Chapter 50
“Wuwuwu…”
“Wuwuwuwu…”
A sigh escaped Hilda’s lips. ‘Honestly, what a pair of idiots,’ she thought.
Observing Lisbeth and Staros sobbing uncontrollably within their cell, Hilda and Olivia exchanged helpless sighs. They truly didn’t know how to address the two fools before them. Although Hilda and Olivia’s anger had not entirely subsided, the sight of one clutching her chest and the other her head caused their lingering irritation to completely dissipate.
Consequently, Hilda made an effort to speak in her gentlest tone, turning to Lisbeth first. “Lisbeth, is your chest alright?”
“How could it be alright? It really hurts so much! Wuwuwu, the Demon Lord was absolutely dreadful, squeezing my chest with such force it almost came off!”
“No, no, by all appearances, you brought this upon yourself…”
Truth be told, when Chris had erupted in such fury, Hilda had genuinely believed Lisbeth’s chest was doomed to be severed. Yet, seeing her chest still perfectly intact, Hilda instinctively let out a sigh of relief. After all, Chris remained a child at heart; though her words were sharp, she wouldn’t truly commit to anything too extreme. This thought brought a quiet, relieved smile to Hilda’s face.
“Ah! I’m already this miserable, old hag, and you can still smile? You’re too much!”
“Silence! Who are you calling an old hag?!”
“Wahwahwahwahwah!!!”
The moment Lisbeth’s words ceased, Hilda abruptly pinched Lisbeth’s fox ears. She then turned to Staros, who was standing beside them. “And Staros, are you alright? It looked like the Demon Lord drilled into your head for quite a while.”
“Drilled? No! She used magic to smash my head directly against the wall! Honestly, I thought I was a goner.”
Observing Staros, who was still tearfully clutching her head, Olivia at her side let out a cold scoff. “Hmph, who told you to say so many unnecessary things in the first place? If it had been me, it would be a miracle if you were still alive and speaking right now.”
“Ugh…”
Though Staros felt a surge of anger upon hearing Olivia’s words, the memory of her own disrespectful remarks towards Olivia made her lower her head in silence, refraining from any retort. However, her silence did not mean Lisbeth would remain quiet.
Lisbeth abruptly slapped away Hilda’s hand, which had been pinching her fox ear. Then, with an angry expression, she pointed at Olivia. “Olivia, I haven’t even asked you yet! Why did you have to set up such a boring test? If you had just given us the potion honestly, none of this would have happened!”
“Hmph, you certainly have a thick hide.”
Upon hearing Lisbeth’s words, Olivia adjusted her glasses and spoke coldly. “You brazenly broke into my laboratory to steal something, and now you blame me because your thievery failed? Hmm?”
“Ah… no… that’s not it…”
Only then did Lisbeth fully grasp how utterly inappropriate her previous statement had been. After all, Olivia had informed her in advance about today’s events, leading Lisbeth to naturally assume Olivia would simply hand over the desired potion. However, as Olivia articulated her point so clearly, Lisbeth realized just how ridiculously mistaken she had been.
“Olivia, I’m sorry. It was my fault…”
Regardless, Olivia had no familial ties to her, and thus no reason to provide the potion for free. Seeing Lisbeth’s sincere apology, Olivia let out a helpless sigh. She gently took Lisbeth’s hand. “At any rate, it’s good that you understand your mistake. Just don’t say anything so outlandish next time.”
“Mhm, I understand.”
Upon seeing Lisbeth nod, Olivia smiled and gave her hand a slight squeeze. When Olivia released her grip, Lisbeth discovered a small magic array suddenly etched onto her palm.
Although it was etched, Lisbeth knew this type of magic array would vanish automatically after a day. She cast a puzzled glance at Olivia, unsure of her intentions. Olivia, however, offered no explanation, simply turning and returning to Hilda’s side.
Yet, as Lisbeth remained somewhat perplexed, Clotilde’s voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
[Alex, don’t make a fuss yet. That magic array is most likely a small message spell. Just play along for now.]
