Chapter 695: Never Asking for More

Gray’s experience was indeed pitiful.

He was once a favored child of heaven, a legend who achieved the impossible, possessing talent and potential even greater than Aldia’s, outstanding enough to become a prince despite being from a collateral branch. He must have been incredibly proud and complacent, full of youthful spirit.

If he had continued on that path, he might have even surpassed Ancil in the competition for the throne and become the King of the Mitra Kingdom.

His future and status would have been envied by many.

Unfortunately, he met Shafney and was captivated by the Succubus, completely enthralled, willing to abandon everything for her and settle in the Demon Realm.

Even so, if the outcome had been good, it wouldn’t have been a tragedy.

At that time, Gray must have been full of confidence, believing that as the top genius of the Human Race, a true child of heaven, he could successfully pursue this most beautiful woman in the three realms.

Moreover, Gray was incredibly handsome, even more so than Prince Charming, the perfect dream lover for women.

Therefore, Gray, whose life had been smooth sailing, believed he could surpass his predecessors and succeed, making the indifferent Succubus choose him.

However, reality was cruel. The Succubus didn’t even spare him a second glance.

That once proud and spirited prince stayed in Succubus City for over twenty years, yet couldn’t even get the attention of his beloved. It was a nightmare that shattered his world.

“All these years, I’ve often wondered if that decision was right,” Gray muttered.

“But I realized that although I reminisce, hesitate, and sigh, I don’t regret it.”

This told Gray that even if given another chance, he would still make the same choice.

“The only ones I’ve wronged are those who had expectations of me, hoping I could make the Mitra Kingdom stronger and better,” Gray said sadly.

Shien didn’t know what to say.

Comfort him?

That wasn’t his place. Since Gray himself didn’t regret it, he had to accept the consequences. It wasn’t for others to worry about.

Moreover, although Shien sympathized with him, he didn’t feel obligated to do anything for this former prince. After all, he abandoned his country, his family, and even his race for a woman. Even if he was punished, it was his own fault.

If he were in a similar situation, Shien wouldn’t want others to preach to him, telling him whether his choice was right or wrong.

That was life.

The only emotion Shien felt was relief.

“Fortunately, I didn’t fall for that Succubus’s terrifying charm.”

Shien sincerely felt that his previous struggles were worth it. If he hadn’t held on, he might have ended up like Gray.

He also realized that Shafney wasn’t interested in those who easily fell for her charm.

A goddess wouldn’t like a simp, only those who could conquer her.

And the man who could conquer Shafney hadn’t appeared yet.

Therefore, she disdained everyone.

If Shien, like others, had been captivated by her charm, then regardless of whether he was the Hero, the Succubus wouldn’t have spared him a second glance, and might have even hindered his engagement to Airi.

Fortunately, Shien resisted, piquing her interest, and didn’t end up like Gray, a pathetic loser.

Of course, Gray didn’t think so.

“Really?” he asked, narrowing his eyes and looking at Shien as if trying to see through him, “You really think you weren’t captivated?”

Gray still couldn’t believe anyone could resist Shafney’s charm.

But how could he understand?

“Trust me, the daughter of your half-brother, the King, is even more beautiful and outstanding than you imagine, not much inferior to that Succubus,” Shien said firmly, “Also, although I’m easily impulsive, I’m also realistic. I won’t pursue things I can’t have, losing more than I gain.”

As an ambitious young man from the 21st century, Shien knew very well that goddesses were meant to be admired, not pursued. One had to know their place and not chase after things too far out of reach. Otherwise, utter defeat was the only outcome.

Some might have grand dreams and ambitions, even as commoners, striving to achieve them.

But they weren’t the only ones on that path.

How many would fall along the way, becoming stepping stones for others? How many would be defeated by reality, becoming mere sacrifices?

Shien, with his unusual adaptability, understood this from the beginning and thus never had unrealistic expectations.

Some might say he lacked ambition, content with mediocrity.

Some might say he was self-indulgent and lacked vision.

But Shien wanted to say…

“What you like isn’t necessarily what I like. Don’t judge my actions based on your own thoughts.”

So what if he was content with mediocrity?

Was living a carefree life inferior to dedicating one’s entire life to struggle and hard work?

Therefore, after reincarnating into this world, Shien immediately accepted his situation, never seeing himself as a savior or wanting to achieve anything great. Even now, having become one of the strongest in Omnipotence, possessing power envied by all, he never became arrogant or thought of himself as special.

For such a Shien, being able to have Lucy, Diere, Melika, and those beauties he wouldn’t have even dared to dream of in his previous life, was already an unexpected joy.

Therefore…

“I’m content with my current situation. I never ask for more.”

Shien’s calm words silenced Gray.

Looking at Shien’s clear and unwavering gaze, Gray felt a mix of emotions.

After a long time…

“You’re right,” Gray murmured, “If I had been as rational as you back then…”

He shook his head, not finishing his sentence.

