Why must the devil be Defeated?
Chapter 349 - 348 is a person with integrity

Chapter 349: 348 is a person with integrity

In the bathroom, Shane chatted with Luoqi for over an hour, soaking until their skin was almost peeling off, before finally stopping.

Although Luoqi seemed somewhat reluctant to part, there was nothing to be done. Long distance was long distance, and both of them had things to do; they couldn’t keep chatting forever.

The main thing was that Shane didn’t want someone barging in and saying, "How long are you going to hog the bathroom?"

Therefore, Shane disconnected the magic power, allowing the screen powered by magic to dim, the ripples in the space gradually disappeared, and finally turned into a bead that fell into Shane’s palm.

"Is this what they call ’talking someone’s ear off on the phone’?"

Looking at the magic tool in his hand, Shane chuckled.

"Well, I must have been showing off quite a bit. Hope I won’t get burned for this."

Satisfied, Shane pocketed the bead and got out of the water, dried off, dressed, and, with a towel draped over his shoulders, dried his hair as he left the bathroom.

But when Shane walked out of the bathroom and into the living room, he encountered someone.

"Jade?"

Shane called out her name with a hint of confusion.

Jade was standing on the open-air balcony of the living room, looking out at the scenery with a lackluster expression apparent from her profile.

It wasn’t the usual sleepy expression, but more like she was annoyed or enduring something.

Shane looked outside with suspicion but could only see the unpleasant sight of a wall.

After all, the buildings in Cosmos were quite disorderly, the view outside was not a pretty one but rather a jumble of crooked towers and walls that blocked the surrounding area.

The sight was indeed unpleasant—enough to put anyone in a foul mood—but Shane felt that Jade’s expression wasn’t just about the ugly scenery.

As Shane puzzled over this, a voice quietly came from beside him.

"She’s been standing there for half an hour."

The ever-elusive maid appeared behind Shane at some point and shared this piece of information.

Shane wasn’t startled.

But because he wasn’t startled, he felt a bit sad.

It wasn’t because he had sensed Lasha’s presence in advance; he was just accustomed to it, so he didn’t jump.

Shouldn’t Shane feel a tinge of sadness about being accustomed to such a situation?

Shane composed himself and then looked at Lasha.

"Is something wrong with her?"

Shane tentatively asked.

"I don’t know." Lasha shook her head, soberly stating, "But since coming to Cosmos, that child would occasionally show such an expression, sometimes just for a moment, sometimes for a long while. What exactly is going on, even I’m not sure."

"Really?" Shane frowned, "Haven’t you asked her directly?"

"Not directly, but I’ve tried probing a bit," Lasha replied indifferently, "Unfortunately, she won’t say anything, or perhaps she’s unwilling to. At times when I’d ask, she would even tilt her head, indicating she didn’t understand me."

That was indeed tricky.

"Of course, not taking forceful measures is also a reason why I haven’t figured it out," Lasha continued, venturing into more alarming territory, "If it were something I judged harmful to the master, I would have gone to any length to clarify the matter, but based on my assessment, it seems not to threaten Mr. Shane, so I haven’t gotten too involved."

At that remark, Shane subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

It couldn’t be helped; the maid was formidable, and Shane had come to see her as an omnipotent being. If this deity acted recklessly for her purposes, he couldn’t imagine the horrors that might ensue.

So, upon hearing Lasha’s words, Shane was first and foremost relieved and then gave thanks to heaven, to earth, and to her, who could thankfully hit the brakes in time.

It seemed that Lasha’s purpose in appearing here was to report this matter to Shane.

"I believe Mr. Shane is capable of handling this," Lasha said, lifting the edges of her dress and curtseying to Shane, "I’ll leave it at that, as I’m about to go and bathe Lord Ai Yi."

Upon hearing this, Shane nodded and responded,

"Be careful. That girl is asleep, and she usually doesn’t like to go into the bathroom with others. If you wake her, she might throw a tantrum."

Shane casually dropped this reminder.

His words elicited this response,

"Rest assured, it’s just bathing. As a qualified maid, I can handle it completely on my own without alerting those I serve or disturbing their rest."

Leaving behind a phrase that left Shane frozen, Lasha then withdrew.

Watching her assured and confident departure, Shane muttered to himself,

"Someday, I’ll master this skill too..."

This was one of Shane’s little-known ambitions.

