CH 30

“because penguins are antarctic animals!”

moreover, the penguin the bearded gentleman is holding is not entirely the same as a normal penguin. it’s petite and noticeably adorable, its black skin is exceptionally smooth, it has a pair of eyes that, although big and seemingly cute at first glance, are quite sly, and a flat yellow beak.

though very cute, it’s still very suspicious!

lucifer frowned and exchanged glances: “penguins? antarctic?”

wait, does this world have an antarctic? pei xia thought for a moment and firmly said: “yes! penguins are creatures that live in icy landscapes. if they appear here, there must be a conspiracy!”

lucifer looked at him with a subtle expression: “pei xia, you seem to know quite a bit.”

pei xia’s face turned red: “your praise is too kind! your holiness, what should we do now?”

lucifer pondered for a moment and said: “i don’t know if the penguin you’re talking about is the same, but in reality, this demon is called the blackhearted penguin demon. it doesn’t possess strong combat abilities itself, but it can enchant people around it to become its slaves, using them to steal money.”

this demon actually only likes money, quite the oddity. pei xia was greatly surprised.

no, in reality, those who have been enchanted by it will have their souls consumed and become a part of it after they’ve exhausted all their wealth. so, the blackhearted penguin demon becomes stronger and greedier, to defeat it, you must do so while it’s not yet too powerful.

pei xia asked solemnly, “so, what do you think, how strong is this blackhearted penguin demon in front of us?”

“i’m afraid it has already ensnared quite a few people, but it’s manageable.”

“do you need me to call more people?”

“no, this demon is quite cunning. if we leave now, it might sense something is amiss and escape.”

lucifer chuckled softly and said, “be prepared, my knight.”

pei xia hesitated for a moment, understanding, and nodded. he absentmindedly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at a moment’s notice.

thus, lucifer and pei xia walked toward the gentleman with the upturned mustache. he was an accountant in the logistics department, and although his work was busy, he was quite content.

“good day, sir.” lucifer stood by his desk and greeted him in a very ordinary tone. “my friend and i are warriors summoned here. could you tell us when the allowances will be distributed?”

the mustache gentleman looked up at him, a slightly distant expression of delight on his face. “i don’t know, probably after the war is over.”

lucifer looked meaningfully at him and said, “i’ve heard that the allowances this time are quite generous. i’m looking forward to it, hoping not a single copper coin will be missing.”

the mustache gentleman shifted uncomfortably and exhibited a hint of unease.

the blackhearted penguin demon, disguised as an adorable penguin, opened its mouth and let out a soft cry: “money money.”

immediately, the gentleman regained his composure, waved his hand impatiently, and said, “enough, don’t rush. they’ll definitely be distributed when the time comes!”

pei xia stood behind lucifer, dumbfounded. he didn’t know how normal penguins sounded, but he certainly didn’t expect this blackhearted penguin demon to cry out “money money money.”

lucifer wasn’t angered by this. he smiled gently and shifted his gaze to the blackhearted penguin demon in the mustached gentleman’s arms. “the demonic creature in your arms feels quite familiar to me. may i touch it?”

the blackhearted penguin demon’s eyes rolled around. it was a greedy demon, fond of money and equally avaricious souls. the handsome blonde man in front of it immediately triggered a flood of ideas on how to exploit him for money.

for example, he could make him perform, or even sell his own body! as long as there’s money, the blackhearted penguin demon is confident it can enslave all souls!

moreover, this man also cares a lot about money. the blackhearted penguin demon seemed very satisfied. it waved its two short and clumsy wings and wriggled out of the mustached slave’s embrace. it stood on the table, tilted its head back, and began to act cute:

“money money, money money.”

lucifer cooperatively wore a smile, then raised his hand and gently stroked the little demon penguin’s head.

pei xia watched with a mix of fear and apprehension. despite its cute appearance, this was still a demon!

suddenly, lucifer’s smile vanished. a powerful light enveloped the blackhearted penguin demon in an instant. simultaneously, pei xia took a step forward and kicked the slave who had been under the control of the blackhearted penguin demon far away.

the blackhearted penguin demon let out a miserable cry, its wings fluttering like a black shadow as it darted outward.

lucifer followed closely, using the light magic to form a cage that entrapped the blackhearted penguin demon, preventing it from escaping the courtyard. pei xia, realizing he couldn’t intervene at the moment, guarded lucifer and shouted loudly:

