That night.
Lin Ling finally got to eat meat soup.
Though, strictly speaking, there wasn't much meat in that bowl.
If one were to count with a very rigorous attitude, there were about three and a half pieces.
The half piece was because it was so small Lin Ling initially thought it was a spice.
But it didn't matter.
Meat soup was meat soup.
Even if the meat inside was so sparse it seemed to have gotten lost in the broth, it was still meat soup.
More importantly, on tonight's tray, besides the meat soup, there was also a small piece of freshly baked bread.
It was a small bun made from the flour ground from the first harvest of the experimental field.
It wasn't perfect.
The shape was a bit crooked.
The surface color wasn't particularly beautiful either.
But when Lin Ling reached out and pressed down on it—
It sank.
It sank softly.
Lin Ling stared at that piece of bread, her expression as solemn as if she were witnessing a miracle.
Niya stood to the side and whispered:
“Miss Saintess?”
Lin Ling slowly raised her hand.
“Don't speak.”
Niya was taken aback.
Lin Ling took a deep breath.
“I am currently having a spiritual communion with civilization.”
Niya: “...”
She watched as Lin Ling carefully picked up the piece of bread, holding it like some fragile, precious treasure.
Then, Lin Ling took a gentle bite.
In the next moment.
Her entire body froze.
Niya grew nervous.
“H-how is it?”
Lin Ling slowly closed her eyes.
“It's soft.”
Niya blinked.
Lin Ling's voice trembled slightly.
“Niya.”
“It's soft. And not just soft—it's even a little sweet.”
Niya couldn't help but laugh.
“Yes, it's soft.”
Lin Ling looked down at the bread in her hand, her expression so moved she was almost moved to tears.
“I actually had a hand in creating such a magnificent piece of bread.”
“This isn't just agriculture anymore.”
“This is a monumental step for civilization. It’s like the first time primitive humans used fire.”
Niya covered her mouth and giggled.
Lin Ling took another cautious bite.
This time, she chewed very slowly.
It was as if she wanted to firmly memorize this hard-won soft flavor.
The bread had a faint hint of sweetness.
It wasn't obvious.
But compared to those black breads from before, it was enough to give Lin Ling the illusion that “life is worth living.”
The meat soup was hot.
The bread was soft.
Although the portions weren't large, this meal felt like the peak treatment Lin Ling had received since arriving at the Demon King's Castle.
As she ate in small bites, she couldn't help but look at Niya.
“This bread was made from the grain from the experimental field, right?”
Niya nodded.
“Yes.”
“After Lord Phelan tested it and confirmed it was edible, the kitchen tried grinding a little flour.”
“Because the quantity is still very small, they only made a few little buns.”
Lin Ling looked down at the bread in her hand.
“It's already very good.”
She thought for a moment and asked again:
“What about Ivelia?”
Niya was startled.
“The Demon King?”
“Yeah.”
Lin Ling said indistinctly while chewing the bread:
“She shouldn't have to eat black bread today, right?”
Niya blinked.
“How did Miss Saintess know the Demon King was eating black bread before?”
Lin Ling's movements stiffened.
The air fell silent for a moment.
Oops.
I let it slip.
She couldn't exactly say that because she got lost in the Demon King's Castle last night, she followed the smell of food to the kitchen and overheard the Demon King giving her own soft bread to her.
That would sound far too un-Saintess-like.
Lin Ling quickly looked away.
“Well...”
Niya watched her.
Lin Ling cleared her throat.
“A Saintess’s intuition.”
Niya: “...”
“Intuition?”
“Yes.”
Lin Ling nodded very seriously.
“I am a transmigrated Saintess, after all.”
“Occasionally, a Saintess perceives certain truths of the world.”
Niya was silent for a while.
“Like the Demon King eating black bread?”
Lin Ling nodded vigorously.
“Exactly.”
“That is a very important truth of the world.”
Niya looked at her.
A moment later, she let out a soft laugh.
She probably didn't entirely believe it.
But she didn't press further.
Lin Ling let out a sigh of relief and quickly lowered her head to drink the soup, trying to plug her own mouth with it.
Niya stood nearby and said softly:
“The Demon King got to eat some today too.”
Lin Ling paused.
Niya added with a smile:
“Though it was only a small piece.”
