Chapter 126

Chapter 21 The Princess Arrives

After personally eliminating an officer from the Selfish Organization, Ash casually snuck back into their base located in the bowling alley.

“Hey!” As soon as he entered, he ran into Officer Eira, a boy who seemed quite disheveled.

“Have you seen Belu? No matter how much I try to contact him, he doesn’t reply. What’s up with this guy?”

When Belu left earlier, he only mentioned that he was looking for trouble with the Pretty Cure girls, but he didn’t say exactly where or how.

Now both Ash and Mamu have other problems they need him to help them with, but can’t reach him.

“How should I know? Maybe he got cornered by the Pretty Cures in some hideout.”

Without blinking, Ash lied smoothly and watched the expression on Eira’s face. He noticed that after hearing this, Eira first looked stunned, then turned to mocking him.

“If that were true, it would mean he’s incompetent and a disgrace to the Selfish King!”

Good, typical rivals always ready to stab each other in the back within a villainous organization, mission accomplished.

Although not quite a picture of family harmony, the animosity between them is clear enough.

Seeing Ash enter the base, Eira and Mamu, who had apparently snuck out at some point, exchanged glances and chuckled.

“He really did enter.”

“He must still be inside, right?”

“Yeah, let’s see what happens next!”

The two exchanged looks again, laughing like they had just pulled off a mischief successfully.

“!”

Ash immediately sensed something amiss the moment he stepped into the base; scattered tables, randomly placed desserts and stuffed toys all indicated recent activity.

Out of the three officers of the Selfish Organization, the other two, including the hiding Mamu whom Ash encountered on his way in, and Belu who was dragged into a mirror by the Black Dual Dragon, made him wonder about this newcomer.

For a brief moment, Ash thought about the possibility of their attempts on Belu being discovered, or perhaps the Selfish King wanting him as a new pawn with great favors promised.

But no matter which scenario, Ash was armed and ready, having kept his transformation device handy.

“Who are you?”

A girl’s voice… no, a little girl’s voice?

“A passing visitor… Ash, who are you?”

Just about to say someone else’s line, Ash corrected himself.

A blonde girl adorned with a red bow approached him gracefully, her skirt decorated with a few crimson accents reminiscent of blood. When she met Ash’s gaze, her sky-blue eyes radiated curiosity.

She started recalling when her selfish organization had a handsome newcomer recently added, and remembered that there had been talk about humans from another world joining them.

Ash figured that if she was openly here now, she wasn’t just a part of the Selfish Organization, but might have hidden motives.

“Remember this, my name is Regina. And also…”

“Also, I am the Selfish King’s daughter!”

Hearing this shocking news, Ash was startled. The one leading the selfish organization just happened to be a being called “the Selfish King.”

The daughter of the biggest bad guy in the organization… With this realization, memories of songs and iconic scenes involving betrayal surged in his mind, such as “You Don’t Understand Anything!” and “Farewell, Father.”

“Hey, where are your thoughts? I’m talking to you!” Seeing Ash lost in thought, the bratty Regina pouted and tried to stomp on his toe with her round-headed shoe, but Ash dodged just in time.

“The Selfish King’s daughter, how should I address you, Your Highness?”

To Ashley’s surprise, Regina instantly forgot her displeasure and responded as though he hit just the right note,

“You’re a human but surprisingly good at flattery. You want to join us, right? Sure, consider it approved in my dad’s stead!”

Without hesitation, Regina made a decision all by herself without considering Ash’s suggestion to merely team up.

“Starting today, you will become the attendant of Lady Regina. It’s settled! I want chocolate from the human world right now; go buy it for me!”

Regina gave orders unhesitantly and naturally, acting as though it were expected of Ash, completely unaware of his growing discomfort.

“Sure, it’s the daughter of the Selfish King, of course self-centered…”

The two officers watching this scene from outside were also taken aback by Regina’s bold behavior. Having seen Ash’s true power, they no longer saw him as just another simple person, and thus spoke to him with this kind of tone.

After all, temporary satisfaction could lead to getting hurt, and there might not always be someone to come to your rescue.

As expected, the two watched as Ash actually got angry.

Good, these two didn’t particularly like either of them. Whether the fight ended in favor of anyone, they were happy to watch whatever drama unfolded.

Ash’s fist clenched.

He kept smiling outwardly, but his fingers holding the transformation pack tensed visibly.

Just as he was about to react, planning to teach this brat a lesson, regardless of whether she was the Selfish King’s daughter or some other rival:

“Speaking of which, you mentioned the Evil念头能量, right?”

This caught Ash’s attention and stopped him.

Initially, the two Selfish Organization officers, unable to withstand being ordered around by the daughter of the Selfish King and yet powerless to react, had hid, planning to enjoy the conflict between Ash and Regina.

They guessed that two self-centered individuals might never get along and were just waiting for a fight to break out so they could witness it firsthand.

However, things did not go as anticipated.

“Your Highness, here’s the chocolate you wanted,” Ash presented the chocolate he obtained.

“Delicious! But I’m thirsty now.”

“Your Highness, here’s the drink.” Ashley produced an energy drink he had previously acquired.

“Now, I feel a bit bored… Is there anything interesting to do?”

“Your Highness, this is a novel by a famous author.” Ash took out the original manuscript he had gotten.

With this shady agreement struck, Ash seemed completely humbled.

It wasn’t because he was suddenly overcome by love’s arrow and was OOC, fantasizing about becoming Regina’s servant as some demon, but it stemmed from her generous offers!

Reflecting on his past, Ash had been part of several villainous organizations: he had served Zaki, helped a tyrant emperor relieve themselves, and even provided background music when an elderly魔王 was showing off. A storied career indeed.

In fact, he had even infiltrated the Goths and the Jötunn Kingdom under a human identity, and had experienced life with the Black God’s angels and the luck charm of Ophiel’s four-leaf clover.

Despite the varying conditions and risks involved, these dark sides treated their minions harshly, expecting loyalty and hardwork, and often rewarded the winners with empty praise, disregarding those who couldn’t make it.

Ash enjoyed battling for justice, but he needed a balance and avoided unnecessary risks. Hence, instead of directly entering these teams as a villain, he preferred cooperative relationships that benefited both sides.

Compared to these dangerous times spent working anxiously in villainous organizations, Regina offered something far more appealing. If she was happy, she could provide him with the necessary darkness resonance as much and as generously as he needed, effectively paying him upfront.

Upon seeing the progress bar for gathering the dark resonances increase in the system, Ash smiled brightly, akin to finally meeting a dependable customer.

For someone like Ash, who felt increasingly dissatisfied with Longya’s inefficacy and desired more achievements, Regina’s presence was truly timely.

After all, the joy one seeks must be earned with strength—otherwise, it’s just a gift for someone else.

And besides, it wasn’t like he was selling himself; this was merely accompanying a mischievous child. Shopping a bit for snacks and toys and immediately receiving rewards made for quite the lucrative engagement. (Especially since this particular troublesome brat was unusually honest and wouldn’t shortchange you.)

Ash felt as if this arrangement was truly a stroke of fortune—a jackpot win.

Meanwhile, he started planning to exploit this opportunity for all it was worth.