“everyone, disperse and leave this area!”

this was the logistics department, a place with many people coming and going. their sudden chaos and cries filled the air as they scattered in all directions.

pei xia had to raise his voice even louder: “the church of light is exorcising a demon. those unrelated, please leave immediately!”

most people obediently left, but there were still a few who didn’t. these were the slaves who had been ensnared by the blackhearted penguin demon while it roamed the city. they came in all ages and genders, the only commonality being their ability to provide money to the blackhearted penguin demon.

at this point, the blackhearted penguin demon was shrieking within lucifer’s cage of light. plumes of black smoke billowed from its body. however, the blackhearted penguin demon lived up to its status as a powerful entity; it abandoned its cute disguise, and its body began to grow larger and larger.

in the end, the blackhearted penguin demon revealed its true form!

in the center of the courtyard stood a colossal creature akin to a three-story small building. its excessively plump body was covered with a layer of dark, almost black, skin. at first glance, it appeared quite smooth, but upon closer inspection, one could notice bulges and protrusions all over its skin.

these protrusions occasionally moved, and every now and then, a struggling, contorted face of a deformed person emerged, representing the souls devoured by the blackhearted penguin demon!

“money money, money money!”

the blackhearted penguin demon emitted a deep and grating sound, a voice seemingly infused with dark magic. it caused an involuntary sense of restlessness, pain, and an emerging sense of greed upon hearing it.

stamping its feet, the earth trembled beneath its motion. flapping its wings while continuously chanting, the blackhearted penguin demon opened its large mouth and spewed out one after another soul that had been consumed due to greed, causing them to plunge into the abyss. these fallen souls surrounded it, and lucifer’s holy light could only harm the demon penguin’s core after first purifying the fallen souls.

simultaneously, the slaves who had been previously ensnared by its influence rushed to its summons. their eyes were bloodshot as they charged forward, attacking lucifer and pei xia in a frenzied manner.

pei xia tightly grasped his sword, standing protectively beside lucifer, engaging in combat against the manipulated slaves.

these people were temporarily under its influence, not yet fully corrupted. as a follower of the church of light, pei xia aimed to save them rather than ruthlessly cut them down.

pei xia aimed to incapacitate them without letting them harm lucifer, and he ended up gasping for breath. this was much more challenging than simply battling monsters on a field.

fortunately, they caught the blackhearted penguin demon during its growth stage, preventing it from ensnaring more people.

“your grace, how are you holding up?” pei xia asked, catching his breath and looking toward lucifer and the demon penguin.

inside the cage of light, the blackhearted penguin demon had shrunk considerably in size. it thrashed about, attempting to break free from the confines. lucifer’s light magic was powerful enough to keep it contained, preventing its escape.

however, eradicating it was proving to be no easy task either.

“money money, money money!”

the blackhearted penguin demon’s cries were vexing, disturbing the peace. it demolished buildings and trees. suddenly, it turned its head and charged towards the slaves who had been incapacitated by pei xia earlier!

lucifer’s expression grew extremely serious; his face was pale. he quickly said, “pei xia, the core of the blackhearted penguin demon is in the center of its body. can you manage to strike it?”

“please leave it to me, your grace! pei xia responded without hesitation.”

he hurriedly threw the unconscious slaves to a distance. however, some slaves were scattered due to the battle and couldn’t be reached in time for rescue. pei xia had no choice but to kill the blackhearted penguin demon to prevent it from devouring them!

lucifer nodded. suddenly, the cage of light that covered the entire courtyard converged into his palm, leaving only a few strands of holy light to hinder the clumsy body of the demon penguin from running.

finally, an exceedingly brilliant sword of light, akin to the sun, took form in lucifer’s hand.

“go, pei xia.” lucifer held the sword of light in his hands and looked at pei xia with full trust.

taking the sword, pei xia felt a tremendous shock at that moment. the power of light in his hand seemed eager to soar into the sky. pei xia had to exert all his strength to grip the hilt and use his entire willpower to tame the sword of light.

holding the sword, he shouted and charged toward the unwieldy and massive blackhearted penguin demon. sensing the impending danger, the demon hastily turned and flapped its heavy wings, sending a gust of wind towards pei xia.

pei xia executed a somersault on the ground, slipped through the gap, and then leaped forcefully, using the soft belly of the blackhearted penguin demon as a springboard to propel himself upwards.

pei xia locked his gaze on the chest of the demon and thrust the sword towards it. suddenly, the blackhearted penguin demon lowered its head and opened its wide mouth, and a deafening sonic wave attack disoriented pei xia, causing him to tumble toward the ground.

during this time, pei xia’s mind was filled with brainwashing words: “everything is mine, the blackhearted penguin demon’s. you are all just slaves earning money for me. you have no right to resist!!!”

however, pei xia didn’t crash to the ground. a warm light caught him and awakened him from the brainwashing.

pei xia only had time to express a grateful look to lucifer before using the light to propel himself back up. with lucifer providing support through his light, pei xia could engage in combat around the massive blackhearted penguin demon.

