Chapter 215

A sturdy, handsome horse had been tied to a conspicuous wooden stake by the roadside on the outskirts.

Its raised front hoof pointed toward Sheffy, who had just made a snide remark. If it hadn’t been restrained, it definitely would’ve kicked that witch right in the head!

Handling their own food wasn’t a problem—being self-sufficient was a trivial matter for a horse from the Hero’s family.

However…

She had tied them up on a patch of bare land with no grass! What, did she expect them to survive by eating dirt?

Helpless, Xiarette stepped forward to untie the reins fastened to the wooden stake.

“Sheffy, these horses can find their way. They don’t need to be tied up. They’ll eat and drink on their own around here, and when they sense we’re back, they’ll come looking for us. Leaving them tied up like this will only starve them to death.”

“Wow… Xia, your family’s horses are practically omnipotent! I thought they’d run off if left untied. These horses are smarter than fish.”

“Do you tie up fish when you catch them?!”

Well, Xiarette fiddled with the knot for a long time but couldn’t undo it. In the end, she had no choice but to send out a blade of magic energy and slice the reins.

Sheffy, you even tied a dead knot.

Were you trying to starve them for a few days to “build their character” or something?

Glancing around, the countryside paths crisscrossed in all directions, stars hanging over the vast plains.

Looking eastward into the distance, the outlines of snow-covered mountains could be seen bathed in moonlight.

This place lay along the midline between the northern border of the Demon Domain and the eastern frontier fortress, Riedekidu.

From here, it was roughly the same distance to either destination, but still nearly a hundred li away.

They weren’t taking the carriage for speed—only so they could discuss their plans while traveling.

Now that the discussions were finished, it was time for everyone to go about their respective tasks.

Sheffy and Belith stood together, while the other three stood across from them with Sylatrella.

Anyone who had complaints about how the group was split up had no choice but to keep it to themselves—even Xiarette had agreed, so who could really object?

Ignoring Timani’s occasional muttering, Sheffy clasped the back of her head before departure and teased:

“By the way… is this the first time our whole group’s doing something actually proper? Kinda memorable, huh? Everyone, let’s give it our all! If we manage to rescue my aunt, I’ll have her hand out gold coins to everyone! She’s actually super rich—let’s bleed her dry this time! Otherwise, coming all this way would be a huge loss!”

“……”

Huh?

Seeing no one react… it seemed no one was particularly interested in gold coins…?

Instead, everyone was staring straight at Sheffy, as if…

…they were waiting for her to “explode” some “gold coins”—and of course, not the kind used in trade.

“Sheffy, I’ll bring your aunt and meet up with you all. Once that’s done, we can go to the snow mountains in the north and…”

“Xia! You can’t say that kind of thing!”

“?!”

Hadn’t she ever heard of jinxing?

Never say stuff like, ‘When I get back, we’ll do this or that.’ That kind of line was incredibly dangerous!

Sheffy quickly interrupted Xiarette’s spellcasting. Seeing her stop talking, Sheffy wiped the sweat from her brow and finally let out a breath of relief.

You all can’t say it.

But I can.

Beneath the moonlight, the silver-haired girl smiled—more beautiful than the distant snow-covered mountains, yet closer than they were.

“When I’m done with things on my side, I’ll come meet up with you! Heehee, both the Northern Territory and Riedekidu have night markets. I’ll take you all shopping and show you how bustling the Demon Domain really is~ And the sunrise on the snow mountains—absolutely breathtaking.”

This time, everyone’s reactions were much more obvious than when she’d offered gold coins earlier. Smiles gradually crept up to the corners of their eyes.

This—this was the line everyone had been waiting for.

Xiarette smiled knowingly and stepped forward to slowly embrace Sheffy.

Belith nearly threw a punch right then and there, you know that?!

“Mm?!”

No… hold it in… just wait until Xiarette and the others leave. Then she and the Royal Sister could hug Sheffy however they wanted.

Ahhh, she really couldn’t handle this…!

Like a kitten guarding its food, Belith yanked Sheffy over to her side. Her eyes locked fiercely on Xiarette, her entire silver tuft of hair bristling, and low, growling grrrr noises rumbled from her throat.

Xiarette gave a wry smile. She had words she wanted to say, but ultimately decided—better to save them for later.

Sheffy, when we meet again, I’ll not only have more to say to you.

But all the unfinished business from the Demon King’s Castle—we’ll be seeing it through to the very end, right?

Xiarette hadn’t said anything aloud, yet Sheffy could feel a sudden chill creeping over her!

Sylatrella spun in circles around Sheffy with arms spread wide, full of energy—completely not like someone ready to complete a serious mission.

“Yay! Lady Sheffy! I’m gonna be the first to go shopping with you! I haven’t seen a street market in a thousand years!”

“Huh? Didn’t I take you out back in Aurus?”

“That doesn’t count! Back then Lady Sheffy didn’t like me!”

“I still don’t like you now, do I…?”

“!”

“Uh, I mean—you’re a bit of a pervert, but not totally awful, okay…? Sorry, sorry, lately whenever I hear the word like I instinctively interpret it in that way. If you’re talking friendship or something, then… well, I guess it’s not really…”

“So that means you do like me?!”

