Chapter 63 Retreat
In the southern part of the Empire, in a city inhabited by halflings, the emperor’s army had just arrived to garrison and rest for a few days.
The local electors, to show their support for the emperor, offered their residences to high-ranking officials for accommodation.
The Holy Maiden Jenna was fortunate to be assigned a quiet room with windows facing the back garden, where she could smell the aromas wafting from the halflings’ large pots.
The room was elegantly decorated, with deer heads, wild boar heads, and golden ladles hanging on the walls, complemented by furniture wrapped in silver trim. It was clear that the owner held this place in high regard, though the ceiling was somewhat low.
There was only one person in the room. She seemed to be enveloped in a faint white glow, dressed in loose pajamas, and with a physique that somewhat obscured her shape. The Holy Maiden reached out to embrace the table.
Her damp golden hair was casually tucked behind her ears, and on her fair, oval face, a pair of emerald green eyes radiated with joy. In her hand, a metallic magical pen transformed her happiness into words, scribing them onto paper.
“…My dear, please don’t worry about me. Although it is said to be the largest green-skinned invasion in history, the emperor has already contacted the king of the Mountain Kingdom, the supreme king of the dwarves. The dwarves will surely fulfill the ancient covenant…
“…The worst-case scenario is to confront the orcs at the Obsidian Pass. Even if they were to devastate the southern kingdom, they must march north from the Obsidian Pass. Historically, when Sigma was still mortal, he defeated the greenskins alongside the dwarves at the Obsidian Pass, and I believe the current emperor will recreate that glory….”
“…My dear, I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages. I think of your sapphire blue eyes; if we meet again, how will your sapphire blue eyes look at me? I’ve imagined many times the scene when we reunite.”
“…I can’t wait. Once this war is over, I must ask the emperor for leave to see you and touch your face.”
“…By the way, I’m grateful for Jimma’s help; I feel I may have a chance to advance to Diamond.”
After filling an entire page, Jenna, with a slightly flushed face, smiled as she placed the letter in an envelope, held it against her skin to warm it with her body heat, then set it down and sealed it with wax.
“By the way, and Jimma, I haven’t seen her in a long time. It seems she forgot how to visit me in my dreams; she might still be evading pursuers. I wonder if she is well?” said the Holy Maiden Jenna. “I hope she finds George soon.”
Jenna took out another blank sheet of paper, leaned forward to avoid being blocked by her chest, and wrote:
“Jimma, I wonder if you’ve ever been to a halfling city. Every halfling is a born chef; it is said that the halflings earned the position of minister to the emperor by cooking for him. I used to think that the emperor must be quite foolish until the night before last, when I was treated to a banquet by the halfling minister.”
“It was so delicious! There’s a good reason why the emperor selected the halflings as ministers.”
“You would definitely love it here; the best halfling chefs are gathered. They have a wonderful pot that simmers various delicacies day and night, and the aroma can be smelled ten miles away. In other noble families, they inherit potion recipes, secrets of magic, or divine favor, while the nobility here passes down an array of secret recipes.”
“…Although typically secret recipes are not shared, the halfling minister agreed to teach me a thing or two upon my request. When we finally meet, I will teach you myself. It has been so long since we cooked together in the kitchen. I remember you hated chili peppers, and you had to wash your fingers three times after touching them.”
The thought of one day being able to teach Jimma how to cook made the Holy Maiden Jenna even happier.
“…Thank you for helping me overcome my inner demons. I haven’t had nightmares in a long time and can cook normally now. Following your advice, I made a dish for the halfling minister alone; after taking a bite, he shed tears. I suppose it was the nostalgia for the time we all spent together that I infused into the dish that moved him.”
“After finishing, he praised my immense potential, saying I was very talented, and he had never seen such a gifted student before. He recommended an even better halfling chef to me. Unfortunately, he had already eaten pastries before and was on a diet, so he couldn’t eat any more after one bite.”
“My halfling chef teacher, reputed to be the best chef in the city, is an elderly halfling. It is said he has experienced many things; everyone is worried about the greenskin issue and goes about with a sad face, but he remains unfazed. Even when I almost set the fire in the pot to his face, he didn’t utter a word, his hand holding the pot steady.”
“…When I mentioned your name to him, he was so scared that his legs trembled, he dropped the iron pot on the ground, foamed at the mouth, and nearly fainted…”
“Later, I learned that he has a deep-seated fear of your name, which has nothing to do with you, but rather the evil associated with a demon king named Kima, whose name sounds just like yours. In the chef’s circle, mentioning his name is taboo, and everyone refers to him in relation to that person….”
“The demon king Kima has some malevolent plot, plundering halfling chefs everywhere. Not even halfling chefs working for the supreme king are spared; that poor chef stays in the heavily guarded underground city of the dwarves, living in the same palace as the supreme king, and cannot escape the demon king’s grasp.”
“Naturally, he didn’t spare this city either; he snatched away several top halfling chefs from the list. Before leaving, he made sure to pack all the food from the ‘wonderful pot’.”
