After forcibly physically correcting the Minotaur’s vile thoughts and making the Three Covenants with Eulalia, the three of them finally officially formed a team.
Although Eulalia obediently nodded in agreement on the surface, Sevitis was actually a hundred percent uneasy inside.
In the end, the three found a place to rough it for the night, and time came to the second day of the Final Examination.
Ding-a-ling—
“Oh my, is this a bell? It jingles when shaken, how interesting.”
“It’s fun, isn’t it? My mom gave this to me.”
At that moment, Sevitis was trudging at the front, leading the way.
In contrast, the two following behind were chatting and laughing all the way.
Eulalia even amused herself by playing with the copper bell on Su Ling’s neck, showing not a shred of respect for this forest that could spawn monsters at any moment.
“Having one person who doesn’t understand human language is already a headache, but now I’ve got a matching pair of fools…” Sevitis muttered under her breath.
“Boss, were you calling me?”
A head topped with cow horns suddenly popped out from the side.
Looking at Su Ling’s clear and foolish face, Sevitis waved her hand expressionlessly:
“It’s nothing, go ahead and keep playing.”
“Oh, okay.” Su Ling obediently withdrew her head.
Fortunately, those two didn’t bother her again last night, allowing her to get a good night’s sleep, so today she could continue the academy’s examination in top condition.
Admittedly, although Su Ling looked a bit dull-witted, she wasn’t completely useless when it came to fighting monsters.
Every time a battle started, she would wrap herself in purple lightning and charge straight into the monster horde like a cannonball.
By the time Sevitis came to her senses, this guy would already be standing in front of her unscathed, while the monsters were lying all over the ground foaming at the mouth.
On the other hand, that unfathomably powerful Saint Candidate was openly slacking off in the back the whole time.
Every now and then, she would toss a couple of Holy Magic spells at Su Ling, who was diving into the monster pile, and when Su Ling came trotting back with the Magic Core in her mouth, she would shower her with praise.
Thanks to her, Su Ling, who had been clinging to Sevitis calling her “Boss,” now couldn’t wait to wag her tail and follow Eulalia back to the Theocratic Nation.
‘Do you have any self-awareness as an Ox Demon?! You’re a cow! Not a dog!’
Watching this scene, Sevitis felt an inexplicable sense of grievance, as if something had been taken from her, and she could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.
However, considering that the number of Magic Cores in the Space Pouch was indeed piling up, Sevitis decided to bear it for now. After all, a free and powerful tool, why not use it?
“Hey, hey, Your Highness the Holy Maiden.” Su Ling’s voice came from behind.
“I already said I’m not the official Holy Maiden yet. Miss Su Ling, is there something you want to ask?” Eulalia replied gently.
“I’m just a little curious. Why does Little Sevi always have such a cocky expression? She looks so cute, it’d be nice if she smiled more.”
“Hmm~ about that, although she looks cold on the surface, it’s all just an act. As long as…”
Listening to those two whispering without any restraint behind her, Sevitis’s forehead veins bulged, and she decisively took back her previous statement.
‘I really can’t let those two stay together! Otherwise, my tolerance level will skyrocket faster than my exam scores. I have to find a way to shake off that annoying golden-haired village girl!’
……
Before they knew it, the three arrived at a cliff edge.
“Oh my, there’s no path ahead.” Su Ling curiously poked her head down to look.
“Wow, it’s so high! If I fell, I might die, right? And there seems to be a layer of green mist floating below.”
Sevitis walked up and glanced calmly:
“That’s not ordinary mist. It’s miasma released from the Toxic Swamp below. So let me correct you—falling down there wouldn’t ‘might’ kill you, it ‘definitely’ will kill you, leaving not even a trace of cow bones.”
Hearing this, Su Ling gasped in fright, quickly pulled her head back, and patted her chest in relief:
“Wah~ why didn’t you say so earlier? Little Sevi is so mean!”
Sevitis ignored the stupid cow’s complaint and turned to look at Eulalia:
“The sun is about to set, and ahead is a dead end. Let’s retreat along the same path and find a suitable place to set up camp.”
“Sure, I’ll do whatever Sevi says.” Eulalia replied with a smile.
In the end, Sevitis chose a relatively flat clearing in the middle area between the cliff and the mountain wall behind to set up camp.
The location was very carefully selected—good for both offense and defense, and sheltered from the wind.
Night fell quickly, and in the center of the camp floated a soft ball of light, illuminating the faces of the three.
This was an Illumination Spell cast by Eulalia offhand using Light Element Magic.
Because it carried holy attributes, it naturally drove away Low-level Demonic Creatures in the darkness.
Not only could it provide continuous light all night, but it was also eco-friendly, smokeless, and instantly conjured.
The three sat around the camp and began to prepare dinner.
Of course, it wasn’t the kind of Black Bread that could break your teeth, but a dish made by Eulalia herself.
Looking at the cauldron in front of her, which emitted an enticing aroma, Sevitis pouted.
‘This black-hearted bad woman, her only redeeming quality is probably her Cooking Skill.’
“It’s really delicious! As expected of Her Highness the Holy Maiden, your cooking is absolutely superb!” Su Ling ate with grease all over her mouth.