“Forget it. I still think even in terms of friendship, I wouldn’t call it like.”

“Uuugh…! But can’t you please like me just a little…!”

Oh come on, even if you stand on your tiptoes with tears in your eyes and poke me in the face with that giant fish of yours, I’m not changing my stance.

Well… even if it’s not friendship, maybe I really do like her—as a mascot.

As usual, Timani gave a snort and turned her back, as if she didn’t care about anything Sheffy had said.

But the moment her dragon wings lifted—it meant she was ready to take off at any time.

Looks like the Fire Lizard was actually looking forward to shopping in the Demon Domain too!

Heehee, didn’t I say it? The Demon Domain’s goods are top quality and priced just right. Everyone’s bound to love it.

Probably only Livra… stood at the back, rubbing her hands together for warmth, all alone and out of place.

The strong didn’t need to deliberately ward off the cold.

But Livra was just an ordinary person—she started feeling cold just from getting near the snow mountains.

She claimed she came along for training, but Sheffy knew very well how timid and afraid of death she was.

The rest wasn’t Sheffy’s concern.

But at the very least, this one thing—she still had to say it to her.

“Livra.”

“Mm?”

“Remember—if anything happens, fall back. The fact that you came along at all is already a success. You have to survive, okay? I haven’t even taught you properly yet, my dear student.”

“Don’t worry, Teacher Shaya! I might be bad at everything else, but when it comes to staying alive—I’m top class! And… well, I’ll try to be helpful too!”

Livra pressed her palm against the thick winter dress beneath her scarf.

She could feel the magic stirring within.

In a pocket sewn into the inner lining of her clothes was a black feather that Sheffy had given her, engraved with a powerful defensive magic inscription.

Yes… she was afraid of dying. And maybe, no matter how hard she tried, she’d never be able to keep up with the others.

But lately, more and more…

More and more, she felt—

That the road ahead, following behind Teacher Shaya, was incredibly vast.

When Livra lifted her gaze, her eyes flashed with a light like a white-feathered bird soaring into the clouds in the dark of night.

The once mischievous princess who often climbed over the Royal City walls was now “defying” her own fear of death—longing to see the same view that Sheffy saw!

Sheffy was momentarily stunned by what she saw.

But soon enough, she felt at ease.

It seemed… there really was nothing to worry about at all.

With this team—completing the mission would be more than possible.

“Alright, alright. Whether you can help or not, let’s not have another Wind Magic Dragonfish situation, okay? Then… everyone, do your best~ Belith, let’s go.”

“Understood—oh, right. Royal Sister, wait a moment. You should wear this before you go.”

“Hmm? This is… oh! Brings back memories!”

Pinned to her chest by Belith’s hand was a dazzling medal, forged of pure gold and engraved with a magic flame design.

If one looked closely, they could see a small character etched on its surface in Demon Domain script—“Two.”

It was the insignia of the Second Corps Commander of the Demon King’s Army, a keepsake Sheffy had once hidden under her bed when she’d run away from home.

She had thought she’d never wear it again, but not long after—it was back on her chest.

Like her fishing rod, this was another old companion.

Uh…

“Wait a second… wasn’t this thing under my bed? Belith, you even crawled under my bed?!”

“Royal Sister must be joking. How could I possibly crawl under your bed while you were away, holding your nightgown, fantasizing about you lying on top of me while sleeping? I’m not some kind of pervert. I just happened to find this medal… mm, purely by accident.”

“You just admitted something that was never supposed to be said out loud?!”

And if you’re going to pin the medal on me, then just pin it properly! This thing has sentimental value—why are you squeezing me while you’re at it?! Can’t you attach it correctly?!

This place—she couldn’t stay another second.

【Super Acceleration】【Super Enhancement】

“Eh…?! Royal Sister, wait for me! I’ll behave now! Ehehe… now I don’t even need to wash this hand, Royal Sister!”

Sheffy concealed her eight wings, leaping skyward with just six, slipping from Belith’s devilish claws and transforming into a silver streak of light ascending toward the heavens.

Belith followed close behind. Rather than heading to a battlefield to quell turmoil, the two sisters looked more like they were frolicking and playing.

That too… was a kind of rare and beautiful moment.

Xiarette held her breath, focused, with the Holy Sword held horizontally in front of her. From the corner of her eye, she glanced behind them—toward the land dozens of li away.

There, a golden pillar of light shot straight into the sky, exuding a presence impossible to ignore.

It could still be seen clearly from this far away…

Such an enormous scale of sealing magic—it was definitely a massive undertaking. No telling who could have cast it.

There always seemed to be someone out there disturbing Sheffy’s peaceful life…

The silver hair she used to conceal her identity billowed, as golden magic particles surged through the air, scattering snowflakes in all directions.

The pressure around Xiarette steadily climbed, and Sylatrella, sensing it, returned to her sword.

The light radiating from the complete form of the Holy Sword carried no warmth, yet it was strong enough to melt the snow around her into mist.

With a flick of her blade, the air turned sharp and icy.

“Xiarette…? You…”

“Shhh! Miss Timani, you don’t understand…! Lady Shaya instructed us to carry out this mission—Lady Xiarette is getting serious!”

“……”

Usually, Xiarette was meek and timid, not one to speak up much.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep