So Cute I Want to Eat You Up

Count Sergio's sudden drenching sweat left the demons across the square thoroughly bewildered, and they began exchanging glances. Why did the count look as though he were questioning his entire vampire existence? "Are you all right?" Hyperion asked with a calm expression. Only she and the Fall Lord stood near Count Sergio in the square. "W-Wait." The count raised a hand to ward Hyperion off. His breathing grew ragged, and his heart hammered wildly like a war drum. Every demon noble bathed in red light seemed to turn into a hunter biding their time, while he felt like prey trapped in their web. Count Sergio wondered if there had been some flaw in the activation of his authority. He had to try again to uncover the truth behind it all. Sergio drew a deep breath, steadying his fluctuating emotions. He chanted the incantation once more, his vampiric mana tracing intricate, ancient sigils in the air. As the spell finished, he hoped to see something normal. Yet, to Sergio's horror— The result remained the same crimson glow. The same demons were still watching him in confusion. This time, Count Sergio could sense even more clearly that the red light on the demon nobles shone brighter, brimming with even greater mockery. Sergio had spent countless nights accompanied by enigmas, but this time, fear seemed to take physical form, solidifying in that crimson glare and pressing tightly in on him from every side. His legs began to tremble uncontrollably, every step requiring monumental effort. An unspeakable suspicion welled up in Count Sergio's mind— These demons seemed to be relishing a game, waiting for him to speak the truth aloud. It was as though they knew his every move, every spell he cast. Their gazes felt like those of spectators watching an insect struggle in a web, brimming with cold detachment and amusement. Was this all a massive, meticulously orchestrated trap? Were these mad demons merely playing along with him according to some rules he didn't comprehend? The thought terrified Count Sergio even more. He felt plunged into an intricately woven nightmare with nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. He could no longer maintain a detective's composure. The surrounding red light seemed to mock his helplessness and terror, and every demon noble's eyes were filled with disdain and amusement. "What is the matter with the count?" Hyperion's brow furrowed slightly, unsure what trick the vampire count was trying to play. This reaction was completely unforeseen, entirely outside her expectations. "No, stay away from me!" Count Sergio turned into a frightened bird, his face pale as he clutched his head in panic. He couldn't tell if this was a nightmare or if the demons had genuinely gone mad. Were they... eating vampires?! Demons without a red glow, like the princess and the Fall Lord, were already exceedingly rare. Every other noble in the Demon Realm had taken part in Count Gregory's murder! Even though the princess and the Fall Lord were among the few whose heads bore no red light, Count Sergio had no way of knowing whether the demon princess and the Fall Lord had orchestrated the whole thing. If they truly had nothing to do with it, could the other demons have possibly kept it from them? The two of them were the primary suspects, the masterminds! Looking at Princess Hyperion's seemingly natural expression of concern, Count Sergio couldn't tell whether this demon princess was merely feigning harmlessness or was at heart a bloodthirsty demon king darker than pitch! "I don't need an escort from any demons! Fall Lord, don't let a single demon come near me!" Sergio shouted with a trembling voice toward the Fall Lord, staring out at the plaza surrounded by demonic shadows. "Your mental state is extremely unstable. Tell me who the murderer is. What did you see?" Caliera of the Fall also displayed a hint of confusion. She had no idea what Hyperion had done to terrify Count Sergio, the renowned Blood Clan detective, to this extent. Yet if she let Count Sergio leave just like this, Caliera couldn't be sure whether he would make wild, fabricated reports to the Blood Clan Progenitors. After all, the demons hadn't refused to cooperate with the investigation; Count Sergio had terminated it himself. Phrasing it that way would sound utterly absurd. "...Y-You won't let me leave, will you...?" Sergio's eyes were bloodshot as he glared at the Fall Lord, unable to decipher whether she was speaking plainly or in veiled threats. Could this tier-nine great demon ruling the Demon King's Castle truly be unaware that so many nobles throughout the castle had participated in mutilating Count Gregory? Just how had they tortured Count Gregory for their own amusement to leave every single demon drenched in his blood? "Of course not. I merely think Your Grace might need to calm down. We harbor no ill will," the Fall Lord said after a moment's hesitation. Though she could use her innate magic right now to sedate the vampire count, "Gentle Land of the Fallen"—the ultimate magic derived from pushing her innate magic to its absolute peak—was