“Ugh, I’m gonna die…”
No doubt about it, the petite figure sprawled on the chair, groaning, is definitely me.
After yesterday’s insane ordeal, replaying the battle in my dreams, I’m honestly impressed I managed to crawl out of bed this morning, brush my teeth in a daze, wash my face, eat breakfast, and log into the game.
“Your Majesty looks exhausted,” Sil said, entering from the doorway and placing a cup of black tea on the coffee table. As she moved to sit on the other chair, a small hand gently tugged at her skirt.
“Isn’t that obvious?”
Burying my head comfortably in Sil’s embrace, savoring the tea’s aroma, my fatigue eased slightly. But at her comment, I couldn’t help but pout.
After all, yesterday was a one-against-ten-thousand fight, complete with holy light and mosaics.
It was intense enough to belong in a doujin or an adult game, let alone a full-on BOSS raid.
…Wait, doesn’t that make the former sound even more brutal?
Lost in comparing the two scenarios, a sudden voice interrupted my train of thought.
“You seemed to be having a blast yesterday.”
“A-Alice?! W-When did you get here?!”
Seeing the figure that appeared out of nowhere, I jumped instinctively.
I collided with Sil’s chest, and the rebounding soft orbs smacked my head, posing a profound question—
Where does krypton rank on the periodic table?
A. 30, B. 32, C. 34, D. 36
Obviously, it’s 36—D.
So, getting hit by such formidable firepower and ending up injured makes sense, right?
“Ow, ow, ow…”
I clutched my reddened forehead, wincing.
“…”
Alice turned away. Though I couldn’t see her face, her trembling shoulders betrayed her effort to stifle laughter.
Sil’s gaze carried a clear concern for the dark faction’s future.
“No need to be so jumpy. I just got here. I didn’t see someone looking like they were spent after a wild night, especially after playing so hard yesterday,” Alice teased.
“What kind of shameful description is that?! Is your brain stuffed with 100TB of doujins?!”
“Yup, added 500GB of loli stuff recently. Wanna see?”
“See my foot! I’m not the pervert you’re making me out to be! Apologize to my reputation!”
“Then who was it flashing their panties shamelessly and happily accepting ‘wife’ and ‘wifey’ calls? Oh, almost forgot…” Alice took a bite of cake, her tone shifting.
“Greetings, Lilina, 17th heir of the Dracula family, answering the clan’s call. Please, big brothers and sisters, go easy on me~”
“You’re the tsundere! Your whole family’s tsundere!”
“Pervert, pervert, super pervert! Die a million times!”
“What a grand feast! I’ll dig right in.”
“Ow, ow, ow, you jerks hit way too hard! QAQ”
Not only did this hyper-intelligent AI perfectly mimic a loli’s sweet, sticky voice, but it also nailed the tone and demeanor from back then.
Voice acting agencies would be fools not to hire her—y’know, the kind starting with ‘A’ and ending with ‘V’.
But as those familiar lines echoed, my face inevitably turned beet red.
“Wait, no… that was just to match the vibe and flesh out the Commander-tier BOSS image! No one could say those cringey lines otherwise!”
“It’s normal to have a chuunibyou phase at your age. I won’t mock you,” Alice said, waving a hand with an “I get it” look.
“It’s not chuunibyou! Stop twisting my words! And you’re totally laughing inside, aren’t you?!”
“You saw through me.”
“Your smug face makes it obvious!”
Sil’s gaze darted between us. Though her pretty face showed little expression, the clear confusion in her eyes suggested she didn’t quite grasp our conversation.
Alice, noticing, chuckled behind her hand. “Hey, Sil, wanna see your Demon King’s heroic battle? I’ve got the full recording from yesterday.”
“If Your Majesty doesn’t mind, I’d be delighted,” Sil said, glancing at me hesitantly.
“I mind a lot!”
I immediately stopped Alice’s scheme, grabbing Sil’s arm. “If you’re curious, I’ll tell you later. Don’t trust this database-tampering gremlin. Any footage she shows is probably edited to smear my image.”
“I’m not that low,” Alice said, looking exasperated.
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
Sil’s brief reply seemed to subtly affirm my point.
Alice looked even more wounded.
“Didn’t expect you to defect after hanging out with this kid for a bit, Sil.”
She sighed, setting down her teacup. “Fine, fine, let’s drop it. I came for a reason.”
“What?” I eyed her warily. Can’t blame me—every time she shows up, trouble follows.
“Here.” Without a word, Alice tossed a book that appeared in her hand.
“Are you trying to kill me?!”
Thankfully, Sil caught it, saving my head from another blow.
But as my gaze fell on the dictionary-thick book, my resentment turned to curiosity.
“What’s this?”
“The Great Library’s Myriad Pages Book. It includes a basic template with auto-generated terrain options based on the dungeon’s location, plus elements like NPCs, traps, monsters, dungeon BOSSes, and special mechanics.”
“You can also add special terrains, advanced traps, or monsters you acquire.”
“Wow, didn’t expect you to be so generous, Lady Alice.”
I was genuinely surprised. For once, she wasn’t causing trouble.
“Nope.”
Alice sipped her tea, revealing the truth. “This is just a companion item for the Great Library blueprint. I forgot to include it in yesterday’s quest rewards.”
“…”
I suddenly felt bad for the fleeting gratitude I’d felt. This proved she didn’t deserve even a single mark erased from my grudge list.
