Kaia led several priests into the kitchen, where they busied themselves preparing a lavish feast for Castorice. While it couldn't compare to the "grand feasts" of her previous life, it was undoubtedly the most extravagant meal she had encountered since her transmigration to this world.
Soft, fragrant flatbread served as the main course, accompanied by both vegetarian and meat dishes, and even a bowl of steaming soup. Though Castorice didn't recognize any of the dishes, their flavors were truly delightful.
Seated primly with her legs together, Castorice took small, dainty bites with her knife and fork. After savoring a particularly delicious dish, she paused, set down her cutlery, and cradled her cheek, her eyes narrowing slightly into an utterly adorable, hamster-like expression of delight. "This... is delicious!"
Kaia smiled warmly. "I'm glad you enjoy it."
Castorice tilted her head curiously. "But... isn't this Chaos City? How did you manage to find such delicious ingredients here?"
Aisha interjected, "Actually, these are all very ordinary ingredients. Kaia is simply an exceptional cook."
Castorice tilted her head further. "But even ordinary ingredients must be hard to come by in a place like this, right?"
After all, Chaos City was essentially a massive prison, devoid of any productive industries. The only way to acquire supplies seemed to be through the merchants who traded outside the walls.
Aisha confirmed this, saying, "I don't think it's so bad. If we need anything, we can just buy it from those merchants outside the city."
Aisha recalled her past procurement trips. The merchants would always greet her with expressions of unbearable discomfort, as if they had just swallowed something foul. The Death Church wasn't exactly wealthy, and Aisha's assets consisted mostly of bizarre trinkets scavenged from corpses.
The problem was, the merchants dared not inflate their prices. They sold goods at fair prices, or even at discounted rates, because... if the Death Church couldn't afford an item, they simply wouldn't pay.
Yes, you heard right. Aisha had robbed merchants more than once. Compared to priests from other churches, the moral boundaries of Death Priests were... shall we say, a tad more flexible.
Take the Life Church, for example. Its members were generally kind-hearted individuals. But the Death Church had the fewest followers among the Twelve True Gods. Those who chose to worship the Death God were often the most destitute and desperate souls, with nothing left to lose.
After all, only those with no attachment to life could truly embrace death, and the moral boundaries of such individuals were inevitably diverse, encompassing all manner of extremes.
Castorice had a small appetite, feeling nearly full after only a few bites. Pollux, the Round Sparrow, was the same. During the meal, Castorice picked up a small meatball and fed it to her, but before the little bird could even finish a third of it, she lay motionless on the table.
As soon as Castorice finished eating, Aisha said eagerly, "Holy Maiden, your room is ready. Would you like to rest immediately or take a bath first?"
Castorice didn't need to think. One look at Aisha's expression told her exactly what the woman wanted. "I'll rest immediately," she said decisively.
"Ehhh~" Aisha's face visibly drooped with disappointment. "Alright then."
Led by Aisha, Castorice soon arrived at a very ordinary room on the third floor of the building. When she pushed open the door, she found a cramped space furnished only with a bed and a desk and chairs. There wasn't even a washroom. Rather than a bedroom, it felt more like a small office.
Fortunately, the room was impeccably clean, and Castorice could see the bedsheets were brand new as she approached the bed.
Aisha lingered at the doorway, reluctant to leave. "Then... Holy Maiden, please rest well. If you need anything, just call for me—I'll be at your beck and call!"
"Mm," Castorice nodded lightly and closed the door without hesitation. She returned to the bed, gradually relaxing as she lay back, staring up at the ceiling.
To maintain her "Castorice" persona, she had spent the entire day restraining her movements and acting more demure and ladylike. While this level of role-playing wasn't particularly difficult, sustaining it for an entire day had left her feeling drained.
After lying still for a moment, Castorice suddenly remembered she had forgotten to ask about the washroom. She quickly went to the door and opened it. "Aisha?"
"I'm here, Holy Maiden!"
But the voice didn't come from the hallway outside. Instead, it came from behind her. Startled, Castorice slowly turned around to see Aisha peering out from under the bed, her face beaming with excitement. "Holy Maiden, what can I do for you?"
Castorice's lips twitched slightly. "You... why are you here?"
Aisha replied matter-of-factly, "Didn't I just say? I'm always at your beck and call!"
No, no, no. Even being at your beck and call shouldn't extend to this extreme! And when exactly did you sneak under my bed?!
Forcing down her urge to retort, Castorice asked, "I just wanted to know where the washroom is..."
"Follow the corridor outside, either left or right, all the way to the end. There's one on each side, Holy Maiden. Is there anything else you need?"
"That's all." As she spoke, Castorice stepped aside and watched Aisha crawl out from under the bed and leave.
After closing the door, she stood there for a moment before tentatively calling out, "Aisha?"
"I'm here, Holy Maiden!"
Just like before, Aisha popped her head out from under the bed, her face bright with anticipation. "Holy Maiden, what are your orders?"
This time, however, Castorice clearly saw how Aisha had appeared. There had been no one under her bed moments before she called Aisha's name, but she distinctly saw the shadow beneath the bed shift and ripple. Then, Aisha crawled out from within.
Is this some kind of ability to lurk in shadows, or perhaps to move through them?
After a pause, Castorice asked, "Were you hiding here the whole time, or did you only come when I called?"
Aisha replied instantly, "Of course I only came when you called me!"
Castorice sighed in exasperation. "Then why didn't you just use the front door?"
Aisha countered, "Because I assumed that if you were calling for me, it must be something urgent! This way is much faster than leisurely running around from outside! So... Holy Maiden, what are your orders?"
