Volume 8, Chapter 1 – A Start Shrouded in Dark Clouds

If the sweltering heat of summer was enough to make one uncomfortable, then the downpours that often accompanied it were even more vexing. The beads of sweat squeezed from one’s glands soaked their clothes, and combined with the damp water vapor from the storm, the feeling of fabric clinging to the skin was absolutely dreadful. If one was also in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by muddy mountain roads, then no matter what pleasant things had happened that day, it was bound to be a terrible day.

This was precisely what Yisi’s group was feeling now.

“Damn this rain, can’t it just stop? If humans don’t need the sun, they might as well just cede their territory to us.”

Edith’s low curse echoed within the carriage. Although she was seated inside the covered, box-style carriage and wouldn’t get wet, the summer humidity combined with the stuffy, airless environment caused a fine layer of sweat to bead on her skin. The feeling of her clothes sticking to her body was somewhat tolerable, but the itchiness where the lace of her bloomers and dress collar pressed against her tender skin truly made her want to rip them off—comparable to the tags on some clothes back on Earth.

Unfortunately, a lady could not strip naked in a carriage, no matter the time. Not to mention there were other people inside. Even if they were all women and close companions, Edith would not allow herself to undress in front of others. It wasn’t a matter of shame, but rather that it was not in line with a noble’s upbringing.

Besides Edith, the others were, to varying degrees, just as impatient with the wretched weather. Mary had long since used the excuse of driving the carriage to escape to the more ventilated exterior. Camilla and Tiffany pressed themselves against the small windows of the carriage, willing to let the rain drift in just to enjoy the cool breeze from the moving carriage. Even Refina had slipped outside under the pretext of taking turns driving with Mary.

The only one unaffected was Laxyphinia. Although angels could sweat, Laxy didn’t mind. This wasn’t because her senses were dull, but simply because she was accustomed to sweating. As long as it didn’t impede her actions, Laxy wouldn’t react to it.

Fanning herself constantly with a makeshift fan made of leaves, Yisi heaved a heavy sigh.

“It’s been raining ever since we left the Taris Marquisate and entered the Royal Capital’s domain. It’s been two full days already.”

Summer rains should come and go quickly, lasting a few hours at most. But based on the group’s journey, this rain had never stopped. At best, it was the difference between a downpour and a light drizzle. It was so bad that when they camped for the night, they couldn’t even get out of the carriage to set up camp—a large group of people huddled together to sleep. This would have been warm and cozy in winter, but in summer, it was just awful.

“The lord here… no, the king. What is the king of the Hels Kingdom doing? Weather of this degree could be adjusted with just the Tower of Alexia. Isn’t he afraid of those refugees rioting?”

Voicing her dissatisfaction, Camilla wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief. The handkerchief was visibly soaked with perspiration, looking as if water could be squeezed from it at any moment.

It must carry Camilla’s fragrance.

Glancing at the handkerchief, Yisi subconsciously wondered, if I go and ask Camilla for it now, will she give it to me?

She probably would, right?

For a moment, I actually felt a stirrin inside.

No, that’s too perverted. Only a ** would do that.

Yisi unobtrusively retracted the dangerous thought. Unfortunately, Camilla had noticed something was amiss a step ahead of her. Her blonde hair swayed as she tilted her head, causing the white ribbon holding it to flutter as well.

“What is Onee-sama looking at? My handkerchief… ah.”

Rеaⅾ οո ΚatReαԁіոgСafе

When Camilla’s gaze fell upon her own handkerchief, her shoulders jolted slightly, and a blush appeared on her beautiful face. With the cautious movement of a thief caught in the act, she quietly crumpled the handkerchief into a ball, hiding it from Yisi’s view.

Only those who frequently washed Yisi’s clothes and bedding knew that this handkerchief had once belonged to Yisi. As for why Yisi didn’t recognize it, it was simply because she never used the same handkerchief two days in a row and naturally wouldn’t have noticed.

Thinking that Camilla had seen through the perverted idea in her head, Yisi became flustered.

“Uh, Ca-Camilla, you noticed…”

In any case, sniffing someone else’s handkerchief was too… impolite, not to mention Camilla was her sworn sister. Yisi hung her head in shame for her disgusting thought.

“Onee-sama knew about it too… I thought… I thought I was being very discreet… As expected, nothing escapes Onee-sama’s eyes.”

Being very discreet? Does she mean about wiping her sweat? But why be discreet about it? Could it be that Camilla sensed my perverted thoughts long ago, and that’s why she’s being secretive, so I don’t make her the object of my fantasies?

Crack!

An invisible bolt of lightning struck Yisi, leaving her petrified in her seat.

I’ve been scorned by Camilla.

