Besides their footsteps, only the occasional crackling of torches on the walls echoed through the long corridor, like whispers of ghosts. Naily couldn’t help but feel goosebumps, her fists clenched. To reduce her fear, she asked: “Where are we going?” “To your quarters,” the young man didn’t turn back, his pace steady and calm, each step seeming to tread on an invisible musical score. Naily bit her lip, mustering courage to ask further: “May I know your name?” After a moment of silence, he tersely replied: “Otto.” Naily wanted to probe for more information about the Demon Cave, but Otto stopped at this moment, elegantly stepping aside, bowing to open a pure white door, gesturing for her to enter. “Thank you,” Naily carefully walked to the doorway, seeing Otto had no intention of entering, and slowly closed the door behind her. The room was dark, unlit. Naily’s back pressed tightly against the cold door, her whole body tense, taking a deep breath before taking a step. A light click sounded, and the crystal chandelier’s candles gradually lit up, gently illuminating the entire room. Naily held her breath. This was a perfect room that matched a young girl’s imagination.
However, fate played its tricks – her family only moved to a new home when she was in high school, but by then she had started boarding school, with little time spent in her own room during holidays. In college, it was even less likely, as she was wandering around an anime convention on Christmas Eve before the first semester… and then she arrived in this world.
The scene before her was exactly like the room she had imagined.
Wooden bookshelves lined the walls, with hardcover books standing neatly behind glass doors. The golden text on the cloth book spines radiated a warm, soft light under the lamp.
Nali had always loved books. Seeing the bookshelf she had longed for since childhood, she paused for a moment, then walked forward lightly, first sliding her fingertips across a row of encyclopedias through the glass, as if trying to confirm she wasn’t dreaming. She couldn’t help but open the cabinet door, randomly pulling out a book in an unfamiliar language with a massive tree on its title page. Judging from the exquisite illustrations, it seemed to be a collection of legends from Verdea.
She then turned back, passing the carved wooden desk and the four-poster bed with hanging curtains. Walking to the other side of the room, she pulled open the heavy burgundy curtains. The bright floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of the Magic Forest and the winding mountains behind it.
Everything was too perfect.
It was like stepping into a beautiful dream she hadn’t fully imagined.
Nali excitedly walked around the room twice before stopping, covering her mouth, feeling a cold sweat on her back. She remembered that she was in the demon’s lair, the most dangerous place in the Verdea continent.
As soon as this thought crossed her mind, her joy vanished, and Nali felt an eerie sense about the room. She walked to the window with better lighting, listened carefully, and opened the system interface with a swipe of her hand.
All columns were scrolling with red banners: Connection Interrupted.
Her heart sank. Having lost contact with the system, what should she do? How could she continue her mission and return home?
She rummaged through her inventory, looking for clues, when her gaze stopped on a small green triangle. It was a gift from the innkeeper of Oak Inn. Nali stared at the cheese, feeling somewhat dazed, and couldn’t help but take it out of her storage space and hold it in her hand.
Carefully unwrapping the leaf, she placed the soft yellow cheese near her nose and sighed. Despite being an enticing rare item, she now had no appetite.
Originally intending to fold the leaf back, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of black text underneath the cheese.
Suspicious, Nali picked up the cheese and saw a line of small text written in maple tree sap on the leaf vein: Save us.
What was this about? Nali stared at the line repeatedly, certain she hadn’t misunderstood. If it were merely an expectation for the hero, it shouldn’t be phrased as a plea for help. Moreover, this message was clearly meant for Nali and had nothing to do with the hero Karl.
Could the innkeeper have noticed something unusual about Karl?
As Nali was pondering, someone knocked on the door: “Nali.”
Hearing Karl’s voice, Nali froze entirely. She shook her head to maintain composure and hadn’t yet managed to put the cheese back in her storage space when the door was already opened.
In her panic, Nali could only use her fingertip to vigorously erase the maple tree sap writing, turning back stiffly and saying dryly: “Karl.”
Karl remained expressionless, his gaze lingering on the cheese in her hand, calmly asking: “Hungry?”
Nali forced a laugh, telling a lie: “A little…” As she spoke, she broke off a small piece of cheese and put it in her mouth.
He walked directly in front of her, his gaze seeming to soften, which made her uncomfortable.
“Karl… are you hungry?” Nali spoke softly, trying to break the silence.
Karl revealed a faint smile, lowering his eyes and appearing somewhat shy, speaking unusually reservedly: “Nali… if you feed me…”
Naily trembled, trying to withdraw her hand, but the other party held her wrist, stopping her further movements. Kalsas pursed his lips, lowering his eyes to look at her, his gaze like molten ruby, so bright and hot that looking into them was like falling into an inescapable lava torrent.
She felt her entire heart was trembling.
“Your fingers are dirty,” Kalsas spoke as calmly as always, only the slight curve of his lips revealing a hint of self-satisfaction, resembling a cat that had successfully stolen something.
Naily shuddered at his words, feeling a bone-chilling coldness down her spine – on her fingertips was the maple tree sap trace from when she had wiped away the words “save us” earlier. She glanced at him, praying he wouldn’t read too much into it, and silently tried to free her hand. But the vivid residual sensation made her involuntarily hide her hand behind her back.
Kalsas looked at her meaningfully. Despite maintaining his expressionless face, he exuded an air of lingering satisfaction. Naily swept a glance and dared not look again, yet still felt her face burning and heart racing.
Compared to the shocking transformation of the poker-faced youth, the fact that the Number 100 Hero was actually the Demon King seemed somewhat more acceptable.
Naily cleared her throat softly, lowering her eyelids and asking vaguely, “Why?”
Though her question was ambiguous, Kalsas, always keen-minded, flashed a look, clearly understanding the multiple doubts within her query.
He lowered his eyes for a moment before carefully choosing his words: “I only like Naily.” As he spoke, he cautiously observed her reaction, then added, “I’ve only liked you for a long time.”
Naily drew her shoulders in, her voice slightly hoarse, “A long time?”
Kalsas bit his lip, a momentary look of youthful uncertainty crossing his face. He finally answered succinctly, “After being killed by the hero, I do not die.”
Because he would not truly die, he would not forget.
Being confessed to by such a person, Naily felt no joy, only deeper fear. She dared not calculate exactly when Kalsas had set his sights on her. Recalling her previous entries into this demon’s lair, knowing nothing about the Demon King, she couldn’t help feeling a chill.
Just moments ago in the hall, Naily had almost told Kalsas that she only wanted to leave this world and go home. But now, the Demon King would surely not let her go easily.
Thinking this, she clutched her skirt tightly with her interlaced fingers, lowering her gaze, opening her mouth but unable to say anything.
