Call Me Vivian

The dim yellow oil lamp cast their two figures onto the rough tent canvas, flickering with every slight crackle of the wick.

Outside the tent was the unique, chilly silence of the Territory of Evernight, occasionally punctuated by the heavy footsteps of patrolling soldiers, the suppressed groans of the wounded, and the crackling of bonfires.

Elia sat ramrod straight on the cold stone stool, as if ready to receive an order or reprimand at any moment.

She took small sips of the nearly transparent vegetable soup, her gaze lowered, focused solely on the single moonbean in front of her.

Meanwhile, the aroma of Vivian’s cured meat seemed particularly enticing in this small space, and it made Elia feel an even greater, formless pressure—the unease of a servant dining at the same table as her master.

Vivian saw Elia’s restraint.

She picked up her spoon, scooped up a slice of cured meat, but instead of immediately bringing it to her mouth, she gently placed it next to the moonbean in Elia’s bowl.

“Lady Demon Lord! This is absolutely not acceptable!”

As if she’d been scalded, Elia shot her head up, her crimson eyes, the same color as Vivian’s, filled with alarm.

She was about to stand up immediately.

“Sit down, Elia.”

Vivian’s voice was not loud, but it stopped her movement.

“This is also an order. You need your strength—you held this place for a full two months, and then you traveled with me for a day.

You’re more tired than I am.”

She looked at Elia, her gaze leaving no room for argument.

“Eat it.

This isn’t charity; it’s a necessary supplement, a reward for your loyalty… If you collapse, who will help me?”

Vivian spoke earnestly.

To be honest, seeing Elia alive made her even happier—after all, neither Asi nor Luna had experience in handling large-scale affairs.

Along the way, they had to rely on Vivian’s guidance to constantly learn and take on their responsibilities.

But Elia was different.

She was originally Vivian’s Head Maid and had been involved in all matters, big and small, within the Demon Lord’s Castle.

Her management and processing abilities were naturally higher than others, so Vivian valued Elia particularly, because now she was her only capable assistant.

After hearing Vivian’s words, Elia opened her mouth, looked at the piece of dark cured meat, then at Vivian’s calm face.

In the end, all her words of refusal were stuck in her throat.

She slowly lowered her head and responded in an almost inaudible voice, “…Yes, Lady Demon Lord.”

Then, the fox-maid picked up her utensils and carefully cut the piece of cured meat, which was once common but now exceptionally precious, into two smaller halves.

She placed one half in her mouth and chewed it slowly, as if savoring some delicacy, while gently pushing the other half back to the edge of Vivian’s small plate.

“…You need it too.”

Vivian didn’t refuse this time, just nodded, accepting this clumsy display of loyalty.

Then, she picked up her own moonbean, crushed a small piece with her spoon, and saw the powdery white flesh with a faint silver sheen.

In fact, in both texture and taste, apart from an extra light, fresh scent, it was largely no different from a potato.

“Elia,” after tasting the moonbean, Vivian continued to speak, her voice exceptionally clear in the silent tent, “don’t be so tense. There are no outsiders here.”

“Lady Demon Lord…”

“Call me Vivian.”

Vivian looked at her loyal Head Maid, interrupting her words with a slight smile.

“At least for tonight, in this tent—I need you to relax and talk with me.”

“I know the past two months have been hard for you, but I don’t want you to keep being so tense and putting so much pressure on yourself.

I need you by my side, understand?”

Elia took a deep breath, seemingly engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

After a moment, her tense shoulders very slowly began to relax.

Although her posture was still upright, the stiff, on-guard feeling had lessened slightly.

“…Yes, L-Lady Vivian.”

The name came out of her mouth, still slightly stiff and unfamiliar.

“That’s more like it.”

A very faint smile appeared on Vivian’s face.

“After we finish talking tonight, you should also get some rest.

Surviving these two months wasn’t easy, but the tasks ahead are the real test.

I need your abilities.”

“Yes…”

Elia nodded in response, her whole body gradually relaxing.

“So… tell me.

Regarding the placement of the wounded, the inventory of supplies, and the establishment of the living area today, were there any particularly tricky problems?

Or did you notice anything we hadn’t considered before?”

The topic shifted to specific matters, which seemed to bring Elia back to a familiar rhythm and gave her tense nerves a direction to focus on.

She put down her utensils, her eyes regaining their usual focus and calmness, and began to report the situation she had organized in a clear and orderly manner.

“Reporting to… Lady Vivian, regarding the wounded, the number of lightly wounded is slightly higher than previously estimated.”

Elia swallowed and continued, “During the rough count before, some injuries were hidden by dirt.

After preliminary treatment, the number of people who need to rest and be observed may be close to one thousand seven hundred.

And medicine is the biggest shortage, especially hemostatic grass for treating external injuries and moonlight mandrake for purifying holy light power.

The inventory is almost bottomed out.

We can only rely on some soldiers who know herbal medicine to gather nearby, but the efficiency is very low…”

Listening, Vivian’s brow furrowed, and the spoon in her hand unconsciously stirred the soup in her bowl.

“Medicine… there’s no way around this for now.

Without a safe gathering environment, without professional pharmacists, and without enough exchange materials to buy more, the medicine in our inventory will be used up little by little.”

She pondered, “We can only prioritize the seriously wounded.

The rest will have to be treated with magic.

If recovery is slower, then it’s slower.

It can’t be helped.”

With that, she subconsciously stroked her abdomen.

“For the lightly wounded with more troublesome injuries, we must also ensure basic treatment to prevent infection and deterioration.

Have those who know herbal medicine list the most urgently needed herbs.

See if we can find any missed reserves in the ruins, or… ask the soldiers who knows of any herbs from their hometowns, even if it’s just a folk remedy.

Dispatch small teams to the old settlements and villages to gather herbs, and at the same time, search for any residents still remaining in the territory.

We urgently need labor…”

“Yes.”

Elia carefully noted Vivian’s words.

“Regarding the inventory of supplies, the biggest problem is… containers.”

She paused slightly.

“Many of the pottery jars used to store food and seeds were shattered in the previous battles.

The beans and seeds were scattered, and although most were rescued in time, in this damp environment, without suitable containers for storage, they will easily mold or sprout.”