The small restaurant has added two overnight guests.
Near the small shed in the backyard, two beds were set up. The old man with a white beard only brought back a medicine box, saying that he would move the clinic here after finding a place to live.
Completing the check-in procedures, the two officially became residents of the underground city.
The Yinen system recorded the time they joined, and the other identity of the young boy - a soldier of the Flame Legion.
He is thirteen this year and is eligible to join the legion.
Learning that he was the only member of the legion, the young boy fell into a long silence.
"..."
Is it too late to regret now?
"Yinen," Yu Xiao asked, "How much longer will it take to complete the residential area?"
[It will take a week.]
This time's style is based on a certain fantasy game, with a dark Lovecraftian style, and the streets and buildings are full of flavor.
The construction of the dwarves' houses is complete, with a wide area, and each dwarf ensures they have their own room.
The slime went to mooch for a few days, and soon returned.
It is guarding the small garden, dreaming of the stone growing into a marble tree.
After the young boy recovered from his injuries, Yu Xiao took him to the library. He took an introductory magic book and went to the reading area.
Yu Xiao also took out a book and sat opposite the young boy.
Thirteen this year, he started late, and found it a little difficult to read this magic book.
Regarding the recommendation of a magic tutor, Lord Roko's answer was quite profound, roughly meaning a polite refusal.
Then he can only find one himself.
In front of Yu Xiao, there was a small notebook, on which she wrote -
Goals to be achieved this week:
① Build a permanent residence on West Ling Street.
② Recruit a team for the Flame Legion.
③ Find a suitable mentor.
④ Teach Aziz at least six dishes.
...
The two studied together in the library for the entire morning.
The young boy left with the magic book in his arms.
Yu Xiao went to a hidden bookcase and opened the secret door.
"After establishing West Ling Street, you can move in as a resident," she said.
The giant wolf sat on the ground, its limbs no longer chained, but it had been living here all this time.
It nodded, "Yes, ma'am."
The alien girl in front of it was now its only covenant holder, and it would obey all her commands.
But there were two things it would not do -
One is kill her, the other is commit suicide.
"Is there something you want?" Yu Xiao asked.
"A cloak," it replied.
She looked curiously at the giant wolf with deep blue fur, which was now particularly gentle, like a domesticated giant husky.
"Do you know magic?"
Its ice-blue eyes looked at the girl, and it had a deep scar on its face, making it look somewhat frightening.
"Yes," it replied.
"What if you become someone's tutor?"
"No. Our powers as beast soldiers are different from humans. Unless you want me to teach a young beast soldier."
Yu Xiao sat on the ground and pondered, "Then, are there any other suitable candidates?"
As soon as she asked, she felt like she had asked a silly question.
Hassar had been sealed for over ten thousand years.
The people it knew might not even be around anymore.
The giant wolf fell silent for a long time.
It looked up and said, "There's Lewis. That guy knows some human magic. The boy who came to the library with you today is a newly awakened junior magician."
"What about me?" The girl pointed to herself and asked, "Am I suitable for learning?"
The giant wolf paused for a moment.
It mused, "Your words, learning the spell should be simpler for you."
Harza pointed to the "pendant" on her waist and said, "On the thirteenth page, there is a beastman who is proficient in the art of spells. You can unseal it."
"Where is she?" Curiously asked Yuxiaoxiao.
"In the underground dungeon."
"...The underground dungeon is so large. It's hard to find without a clear goal."
Suddenly, she remembered the strange events she had encountered in the reception room before. It was the first time she had felt that some power was summoning her.
"I should have found your partner already."
Yuxiaoxiao stood up from the ground and straightened her clothes, saying, "Next time I come to pick you up, I will prepare a cloak for you. You can wait to be neighbors with your long-lost old buddy."
A look of astonishment flitted across the ice-blue eyes of the giant wolf.
It probably didn't expect its small contract holder to be so full of confidence.
After coming out of the library, Yuxiaoxiao hurried to the reception room. However, before she arrived, she received a message that there was an important guest.
The slime ran over panting, saying, "It's...It's the crown prince! He wants to see you!"
"See me?" The slime clung to Yuxiaoxiao's leg and said, "Yes, he didn't want to see the owner, but specifically asked for you."
"But you don't need to be afraid. This is the territory of the third prince. Others cannot harm you."
Yuxiaoxiao looked at her clothes. She had come from home today wearing a sundress for a more refreshing feel.
If she was going to see the crown prince, she would have to dress more appropriately.
So, she returned to the small restaurant and changed into the previously customized white uniform.
