第二十一章
“希尔达，速度再快一点。”
“是。”
After cleansing herself and changing into fresh clothes, Kristia led Hilda without a moment’s delay towards Lisbeth’s cell.
However, since Lisbeth’s cell was located in the lower district of the Demon Lord’s Castle, it appeared Kristia and Hilda would still need some time to reach it.
“Ah, damn it. I should have left a secret passage directly to the teleportation array in the central district. Walking all this way takes so much time.”
Indeed, the Demon Lord’s Castle was vast, and secret passages often aided in travel.
Yet, by Kristia’s own command, most of the secret passages in the upper district of the Demon Lord’s Castle had been sealed.
Upon hearing Kristia’s complaint, Hilda felt a pang of guilt.
“My Demon Lord, I am truly sorry. If only I had thought it through more carefully, this situation wouldn’t have arisen.”
“No, it’s actually my fault. I didn’t give you specific instructions, so you have no reason to blame yourself.”
“But more importantly, let’s hurry.”
“Yes.”
After comforting Hilda, Kristia and Hilda reached the teleportation array leading to the central district.
However, before they could step into the array, the magic circle before them suddenly activated.
From within, a maid emerged, clad in the same uniform as Hilda.
“Oh? My Demon Lord, Hilda, what are you two doing out so late? Are you perhaps going on a secret rendezvous, just like me?”
“Airenst, do you think everyone is as unprincipled as you? And I’ve told you many times, as a personal maid, you shouldn’t prey on the regular maids.”
Standing before Hilda and Kristia was Airenst, one of Kristia’s six personal maids.
She possessed a cascade of silver-blue hair that flowed down her back like a waterfall.
Her delicate features and an instinctively alluring aura made it easy for others to fall captive to her charm.
Perhaps due to the late hour, a hint of tears glistened in her sky-blue eyes, seemingly remnants of a yawn.
However, if Lisbeth were here at this moment, she would undoubtedly turn and flee the instant she saw Airenst.
The reason being, it was Airenst, now yawning before them, who had playfully teased her in the secret passage.
“Oh dear, Hilda. I was merely responding to the little sprites who were enchanted by me~”
“But putting that aside, what are you two doing out so late at night?”
“Nothing much. We’re just going to check on Lisbeth in her cell.”
“Lisbeth? Ah, the new personal maid? Rumors about her have spread throughout the Demon Lord’s Castle like wildfire!”
“They say on her very first day, the Demon Lord chased her across the world, only to then throw her into a cell for reflection. Now everyone in the Demon Lord’s Castle wants to meet her.”
It seemed Lisbeth’s story had indeed become the talk of the entire Demon Lord’s Castle.
Upon hearing Airenst’s words, Hilda shook her head helplessly. “Sigh… I don’t even know what to say about that idiot.”
“Regardless, we are pressed for time right now. Would you please move aside, Airenst?”
“Hmm? Oh, of course~ But before that, My Demon Lord, let me give you a hug first!”
“Airenst, I said we’re in a hurry.”
Just as Airenst was about to touch Kristia, a surge of immense black energy erupted from Kristia’s body.
This caused Airenst to abruptly halt mid-motion, preventing her from making contact.
“Ah, ahaha, it seems My Demon Lord is not in a good mood. Well then, I won’t bother you any further. I’ll go to sleep now~”
“Yes, sleep early. I’ll need your help concocting some potions tomorrow morning.”
“Understood~”
With those words, Airenst departed from the teleportation array.
Watching her figure recede, Kristia sighed. “Alright, it’s about time we left too.”
“Yes.”
****
“Damn it! Faster, faster!!”
While Kristia and Hilda were heading to the central district, Lisbeth was also rushing towards a secret passage leading to the central district with the utmost speed.
Although she had nearly been caught in Hilda’s bathroom earlier, the secret passage was indeed the quickest route to the lower district.
Even so, Lisbeth still felt her pace was too slow, as she had no idea where Kristia and Hilda currently were.
[Hey, Alex, calm down first. No matter how much you rush, your movement speed won’t change.]
[I know. But thinking about it now, I’m still so worried.]
Clotilde’s voice directly manifested in Lisbeth’s mind.
Lisbeth, in turn, communicated with her using her inner voice.
Since Clotilde had successfully transformed into an emblem and possessed Lisbeth’s hand, they could now converse telepathically.
However, this didn’t mean Clotilde was privy to all of Lisbeth’s thoughts; Clotilde would only hear her voice when Lisbeth intended to speak to her.
Despite this, Clotilde could still sense Lisbeth’s mounting anxiety.
[Just don’t panic yet. We’ll discuss it once we reach the lower district. Also, get ready to use your shrinking magic. You definitely used that spell when you escaped, right?]
[Yes, that’s right. I’ll use it immediately once I enter the cell.]
As time passed, Lisbeth swiftly traversed the secret passage and arrived at the cells.
Seeing the seemingly undisturbed cell before her, Lisbeth breathed a sigh of relief.
But just then, Hilda’s voice echoed from the cell entrance.
“Open the cell at once. I need to confirm what Lisbeth is doing.”
“Yes.”