“…Unfortunately, my teacher was one of them. All the halfling chefs were interrogated for their recipe formulas, though I don’t know for what evil plan they were to be used. My teacher is the most stubborn and uncooperative; the demon king Kima tortured him, feeding him only some dreadful food called ‘Five-Kernel Mooncake’ for a whole year…”
“…After breaking down the prisoners’ resistance, the demon king Kima forcibly extracted their knowledge of recipes using dark magic…”
“The demon king Kima is incredibly evil, and to think his crimes can also reach the city of gastronomy.”
After sharing her interesting experiences on paper, the Holy Maiden Jenna wrote: “…I haven’t seen you in a long time. When can you come to my dreams and talk to me?”
After finishing, Jenna neatly folded Jimma’s letter, carefully placed it into the envelope, sealed it, and set it on top of George’s envelope.
She yawned, rubbed her slightly swollen belly, stood up, lay down on her bed, covered herself with a blanket, closed her eyes, and slowly fell asleep.
In the distance, the clock tower in the city struck twelve-thirty.
While napping, Jenna’s senses became hazy.
Suddenly, something stirred her intuition, like a stone dropping into a calm pond.
She opened her eyes wide; everything around her was foggy, as if she was in a mist. A figure appeared before her. The Holy Maiden Jenna could see clearly through the white mist; it was Jimma, on tiptoes, one foot suspended in the air, resembling a thief caught in the act.
The Holy Maiden Jenna looked at that familiar yet unfamiliar face with joy, wanting to call out Jimma’s name. When her gaze fell on Jimma’s now uneven chest, she hesitated a moment before asking:
“Who are you?”
“Ha, I knew you wouldn’t recognize me.” Jimma crossed her arms, “I’m Jimma, I’ve advanced to Platinum and grown taller.”
“Really? That’s wonderful!”
The Holy Maiden Jenna was quite pleased and embraced Jimma.
The large bust of the Holy Maiden pressed against Jimma’s soft chest. A delightful pressure surged through, both soft and ticklish, even someone as experienced as Jimma couldn’t help but feel a flush of excitement on her face.
Even though in her past life as a demon king, she had held many women with large chests and tasted many forms of “chest feelings,” this sensation was still a first for her.
After all, she hadn’t had a chest in her past life, only firm pectoral muscles.
Before Jimma could fully register, Jenna released her embrace, and Jimma looked longingly at Jenna’s chest.
She hadn’t even had the chance to nuzzle.
Jenna misinterpreted Jimma’s gaze, puffed out her chest, and smiled, “Jimma, you’re actually shy! Come let me see how much taller you’ve gotten.”
As she spoke, she reached out to touch the top of Jimma’s head to gauge her height.
“You seem a bit taller than me.”
“Clearly a whole head taller.” Jimma pointed at her horns, “You didn’t account for those.”
“That doesn’t count,” Jenna said. “Jimma, you’re getting more and more beautiful; your skin is so nice, without a single pore, truly enviable.”
“It’s all thanks to that guy George.” Jimma perceived from Jenna’s eyes that she too hoped for compliments, so she praised, “Your chest is so—broad, gentle, and charming, thanks to George.”
The Holy Maiden Jenna’s eyes sparkled with happiness, “Jimma, you really know how to flatter; it’s been so long since we’ve met. I’ve missed you a bit.”
She clasped Jimma’s hand and looked around. “This dream is so empty; there isn’t even a chair.”
Jimma snapped her fingers, and a lush green meadow spread around her feet. A stream appeared, bordered by rows of cherry blossom trees in full bloom.
A blanket appeared beside the two women, with a large soft pillow tempting them to lie down, accompanied by a low soft bed. The warm spring breeze carried hints of peach blossom fragrance, making one feel lazy and inclined toward something “romantic.”
Jimma casually lay down on the soft pillow, and the Holy Maiden Jenna followed her lead, lying down on her side, the neckline of her nightgown loosening, her snowy white softness pressing together, deeply sinking into the soft pillow.
Jimma looked appreciatively, casually handing Jenna a banana.
“No, I just had lunch.” Jenna said, “What a warm spring; I really envy your ability to enjoy it whenever you want.”
“It’s great, but sometimes being alone is too boring.” Jimma said, “I don’t know if you’ll have time in the future, but if you do, come visit my ‘Dream Palace’ sometime.”
“Dream Palace? Can I go?”
“Since the battle of Marlin, I’ve had some breakthroughs and can invite people to my Dream Palace.” Jimma lied, “I won’t tell others except those I trust.”
Extraordinary individuals usually keep their abilities tightly under wraps.
The Holy Maiden Jenna smiled, “I understand; I won’t tell anyone else. Did you come today to take me to see your Dream Palace?”
“No.” Jimma said, “About fifty people are waiting for you to heal them.”
Jenna’s expression instantly turned serious; she sat up and asked, “Where?”
Jimma briefly mentioned the Battle of Withered Wood Mountain and her abilities.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Jenna said, “Let me wake up and prepare. In twenty minutes, I’ll take medicine and sleep; you come to get me on time. Jimma, you should have told me earlier, though it has indeed been a long time since we’ve seen each other.”
Holy Maiden Jenna was decisive. Jimma had initially wanted to casually mention that Eve Frostleaf was also present to stir up more chaos in George’s harem but had to hold her tongue for now, waiting for the right opportunity.
