Noel's attitude surprised the Wise King. By logic, Noel was the Wise King's former subordinate, loyal to the Wise King's choices. At that time, the Wise King appointed Noel as commander to attack the Ice and Snow Kingdom—an endeavor considered highly honorable for the entire Thunder Emperor Family. The post-battle report concluded that the Thunder Emperor had died in battle.

But now, she was here serving as a maid to the Demon King, and seemingly quite happy about it.

The expectations once carried—

"Are you saying you've abandoned the glory as the Thunder Emperor, relinquished your identity as the Thunder Emperor, let go of the weight you once shouldered, and thereby the so-called glory, so now you finally see your true self?" inquired the Wise King.

Noel nodded: "Yes, that's correct, not as a human genius, nor as the person who must bear the weight and glory of their family, but just as a maid. Every day my tasks are to clean, cook, shop, and look after the grapevines in the garden. This makes me feel fulfilled—I don't need to consider the exchange of interests between families, nor rely on others' strengths... I still study magic, but my feelings are different. I recall the first time I encountered magic in my life... Back then, I was simply enchanted by magic. I thought magic was so beautiful... but later, too much was expected of magic."

She knew the Wise King did not approve of her thoughts, but this didn't stop her from sharing her feelings with him. After all—this was Mohe's residence, and the Wise King could not stir up trouble.

Therefore, there was no need to worry about the Wise King losing his temper.

She adopted an elder's demeanor and said to the Wise King, "You need to understand these things more."

…

Mohe was well aware of what Doro was doing. Nowadays, she and Doro were simply vying for influence among the major factions.

Without a doubt, the White Church was on Doro's side, that much was certain, even though Charlette had already fallen out with Doro. Still, the essence of the White Church is humanity, originally created under the will of the Goddess, making this faction not worth vying for. Outside this faction, the Dwarf race has clearly indicated their intention to side with her.

Evidently, to Dwarf King Bahadon, she is far more reliable than Doro.

Next are the factions worth contending for, like the Elf race which has already been shattered by Doro. Although their power is currently much diminished, there's still a reason to vie for them. As for minority races—these can generally be seen as fence-sitters; until there's a clear distinction between stronger and weaker sides, these races won't take a stand.

Of course, from the perspective of protecting species diversity, Mohe wouldn't take action against these races. After all, they're not even worth attention, and Doro, being the "benevolent" one, wouldn't make a move against these minority races either.

She acknowledged that previously she was somewhat anxious because Doro's approach had indeed been a grievous offense to her. But as a powerful and ancient being, she possessed a strong internal composure to view everything peacefully. She allowed herself a measure of emotional fluctuation and acknowledged she might lose rationality due to various matters. But ultimately, she was assured her composure reigned supreme.

Regarding the faction she personally appreciated, it would likely be the Alchemist Association. She admired Adeline who, after experiencing failure, presumably would grow further. She esteemed Adeline's imaginative prowess. The Curse Master Alliance naturally had an affinity to lean towards her faction—it's merely unclear what that mysterious Nephilim thinks.

However, she'll soon know Nephilim's thoughts; that individual is bound to approach her.

As for the Mage Union, this organization remains highly ambiguous. Adriana is a very complex person: what personal thoughts she holds towards Doro, no one can tell accurately, and Doro's feelings about Adriana are difficult to describe, despite defeating her in battle.

Mohe believes the Mage Union can be considered Doro's faction.

Therefore, for Mohe, the factions she needs to contend for are the Elf race, the Alchemist Association, and the Curse Master Alliance.

Nominally, the Alchemist Association is aligned with the White Church, but everyone knows the feeling under someone else's roof isn't pleasant—however, speaking of this, Adeline is probably the most human among them, and she doesn't seem to have an insurmountable conflict with Doro himself. In Butuo City, Doro's rage wasn't due to Adeline's personality or such, but because he didn't acknowledge Adeline's ideals. After being defeated, Adeline should give up the Earthly Heaven ideal, potentially altering the relationship between Doro and Adeline.

Will there be discord between the Alchemist Association and Adeline?

The bargaining chips she could offer are indeed numerous, but...