“What’s with that look? Don’t want it? I’ll take it back,” Alice said, raising a brow with the air of a domineering tyrant.
“No way! This is a gift from Lady Alice; I’ll treasure it!” I tightly hugged the book, heavy enough to be a murder weapon.
Then something occurred to me, and I asked suspiciously, “Wait, why come in person for this? Couldn’t you just toss it into the rewards for upgrading Heart of Helentis to level 2?”
For someone who treats Epoch’s database like her bedroom, that’d be easy. If I could think of it, no way she didn’t.
Was her real goal to come mock me?
As I debated adding another mark to my grudge list, Alice’s voice cut through.
“You’re pretty sharp. I came to…” She popped the last piece of cake into her mouth.
“Enjoy Sil’s snacks.”
“…”
“As delicious as ever. Thanks for the treat, Sil,” Alice said, daintily wiping her mouth with a napkin, looking every bit the refined lady.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it, Lady Alice.”
“Break’s over. I’m off. Don’t miss me, kid.” The girl stretched languidly and vanished like deleted data.
The lively atmosphere quieted, mirroring someone’s indescribable mood.
After a long silence, a subdued loli voice finally spoke.
“Sil.”
“What are your orders, Your Majesty?” Sil asked, studying the unreadable loli in her arms.
“I want…”
“?” Sil blinked, her gray eyes showing a hint of confusion.
I repeated, clarifying my three-word demand. “I want Alice’s desserts too!”
What a joke! I haven’t even had a proper Demon King Castle meal, yet this gremlin sneaked two rounds of snacks. As the castle’s true master, how could I stand it?
Finding a justification for my sudden foodie craving, I grew even more righteous.
“I want Sil’s desserts!”
Sil finally understood but shook her head. “My apologies, Your Majesty. Lady Alice ate the last portion.”
“Then make another!” I tried to act cute like other girls but didn’t know how, so I just clung to Sil’s arm, looking at her pitifully.
Unbeknownst to me, this clumsy innocence was a loli’s deadliest weapon. Even Sil couldn’t resist, a rare blush tinting her stoic, beautiful face.
“There are only some ingredients left in the pantry. If Your Majesty doesn’t mind…”
“I don’t mind! I knew Sil’s the best!”
“Then please wait a moment, Your Majesty.” Sil set me on the chair and left the room.
While waiting, I checked the upgrade progress for Heart of Helentis. About twelve hours of game time left until level 2.
In the [Bloodthirsty Frenzy of Eternal Night] event, I reaped huge rewards, earning around 2800 energy (reduced per player due to event effects).
Keeping 1000 as a reserve, I used the rest to upgrade Heart of Helentis and tweak other leveling zones—my main work this morning.
I don’t know the specifics of Heart of Helentis’s level 2 abilities, but Alice’s mention of dungeon creation has me excited.
“Epoch’s dungeons usually require at least level 10. If I set the dungeon level below 10, heh, it’ll be a riot.”
Imagining the energy growth rate, I couldn’t help but grin.
Sil’s voice broke my reverie.
“Please enjoy, Your Majesty.” She placed a tray of food on the coffee table, setting out cutlery and a napkin, fulfilling her maid duties perfectly.
“Love you, Sil!”
Black Forest cake, caramel pudding, chocolate cookies…
Seeing the lavish spread, I understood why Alice kept mooching. No girl’s stomach could resist desserts.
But one thing nagged at me…
Why are they all dark brown?
“Lack of ingredients?”
I didn’t think much of it, forking a piece of cake into my mouth.
It was different from any Black Forest cake I’d had.
The moment it hit my lips, a soft texture spread, mingling with dark chocolate’s slight bitterness, sugar’s sweetness, and… a hint of dewy freshness.
Vaguely, I felt like I was in the Black Forest, treading on fragrant soil, savoring its rich, mellow depth.
“Sil, what’s this made of? It feels so different,” I asked, turning back.
Her reply came quickly.
“These were made with Demon Black Soil, Your Majesty.”
“No wonder there’s that earthy, dewy scent~”
A moment later, it hit me. “…Wait, Demon Black Soil?”
So I’ve been eating dirt this whole time?
“What’s wrong, Your Majesty?” Seeing my odd expression, Sil assumed something was wrong with the dessert. She took a cookie, bit it, and realized. “My deepest apologies, Your Majesty. I used the wrong ingredients.”
Just a mistake, then.
I nodded, giving Sil a reassuring smile. “It’s fine! If you can, just make another batch, but don’t mix up the ingredients again.”
“My apologies. It won’t happen again. For Your Majesty’s status, Golden Black Soil would be more fitting. I’ll prepare it now.”
Sil’s apologetic look shifted as she turned to leave.
But her words froze my smiling face.
“…Uh, Sil, I just remembered I have things to do. Gotta log off for a bit!”
Phew.
Exiting Epoch’s interface, I sighed in relief.
A Demon King eating dirt? That’s humiliating! Though it was kinda tasty, the concept is absurd.
The culprit behind this was obvious—
“Damn Alice, how many desserts did she mooch from Demon King Castle…”
I gritted my teeth.
This grave sin deserved two more marks in my grudge list.
“Huh, 10:30 already?” Checking the time, I realized I’d spent most of the morning in-game.
With some time before lunch, what should I do?
“Oh, right, almost forgot!” I opened the browser on my handheld.
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