“But the kitchen said that once the experimental field continues to stabilize, they'll be able to make more later.”
Lin Ling looked up.
“Is the experimental field doing well?”
Niya's eyes instantly lit up.
“Very well.”
“Extremely well.”
“Lord Phelan said the Holy Light Stasis is still holding, and the slow-release domain ore hasn't gone out of control.”
“The crops in that field are growing exceptionally fast.”
“By this evening, another small batch had already matured.”
Lin Ling was stunned.
“Matured again?”
Niya nodded emphatically.
“Yes!”
“Lord Phelan said it might be because the demon lands originally had too much accumulated magic, but it was just too concentrated and chaotic before, and the plants couldn't handle it.”
“Now that the Holy Light Stasis is blocking out the high-concentration magic from outside, and they're using the slow-release domain ore to let them absorb it bit by bit, the plants are actually growing exceptionally well.”
“If this stability continues, the crops in the experimental field can be harvested almost once a day.”
Lin Ling nearly choked on her soup.
“Once a day?!”
“Yes.”
Niya smiled happily.
“Although it's only a tiny experimental field for now, Lord Phelan said that as long as we test it a few more times and confirm there are no problems, we can slowly expand the area.”
“If that's the case, in a few days, more people in the Demon King's Castle should be able to eat soft bread.”
As she spoke, her voice grew softer, yet she seemed increasingly joyful.
“After a while longer, maybe everyone won't have to eat only one meal a day anymore.”
The room suddenly fell quiet.
Lin Ling's hand holding the spoon stopped.
She looked up at Niya.
“...Only one meal a day?”
The smile on Niya's face stiffened.
It was as if she had only just realized she had let something slip.
She opened her mouth.
“Um...”
Lin Ling didn't say anything.
She looked down at the tray in front of her.
Meat soup.
Soft bread.
And the glass of warm water next to it.
While it wasn't exactly a feast.
For the Demon King's Castle, it was already an exceptionally rare meal.
And before this, she had been given three meals every day.
Even if it was just black bread.
Even if she complained every day that the stuff was like building material, like a tooth killer, like an assassination weapon from the dark culinary world.
It was still three meals.
There was breakfast.
There was lunch.
And there was dinner.
Since arriving at the Demon King's Castle, she had always felt she was living miserably.
Eating black bread every day.
But now, the words Niya had unintentionally spoken were like a thin needle, gently pricking the sense of ease she had wrapped around herself these past few days.
So many demons only had one meal a day.
So the black bread she had complained about countless times was, for others, perhaps food that needed to be carefully rationed.
So she didn't receive ordinary treatment in this castle.
She was the one being specially looked after.
Lin Ling looked down at the soft bread in her hand.
She suddenly felt that this piece of bread was a bit heavy.
Just like the soft bread from that night.
It felt weighty.
Niya stood to the side, looking somewhat uneasy.
“Miss Saintess...”
Lin Ling opened her mouth.
She wanted to say something.
She wanted to ask Niya how many meals she ate a day.
She wanted to ask about the children in the Demon King's Castle.
She wanted to ask about Aliviel and the others.
She wanted to ask if Ivelia had always been giving out her food like this.
But with the words at the tip of her tongue, she didn't know how to ask.
Because the answers probably wouldn't make her feel any better.
Seeing Lin Ling seemingly lost in thought, Niya lowered her head and whispered:
“I'll go see if the kitchen needs any help.”
Lin Ling looked up.
“Niya, I—”
But Niya had already given a slight bow and turned to leave the room.
The door was gently closed.
The room fell silent.
Lin Ling sat at the table, still holding that small half-piece of soft bread.
The soup was no longer steaming.
She looked toward the door and remained silent for a long time.
Finally, she finished the bread slowly.
She didn't waste it.
Not a single bite was wasted.
Then she stood up, walked to the bed, and let herself collapse onto it.
The soft bedding caught her.
Just like the day she first arrived at the Demon King's Castle, this bed was still very comfortable.
The blanket was warm.
The room was safe.
Outside the window, the Demon King's Castle was silent and dim.
Occasionally, the footsteps of patrolling demons could be heard in the distance.
Lin Ling lay with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling.
She suddenly remembered things from a long time ago.
Things from before she transmigrated.
Rate on N.U.