Even Camilla is starting to avoid me. It seems I’ve unknowingly exposed my penchant for fantasies… I’ve probably been secretly labeled a **, a pervert. Maybe when I’m not around, my companions gather together and complain about how I’ve offended them—like how I insist on being woken up by someone, when in reality, I just want to see a beautiful girl the first moment I open my eyes in the morning. Or how I’m always too lazy to wash my own clothes, forcing Camilla to clean my laundry… wait, it’s not just Camilla who does the laundry. Weren’t Mary, Laxyphinia, and Sandra involved too?

Recalling the time she had accidentally glimpsed her companions fighting over her clothes and bedding for the day, refusing to yield an inch, Yisi felt a cold arrow pierce her heart once more.

It must be that Mary, Laxyphinia, and Sandra wanted to lessen Camilla’s burden, sympathizing with her plight, which is why they insisted on taking the hard work upon themselves. They were probably fighting over it while saying things like, “Don’t bother with that ** anymore,” and “Let yourself have a break.”

The thought of the companions who smiled at her daily wearing expressions of disgust while discussing her made Yisi lean back against the carriage wall. She gazed up at the roof, her exquisite, doll-like face filled with despair, looking utterly devastated.

I’m so dense.

Yisi’s abnormal behavior made Camilla quickly sit up straight, her ruby-like eyes filled with panic.

“O-Onee-sama?”

“Camilla, from now on, I’ll wash my own clothes properly. I didn’t realize until now. I’m sorry for troubling you.”

Placing both hands on her knees, Yisi bowed in a sincere apology.

Reaԁ on КαtReаdіոɡСαfе

But to Camilla’s ears, this had another meaning.

Looking just as devastated as Yisi had been moments ago, Camilla’s face was filled with sorrow.

“Onee-sama really doesn’t like it… I suppose so… Most people would find it very perverted… Onee-sama hates me now…”

“Eh?” Yisi, whose heart had been like dead ashes just a moment ago, suddenly widened her eyes. “Hate you? Me? Why? Shouldn’t it be you who hates me?”

“Eh?” Following right after Yisi, Camilla also parted her cherry lips slightly. Vaguely sensing that they had been talking about two different things, her expression was a mixture of relief and anxiety, joy and unease. “How could I ever hate Onee-sama! Camilla would hate herself before she ever hated Onee-sama.”

“But you just said those things. And having to do laundry every day must be tough, not to mention always waking me up, learning to cook to satisfy my appetite, and sometimes even having your blood sucked. You’ve done so much, and your only reward is a little trivial pocket money… There’s no one in the world as terrible as me.”

“Not at all! Everything Onee-sama mentioned are things I do willingly. If I don’t do them, Mary and Laxyphinia will snatch the chance away. Besides, Onee-sama even entrusts her wallet to me to use as I please, how can that be called trivial pocket money? The moments I spend by Onee-sama’s side are my happiest.”

“You don’t feel… offended… harassed?”

Although Tiffany, Edith, and Laxyphinia were still in the carriage, Yisi couldn’t help but want to know the answer right now.

Camilla’s reply was unhesitating.

“No, on the contrary, being offended and harassed by Onee-sama is my wish. I would be delighted—anytime is fine, Onee-sama. Even in the carriage, with everyone here… it’s… it’s fine!”

So the conversation really wasn’t on the same wavelength!

Hearing this, Yisi could finally confirm her suspicion.

…Thankfully, I was being roundabout the whole time, otherwise the others in the carriage would have found out. The thing about fantasies is that you need that vague, unattainable feeling. If they actually come true, they can no longer be called fantasies. It’s like the difference between a tantalizing glimpse of panties and panties on full display; the former is far more alluring.

“Are you two done with your lovey-dovey talk?”

“Lovey-dovey, lovey-dovey.”

Tiffany’s expressionless repetition made Yisi even more embarrassed. The latter cleared her throat dramatically.

“Ahem! Laxy, has Dominic planted the water tree sapling?”

Although the change of topic was abrupt, Laxy didn’t mind. If there was one person in the carriage who was the most composed, it would be her. Laxy never participated in conversations like the one that had just transpired.

Read οn ΚatRеadіnɡCafе

“The day before we left, Dominic planted the water tree one kilometer outside the city, as you instructed, my lord, under my supervision. Originally, Dominic insisted on planting it in the giant crater where the labyrinth plaza collapsed, as it would be more convenient for the residents to fetch water. But I relayed the dryad’s parting words, that the water tree would grow rapidly and destroy the surrounding buildings, so Dominic could only reluctantly plant it in the outskirts.”

“Did you not mention that the water source would attract monsters?”

If the water tree sapling attracted a large number of powerful monsters, it would undoubtedly be a disaster for Gota.

“No, I relayed your exact words, my lord, to Dominic, and he has made corresponding preparations. He will organize artisans to build a wall around the water tree and then dig a channel between the city and the tree for Gota’s daily water supply in the future. Unfortunately, you left too early for the residents of Gota to thank you. If you had stayed one more day, you would have surely been the star of the thanksgiving festival. That would have brought unforeseen benefits to your reputation. Bringing a water source to a city built in the desert is a feat more persuasive than any decree.”

