Chapter: 54. Don’t Guess Blindly (4K)
“Heh, this is interesting. I never thought I could reach any consensus with a hero from the human race.”
“We can sit at the same negotiation table and talk… all thanks to Xue Fei…”
“That’s right! You don’t see how great Queen Sister is. Though she usually acts mischievously, when it comes to big matters, her perspective is quite broad. Her thoughts are beyond what you and I can fathom.”
“Exactly! Xue Fei usually keeps quiet, but she remains very calm in times of trouble. Unfortunately, most people probably don’t notice this. Sister Belis, you understand her well!”
“Tsk, don’t call me with such disgusting titles! Well, your understanding of Queen Sister’s merits really helps a lot. By the way, Queen Sister likes to add green onions when eating grilled fish, and make sure to add plenty of them.”
Belis was “showing off” her understanding of Queen Sister and, by the way, establishing her power over her rival.
Who knew Xiya could handle it completely!
“I know… adding green onions is basic. Not just green onions, but also minced garlic, it has to be crushed well. It’s best to have a small bowl of broth made from cabbage and mushrooms. That flavor, that’s what Xue Fei loves the most.”
“What…?! Why haven’t I heard about this? Explain in detail!”
“……”
Princess Xue Fei was sitting by the lake, beside the water plants.
She patted the horse, which was grazing, quietly listening to their conversation.
By the way… the two of them were chatting enthusiastically without arguing, which is quite nice.
—But why do the topics of conversation always revolve around me?
And can you not exchange my information like that? I’m not some state secret!
The small hand patting the horse’s head grew increasingly forceful—echoing Xue Fei’s gradually suppressed mood.
That is what…
To be honest, Xue Fei was quite grateful to Belis.
Belis likely wanted to stay here tonight.
But she couldn’t be as willful as Xue Fei.
There are only two princesses of the demon race. One has already settled in Aulus Kingdom, and if the other disappears from the demon territory, it would be equivalent to the demon race losing its anchor, causing a lot of suspicion. Moreover, the current unstable situation could easily lead to chaos.
Hearing that Belis wouldn’t be staying here tonight, Xue Fei’s “happiness” was not genuine joy.
She simply didn’t know how to face Belis at this stage.
It was obvious that Belis’ feelings for her had, in a certain sense, slightly… um, probably slightly twisted?
She had changed, but Xue Fei definitely couldn’t turn around the impression she carried of Belis in her heart all at once.
In Xue Fei’s heart, Belis was always that little girl who chased after her, shouting “Queen Sister” while holding a four-leaf clover. She was a somewhat fragile, yet always striving to become stronger, little sister.
Pulling out the half-eaten water plants from the horse’s mouth and throwing them into the lake, Xue Fei silently made a decision.
Hmm.
In the next few days, I’ll take Xiya and quietly return to the Demon King’s Castle!
Forget about how to face it. If it’s someone else’s business, Xue Fei wouldn’t even think about it, after all, it has nothing to do with her.
Just because she’s Belis, I can’t avoid it.
If I don’t avoid it, then I’ll face it head-on.
At least I won’t avoid her anymore; one step at a time.
Of course… Xue Fei still hoped that if she could correct the twisted affection of Belis, that would be great!
While thinking about these things, the horse grazing several times tried to kick the silver-haired girl in front of it away, but due to some kind of pressure she exuded, the horse dared not speak up.
And.
The conversation over there seemed to have ended.
“Haha, I didn’t expect that, Hero, you actually understand Queen Sister a bit.”
“But just so you know, I won’t acknowledge you for this. Right now, I’ll keep Queen Sister here a bit longer, but not for too long. She will definitely return home with me.”
“Mm? Sister Belis seems very confident?”
“What…! You… you really are utterly annoying!”
Xiya didn’t mean anything by it, but as she spoke, she puffed out her chest, coupled with the content of her words, made the otherwise plain Belis feel a sense of inexplicable humiliation!
Damn Hero, don’t think that just because of this excess flesh you can confuse Queen Sister. She will definitely understand where her true home is!
Before leaving, Belis turned around, knelt by the lake and hugged Xue Fei, greedily absorbing her scent so she could have good dreams when she returns.
“Queen Sister… I’m leaving for now.”
“Mm, when you get home, cast a flame magic into the sky, and I will be able to see it.”
