"Sora, Erica-san!"
Seeing the figures of Sora and Erica, Yuri immediately showed a look of joy and ran towards them with great excitement.
"Mariya…"
Originally intending to stop her, Liliana hesitated for a moment and finally withdrew her hand. Seeing that the Marquis Voban on the throne had no reaction, the girl breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Yuri, are you alright?"
Gently touching the miko-san's forehead, Sora said with a slight smile.
"Mm…"
Nodding vigorously, a warm current echoed in the girl's heart, filled with endless emotion.
"Hehe, Yuri, my King risked great danger to save you, you know. How are you going to thank him?"
Erica stepped forward, pulled Yuri aside, leaned into the girl's ear, and whispered with a chuckle.
"Thank him? I… I…"
Startled by Erica's words, the miko-san immediately lowered her head.
Yes, Sora and the others risked great danger to save her. How should she thank them? Should she just say a pale and powerless thank you?
But besides that, how else could she thank them? She couldn't do anything, it had always been like this, only dragging them down and causing them trouble again and again. For the first time in her life, Yuri felt so useless and powerless…
Just as the miko-san was feeling endlessly down, Erica's voice sounded in her ear again—
"Hehe, if Yuri can't think of a good way, then offer yourself to him!"
With a hint of slyness, Erica had a foxy smile on her face.
"Offer… Offer… Offer myself!!!"
Coming back to her senses, the miko-san's face instantly turned crimson, and she almost couldn't help but cry out.
Erica-san actually told her to offer herself to him?!!!
Although the two girls' voices were very low, they were still heard clearly by Sora nearby. His mouth twitched, completely speechless, and he glared fiercely at Erica.
He didn't know if it was because she had been by his side for a long time, but this knight young lady seemed to be getting worse and worse!
Since there were outsiders present, Sora couldn't say anything. He could only gently pat the miko-san's shoulder to signal her not to mind. Looking at Erica, who stuck out her little tongue at him, he thought to himself that he must properly educate this naughty girl when they got back!
"Lord Voban, since my friend has been found, we will not trouble you any further. If you have time, please feel free to visit my humble abode. Goodbye."
Since Yuri had been found, Sora didn't want to cause any more trouble. He greeted the Marquis Voban and prepared to leave with Yuri and Erica immediately.
"Wait a moment, King Sora, are you just going to leave like this? This King has not said that you can take that miko away. This King has no objection to you and your knight leaving, but that miko must stay."
Just as the three of them hadn't turned around yet, the Marquis Voban's voice came again, with a hint of annoyance in his tone.
This kid, does he think he can just take away this King's property with such a simple sentence?!
"Ha… As expected, it won't be resolved so easily. If you had just let us go, nothing would have happened."
"Then, King Voban, state your conditions!"
Covering his forehead, Sora had a look of helplessness. He already knew the purpose of this old man capturing Yuri from Miss Kaoru. Naturally, Sora could not leave her alone.
"King Sora, I heard that you successfully defeated the Heretic God Athena not long ago. This King will not pursue this matter, after all, she was your prey first. But this miko is now this King's asset, and she is of great use to this King. This King cannot hand her over to you."
"If you truly want this miko back, considering we are of the same kind, as long as you offer something of equal value in exchange, this King can be accommodating."
As a miko, Yuri possessed extremely excellent abilities, and in order to summon a Heretic God, a miko like her must be sacrificed. Therefore, the Marquis Voban naturally would not easily let Sora take her away.
Hearing the Marquis Voban's voice, Sora and Erica couldn't help but secretly glance at the girl Liliana not far away. Even Yuri did the same. She hadn't expected that Liliana really hadn't reported the fact that Athena was still alive to old Voban.
Noticing their gazes, Liliana kept her eyes straight, but her heart was filled with unease. She looked at the Marquis Voban on the throne and found nothing, which made her secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
Sora and Yuri only glanced at her before withdrawing their gazes. In order not to cause unnecessary trouble for Liliana, these things could not be detected by old Voban. However, that fellow Erica still looked at Liliana without any scruples, with a meaningful smile on her face, which made the girl feel a little uneasy.
"Something of equal value…"
Sora couldn't help but frown. What could he offer that was of equal value to Yuri?
This old man wanted to summon a Heretic God by sacrificing Yuri. If there was anything that could be considered of equal value to Yuri, it would only be Athena!
But that little loli was his exclusive cuddle bear! Should he give her away to save Yuri?
Alright, this thought was immediately rejected by Sora as soon as it appeared. He would absolutely not hand over Athena. Whoever dared to snatch his cuddle bear from Sora, he would get angry with them!