As he said before, he didn’t regret it, only felt a sense of loss.

“I didn’t come here in vain,” Gray said sincerely, “Being able to talk to you was the right choice.”

“Likewise,” Shien shrugged, “Knowing that such an outstanding person from the Kingdom is still alive, I’m also happy.”

“Don’t say things you don’t mean,” Gray chuckled, “It seems Ancil and the Kingdom are doing well, even having a new Hero. This reassures me.”

Then, Gray turned to leave.

“Do you need me to keep your secret?” Shien suddenly asked, looking at Gray’s back.

Gray stopped.

He knew that Shien was referring to keeping his secret from the Mitra Kingdom, including the royal family.

Gray thought for a moment, then sighed softly.

“I’ll leave it to you,” he said in a low voice, “It’s better for fewer people to know about a disgraceful existence like me, better for them not to remember me.”

Leaving these words, Gray slowly walked away.

Shien watched his retreating figure, then sighed after a long while.

“Being a simp truly has no future,” he said, then also left.

Not long after, two figures silently appeared there.

They were two figures incredibly familiar to Shien and Gray.

One of them was Liel, looking at the direction Shien left with a complex expression.

As for the other figure, she was far more alluring and voluptuous than Liel, her charm and beauty evident even under the moonlight.

Who else could it be but Shafney?

“I didn’t expect to overhear such an interesting conversation just by coming here for a look,” Shafney said, also looking at the direction Shien left, a faint smile on her face.

Clearly, she was in a good mood.

“‘What you like isn’t necessarily what I like’?”

“‘Content with my current situation, I never ask for more’?”

“This is the first time I’ve heard someone say that about me.”

Shafney looked quite pleased.

Seeing Shafney like this, Liel felt a slight pang of regret.

Because it was she who told Shafney about this, piquing her interest and making her come here to eavesdrop.

She was simply following Shafney’s orders, paying close attention to Shien, reporting everything that happened, including today’s events, to Shafney after returning.

Who knew such a thing would happen?

“This Hero is truly special,” Shafney said to Liel, as if praising him, “Don’t you think so, Liel?”

“…He’s just showing off,” Liel replied, her tone unconvincing.

Shafney didn’t mind.

Her mind was filled with Shien’s words.

“I want to see if he can truly remain indifferent towards me,” she said, her eyes gleaming with a strange light.

If Airi were here and saw this, she would definitely be anxious.

Because whenever Shafney had this look in her eyes, it meant she had found a new prey.

A new toy that she found interesting.

As night deepened, the signs of life in Succubus City gradually disappeared.

Like humans, demons also needed sleep and rest. Except for a few nocturnal tribes, most demons entered the land of dreams at night.

There were nocturnal demons in Succubus City, but their numbers were few. Therefore, except for certain special areas, Succubus City was relatively quiet at night. Even the two Legendary Rock Giants guarding the Succubus Fortress’s gate closed their eyes and fell asleep, like statues, only waking up if someone approached.

Shien also prepared to sleep.

He originally wanted to use the magic tool Lucy gave him to contact her and chat, easing his longing, but the tool couldn’t connect across realms, forcing him to give up.

“I wonder how that girl will react when she learns about my engagement to Airi.”

Shien felt a little guilty. After all, such a major decision was made without discussing it with Lucy, his supposed “main wife.”

He could imagine Lucy’s fury, perhaps even wanting to kill him.

“What else could I do?” Shien smiled wryly.

This matter was also very sudden for him. How could he have the time and energy to discuss it with Lucy?

Moreover, Lucy, as his fiancée, would definitely be affected by the exposure of his identity and was probably busy dealing with her own matters, unable to care about him, right?

Everything happened too suddenly, catching both Shien and Lucy off guard.

“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Shien thought.

Since it was Airi, Lucy shouldn’t overreact, right?

Lucy had always been wary of Airi, and now that her wariness was justified, she shouldn’t be unable to accept it.

…Hopefully.

“I just don’t know what those people in the Mitra Kingdom will think.”

With this thought, Shien rubbed his temples.

“Time to sleep.”

Suppressing all his thoughts, Shien lay down, closed his eyes, and prepared to sleep.

Tomorrow, he planned to meet with Shafney and discuss the Shajin Clan’s matter, seeing if she could help.

“I just hope that Succubus can be a bit more reserved and leave me alone…”

Shien murmured, then fell asleep. Perhaps because he was truly tired, he quickly entered a deep sleep.

For the past two days, Shien had been falling asleep quickly like this.

Liel challenged him to dozens of fights every day, and to deal with this level ninety-nine, near Limit Level Stone Woman Clan Chief, he sometimes even had to use [Samsara of Heaven’s Decree].

Even just doubling his power consumed a lot of magic power.

Naturally, this made him tired.

Of course, no matter how tired he was, with [Outer Awareness of Heaven’s Decree] active, if anyone approached him, except for that unscientific maid, he would quickly wake up.

