Chapter 134: The Price and Growth

Malena, the new Head Maid of the Duke’s Household, was standing beside the Acting Duke, Vera.

“Please give this letter and this bag to a maid named Tilly at the Xīlong Pavilion… and ask her to forgive me for not being able to say goodbye in person.”

Malena held a letter and a small cloth bag—handed to her personally by the departing Master.

After “accidentally” overhearing the conversation in the office that day, Vera had given her a more detailed explanation of the situation.

The bag contained all the wages the Master had earned during his days as a maid in the Red Lotus Inner Palace… Malena guessed this was meant to repay debts the Master had incurred with colleagues while hiding his identity.

‘If it’s to repay a debt, wouldn’t it be better if the palace provided the funds?’ Malena had wanted to suggest this.

But when she saw the Master’s incredibly sincere gaze, she knew the suggestion would certainly not be accepted.

‘So this is the Hero…’

On the city wall, the wind was biting.

Vera stood at the high point. She watched the two figures—Lian and Iyue—in silence as they rode their horses.

One after another, they crossed the bridge and were eventually swallowed by the crowds on Paramita Street.

Vera only slowly withdrew her gaze once their silhouettes had completely vanished.

She turned to walk down from the wall. Malena followed close behind her. At that moment, the Magic Power that had been constantly circulating through Vera’s body suddenly cut out.

“Ngh…!”

She stumbled, her body tilting toward the bottom of the stairs.

“Your Highness!”

Fortunately, Malena stepped forward and supported Vera. Her movements were swift… but the moment she touched Vera’s body, she clearly felt her trembling and a coldness that stung the skin of her palms.

“You’re so cold…!”

She looked at Vera with concern.

“Hah… hah…!”

“Guards — “

Malena called out to seek help from the sentries on the wall, but Vera immediately raised a hand to signal her to stay quiet.

“I’m fine…!”

Vera squeezed out those three words through heavy breaths. Malena could feel the Magic Power within her surging violently.

Malena saw her raising an arm, using her palm to cover her left eye — but perhaps because she was shaking, she couldn’t block it completely.

“Your… Your Highness… your eye — “

The left eye visible through the gaps in Vera’s fingers was changing color.

Malena knew it wasn’t an illusion… that eye was being stained with an ink-like blackness, and the pupil in the center had turned into an eerie, ominous vertical slit.

Malena’s breath hitched.

She knew this was a characteristic of the Demon Race. A fear born of instinct made her want to let go of her hand.

But possessing an excellent compatibility with Magic Power, she still noticed the effort Vera was making to suppress the leaking energy —

“Hah… hah…”

“Your Highness…”

“Please, do not tell anyone.”

Vera pleaded with Malena with utter sincerity… she wasn’t asking her to stay by her side, but asking her not to tell others.

So, Malena did not let go.

With Malena’s support, Vera gradually suppressed the leakage of Magic Power, and her breathing slowly became steady.

After a while, she dispelled the chill eroding her body and stood up.

“Your Highness, your left eye… it hasn’t changed back.”

Malena spoke with a grim expression. She took a small grooming mirror from her skirt and handed it to Vera.

“…I see.”

In the mirror, Vera saw clearly that her left eye had completely taken on the appearance of the Demon Race.

‘So the process of Demonization is irreversible. Is this… the price it mentioned?’

She could no longer hear the voice of the Demon Sword. But the words she had heard when she first attempted to pull the sword from its scabbard now surfaced in her memory:

[Warning: User Compatibility mismatch. If you insist on using this device, it may cause permanent damage to the user or unpredictable, irreversible physiological changes.]

And how had she responded then? Vera tried to remember.

“Who understands all that! Just unsheath already — !”

[Received. Converting explanation… switching to a form understandable by the user… conversion complete.]

Vera remembered that the long-winded, confusing voice that seemed to ring directly in her mind had indeed come from the Demon Sword.

But only the final sentence was heard clearly, and its meaning was unmistakable —

[Can you pay the price?]

……

The sound of hoofbeats echoed through the forest path.

Lian sat on her horse, her back held rigid. Her hands gripped the reins tightly… she didn’t even dare to reach out and brush away the withered leaves that fell on her.

“How does it feel?” Iyue glanced at her from the side and chuckled, covering her mouth. “You don’t seem very used to it. At this walking pace, I’m afraid it will take us several weeks to reach the Sea of Trees.”

“There’s… there’s no helping it…” Lian’s voice trembled, but she answered honestly. “Even during those three years, I only rode a horse a few times… if we go too fast, I might get bounced off first!”

“True. After all, if you had Magic Power, you could run faster than a horse.” Iyue smiled. “Can you handle it? If not, come sit over here with me, and we can share one — “

“Then what about my horse?”

“The horses from the Duke’s Household are very smart. The one you’re riding should be able to find its way back on its own.”

“I can handle it. It’s not like I never learned… whoa!”