Arriving at the entrance of the reception room, she could see a row of guards.
The open door and the newly renovated reception room had only one person standing inside.
Yuxiaoxiao glanced at the slime, wanting it to come in with her, but it was stopped by the guards.
"Hey, you guys—" The slime showed a displeased expression.
The girl raised her hand slightly, gesturing for it not to argue.
She stepped into the reception room.
Her white boots stepped on the red carpet as she approached the man standing in front of her with his back turned.
Not far behind him, according to the etiquette of the Kalia Empire, she slightly bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."
The man was wearing a white uniform, with golden short hair shining like the sun.
He was very tall, with a stature as straight as a pine tree. Just standing there, he exuded an untouchable nobility.
"Are you the steward of Lord?" he asked slowly, turning to look at the girl bowing before him.
With her creamy skin and a faint glow, fitted white uniform, and a design with a hint of a girl's charm, Trus barely narrowed his eyes and looked at Yuxiaoxiao as if wanting to see through her.
During this time, Yuxiaoxiao kept her head down.
After a long time, his smile returned to his face. "Raise your head, lovely girl."
...
Yuxiaoxiao slowly raised her head and her whole person froze as she collided with the man's deep green eyes.
The man in front of her--
Was he too handsome!
His deep features were all perfectly balanced, his golden hair was like that of a legendary angel. If a pair of wings grew on his back, it would not be out of place.
Standing there, noble and elegant, his smile was just right, not a bit too much or too little.
Yuxiaoxiao thought about the evaluations of Calia's people towards the other two princes—
Exceptionally handsome, as if descended from a deity.
Now it seemed they were right.
"Are you still comfortable in this position?" the man asked softly.
Yuxiaoxiao nodded stiffly, not daring to make eye contact with the man, and could only shift her gaze elsewhere, replying, "I'm used to it."
"My brother has a bit of a temper, I hope you can be patient with him," said the man with a deeper smile in his eyes.
"After all, you have been in office the longest as a steward."
"Your Highness Truce, you can rest assured, I will take good care of him," Yuxiaoxiao said sincerely.
"Very good." The man raised his right hand, made two gestures, and said, "Come here, I have a gift to give you."
"A gift?" Yuxiaoxiao was stunned.
Prince Truce had already spoken, and though she was a little nervous, she walked over.
Truce took out a blue crystal brooch from his pocket, slightly bent over, and pinned it on the girl's clothes.
The two were very close.
Yuxiaoxiao clutched the hem of her skirt with both hands, even her breathing stopped.
Truce's movements were very slow, he could feel the girl's tension, and there was a faint smile on his lips.
- She really is a naive girl.
After putting it on, he straightened his body and looked admiringly at the brooch.
"It suits you."
"Thank you." Yuxiaoxiao looked down at the brooch, a faintly blue crescent shape, like glazed goods, but with a purer luster.
"The royal ball will start at the end of the month, do you want to come?" Truce invited.
"Hmm?"
She had heard about the ball when she was having her dress tailored.
The third prince rarely attended such events, Yuxiaoxiao was a bit interested, but she wouldn't go out of her way to say so.
She didn't expect to be invited today.
"I happen to need a partner." Truce smiled, "If you agree, I'll bring my entourage to pick you up in the underground city."
"This...," Yuxiaoxiao hesitated, "Please let me think about it."
"Alright, I'll wait for your answer before the end of the month."
Truce was ready to leave.
"Well, goodbye, lovely miss."
"Don't you want to see His Highness Roald?" Yuxiaoxiao blurted out.
Quickly, she realized her negligence, that was not a question she, as a steward, could ask casually.
Truce's attitude remained unchanged, gentle, but with an unbreakable sense of distance.
"He should be very busy right now."
"You know, on summer weekends, he is the busiest." Summer weekends were when the underground city would have deaths.
Yuxiaoxiao fell silent.
After Truce left, she sighed lightly.
As she touched the ice-blue brooch, she couldn't believe she had felt breathless from such close contact with a strange man.
According to the investigation, the more "handsome" a human looked, the more likely they would make people nervous.
The girl turned her head and saw that the guards and slimes at the door were gone.
In their place was a figure cloaked in black—
As.
His crimson eyes held a restrained fierceness, and the black curses on his face seemed deeper, making him appear even more terrifying.
As, or rather the Third Prince, didn't say a word.
He just stared intensely at the girl, until she had a strange feeling—as if she had done something to him that she shouldn't have.
The fierceness in As's eyes gradually faded.
In its place was a chilling cold.
And—
A fleeting despair.
