Volume 2 chapter 43
When Charlo mentioned the System's origin, the memories Clyris had buried deep in her heart surfaced once more. Along with them came that overwhelming warmth she felt back then—a light that momentarily dispelled the shadows of her current predicament.
Under Charlo's guidance, Clyris changed her username. Looking at his messages of concern, a faint smile unconsciously bloomed on her face.
[Clyris: No, I was just testing how this page works.]
[Charlo: Is that so! I thought you ran into trouble and were spamming me for help!]
[Clyris: I'm fine.]
She looked at the chat interface and shook her head with a smile. So I disturbed him.
[Charlo: By the way, I just checked. This System has an Item Transfer function. Take a look!]
[System Notification: Charlo has sent you an item.]
"Hm?" Clyris looked at the notification. Subconsciously, she tapped it.
A pen materialized in her hand.
"It really came through..."
Clyris stared at the pen in astonishment. It still carried a faint warmth, as if someone had been holding it just moments ago.
[Charlo: How is it? Did you receive it? Any issues?]
[Clyris: Received... The pen is intact. Amazing!]
[Charlo: That's good. Looks like the System functions are stable!]
[Charlo: Let me see what else... Ah, found it!]
[System Notification: Charlo is requesting a Video Call.]
[Accept / Decline]
"A call?" She looked at the prompt and chose Accept.
In the next instant, Charlo's figure appeared before Clyris, projected in the air.
"Hello there! Miss Clyris!"
She stared at him, wide-eyed. "Is this... a Magical Projection?"
"No, but close enough!" Charlo shook his head. His expression turned serious as he studied her. "However, Clyris, you don't look as relaxed as you claim. Look at how haggard you are. The situation seems severe..."
"What? Did you call just to mock me? To see me depressed and defeated? Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not that fragile anymore!" Clyris crossed her arms and lifted her chin, meeting his gaze defiantly.
"No! That's not what I meant!" Charlo quickly explained. "I'm relieved to see you're okay! I was worried that under the pressure of the Alliance, you might choose to go to extremes again!"
"If you walked down that dark path again, I'm not sure if I could pull you back a second time!" Charlo smiled brilliantly.
Hearing this, Clyris froze.
He was... worrying about her?!
Since her father died, no one had asked how she felt. Now, feeling someone's genuine concern again caused a strange flutter in the depths of her heart.
"I-I won't... After that incident, I've learned my lesson. I won't accept the Demon God's power again!"
Clyris spoke somewhat unnaturally, her eyes darting away.
Ah... come to think of it, I haven't formally thanked him yet. He risked losing his mind, risked his soul dissipating just to wake me up. And even now, he cares about me...
"Um... about you risking your life to save me..."
Clyris was not an ungrateful person. Having received help, she believed she should express gratitude and repay it to the best of her ability.
"Thank you for saving me. If you need anything in the future, just command me. I will cooperate fully! I will never refuse!"
She mustered her courage, looking at him solemnly as she spoke.
"Haha! It was nothing. After all, you are my Chief Magic Advisor and my good partner! I can't just ignore a life-or-death crisis of my partner!" Charlo laughed heartily.
Partner... is it?
She hadn't heard that word in a long time.
She thought she would never hear it again in this life. After all, who would be partners with a Demon Lord? Even the demons didn't dare to think that way.
But now, it came so naturally from the mouth of a small feudal lord...
Strangely, Clyris didn't feel uncomfortable. She accepted it naturally—so naturally, it surprised even herself.
"Am I... considered your partner? Wasn't I just someone you collaborated with for a short year?" Clyris asked, looking into his eyes.
"Although it started as a collaboration, weren't you happy during the days we lived together? We researched together, created together, witnessed success together... You enjoyed those things, didn't you? I could feel it. Even through the veil, I could tell. You didn't reject it; you enjoyed it, right?! And I had a great time too! Doing happy things together, sharing the same joy—doesn't that make us partners?!"
Charlo smiled gently.
"Is... is that so?" She didn't dare look at his eyes anymore and shifted her gaze.
"Was it that obvious... back then I..."
"You didn't hide it at all! Miss Clyris!"
"Enough! I admit it, okay?!" Clyris interrupted him in a panic.
Although that year in Ironwood was indeed the most relaxed period since she became the Demon Lord... having him say it out loud felt incredibly embarrassing.
"Alright, let's drop it. By the way, what's the situation on your end? Can you tell me?" After laughing, Charlo asked seriously.
"Hm... It's bad!"
Clyris frowned and explained the current predicament of the Demon Race.
"Hiss—" Charlo sucked in a cold breath after hearing it. "Holy crap... You guys are fighting battles comparable to World War II! That's intense! No wonder the Research Points are skyrocketing!"
"Alright! You've heard it! Do you have any insights?" Although she didn't know what 'World War II' meant, it didn't stop Clyris from asking him.
Anyway... since we are partners, isn't it right for partners to help think of solutions when in trouble? Worst case, when he faces difficulties later, I'll just work harder to repay him!
"Hm... honestly, since the Alliance is determined to siege without attacking, I'm stumped too. You're the weaker side, so you can't force a breakthrough!" Charlo said, troubled.
"To be honest, I knew Ninth-Rankers were strong, but I didn't have a concept of how strong. I hadn't seen them in action or had specific data."
"But listening to your battle reports, I'm shocked!"
Physical supersonic flight. Tanking heavy artillery and aerial bombs. Omnidirectional Elemental Sight with a radius of 15 to 20 kilometers. They were practically living Supermen!
Not to mention these Supermen could lead up to 10,000 "Captain America-tier" elites in a charge. Although slower than flying, they gained immense anti-magic resistance and piercing power. Spells below the Ninth Rank were useless against them.
"Sigh! So you have no ideas either..."
Clyris sighed helplessly. True. He is just a countryside lord. What solution could he have for a war of this scale?
"Uh... although I'm not a military strategist, don't underestimate me!" Charlo retorted indignantly.
"Then what is your plan?" She crossed her arms under her chest, lifting the round, ample curves.
"Hm... let me think..." Charlo frowned in deep thought. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"Right! Didn't you say you're struggling because you lack the capacity to produce rifles, making low-rank demons useless against mid-rank Alliance knights?!"
"Yes. Why?"
"Heh heh! Then leave that to me!"
Charlo smiled confidently.
Comments (0)
Please login or sign up to post a comment.