Lin Ling sat cross-legged in midair, seriously pondering what she should do next.
She had finally escaped the Demon King's gaze.
Though she didn't know how long this escape would last,
at least for this very moment, Miss Saintess was free.
But—
“I finally made it out, but I have no idea what to do! I don't want this!”
Lin Ling clutched her chest, looking utterly devastated.
Getting a rare chance to go out, only to realize she had no destination or goal.
This realization was truly heartbreaking.
“Could the great Miss Saintess have actually become unable to live without the Demon King?!”
“Oh, Lin Ling, Lin Ling.”
“How could you have degenerated so much?”
At this point, Lin Ling gave it some serious thought.
“Though, sitting next to the Demon King isn't actually that bad.”
By now, the food in the Demon King's Castle could basically meet everyone's needs.
Whenever the Demon King was working, Niya would occasionally bring over some small snacks like cookies.
Even though those snacks always ended up in Miss Saintess's belly in the end,
that wasn't important.
What mattered was that sitting next to the Demon King was indeed very comfortable.
And there were cookies.
No, wait.
Lin Ling shook her head vigorously.
“Dangerous! This train of thought is way too dangerous!”
“How could Miss Saintess allow herself to be corrupted by cookies!”
But speaking of cookies, Lin Ling suddenly remembered something.
“Right!”
“Niya said she went back to the residential district recently.”
A few days ago, Niya had suddenly mentioned that she was returning to the residential district to study and research some new dishes.
Supposedly, it was so Miss Saintess could enjoy a wider variety of food.
Back then, Niya had even specifically requested a study permit for the residential district from Ivelia.
Maybe Niya had already come up with some great dishes by now.
Thinking of this, Lin Ling immediately felt she had a goal.
“Alright! Today's goal for the great Miss Saintess has been decided!”
“To inspect Niya's new dishes!”
Lin Ling closed her eyes and sensed Niya's mana.
Once she picked up on the powerful mana inside Niya's body, her figure vanished from the sky above the Demon King's Castle.
Meanwhile, Niya was still farming in the fields.
“Niya, you've gotten much more skilled lately.”
Mrs. Nashi looked at the hard-working Niya, and then at Leticia not too far away, who was still holding her tools rather awkwardly. Her voice carried a trace of relief.
Whenever she recalled Niya suddenly showing up at her doorstep a few days ago with a massive pile of luggage, Mrs. Nashi still found it hard to believe.
Even though Niya had sent her a magic letter beforehand,
Mrs. Nashi had still been utterly shocked to see the little maid standing at her door with a mountain of luggage.
Furthermore, over the past few days, this child's diligence had been downright terrifying.
Every day, long before dawn, Niya would already be waiting at the door.
On the first day, Mrs. Nashi had stepped outside only to find a little maid in a maid outfit standing there.
The little maid had even bowed to her with utmost seriousness.
“Mrs. Nashi, please guide me again today.”
Remembering how a maid had suddenly appeared at her door before dawn, scaring her so badly that her tail thrashed wildly, Mrs. Nashi smiled wryly.
That thrashing had left a huge crack in the wall that was still there today.
Yet Niya herself remained completely oblivious to the shock she had caused Mrs. Nashi.
“Phew~”
Niya wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“Today's harvest should let me make even more cookies for Miss Saintess.”
Just thinking of Miss Saintess's happy face while eating cookies filled Niya with a deep sense of satisfaction.
Especially since she had learned how to make cookies taste even better from Mrs. Nashi, Miss Saintess had polished off every single bite.
Granted, Miss Saintess always finished every scrap of food anyway.
But Niya felt it was different.
If it was a cookie she made herself that Miss Saintess polished off, it was completely different!
“Whoa~ ahhh!”
“Where is this?!”
Just as Niya was thinking of Miss Saintess, she suddenly heard a very familiar voice coming from right above her.
Niya's body stiffened.
Then, she slowly looked up.
“Haha.”
“Am I missing Miss Saintess so much that I'm hearing things?”
“How am I hearing her voice all the way out here?”
As Niya thought this, she looked up and saw a white figure falling straight toward her.
Niya: “...”
So... it wasn't a hallucination.
“M-Miss Saintess!”
Niya hurriedly dropped her tools and reached her hands out toward the sky.
Lin Ling landed squarely in Niya's arms—a perfect score!
“A perfect landing! Full marks!”
Lin Ling snuggled in Niya's arms, wearing a brilliant smile.
Niya held Lin Ling in her arms.
Seeing her complete lack of any sense of danger, Niya felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest.
“Miss Saintess!”
“Next time you come over, please give me a warning!”
Looking at Lin Ling in her arms, Niya felt that Miss Saintess was especially like a child at times like this.
Actually, Miss Saintess was usually like a child anyway.
It was just particularly obvious in moments like this.
“Heehee.”
“I'll definitely be careful next time.”
Looking at Niya, whose body was still smudged with a bit of dirt, Lin Ling pressed her hands together in a pleading, apologetic gesture.
Niya looked at her, her eyes filled with helpless resignation.
“You say that every time.”
“But you never actually pay attention.”
“T-This time I really mean it.”
Lin Ling averted her eyes.
“Miss Saintess only came over because she sensed Niya's mana.”
“This shows that Miss Saintess cares about Niya very much.”
Niya: “...”
Leticia: “...”
Leticia, who was holding her tools nearby, silently stopped what she was doing upon hearing this.
Mrs. Nashi also walked over from the other side of the field.
She looked at Lin Ling, who was being cradled in Niya's arms, and let out a warm, slightly amused smile.
“Miss Saintess, you've arrived.”
“Mrs. Nashi!”
Lin Ling immediately raised her head from Niya's arms.
“Miss Saintess has come to conduct an inspection of the residential district.”
“An inspection?”
Mrs. Nashi looked at her.
Then she looked at Niya, who was still holding her.
“Are you here to inspect how Niya's studies are coming along?”
Lin Ling's body stiffened.
Then, she nodded with utmost seriousness.
“That's right, exactly.”
“The great Miss Saintess deeply cares about the results of Niya's studies.”
Hearing this, the helpless look on Niya's face instantly turned into one of solemn determination.
“Please rest assured, Miss Saintess! Niya has learned many new things recently.”
But in the next second, Niya suddenly seemed to recall something.
She looked down at Lin Ling.
“But Miss Saintess, why did you come here all by yourself?”
Lin Ling: “...”
Niya continued to press:
“Where is the Demon King?”
Lin Ling: “...”
The air in the fields suddenly fell dead silent.
Rate on N.U.
