Chapter: 42. The Expedition!
Timani has two significant gains in the Demon King’s Castle.
First, she learned about Xue Fei’s true strength, giving her hope for the future.
Second…
She got new clothes!
Her previous fiery red dress was burned by Xue Fei’s magic. Although Xue Fei didn’t openly mention it, she certainly didn’t want to owe anyone anything.
Especially a broke Fire Lizard.
That one outfit was all her belongings; without it, she would have lost everything.
Outside the Demon King’s Castle, there was a renowned high-end tailor shop in the Demon Territory. Xue Fei arranged for a maid to order several pieces of clothing, tailored according to the Fire Dragon Clan’s dressing standards, like leaving space for wings to protrude from the back and ensuring the skirt was loose enough to accommodate a hidden dragon tail.
The tailor shop, hearing that it was a direct command from the princess, rushed to start working. What would normally take more than three days to complete was finished before dark, and the maid brought back the finished clothing to the Demon King’s Castle.
Just in time.
Timani wouldn’t have to depart wearing pajamas!
At this moment, atop the hero’s carriage disguised as an ordinary wagon.
Timani lifted her arm and looked at the exquisite green dress she was wearing, her eyes shining with curiosity.
This dress… even the cuffs had delicate floral patterns, a glance proved it was quite valuable.
Although the fiery dress suited Timani well, the scarlet hair together with the fiery outfit made the whole dragon seem overly aggressive.
Only this nature-inspired verdant green could cool her down, turning the fiery dragon into a refined lady.
Just an appearance, but when she opened her mouth, it was evident she lacked refinement.
“This dress must be so expensive… how many loaves of bread could it buy? Xue Fei, you really are a spendthrift.”
“I’m throwing up.”
If this world allowed for swearing, Xue Fei would be missing a plant from her past life right now.
On the surface, Timani remained quiet, but her actions were careful and cherished as she gently touched the incredibly soft fabric.
The looseness surprised her.
“Of course… gratitude is important. I haven’t had new clothes since leaving the Fire Dragon Clan… wait, why does it fit so well? Xue Fei, you didn’t ask about my size, did you?”
“Hah, did I need to? With my keen eyes, I could tell at a glance…! No, I mean, I guessed.”
“Oh, just a guess? Then it’s no wonder; your eyes are quite perceptive.”
“……”
Silly dragon, thank you for being too foolish to probe further.
Belis and Xiya sat on either side of Xue Fei like two formidable bodyguards, exuding an intimidating presence.
No matter how perceptive the eyes were, they shouldn’t be used carelessly, or you might just get your eyes poked out.
Looking at them, Xue Fei didn’t expect them to offer any comment on Timani’s new outfit.
Their silence was already the best compliment.
The rest could be left to Livra, who was a little sunshine known for complimenting others.
“Wow…! Miss Timani! This outfit really suits you!”
“Ah…? Oh… thank you, after all, this dress looks priceless; anyone wearing it wouldn’t look bad.”
“That’s not true! Miss Timani has her own charm~ Be more confident!”
“The Fire Dragon Clan doesn’t need that kind of meaningless… ah, got it, thank you, Princess Livra.”
“Hehe, no problem~ And Teacher Shaya’s taste in choosing clothes is also impeccable; next time, please be sure to help me pick one too, okay?”
“You?” Xue Fei glanced at Livra, who was in a stunningly elegant white princess dress, “Come on, your wardrobe must contain more clothes than I have rice to eat, and with your foundation, you wouldn’t look bad even without wearing anything.”
“Woo, Teacher Shaya wants to strip me of my clothes.”
“I didn’t say that?!”
“Pfft hahaha…! I was just kidding!”
Still laughing?
What are you laughing about?!
You should consider the atmosphere; can’t you feel that your comment just made the air around me even more solidified?
Timani’s every move radiated care for her new dress.
However, when she folded her dragon wings in front of her, her expression suddenly turned serious.
“By the way, Xue Fei… I seriously suspect that you’re haunted by evil spirits.”
“Ah?” Xue Fei froze, as if she had heard some audacious words.
“You shouldn’t say things like that.” Belis also quietly warned, “Queen Sister is kind and strong; even if there are evil spirits in the world, they would never bother her. Where did you come up with such nonsense?”
“I’m not just randomly saying it!”
Perhaps Timani had lost her parents early, leaving her with a touch of childish fear that hadn’t dissipated, which had nothing to do with strength; it was a lack of inner security.
She spoke with a pale face, even sounding reasonable.
“It was before, while staying at Xialet’s mansion, I would occasionally hear ghostly sounds at night, mumbling and even ‘woo-woo’ noises, terrifying… they were definitely not sounds a human could make. The crucial thing is… just now, while I was sleeping in the corridor, I heard that sound again! If the sound only existed at the mansion, I could understand it as some peculiar creature around the Aulus Kingdom mansion making those noises, but how do we explain this! We can’t assume the Demon Territory has the same creatures! No matter how I think back… that sound was so strange, and it was even accompanied by the sound of flowing water… hissing loudly, no, I’ve heard of those ghost stories; it might not be water but blood!”
“?”
Timani’s description was too abstract.
If she weren’t the person involved, how could anyone understand what she was saying?