As turned and left. Yuxiaoxiao hesitated for a moment, then caught up with him, finding that he was walking very fast.
"Prince Lodge, your brother just came," she said. But As's figure was like a dark mist, faintly visible. When she looked again, he had already reached the stone door of the palace chamber.
Yuxiaoxiao ascended the platform. She definitely needed to ask As about the dance. She didn't know much about the royal family, but she heard from Slime that both of As's brothers were quite nice to him. However, as they grew older, they seemed to drift apart, and they hadn't seen each other for a long time.
Slime thought that the elder and the second prince might not be as innocent as they were in their childhood due to the matter of the throne. Seeing the elder prince, Truce, today felt strange. He wasn't very close, but not indifferent either. Everything was just right. Even the way he handed out the gift was understated, but not off-putting.
Yuxiaoxiao arrived at the stone door, next to which was a fire lamp. Its color flickered, much better than the previous darkness.
In fact, she didn't need to explain things about Prince Truce right now. She just didn't know why she felt a bit uneasy seeing As leave alone.
The girl waited for a long time in front of the stone door. She paced back and forth slowly, and both sides of the fire lamps illuminated the huge stone door, making everything seem so small.
The stone door finally opened. Her heart tightened suddenly, but in the faint light, she saw As sitting on the stone bed. Also, three prisoners had been brought today.
They stood by the light, trembling. When they heard movement, they all looked over with eyes full of fear. The three death row prisoners were frozen, completely motionless, only their eyeballs could move. The white light gradually expanded, gradually enveloping the entire "palace", except for the stone bed. The stone door acted as a barrier, keeping the light out. Standing outside, Yuxiaoxiao could feel a cold wind on her face. Her skirt fluttered slightly as the girl slowly took two steps back.
The three death row prisoners gradually disappeared into the glaring light, as if dissolving like smoke. They never got to speak before their bodies were consumed. They just stared at Yuxiaoxiao, their eyes full of a desire for life.
After their bodies were consumed, the light gradually shrank, dimming. Throughout, As remained sitting on the stone bed. Not a word was spoken. This was the second time she had seen As commit murder.
Yuxiaoxiao lowered her head, a hint of confusion flickering in her eyes. Why did As do these things, and why did he make her witness it?
As if concluding a performance, As slowly raised his hand, and with his movement, the stone door gradually closed. Yuxiaoxiao’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly ran forward, placing her hands on the stone door.
"I have something to report—" The stone door stopped. The remaining gap was just enough to squeeze through, so Yuxiaoxiao didn't hesitate and entered the room. The Third Prince before her seemed to have returned to his initial appearance. He wasn't the one who wore a clown mask, repelled people, and occasionally showed some shyness. Instead, he looked like the fallen god, forever hidden in the darkness, devoid of emotions.
As was wearing a dark robe, and his wide hood covered his white hair. His crimson eyes only looked indifferently at the distant light, as if he had not heard the girl's voice.
"I want... I want to bring a magic instructor to the underground city to teach us some simple magic," Yuxiaoxiao said. "It seems the orphans can really practice, and I'm also interested in spells."
"If you agree, I'll start preparing. Mr. Roco hasn't recommended anyone suitable, so we may have to find someone ourselves." Yuxiaoxiao said a lot, but As didn't respond at all.
She continued, "The Legion's recruitment notice has been sent out, so we'll start by forming a small team."
"But because both Slime and I have no experience, we've decided to find someone strong to be the team leader first."
"We have preliminary candidates now, I'll send you their information."
"If you think there's anything wrong, feel free to bring it up."
The girl kept talking.
Even if As didn't respond, she felt at least he was listening.
Perhaps due to being too focused on the report, she didn't notice the purple mist quietly slipping out of the halo.
The third prince saw it.
But he didn't react at all.
His crimson eyes were fixed on the mist, watching it gradually approach the girl and wrap around her ankles.
At first, Yuxiaoxiao didn't feel uncomfortable.
Later, a strange cold wrapped around her feet, and the girl looked down in astonishment as the purple mist tightly coiled around her ankles.
"What is this..." she murmured.
In an instant, she thought of the condemned prisoners who had disappeared in front of her. The girl, with fear in her eyes, suddenly looked at the man on the stone bed and called out softly, "As!"
The young man lowered his eyes indifferently, not listening, not looking.
Yuxiaoxiao's voice began to tremble, "I, I'm being entangled by something strange."
Without the jester mask that always smiled, the man in front of her seemed so unfamiliar.
"As..."
Yuxiaoxiao could only helplessly call his name.