“Ugh… It’s been a long time since Queen Sister asked me to report safe arrival… Don’t worry! I will definitely do as you say!”
“Oh, you’ve really become more obedient, huh? Then listen to me one more time: don’t sleep in my bed anymore, return to your own room, use your own towel, and…”
Money is just external! Money is just external!
“I can’t do that.”
“Huh?”
On the way back to the suburban mansion, Xue Fei kept her head down repeatedly chanting this six-character mantra in her heart to barely hold back tears.
“Everything that Queen Sister said, Belis cannot do.”
Ugh… The money earned with effort… why did it just evaporate!?
“Aren’t you being a bit unreasonable?!”
Seeing her so money-crazed, Xiya half-covered her cherry lips and smiled, but soon after, she rummaged through her long dress pocket and pulled out a gold coin, flicking it with her fingers and feeding it to Xue Fei.
………………………………
When Xue Fei saw the shimmering gold coin, she jumped forward like a big fish seeing bait, grabbing it with shining eyes and holding it tightly!
Xue Fei raised her head and waved as she watched Belis, who unfolded her five wings and gradually flew away.
“Wow… Xiya! Gold coins from the sky!”
She could have flown faster, but this time she flew slowly, perhaps wanting to see more of Xue Fei’s farewell.
“It was me who threw it to you… Seriously, sometimes I really can’t understand your thoughts, Xue Fei. You feel so lost for losing a hundred white coins, but you get happy immediately after picking up a single gold coin?”
Before leaving, Belis repeatedly warned Xiya—do not make a move on Queen Sister!
Xue Fei held the gold coin in front of her and smiled, happily pocketing it while walking, shaking her head and humming, which also pleased Xiya.
Xiya’s gaze flickered left and right, not providing a definitive answer.
“You don’t understand, huh~ I’m not greedy for money; I just like the shiny feeling of gold coins.”
In fact, not answering was already an answer.
“Mm? Wouldn’t collecting sparkling magic stones be better than this? Those shine more.”
Additionally, Belis also mentioned that she would return as soon as possible, but she didn’t elaborate on how soon.
After Belis flew far away.
“Uh… What are you talking about? Magic stones can’t be exchanged for strawberry donuts.”
Xiya slowly embraced the petite figure in front of her from behind.
“Then aren’t you still greedy for money?!”
The back of Xue Fei’s head sank deeply between the two soft ones, accompanied by the night wind, it was comfortable, causing her to involuntarily emit a soothing sigh.
Xiya’s sarcasm was in full force, and she truly couldn’t comprehend Xue Fei’s odd concept of money!
“Huh… Xiya?”
Xue Fei happily obtained a gold coin and skipped back to the mansion door with Xiya.
“Xue Fei…”
Reaching this point, she stopped skipping.
Xiya’s voice was low but soft enough to express herself.
The two fell into a moment of silence simultaneously.
“Sister won’t let you go, okay…”
In the end, it was Xue Fei who slightly raised the corners of her mouth and whispered her proposal.
“Ugh…! Don’t… don’t say such things suddenly!”
“Guessing time~ Xiya, do you think that fire lizard is still at home? I’ll guess first, I guess she ran away and isn’t here.”
“Sorry… because Sister Belis is indeed very capable, I felt a bit of a crisis… Let me hold you for a moment…?”
“Is it necessary to guess? Can’t your [Visual Magic] just tell you?”
“Well… that does make sense.”
“Don’t say it like that; if I use that magic, it would be meaningless. Life should have a sense of ritual! Just take a guess.”
After all, the warmth Xue Fei felt while leaning back did not support her immediate cessation of that action.
The lakeside was very quiet, fish swam lightly, shadows under the moon, and the wind was gentle.
“Mm… that could work, so I guess she should still be here, after such a fierce battle in the gladiatorial arena, it’s unclear whether she has regained consciousness.”
Leaning back with her eyes comfortably closed, Xue Fei’s silver hair and Xiya’s golden hair swayed in the same direction with the wind.
“I bet a fish!”
“Two fish.”
Slowly, Xue Fei remembered something that also comforted her.
“Alright!”
Allowing Xiya to hug her from behind, Xue Fei leaned back slowly, using the back of her head on the soft support, she could see Xiya’s satisfied face under the starry sky.
