Dusk—
“Here is your tea. Please be careful, it's a bit hot.”
Niya carried two cups of warm tea and gently placed them on the table in the reception room.
In the meeting room, Cecil was staring at the two people in front of him with a dangerous look in his eyes.
Cecil sat opposite the two, his scorpion tail swaying gently behind him.
His gaze repeatedly swept over them, as if he were sizing them up to decide where to begin his interrogation.
These two had suddenly appeared near the Demon King's Castle at noon.
And at almost the exact same time, an extremely violent conflict had erupted at the border.
Cecil did not believe for a second that these two events were completely unrelated.
Furthermore, the location where they appeared was also very strange.
They had teleported directly into the area covered by the Holy Light Stasis.
Ever since he had brought them here, the man dressed in white cloth clothes had been shivering non-stop.
He did not look like a dangerous person at all.
But this woman...
Cecil narrowed his eyes slightly.
His scrutinizing gaze locked onto the red-haired woman sitting opposite him.
Whether it was her posture, her expression, or her composure in front of a demon, everything about her exuded the highly trained etiquette of a noble.
“Cecil, don't look at our guests with that kind of gaze.”
Just then, a small bat flew in through the window. After circling the reception room once, it landed on Cecil's shoulder.
Aliviel's voice whispered from the bat's mouth, ensuring that only Cecil could hear her.
“The identities of these two have been confirmed.”
“Phelan is unwilling to show his face.”
“As for the man dressed in white cloth...”
The swaying of Cecil's tail paused.
“The Second Prince?”
He looked back at the shivering man.
No matter how he looked at him, the man did not look like a prince at all.
If even Phelan was unwilling to show his face, then it must involve the elves.
Otherwise, with Phelan's personality of wanting to personally record everything, there was no way he wouldn't even show his face.
Having been stared at by Cecil for an entire afternoon, Kainster's body was still trembling slightly.
He had clearly used the emergency teleportation gem preserved inside the imperial palace.
Why had he teleported directly to a place like this?
And the people here did not look friendly at all!
Just look at the guy opposite him.
That scorpion-like tail.
And that shifty, suspicious look in his eyes when he smiled.
At the thought that he might be subjected to cruel and unusual treatment, Kainster's face turned even paler.
“Your Highness,”
Zona reminded him in a low voice,
“please remain calm.”
“I-I am very calm, really.”
Zona was not as panicked as Kainster.
What she cared about more at this moment was the familiar wind-attribute magic nearby.
She felt as though she had encountered this magical aura a very long time ago.
It felt just like that person...
But before she could think further, the door to the reception room was suddenly pushed open.
“Hey, is this what that dragon left behind?”
The moment Baroque walked in, he saw Kainster trembling all over, sitting opposite Cecil.
Cecil glanced at him.
“Well...”
“While I would love to answer your question first...”
“I believe the more pressing matter right now is to put down Miss Saintess, who is about to lose all signs of life on your shoulder.”
Cecil looked at Lin Ling, who was slung over Baroque's shoulder.
The white fluffball, who was usually so energetic, had now gradually turned a dull greyish-white.
Her limbs hung limply, and her eyes had completely lost their luster.
Cecil could already picture Baroque being hung from the clock tower.
Baroque glanced at Lin Ling on his shoulder, then lifted her in front of Cecil like a toy.
“This kid is just hungry.”
“Hungry...”
Lin Ling stared at Cecil, letting out a whisper that sounded like a dying wraith.
Baroque set her down in the seat next to Cecil.
The moment Lin Ling touched the chair, her entire body went limp like a puddle of liquid.
“Waaah! Miss Saintess!”
Niya immediately rushed to Lin Ling's side.
She grabbed Lin Ling's hand and checked her face.
“Miss Saintess, are you alright?”
“Food...”
Lin Ling weakly reached out her hand.
“I need food...”
Watching this scene, Kainster leaned slightly closer to Zona.
“Hey, Zona, are you sure they're actually demons?”
Zona ignored the prince's question.
She took out a biscuit from her pouch.
“Um, if this young lady is hungry, I have some food here.”
Zona handed over a compressed biscuit used by the Empire for emergencies.
“If possible, I suggest soaking it to soften it first.”
To ensure a long shelf life, these biscuits were made incredibly hard.
