Chapter 6: New Task

After dinner, in order to prevent the wine in the soup from being discovered, Zhe Zilin took the initiative to clear the plates.

He rolled up his sleeves and claimed the washing duty for himself.

He followed Ailia to the first floor of the castle.

At the very back was a rather dim room.

It was the castle’s only kitchen.

Along the way, the interior of the castle looked completely ordinary.

If there was anything special about it, it was that the kitchen was unusually clean.

Besides bread, there were no other ingredients in sight.

While Ailia was not paying attention, he cleanly poured the soup into the slop bucket.

He fetched a basin of water and began washing the plates on his own.

Ailia hurried forward to stop him.

“Don’t. Ed, leave these things to me.”

“The eldest son of the Leibang family personally washing dishes… If word gets out, people will laugh at you.”

The Leibang family was wealthy enough to rival nations.

They could easily hire hundreds or even thousands of people to wash dishes.

For the legitimate eldest son to personally do such menial work would indeed become a joke that certain nobles would mock at the dinner table.

But could word even get out?

There were only the two of them here.

Besides, Zhe Zilin did not care how others talked about him.

Seeing Ailia reach out to take the basin away, he grabbed her hand.

“Right now I’m not the Leibang family’s Ed. I’m your Ed, Ailia. Washing a few plates is something I can still do.”

Ailia let go of her hand.

The words “Ailia’s Ed” lingered in her ears.

She could not control the curve rising at the corners of her mouth.

She lowered her head and replied softly.

“Mm.”

Watching Zhe Zilin’s profile as he washed the dishes, she rubbed her eyes and lightly bit her lower lip.

This scene was something she had fantasized about countless times.

Now that it had actually come true, it felt so dreamlike.

“Ed, do you need my help?”

She reached out, wanting to pick up a plate, but was quickly rejected by Zhe Zilin.

“This water is very cold. Don’t freeze yourself.”

His voice was soft and extremely gentle.

Ailia lowered her sleeves.

Her petite body moved one step closer to Zhe Zilin.

She quietly stood to the side and watched.

Zhe Zilin turned his head and glanced at the “little loli” beside him.

She looked peaceful and cute.

If only she wasn’t a yandere.

Just appreciating her was enough.

He knew very clearly what kind of crazy heart hid beneath that adorable appearance.

After finishing up in the kitchen, the sky was approaching darkness.

The castle gradually grew dim.

Ailia lit the candles in the rooms and hallways.

The flickering flames provided some light.

Inside the room, Zhe Zilin looked out the window.

The setting sun had already sunk below the horizon.

Only a few patches of clouds remained glowing in the western sky.

At dusk, the forest’s eeriness began to emerge.

Near the edge of the grassland, strange movements kept occurring.

Roars, screams, and cries for help appeared one after another as night fully descended.

Faintly, at the boundary between the forest and the grassland, Zhe Zilin seemed to see a human figure.

That person was waving.

No, they were waving at him.

Although the distance was more than ten miles, Zhe Zilin could still hear the voice.

“Come over here. I’ll take you away from this place. Away from that terrifying witch.”

“Come over here. Quick, quick!”

For a moment, Zhe Zilin’s mind was filled with this voice.

His actions were also being driven by it.

He began climbing onto the windowsill, preparing to jump down from the castle and head toward that figure.

“Ed!”

Ailia pushed the door open just in time.

She pulled Zhe Zilin down from the windowsill and quickly covered his ears.

In an instant, the voice in Zhe Zilin’s mind disappeared.

His consciousness returned to clarity.

“Was I bewitched just now?”

Ailia nodded.

She turned her head to look at the distant figure and explained, “You were affected by a Charm Ghost’s illusion.”

“Long ago, over a thousand wrongly killed prostitutes were buried in this forest. Their resentment gave birth to the existence of Charm Ghosts. They only appear at night. If you see a vague and indistinct shadow, immediately close your eyes and cover your ears. That way you can avoid being bewitched.”

Zhe Zilin frowned.

He knew the forest was dangerous, but he never expected that staying inside the castle would almost lead to disaster.

