An old man wiped his sweat as he looked at Cecily, sitting opposite him, sipping tea.

The old man was skinny and short. His limbs were shaking, and he could barely walk without his cane. Like with a gust of wind, he would be blown apart. This old man was the Mayor of Southshore port town.

Cecily and Murok were both sitting inside the mayor’s manor in a spacious yet modest room for receiving guests while their servants were outside, waiting for them.

“P-princess, I’m afraid that what you’re asking is impossible.” The Mayor wiped the sweat on his forehead with his hanky while his smile was skewed.

Cecily’s beautiful face remained unmoved as she brought down her cup. “Mayor, I heard that this port town is doing quite well. I’m sure this town can afford to lend us some soldiers, right?”

The Mayor grumbled in silence. Though indeed this port town was doing well, it was just a tiny town. And thanks to it being near the ocean, they could sustain their inhabitant through fishing and trade. But even so, the town was situated far south, almost at the boundary of the Nether realm. And because of this, not many ships docked and not many tourists came to trade. If not for their fishing and salt business, the town would have long disappeared from the map.

“P-princess,” the mayor cough before continuing, “It’s not that I don’t want to lend you any. It’s just that . . . what you’re asking of a hundred soldiers is a bit much. Indeed, this town has its source of income, but because of it, it’s a target for thieves and bandits. Just protecting our citizens alone already exhausted our military.”

Cecily and Murok weren’t perturbed the slightest.

Murok laughed. “I’m sure you have your troubles. We totally understand.” Then Murok’s demeanor changed to something aggressive. “But you do know that Cecily here is no ordinary girl. She’s the granddaughter of one of the five heroes, Drago Byron. And this town is still part of the Byron Kingdom. I’m sure you know what I’m trying to say, right?”

The Mayor gulped and pretended to wipe the nonexistent sweat on his forehead.

Cecily sipped her tea, hiding her feelings in her mask of indifference. She didn’t like that she was using her status to force people. But what could she do? Not just an ordinary race was targeting her but a powerful demon and an elf. These beings weren’t the least frightened that she belonged to the royal family, while others scurry away just from the sight of her family’s emblem.

What’s more, Murok was still recovering his mana, and she felt like Ferris would murder her the moment she showed her back.

“But of course, doing such a deed would land you great merits. And once we reached the Kingdom, this town . . . you will be heavily rewarded,” said Murok.

I’m afraid by that time . . . there no longer be any left of this town to give rewards to. The Mayor mused to himself.

The Mayor was really in a tight predicament. It was like he was walking with nowhere to go, forward or backward.

The soldiers were barely enough to protect the town and its citizen. What’s more, if he reduced their numbers in half? What would happen then? A trip to the Byron Kingdom from here was fifteen days and ten days if they traveled without rest. Going back and forth was a full thirty days. In that span, he was afraid bandits and thieves would already run the place down.

However, he couldn’t exactly say no to the people in front of him. Their status was way beyond his reach. It was already considered merciful and polite to ask him first. In fact, he should be happy that they didn’t request for all the soldiers to accompany them.

But in the end . . .

It would still be the Royal family who decide who live and die in this Kingdom.

The Mayor sighed as he had no choice but to concede defeat. In the first place, he didn’t have any right to say no. The Princess was already kind enough to at least ask him. “Yes, I’m sorry for my impudence.” He bowed and plead, “but if I may boldly speak, can you spare at least half our soldiers to guard our walls?”

The Mayor added in a hurry when Murok and Cecily’s brows furrowed a little. “I-I’m sure you heard of the mercenary guild, right? Though our town’s mercenary guild isn’t that big, they might have a few to spare.”

Since hiring a merc would cost him his limbs, the Mayor didn’t dare to hire one to protect his town. He would leave that option if he no longer had a choice.

But it was different for the royal family. Money was the only thing that they didn’t lack.

“Hm . . .” Murok stroked his beard and glanced at Cecily. “What do you think?”

Cecily long-lashed fluttered, eyes on her teacup.

. . .

. . .

The silence was brutal by the second, and the Mayor’s chair shook with his shaking limbs.

The Mayor’s heart pounded hard, and before he would die dead on the floor from a heart attack, he opened his lips. Cecily stood to her feet, and the Mayor almost bit his tongue when he closed his mouth shut.