For Aisha, carrying out Castorice's commands seemed to be a source of great joy.
Seeing Aisha's eager expression, Castorice couldn't bring herself to say, "I just called you out of curiosity." She pursed her lips and said in her usual cool, yet slightly gentle voice, "It's just... you've worked hard all day. You should get some rest too. There's nothing more for today."
"You were worried about me, Holy Maiden? You're too kind!" Aisha exclaimed, her face lighting up with exaggerated emotion. "I understand! I'll get some proper rest and prepare for tomorrow's mission!"
Though Castorice had no idea what this so-called "tomorrow's mission" was, she returned to her bedside after Aisha left.
Castorice had initially planned to indulge in her true nature when alone, letting her guard down. But after learning about Aisha's ability to lurk in the shadows, she decided to maintain her refined persona even in private. After all, who knew where that girl might pop up next?
Castorice removed her Black Cloak and gazed at her dress, feeling a pang of annoyance. The garment looked equally troublesome to remove or put on.
She tilted her head slightly, gathering a strand of her long hair behind her. The hair was adorned with numerous butterfly-shaped ribbons. Would I have to take all these off before bed and redo them tomorrow? she wondered.
The mere thought of it gave Castorice a headache, but she had no choice. With a silent sigh, she began to busy herself. It took her at least twenty minutes just to remove all the hair ornaments and restore her hair to its natural, flowing state.
Her soft hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, reaching past her knees. Castorice turned her head slightly, gazing at the astonishing volume of her locks. She fell silent for a moment, muttering to herself, "This is ridiculously long..."
Cipher's short hair required no special care, but Castorice's abundance of locks presented a real challenge. Though she was 'newly born' today and still clean enough to skip a bath for now, that couldn't last forever. Sooner or later, she'd have to deal with it.
Just imagining future bath times made her shudder. Washing her hair alone would probably take half a day—an absolute nightmare!
Frankly, the simplest solution would be to cut it short. Why not just get a bob?
But... Castorice lifted a strand of her long hair to her nose, inhaling a faint floral scent that even she could detect. She then rubbed the silken strand against her cheek, savoring its extraordinary smoothness and texture.
Cutting it was unthinkable. She'd probably die of heartbreak. Oh well, she thought, trouble it is then.
After spending another ten minutes undressing, Castorice finally slipped under the covers and settled in to rest.
-
Meanwhile, the perspective shifted to Cipher and her companions. After walking for so long, they finally secured transportation by nightfall!
Cipher stared in fascination at the Earth Dragon before her, a creature the size of a stretch limousine. Despite its name, the Earth Dragon had nothing to do with dragons, just as whales aren't fish. It was a colossal herbivore with a remarkably docile temperament.
Specially designed seats for passengers were mounted on the Earth Dragon's back, and the massive beast moved with surprising smoothness, without a single bump. Even more astonishing, despite its bulky appearance, the Earth Dragon could maintain a steady speed of 60 kilometers per hour for hours on end!
With this creature, the Hero Party's journey to Chaos City would be dramatically shortened. Dio estimated, "Instead of over a year on foot, it should only take about two weeks now."
Of course, the Earth Dragon belonged to a merchant, and rentals came at a price. Upon learning their destination was Chaos City, the merchant grew increasingly reluctant. "Perhaps you should find someone else," he pleaded. "That place is far too dangerous."
It wasn't until Dio had a lengthy discussion with the merchant that he finally relented.
Cipher asked, her face puzzled, "Didn't he seem so reluctant just a moment ago? What made him suddenly agree? You didn't use Charm Human magic on him, did you?"
Dio replied, "Of course not! I just used a little persuasion."
Seeing Cipher's skeptical expression, Dio shrugged and confessed, "Alright, alright, I offered him a bit more money."
Cipher watched as Dio pulled out a bulging, fist-sized pouch and handed it to the merchant. Her cat ears twitched, and she could even hear the clinking of coins inside.
This journey would span half the Alliance, and their destination was the dangerous Chaos City. The price must be exorbitant, Cipher thought. She immediately protested, "You shouldn't have to cover the entire cost yourself! Let us share some of it."
Dio waved his hand, flicked his bangs, and struck what he clearly thought was a dashing pose. "Don't worry about it. Consider this my treat. As an Alliance diplomat, I can afford it."
Cipher pressed further, "So, how much did it actually cost?"
No matter how much she pressed, Dio refused to answer. Finally, Cipher cornered the merchant himself and learned the total: twenty Gold Dragons.
Cipher: "..."
To put it mildly, the price was far lower than she had expected. As for why Dio had given the merchant a full bag, it turned out to be filled entirely with Silver Lions—two hundred of them, to be exact—all tips he'd earned busking in various places.
Upon learning this, Cipher silently walked up to Dio, produced an identical small bag, and opened it to reveal a dazzling collection of Gold Dragons. She took out twenty of them and handed them to the dumbfounded Dio.
Dio was astonished. "You... how are you so rich?!"
Cipher casually replied, "Not really. It was a generous donation from a Viscount. He gave me way too much, and I still haven't spent it all."
Dio was even more bewildered. "???"
In any case, after camping for the night, the Hero Party all climbed aboard the Earth Dragon and set off the next morning.
Cipher leaned back in her seat, hands behind her head, watching the scenery blur past. The gentle breeze rushing against her face as their "convertible car" sped along was wonderfully comfortable.
Meanwhile, she silently wondered, Can we really reach Chaos City in two weeks...?