Chapter 10: Red Tea
The sky gradually darkened, and the fourth night of her stay in the Demon’s Lair was about to fall.
After a long cry, Nelly felt only numbness. She walked expressionlessly to the floor-to-ceiling window, pushed it open, and let the howling wind from the high altitude rush into the room. The strong wind blew past, and the places where her tears had flowed felt cool and slightly swollen. She opened the system interface and, unsurprisingly, saw rows of red “CONNECTION INTERRUPTED.”
She aimlessly looked through the items in her storage space, her mind still a mess.
I have to calm down. She patted her cheeks, gradually regained her composure, and began to reassess the situation.
Karsus had undoubtedly used some means to control her emotions, but she didn’t know if it was a mental spell or a magic potion. If it was the former, Nelly felt it would be difficult to break, and besides, since she could sense her own abnormality, the possibility of it being a spell was slightly lower. If it was the latter, it wouldn’t be hard to find the source of the potion.
Nelly carefully recalled the events of the past few days, and the suspicion in her heart gradually became clearer. Her gaze lingered on an item in her storage for a moment, then she reached out, took it, and carefully hid it on her person: it was the “Nameless Sponge” obtained from a quest on the Misty Coast, which had no use other than its powerful water absorption ability.
But as it happened, it was exactly what she needed.
※
The next morning, it was the same kind woman who brought breakfast. This time, there was only one portion on the tray. Nelly took it and thanked her. The woman added kindly, “His Majesty will be waiting for you in the main hall all day today.”
Nelly raised an eyebrow and replied noncommittally, “I see.”
The woman curtsied and left quietly.
Closing the door, Nelly casually placed the tray on the cabinet by the door. She hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she poured a cup of red tea and brought it to her nose for a careful sniff—as expected, there was nothing unusual. Although there was no one else in the room, she still cautiously carried the cup to the corner of the room before pouring the tea into the sponge in her palm.
The bright yellow, round sponge became slightly damp, then quickly returned to its original state. Nelly hid the sponge back in her coat pocket, her face tense as she sat down at the desk, looking somewhat unsettled. She glanced at the tray from time to time, and after a few times, she simply got up, took a piece of bread, tore it into small pieces, and threw them out the window.
This way, it would look like she had eaten breakfast.
Nelly took a deep breath and headed for the main hall.
She had to meet Karsus again to prove that there was a magic potion in the red tea.
She soon found the spiral staircase leading to the ground floor hall. As she descended the steps, that subtle sense of incongruity washed over her again. She had, of course, walked these stone steps before, but the memory associated with it was always missing something.
Before she could think too much, Nelly had reached the bottom of the stairs. She clenched her fists and slowly walked to the doorway. At first glance, the hall was empty, and the torches on the walls seemed dim. She took a step forward, glanced to the right, and saw Karsus on the throne.
He seemed to be wearing a different set of clothes, still in a black and red color scheme, but more luxurious than before. The throne was high and large. He sat on it with a proper but expressionless face, a large empty space beside him, which gave him a somewhat lonely air of a solitary king.
Nelly quietly looked up at him. The awe inspired by his graceful posture flashed through her mind and was gone without a trace. She didn’t feel her heart flutter as easily as she had the past two days. Instead, she was calmly and cautiously assessing the situation.
But at that moment, Karsus stretched out his long legs, stood up, and descended the steps, walking toward her one step at a time.
His slow approach always had a particularly oppressive feel. Nelly couldn’t help but tense up slightly, but she didn’t retreat.
Karsus reverently took her hand, bowed, and gently kissed the back of it.
He raised his eyes slightly to look at Nelly from under his lashes, his gaze appearing hazy and innocent.
The moment Nelly met his gaze, she looked away.
Karsus then let go of her hand and stood up straight, uttering a few syllables: “I’m sorry.”
Nelly bit her lip, unsure how to respond.
The heavy cloak on Karsus’s body suddenly billowed out with a whoosh. He actually dropped to one knee with a swift movement and lowered his head. “Yesterday, I’m sorry.”
Nelly was now completely at a loss. She squeezed out a dry reply, “Mhm…”
His Majesty the Demon King, in a posture of apology, lowered his head even further. “I just…” He suddenly looked up at her. “I just like you too much.”
He seemed to be afraid that Nelly would get impatient. He changed his usual slow and cool tone and continued a little anxiously, “That’s why… I can’t bear to think of Nelly leaving.” He gave a slight smile. “But if it really doesn’t work out, I’ll give up.”
