lol: After being blessed by the Happy Demon, I became the harem king

"The revelry never ends!!"

With a low growl and a maniacal laugh, Fain arrived before LeBlanc, having taken a deep breath, his chest and lungs almost expanding to their full size. Without any breathing or exhalation, his fist, the size of a sandbag, accompanied by a series of exploding sounds like firecrackers, transformed into afterimages that filled the space in front of LeBlanc.

Each punch was accompanied by the acceleration of the storm, which made Fane's punching speed faster and faster, until finally the afterimages were so long that the image of the fist could no longer be seen. Only afterimages and black lines were left to shuttle back and forth in space, flashing.

At first, LeBlanc awkwardly parried and dodged using magical shields and illusionary teleportation. Unfortunately, under Fane's relentless onslaught, she simply didn't have enough time to cast a powerful and stable spell. With each forced parry, accompanied by splashes of water, LeBlanc's body was clearly accompanied by a large amount of magical light fragments.

A phantom image? LeBlanc used her peripheral vision to lock onto a distant illusion.

For a mage of LeBlanc's caliber, spatial displacement with one's own illusion is not a particularly sophisticated spell—but it is a very convenient one.

But just as LeBlanc was thinking this, an invisible water blade emerged from the storm that had deflected the light. It not only forced LeBlanc's vision away but also severed the magical connection that had just been established between her true form and her illusion.

"All your magic is within my sight—" Sensing the terror and despair in LeBlanc's eyes, Fain deepened his connection with the Mark of Pleasure and the Mark of Pleasure's effect on LeBlanc.

You can't go anywhere!!!

As he spoke, Fain forcefully shattered LeBlanc's long-planned magical energy beam—his burly body withstood the surging torrent of magical power, and his large hands instantly grabbed LeBlanc by the neck and lifted her up.

Struggling to hold onto Fain's arm, LeBlanc tried to break free, but found that she couldn't even muster a single bit of magic power.

83. LeBlanc's Hatred

Feeling the magic that had lost its connection to her, LeBlanc's eyes narrowed, but she did not choose to submit to Fane. Instead, she coldly said, "You'd better kill me now, because my clones are outside. Those clones are not just illusions; they will stop at nothing to completely destroy you and everything related to you."

Upon hearing LeBlanc's words, Farn remained unconcerned: "Still naively believing you are the original form? Take a good look and see who is maintaining your essence right now."

As he spoke, Farn released his grip.

Upon landing, LeBlanc looked up at Fane with some suspicion. Although she didn't believe what Fane said, after confirming that he hadn't imposed any further restrictions on her, LeBlanc silently sensed her magical power.

Soon, a look of astonishment appeared on LeBlanc's alluring face, which quickly transformed into intense panic, fear, and a hidden anger.

Magic is a very special thing.

The lore of Nocturne, the Eternal Nightmare, mentions the existence of the spiritual and material realms. Humans, and all life on Runeterra, are products of the fusion of these two realms. Many have actually encountered the spiritual realm, as the veil between the spiritual and material realms is primarily composed of 'magic'.

This kind of magic is usually insurmountable, a protective mechanism of the world itself. However, when people fall asleep, their spirit may naturally drift through the veil and enter the spiritual realm. But this experience in the spiritual realm often ends quickly upon waking, as the physical body pulls consciousness back, leaving only a casual remark: "It was just a dream."

In general, magic acts like an adhesive, firmly binding the souls and bodies of Runeterra's creatures together.

Now, LeBlanc could clearly feel the magic within her body constantly dissipating and disappearing. Even the connection between her body and mind had vanished.

Raising her hand, LeBlanc could see an eerie paleness appearing at her fingertips. Completely devoid of color, they resembled a piece of pale, rotten wood.

But this is abnormal. This situation only occurs with puppets and illusions. And each time this state occurs, it usually indicates that the original entity has abandoned this vessel, thus using a 'backdoor' imposed on the puppet from the outset to directly obliterate and degrade it. This prevents others from discovering information about the original entity through traces on the puppet.

In the past, LeBlanc had lost count of how many times she had used this method to erase illusions that might reveal information about her. But now... this situation was happening to her?

