The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 165: What’s the point of a voyage without flags?

Chapter 165: What’s the point of a voyage without flags?

"So in the end, I’m still grounded," I grumbled against the railing of the balcony, looking into the horizon.

I had thought Natha would revoke my ’punishment’ since we were getting all lovey-dovey on the way back. He kept holding me even while we were sleeping, and I woke up still in his arms the next morning.

And yet, the moment we landed in the next town, he confined me inside the hotel we were using to stay. And by that, it meant I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere outside the hotel, and I wasn’t allowed to use any kind of magic. He went as far as calling the magicians working in the town hall to conduct measurements of the mana quality here, in front of me, and had the magicians say that the level was fine and there was no need for purification, thrice. He told the magicians to tell me that three times. Three times, even though I already told him I understood.

Talk about petty.

The saving grace about all of this was the hotel itself, which was built on the highest point of the town. And since we were staying on the topmost floor, I could at least see the whole town from the balcony.

So here I was, once again trapped in a tower like some kind of a fairytale princess, looking outside from the balcony waiting for my prince--I mean, Demon Lord.

[Bored!]

"You can go out if you like, it’s not like you can’t fly," I told the little bird, drumming my fingers absentmindedly on the railing. I could see the town, yes, so I didn’t have to spend my punishment looking at the wall, but it also made me want to go out there even more.

[Jade stay with Master!]

The little bird hopped on the railing and patted my arm as if consoling me. It put a smile on my face and I scooped the bundle of feathers into my cupped palms, bringing the colorful bird to rub my cheek on its belly.

"Is that so~? Who is this cute baby, who? Whose child are you, mm?"

[Tickles!!]

Jade squirmed and giggled in my arms, and we rolled around the large sofa placed on the balcony until we were exhausted and ended up just laying there nibbling on candies.

"Don’t worry, Young Master," Arta, the jailer, consoled me. "It’s because His Lordship can’t do it after this."

"What, grounding me?" I replied with a pout.

You thought with how easygoing Arta was, and how she went about shopping here and there, that she wouldn’t be so strict about keeping me here. But no--the vassals were adamant about not letting me out or doing anything. Even Opti. They became more strict about my movement, about what I ate, even about what temperature my body was at every moment.

Seemed like seeing me throwing up twice in a day made them extra vigilant.

Arta just laughed at my response and put a basket of cutely packaged local snacks on the sofa. Jade immediately perked up and dove into the basket while chirping loudly.

[Jelly!!]

I narrowed my eyes at the grinning jailer and pursed my lips. "Is this a bribe?"

"Yes," she admitted with a laugh while helping Jade tear a package of purple jelly.

Ugh--what could I do if she just confessed like that? Still pouting slightly, I joined them and rummaged through the basket, taking a small tin of biscuits. "What do you mean by that earlier? That Natha can’t confine me after this?"

"This is the last town in the northern region," Arta said, shifting her gaze to a place beyond the town’s border. "After this, we will only meet nomadic mercantile groups who traveled the desert with caravans."

"Oh?" I straightened my back, following her gaze to stare at the empty land on the horizon.

"They are merchants who trade with the Realm of Wrath and other regions past the dry land and behind the Farh’Eed mountain,"

Past the town wall, there was an empty land that gradually became dryer and dryer; with cracked soil up to the mountain. On the other side of the mountain, it turned even dryer until it became a desert. That was where the Realm of Wrath was located.

"So, our next stop is the oasis where those caravans were staying during the festival,"

"Ooh!"

[Festival?!]

Jade pulled out its head from the jelly package at the word. The bird had become obsessed with that because it was getting left behind in the summer while Zia and I had all the fun.

"His Lordship wouldn’t have the heart to confine you inside the airship then," Arta added with a wink, before standing up to approach the small table with a set of teawares on it.

"Are they fun?" I resumed opening the biscuit tin and happily saw animal-shaped biscuits inside.

"There will be a lot of merchant groups rolling out their wares, so demons from various parts of the realm, even elves and drows, sometimes go there to trade and find something to buy," Arta explained while proceeding to brew us some tea while I nibbled on a sheep biscuit. "Those merchants usually rest during the winter, or go and stay in warmer climates up north, so this will be the last time people can trade with them this year."