Karsus’s sudden change in attitude and his good behavior made Nelly momentarily unsure of what to do. She could only manage a smile and say, “Mhm.”
“Nelly… would you like to go outside?” The black-haired young man’s eyes flickered as he looked at her in an almost pleading manner.
How could Nelly refuse? She answered honestly, “I would.”
Karsus gave a faint smile and said in an extremely gentle voice, “Don’t be afraid.”
Before Nelly could figure out what “something that might be scary” he was referring to, she was once again suddenly swept up into his arms.
She looked up, a gasp caught in her throat.
In the blink of an eye, Karsus had changed his appearance again. Sharp demon horns grew from his black hair, his red eyes shone even more brightly, and a circle of unnervingly bright gold appeared around the edges of his pupils. But the most eye-catching feature was the pair of pure black wings that unfolded behind him. With a gentle flap, they carried Karsus and Nelly up into the air.
They spiraled upward toward the depths of the hall’s ceiling.
Nelly subconsciously clung to Karsus’s neck. The hands supporting her waist and under her knees were always steady. The cool temperature gradually seeped through her not-so-thick clothes, and in her moment of panic, it slipped into her heart, stirring a bittersweet palpitation. But this fluctuation of emotion was quickly suppressed by Nelly. She tilted her head slightly to look at the Demon King, who was just inches away.
The dim daylight shone through layers of red clouds and the stained glass of the ceiling, casting just the right amount of light and shadow on his features. Fine dust particles danced and swirled around them, but their frantic movements were not even a ten-thousandth of the heat in Karsus’s red eyes.
This emotion was too fiery, too heavy, and it frightened Nelly.
She lowered her head and swallowed the question that was already on the tip of her tongue.
Just like that, they passed through the highest point of the ceiling unscathed and suddenly found themselves on top of the Demon Lair’s spire.
The air at this height was tinged with cold. A strong gust of wind blew, and Karsus’s cape billowed with a whoosh, like a flag dancing in the wind.
Karsus landed lightly on the spire, perfectly calm and composed. He lowered his gaze to look at Nelly and repeated softly, “Don’t be afraid.” He paused, his voice growing even lower. “I’m here.”
Nelly wasn’t afraid of heights. After a brief moment of shock, she began to cautiously look around.
This was indeed a good place for a panoramic view. As far as the eye could see, the snow-capped mountains behind the Demon’s Lair gleamed, stretching to the horizon. On the other side, the houses outside the Demon City were densely packed, and further away, a river snaked its way through a valley where castles and monasteries could be vaguely seen. The further away from the Demon City, the flatter and greener the landscape became. Nelly even thought she could see the magnificent palace of the royal capital.
From this vantage point, the face of Wildia was laid bare.
This was the first time Nelly had seen the continent of Wildia outside of the system map. The magnificent scenery was so impactful that she stared in a daze for a long time before she said numbly, “Further on, is it really the coast?”
“Mhm. This is Wildia.”
Nelly looked up and into his red eyes, which were somewhat bewitching due to his demonic form. Her tone was a little dazed. “Does Kal like this view?”
But Karsus seemed to have been stung by her words. He blinked and turned his head away. After a long silence, he answered indifferently, “No.”
Nelly was choked by his simple, single-word answer and decided not to speak. She felt absurd in her heart: since he was the Demon King dedicated to destroying Wildia, how could he possibly like this land? She was really a fool.
She silently turned to examine the full view of the Demon’s Lair. Like all fortresses, the Demon’s Lair was basically a circle of adjacent towers and curtain walls, connected to the outside world only by a drawbridge and high steps. Between the east and west high towers were three slightly lower, flat-topped arrow towers. That must be where the garden was, lush and green.
Nelly’s room faced the northern valley, so this was her first time seeing the courtyard. In the center of the courtyard stood a chapel-like, spire-topped building, but she didn’t know its purpose.
Karsus followed Nelly’s gaze and his eyes settled on the courtyard. The wind ruffled his bangs, and under the cover of his hair, his expression seemed a little gloomy.
He silently flapped his wings and flew toward a circular arrow tower connected to the curtain wall, brushing against the edge of the low clouds.
The drop was a bit large.
Nelly let out a small cry and couldn’t help but press closer to Karsus’s chest.
This was a more spacious terrace, with only a table of tea and pastries and two rattan chairs in the center.
Nelly sat down hesitantly, looking around at the magnificent mountains and rivers. In the end, she had to turn her gaze back to the red tea that had been pushed in front of her, her palms sweating slightly.
This tea, should she drink it or not?