For no apparent reason, a strong sense of resentment and hatred rose in LeBlanc's heart. And after that, LeBlanc couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating laugh—so this is what it feels like to discover that everything about you was a fabrication?

Recalling the illusions she had created, all of whom, like herself, believed themselves to be the true self, and how she had used the marks she left on them to instantly dissipate into pure magic, leaving no trace in the world, LeBlanc felt a strange sense of absurdity—was the self that had abandoned itself truly the true self?

"Yes. Those illusions you abandoned must have thought the same thing."

Farn shrugged—his expression was calm and casual. But from Farn's words, LeBlanc could more or less guess that, through the mental domain imprint he had placed on her, and with the deepening of its erosion, Farn could now even directly read some of her thoughts.

In the past, LeBlanc would have preferred death. But now…

LeBlanc pursed her lips, raised her head, and looked calmly at Fane: "So, why did you keep me here? Even helped me to continue to exist."

LeBlanc could sense that the reason she still existed, despite the fact that the 'original body' that created her had abandoned her, was because the mark that Fane had implanted in her body had replaced the ritual foundation of illusion magic.

Just like a computer case, although graphics cards are expensive, you can still power on an integrated graphics system without one. But without a power supply, even the best graphics card is useless.

Abandoned by her original self, LeBlanc's consciousness should have dissipated immediately. However, her consciousness, which should have vanished, is now firmly bound to her body by the Seal of Pleasure…

“You now have two choices. One is to voluntarily remove the Seal of Pleasure.” Looking at the silent LeBlanc, Fain said casually, “I have already removed some of the permissions on the Seal of Pleasure. If you wish, you can gain your freedom now and then disappear.”

"And the other one?" LeBlanc looked at Fain.

“The other is to do the things that ‘you’ used to want to do,” Farn replied.

Upon hearing Fain's words, LeBlanc nodded quietly after a moment of silence, then chuckled softly, "So this feeling is what those things I wanted to do to you in the past? A perfect answer... To be honest, I once thought you would say you would make me your slave, or something else, Master."

Upon hearing the change in address, Fain nodded and then said, "Although you're not exactly a saint, since you're one of my people, I prefer to let others make their own choices rather than force them—especially when our interests align."

Hearing Fain's words, LeBlanc nodded, then slowly got up from the ground and stood silently behind Fain without saying a word. If before LeBlanc knew, didn't understand, and didn't care, now she understood perfectly what those illusions she had personally abandoned were thinking in their last moments before they dissipated.

The hatred stemmed from the intense resentment that everything about her was false and fabricated. Especially when she sensed her consciousness beginning to dissipate, LeBlanc discovered how much she longed for her true self, the true self of her true self, all of LeBlanc's true self, and felt the same pain and despair.

The tremors of Blue Smoked Manor 84

Feeling the intense hatred for his own body being wasted, Fain understood completely. However, Fain had more important things to do, so he arranged for LeBlanc to step down.

Having received Fain's order, LeBlanc had no intention of disobeying. Instead, she nodded silently, then struggled to her feet, glanced back at Piltover behind her, and then disappeared into the shadows behind Fain.

Some things are just so strange. Even though she knew nothing about it before, as the truth was revealed, LeBlanc was shocked to find that if she really was the original, she would never have come to a small place like Piltover to cause trouble. At least, if she really was the original, she should have sent other clones here instead of condescending to come in person.

There's nothing here that's essential or irreplaceable for LeBlanc. Clearly, this is a hint that the original entity is giving itself.

Amidst a jumble of thoughts, LeBlanc disappeared from sight. Having dealt with the mercenaries, Fane casually brushed nonexistent dust off his shoulders and continued walking towards Blue Smoked Manor with an air of nonchalance.

After the recent battle with LeBlanc, even the most slow-witted idiot would now realize that this Ionian standing up for Zaun was no ordinary person. Consequently, Zaun's morale soared, while opportunists and ambitious individuals hiding among the Zaun and in the tunnels were utterly devastated.

The winds of change championed benevolence and equality. However, this didn't align with the interests of ambitious individuals—who preferred a chaotic Zaun, as this offered them a chance to climb the social ladder. But now…

Even the trading nobles of Piltover could only watch helplessly as Fain strolled leisurely down Piltover Avenue toward Blue Smoked Manor, carrying out his public execution before everyone's eyes. So, could the trading nobles, who already had little access to Zaun, really possibly restore it to its former state?

