“Hualí! Hualí!”
The next day, Hualí was woken up by the noise.
The moment she opened her eyes, she jumped up from the bed and lifted her skirt to reveal her smooth, white belly, as flawless as fine jade.
She carefully checked up and down to make sure there were no strange patterns.
Then she let out a sigh of relief and patted her modest chest.
“Whew~ Good, it really was a dream!”
It was all just a dream.
She definitely wasn’t a bad girl who passed out while flying through a narrow tunnel.
She frowned in frustration.
She didn’t expect to fall asleep so quickly after returning to the prison cell last night.
Originally, she had planned to spend some time digging a few more meters forward in the tunnel, but unfortunately, she wasted another night.
After sorting out her thoughts, Hualí finally looked in the direction the sound had come from.
She froze.
She clearly remembered that the cell next door had always been empty.
Why was there a new neighbor today?
Golden hair shimmered like sunlight, and the holy atmosphere even briefly overwhelmed the gloom of the prison cell.
The white silk bodysuit under the sacred mage’s robe was torn by sharp stones, revealing delicate skin like mutton-fat jade.
A beautiful face was smudged with dust, as if she’d recently suffered a great deal.
The girl was kneeling on the ground, slender hands clutching the prison bars as she forced her voice into Hualí’s cell next door.
The voice still sounded like a Human Race member.
“Wachu?!”
Hualí immediately grabbed the prison bars, pushing her head out as far as she could, tears brimming in her eyes at seeing a fellow countrywoman.
“Did the Human Race send you to rescue me?!”
“I knew it! I knew the Human Race wouldn’t abandon me!”
Human loyalty!
Due to the wall between them, Hualí could only hear the voice from the neighboring cell, unable to see the other’s face.
Declared a rescuer at first sight, the Saintess Penina’s expression stiffened.
She didn’t know how to gently tell the dear Brave Lady that the Kingdom had already erected a tombstone for the defeated Hero and started celebrating the end of the war.
She’d come to the Demon King Castle for her own reasons…
Penina recalled a rumor she’d heard long ago: that the Magical Potion bestowed by the Princess in the royal capital could not only change a Hero’s gender, but also had some minor side effects…
“Yes, but something unexpected happened during the process, so I ended up imprisoned here as well.”
Penina decided to go along with Hualí’s assumptions.
“So, if we want to escape, we have to work together!”
“Um, I still don’t know your name.”
“My name… just call me Penina, an ordinary member of the Human Race.”
Penina…
Hualí tilted her head, feeling the name sounded familiar, as if she’d heard it somewhere before.
But she just couldn’t remember.
As the two exchanged brief introductions, a loud noise interrupted their conversation.
A Dog-head Man in guard uniform walked through the corridor outside the cell, banging a large steel fork against the cell door.
“What are you two shouting about! It’s early morning—if you’re not going to sleep, at least let others sleep!”
The steel fork struck the iron door, the metallic vibration numbing Hualí’s arms as she clung to the bars.
“If you’re going to plan a prison break, at least wait until meal or exercise time—be quiet in the morning.”
The Dog-head Man yawned.
He then gave a final warning for Penina in the neighboring cell to behave herself before disappearing around the corner.
With things as they were, she might as well get some more sleep.
***
In the blink of an eye, it was exactly noon.
It was meal time for the prisoners—Hualí’s favorite part of the day.
Thanks to modern, humane prison management, even a facility holding countless vicious members of the Demon Race was equipped with surprisingly considerate amenities.
While the underground sections were used to confine prisoners, the upper levels were mainly for dining and socializing.
When the bell rang, all prisoners left their cells at the same time and headed to the cafeteria.
“Hehe~ Penina, just stick close to me later. I know a line where the prison food is extra delicious—even better than Human Race meals. You have to try it!”
Jostling through the crowd, Hualí bit half her tongue as she spoke to Penina behind her, saliva nearly dripping onto the floor.
Looking at Hualí, whose face screamed unreliability yet whose eyes faintly shone with wisdom, Penina began to doubt how the Hero was defeated by the Demon Queen.
Could it have been because she was tempted by prison food?
Penina still hadn’t confessed her true identity as a Saintess of the Human Race to Hualí.
Her mission was to bring Hero Hualí back to the Church, and Penina began calculating the chances of success.
Finally, after following Hualí to the most secluded window and grabbing two mixed meals, they found a spot and sat down to eat.
Their escape plan officially began.
Although, it was almost entirely Penina talking, while Hualí focused on stuffing her face and nodding vigorously.
“These next few days will be the Demon Queen’s Succession Ceremony. At that time, all the guards in the Demon King Castle will be temporarily reassigned. If we create a little chaos during the ceremony to draw attention, we’ll have a chance to escape!”
Penina had no appetite.
Her expression was serious as she discussed their plan with Hualí.
“I get it! I get it all!”
Hualí nodded her small head firmly.
As the two spoke, a massive black shadow slowly enveloped them.
“Yo, isn’t this the Human Race’s Hero? How did you end up fighting for prison food with the rest of us?”
A towering Minotaur appeared behind Penina, swatting her meal tray aside and grabbing her wrist right in front of Hualí.
Two jets of white air burst from his bull nostrils, his nose ring gleaming under the light.
“Miss, interested in sharing a meal?”
The Minotaur’s figure was nearly three times her height, his exposed upper body rippling with muscle.
Hualí looked up in terror.
Ah… crap! I’m still here, please don’t bull me!
Around the prison cafeteria, onlookers watched with amusement, eager for drama.
In this prison, shrouded by the Demon Queen’s magic, all forms of violence were permitted except for the use of magic.
Thus, conflicts frequently erupted.
Without magic, broken limbs were little more than flesh wounds to the tough-skinned Demon Race—they’d heal in no time, barely a bother.
They were all curious to see how the rumored Human Race Hero would react to a Minotaur.
Would she dare to draw her holy sword against the evil Minotaur?
Or would she stand by helplessly as her companion was ravaged by a bull, becoming a useless husband?