Xue Fei snapped her fingers, urging Xiya to quickly use the key to open the door and reveal the answer.
“Haah… I’ve remembered, there’s also a reward of a hundred white coins from the gladiatorial arena competition. We’ve hit the jackpot, Xiya. Umm… since the finals didn’t happen, it should be that I and Xialet can split that money, right? It doesn’t matter; after all, what’s mine is mine, and what’s Xialet’s is also mine, so all in all, it’s still mine.”
Xiya bitterly smiled while rummaging for the key to open the door, simultaneously activating her instant-type simple defense magic, ready for deployment.
“Not true… We should not be able to get that prize money.”
Xiya guessed she was still there; this couldn’t be mere guessing.
“Why…! Do those merchants want to default? Just because the match didn’t have results, there’s no reason to retract the money already put forth!”
Once one reaches a certain level of strength, the perception of high concentrations of magic becomes acute. It’s unrealistic not to sense someone like Timani, who possesses an extremely high level of magic, if she were in the mansion.
“Not… They have indeed taken out the money, and they have no intention of retracting it.”
But the current situation is—there is indeed no perception.
“Then why…!”
One possibility is that she has already left.
“Because Xue Fei, your magic has evaporated the entire gladiatorial arena… the white coins left on the podium have evaporated along with it, so we can’t obtain them anymore.”
Another possibility is that she used some concealed magical secret technique and lurked inside the house, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.
“!”
This was the reason Xiya had preemptively cast the defense magic.
“Xue Fei, take a step back; I’m going to open the door.”
“Haha, go ahead, she definitely wouldn’t attack us. Inside has a big soft bed, warm water and good tea, plus the grilled fish from last night that we didn’t finish. Moving her to such a good environment to recuperate, she would be grateful to us and if she bites back, that would be too ungrateful… uh.”
Whoosh!!
At the moment when Xiya pushed the door open.
A fire dragon’s torrent rushed straight at them, counteracting and dissipating against the defense magic Xiya had previously deployed, the high-temperature flames producing sizzling sounds upon impact.
And through the fire curtain looking ahead—there were higher intensity flame magics gathering in preparation inside the room.
The intensity of this magic, once released, could probably burn down half the house.
Let’s not talk about the second magic anymore…! That first magical surge just now had already scorched the big door!
“Stop! Fire lizard! No destruction! If you burn the house, where will I live?!” Xue Fei was genuinely anxious!
“Talking is useless…! Criminal… die!”
Well, Xue Fei overestimated her rationality.
Timani was emotionally stirred up; she was probably completely unresponsive to persuasion.
Having flipped over a solid wooden table as a cover, Timani hid behind it, the flame torrent she had gathered at her fingertips had reached a critical point. With only silent chanting of the magic spell left, she could turn this place into ashes.
However, the cold sweat on her forehead seemed to indicate that she had not fully recovered from her magic deficit weakness, and using magic was quite strenuous.
There was no way out; forced measures had to be taken.
The moment Xiya drew her holy sword in preparation to confront, Xue Fei’s six wings unfolded in an instant.
The concept of space seemed nonexistent before her.
In just a blink, in Timani’s astonished perspective, the shadow that entered after her, indistinct due to the backlight, had already pressed close to her.
That exquisite, delicate face was also reflected within her golden vertical pupils.
Now, she recognized who it was.
And this also meant that Timani had to release her magic!
“Demon Princess?! Damn… what kind of conspiracy is this? Die…! Uh?!”
“Xue Fei?!”
Not to mention Timani, even Xiya, who arrived a step late, was stunned by Xue Fei’s actions.
The magic particles swirling around Timani’s finger had already taken shape, and Xue Fei actually…
—She actually bit down hard on that slender finger with her mouth!
The sharpness of her little tiger teeth made Timani’s finger feel a prick of pain, but that was inconsequential.
What mattered was… she felt her magic rapidly depleting. The “Dragon Flame Burst” that had seemed impossible to retract caused no destruction or effect as if it had disappeared into thin air.
“My magic… was devoured?”
It felt like she had been bitten by a little shark… this left Timani feeling quite displeased.
Because… as a naturally born powerhouse, this was the second time today that she had felt so powerless.
This was hard for her to accept, but it couldn’t be changed.