"I'm scared."
"As, I'm scared.
All resistance and indifference were shattered in an instant. As's eyelids trembled slightly, and he raised his gaze. In his crimson eyes flickered a complex emotion.
He raised his hand, and Yuxiaoxiao's body flew towards him.
For a moment, she wished she could disappear forever. Maybe then everything would return to the beginning.
Without hope, there would never be despair.
But in the end, he found that he couldn't bear to watch her die.
Yuxiaoxiao's body fell on the stone bed.
She sat there, watching as As put his hand on her white boots, and the purple mist gradually dissipated.
The bone-chilling cold also gradually disappeared.
Looking at As's cold eyes and brows, she said with lingering fear, "Is this thing going to kill people?"
When she was entangled, she felt as if she had stepped into the gates of hell.
Thankfully, As pulled her back.
The feeling of being surrounded by death was vivid in her mind, and she sat on the bed, unable to help but lean towards As.
Her gaze was firmly fixed on the white halo, where there were still clusters of small purple mists, eager to come out but seemingly afraid of something.
Soon, Yuxiaoxiao realized that she was sitting on the bed right now.
In any case, wearing the shoes wasn't quite right.
So, she took off the white boots and placed them next to the stone bed.
The girl adjusted her sitting position, leaning back slightly, as if hiding behind As. She glanced at the tail quietly lying behind, and couldn't help but gently touch it with her fingers.
The hard black tail suddenly swayed, and As said softly, "Don't touch it!"
A trace of embarrassment flashed in his crimson eyes as he was touched by the girl at least for that moment.
"Oh," Yuxiaoxiao nodded.
She withdrew her hand and hugged her knees, whispering, "Did you agree to what I told you earlier?"
"You figure it out," As was not interested in these things.
Starting from when he designated the girl as the steward of the underground city, everything in the underground city fell into her hands.
Now, all the power of the Flame Empire is also in her hands.
As never interfered, as if no matter how the underground city changed, whether it was a dark, damp ruin or a prospering empire, it had nothing to do with him.
With his temperament, he would never go to the Alliance headquarters and request the establishment of the Empire.
But he did.
Because it was something she wanted to do.
On the stone bed lay his clown mask. The day he decided to go to the small restaurant, perhaps it was only because of a hand-carved radish flower.
At least something made him curious.
At least someone made him want to get close.
As thought everything would go well, until today, when he saw her standing with his brother.
Prince Trus possessed the noblest lineage in the world, as well as the most captivating countenance among all the women in the Kal'ia Empire. Only the heir to such a sacred and noble throne was worthy of her beauty.
Unlike himself, forever hiding in the darkness, unable to face the world.
When he was young, every time he appeared with his brothers, they would receive many praises and admiration. Only the little monster with the ugly tail, even under the spotlight, appeared as ridiculous as a clown.
He was a shame to the entire royal family.
If, if Yuxiao liked his brother, it was only natural.
Today, she saw him again, in the act of killing.
His hands were stained with blood and sin; for so many years, the only thing he could do was probably kill.
Seeing her standing with his brother, a surge of bitterness, anger, despair, and agony overwhelmed him.
He thought he had accepted such a life long ago.
But why, why couldn't he accept her being with his brother?
Wasn't he used to being alone a long time ago?
It's not bad this way, anyway, he didn't care, didn't feel anything.
He had always walked this path alone.
It would be the same in the future.
"I'm going to rest," As said hoarsely.
How foolish he was, to indulge in unrealistic fantasies. He wouldn't do that anymore.
Habits are hard to break. Since she would leave someday, he might as well start weaning himself off from today.
As's eyes were as empty as dead water.
"Huh?" Yuxiao, while hammering her calf, suddenly felt her posture was not elegant, so she pulled down her skirt and forced a smile: "Don't, I have a lot more to say."
Before As could respond, she continued to mutter to herself.
"It seems like there are also sealed beast knights in the living room. I have to go check it out later."
"Hasa said that there are many sealed beast knights in the underground city. And if we find someone who understands human spellcraft, it will be convenient in the future."
"I—"
As wanted to say, you can leave, is that okay?
Stop talking.
He was afraid that after getting used to her noise, he would find it difficult to return to the loneliness of being alone.
Yuxiao was talking happily, and she directly interrupted As and continued, "Have you also never learned orthodox magic? When we find a mentor this time, you, me, and the orphan can learn together."
As the girl spoke, she couldn't help but stroke his tail twice.
"As, you're so smart, you'll definitely learn it quickly."
As sat stiffly there.