Suddenly, many ambitious individuals had to abandon their wait-and-see approach and began considering whether to simply leave Zaun... It was foreseeable that after this public execution, with Fane's return, the resistance to reform would greatly diminish. After all, even Piltover could only watch helplessly as the person they were supposed to protect was killed by Fane.

Knowing this as well, Stevan Firos looked at Farn, who was walking towards Blue Lavender Garden, and said with a regretful expression, "My dear friends, it seems our plan has come to an end. So, do you all still have some unknown tricks up your sleeves?"

Although he said this, Stevan's face was full of relief. Because at first, Stevan was quite unwilling—the flesh-toothed beast hunter he had placed high hopes on was the first to go out and the first to die. His helpless appearance even made Stevan doubt whether the beast hunter had really hunted down an oak rhinoceros alone, even though he had seen it all with his own eyes, Stevan still had doubts.

But now it seems there's no need for me to have doubts. Because the mercenaries from other families are just as easily defeated.

Especially that woman hired by the Middarda family, she seemed so powerful, single-handedly forming a legion of mages. And what happened in the end? Not only was she easily defeated, but she even became their slave. Looking at her submissive state, she had absolutely no will to resist… She was even worse than the flesh-toothed beast hunter I hired. At least that one died in battle, which was at least worth the money I paid.

While Jaggu Middalda could more or less understand Stevan's implied meaning, no anger or resentment appeared on her face. On the contrary, her face was filled with disbelief.

Others might not know who this witch is, but as the patriarch of the Middarda family in Piltover, Jaggu is a figure of considerable importance even within the main Noxian clan. Her presence in Piltover is solely due to a special mission assigned to her by her superiors.

Although Jaggu didn't know the true identity of the witch sent by the Noxian main clan to assist her, she knew very well that the witch could kill her and destroy Piltover with just a few simple commands. And now…

Treason? No, that can't be right. If it really was betrayal, it shouldn't be under these circumstances, in front of everyone. But if it wasn't betrayal, why did that woman's attitude change so drastically before and after? And...

Jaggu clearly remembered that along with this woman's arrival came news, or rather, orders, from the Noxian main branch—all plans in Piltover had to prioritize this woman's orders. In other words, although he publicly claimed that this witch was his hired henchman, in reality, he was her subordinate, and LeBlanc was the true head of the Middarda family's Piltover branch.

But now... why has Your Majesty surrendered first?

His face was full of bewilderment. Jagu had no time to care about Stevan's sarcastic remarks. After all, almost all of his power came from that woman's support, but now, without any warning, she had been fighting to the death one moment and had surrendered the next...

Recalling the numerous internal conflicts within the family that had been forcibly suppressed, a serious look flashed across Jagu's eyes. He then abruptly ended the communication and summoned his trusted confidants to discuss the next course of action.

Noticing Jaggu Middarda's angry departure from the channel, Stevan's face revealed a mocking expression. But just as Stevan was about to have a proper chat with the others in the channel, a figure suddenly appeared in the broadcast's view, blocking Farn's path.

At first, Stevan thought it was just another foolish idiot. But soon, Stevan realized that the person blocking Farn's path was none other than his sister Camille.

This left Stevan stunned and bewildered, and those thoughts quickly turned into terror. "Damn it! What are you doing, Camille! Are you trying to drag the entire Feros family down with those incompetent alchemical barons?!"

Now, even someone like Stevan has realized that the deaths of those alchemist barons are inevitable.

85. Execution

Ignoring the angry shouts from her younger brother over the communication channel, Camille remained calm, and as Farn approached, she slightly stepped aside to make way for him.

Fane, however, showed no intention of stopping and walked over leisurely, seemingly unconcerned about Camille's presence.

They continued walking until they reached the Hextech pressure lift leading to Bluemoon Manor. Camille then asked in a cool voice, "What is the purpose of all that you have done for Zaun?"

"Are you questioning me?" Farn asked back.