Even soldiers who frequently went on dangerous missions would soak them in hot water before eating.
Zona placed the biscuit on the table.
Lin Ling's nose twitched, as if she had caught the scent of the biscuit.
“Eh?”
Niya suddenly felt her hands go empty.
Lin Ling, who had been held by her just a moment ago and looked completely incapacitated, sat bolt upright in an instant.
She was already eating?!
Crunch...
The only sound left in the reception room was that of Lin Ling crunching on the biscuit.
The military biscuit, which was so hard that it required soaking, posed absolutely no obstacle to her teeth.
Everyone watched in silence as Lin Ling devoured the entire biscuit.
“Phew~ I'm saved, I'm saved.”
Color returned to Lin Ling's body.
She leaned back against the chair and exhaled a sigh of satisfaction.
Niya: “...”
Cecil: “...”
Zona glanced at the biscuit wrapper in her hand.
She began to wonder if the Empire needed to retest the hardness of these biscuits.
Having recovered, Lin Ling looked up.
First, she looked at the red-haired woman in front of her.
Then, she looked at the man beside her.
This red-haired older sister looks a lot like a teacher.
And this one...
Lin Ling stared at Kainster for a moment.
Uh... an extra?
Kainster failed to leave any distinct impression on her whatsoever.
But Lin Ling quickly recalled what Furni had said before she left.
The great guardian dragon has delivered the first step to changing the world right into your hands.
Which meant...
These two in front of her were the first step to saving the world?
Furni-chan, Miss Saintess has received them!
Meanwhile, back in the capital, Furni, who was helping Karl distribute food, suddenly sneezed.
“Achoo!”
Furni rubbed her nose.
Can the great guardian dragon actually catch a cold?
But compared to why she sneezed, there was something else far more worthy of her attention right now.
Furni looked at the food being delivered to the slums today.
Bread, vegetable soup, and even a small amount of jerky.
Seeing that the quality of today's food had completely doubled, Furni narrowed her eyes.
Since when did this guy Karl become so rich?
She watched Karl, who was distributing bread to the commoners not far away, the suspicion in her eyes growing more pronounced.
Where on earth did this old guy get his money from?
Meanwhile, in the reception room of the Demon King's Castle.
“Well, they aren't bad people!”
Lin Ling stood up under everyone's watchful eyes.
She placed her hands on her hips and made her judgment.
Cecil looked at Lin Ling.
“And your reasoning?”
“A feeling.”
Lin Ling said seriously,
“a Saintess's intuition.”
Cecil: “...”
That reason had absolutely zero persuasiveness.
And Lin Ling had literally just dismissed that man as a background character.
“Let these two stay.”
“Consider it doing a favor for a friend.”
Just then, Ivelia's voice came from the doorway of the reception room.
Everyone instinctively looked toward the door.
Ivelia had stood there at some point.
Strangely enough, Lin Ling, who had been standing by the table just a second ago, was now being held by her side.
Lin Ling: “...Eh?”
Why did Miss Saintess's position suddenly change?
“Wait! Why did you just casually drag Miss Saintess along with you?!”
Lin Ling stared her hand, which was held firmly by Ivelia, and screamed dramatically.
Ivelia completely ignored her protests.
“These two were tossed over by an irresponsible dragon. Cecil, arrange a room for them first. Our two guests will be staying here for a while.”
After leaving her instructions, Ivelia walked out of the reception room, dragging along a still-struggling Lin Ling.
“W-Wait a minute!”
“Lady Demon King, slow down!”
Lin Ling's voice gradually faded down the hallway.
Cecil watched the direction in which they departed.
Then, he turned his head and looked at Kainster and Zona sitting opposite him.
“It seems your fate has been decided. This way, please.”
He stood up from his chair.
Kainster and Zona were still processing what had just been said.
Tossed over by a dragon?
The two exchanged a look.
Everything made sense now. The only person capable of altering the destination of the imperial palace's teleportation gem had to be that one.
Far away, Furni sneezed once more.
“Achoo!”
She rubbed her nose, her gaze toward Karl becoming even more dangerous.
Where on earth did this old guy Karl get the money for these supplies this time?
To think he actually managed to hide it from the great guardian dragon.
Rate on N.U.
