That evening.
Lin Ling hummed a tuneless little melody as she walked through the corridors of the Demon King's Castle with a light step.
She was in a very good mood today.
“Just because— baby, oh-oh~”
She hummed as she walked along the wall.
The magic stone lamps on the wall emitted a faint purple light.
The corridors of the Demon King's Castle were as long and winding as ever.
If it had been the Lin Ling who first arrived, she probably would have started questioning her life after only twenty steps.
But things were different now.
She was no longer the ordinary Pet Saintess who would get lost the moment she stepped out of her room.
She had evolved.
She could now determine her direction—albeit barely—by the dark patterns on the walls, the arrangement of the magic stone lamps, and certain small arrows Cecil had drawn at some corners.
Although, there was very suspicious text written next to those arrows.
For example—
【Dedicated Navigation for the Pet Saintess.】
【Turn left. Stay out of the kitchen.】
【Keep going and you'll get lost again.】
When Lin Ling first saw them, she was furious.
Then she honestly followed the arrows.
She had no choice.
Between her dignity and not getting lost, she chose not getting lost.
Today, her destination was clear.
The bathhouse.
The bathhouse of the Demon King's Castle was one of Lin Ling’s favorite facilities since coming here.
While the demons' food had once been highly suspicious, they were surprisingly particular about their living environment.
The rooms were large, the beds were soft, and the bathhouse was spacious.
There was even a magical hot water pool that automatically maintained its temperature.
When Lin Ling first learned that the Demon King's Castle had a bathhouse, she was so moved she nearly ascended to heaven on the spot.
At that time, she had been tossing and turning in this other world for an entire day.
Her entire being, from her spirit to her body, was in a state of chaos, wondering, “Who am I, where am I, and why am I still alive?”
Then Niya had carefully told her:
“Miss Saintess, if you need to wash up, I can take you to the bathhouse.”
Lin Ling’s eyes lit up instantly.
A bath! Hot water!
She practically bounced off the bed.
“Lead the way!”
Niya was startled by her reaction.
Then she obediently led her to the bathhouse.
But just as they reached the entrance, Lin Ling froze.
Because she suddenly realized an extremely serious problem.
She was a girl now.
Physically.
Outwardly.
When she wore her Saintess dress, everyone treated her like Miss Saintess.
So, here was the question.
Which side should she enter?
If there were separate baths for men and women, should she enter the women's bath?
But she used to be a man.
Although her “manhood” had physically disappeared.
The memories remained.
The soul remained.
Her sense of shame also remained.
In that moment, standing at the bathhouse entrance, Lin Ling fell into a near-philosophical contemplation.
Niya even asked her quite naturally:
“Miss Saintess, would you like me to accompany you inside?”
Lin Ling nearly split apart on the spot.
Go in together? Bathe together?!
No.
That wouldn't do.
That was too much of a test for human nature.
Even though she was a girl now.
Even though Niya was also a girl.
Lin Ling felt that as someone who had once possessed manhood, she had to maintain her final moral baseline.
“This... is a trial!”
And so, with a solemn expression, she refused.
“No need.”
Niya blinked.
“But it is Miss Saintess’s first time; you might not be familiar with the facilities inside.”
Lin Ling placed her hands on Niya’s shoulders, her tone heavy.
“Niya.”
“Yes?”
“As long as one is alive, there are trials one must face alone.”
Niya: “?”
Lin Ling took a deep breath and pointed a finger toward the bathhouse, her expression profound.
“Today, I shall conquer the bathhouse alone. This is my battle.”
Niya didn't understand at all at the time.
But she still nodded very obediently.
Later, Lin Ling went in alone, keeping her head down the whole time, looking neither left nor right, while chanting “I am the Saintess, I am the Saintess, I am the Saintess” countless times in her head.
Fortunately, there was no one in the bathhouse then.
Otherwise, she felt she might have performed a Saintess Boiling Technique on the spot.
Recalling this, Lin Ling couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
“Fortunately, my will was firm back then.”
“Otherwise, I would have committed an irreversible mistake on my first day in another world.”
As she thought this, she reached the bathhouse entrance.
It was quiet outside the bathhouse.
It wasn't that early.
Usually, most demons had already finished bathing and gone back to rest.
Lin Ling chose this time precisely because there was usually no one here.
She nodded with great satisfaction.
“Nice.”
“Miss Saintess’s Off-Peak Bathing Plan is perfectly executed today as well.”
She reached out and pushed the door open.
Steam rushed toward her.
A faint mist billowed out from within.
The bathhouse was paved with dark stone tiles, and the pool water glowed with a soft, warm light.
A thin layer of mist floated on the surface of the water.
The air carried a faint scent of herbs and wood.
Lin Ling had only just taken a step inside.
Then her entire body froze instantly.
There was someone in the pool.
Not just anyone.
It was someone she was very familiar with.
Long black hair hung damply over her shoulders.
Dark red eyes looked up slightly through the mist.
Ivelia leaned against the edge of the pool, the water reaching her shoulders. The mist blurred most of her silhouette, revealing only that calm and beautiful face.
She also seemed to have just noticed the movement at the door.
Their gazes met through the steam.
Lin Ling’s brain crashed on the spot.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
In the next moment, with the fastest reaction speed of her life, she slammed herself back outside the door.
“Thud.”
She closed the door gently.
Not forcefully.
Because she was afraid of making noise.
But the action itself was enough to explain the situation.
Lin Ling leaned her back against the wall next to the bathhouse door, her pupils trembling.
Only one sentence flashed repeatedly in her mind—
The Demon King is inside?
Why is the Demon King bathing at this time?!
Wait.
The Demon King obviously needs to bathe too.
That’s not the point.
The point is, why now of all times?
Why exactly when she pushed the door open?
Why did her life recently always trigger high-difficulty events in the strangest places?
Lin Ling slowly raised her hand and covered her face.
“Calm down.”
“Lin Ling, calm down.”
“You are a girl now.”
“In theory, it’s not a big deal.”
“Wait, it is a big deal.”
“That is the Demon King.”
“And she is currently bathing.”
“I’m doomed. Am I going to be silenced?”
She fell silent for a moment.
Then she secretly turned her head and peeked inside through the edge of the door crack.
In the mist, that black silhouette was still in the pool.
Those dark red eyes were looking calmly toward the door.
Lin Ling immediately pulled back.
Confirmed.
It wasn't a hallucination.
It really was Ivelia.
Lin Ling took a deep breath.
She decided to retreat, to leave quietly.
Pretend nothing happened.
Anyway, as long as her movements were light enough, the Demon King might just think it was the wind.
Even though it was unlikely to have wind inside the Demon King's Castle.
But it was a magical world.
Anything could happen.
Lin Ling stood on her tiptoes.
One step.
Two steps.
Three—
“Lin Ling.”
A calm voice came from within the bathhouse.
Lin Ling froze completely.
I’m finished.
I've been caught.
She slowly turned her head and looked at the door, her voice weak.
“L-Lord Demon King.”
There was a moment of silence inside.
Ivelia said:
“Come in.”
Lin Ling: “...”
She looked at the door.
The door looked at her.
Lin Ling felt that the life choice she was currently facing was even more dangerous than when she was making the domain core.
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