“No, I just want to say that Piltover can do better.” Hearing Fane’s words, Camille wasn’t intimidated by his voice. Instead, she said in a deep voice, “Piltover has a more advantageous geographical location, a more prosperous market, and a more advanced civilization. Especially with the development of Hextech crystal technology, the Explorers’ Guild has even participated in contact with, development of, and research in Freljord. If you need it, I believe many people in Blue Smoked Manor would be willing to serve you.”

"Including the Philos family?"

“Including the Firos family.” Upon hearing Farn’s words, Camille’s eyes flickered, and her voice was filled with determination.

Others may not understand Piltover's situation, but does Camille not? It seems that even the prestigious Firoux family at Blue Smoked Manor has to make constant compromises—the Hextech Crystal Factory is a product of those compromises.

It's important to understand that the Feros family, as the main investor in Piltover's Guard, is essentially investing in the Giramanen family. In turn, the Giramanen family invested in Jayce and acquired the patents related to Hextech Crystal technology developed by Jayce and Viktor.

This is a monopoly business—the Feros family has every reason to monopolize the profits, at most giving the Giramanen family and Jess and Victor, the developers, some extra dividends and honors.

But what was the final result? Almost every family benefited. The reason is simple: the Feralas' power was limited to Piltover. Families like the Middarda, besides having extensive influence in Piltover, also had support from the Noxian main branch.

Just like the witch who fought with Farn, Camille knew nothing about her background or identity. If the Firos family and the Middarda family suddenly turned against each other and started a war, the battle might be over before it even officially began.

Thinking it over, Camille quickly added, "Both Valoran and Shurima need a sufficiently convenient port as a trade hub. This is why Piltover has been able to maintain stability and prosperity—even Noxus needs a region for communication and trade with other city-states. But as you think, Piltover lacks an absolute military representative..."

“You make a good point.” Fane nodded, then turned to Camille beside him and said indifferently, “But I don’t need you.”

Upon hearing this, Camille fell silent. In the midst of that silence, the two arrived at Blue Smoked Manor. Camille then remained where she was, no longer following. Farn, however, went directly into the manor.

Pushing open the gate, a group of fully armed manor guards came into view. These soldiers, clad in Hextech armor, were completely different from the law enforcement officers and guards who were everywhere. They were far superior in both appearance and equipment. Not to mention Piltover, they would be considered a powerful army even in Noxus.

But now, looking at Fane, the guards simply gripped their weapons in silence. Although they had their weapons aimed at Fane, they dared not even make a sound, let alone launch an attack, for fear of attracting Fane's attention and causing the battle to begin prematurely.

"Where is the Alchemist Baron? Isn't he here? Or are you planning to resist to the very end?"

Looking at everyone, Fain's face was filled with surprise, then he said casually, "If everyone is ready, then hurry up and bring them up—time is running out!"

Upon hearing Fane's words, a brief silence fell over the room. Then, the door creaked open. A moment later, a man who appeared to be a butler emerged from the house, his expression gentle yet courteous, and said to Fane, "Sir, the Alchemist Baron and the others are here."

As they spoke, their gaze shifted to the area behind the butler. There, three alchemical barons of varying appearances stood, bound tightly by Piltover's security equipment, kneeling on the ground. Upon seeing Fane, their eyes were filled with terror and despair. Even in this state, however, the alchemical barons hadn't given up hope. One of them even struggled to crawl towards Fane on his knees. Although his mouth was gagged, he could still make muffled sounds from his mouth and throat, seemingly pleading.

Farn's face remained nonchalant—you can't believe these wicked people would choose to repent. Ultimately, they just know they're going to die, so they're trying every possible way to survive.

Sensing the casualness on Farn's face, the butler beside him smiled kindly and said, "After these alchemical barons fled to Piltover, the gentlemen of Blue Smoked Manor went to great lengths to apprehend them all. Originally, you and the councilors were planning to present them as a gift during Zaun's independence celebrations, but we didn't expect you to come in person. In that case, would you be interested in joining the gentlemen for a drink at the manor? We have prepared a grand feast for you—"

The butler was still rambling on, but Farn, bored out of his mind, waved his hand and turned to leave.

Seeing this, the butler's face showed a hint of surprise, but just as he was about to ask what should be done with these alchemist barons—whether to send them to Zaun or execute them on the spot—he suddenly heard several muffled sounds, as if some heavy object had fallen to the ground.

