Chapter 430 - 283: Shocking! A Shadow of Evil Promoting Devil Worship? (Part 2)

Chapter 430: Chapter 283: Shocking! A Shadow of Evil Promoting Devil Worship? (Part 2)

"Who wants a picture with you?! I want one with Miss Starling!"

The captain ignored the man and fought his way to the center of the crowd.

But when he finally broke through, he was dumbfounded.

’Where were the cosplaying kids?’

’Why isn’t there a single one here?’

Before him stood a short young woman, smiling as she took photos and signed autographs for a long line of people.

The young woman looked adorable and was full of energy. Despite posing for photos with so many people, she didn’t show the slightest hint of annoyance.

The captain immediately realized this must be the "Miss Starling" the crowd had been shouting for.

’Never heard of her.’

In his experience, the only people who drew crowds like this were usually minor celebrities.

Famous, but not *that* famous.

If she were truly famous, she wouldn’t just be blocking the cinema entrance—the entire street’s traffic would be at a standstill.

"Another false alarm," the captain said impatiently. "Double-check. Is this the reported location?"

"It is. Right in front of the Zog Magic Cinema," the guard replied instantly. "I’ll confirm with the informant one more time."

The advent of mobile phones meant people no longer had to go to a Guard Corps station in person to file a report. Unfortunately, it also led to a rise in prank calls and false alarms meant to mess with them.

The Zog Group had provided technology to trace callers, but the penalties for false alarms were so light that the pranks were a persistent problem.

"Just confirmed," the guard said, lowering his phone. "The informant insists it’s here. They said a ’Miss Starling’—who appears as a short, young, brown-haired Human female—is a Devil, and that a large number of civilians are worshiping her."

The captain observed Starling carefully. No matter how he looked at her, she just seemed like a pretty Human girl.

She had no discernible Devil traits, nor did she give off a dangerous aura.

Still, out of a sense of duty, he pulled out his Indicator Crystal Stone and aimed it at Starling.

The Indicator Crystal Stone was standard issue for the Guard Corps, capable of detecting whether a target was a Devil or a Demon.

It was rarely used; you hardly ever saw a real Devil nowadays.

Besides, it couldn’t see through a high-level Transformation Technique, making it a rather useless tool.

But the moment the Indicator Crystal Stone was aimed at Starling, it flashed a blinding red.

’Devil!’

The captain’s hand trembled with fear, and the Crystal Stone slipped from his grasp, shattering on the ground.

His first instinct was to run. Any Devil that would appear so openly in Feilin had to be a High Tier Devil.

And he wasn’t a particularly skilled Warrior to begin with, plus he hadn’t seen real combat in years.

But his sense of duty as a captain in the Guard Corps allowed him to overcome his instinctual fear. His right hand reached for the hilt of his sword, only to be stopped by the guard.

The captain shot the guard a confused look.

The guard whispered, "A Devil appearing in the city isn’t against the laws of the Sutton Kingdom. Only Devil worship is illegal, and that’s classified as a heretical rite. But there’s no ritual happening here. They’re just taking pictures."

’He was right.’

Hearing his subordinate’s explanation, the captain had to admit it made perfect sense.

The laws of the Sutton Kingdom really didn’t have any provisions forbidding Devils from being in a city.

"So we’re just supposed to let all these civilians hang around a Devil?"

In the captain’s mind, all Devils were dangerous, and all Devils were enemies.

"How about this, Captain: you disperse the crowd, and I’ll call for large-scale backup."

"Why don’t *you* disperse the crowd?"

"You’re the captain. Only a captain is capable of handling the more difficult tasks."

"You...!" The captain gritted his teeth. "Fine. I’ll disperse the crowd."

The task assigned, the captain suppressed the fear in his heart and walked over to Starling.

He had to disperse the crowd without alarming the Devil, and he couldn’t let people know the truth, either, lest he cause a mass panic.

The people were packed so tightly. If a panic broke out, several could be killed in the stampede alone.

"Ahem!" The captain cleared his throat loudly.

’It’s fine, it’s fine.’

He tried to calm himself down as he thought about what to say.

’Even a Devil wouldn’t dare to start something in front of such a huge crowd.’

’Right.’

’She definitely wouldn’t dare.’

’Besides, this is the Zog Group’s turf. They’d never allow a Devil to cause trouble on their property.’

