What do you mean by "this is a dating game"?

Chapter 36 Filial piety

Sieg and Grapefruit took the tram back to the Cats' headquarters.

"Ah—it feels so good to be home."

As soon as she stepped into the entryway, Xiyou bent forward in disappointment and plopped down on the floor with her butt sticking up high.

Sieg frowned and scolded, "Have some self-respect!"

"...Where am I not elegant? I exude aristocratic grace from head to toe, and everyone I attend banquets praises my elegance."

"Do you look anything like a decent person right now? Get up!"

Sieg kicked her.

Xiyou immediately felt annoyed. She sat up and said, "What? It's only been a few days and you're already bossing me around. How can this continue? In a few months, you'll start restricting my social life! I'm clearly the leader of this group."

"Who's going to restrict your social life?"

Sieg walked inside.

Lala didn't seem to be there, so the butler came up to her and asked if she wanted to have a meal.

The cat team now has more servants than official team members, all of whom were brought from Xiyou's own home, and they are very professional.

Especially chefs.

She's an expert at making pastries and seafood. She made clam chowder before, and it was incredibly delicious. When Sieg worked in restaurants, his level of skill was about the same.

As night was about to fall, Xiyou told them to prepare dinner as usual.

She and Sieg went back to their respective rooms, and in any case, they took a shower first.

As soon as Sieg put in the hot water, pure white flames immediately condensed.

Nefarian's voice rang in my ears:

I need to have my license checked.

鏉ヤ 钖楋纻

Without hesitation, Sieg reached out and touched the flames without donning his mist robes.

Heaven and earth turned upside down, and he appeared among all the wonders, sitting behind a round table.

In the shadows ahead stood an old man with purple eyes—

It's Nefa!

"You're here? Have a seat."

Sieg reached out and pointed to the empty seat in front of the round table.

Nepha approached slowly, hesitantly, taking one step at a time.

His aged face was full of confusion. He sat down and carefully examined Sig, without speaking immediately.

Sieg was relaxed and at ease.

He took out the dazzling and exceptionally noble "Crown of the Eastern Demon King" and placed it face down on the round table.

Then he said, "Long time no see, Nefarian. Let me introduce myself. I am the former Demon King of the East, the Lord of the Palace of Fire, the God of Conquest, and Sieg of the Cat Team, also known as 'Daiken'."

Oh, this.

There's not enough room for so many people.

Nephalem's lips moved, and after a long while, he asked, "My lord, what... what is going on?"

"It's hard to explain to you, just think of it as—I have the ability to reincarnate, and I can be reborn with another identity after death. As for how you see me, you can see me as the Demon King of the East, or you can see me as an ordinary person, it's all up to you."

Too fantastical.

Difficult to accept.

Sieg didn't urge him; he stayed with Nefa in silence, waiting for him to process everything he had come to understand.

He completely trusted Nefa.

This trust did not come out of thin air; it was built up through countless battles fought side by side and nurtured through many days and nights spent together.

Nefar did not disappoint him.

His current predicament is proof of his loyalty. If he had betrayed Sieg, he wouldn't have ended up like this.

"Ugh!"

Much later, Nephalem sighed softly.

He looked at Sieg and said, "Your Majesty... I have so much to say, but I don't know how to begin. In short, it's good that you're alive. Knowing you're safe and sound, I can die in peace."

"...Say less."

Sieg shook his hand, looking resistant.

He paused for a moment.

He looked at Nephalem and decided to get to the most important thing first: "Nephalem, before we catch up, I must make something clear to you."

"Please speak."

Nepha sat up straight.

"I will not turn back. You see, I am human now, not a demon. The other three Demon Kings of the Scorched Earth, as well as the 'Seventy-Two Pillar Demon God Kings' who are in seclusion and controlling everything, will not allow a human to rule the Scorched Earth. So, do you understand?"

Sieg spoke clearly and articulately.

He was so serious it seemed harsh.

"I will no longer be your king. The Remnant Blade Society is a burden to me. I cannot meet your expectations. What is gone is gone."

Nepha listened quietly.

Sieg thought he would see disappointment on Nefarian's face, and that Nefarian might be furious.

but--

not at all.

Nephallus looked calmly at Sieg and said, "My king, from beginning to end, I have only ever honored you. Others attach themselves to you because they are attracted by your aura and your authority, and want to gain benefits from you. But I am different. What I care about is your character and your virtue. I have only pure respect and love for you."

What...

What?

What are you saying?

Such a passionate confession is really not something you hear very often.

Especially since the person sitting opposite her wasn't a beautiful young woman, but a withered old man.

Sieg is already doing Kegel exercises.

Personal charisma alone is clearly not enough to make someone follow so loyally.

Sieg believes that he did do some things when he was the Demon King in the Scorched Earth.

But those actions were merely impulsive and lacked any real foresight.

The scorched earth palace was monopolized by large families and communities.

The resulting situation is one of highly concentrated resources and power, a society torn apart by rigid class divisions, and millions of lives lost in scorched earth. Only 1% of the exploiters can be considered human, while the rest are nothing more than miners.

The resistance never stopped.

The resistance never succeeded.

Until Sieg arrived.

As a player, Sieg was nosy and initially lacked strength, so he humbled himself and lived a life of mediocrity.

Once I have enough strength, hehe.

He killed local tyrants and distributed land. You are a powerful clan with a thousand-year history, commanding countless elite soldiers and thousands of capable generals. Fine, let's have a showdown.

Where is the pure silver wasted when it is distributed to the common people?

I said that the Fire Palace is the common property of the people of the scorched earth, and large families have no right to monopolize it. Open access within three days, or I will personally lead an expedition and slaughter your entire family. Are you deaf?

That's roughly how Sieg works.

With the iron fist of a dictator, the interests of the underprivileged are ensured.

He served as the Demon King for three years, without a single day of peace, as the resistance from powerful clans reached its peak.

Xi Ge fought fiercely, turning the eastern part of the scorched earth upside down, slaughtering the powerful clans and depleting their bloodlines.

All the profits were distributed to the ordinary, oppressed people of the scorched earth, thereby accumulating a huge amount of prestige. Before they knew it, they had tens of thousands of followers!

The old man in front of me.

Nefarian.

He completely misunderstood.

He thought Sieg was a selfless warrior who despised power, was compassionate, advocated fairness and justice, and upheld moral righteousness.

but……

Sieg didn't really think that much about it; he did it simply because he liked it.

Having been betrayed and having his files destroyed, Seager was furious, yet also felt it was all perfectly reasonable.

He took too big a step.

Many people have benefited from this, and Sieg is convinced that he is on the right track, but the backward and ignorant scorched earth lacks the soil for overly advanced theories to take root.

Even without being betrayed by Sera, Sieg would still have failed.

In fact, by the end of the game, Sieg was already struggling.

He slaughtered all the top powerful clans in the eastern part of Jiaotu.

But the situation did not fundamentally improve, and those middle and lower-class nobles who had become dependent on him in the process gradually became the new evil dragons.

They sang the praises of Sig's name.

Then they lay on the people and sucked their blood, one by one, their bodies bloated and fat, their flesh and fat flowing with the cries and wails of the homeless.

What Sieg brought to the ordinary people of the scorched-earth east was a brief but blissful dream.

Even after regaining consciousness, the cold wind was still biting.

Even so, Nepha still felt a longing. He was convinced that Sieg was a king worth following.

He said, "In fact... my king, I don't recommend that you contact the Remnant Blade Society right now. That organization is not pure."