“Thank you for the compliment. If you like it, eat more.” Eulalia smiled gently, then turned to look at Sevitis, who was silently gnawing on Black Bread.
Her eyebrows curved. “Sevi, won’t you have a taste? Don’t be polite with me.”
“No thanks, I’m fine with this bread.” Sevitis looked away and refused outright, making a crack sound with her teeth.
She now truly admired Su Ling’s teeth and appetite. This Black Bread was hard as a brick; how did that stupid cow manage to swallow so much?
But to fill her stomach, Sevitis still had to force herself to swallow it.
In comparison, even the spicy Monster Blood seemed palatable, but she couldn’t exactly take that out and drink it publicly.
When it came to appetite, she was no worse than that over-nourished stupid cow beside her.
But today, no matter how hungry she got or how tempting the dish in the pot smelled, she wasn’t going to willingly accept that woman’s favor.
‘I, Sevitis, would rather starve to death, die in the forest, jump off a cliff, than eat a single bite of her food!’
“Alright, stop pretending. Come on, aaah—eat something nutritious so you can grow taller faster~” Eulalia completely ignored her refusal, directly scooped up a spoonful of the fragrant dish, and shoved it to Sevitis’s lips.
“What do you take me for?! I’ve already turned into this; how could I possibly grow any taller?!”
Just as this rather warm moment was unfolding, a piercing wolf howl suddenly tore through the tranquility of the forest.
Awoo—!
“Wah! What’s that?!” Su Ling was startled, flinched, and the unfinished dish in her hand splattered onto the muddy ground.
Looking at the ruined food, the Ox Demon girl instantly got angry, threw down her utensils, and was about to go fight.
“Aaaah! That makes me so mad! I’m going to find that monster and settle the score! It’s going to pay for my dinner!”
Sevitis spoke coldly, interrupting Su Ling, who was about to go berserk:
“Let me warn you first. Anything that dares to approach our camp under this holy light is definitely not a Low-level Demonic Creature. From the sound and the magical pressure, it’s probably at least a Fourth Order Magic Wolf.”
“If you’re confident you can take it on in a one-on-one fight, by all means. Just don’t end up becoming that Magic Wolf’s dinner instead.”
Su Ling’s leg, which had been stepped forward, froze mid-air, then she quickly retreated and coughed twice:
“Ahem… I-I am a magnanimous person. It probably didn’t mean to howl on purpose. I’ll let it off for today!”
After saying that, she smoothly sat back down in her original spot, obediently took the bowl Eulalia handed her again, and continued burying her head in her meal.
The distant howling did not stop but instead seemed to be drawing closer. Sevitis turned her head to look at Eulalia, who had finally picked up her bowl and was about to start eating:
“Your Highness the Saint Candidate over here, you can put off dinner for now. Could you please go check out what’s going on? Su Ling and I are only at Third Rank right now; if a real fight breaks out, we’ll definitely be at a disadvantage.”
“So, I have to trouble you to personally investigate the situation. You’ve been slacking off the whole day anyway, so it’s about time you did your part. Or what… do you really think of yourself as a defenseless Village Girl?”
“Of course, no problem. I didn’t expect Little Sevi to willingly rely on me. That makes me happy.”
Eulalia smiled in feigned surprise, then her eyes shifted and her tone changed leisurely:
“But… if I go alone to scout, and when I come back I can’t find you guys, what should I do?”
The subtext in Eulalia’s words was all too clear. She was testing whether Sevitis was trying to send her away on purpose and then make a run for it.
After all, in this dark and treacherous Blood Burial Forest, once the two of them disappeared into the night, no matter how capable Eulalia was, she wouldn’t be able to find them in the vast darkness.
“You can rest assured on that point.” Sevitis spread her hands. “It’s the dead of night now, and the Blood Burial Forest is full of dangers. Neither Su Ling nor I have any Light Element Affinity. Without your Illumination Spell, where could we possibly run?”
She pointed at the surrounding terrain and continued analyzing:
“Besides, you saw it during the day. Behind us is a certain-death cliff, to the left is a steep mountain wall that’s impossible to climb. The only main path available happens to be in the direction where the wolf howl is coming from. Even if we wanted to slip away, we’d end up running into you, wouldn’t we?”
Eulalia nodded thoughtfully, seeming convinced by this impeccable logic:
“Hmm, I suppose that does make sense. Alright then, I’ll do as Sevi says and go see what’s going on ahead.”
“Whoa, as expected of the reliable Saint Candidate!” Sevitis clapped at the right moment, then elbowed Su Ling, who was still fighting with her dinner. “Stop just eating, you say something too.”
“Mm! I’ll leave it to the Saint Lady!” Su Ling choked, quickly put down her bowl, wiped her mouth roughly, and joined in the applause.
“Hehe~ Leave everything to your reliable big sister!”
Eulalia was quite pleased with their flattery.
She proudly put her hands on her hips, turned around, and walked with light steps into the dark depths of the forest from where the wolf howl came.
“Take care, don’t come back.” Sevitis waved cheerfully, watching the golden-haired girl leave.