Immediately, my mind conjured up various carriages and caravans meeting up in one big oasis, setting up stalls, and exchanging travel stories. Mercenaries and travelers came to seek something interesting, or perhaps hoping they could find a precious treasure.

"Sometimes, you can find rare and exotic stuff on sale, and the night is always filled with impromptu shows too, so it’s always boisterous," Arta looked into the horizon with dreamy eyes, probably recalling her last experience there. The way she smiled at the memory told me that it must have been nice.

"That sounds fun!"

[Fun!]

I could try and find a souvenir for Zia and the other demons back home, and oh...there might be something strange and ’modern’. I wondered if there would be things from the human realm too...

"And they are a bunch of free-spirited demons, so they don’t act all stiff and polite even to His Lordship," Arta added with a wink.

"Even more fun!"

[More fun!]

I looked at Jade, and we both laughed again, forgetting how we were feeling bored and sulking just a while ago. I took out another biscuit shaped like a bird, and shove it in front of the little bird. The beady eyes narrowed and Jade pecked the edible bird aggressively.

"Hey, don’t commit cannibalism," I pulled the biscuit away and put it in my mouth, prompting Jade to gasp.

[Will Master eat Jade too?]

"Why would I?" I grinned at the shocked little bird. "You’re my favorite bird, the best in the world."

The green eyes blinked a few times before Jade chirped and giggled and sent a lot of rainbows and flowers inside my head. Ah, there were jellies and candies images too now.

[Master is Jade favorite too!]

"Oki, oki," I patted the green head and stroked the beautiful pattern there. The rich green color reminded me of the grassfield in the Lair, and the trees of the forest--although there were purple and red trees too.

And then, I recalled something strange, just as Arta came over to give me the tea she just brewed. "But Arta...I thought places around volcanic regions are supposed to be fertile. Why does that place become dry instead?"

"Is that the case? I don’t really know because it’s not my expertise, Young Master," Arta raised her brows, taking a seat with a pondering face. "Ah, but there’s another volcano in the east, and the places around it indeed have good soil."

"Hmm..."

If I recall correctly, the fertile land was caused by the substance within volcanic deposits, like its ash. Perhaps Farh’Eed’s deposits contained other substances?

"My conjecture is that because Farh’Eed isn’t your regular volcano," she narrowed her eyes and tapped on the table while thinking. "It’s blazing all year long without erupting. The fire inside the mountain actually come from a legendary beast."

"Legendary beast!" I gasped and almost slammed my teacup on the table. "Like Jade?"

[Like Jade?]

"Not quite," Arta laughed at our twin reactions. "Elemental birds are just a special species," she explained while looking at Jade who was now hopped into the table as if it wanted to join the conversation too. "Legendary beasts only have one in its kind, and a new one can only be born after the predecessor died."

"Ooh..."

This--yes, this! A fantasy world indeed should have the kinds of Legendary and Mythical Beast! I leaned forward and asked carefully. "Are they dangerous?"

"Depends," Arta chuckled, leaning forward too to humor me. "Most creatures can be dangerous if they are provoked, aren’t they?" she whispered and gave me a wink.

Were you, perhaps, talking about me, Ma’am? Was...was I ever acting dangerous? Ha...haha...

All I did was punish a rude Incubus, though, not dangerous...right?

I laughed awkwardly and hid my face by taking a sip of the fragrant tea again.

"But so far, the one residing in Farh’Eed never made a fuss even while others use the mountain to travel," Arta grinned and continued her story. "Well, in the first place, no one can come too close to their home because of the heat."

"I see..."

Well...if the volcano never erupted, perhaps the land never got the beneficial substance. It might also be the extreme heat that evaporated the water surrounding the area.

"Didn’t Natha say we will go there?"

"Yes, although I think it will be just you, His Lordship, and either Opti or Caba--or both," Arta nodded. "Me and Lesta won’t be able to stand the heat unless we use special equipment."

"Hoo..."

I looked into the horizon again. It was hazy because of the heat, but I could vaguely see the mountain that I had seen on the first day of our voyage--the peak of eternal fire.

I wondered if I could see the legendary beast--it was a salamander, I heard--and whether or not I could speak with it. It would be fun if I could befriend said beast, right? Perhaps I could learn to master the wild fire elemental better if I did.

Mm--truly sounds like fun!

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