After all, having learned Lasha’s stealthy undressing technique last time, Shane had successfully lost his virginity and conquered the world’s first Princess. If he could learn the stealthy bathing technique as well, then wouldn’t he be close to the peak of life as a humanoid walking cannon?

In his past life, as a high-quality bookworm, Shane deeply detested the trope of the humanoid walking cannon. But becoming the protagonist and living such a life was quite another matter.

What normal man wouldn’t want to live such an exceptional life?

Shane believed himself to be a normal man.

Therefore, no one had the right to criticize him.

Of course, Shane was a man with integrity, who wouldn’t arbitrarily advance on someone he wasn’t interested in. He wasn’t like those sleazy men who spat "LSP" on screen and thought "GKD" in their hearts, verbally one thing and mentally another, layering pretense upon pretense, like nested Russian dolls.

As a person with principles, Shane’s demands were not high, he just hoped to make a move on girls like Tielle, Merica, or Lasha and bring them some trouble.

Besides that, if there were any beautiful girls willing to throw themselves at him, it wasn’t like Shane couldn’t reluctantly accept them.

Like Nien for instance... Nien... Nien...

Well... Not a tall order, right? (Sarcastically speaking)

Okay, I digress...

Shane immediately stopped his brainstorm and walked towards Jade.

It seemed Jade felt the footsteps behind her; she snapped back to reality, turned her head, and looked his way.

"What are you doing?"

Shane came to stand in front of Jade, squatted down, and maintained eye-level with the girl, smiling at her.

Jade didn’t speak, as silent as always, just quietly looking at Shane, saying nothing.

Shane didn’t intend to make Jade speak.

After two days of interaction, he understood that this girl either didn’t want to talk at all, or she simply couldn’t.

And his intuition told him that it was probably the latter with Jade.

This girl genuinely seemed incapable of speech.

Not just speechless, sometimes Jade seemed like she couldn’t understand what others said, giving off the impression of a newborn baby.

Shane’s mind suddenly recalled a piece of history.

It was an account described in the ancient book Triss had given him.

Remembering that piece of history, Shane gazed at Jade and slowly spoke.

"Hey, little Jade, just who are you, really?"

Shane asked out loud.

"..."

Jade didn’t respond; she remained silent and calm, but there seemed to be a sense of bowing her head in quiet sorrow.

Watching Jade like this, Shane also felt a sense of breathlessness.

He felt as though he could empathize with Jade’s inner feelings, as if their perceptions had synced, forming a connection, making him particularly uncomfortable.

In that moment, Shane could discern the frustration, loneliness, and... sadness in Jade’s heart.

With that sadness weighing on him, Shane hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"If you have something on your mind, you can choose to tell me," Shane said, looking directly at Jade. "I may not look the part, but I believe I have some capabilities. Maybe I can help you."

Upon hearing this, a ripple of emotion appeared in Jade’s eyes.

But more than ripples, what seemed to fill Jade’s eyes were hesitation and fear.

She seemed to want to tell Shane something but feared scaring him away after doing so, or perhaps causing him harm and bringing misfortune upon him.

Shane quite incredibly sensed all these emotions in Jade’s heart.

So...

"Although I’m not sure if you understand what I’m saying, there’s something I want to tell you."

Shane fixed his gaze on Jade, speaking word by word.

"Actually, I’m a Hero summoned from another world, you know?"

This was the first time Shane unreservedly confessed his identity to someone else.

And it seemed Jade knew of the existence called "Hero," as her head shot up to look at Shane, her eyes revealing an unprecedented surprise and bewilderment.

Seeing this, Shane proved himself through actions.

Specifically, he brought over his Holy Sword.

"Unsealing (Heresu)!"

With the incantation spoken, the ordinary appearing Holy Sword immediately undid one layer of its seal, revealing its basic form.

The divine radiance instantly illuminated the surroundings, causing Jade to fix her eyes on it intently.

"How’s that? I didn’t lie, did I?" Shane suddenly smiled. "So, tell me if there’s anything you want to."

Jade fell silent once more.

However, not long after, she reached out, tugged at Shane’s sleeve, and pointed outside.

"Are you asking me to come with you?"

Shane asked thoughtfully.

Jade nodded her head.

"Alright, I’ll go with you."

Without much hesitation, Shane agreed straightforwardly.

Thereupon, the two of them left the room and headed outside the inn.