Chapter 14: Drooling

Her luscious hair, like a golden veil, cascaded beside her delicate face.

The golden strands fell like a river of gold, forming a soft whirlpool on the pale white sand chair.

As she quietly gazed upon this scene, as if painted with colored ink in a beautiful oil painting, Darlian suddenly noticed a faint glow on the edge of those small, moist lips.

“Drooling…”

This slightly amusing sight made Darlian press her lips together and smile softly.

“Darlian-sa—”

Just as she was watching Finihiya like this, a loud male voice suddenly came from behind.

Darlian turned to look over, only to see a Demon Race soldier standing respectfully there.

“Shh—”

Before the soldier could finish his greeting, Darlian raised a finger to her cherry lips, softly signaling him to stay silent.

The season was advancing into July, and the weather had grown even hotter.

The returning Demon Race soldiers looked more fragile and exhausted, their steps weighed down as if filled with lead.

Although they often stopped to rest and regain strength, in such scorching weather, no amount of rest could prevent the journey from being unbearably painful.

Compared to when they first entered Demon Race territory, the army had dwindled greatly.

Because their return destinations differed, the number of accompanying groups naturally decreased.

At present…

Finihiya tilted her head and looked toward the front of the carriage, roughly estimating in her heart and giving a number—about five thousand.

That number of Demon Race soldiers was likely to return with Darlian to the Demon King City of Yabadawi.

According to the words of that trusted aide Atena,

After passing through one more Demon Race town, they would reach their final destination—Yabadawi, the place where she was to be imprisoned.

For her, this “journey” was truly arduous and distressing.

Because of motion sickness, her head remained in a constant haze.

So, when she thought about finally arriving at their destination, a faint, joyful smile of relief surfaced in her heart.

But…

The same pain and unease came from the fact that they were about to arrive.

She honestly could not imagine the life of imprisonment ahead and thus felt a lingering anxiety deep inside.

Clang!

While Finihiya’s thoughts wandered aimlessly like this, the carriage suddenly ran over a large stone.

The violent jolt caused her head to accidentally hit the wooden board.

“Ugh…”

Finihiya covered the aching side of her head with both hands; her clear sapphire eyes glistened with tears from the pain.

“It hurts so much—”

Continuously rubbing the sore spot, she waited until most of the pain subsided, then sat upright and sighed heavily with helplessness.

At a moment like this, she had a sudden, impulsive wish: she hoped magic in this world was just a bit more advanced.

If there were long-distance Spatial Teleportation Magic, she wouldn’t have to suffer so much riding in the carriage.

Feeling frustrated at the thought, Finihiya tilted her head and continued gazing at the vast, clear plain outside the carriage.

Then, a faint, hazy ballad flowed from her cherry-red lips.

“Unfortunately, reality is often the opposite…”

Magic in this world remained at a relatively low level.

Most people had no magic at all.

The convoy slowly advanced along the winding path through the plains.

Near afternoon, a lush green forest appeared ahead.

At Darlian’s signal, the convoy paused briefly to rest at the forest’s edge.

***

Sitting inside the carriage, Finihiya looked at the Demon Race soldiers sheltering in the shade, hesitated briefly, then pushed open the carriage door.

The nearby Demon Race soldiers stirred restlessly at her action.

But no one came to stop her; instead, they deliberately kept their distance, watching from afar.

Finihiya found a nearby large tree and slowly sat down with her back against its trunk.

Had this been before, she definitely would not have dared to get off the carriage alone amidst so many Demon Race soldiers.

The courage she now possessed came only from long-term interaction and habit—deep down, she knew these soldiers wouldn’t easily harm her because of orders.

But what gave her the courage to take this step, besides the cool and comfortable atmosphere of the forest, was simply that she had grown utterly tired of sitting inside the carriage.

The July summer sky was startlingly blue.

The sun, climbing to its zenith, mercilessly released scorching rays.

However, the lush branches of the trees stretched greedily in all directions, blocking almost all sunlight from reaching the spot beneath the tree where Finihiya sat.

A gentle breeze blew,

Carrying the fresh and pleasant coolness of the forest.

Feeling the comfortable and soothing air, Finihiya closed her eyes to enjoy it.

“Hey!”

Just as she was quietly savoring the moment, a cold, impatient voice suddenly sounded beside her.

She hurriedly opened her eyes and looked over to see a familiar maid standing before her, carrying a tray.

Seeing this, Finihiya quickly stood and gave the maid a slight bow.

“This is your lunch.”

“Thank you~”

“Don’t wander around if you don’t have to. It’s such a hassle to find you.”

“Sorry…”

Finihiya was already accustomed to the maid’s unfriendly tone; she simply repeated the polite but nearly perfunctory response she always gave.

After the Demon Race maid left, Finihiya took the food tray and sat down again.

When her eyes fell on the food on the tray, the delicate features of her face furrowed deeply, a bitter expression emerging.

Finihiya slumped her shoulders helplessly and sighed softly.

On the tray was a piece of dry, hard black bread and a bowl of potato stew.

If it were fresh, it would have been a decent lunch, but the stew emitted a faint sour, rancid smell.

Staring silently at the meal before her for a moment, Finihiya sighed once more, then muttered in complaint.

“I survived another day…”

“Impressive.”

She really didn’t want to eat the sour-smelling potato stew.

Enduring the nausea to swallow it was one thing, but she feared it might upset her stomach.

Thinking this, Finihiya picked up the hard black bread from the tray and began slowly gnawing on it.