If Ailia had not arrived in time, he would probably have jumped from the windowsill.

Even if he survived, he would have been crippled.

“Thank you.”

Zhe Zilin sincerely expressed his gratitude.

He had almost wasted one regression attempt.

Ailia stared at the distant figure and began chanting a spell.

As her lips moved faster and faster, the figure in the distance began to scream and shriek.

The sound was like thousands of women wailing in their final moments before death.

It made one’s hair stand on end.

The sound did not last long.

Ailia let out a sharp “Extinguish!”

The Charm Ghost’s faint figure and its wailing disappeared into the night.

This was the first time Zhe Zilin had witnessed the World-Ender Witch Ailia casting magic.

She had eliminated a Charm Ghost from more than ten miles away.

The casting distance was terrifying…

If two armies were at war and the opposing lord was not on guard, Ailia could silently kill the enemy.

Zhe Zilin truly felt the terror of a witch.

No wonder the castle was surrounded by forest yet nothing dared to invade it.

But this also meant that escaping through the forest would be as difficult as reaching the heavens.

He scanned the edge of the grassland.

Pairs of crimson eyes were staring at the castle, looking toward him.

Among them, at the eastern edge of the forest near the castle, several humanoid figures were lying on tree branches, talking among themselves.

“It’s been so long since I’ve eaten delicious human meat.”

“But there’s a witch. We can’t eat him.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. The witch will leave. She’ll leave the castle in a couple of days.”

“How do you know?”

“The King of the North is dying. The witch must leave the castle to pray for him.”

***

After experiencing this incident, Zhe Zilin’s mood became somewhat depressed.

Inside the castle was a yandere witch.

Outside the castle were dangers lurking everywhere.

If he wanted to escape, not only was his own strength insufficient, he did not even know the direction to cross the forest.

Rashly entering it would only lead to him getting lost.

Right now, improving his strength was the top priority.

At the very least, he needed the power to fight against half-orcs and ogres.

But how could he quickly increase his strength?

This Leibang Ed only excelled at romance and sweet talk.

His skill with blades and spears was only slightly better than that of an average soldier.

Zhe Zilin suddenly remembered that in the game King, completing tasks was not the only way to obtain rewards.

Killing also dropped equipment and gave experience points, allowing one to rapidly increase strength.

There was no more meat left in the kitchen.

Since Ailia had been able to obtain steak, she must have killed something.

At the right time, he could grow stronger by hunting.

In the game, experience mainly came from killing monsters.

Although killing pigs, chickens, and cows also gave some experience, it was far less than killing monsters.

If Ailia could catch a few elite monsters for him to finish off, Zhe Zilin would be able to greatly increase his strength.

It seemed he would still have to rely on Ailia for this matter.

But how could he make her catch a few elite monsters for him?

Just as he was thinking this, a white light appeared before his eyes.

The system panel materialized.

[Congratulations. You have completed the task: Do not drink the potion for three days inside the witch’s castle.]

[You have also established initial trust with the witch.]

[Task completed with excellence. Rewards obtained: +1 regression attempt, Love Letter item.]

[Love Letter: A letter that can increase mutual affection. As long as you sign the other party’s name on the letter and give it to them, it can greatly deepen the bond between you and reduce suspicion.]

[Please proceed to the next stage task: The Witch’s Heart’s Desire.]

[The witch has three heart’s desires: One, sleep in the same bed with you.]

[Two, have you cook her a lavish feast.]

[Three, actively put the Contract Ring on her finger.]

Zhe Zilin sat on the bed and steadied his mind.

The three wishes were not particularly difficult.

Completing them would improve his relationship with Ailia.

Getting elite monsters might become easier as well.

Seeing Ailia about to leave, he called out to her.

“Um…”

Ailia turned back in surprise.

Zhe Zilin patted the bed beside him.

He looked around awkwardly.

“I’m a little scared to sleep alone. Can you…”

Ailia immediately understood what Zhe Zilin wanted to say.

She froze on the spot.

Both hands twisted the hem of her skirt.

“Mm… okay…”