“Hmm.”

The reason I left a day early was precisely to avoid being mobbed by grateful people. That ritual of being lifted up by countless hands and tossed into the air… spare me.

“What about those heroes? They seemed to be causing quite a stir when we left.”

“Yes. Because the girl who calls herself the savior publicly revealed her identity and unabashedly declared that the Divine Religion had a hand in the incident, it ignited the fury of most of Gota’s residents, especially Dominic. He demanded, with extreme anger, that the Divine Religion provide an explanation. In the end, the girl named Lin executed the bishop who orchestrated the event in front of everyone and then compensated Gota’s treasury with a large sum of money—I don’t know the exact amount, but the money Dominic is using to build the wall for the water tree seems to be part of what was left over from that sum. Building a wall is not a small expense. If the money left over after compensating the residents is enough for a wall, the total amount must have been large enough to silence people. Plus, since the slimes weren’t the Divine Religion’s doing, the matter will probably just be dropped.”

“Where did that group go afterward?”

“Are you referring to the ones calling themselves saviors? My apologies, I did not pay attention to them. At the end of the day, you are the true savior, my lord. There is no need to concern yourself with such minor figures. Our current priority is to journey to the Royal Capital to find a craftsman capable of forging top-tier magic weapons. Your companions’ levels have seen a qualitative improvement, so it is only natural that their equipment should be adjusted accordingly. I must admire your foresight.”

No, no, I’ve told you I’m not a savior at all.

Yisi grumbled internally.

Besides, I’m not coming to the Royal Capital because my companions have leveled up. It was something I had planned long ago, to equip my companions with trigger-activated defensive magic items.

Thump.

Without warning, the moving carriage was caught on a rock protruding from the ground. The violent jolt nearly threw everyone from their seats, and the carriage came to a halt.

With Mary and Refina’s driving skills, they would have certainly steered the wheels away from any bumps. For a jolt severe enough to nearly unseat them, it could only mean they had encountered a sudden incident. Steadying herself, Yisi shouted outside.

“Mary, Refina, what happened?”

“Master, the wheel seems to have hit something.”

“Strange… I didn’t see such a large puddle on the ground just now. Wait, eh?”

Reаd οո КatReaԁіոgCаfе

“Master, it’s a magic chanter!”

Mary and Refina’s alarmed voices came from outside.

Yisi looked at the [Omniscient Map].

In the woods on both sides, there were nearly twenty light dots of varying sizes. Among them was one who could use earth magic, the cause of the ground collapsing.

“Tsk, these people again. So Camilla’s prediction came true.”

What Camilla had said before about a refugee riot caused by the heavy rains was not unfounded. On the way from the Taris Marquisate to the Royal Capital, Yisi had encountered several waves of refugees whose homes had been destroyed by flash floods and mudslides.

Because the disasters struck so quickly, these people couldn’t salvage their belongings; many couldn’t even save their own family members in time. The vast majority of them survived simply because they happened not to be at home when the floods occurred. Not only did the refugees lack a change of clothes or food to fill their bellies, but the incessant rain also sapped their body heat, causing them to catch colds or even more serious pneumonia. If Yisi hadn’t the Winterbloom grass with her, even healing magic would have been helpless against those on the brink of death from illness.

When these refugees, dissatisfied with reality, sought a way to survive, they could easily evolve into what they were now—bandits.

At this rate, the refugees will surely band together and revolt sooner or later.

Sighing, Yisi stepped out of the carriage into the continuing downpour. Just as she was about to use magic to pacify the bandits, the rapid sound of horse hooves suddenly came from behind the carriage. Unsettlingly, accompanying the hoofbeats was the clang of metal armor.

“Out of the way, out of the way! Under the jurisdiction of Duke Wozwahl! Anyone blocking the road will be dealt with according to military law!”

The voice was rough and rude.

Although she considered stopping in the middle of the road to block them, that would be too childish, and they might genuinely be in a hurry. Yisi had Mary pull the carriage to the side of the road. The bandits who had been about to surround them retreated upon hearing the continuous sound of hoofbeats.

Soon, a troop of mud-caked soldiers rushed past Yisi in the heavy rain, their heavy panting indicating they had been force-marching for a long time.

“Master, what are those people going to do?”

Watching the soldiers recede into the distance, Mary’s purple eyes were full of curiosity.

“I don’t know, but I think it has something to do with the heavy rain. In any case, with the Tower of Alexia available, it’s too abnormal for the rulers to let a rain like this continue unabated.”

It was just like opening the sun-veil among the Blood Clan.

Yisi raised her head, gazing at the sky, which was concealed by thick, dark clouds.