Just as the two of them were finishing their meal, the Head Chef suddenly walked over to Lin Ling.
“Miss Saintess.”
“If you don't mind, could you please bring this to Miss Sia in the residential district?”
As he spoke, the Head Chef placed a wooden lunch box in front of Lin Ling.
“Miss Sia left in a bit of a hurry this morning.”
The Head Chef scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed about asking for a favor.
“Eh?”
Lin Ling stared at the lunch box placed before her. Her eyes, which had grown lazy from being full, instantly sparkled with a brilliant light.
“Is this... a quest for Miss Saintess?”
Was this a standard quest that only adventurers in an otherworldly realm could receive?! Was the great Miss Saintess finally embarking on the path of accepting commissions?
Lin Ling puffed out her chest.
However, her gaze was locked tightly onto the lunch box. A suspicious trickle of drool even began to slowly seep from the corner of her mouth.
Head Chef: “...”
Seeing her reaction, the Head Chef wore an expression that said I knew it. He then produced an identical wooden lunch box from behind his back.
“This one is yours. Don't go stealing Miss Sia's lunch.”
Upon seeing the second lunch box, Lin Ling quickly wiped the drool from her mouth.
“Don't worry, don't worry!” she chirped. “Miss Saintess will absolutely complete the mission!”
Since the quest reward had been paid in advance, Miss Saintess would naturally display the utmost professional dedication.
Lin Ling swept her hand over the two lunch boxes, and they vanished instantly.
The Head Chef watched her practiced, food-snatching movements, then glanced at how she was raising her sleeve to stealthily wipe away her drool.
He suddenly felt as though he had entrusted this task to the absolute worst possible candidate.
“Miss Saintess, you still remember what I just said, right?”
“Of course!”
Looking at her confident expression, the Head Chef didn't feel confident at all.
Head Chef: “...Maybe I should have someone else deliver it instead?”
But before he could speak, Lin Ling had already dashed to the window next to the dining hall.
The early morning breeze swept into the dining hall, fluttering the napkins on the table and Lin Ling's platinum blonde hair.
Lin Ling placed one foot on the windowsill, her entire body poised and ready to set off.
The Head Chef stared at her back, ultimately choosing to believe.
Surely, probably, maybe nothing would go wrong... right?
“Hey! Soulmate! Take me with you!”
Just as Lin Ling was about to vault out of the window, Kainster's voice suddenly rang out from behind her.
Kainster hastily stuffed the last bite of bread into his mouth, stood up, and sprinted toward Lin Ling by the window.
“Oh!”
Lin Ling turned around. Seeing Kainster running toward her, her eyes lit up once more.
“Do you want to come along too, soulmate?!”
“Absolutely!”
Hearing Kainster's enthusiastic affirmation, Lin Ling extended her hand to him.
Kainster didn't hesitate, grabbing her hand in a firm grip.
In the next instant, Lin Ling leaped out of the window, dragging Kainster along with her.
Head Chef: “...”
Niya: “...”
The two of them stood in the dining hall, watching the two figures rapidly disappear outside the window.
A brief silence fell over the dining hall.
The Head Chef let out a soft sigh, slowly lowering his gaze to Niya, who was standing beside him.
“Niya, you must never pick up these bad habits.”
Like an old father worried about his child being corrupted by bad influences, he reached out and gently patted Niya's head.
“Don't develop a habit of jumping out of windows at every turn.”
“Mhm...”
Niya nodded quietly.
“Those guys really need a talking-to.”
The Head Chef looked out the window, his expression growing increasingly helpless.
What on earth was going on with the Demon King's Castle lately? Did everyone suddenly refuse to use doors? Who on earth started this bizarre trend?
The Head Chef pondered these questions, then looked down at Niya with a look of relief.
At least this child hadn't been corrupted by those troublemakers. Niya was always so well-behaved; she would definitely never do anything so absurd.
“Uh... hehe.”
Niya stood in place, offering a rather guilty smile.