Turning around, the alchemical barons who had been kneeling and struggling desperately had fallen silent. They lay on the ground, their eyes rolled back, the whites of their eyes filled with dark red blood vessels, and thick blood seeping from their mouths and noses. Without any warning, they looked as if they had suffocated to death out of nowhere.

Having dealt with the alchemist barons, Farn headed straight for the elevator. Leaving Blue Smoked Manor, he walked past Camille, who was still waiting at the gate, and said unhurriedly, "Keep an eye on your foolish brother."

Camille remained silent.

86·Aftermath

For Fane, killing the Alchemist Baron was hardly a difficult task. In fact, if LeBlanc hadn't appeared, Fane would probably be yawning as he walked back.

But what Farn found rather tedious had a completely different meaning for the people of the Twin Cities.

Gazing at the image projected by the alchemy airship in the sky, Wei's mouth gaped open in astonishment. After a moment, she came to her senses, a complex expression appearing in her eyes.

This guy actually did it?

Vi wholeheartedly supports Fane's plan to publicly execute the Alchemist Baron in Piltover, and even hopes that Fane will succeed, ideally killing all the Alchemist Barons, including that guy Hilko—not only because they killed Vander, but more importantly, after leaving the Cleanwater Prison, before being persuaded by Caitlyn to join the Piltover Guard, Vi specifically researched the current state of Zaun.

Vi clearly remembered what Hilarko had said when he rebelled against Vander—he said Zaun would not remain weak, that Zaun would regain its backbone and courage, that Zaun would prosper again. But what was the final result? The entire Zaun was like a patient with a chronic illness who was suddenly kicked into the ICU.

Before, although I felt unwell, taking some medicine and exercising kept me from getting too much of a problem. But now, I'm practically half-dead, on the verge of dying, and these alchemical barons are still scrambling to divide my inheritance…

Vi initially wanted to do something, but Caitlin stopped her, stating that the root of the problem wasn't just Zaun. While from Mrs. Piltover's perspective, Caitlin's act of telling Vi the whole story might seem like a traitorous act, Vi saw Caitlin as pointing her in the right direction.

Ultimately, this isn't a secret. Once you reach a certain level, possess independent thinking skills, and genuinely want to change two cities, you can quickly grasp some of the key issues with just a little thought.

Out of love for Zaun, Vi genuinely hoped that Fain would succeed. However, Vi's rationality had been telling her that it was impossible. Piltover's strength was no longer what it was during Vander's era. Having passed the period of initial accumulation, with endless wealth and the technological explosion brought about by the Hextech Crystal revolution, Piltover was now powerful in almost every aspect. Aside from their sheer madness, Zaun wasn't even qualified to rival Piltover in other aspects.

The reason why Zaun still exists is not only because of its unique terrain, which makes it difficult to eradicate, but also because Piltover needs a place to bleed people out and divert internal pressure.

But now... has he really done it?

"Does that mean Jinx is right..." Vi muttered to herself, then fell into a brief silence. But then she shook her head. She felt things might not be so simple, but she wasn't quite there to figure it out. And with the clever Caitlyn not around, Vi decided to find a smart Zaunite to ask her sometime.

Vi was still thinking how great Fain had done, but for the real Piltover, the impact of this was not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

Amidst Viktor's exhilarating roar, Jess stood to the side, his mouth agape in disbelief.

Blue Smoked Manor is a dream paradise for any Piltover woman. The so-called Piltover dream is to change one's life through one's own efforts, talents, inventions, and creations, to own one's own super workshop, to live in Blue Smoked Manor, and to become a true member of Piltover's upper class.

As the residence of some of the wealthiest people in Piltover, Blue Smoked Estate naturally boasts the strongest security force in Piltover.

Top-tier Hextech weapons, rarely seen outside, abound at Bluesmok Manor, and spellcasters, warriors, and travelers from all over the world are frequently hired by trading nobles. Yet, this very place was breached head-on by a Zaunite… well, a Zaunite from Ionia? And in front of everyone, he murdered the alchemist barons Piltover was protecting…

Just then, Jess realized something and quickly went to the telescope by the window.