Ella quietly shifted a little to the side.
“I didn’t notice that. As for the scent… there’s nothing special about it, is there?”
It’s normal to have a body fragrance, right?
I heard all girls are supposed to be soft and smell nice.
Vina shook her head.
“No, it’s quite special. Little Ella, your scent is very attractive. It makes people want to relax on you.”
“…I don’t think so.”
Also, did I just get run over by a carriage or something?
“Hehe, you don’t believe it now, but you’ll realize when someone can’t hold back one day. Oh, and you’re missing a button on your collar.”
Vina reached out her small hand, hooked a finger through the gap in Ella’s collar, then left the carriage.
Even after she left, Ella’s chest was still bouncing.
So soft… No, now’s not the time to think about that.
Could there really be something weird about me?
Thinking back carefully, when the people in the lab handed over the secret potion, they mentioned the ingredients: besides those targeted Human Race girl transformation factors, they also added nourishing and beautifying Snow Whale Flower Gel, skin-whitening Elven Spring Dew, and possibly effective Succubus Secret Essence.
“Gulp.”
Could it have worked?
No, calm down.
Not everything Vina says is true.
What if she’s just trying to startle me for fun? She’s exactly that kind of troublemaker.
If I believed everything she said, wouldn’t I be the biggest fool?
Ella quietly let out a sigh of relief.
That’s right, it’s likely just a prank.
Don’t trust this girl so easily.
According to her, this hero party has one repressed neat freak, one two-faced person, and one carrying a heavy, dark secret, none of them sound normal.
Are you telling me stories or what?
***
“Ella, I’m back.”
Zero pulled open the carriage curtain and came in, holding two meat pies in her hand.
“I saw these being sold on the way, fresh out of the oven. Try one.”
See, such a bright and cheerful person, where’s the heavy darkness?
Must be false information.
Ella held the meat pie and took a big bite.
Delicious!
“By the way, I just saw Vina coming out. Did she say anything to you?”
“Nothing much. Just some things I didn’t understand.”
“Oh.”
The return convoy kept moving along the main road, relying on their strength to press forward without long stops, switching shifts to travel through the night.
Three days and nights later, the convoy finally came to a halt.
In the morning, Ella had just woken up.
She rubbed her eyes and stretched.
“Mmm… mm~~~ ya!”
She seemed to have let out some weird sound while stretching, but it didn’t matter.
Let’s just call it a beautiful girl’s disguise.
After all, you wouldn’t make that sound if you hadn’t been a girl for at least ten years.
Outside was bustling with noise, completely different from the past two days.
Had they arrived?
“Ella, we’ve reached the King’s City!”
Zero’s voice called from outside the carriage.
“Do you want to come out and see?”
“Coming.”
Ella pushed open the door and got off the carriage, standing beside Zero and gazing at the bustling Royal City.
Beneath the towering city walls, crowds came and went endlessly. In the distance, tall buildings rose one after another, with the Cathedral of Light and the Royal Palace standing like twin towers in the skyline.
Looking down at her feet, all she saw was the milky-white snow, but that didn’t matter.
Ella knew she was standing on the bluestone road of the Human Kingdom’s Capital.
More than ten years ago, in a tavern in the Demon Territory, Aio, who had yet to become the Demon King, raised his right hand high:
“The Demon Race will rise! One day, I will lead the Demon Race and stand beneath the walls of the Human Kingdom’s Royal City!”
Doesn’t matter how you got here, the point is, you made it.
Shff, shff. Ella heard the sound of armor clanking. Looking up, she saw a dozen tall, burly soldiers approaching.
Their armor was engraved with sun emblems, and at a glance, they looked just like Knights of the Sun.
Their uniforms seemed a bit different from the soldiers standing on the city walls.
“These people are here to escort Miss Leah,” Zero whispered.
The soldiers surrounded the first carriage, knelt on one knee, and placed a hand on their chests in a prayer gesture.
Leah drew back the curtain and gracefully stepped down from the carriage, wearing a beautiful and holy smile.
“Thank you for your hard work, everyone. May Light always shine upon us.”
“Praise the Light! Praise the Saintess!”
“Praise the Light! Praise the Saintess!”
People at the morning market turned to look.
Children watched curiously, while their parents pulled them along to join in the prayer.
Praise the Light!
“Miss Leah,” Celes called softly from behind, “During the training period, we’ll need to stay together.”
“I know. I’ll go to the camp tonight.”
With that, Leah led her dozen guards away toward the prominent cathedral.
Ella tugged Zero’s sleeve and asked in a low voice, “Where are we going?”
“Bonfire Camp. That’s just the name, it’s actually a guesthouse in the northern part of the city. The environment is really nice.”
Staying together?
Good, good.
The more contact, the better for my plans.
Hehehe.
Celes took care of the extra carriages right at the morning market, keeping only two for their use, and led the rest of the group to Bonfire Camp.
Half an hour later, they arrived.
Zero was right, Bonfire Camp was indeed a guesthouse in the city’s north. Its exterior was rather plain, but the environment was excellent, and even when unoccupied, it was always well-maintained.
No doubt, this was a great place.
Although inside the city, it was free from the hustle and bustle.
Every morning, opening the southwest window revealed the chapel’s dome, while standing in the southeast courtyard offered a view of royal splendor.
Elegant surroundings, convenient location, beautiful scenery.
“Zero, go submit the mission report this time,” Celes instructed in the living room.
“Vina, you…”
“I need to return to the Magic Court as well,” Vina cut in first.
“I’ve been gone so many days, the old men must be getting anxious.”
With the two girls leaving on their errands, Celes turned her gaze to the last one.
“Go find an empty room. Any without a nameplate are available.”
“Okay.”
So calm and efficient, Ella thought.
Four occupied rooms were scattered on the second floor.
After checking them out, Ella chose the one in the middle. It was close to the other three, making interaction easier.
Just as she finished tidying up, the door she’d just closed was knocked on.
“Who is it?”
“Me.”
Celes’ voice.
That’s right, only the two of them were here now.
Ella asked what was up as she opened the door.
The stoic swordswoman entered, carrying a notebook and pen, and looked Ella in the eyes as she asked:
“What can you do?”
Ella froze for a moment.
“What?”
“Although you seem to claim you can do anything, that’s just your subjective intention.
I need to know your actual abilities for proper division of labor and assessment,” Celes said calmly.