"I'm sorry, I don't have such a thing. Moreover, Yuri is my friend, and her value in my heart is priceless. There is nothing in this world that can be considered of equal value to her."
Thinking that he would most likely have to fight with this old man this time, Sora didn't bother to dwell on it anymore. He simply shrugged his shoulders and said straightforwardly.
Hearing Sora's answer, the Marquis Voban's expression on the throne immediately turned cold. This kid, does he think he can get something for nothing?!
The same words had completely different reactions in the ears of Erica, Liliana, and Yuri. Their eyes sparkled, and ripples spread in their hearts. Especially the miko-san, Yuri-chan, who was almost moved to tears.
Alright, Sora swore, he really didn't mean to, sweat…
"Since you cannot offer something of equal value to the miko, then leave. This King has important matters to attend to, so I will not entertain you any further."
With a cold tone, old Voban began to issue a dismissal. He didn't care about what was valuable or priceless. Since you kid can't offer anything, then get out!
"Heh… King Voban, if I can't take my friend away today, I really don't plan on leaving!"
"You say Yuri is your asset, based on what? You didn't raise her, nor did you give birth to her. Why do you consider her your property?"
Seeing that the old man was starting to get angry, Sora didn't continue to be polite with him. Before, I respected you because you were an old man. If you really provoke me, I won't buy into your authority!
"Hmph! Because this King is a Demon King, the ruler of the land! This King says she is mine, so she is mine!"
Having completely lost patience, the Marquis Voban was also somewhat angry. A boundless and domineering king's aura suddenly erupted from him, and he said proudly to Sora.
Looking at the Marquis Voban like this, Erica and the other two girls all paled. Although they were all excellent mikos or witches, they were still too insignificant in front of a true Demon King. Just the opponent's powerful aura made them feel like they couldn't breathe.
"Hah, you are truly domineering, Lord!"
"Excuse me, but according to what you said, I am also a King! I declare that from now on, Yuri is mine!"
With a cold laugh, Sora was truly amused. Although he himself wasn't a good person, if this old man was determined to snatch his friend, he really wouldn't stand for it!
"You want to be arrogant, huh? You want to play the tyrant, huh? I can too!"
A towering aura also erupted from his body, standing in equal opposition to the Marquis Voban. The few girls who had been so pressured they could barely breathe finally recovered. Seeing how the scene, which had been fine just moments ago, had suddenly escalated to this point, the three girls couldn't help but feel their hearts tighten.
"Kusanagi Sora, are you deliberately trying to oppose this King? That Miko is something this King set his eyes on first!"
With a hint of annoyance, Marquis Voban narrowed his eyes and spoke coldly to Sora.
"To be honest, Marquis Voban, I really didn't intend to oppose you or anything. It's you who insists on opposing me!"
"Now, both of us have declared ownership of Yuri as Kings, so why don't we let her decide for herself?"
"Yuri, tell me, who do you truly want to go with?!"
A hint of coldness also entered Sora's voice, but this guy played a small trick, giving the decision-making power to Yuri herself.
In fact, Sora knew the outcome without even thinking about it. Yuri would definitely choose to follow him. If the old Voban still shamelessly refused to give up at that time, then there would truly be no choice but to fight him!
"Yuri, this is the time to decide your fate. Now, hurry up and decide, which Demon King-sama do you choose?"
Pulling the nervous and anxious Yuri, Erica playfully blinked her eyes. According to Erica's professional judgment, after this incident, this Miko-san would almost certainly fall into the hands of her own Demon King.
Liliana also watched Yuri nervously from the side, casting an encouraging look with her silver eyes.
Although she was currently Marquis Voban's knight, the girl truly had no good feelings for this tyrannical, willful, and dark Demon King. Seriously, four years ago, she and Yuri were almost killed when Marquis Voban used them as sacrifices for a ritual to summon a Heretic God. If it weren't for the orders of her grandfather and the society that she couldn't disobey, the girl would never have become his knight!
A hint of envy couldn't help but rise in her heart. Although she didn't know the final outcome yet, at least Yuri had someone to save her. But what about herself, where was the person who would save her…
Everyone's gaze fell on Yuri, with anticipation, encouragement, and of course, cold scrutiny.
Lowering her head, biting her lip tightly, the girl's heart was extremely complicated at this moment.
After a while, Yuri slowly raised her head, took a deep breath, as if she had decided something, and finally spoke—
"I choose King Voban…"
The girl's voice echoed continuously in the air. Stunned, Sora, Erica, and Liliana all looked at the resolute Yuri with expressions of disbelief.
Why would she make such a decision that absolutely shouldn't have happened?!
Unlike Sora and the other two, Marquis Voban on the throne smiled, a sinister and satisfied arc pulling at the corner of his mouth…