Timani swung her wrist with the brute force typical of the fire dragon clan, trying to throw off the creature biting her finger, but this enormous force, surprisingly, could not shake off the small body of Xue Fei.
Timani was truly about to cry in frustration!
“Let go…! Impudent one…! Ah, are you a man-eating flower?! It hurts!”
“Mmm mmm mmm…!” (It’s just that I’m afraid you’ll burn the house if I let go!)
With her mouth holding onto the finger, Xue Fei’s words were somewhat garbled, causing Xiya to be stunned for a few seconds by this absurd scene before she reacted, quickly embracing Xue Fei while hurriedly reminding Timani to stop resisting.
“Miss Timani…! It’s me, I’m Hero Xialet; we don’t mean any threat to you, we are helping you!”
“Hero?! But the Demon Princess is indeed… ah, I get it, I understand! I won’t use magic anymore; let go quickly! My finger is about to be bitten off!”
Oh, if you said that earlier, it would have saved me so much effort.
The moment Xue Fei released her bite, she was embraced by Xiya, sliding gracefully through the air, while Timani stared at her finger, marked with red tooth marks, feeling like crying without tears.
Xiya immediately slapped the back of Xue Fei’s head, giving her a stern lecture!
“Xue Fei, why did you bite her finger…! You’ve never bitten me… cough, what I mean is that this isn’t good!”
Xue Fei wiped her mouth and let out a small, cute burp.
However, this burp was somewhat different, as a puff of flame along with a bit of smoke drifted from her mouth.
“Burp… sigh, I can’t help it, Xiya, this is our home, at such close distance, any magic negation would cause damage, right? Even [Storage] might not be precise; rather than those uncertain methods, it’s better to just swallow it!”
“Devouring magic… is this a new magic concept?”
“No, it’s just opening [Storage] in my mouth, so the flames can’t burn the furniture. Isn’t that a really creative idea?”
“It’s still Storage! No… don’t use this trick again.”
“Why? It’s clearly so convenient.”
“No reason, just don’t use it if I say no.”
“Alright… what a waste of talent and creativity.”
Timani lifted her finger to her mouth, blowing hot air to ease the pain; the tears in the corners of her eyes, filled with defiance yet grievance, seemed to narrate the unfortunate fate she had that night.
And the sharpness beneath those tears had not diminished in the least.
She had not let her guard down.
In the gladiatorial arena, having exhausted all her magic and fainted, waking up, she found herself lying on this strange floor.
She did not know how she got here and had no idea where this place was.
When she awoke, the state of magic depletion left Timani feeling extremely insecure. While gathering enough magic at least for self-defense, she observed the situation outside the mansion through the window.
No one was watching; the mansion was empty, like a remote no-man’s land, but the interior decor, the light, and food were evidence that someone definitely lived here.
Timani considered whether to escape directly, but ultimately decided to stay first and observe while restoring her magic.
Since she hadn’t been injured during her fainting, nor felt any discomfort, it meant the other party’s objective was not to harm her.
Simply leaving without understanding the truth would be riskier.
The more important reason was…
—She had lost the gladiatorial arena match.
Timani was now completely homeless.
If she left, where could she go?
“I said, Xiya, I just guessed wrong earlier; she really hasn’t left. I owe you two fish, and when I catch them, I’ll put them in your bed.”
“Don’t say it like that. Even if I lost, is that okay?”
“I never go back on my word; I’ll definitely repay your fish… uh, Xiya, the fire lizard seems to be crying.”
Crouched in front of an overturned table, Timani softly wept weakly.
Her stomach occasionally growled, adding more fuel to her sadness.
Until big drops of unwilling tears fell to the ground, she wouldn’t allow herself to make a sound.
Xiya and Xue Fei exchanged glances, both feeling somewhat troubled.
They didn’t know how to comfort others; they only knew how to comfort each other.
But there was one thing they could do now.
“Xiya, let’s start eating; look, she’s crying from hunger.”
“Alright, even though she might not be crying from hunger, she’s definitely hungry.”
………………………………..
Seeing someone eat with the fervor of a starving wolf was the second time for Xue Fei and Xiya.
The first time was when they encountered Timani at the tavern in the capital.
The second time, still Timani.
“So delicious…! This fish head is really great! Ah… how is the fish meat made to taste like this?! Isn’t it supposed to turn to ash when grilled?! And it’s sweet… Hero, I’m serious, you humans are truly amazing!”
