Chapter 22: T-Too Close

Her consciousness had awakened, but the lingering weakness still prevented her from regaining control of her body.

Emily was terrified.

After remembering everything, she now fully understood her situation.

Defeated and captured, stuck in the Demon King's castle, death a constant threat! And Wei Anna, her elder sister-like companion who had also been taken alive, must be in grave danger too.

If she couldn't wake up soon, get her body moving...

No... that's wrong...

Even if she could move, what then?

Could she defeat the Demon King, find Wei Anna, and escape the Demon King's castle together?

Obviously, impossible.

Even under Lord Hero's leadership, with them ganging up in a righteous assault, they had been completely wiped out. Let alone now when she was all alone.

And she probably wouldn't even need the Demon King to act—without anyone protecting her, just the casting pre-motion alone would give mid-to-high-level demons enough time to kill her several times over.

Plus, with her mana completely drained and her body abnormally weak, even an ordinary person could easily knock her down.

Thinking this, Emily sank into utter despair.

Lord Hero...

Brother Li Ang...

And Sister Wei Anna...

Waaah...

Probably before long, I'll be joining you down there...

Emily's consciousness curled into a ball, finding the only solace and warmth in that shallow puddle.

...

“Ugh...”

“I...”

“How am I... so weak...”

The girl's hoarse, raspy voice drifted faintly through the room.

On the bed, Xing Yue was struck by a deep sense of weakness as she woke up. It felt like she had overdrawn herself after using too much power—nothing like the refreshing feeling she'd had the past two mornings when she woke up.

How could this be?

Weren't the beds in the Demon King's castle supposed to be treasures that left you full of energy after sleeping?

Why did she feel like a thousand-pound weight was pressing down on her today, something heavy and uncomfortable?

Struggling to open her eyes, Xing Yue finally understood where this feeling came from.

The pink-haired girl who had been lying peacefully on the bed yesterday was now somehow sprawled on top of her, clinging like a nestling seeking warmth. Her arms and legs wrapped tightly around Xing Yue like an octopus.

That exquisite face was right in front of her, carrying a sickly, pale undertone, like moonlight-soaked fine porcelain, fragile and almost translucent.

Her brows were still furrowed, her breathing shallow, and she seemed to be muttering something unconsciously, as if still trapped in a nightmare.

Xing Yue was momentarily stunned, then frantically tried to move the girl off her.

“Tch... wait, how is this person so heavy?”

Xing Yue's face changed.

She tried to exert force, but found she couldn't budge the girl at all. Instead, at her movements, the other girl hugged even tighter.

“T-Too close...”

The pink-haired girl was already pressed right up to her face. Xing Yue could feel the cool, cold touch—if she wanted, she could rub cheeks with her.

Xing Yue had never been this close to someone of the opposite sex... no, to another girl. Her heart was pounding, and her thoughts became lively.

“Right!”

“Magic!”

“I still have magic!”

“Wind spirits, please heed my call!”

Though her mana was pitifully low, her natural affinity still managed to summon the elemental spirits.

“Please help me, wind spirits!”

“I'll owe you this mana for now. Once I recover a little later, I'll repay it with interest—you can have a feast. Deal?”

Xing Yue tried to communicate with the tiny, sparkling wind spirits in the air. Feeling the emotions they sent back, she was moved to tears.

The wind spirits said they really liked her and were willing to help. They didn't need double repayment afterward; just giving back the same amount used would be fine.

Just like the book said—elemental spirits were pure beings. If you communicated with them sincerely, they were easy to get along with!

The next moment, as Xing Yue softly chanted the spell “Flight,” a cyan glow surrounded the pink-haired girl. An updraft lifted her, separating her from Xing Yue and floating her up into the air.

With the girl's weight gone, Xing Yue rolled to the side, clearing the space on the bed.

So the culprit was indeed this pink-haired girl!

Though her body was weak, it was only a minor issue from mana depletion. Xing Yue could still move freely.

Just as Xing Yue succeeded in retreating, the wind stopped, and the cyan glow around the pink-haired girl vanished simultaneously.

Without support, she dropped from the air and landed on the soft bed with a bounce.

“Nngh...”

The pink-haired girl let out a faint, muffled groan, but otherwise remained still.

Seeing the girl still unconscious, Xing Yue sat on the edge of the bed and looked away, feeling a sense of relief.

“Wasn't she supposed to be unconscious? Why is she holding me while sleeping after waking up? Yesterday, it was just holding hands!”

Xing Yue watched the pink-haired girl on the bed with some suspicion. She wondered if the girl had actually woken up and was just pretending to be asleep.

Rubbing her chin, Xing Yue decided to make a small test.

Silently reaching out her hand, she pretended to stroke the girl's head, but at the last moment, she quickly jabbed her fingers into the girl's armpit.

“Hehehe! That should get a reaction!”

The move was fast, precise, and ruthless. Xing Yue was sure the girl wouldn't be able to defend against it.

But in reality, the girl didn't react at all to this sneak attack, even after being tickled.

Like a boring, lifeless puppet.

Xing Yue slowly stopped, forced to accept that the girl was still unconscious.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Xing Yue quickly scanned the room. She didn't see the familiar figure.

While letting out a sigh of relief, she felt a little puzzled.

“Eh? No Phyllis-mama today? She's not supposed to be an NPC that spawns by my bed every morning?”

“Oh well... it's fine if she's not here. Having her see me like that just now would've been too embarrassing...”

Xing Yue didn't dwell on this point for long.

Phyllis was a Demon King. It was normal for her whereabouts to be unpredictable. It would actually be abnormal for her to keep visiting Xing Yue's room.

Those first two days when she'd stayed by her bed and watched her wake up were probably just her maternal instincts acting up—coming to check on how her daughter was recovering.

Now that she saw she was fine, she should have gone back to handling her own affairs, right?

Besides, if she wanted to take Xing Yue with her, she would have asked yesterday when they parted ways.

“I'm starving. Time to eat, time to eat!”

Xing Yue rubbed her empty stomach and didn't bother overthinking. She went to eat the fruit-and-grain porridge that had been prepared for the pink-haired girl yesterday.

It had been a night, the porridge had gone cold. How could it still be left for a sick patient to eat?

She would just have someone bring a fresh, hot portion from the cafeteria later.

With that thought, Xing Yue ate without any guilt.