As it turned out, Lian wasn’t just being stubborn. Although she seemed cautious and awkward at first, she quickly got the hang of it.

Once she was able to make the horse gallop, the two of them sped along the main road… and as it grew late, they were already nearing the western border of Yilansiya.

Along the way, the surrounding scenery gradually transitioned from farmland and the pine forests unique to the Northland to broad-leaved forests with softer colors and denser foliage.

The two had already left the plains of the Northland, and low hills rolled across their field of vision.

The forest covering those hills had already turned yellow… but the further west they went, the more verdant the forest landscape became, as if escaping the clutches of the giant beast that was winter.

The two entered a clearing, set up a tent, and built a campfire to prepare for the night.

The afterglow of the setting sun was softened into gentle spots of light by layers of green branches… the Sea of Trees was still far away, but the scent of that ancient, evergreen forest was already drifting over.

After a simple dinner of game and river fish caught along the way, Lian and Iyue sat by the campfire to rest.

“Hmm…”

Lian organized her luggage, then took out her Communication Pearl to report her safety to her wife and Vera… but she soon realized she didn’t have the Magic Power to drive the pearl right now.

“Iyue.”

“Yeah?”

“Help me inject some Magic Power into this… I want to let Meliya and Vera know I’m safe.”

“Sure.” Iyue nodded. She took the bead, injected Magic Power into it, and tossed it back to Lian.

“Uh… I think I’ve only used this to contact Sephy before. Is it the same as before? Do I just think of the person’s face?”

Lian murmured while fiddling with the Communication Pearl. Hearing her words, Iyue suddenly had an idea.

“That’s your Communication Pearl, right?”

“Yeah.”

“You can try contacting Milin first,” Iyue said. “This bead can specify the target of the call, right? Then the bead on the other side should show who is initiating the contact. Vera said that Milin hasn’t been answering calls from her or Meliya.”

“Are you saying…?”

“They were calling from their own beads. But if your bead calls, the prompt will definitely be different. I can’t be certain, but… it’s worth a try.”

“You’re right.”

Lian couldn’t help but admire Iyue’s quick thinking. As she said, this thing must follow some rule to specify a target among many different beads… it was probably similar to a phone number.

Milin saw it was the numbers of her Teacher and Mother, so she chose not to answer. If it was hers, maybe she would…!

Lian hurried to recall Milin’s smiling face in her mind. As she imagined it, the mist within the bead began to rise.

Originally, she hadn’t held much hope. But in the next instant, the mist slowly dissipated, and the young girl’s face appeared in the bead —

“Sister Lian…?”

The face Lian missed dearly appeared in the image. Milin’s expression was half-surprise and half-urgent worry. She leaned closer to the bead and lowered her voice:

“Are you okay? Where are you now…? Are those bad guys still near you?”

“I’m fine.” Lian knew Milin probably thought she was still in the hands of the Demon Race. She quickly explained everything to Milin.

She briefly recounted her experience, including the fact that Feiyin had knocked her out… but as for the “truth,” she didn’t tell Milin.

She felt it was still too early. Milin had not yet accepted that she was her father. Telling her that unconfirmed, ambiguous information would only add to her troubles.

“That’s great… you’re safe, and you’re with Sister Iyue… and Feiyin is still alive…”

Through the Communication Pearl, Lian saw Milin wiping away her tears. Hearing that sob of relief, Lian felt a pang of heartache.

“Where are you?”

“We’re coming to find you right away. Little Milin, don’t do anything reckless.”

Lian and Iyue looked at each other and spoke into the Communication Pearl.

After a brief silence, Milin looked away.

“…You’re going to force me to go back, aren’t you?”

“Those Demon Race people are too dangerous,” Iyue told her. “Everything must prioritize your safety — “

“I can’t say. I know you want to take me back.” She stopped sobbing and looked up, her eyes filled with an unshakable resolve.

“I’m not going back. I’m going to find Feiyin, and I’m going to catch that escaped Demon Race woman.”

“Milin… listen to me.”

“Sister Lian and Sister Iyue should be the ones listening to me. Do you still think I’m a child? This is my own decision. I have to find Feiyin and ask her clearly why she did such a thing.”

“Furthermore, that escaped Demon Race woman must be brought back. I absolutely cannot allow her to harm the people of the Northland again… even if there is only a slight possibility, I will cut it off.”

“I know… but that’s really dangerous! Meet up with us first — “

“You don’t need to worry about me,” she said softly to Lian. “I’m safe, truly.”

The next moment, the mist abruptly vanished. This meant Milin had unilaterally cut off the communication.

Silence returned to the campfire.

“…As expected of that child’s personality.” Iyue sighed. “I noticed where she was just now. Behind her was a wooden wall bound with vines… that style only exists in the towns of the Sea of Trees. She should already be there.”

“Let’s rest. Tomorrow morning, we’ll continue our journey.”

Lian lowered her head and clutched the Communication Pearl tightly.