’Right. It’s fine. It’ll definitely be fine...’

Having given himself a pep talk, the captain finally spoke up. "Quiet! I am the captain of the Guard Corps’ Seventh Squad."

At his words, all eyes turned to him.

"Please do not congregate here. You’re obstructing carriage traffic on Chrysanthemum Street. I must ask you all to leave."

"But we aren’t even on the main road," someone in the crowd immediately shot back.

The person was right. The crowd was actually quite orderly and hadn’t blocked the road at all.

"A gathering of this size is dangerous. It’s so crowded, a stampede could easily occur. Go on home, everyone."

The captain tried a new excuse. He could feel Starling’s eyes on his back, but he didn’t dare turn to look.

"We’re not being disorderly at all! We’ve formed a proper line. There won’t be any stampede."

"The Guard Corps is just sticking its nose where it doesn’t belong!"

"Yeah! My Cat ran away, and when I reported it, you just told me to wait for news. It’s been weeks and you still haven’t found him! What good are you trying to do here?"

"You’re the one who should leave! We’re not bothering anybody."

"Is the Guard Corps really this idle? Don’t you have a backlog of cases? If you have this much free time, why don’t you go do some actual work!"

The crowd grew increasingly agitated, completely ignoring the captain’s warnings.

It wasn’t the people’s fault, really. The Guard Corps of the past hadn’t exactly been a respectable organization.

The captain’s voice was drowned out by the crowd.

He glanced anxiously into the distance. The reinforcements still hadn’t arrived.

"Look, it’s just dangerous! Don’t gather here!"

"Why is it dangerous?"

Just then, Starling spoke up. "I believe the good captain from the Guard Corps has probably realized I’m a Devil, which is why he thinks it’s dangerous here."

Hearing Starling say this, the captain instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

’It’s over.’

’The Devil just exposed herself.’

’What’s next? Is she going to start a massacre?’

’If she does, won’t I, being the closest, be the first to die?’

The captain shut his eyes in despair.

"So, everyone, please don’t get upset. The captain is just looking out for your safety," Starling continued.

’Wait.’

The captain opened his eyes again.

’What’s going on?’

’Is this Devil defending me?’

He finally mustered the courage to turn and look at the Devil.

He had to admit, this Miss Devil was strikingly beautiful. She might have been short, but she had a certain dashing air about her.

’No, that’s not the point.’

’The Devil just outed herself, so why isn’t anyone surprised or afraid?’

’Bewitchment!’

’It has to be bewitchment!’

’Everyone here has been bewitched by this Devil.’

"But we already knew Miss Starling was a Devil! She’s not dangerous at all," someone shouted from the crowd.

"It’s alright. I am a Devil, after all, so this kind of misunderstanding is perfectly normal. The captain isn’t wrong. The Devil Race has caused a great deal of harm throughout history, and we have been reflecting on our mistakes. We hope that Hell and Feilin can welcome an era of lasting peace. The true enemies of Humans and Devils have never been one another, but rather the degenerates within both our races."

Starling said, her tone earnest.

The crowd immediately erupted in cheers.

"Well said, Miss Starling!"

"That’s right! Humans and Devils should live in peace!"

The captain was dumbfounded. ’Am I the bad guy now?’

’It feels like this Devil is leagues above me when it comes to talking. I can’t win against her.’

After calming the crowd, Starling turned to the captain. "I’m very sorry for the trouble I’ve caused. We just finished the premiere of *Silence of the Lambs*. I play a role in the film, and the audience was so enthusiastic that I decided to stay and take some photos with everyone. I was planning to leave right after. I had no idea it would cause such a disturbance."

"A Shadow of Evil?" the captain asked reflexively.

’A Shadow of Evil starring a Devil?’

"Yes. It’s a new Shadow of Evil from Zog Film Studio. It tells a story of cooperation between Devils and Humans, showcasing a future where our two peoples can coexist peacefully and prosper together."

’Wait, why does this Devil talk in such canned phrases? It’s like listening to the Corps Commander give a speech.’

"If you’re interested, here’s a Shadow Demon Ticket. The next showing will begin shortly."

Starling said, handing him a Shadow Demon Ticket.

The captain took it and asked out of habit, "What kind of Shadow of Evil is it?"

Starling smiled faintly. "A very harmonious and uplifting Shadow of Evil."