“Haah… I think this is the most basic method for grilling fish. How can it turn to ash… uh, Miss Timani, why haven’t you removed the bones? Did you eat the bones too?!”
Xue Fei smiled and patted Xiya’s shoulder, signaling her not to worry.
Why bother?~ Xue Fei really admired her eating attitude, so primal and bold!
Timani concentrated fiercely, devouring the fish meat, seemingly an unparalleled beauty who didn’t care for her eating manners; in Xue Fei’s eyes, this only made the food seem more appetizing.
Xue Fei was not far behind.
She darted her fork like in a race, swiftly skewering fish meat and sending it into her mouth with such speed that she almost left traces behind.
Hey… no kidding, as the person who cooked, Xiya was quite satisfied with this scene!
At least it proved that her grilled fish was indeed delicious.
Soon the whole grilled fish and its accompaniments were devoured clean. Timani, patting her already full belly, restored the crimson gleam in her vertical pupils, filled with gratitude and satisfaction, though the vigilance and suspicion had not dissipated even after eating their fill.
Tightly staring at the silver-haired witch opposite her, who made even the high-level races shudder, along with her ferocious eating demeanor…
Timani frowned slightly, trying to analyze the current situation to draw some conclusions.
“Demon Princess… why would she be with the hero… could it be… ah…! I understand! Could it be that you two conspired together to capture me to threaten the high-level races of the Northern Region for benefits?! Give it up! Such thoughts are meaningless; they don’t care about my life at all. Even if you stew me, it would have no effect! Not to mention… not to mention I would fight back!”
You better not say that; you just exposed your pitiful situation beyond any concealment.
“Alright, alright, put down your flame quickly.” Xue Fei pressed her fork and refused to give up on continuing to eat, “Don’t guess blindly; you just burned the door, isn’t that enough commotion? You see, I just went through a lot of effort to repair the door, and now you’re causing a scene again. I tell you, if you burn anything once more, I’ll roast you over the fire until you become a real fire lizard!”
“!”
She truly is a cruel witch!
What did she just say?
The door?
Hearing that word caused Timani to unconsciously glance towards the great door.
That great door had already been scorched by the fire magic she unleashed earlier.
But at this moment, when her gaze landed there, Timani was taken aback.
Because the once-charred, smoke-emitting door… now appeared to have been restored to new, even cleaner and shinier than when it was first installed.
Is this even possible…?
In the past, Timani would have certainly said such magic did not exist in the world.
However, experiencing the same thing before, hadn’t Timani begun to get a taste of it…?
This event didn’t happen too long ago.
Thus, she could still vividly remember the day in the little tavern when that detestable little girl named Shaya unleashed that miraculous magic.
The same tavern, which had been left in ruins, was restored to normal, seemingly by a miracle.
And the current situation was exactly the same.
Timani pondered deeply, her expression gradually relaxing.
Xue Fei raised an eyebrow, thinking she must have guessed it.
However…
Timani returned to her seat, her left hand clenched into a fist as she slapped her right palm, and the conclusion she drew almost lodged a fish bone in Xue Fei’s throat!
“I got it! I wondered why that girl named Shaya was so annoying. Your magics have a common origin… so! Shaya is actually from the demon race, isn’t she?! Could it be… that she and the Demon Princess are sisters?!”
“Is your brain just for decoration?!”
“How dare you, a demon, insult me?!”
“I’m insulting you; lali lali, you with a burned brain and flowing intelligence.”
“You…! Don’t push me too far!”
What can anger do?
Even in her full-strength state, Timani might not be an opponent for the Demon Princess; moreover, her current state was relatively weak, and she couldn’t unleash her full power. So, she would have to learn to be a bit more restrained.
“Sigh… what a nuisance.”
Xue Fei lifted her plate and licked it clean after consuming all the fish meat, ensuring no food was wasted before hopping down from her chair on her little short legs.
She pointed at herself, indicating for Timani to watch closely.
“See! Once you understand, don’t cause any unnecessary trouble. We didn’t save you just to have you burning down houses!”
In Timani’s astonished gaze…
Xue Fei’s silver hair gradually darkened with the night.
Her light purple pupils transformed into a sky blue closer to that of the human race.
Miss Shaya, returning momentarily!
