Chapter 12: I Am…

Finally, her teammates returned. After spending the whole day at the Camp, Leah looked at them in confusion:

“I heard about the new mission. I have no objections—light should indeed purge evil… but what’s wrong with you all?”

One face was puffed up, sulking; another was drawn tight, like an icy mountain.

Only the mysterious assassin girl and the big-chested country girl seemed harmonious, both grinning foolishly, though no one knew why.

“Nothing much,” Zero blinked innocently.

She was happy because Ella hadn’t taken off the White Rose.

She’d walked around wearing it all day.

So nice, so nice.

“I… don’t know,” Ella replied obediently.

She was happy because the Hero Squad would soon be off to suppress the Rebels.

To slay traitors with the sharpest sword, what could be more satisfying?

Hmph, the Human High Command schemed so much, but in the end, they’re just making things easier for the Demon King.

An actor must never break character.

Hold it in!

“By the way,” Zero clapped her hands.

“Since everyone is back tonight, and we’ll be leaving soon, how about we make our own dinner and have a little feast?”

Vina broke the ice first: “I’m fine with that. Anything works for me.”

Leah frowned slightly: “That might not be so good. We shouldn’t eat anything too greasy at night.”

“Then let’s keep it light,” Zero suggested.

“How about a stew?”

Perfect, Ella preferred lighter flavors too, though she only said so in her heart.

“That’s fine,” Vina tilted her head, “but isn’t it a bit late? Will there be time to stew soup?”

“With a pressure cooker, we’ll make it.”

With everyone in agreement, even Celes, who was still lost in thought, nodded when she saw them all looking her way: “Let’s do that, then.”

The Bonfire Camp bustled with activity.

Leah was in charge of washing vegetables.

Standing before the faucet, she offered a prayer, and the clear water transformed into Saint Water, making both the water and the vegetables in the basin even purer.

Vina held a chopstick, waving it like a conductor’s baton; the kitchen knife floated in the air, chopping vegetables in rhythm.

Ella tidied up the tables and chairs.

She ran into a bit of trouble: when wiping the table, she couldn’t see how clean the part in front of her was, so she had to step back a few paces to check.

“I’m back~”

Zero had gone to the Market and returned with a few big meat bones, tossing them into the pressure cooker.

“Turn it a few more times, seal it tight—okay, we can start the fire now.”

Only Celes went back to her little room, took out a chessboard, and placed the Magic Chess and Thief Chess pieces on the left and right, with the Swordsman Chess and Priest Chess on the right.

Those supporting Ella joining the team and those opposing—two on each side.

What a hassle…

Earlier today at the Sanctuary Hall, before leaving, Celes had said there was a small disagreement within the team.

She didn’t know how to handle it and wanted to hear her teacher’s advice.

“Is it an internal or external problem?”

“Internal.”

“Internal issues within the team must be resolved by yourselves. Little Celes, I believe you can handle it,” the great Hero, Rolls, smiled.

“You’re a natural leader.”

An outsider’s request to join seemed trivial, but it had grown into an internal team divide.

If handled poorly, a difference of opinion could turn into a conflict.

If the internal conflict wasn’t resolved, the team wouldn’t unite, the members wouldn’t grow, and in the future, when disaster struck, they wouldn’t be able to exert their true strength…

If humanity goes extinct, if the world is destroyed—it’ll all be because she didn’t make the right decision tonight!

Celes started to sweat.

Downstairs in the kitchen, the pressure cooker began to hiss.

The whole Camp could hear it.

Kachak kachak kachak kachak kachak kachak—

“The soup is ready! Time to add the vegetables~”

That night, everyone enjoyed the feast.

Even Leah ate a few extra bites, until she found a little red dot in her soup.

“What’s this? Goji berry? Who put this in?”

“Eh-heh~”

“Vina, are you trying to kill us? Adding goji berries to soup at night—you want us to stay up all night?”

“It’s not just goji berries, there’s red dates too…”

“You troublemaker! Up to mischief as soon as you get back!”

The liveliness belonged to them; Celes only sat there expressionless, sipping her soup bowl after bowl, as if her body was present but her soul had wandered off somewhere.

Finally, Zero pressed down on her bowl and chopsticks.

“That’s enough, Celes. Don’t drink anymore, if you keep going, you really won’t be able to sleep.”

After dinner, darkness had fully settled in.

Ella, rubbing her belly, returned to her room and lay down comfortably.

“Today really was a good day,” she said.

In the Council Hall today, she’d seen the Human High Command, fat heads, big ears, lust clouding their judgment, all sacks of wine and food. Even when they showed a bit of cunning, their final decision ended up benefiting her.

And the Royal Family, rulers of a nation, yet for such a major matter, not a single one showed up.

Compared to them, the Demon King’s hands-on leadership and grand vision were far superior!

After criticizing the Council Hall, Ella turned her gaze back to the Hero Squad.

After pretending to be a good girl in the Camp for a few days, she’d almost grown used to this new self.

She plucked the White Rose from her hair, holding it in her palm to examine it.

Hmph, the sweet and naïve ones in the team were already wrapped around her finger.

Could the others be far behind?

But speaking of which, Vina hadn’t lied about her “smelling really nice.”

“Vina…”

Ella murmured, growing wary.

This girl was different from Zero.

Anyone being so attentive for no reason must be up to something.

Besides, what Vina had told her included not just “you smell nice,” but also “Zero is mysterious,” “Leah is two-faced,” and “Celes has a hidden side.”

They couldn’t all be true.

Of all this, Ella believed least in Celes having a hidden side, because Vina’s description was just too ridiculous.

She believed the perfectionism, and the self-imposed pressure, but the idea that too much pressure would drive Celes to do strange things or talk nonsense—she just couldn’t accept.

Back in the forest, the Demon King had given her so much pressure, yet Celes had remained as steady as an iceberg.

If Vina were right, Ella wouldn’t be lying here now.

“Forget it, forget it—no point overthinking. Time to deal with the Rebels first.”

Ella yawned, rubbed her eyes, and prepared to sleep. But just then—

Creak.

The door opened? Who could it be?

Ella dared not speak or move—after all, a good girl should already be asleep.

She felt someone approach, quietly walking to the other side of the bed—behind her.

Then, nothing happened.

A few minutes later, Ella thought the person had left, so she let out a quiet sigh of relief and relaxed her body.

Seriously, who was that?

Sneaking around in the middle of the night, scaring this pink-haired beauty half to death… Eh?!

She was hugged from behind.

The sudden embrace made Ella shudder, letting out a soft cry.

“Don’t turn around,” she heard a suppressed girl’s voice.

“I am the Demon King.”

But it was clearly Celes’s voice.