Cecily looked at the Mayor with the coldness of her azure eyes. “We’ll take up your offer then.”

----

At the dead of the night, inside an inn, in a quiet room that only the flickering of the lamp illuminated the place, Cecily’s gazed was nowhere in particular as she looked outside her window.

“How is it?” she asked after a moment.

Murok appeared out of nowhere and sat on a chair. “We acquired fifty trained soldiers, seven class-C mercs, and four class-B. We’ve exhausted all our travel money on procuring the mercenaries, and I promised them that they would be paid double if they brought us to the Kingdom alive.”

Murok looked at Cecily and sighed. “I think it is enough to set out tomorrow.”

“Hmm . . .”

Murok vanished in thin air, and the room returned to its usual calm.

---

The moment Ferris closed the door of her room, she ran to the window. As expected, Ryu was already waiting for her.

Ryu was still not permitted to eat, as well as not having a room of his own.

Ryu looked over at Ferris. He appeared stoic and unfeeling, yet his dilated eyes shone in loneness.

Ferris sighed, remembering what happened a while ago.

When they reached the inn, Ferris was about to whisper to Ryu to come to her room when he zoomed to Cecily first thing when she got out of the carriage. Ferris was almost toppled by the gust of wind from his speed.

Ryu stopped in front of Cecily and offered the dead hares to her. The dead rabbit was still covered in blood, eyes bulging and tongue sticking from their mouths.

“F-for . . . you . . . ,” he stammered.

“. . .”

“. . .”

Ferris slapped her forehead and sighed.

Cecily’s face turned dark, and her breathing turned fast.

SLAP!

She slapped Ryu’s hand, and the poor innocent dead rabbits were flung in the air before their body crashed on the ground.

Cecily gnashed her teeth. “Disgusting.”

Without taking another glance, Cecily and Murok went inside the inn.

“. . .”

“. . .”

Ferris walked towards the rabbit and picked them before she stopped beside Ryu. She didn’t want to peek at his face, for she was afraid she would murder Cecily in cold blood.

Even without looking, she felt the suffocating and heart-wrenching desolation coming from him. She even heard a whimper that made her reached for his callus hand.

“Don’t overthink it. Give it some time. She’ll come around.” Or I could just kill her. Ferris mused and suppressed the thought.

She grinned and made her voice jolly. “If she doesn’t want these delicious hares, it’s her loss. Come to my room later and well eat this together. I’ll make you one of my special rabbit stew!”

Ryu’s downcast eyes twinkled when he heard food. He smiled and nodded.

. . .

. . .

Ferris snapped back in the present when Ryu jumped and landed on her balcony before he squeezed inside her window.

Ferris shut the window, and Ryu zoomed on the table full of food.

While Ryu was busy eating, Ferris removed her clothes and released her seal of Sarcuphagius. As she gradually returned to her original form, she flicked her fingers, and a silky black robe draped on her skin.

She didn’t disturb Ryu, who was busy eating while watching her transform. His cheeks were puffing, and meat dangled from his lips before he slurped them inside his mouth to gnaw. She didn’t mind him watching. There was no malice nor lust in his amber eyes, only curiosity and amazement like he also wanted to transform if he could. Not as a woman, Ferris hope.

She flicked her wrist and came out utensils for cooking and ingredients as well as the wild hares. Traveler’s ring were convenient.

Moments later, a delicious, tantalizing aroma filled the air that Ryu’s stomach grumbled as she hurried over to where Ferris was.

When the stew was cook, Ferris served it on Ryu’s plate, who was impatient base from the twitching of his brows and his tagging of her robe.

“Careful, it’s hot,” Ferris warned, yet her warning went to deaf ears as Ryu gulped the stew without minding the steamy hot meat against his mouth.

The only thing that was registering in Ryu’s mind was a cacophony of flavors that left him choked for more, licking his plate clean before asking for another round.

“Are you a pup?” Ferris chuckled as she poured another serving onto his plate.

Both of them were enjoying their food as the atmosphere turned harmonious.

After dinner, they rested for a bit before Ferris dragged the sleepy Ryu for a bath and of course, for replenishing her mana with his essence.