Belis didn’t fully comprehend, but at least she had the courage to think Timani was just making things up, losing her mind.
— But this scared Livra significantly!
The princess curled up into a ball in the corner of the carriage, her dark hair drooping as the vehicle jostled along.
“Woo, Miss Timani, why do you suddenly tell ghost stories! I just complimented you; you can’t treat me like this! I’m most afraid of such things!”
“I didn’t mean to! I’m just sharing a real experience!”
“Then you should burn it with your fire! Evil spirits, begone!”
Belis was lost in thought while Xue Fei and Xiya shared a tacit glance.
Without needing to speak, they understood the unspoken agreement—not to say anything more.
Well… perhaps they should change to a better soundproof door next time? This could be somewhat important?
But now with Timani and Livra so scared, Xue Fei needed to offer some reasoning to reassure them.
Come on, Xial, you can make this sacrifice.
“The truth is very simple, Timani; the sound you heard was actually Xial’s snoring.”
“Ah…?”
“Huh?”
Xial was there in person.
She had the privilege called “Innocent and Unworldly.” This blue-haired loli, smaller than Xue Fei, was sitting on Xue Fei’s lap, her little bare feet swinging to a halt, tilting her head back and blinking her big eyes at Xue Fei’s face.
Xue Fei had Xial sitting on her lap.
Xial was also holding a big fish that had stopped flailing—she had caught it in the lake just before they set off.
The situation was somewhat odd, but that was just how things were.
“Your Highness Xue Fei, what does this mean?”
“Don’t ask. Just know that your snoring sounds like ‘woo-woo’ and you drool while hissing, which together formed the noises Timani heard. The so-called truth is often this simple, hidden behind seemingly horrifying appearances.”
“But I don’t think I snore…”
“No, you do. Don’t try to argue; it’s not a good habit.”
“!”
Whether she snores or not wasn’t important.
What mattered was…
Xue Fei suddenly wrapped her arms around Xial’s waist… tightening her grip!
If Xue Fei used her strength, it was considerable enough to momentarily stop Xial’s breathing.
You might not understand what this meant for the Little Holy Sword.
Xial didn’t argue anymore.
She lowered her head, feeling breathless from that forced tightening, and began to giggle.
That increasingly excited and distorting cute face was hard to control, and drool slipped from the corner of her mouth, making her breathing very irregular.
At this point, Timani believed her.
She indeed could drool, thus explaining the sound of flowing water.
Moreover, regardless of whether at the mansion or in the Demon King’s Castle, Xial was always present, solidifying Xue Fei’s explanation.
Thus
she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“Ah… so it was like that, making me think there were actual ghosts… um, wait, Holy Sword, aren’t we supposed to be setting off for the expedition now? Why are you holding a fish?”
“I’m Xial, not the Holy Sword.”
“Oh, oh, so Xial, you’re holding a fish…”
“Do you want to eat it?”
“I am a bit hungry, but eating fish raw seems a bit…”
“Raw or not, you can’t eat it; it’s for His Highness Xue Fei.”
“Is your bratty nature too heavily influenced by Xue Fei?!”
“Hmph, who told me to be Her Highness Xue Fei’s daughter? I should aspire to be like my mother.”
As Xial spoke, she tucked the big fish into her arms, turning away in silence.
Nothing more than that; the fish was prepared as ration for Her Highness Xue Fei’s campaign.
After all, she came from a thousand years ago, with an outdated approach to ration supply. Back then, there was no storage magic; she only knew that expeditions needed to be prepared, not realizing that just following Xue Fei and the others wouldn’t lead to starvation.
Speaking of fish… Xue Fei felt a surge of anger.
“Damn it… even perverts can catch fish; just now, Uncle Jeffrey did too! Clearly, he has no responsibility in this rebellion, so why is he walking around bragging about going fishing, saying, ‘I’ll leave the next business to the princess; I’m off to fish…’ Can you believe someone could say that? It’s absolutely enviable… utterly unreasonable!”
“And how did the Queen Sister respond to him?”
“I tripped him, sending him tumbling.”
“Grandpa Jeffrey’s age makes things difficult for him too…”
Yeah, what could he do?
In the end, one must still handle one’s own business; Xue Fei couldn’t afford to slack.
With a heavy sigh, Xue Fei reminded Xiya to first transform into her concealed silver-haired state.
After all, the next moment… wouldn’t be one for humor.
Soon, as Xue Fei’s expression grew increasingly grave, the joyful atmosphere in the carriage gradually turned tense and solemn.
In leisure, she loved fishing; in duty, she was the calm and far-sighted princess.
“Let’s talk business, Belis; explain the upcoming arrangements.”
“Queen Sister is so cool… ahem, alright, we might need to split into two groups. Queen Sister will first meet with the Second Legion, and on the other hand, we need to send people to rescue Aunt Ailer.”
“Uh… rescue? What happened to Aunt?”
“She’s been sealed… don’t you remember, Queen Sister? The report said there was an unknown beam of light descending from the sky…?”
“……”
Oh, right.
Look at my head, it’s all confused by Xiya’s methods.
Aunt, I definitely didn’t forget you because you have too low a presence!
“In any case, put Aunt’s rescue second; she should be fine, probably. Ahem, in any case, Belis, please continue.”