‘I see, I understand.’
Clotilde’s words caused Lisbeth to nod instinctively. Olivia had indeed expressed a desire to meet with him privately, so Clotilde’s assessment was likely correct. Finally, after Olivia had rejoined Hilda, Hilda cleared her throat softly. “In any case, you two may leave now. The Demon Lord’s anger has subsided, so hurry with me to apologize to her and put an end to this matter.”
“Eh?! The Demon Lord is actually willing to forgive us?!”
“Seriously?! I thought she genuinely wanted to eliminate us this time!”
Gazing at the two overjoyed individuals, Hilda sighed softly once more. “You two, you know perfectly well that such words anger the Demon Lord, so why do you always say them? Anyway, I’ve managed to appease the Demon Lord this time, but if you pull a stunt like this again, you’ll truly be doomed.”
“We understand! We definitely won’t do it again!”
“Mhm mhm!”
Seeing them both nod, Hilda then led them towards Chris’s office.
****
“Knock knock.”
“Demon Lord, I’ve brought them over.”
“Come in.”
After a gentle knock on the door, Hilda led a crestfallen Lisbeth and Staros into Chris’s office. The moment she saw their timid figures, Chris’s expression instantly darkened. She stared at them coldly. “You’ve arrived?”
“W-we’re here…”
“Hmph, since you’re here, why aren’t you scrambling over to me?”
“Ah! Yes!”
Seeing Chris about to erupt in anger again, Lisbeth and Staros quickly stumbled and crawled to Chris’s feet. They spoke in a rush. “Demon Lord, we were wrong! We were too talkative, we shouldn’t have said such things, so please forgive us!”
“Hmph, it’s good that you know your mistakes. The next time you utter such pointless words, I will truly sever those meaningless lumps of fat!”
“Ah! Yes!”
After Chris’s sharp gaze swept over them both, she took another deep breath. “However, it’s impossible for there to be no punishment after the words you spoke. Therefore, I have something for you to do next.”
“Eh?! Haven’t we suffered enough at your hands already? Isn’t that punishment?”
“Hmm?!”
“Ah. No, no, it’s nothing, Demon Lord, please continue…”
Another glare from Chris instantly sent shivers down Lisbeth and Staros’s spines, causing them to frantically shake their heads. Once they had settled down, Chris pointed at Hilda. “For the foreseeable future, both of you must follow Hilda’s commands completely. The Demon Lord’s Castle will soon host a grand banquet, and there will be a dire shortage of help for odd jobs. My punishment is simple: you will both diligently assist with all the miscellaneous tasks.”
“Eh? That’s all?”
“That’s all.”
Truthfully, Lisbeth began to doubt her own ears. After all, their daily tasks were already indistinguishable from odd jobs, so assisting with banquet preparations didn’t seem like a significant problem.
Unfortunately, they had thought too simply. Hilda now wore a sympathetic expression as she looked at them. “Don’t underestimate this. The labor required for banquet preparations is no laughing matter. Even a conservative estimate would put it at three times your usual workload.”
“What?! Three times the work of our already exhausting daily tasks? And that’s a conservative estimate?!”
The moment Hilda’s words concluded, Lisbeth and Staros’s faces crumpled into tearful grimaces. Simultaneously, Chris revealed a satisfied smile, as if delighted by their current reactions. Then, she turned to Lisbeth. “Speaking of which, Lisbeth, the reason we’re hosting this banquet is actually related to you. So, you must do a good job.”
“Related to me? Ah! Could it be…?”
Having been here for so long, Lisbeth had almost forgotten her former identity. Now, with Chris’s words, she suddenly remembered that Chris had captured her, the Hero. Naturally, a celebration banquet would be held for such an achievement. Moreover, it was likely that all the attendees would be high-ranking nobles and dignitaries.
“Yes, it seems you understand what’s going on. Just to be safe, I’ll tell you this: your identity is currently known only to me, all my personal maids, and a few high-ranking demons. Therefore, during the banquet, you must not reveal who you are. That is all.”