“you’re dreaming!”

in the end, pei xia leaped high in anger, gazing at the blackhearted penguin demon and shouting with fury, “in this world, not everyone will succumb to your corruption!”

immediately after, he forcefully thrust the sword of light deep into the chest of the blackhearted penguin demon!

in an instant, the blackhearted penguin demon stood frozen in place, and pei xia weakly released his grip, falling downwards. he was caught by the magic of light and gently returned to lucifer’s side.

he witnessed the blackhearted penguin demon’s entire body trembling violently, and then one by one, the corrupted souls dispersed and flew in a chaotic dance, revealing the central core. it was a completely pitch-black creature exuding the stench of greed. the sword of light extended through its body, and then the light sword blossomed into light. the blackhearted penguin demon let out a mournful cry and dissipated into smoke, disappearing completely.

amid the spreading holy light, the tormented cries of the corrupted souls gradually transformed into serene, transparent ethereal beings ascending toward the heavens.

“great, it’s finally over.”

pei xia looked upon all of this with relief. meanwhile, the people who had been ensnared on the ground also uttered agonized moans. upon awakening, they would return to normal, but no one knew whether the seeds of greed had already been planted deep within their hearts, potentially becoming the breeding ground for the next blackhearted penguin demon.

the small flying carpet of light vanished with a whoosh, and lucifer’s face turned pale as he swayed unsteadily. pei xia plopped down to the ground.

his face twitched, and he couldn’t help but tremble as he reached to rub his sore bottom. however, his physical exhaustion was so severe that he couldn’t even manage such a simple action.

at that moment, a white robe covered pei xia’s hand. it turned out that lucifer had half-squatted beside him.

lucifer looked at pei xia with a gaze filled with trust and admiration, extending his hand to help him up.

pei xia leaned weakly against him, his face a bit flushed. “your grace, you need not trouble yourself so much.”

with profound emotion, lucifer said with a fluctuation of tone, “pei xia, please don’t refuse. this is what i should do. you fought for me, and i’m deeply grateful.”

“no, no, no, you’re being too polite. i wasn’t just fighting for you, i was fighting for everyone.” pei xia was surprised by the attention and quickly downplayed his role. “it’s what a holy knight should do!”

“no matter what, taking you back is also my responsibility.” lucifer’s smile was warm and welcoming.

pei xia awkwardly leaned against him, feeling somewhat uneasy. lucifer’s arm was around his waist, and he could smell the pleasant scent emanating from him.

as lucifer turned his face to speak, his flawlessly impeccable features collided with pei xia’s eyes, leaving him feeling nervous and excited.

damn it, if this continues, i won’t be able to hold on!

pei xia weakly said, “but your grace, you’ve also been through a lot. earlier, you were so frail and kept fainting. although you’re getting stronger now, i’m still worried that you’ll be burdened.”

a furrow appeared on lucifer’s brow as he suddenly remembered something. “i almost forgot.”

pei xia asked, “huh?”

in the next moment, lucifer turned back and gave him a pale smile. he seemed as if he couldn’t bear the weight any longer. he swayed unsteadily, and his white robe fluttered like angelic wings. then, his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.

pei xia, who was being supported by him, couldn’t even manage to exclaim before falling with a thud.

however, beneath lucifer was the ground, and beneath pei xia was lucifer.

pei xia weakly lay on top of him, “y-y-your grace!!!”

lucifer’s fragile neck, as delicate as a swan’s, was held tightly under pei xia’s weight. he trembled slightly, his gaze hazy and unfocused. “pei xia, i may not have the strength left either, cough cough.”

a wisp of blood trailed down from the corner of his mouth, contrasting against his snow-white skin, creating an achingly beautiful scene.

pei xia tried to crawl off him but despairingly realized he couldn’t move. “your grace, please, you must hold on!”