While it was true she had never jumped out of a window, she recalled how she had literally smashed through a wall earlier upon hearing Miss Saintess's call. That seemed... slightly worse than jumping out of a window, didn't it?
Niya silently averted her gaze.
Meanwhile, outside the window, Miss Saintess was thoroughly enjoying the sensation of free-falling.
The morning wind whistled past her ears, blowing her long white hair upward into the air.
Lin Ling spread her arms wide as the warm sunlight bathed her body, casting a sacred, ethereal glow over her.
If one ignored what the two of them were actually doing...
“Freedom! This is the feeling of freedom!”
On the other hand, Kainster, who had been dragged down with her, was clearly not enjoying himself nearly as much.
“Waaaaah!”
“Soulmate! Are we really going to be okay doing this?!”
Kainster's voice echoed continuously through the air.
He had never experienced such a novel method of travel. In fact, as a normal human, who would ever treat jumping out of a castle window as a daily means of transportation?!
He had assumed they would use a teleportation array or something!
Kainster flailed his arms and legs wildly. Having completely lost his balance, he began to spin rapidly in midair.
“Don't worry!”
Lin Ling turned her head, intending to reassure her soulmate. But the moment she saw the state Kainster was in, the relaxed expression on her face instantly vanished.
“Though...”
“Your descent is looking a bit too rapid in that position!”
Kainster's horizontal spinning had gradually transitioned into a headfirst dive.
“I don't know either!”
“Help!”
Seeing him get closer and closer to the ground, Lin Ling hurriedly raised her hand.
“Levitation!”
A wave of magic rapidly enveloped Kainster's body.
His rapidly plummeting figure ground to an abrupt halt less than half a meter from the ground.
The Levitation Magic gently cradled his body. Hanging upside down, Kainster floated back up into the air.
“Oh-ho.”
He reached out and tapped the ground, which was less than half a meter from his face. Using that tiny bit of leverage, he pushed himself upright.
The sheer terror on his face was quickly replaced by a sense of wonder.
“This is amazing!”
Lin Ling controlled the magic, rotating his upside-down body back to an upright position.
“Well?” she boasted. “Miss Saintess's flight service is pretty impressive, isn't it?”
“Incredibly impressive!”
Kainster gazed excitedly at the distant scenery. From the sky, the landscape surrounding the Demon King's Castle was exceptionally clear.
The residential district in the distance was gradually coming to life. On some patches of land, there were even magic devices set up that he had never seen before.
Kainster watched the demons working below, a look of yearning gradually appearing in his eyes.
Being transported to the Demon Realm didn't seem to be an entirely bad thing after all.
If he ever had the chance to return to Camillaya in the future, perhaps he could try to bring these methods back with him.
At that thought, Kainster turned to look at Lin Ling, his expression turning slightly hesitant.
He was well aware that he was currently just a guest of the demons. Having only just arrived, requesting to observe the demons' farming techniques seemed rather greedy.
“Um...” Kainster began cautiously. “Miss Lin Ling. That is your name, right?”
“Mhm.” Lin Ling stood with her hands on her hips.
Kainster nodded. “If it's possible... I would love to see how the demons farm. Would that be alright?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt the request might be too forward. He hastily added, “If it's too much trouble, please don't worry about it.”
Lin Ling looked at Kainster, a thoughtful expression appearing on her face.
“Hmm...”
Seeing her hesitate, Kainster braced himself for rejection.
After all, farming methods and magic devices likely involved the demons' vital technologies. As a human prince who had only just arrived, it was indeed inappropriate for him to make such a request.
“Of course it's fine!” Lin Ling suddenly beamed with a brilliant smile.
“Sia-chan should be out in the fields right now anyway. Once we deliver the lunch, we can ask her to show us around.”
Kainster was stunned. “Is that really okay?”
“Of course.”
Lin Ling controlled the Levitation Magic, guiding them both as they flew toward the experimental fields.
Seeing that Lin Ling had actually agreed to his request, Kainster's face lit up with absolute joy.
Still floating in midair, he bowed his head with deep sincerity.
“Thank you so much!”
Rate on N.U.
