triumph worthy of a celebratory parade.

Faced with the menacing crusade army, many had even prepared for sacrifice, only to find that they had repelled the enemy at such a small cost!

They had even left behind a great deal of supplies and equipment due to their hasty retreat!

“Truly spectacular.”

Luo Lu smiled, still maintaining the grace and composure befitting her role as the Winter Messenger.

“As expected of the Demon Lord, to be able to resolve this crisis in such a way.”

“Your assistance was also invaluable, Winter Messenger Luo Lu. You will have my friendship.”

Looking at the Frost Banshee before her, Vivian responded politely.

To be honest, Luo Lu had really helped her a great deal this time.

Not to mention the initial intelligence and overall contact, but over the past period, the Frost Banshee squad led by Luo Lu was easily worth over a hundred soldiers, and their efficiency in raiding and killing the crusade army was the highest.

The reason was simple: this group of elite Frost Banshees was indeed very strong, and they had strictly adhered to her combat policy—strike once, then immediately withdraw, never getting greedy for more kills.

“Mm… So, what about the villagers of Blackthorn Village and Graystone Keep? What are their thoughts?”

After a round of commercial flattery with Luo Lu and learning about her own losses, Vivian shifted her attention to other matters, asking questions as they made their way back.

“A considerable number of villagers are willing to return with us to the Demon Lord’s Castle for reconstruction work.”

Aria continued to report, “According to your policy, Lady Demon Lord, anyone willing to return with us to the Demon Lord’s Castle for reconstruction will have their old debts from their former villages wiped clean and will also receive the

status of a Demon Lord’s Castle resident. This has been very effective. The vast majority of villagers are willing to come back with us, but there are still a few elderly demons who are unwilling to leave and want to return to their own villages.”

“Also, the task of re-establishing communication with other villages is being arranged. A lot of magical materials were found in the crusade’s abandoned supplies, which can be used to initially rebuild the Demon Lord’s Castle’s magic network communication…”

Aria, loyal and dedicated, reported the current status of various affairs to Vivian one by one.

To be honest, repelling the crusade army was only the real beginning.

Rebuilding the Demon Lord’s Castle still required many tasks to be completed, and the nearly two to three thousand ordinary demons whose villages Vivian had guided the crusade army to destroy also needed to be resettled.

But fortunately, in order to hasten their departure from the Evernight territory and shake off the constantly harassing Evernight demons, the crusade army had abandoned many unnecessary supplies to speed up their march.

This turned out to be a windfall for Vivian and her people.

In short, after this battle with the crusade army, Vivian found that… things were looking up!

Not to mention the potential reinforcements and supplies that might arrive, Vivian now had over two thousand demon laborers at her disposal.

Although their combat effectiveness was far inferior to professional soldiers, their “skill points” in life skills were much higher than the soldiers’.

The journey back to the Demon Lord’s Castle didn’t take too long.

With the stamina and speed of a Demon Lord, after a day and a night, Vivian returned to the Demon Lord’s Castle with her subordinates.

To be precise, the ruins of the old Demon Lord’s Castle.

‘Hmm… need to re-plan, and then I have to meet with the villagers and give a speech.’

As Vivian returned to her city under reconstruction, her mind was still buzzing with all sorts of to-do items.

The demon villagers who had lost their homes were waiting for her reappearance, and at the same time, preparations had to be made for various matters like re-establishing control over the territory…

But at that moment, Vivian suddenly felt a palpitation in her heart.

“Hm?”

Vivian couldn’t help but stop in her tracks.

For a moment, Vivian thought she might just be tired, but then the sense of palpitation and unease grew stronger.

It was as if she had fallen into some kind of trap.

“Phew…”

Vivian’s gaze swept back and forth across the ruins of broken walls before her, but she found nothing.

“Lady Demon Lord? What’s wrong?”

Lunai, who was following beside her, asked curiously.

“It’s nothing… Am I just being paranoid?”

Vivian blinked, thought for a moment, then shook her head and continued to walk forward.

And at that very moment!

Suddenly, Vivian felt a strong sense of crisis!

The small life growing in her womb seemed to have sensed some extremely dangerous presence.

Instantly, Vivian felt her abdomen spasm again after a long time, causing her to stop once more.

At the same time, that inexplicable sense of danger became clearer and more distinct!

“To the left!”

Vivian’s gaze shot to the left, and in the next instant, a silver light erupted from the ruins, charging straight at her