Chapter Seven
“Stop right there, you big-breasted fox!!!”
Kristia’s furious roar echoed through the entire Demon Lord’s Castle corridors. Demons walking by instinctively halted, their faces etched with confusion as they watched Kristia and Lisbeth in their frantic chase.
The corridor was, in fact, quite crowded. Judging by their attire, none of the onlookers seemed to be ordinary demons.
Lisbeth broke out in a cold sweat. ‘Oh no, it’s the morning meeting time. These demons attending the conference are all high-ranking individuals. How will I ever show my face again after making such a spectacle?’
“Stop right there, you scoundrel!!”
“Wah, wah, wah! I don’t care anymore, I’m just going to run for my life!!”
At this point, Lisbeth had no energy left to care about others’ opinions. She simply ran for her life, putting every ounce of her strength into her escape.
Occasionally, she would shout back at the relentless Kristia, “Demon Lord, I was wrong! Let’s both calm down and talk about this properly!!”
“Impossible!! The moment you slandered my future potential, I swore I would never let you off the hook!!”
“No, no! That wasn’t slander! It’s an undeniable fact that your chest won’t grow an inch even in another two hundred years!!”
“You scoundrel! You dare to say it again!! You are dead today!!”
As Kristia finished speaking, her running speed astonishingly increased. Although Lisbeth had burst out of the Demon Lord’s Castle hall first, Kristia’s furious pursuit meant Lisbeth was on the verge of being caught.
‘Damn it, can I really not shake her off with just speed?’
Glancing back at Kristia, who was chasing her with a fierce, menacing expression, Lisbeth paradoxically calmed down. She began to carefully observe her surroundings.
‘First, this is the upper district of the Demon Lord’s Castle. If I continue straight, it should lead to the conference hall, the very throne room I crashed into last time.’
‘I absolutely cannot run there, as it’s a dead end. I must change my route before reaching it. No other choice—I’ll have to take *that* path!’
“Tier One Enhancement: Divine Speed!”
After a brief moment of strategizing her escape route, Lisbeth suddenly took a deep breath and quietly murmured an incantation. The very next second, a cerulean light erupted from her body, slowly concentrating around her feet.
“Hmph, a physical enhancement, is it? Do you truly believe you can escape with such a low-tier spell?”
Observing the change in Lisbeth, Kristia showed no surprise. Instead, a disdainful sneer played on her lips.
“No, no, Demon Lord. I never said I could escape with *just* this spell. All I need is to put a little distance between us, and that will be enough~”
“What!?”
The moment Lisbeth’s words faded, she abruptly spun around, then directly kicked a wall in the corridor. However, the wall did not impede her; instead, a hidden door swung open from the impact. Witnessing this, Lisbeth plunged inside without a backward glance.
“Heh, I wondered what it was. A secret passage, then?”
Despite Lisbeth’s astonishing move, Kristia merely slowed her pace, a cold smile playing on her lips as she gazed at the secret passage before her.
She then leisurely stepped into the hidden path, snapping her fingers softly. The next instant, a ghostly blue flame gently floated from her hand, illuminating the pitch-black corridor.
“Run, why aren’t you running anymore, Lisbeth?”
“H-how strange! Isn’t this supposed to be the secret passage leading to the mid-district’s teleportation array?!”
Through the ghostly blue flame, Kristia clearly saw Lisbeth, who was now frantically pounding on the wall. Behind her, her fluffy fox tail swished back and forth incessantly, betraying her escalating panic.
“Hmph, ever since you last trespassed into the Demon Lord’s Castle, I had someone thoroughly investigate all the secret passages in the upper district.
While I’m unsure how many more hidden paths exist within this castle, it’s quite unfortunate for you that the one you’re currently in was among those meticulously checked.”
Staring at Kristia’s smiling face, Lisbeth, on the verge of tears, angrily retorted, “This is too much! Why did it have to be *this* particular one?!”
“Shut your mouth, you big-breasted fox!!”
“Gah!”
Startled by Kristia’s sudden roar, Lisbeth trembled, watching the Demon Lord slowly advance towards her, shivering visibly.
When Kristia finally stood before her, Lisbeth clearly saw that sweet smile still gracing her face.
“Alright, since you wanted to talk, then let’s have a proper discussion, shall we~ Lisbeth~”
“Waaah… Help me!! Someone, anyone, please save me!!!!”
And so, Lisbeth’s cries echoed through the entire secret passage. Unfortunately, it seemed no one would be coming to her rescue there.