“What good would it do you if I died?”
Vieya gave the catgirl a sidelong glance as she took the apple juice Jasmine handed her and took a sip.
The sweet and sour taste filled her mouth, washing away most of the bitterness from all the dicine she’d been drinking these past few days.
Leaning back against the bed, she let out a deep breath of relief.
The Holy Sword—sothing that would instantly obliterate any ordinary monster upon contact—and judging by the results, even a sli girl like her fell within its range of effect.
But without using it back then, there would have been no way to quickly finish off those creatures.
While she pondered that, the catgirl walked up to the bed with the tray, her tail held stiff and straight. After hesitating for a mont, she handed the tray forward.
“Cake...? Chocolate. I want that.”
Vieya reached out to take it, but grabbed at nothing. When she looked up, Helcat was grinning triumphantly like she’d just pulled off a sche.
“Looks like you really are at the end of your rope—exhausted, drained, completely done for! You didn’t even react... ow.”
As she spoke, she popped the piece of chocolate cake into her mouth right in front of Vieya.
“So good, ow.”
“...”
Vieya said nothing. She simply stared blankly at the catgirl, her green eyes as calm and flat as still water.
“Cat-sis!”
Jasmine instantly grew angry, though aside from glaring, she couldn’t even beat a cat’s tail.
“Forget it, I don’t want it anymore.” Vieya downed the rest of her juice in one gulp and closed her eyes—out of sight, out of mind.
She really shouldn’t have been so nice to that cat in the first place.
“How can a patient recovering from a serious illness not replenish her nutrition?”
Aislin cast a faint glance at the black cat, sighed, and shifted her gaze back to the sli girl.
“I simred a pot of fish-and-mutton soup last night; it should be ready now. I’ll get you a bowl. Jasmine, stay here and watch your mother. Don’t let her be alone with these people, okay?”
Jasmine nodded. “Mm!”
“ow?”
“Bad cat, go away!” Jasmine stepped between the sli girl and the catgirl, glaring fiercely, her eyes brimming with anger. “You’re just a an bully who only picks on the weak!”
“What’s an about it? Patients shouldn’t eat cakes and sweets—I’m helping her, ow!” Helcat argued righteously.
“Those cakes are fine for Mom to eat!” Jasmine shot back firmly.
“...”
Vieya closed her eyes; their arguing was giving her a headache.
Fortunately, Aislin returned quickly. Even before she entered the room, the rich aroma reached the sli girl’s nose, instantly stirring her appetite.
“Fish-and-mutton soup is ready!”
But the mont Aislin stepped through the door, her tone turned stern. “Don’t you know patients need quiet? If you’re going to argue, do it outside...”
“Mom...”
Jasmine, who had been brimming with fury a mont ago, froze. Clutching her mother’s hand, she leaned against her and her eyes imdiately softened.
“I’m sorry, Mom...”
“Is there any for ? That soup slls so good...” The catgirl reacted a beat too late.
“It’s in the kitchen pot. Go help yourself,” Aislin replied.
The catgirl’s eyes lit up, and she ran out with her half-eaten cake still in hand.
“Jasmine, close the door. Don’t let them back in,” said Aislin. “Honestly, that cat’s been hovering at the door this whole ti—runs in at the slightest sound...”
Shaking her head, she set the pot down, filled a bowl for the sli girl, and then another for Jasmine.
“How’s your body recovering...” Aislin spoke softly. “Among humans, they say that any injury to the muscles or bones takes a hundred days to heal. When bones are hurt, or when the ridians are weakened, or when sothing affects the body’s foundation, they rest in bed, giving the body enough ti to restore itself and «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» replenish what’s been lost.”
“So, for now, don’t worry about anything. Just rest well. I’ll handle your food and supplies. If there’s anything you need or any changes in your condition, you can tell ... heh.”
She added a little sheepishly, “Though, I don’t have any money at the mont, so I’ll have to use yours... but don’t worry, I’ll repay you later.”
While speaking, Aislin used magic to remove the fish bones and controlled the temperature of the soup with her spoon, feeding it gently to the sli girl in bed.
“How’s that? Temperature okay?”
“Not hot.”
Even though she felt embarrassed being fed by the elf girl, Vieya really didn’t want to lift her arms. Just holding the juice cup earlier had made her arms tremble slightly...
The sli girl’s body was a single unified form; whenever she was forced to shrink, all her physical stats dropped together.
It had both pros and cons—but overall, the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.
At least, unlike humans, if she lost an arm, it could grow back.
“By the way, how are the Violet Hero and the Church’s Saint doing?” Vieya asked. “I rember both of them were badly injured.”
“...”
Aislin was silent for a mont. She scooped up a piece of mutton and spoke quietly, “The Saint was taken away by people from the Church while she was still unconscious. I’m not sure about the details... but as the only remaining Saint of the human race, no matter how severe her injuries, the Church would spare no cost to heal her.”
“I see... Lilian’s condition must be worse than mine. A human body stabbed clean through by a Demon King’s sneak attack... and...” That spear had been coated in deadly poison—one that could easily rank among the top three most toxic substances in the world.
Vieya didn’t want to say more. She sighed heavily, then changed the subject, her voice much softer. “And the Hero? How is she?”
“She’s fine. She’s been visiting you every day, but since you’ve been unconscious, you wouldn’t know. Also, that fish and mutton ca from her.”
After a mont’s thought, Aislin added, “The whole town’s being rebuilt now. I also heard that many high-ranking officials and nobles have been ordered by the Royal Capital to appear before the Tribunal for trial... Only those who pass judgnt will be allowed to return to office.”
“Seems this incident affected the entire Human Alliance,” Vieya said, chewing her at. “Still, for those vampires to hide inside a human city for so long, those officials deserve so of the bla.”
“They really are...”
The sli girl suddenly coughed violently, her flat chest rising and falling sharply as her energy faded again.
Aislin rubbed her back gently, sighing. “Forget that for now. Focus on getting better.”
“I’m not worrying about it, I just... I just feel a bit lancholic, yes, that’s it—lancholic.”
Vieya took a slow breath and leaned against the bedfra. “Right now, I just want to raise my daughter properly, watch her grow up healthy... But that wish keeps getting harder and harder.”
“Mom...” Jasmine’s eyes lowered. To her, it didn’t matter—as long as she could stay by her mother’s side, that was enough.
Being a Demon King ca with burdens; the demons didn’t accept her, and she didn’t accept them either.
Humans, on the other hand, had good food, fun things, and interesting people—but it was dangerous. It always left her mother hurt.
Jasmine often thought innocently that none of that—human or demon—mattered at all. As long as she could stay with her mom, everything was fine.
To her, wherever her mother was—that was ho.
“All right, you two should think more about yourselves.”
Aislin looked helplessly at the gloomy mother and daughter before her and said softly,
“These days, quite a few unfamiliar humans have been asking to see you. You should probably think about how you’re going to deal with them.”
“Unfamiliar humans?”
User Comments
0 comments from readers