Unfortunately, today, his [Outer Awareness of Heaven’s Decree] was destined to encounter an opponent.

“Whoosh…”

With a faint gust of wind, a figure silently floated in through the window of Shien’s room.

An alluring and graceful figure, the very embodiment of beauty.

It was Shafney.

“Heh heh,” she chuckled mischievously, looking at the sleeping Shien.

“It’s been a while since I’ve ‘entered a dream.’ I wonder if I’m rusty.”

Shafney muttered to herself with a smile.

“Let me see if you’re as reserved in your dreams as you claim, Hero.”

Saying this, Shafney twirled like a dancer, turning into a stream of light and flying towards Shien.

In the next second, she entered his body and disappeared.

…

That night, Shien had a dream.

A beautiful and illusory dream.

In the dream, he was somehow in the Divine Realm, walking through a boundless field of flowers, lost and confused.

“I…?”

Shien tried to think, but his mind was hazy, his thoughts sluggish. He subconsciously let go of his rationality.

So, he walked forward, wandering through the endless flower field, as if searching for something.

If this were the real Divine Realm, perhaps Shien would have already seen the sleeping goddess lying amidst the flowers, as if in eternal slumber.

But this wasn’t the real Divine Realm, just an illusory dream.

Fortunately, in this dream, although there wasn’t the omnipotent Goddess, there was an embodiment of beauty.

“—”

At some point, Shien stopped, and the surroundings became silent.

He stared blankly ahead, captivated by a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

“Heh heh…”

A captivating laugh echoed through the flower field.

Looking closely, a beautiful figure danced in the distance. She was as beautiful as a celestial being, her beauty stunning. Her figure was alluring, incredibly seductive. She was like a goddess from a dream, every smile and gesture making his heart tremble.

Such a beautiful woman danced in the flower field, occasionally letting out a joyful chuckle. It was a scene unique to this dream.

Shien was captivated, enthralled by her laughter and her stunning beauty.

In his hazy dream, his thoughts were sluggish. How could he, like in reality, maintain his composure and resist her charm with his rationality?

Therefore, in this dream, Shien was instantly captivated, without any resistance.

The dancing beauty seemed to notice him, beckoning him with a captivating smile.

Shien stumbled towards her.

In his daze, he seemed to hear her muttering,

“As expected, even he can’t resist me in a dream.”

Her voice held both pride and a hint of disappointment.

“Sigh, I shouldn’t have done this. If even he falls for me, then what’s the point?”

She sighed.

“Little Airi is going to kill me.”

She murmured softly.

Shien didn’t hear or understand her words, simply reaching out to her in a daze.

Seeing this, the woman said helplessly,

“Alright, that’s enough. I’m sorry, Hero. You can have a good dream here by yourself.”

Saying this, the beautiful woman, like a true fairy, floated up, preparing to leave.

Up to this point, everything was still normal.

However, in the next moment, the greatest surprise occurred.

“Weng!”

A radiant object, seemingly containing all the light in the world, suddenly appeared above the flower field.

It was a gem.

A crimson gem, about twenty or thirty centimeters in diameter, large enough to be held in one’s arms.

The gem, as if stimulated by a strange magic power, or perhaps by a familiar aura, suddenly appeared and emitted a brilliant red light, completely immobilizing the flower field.

The beautiful figure, floating in mid-air, suddenly froze and fell back to the ground.

“What…!?” She looked at the gem in the sky with shock and disbelief.

“That… that’s my mother’s… how is this possible…!?”

The beautiful woman was in a state of unprecedented shock.

But Shien was still in a daze, completely oblivious, and seeing the beautiful woman who was about to leave return before him, he pushed her to the ground without hesitation.

The woman panicked.

“Wait… wait… what are you doing…!?”

“S… stop…! I am…!?”

“Don’t… aaaaaah…!”

Shien ignored her cries and pounced on her.

In the sky, the red gem continued to spin, seemingly enjoying the scene.

That night, Shien had the most beautiful dream of his life.

…

The next day, early morning.

As sunlight filled the room, Shien woke up.

Upon waking, he felt inexplicably happy and refreshed.

“What’s going on? This strange sense of satisfaction…?” He wondered.

For the past few days in the Demon Realm, without Lasha’s service, Shien hadn’t been as comfortable waking up in the morning. But today was different, he felt incredibly refreshed, as if everything in the world was pleasing to the eye.

“It seems I had a good dream last night,” Shien said, half-understanding, unable to recall the dream’s content.

“Forget it, I won’t think about it.” He quickly gave up, getting out of bed and stretching.

“Huh?” Stretching, he noticed something uncomfortable.

“Why do I feel sore all over, as if I’ve overexerted myself?” He couldn’t understand. This morning was too strange, making him wonder if Lasha had secretly returned to the Demon Realm and done something to him.

“Strange things happen every year, especially this year.” He could only shake it off, getting up and preparing to wash up.