At the gates of the Demon King's Castle—
“Phew~ From here, let's walk to the residential district together!”
Lin Ling landed on the ground. Miss Saintess had decided that starting today, she would train her physical stamina!
She had a vague, ominous premonition that if she didn't start working out, her current abysmal stamina would lead to something terrible.
“But soulmate, can't you just use flight magic to get there?”
“Soulmate, sometimes you see much more by walking than by flying. This will be very helpful for clearing your mind.”
“I see. You are so thoughtful, soulmate.”
Lin Ling's words suddenly brought Kainster to a realization.
She couldn't exactly tell him that she wanted to train her weak body just to resist that terrifying Demon King.
So, my dear soulmate, I can only use you as an excuse to cover it up.
At that moment, the two of them held each other's hands tightly, their eyes filled with mutual gratitude.
“As expected of my soulmate, we think exactly alike,” they said in unison.
“Let's set off toward the residential district in the distance!”
“Right behind you, soulmate!”
“You don't mind if one more person joins this trip, do you?”
Hearing the voice, Lin Ling's forward step froze instantly.
“Why does Lord Demon King have to participate in this trip too?!”
“Mm-hmm~”
But Ivelia only chuckled, and the next moment, Lin Ling was scooped up and held tightly in her arms.
【Damn it, this move again.】
Lately, it seemed that as long as Miss Saintess didn't agree to her demands, the Demon King would directly hug her.
Hiding in the distance and using his elven secret arts, Phelan could only record this development exactly as it happened.
Watching the group begin to move, he cast an invisibility spell on himself and quietly followed.
As the recorder, he absolutely had to document such momentous occasions.
...
It had to be said, the air in the Demon King's Castle after the rain carried a wonderfully fresh scent.
Kainster's melancholy mood gradually dispersed along with the widening view before him.
“Soulmate, your method is indeed effective.”
“I feel much better now.”
“Do you feel the fresh air after the rain, carrying the scent of the crops?”
Kainster took a deep breath and turned around to offer a bright smile to Lin Ling, who had fallen to the back of the group.
At this moment, rather than the scent of rain, Lin Ling's nose was filled with a much more intense fragrance of violets.
When Kainster turned around, he only saw Lin Ling being held in the Demon King's arms, looking as if she had completely lost all motor functions.
She tremblingly raised a thumb toward him before letting it drop limply.
It seemed Miss Saintess's stamina had truly reached rock bottom.
It seemed Miss Saintess's outdoor adventure had ended before it even began.
“Hey~~ Miss Saintess—”
A voice suddenly echoed from the distance, calling out to her.
Lin Ling struggled to lift her head from Ivelia's chest. Someone seemed to be calling her from beneath a tree in the distance.
“It's Lady Leticia. It looks like they're calling us over?”
Zona, who had been following them all this time, suddenly spoke up.
Seeing Leticia waving at them from afar, Kainster waved back.
“They seem to want us to go over?”
“Let's go over then. It just so happens we have an exhausted Saintess here who needs a place to rest.”
“Ugh~~~~”
This Saintess, who had been so boastful at first, was now too lazy to even use her levitation magic, content to lie limply in Ivelia's arms.
Well, at least both of them were quite happy—one enjoyed holding the girl in her arms, while the other enjoyed the pleasure of not having to move.
By the time they reached Leticia, they found that she and Danasuo had already spread out a picnic blanket under the tree.
“Are you two planning to have lunch here?”
Although it was glaringly obvious, Kainster asked anyway.
“Yes, this is a wonderful spot that Danasuo found.”
Hearing Kainster's question, Danasuo proudly floated in front of the prince.
“Not only can you see the farmland below from here, but the breeze is also very cool!”
“Especially after getting into trouble—as long as you come here, you can monitor Mama's movements. Isn't it a fantastic spot?”
Hearing the little one's words, Kainster was reminded of his own childhood.
When he was a child, he also liked to climb the big tree in the imperial palace after getting into trouble.
That way, when his mother wanted to scold him, he could quickly make his escape.
At the thought, Kainster and Danasuo exchanged a look of mutual understanding.
“If you don't mind, you can join us for lunch.”
Ever since Leticia improved her Holy Light Stasis, her magic power had suddenly increased. As a result, she could now use some magic even while under suppression.
Though her spatial storage magic seemed to have been turned into a pantry by her tiny teacher.
“Sia! Those are my hard-earned savings!”
Seeing Leticia continuously pulling food out of her spatial storage, Danasuo wiped the smug grin off her face and flew toward her.
“Isn't food meant to be shared at times like this?”
“I mean, yes, but...”
“No buts.”
Leticia had already laid the food out on the picnic blanket.
“If you don't mind, please rest here with us for a while.”
Hearing Leticia's invitation, Ivelia was the first to respond.
She gently set Lin Ling down on the picnic blanket where she could see the fields below, then sat down herself and picked up a cookie from the plate.
“These cookies are excellent. Thank you.”
Seeing that the Demon King had sat down, the others followed suit.
“Mmm, these cookies really taste better than the ones made in the imperial palace.”
“Danasuo had to beg Mama for a very long time before she made them.”
Seeing Danasuo hiding in her shoulder pocket, not daring to watch everyone devour her precious stash, Leticia gently poked the little dragon's head.
“How about I bake some cookies next time to restock Teacher Danasuo's stash?”
Hearing Leticia's words, Danasuo poked half her head out.
“You have to make at least three... no, five batches to heal Teacher Danasuo's wounded soul.”
“Alright, alright. Whatever Teacher Danasuo says.”
Seeing the interaction between the two, Ivelia, who was eating a cookie, offered the cookie she had just taken a small bite of to the white fluffball lying beside her.
“Ah~ mnh~”
“Does it taste good?”
“It's delicious~”
Although she felt something was a bit off, another cookie was already brought to her lips.
“Ah-mnh~”
Seeing Lin Ling enjoy being hand-fed, a smile played on the corner of Ivelia's lips.
【This isn't right, is it? No matter how I look at it, this atmosphere is completely off!】
【Is this what Lord Phelan calls normal for the Demon King's Castle? There is clearly something wrong here!】
Seeing this scene, Zona began to wonder if Lord Phelan had stayed in the Demon King's Castle for so long that his common sense had warped.
“These cookies are indeed delicious, Zona. Why don't you try one?”
Kainster, on the other hand, didn't sense anything amiss at all, simply eating the cookies with relish.
“Never mind, it's nothing. I'm just glad you've recovered, Your Highness.”
Zona rubbed her temples, feeling that if she kept overthinking, she would be the one ending up depressed.
Rate on N.U.