Discord indeed!

After all, the world once gathered together to resist the Demon King's reign, even if internal problems arose, they could never unite as before, yet this shouldn't hinder them from assembling around Doro. Even if Mohe excels across many fields, offering enticing terms during negotiations, these organizations' leaders wouldn't change simply due to that... Or else, they wouldn't have united in the past.

In such a scenario, one might say Mohe occupies a natural disadvantage. The former Hero, Doro, indeed holds tremendous renown in this regard... despite the past years where his reputation was rather infamous. Still, that infamy has been washed clean by the Wise King's sacrifice.

Frankly speaking, even if Mohe orchestrated the Wise King to denounce Doro's misdeeds now, people would merely see it as the despicable Demon King and Wise King—what was once slander upon Doro now stands as his greatest Golden Body.

Why do I feel like I'm predestined to lose even before the combat begins?

"Is Mr. Doro who defeated me indeed formidable? He's shockingly strong!"

Rose looked slightly speechless at Mohe, who was muttering to herself, "Why did you let Lisidorwei go but not me? I have a physical connection with Doro too; by rights, I should leave with her to find Doro."

Mohe turned her gaze toward her, casually waving a hand: "If you want to leave, hurry up. I almost forgot; it's entirely up to you. I don't care about Ah Xion either; she should have snuck off as well. Speaking of which, I must count in the two Snow Elves I personally pushed forward, symbolizing the Undead World; they too should be considered part of Doro's faction. Wow, what a despairing situation, just like when he chopped off my head back then."

"Your tone doesn't sound that desperate."

Mohe spread her hands: "If you must think so, I have no choice. Truth be told, I'm very desperate indeed. Speaking of which, why are you still here?"

"I'm primarily pondering a question, Demon King."

"If you and Doro got married, would this world become peaceful?"

Mohe curiously gazed at Rose: "Your mind hasn't gone bad, right? Don't you yourself fancy Mr. Doro? Why would you ask such a question?"

"I was merely inquiring; if you don't wish to answer, just let it be."

"Hmm... Let's set aside reality for a moment and theorize according to your scenario. Suppose Mr. Doro and I got married; it might resemble the Wise King saying she wants to marry Charlette, as if each party would gain advantages. I wouldn't need to worry about Doro unexpectedly going berserk and chopping off my head, nor would Doro need to fear any undercover scheming from me. The Human King and Demon King forming a united front to jointly strive for a better world; with my talents and Mr. Doro's benevolence, surely we could build a truly beautiful world... Wouldn't you find that appealing?"

"Precisely so." Rose thought in such a way that, no matter how you view it, the most suitable partner for Doro is indeed the Demon King in front of her— because only she shares the same essence of life with Doro. Others cannot ponder from the same height as Doro, "With you standing at the top for so long, wouldn't you feel lonely? You're not quite the same as during your Demon King days, right? Having someone like Doro exist must be exhilarating for you too."

Mohe took it lightly: "You're truly arrogant, Rose, guessing the inner thoughts of the Demon King is a sort of hubris and ignorance. There's little I can tell you, though I once said before, I was lovers with the Goddess, yet in the end, I remained on earth while she dwelled in the Celestial Realm. Even if I were to marry Doro, what difference would it make? Ultimately, the outcome would be no different from before, former confidants, once thought to be relied upon, assumed to stay through unceasing world changes, would eventually diverge radically in ideals and thoughts. Over time, these differences intensify, making us more stubborn, memories continuously accumulate, and frictions relentlessly increase—this is the inevitable conclusion."

She expounded upon historical facts: "The Goddess chose humans as the final race, yet only granted them such brief lifespans—perhaps not solely for balancing reasons but she thought possessing a prolonged life might not be truly fortunate."

You speak of things beyond my comprehension.

Rose admitted she couldn't empathize with Mohe: "So you're certain you won't fall for Doro?"

"Rather, why do you think that way? Do Mr. Doro and I appear to have some romantic relationship? I recall previously someone said I was acting jealous—was it you? Or someone else? I can't quite remember~" Mohe looked at Rose with interest, "Is such how humans express affection?"

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