"Achoo!" On the soft big bed in the Demon King's Castle, Mino sneezed.
Rubbing his nose, Mino sat up slowly with a puzzled look.
"What's going on? I feel inexplicably cold all over... After my power was sealed, do I become more prone to getting sick?"
While muttering, Mino's body trembled: "Could it be that the citizens of the Kingdom, and my closest friends and family, are missing me?!"
Only the most extreme emotions could cross this distant boundary and cause Mino to feel a resonance.
For a moment, Mino couldn't help but feel his eyes warm up.
"They must be missing me terribly right now, right?"
Mino walked to the window of the prison cell, looked at the tiny night sky framed by the small window, and was about to express his homesickness.
However, the words didn't come out.
The countless stars dotted the translucent deep blue night sky, their twinkling light forming a beautiful Milky Way, embedded in the small frame of the window, like a moving painting.
"So beautiful..." Mino sniffled.
He remembered the perpetually gray sky of the Kingdom. For some reason, even during the day, he couldn't see such a clear dome.
For a moment, Mino enjoyed the view thoroughly... completely forgetting the "Thoughts on a Quiet Night" that had been bubbling up within him.
Silent shadows seeped out from the ground, condensing into a terrifying dark figure. Claytina's form quietly materialized outside the prison cell.
She pursed her lips into a perfect smile, just about to greet Mino.
A profound silhouette entered her eyes.
Brave Mino gazed at the countless stars, silent.
He was thinking of home... Claytina lowered her eyes, hiding the complexity within them.
After a while, as the First Secretary, she shook her head, breaking the silence:
"How is it, Hero? Life in the prison cell isn't easy, is it?"
Mino turned his head and saw Claytina wearing a light pink rose long dress, smiling as she looked at him.
Mino thought for a moment and said, "It's alright."
Claytina ignored this pretense of strength and showed mockery: "I came to tell you that this morning, all the dolls in Second Prince of Ku'er's study have been destroyed by us."
She stared closely at Mino's expression, hoping to see some guilt or unease on his face.
"Oh." Mino was expressionless.
Claytina blinked, looking at Mino's unchanging face, her tone gradually rising: "Oh?"
That psychological weakness of Prince Otta, personally revealed by Mino, and the horrifying action of swiftly destroying it by them, only received an "Oh?" from the instigator himself?
Could Mino be such a cold and selfish person? Impossible.
"That won't work, I believe in Prince Otta."
Mino raised his head and declared confidently.
Claytina returned to the conference hall in a daze, filled with doubt... Could it be that Second Prince of Ku'er's spirit was made of iron, possessing a will as resilient as Mino's?!
Claytina started the joint meeting. The ghost fire representing Demon Strategist Svir was already waiting by the seat.
"Svir, did our action against Prince Otta not work?"
Claytina looked at the seat opposite and asked.
"No, the action was very effective." The ghost fire flickered unhurriedly.
"Prince Otta cried in his study all day."
Claytina was slightly startled, then sighed with relief as if a burden had been lifted, and smiled: "Then Kuer Kingdom must have fallen into chaos by now."
"No... unfortunately." Svir's voice became serious.
"The Prince's state of handling government affairs hasn't changed at all. He handled them while crying, and his focus and efficiency were even higher than before!"
"What? Why is that?" Claytina's eyes widened.
Svir shook his head: "We only heard one sentence: Prince Otta claimed he wanted to revitalize the Kingdom's finances and replenish the treasury!"
At this crucial point, Second Prince of Ku'er actually wanted to make money?! For what... Claytina felt a chill.
"It seems you and I have the same thought." Svir's ghost fire drifted for a moment:
"I am certain that Prince Otta's target is already aimed at us, aimed at the Demon King's Castle!"
"He didn't become disheartened by the heavy blow, but wants to put more budget into training soldiers and eliminating Demons!"
"To do this, he must make the Kingdom's treasury full!"
Claytina nodded seriously. As the successor to the Kingdom, the treasury Prince Otta spoke of could only be the Kingdom's treasury.
At this moment, Mino's declaration flashed in her mind: "That won't work, I believe in Prince Otta."
It was indeed so—
"Secretary, we must admit that Second Prince of Ku'er is an extremely cold and wise monarch. Even if he has some weaknesses, it will be difficult to shake his will in the short term."
"Regarding the interrogation of Brave Mino, I suggest we start from other directions."
"What is your suggestion?" Claytina nodded, knowing Svir must have a direction.
"Brave Mino is a tricky opponent. On one hand, he shows firm resistance during our interrogation, and on the other hand, he easily reveals true and important information, being in a state between confessing and not confessing..."
"I think we should find a way to persecute someone who is more intimate and trusted by him, trying to shake both the Human faction and Brave Mino at the same time, so that he cannot take the initiative."
Someone who is both an important force in the Kuer Kingdom and holds a significant place in the Hero's heart... Claytina was a bit hesitant. Was it Princess Kalia, who was rumored to admire the Hero, or Saintess Lena, who came from the same village as the Hero and shared deep memories?
"Let me... take a look..."
A faint voice came from the ghost fire. At one end of the long table, a slightly distorted voice wafted out unsteadily.
Claytina turned her head, somewhat worried and surprised: "demon mirror, are you not well yet?"
The one speaking was the Seventh Demon Officer, the Nightmare Magic Mirror with the ability to control dreams.
"I heard it all. With the two adults working so hard, the Nightmare can't fall behind. Anyway... is it enough just to know who has the deepest bond with the Hero, right?"
"demon mirror, Mino's willpower is extremely strong, don't overexert yourself," Demon Strategist Svir reminded.
The Nightmare Magic Mirror chuckled softly: "Don't worry, Svir. I just need to make the Hero 'dream' about the person deeply imprinted in his heart, and we just need to take a look at the Hero's dream... This doesn't involve mental torture."
After speaking, the demon mirror's ghost fire flickered violently, then twisted and transformed into a screen framed by flames, rippling deeply.
The demon mirror's power enveloped Mino, who was asleep in the prison cell, and then displayed the guided dream content before their eyes.
"The person with the deepest bond with me?"
Mino, wearing silver armor and with his holy sword stuck in the ground, laughed heartily in his dream.
"Of course it is—the Chief of the Magic Tower, the elder who is both my teacher and my friend."
"Ang Lak!"