capable of turning the tide of battle, but it was also an unpredictable, non-discriminating tier-nine mass crowd-control spell. She had no reason to unleash Gentle Land of the Fallen on a vampire count here, only to catch all the demon nobles in its effect. The forecourt of Naicalis Palace fell deathly silent, to the point where one could hear demons swallowing their saliva. Hyperion stared at the Fall Lord and Count Sergio, a foreboding premonition suddenly washing over her. This bizarre, abrupt turn of events felt far too familiar! She hadn't heard his voice, nor had she seen him, but her instincts told her that that person was definitely here. No matter how far apart they were, to the ends of the earth, whenever any enemy appeared to threaten her, Lanqi would always step in and resolve the threat before it even reached her! Hyperion could no longer spare any attention for Count Sergio, turning her gaze instead toward the foot of the palace steps. She didn't know where Lanqi was. Yet she knew he had to be watching her from somewhere in this city! At that moment, drifting through the damp morning mist from afar, the sound of the Demon Realm radio grew increasingly distinct: "Oh-ey! Good morning!" "This is Demon King's Castle Radio, and your host today is Silmodo. How did everyone fare yesterday? What a hopeful morning it is! Allow us to present a song as refreshing as the weather itself—let's kick off the new day with music." "Brought to you by the sensational diva sweeping the Demon Realm lately, Miss Lanfu—'So Cute I Want to Eat You Up.'" Hyperion nearly choked on her own saliva upon hearing the song's title. What kind of Tata execution theme was this?! And when that familiar, charming, crystal-clear voice rang out, Hyperion knew it was already too late. "Darling, you're so cute today as well, so cute I want to eat you up instead of breakfast~" "Your darling look enchants me so. Before memories start to fade, I want to stay by your side forever like a lucid dream~" "Oh~ I feel like I'm suffocating, but you are the air, and I can't wait a single second longer~" Beyond the broadcast over the radio, a flash mob performance seemed to be taking place in the commercial district surrounding the palace, triggering a wave of frenzied cheers. Hyperion didn't know who had written the song, but she knew it definitely wasn't Lanqi. Hearing these lyrics, Lanqi himself probably wouldn't have been able to keep a straight face. She absolutely had to ensure the Poet of Great Love never performed this original masterpiece at Boss Cat Restaurant in the future; otherwise, she dared not imagine what chaos would ensue. To demons who were calm and collected, the Poet of Great Love's voice sounded pleasant enough. Yet when this demonic melody drifted through the fog into Count Sergio's ears, everything changed. "Fake... Heh... It's fake, it's all fake—!!!" Within this Demon King's Castle engulfed in darkness and horror, the vampire detective Sergio saw only the omnipresent red light, the twisted voices and shadows, and the seemingly endless corridors, until something inside him finally snapped. It seemed as though his terror made these demons instinctively lick their lips, watching his comical display like an unparalleled pre-meal appetizer. He tore at his hair with both hands, desperate to purge those dreadful visions from his mind, babbling meaningless words until a hoarse shriek pierced the eclipsed sky. "Hehe! Heehee!!" Count Sergio began to weep and laugh at once, his laughter echoing across the empty steps, growing sharper and more piercing by the moment. In the end, having turned mad and exceptionally aggressive, the vampire count had to be forcibly restrained by the Fall Lord and sent to the psychiatric ward of the Demon King's Castle Hospital for treatment. With the detective's showcase coming to a lightning-fast conclusion, the observing demon nobles looked at one another in total bewilderment, none of them understanding what had just transpired. They had anticipated a brilliant battle of wits, only for the famed vampire detective to lose his mind entirely as though afflicted by some eerie power. The only certainty was that this was definitely not the Fall Lord's doing. She only ever dissolved enemies gently in bliss; she would never drive an opponent into such madness. In that case, it could only be the princess's handiwork. "As expected of Her Highness, how ruthless..." "Count Sergio looked terrified of her just now." "Even the Fall Lord looked at her with such complicated eyes." Many demons drew sharp breaths of the cool morning air, convinced their appraisal of this princess needed to be reevaluated upward once again. On the steps of the palace forecourt... "..." Hyperion buried her face in her hands, choking back a sob. She had no idea how she was going to write the report for this Shadow World. She didn't want to be a demon princess revered by myriad demons; she was human. Though she didn't grasp the full details of what had occurred, she clearly heard the chime of karmic merit being successfully deducted—and felt Lanqi's love. Thank you, Lanqi.