The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 199: Is it weird to find a place in another world and called it nostalgic?

Chapter 199: Is it weird to find a place in another world and called it nostalgic?

Hmm...technically, she was my aunt, right? Or should I consider her a cousin?

"Your Hi--Valen," the druid, Amarein, nodded slightly.

[Master, Druid good person!]

Of course you would like her, Jade--she was a druid, the race who closely working with elemental birds. But yes, she must be a good person if Natha acted so politely to her, even letting her roam the estate so freely.

And of course, since she went out of her way to go to another realm to help me, it was a given that she was a good person.

Also, she reacted calmly to my sudden crazy call for help.

"Is something wrong?" she asked with the softness and patience of a mother with twelve naughty children.

With how she was my grandma’s cousin and a druid elder, she felt so familiar that I unknowingly clutched her arm as if I had been doing that all my life. "Help me hide from some interrogators," I looked back and could hear the faint voice of the courtesans calling out for me. "Oh--let’s go that way, I’ve never gone that far before!"

I pointed to a walkway at the end of the garden. It seemed to lead to a field that was left to grow naturally. There was a stone path that guided us into someplace, probably the end of the estate. But the rest of the field was filled with wild plants and trees. It didn’t really look abandoned, but the gardener seemed to only pick out rotten leaves and let them grow by themselves. We couldn’t really see it now, but I bet this place would look so lush and colorful in spring.

She followed my request without a fuss, and didn’t even mind that I was latching on to her without permission as we walked through the stone path. Perhaps that was why I kept on grabbing into her sleeve, as if I would get whisked by a spirit if I let go. You know how we would grab into our parents’ hands when we were in a crowd or new places? So it was probably an instinct because I could never do that in my childhood.

Anyway, this place actually reminded me of my grandma’s house behind the hill. Past her vegetable garden, there was a place just like this, and she would pick out wild herbs and berries from there. If we walked on further, there would be a hedge and the edge of the forest covering the hill.

How weird, feeling nostalgic for a place in a different world.

"This is a nice place," she commented, looking more interested in this place than the garden we passed through earlier.

That was to be expected. After all, elemental mana thrives in places that grew naturally, because the entities there struggle more, and thus had a stronger life force than the creatures in the garden, which was being cared for by the gardener.

"You’re right. It’s getting even better further in," I nodded in agreement. It was the same reason why the Lair was environmentally better for me, and why I healed better there.

[Jade also think this place nice!] my little bird chimed in cheerfully, and I couldn’t help but laugh, reaching up to stroke the green head. I realized then that I was still holding into her sleeve.

"Oh, forgive me!" I gasped and let go of her, feeling embarrassed for acting on my own and disregarding boundaries.

"Oh, it’s not a problem," she laughed softly, shaking her head lightly to tell me she didn’t mind. "Is this your first time here?"

"Yeah," I scratched my neck awkwardly, feeling glad that she diverted the topic. Gosh--how many times did I have to feel embarrassed today? "It’s my first time anywhere, honestly."

"Oh?"

"I had been recuperating in Natha’s lair, and then in the Lord Castle," I told her.

She made an ’ah’ sound, so I guessed she already knew my affliction, whether from those newspaper articles that Natha once concocted, or from Natha himself when he desperately looking for help. I looked down and patted my solar plexus. "I think I’ll be completely healed soon."

"Yes, I can see that," she also gazed at my chest, the gleaming green eyes looking straight into my soul and mana core.

She shifted her gaze forward, looking rather serious then as she continued talking. "I was worried when Lord Natha described the condition of your soul, but I’m glad it had been fixed now,"

Yes, it was honestly something totally unexpected. Both of us never thought I would get healed in this way. I had no idea that I would merge with Valmeier in this way, or that it actually took three days in the physical world. If Natha had waited for another day, we would avert a whole chaos, and Amarein wouldn’t have to travel here right before winter.

But I couldn’t fault him for immediately looking for a way to wake me up. Perhaps if the Goddess sent some sign first or something so the whole mansion didn’t have to go into panic...

[Master! Water in front!]

"Water?" I tilted my head, and when we made a turn in the stone path, we were greeted by a short walkway flanked by bamboo trees. At the end of that walkway was a shimmering string of water. "Oh?"

Jade hurriedly flew over there first, while Ignis was still casually lounged on my shoulder. It seemed to be a creek, by the look of it. I had no idea whether it was natural or artificial, but it should be connected to the main river--that big one we traveled in to come here. It flew beneath the bridge in the mansion’s backyard, and beneath the wall surrounding the estate.

Now, this was truly nostalgic. Watching the small stream with someone that was related to my grandmother? Felt like a reenactment of my childhood. Making me feel like a child again, honestly.

Amarein pointed to a pile of boulders not far from there, and we moved there to take a seat. Ignis hopped to a boulder and melted the center until it created a crater. Jade giggled and drew some water to douse the melted stone, and we ended up with a tiny hot stone tub. My two little companions dipped into the steaming water like having a leisure bath in a hot spring.

We watched the elemental bird and the Salamander enjoying their fun time, laughing at Jade swimming around the stone crater. At least, now I knew I could rely on these two if I ever wanted a hot spring in the middle of nowhere. Amarein looked at them like how my grandmother would look at her grandchildren, and it just enhanced the nostalgic feeling.

After watching the kids for some time, I looked at Amarein and asked something that I had been wondering since yesterday. "What were you planning to do if I haven’t woken up?"

She answered simply and without hesitation. "I planned of asking Mother to fix you," she said. I instinctively knew what her role was in the tribe--it would be closer to a high priestess in the human realm. She looked up with a smile that wasn’t so different from the Goddess, before adding. "But She was already reaching out before we do, so..."

"Mother..." I propped my chin on a higher boulder, looking at the small creak and the wild plantation across. "I wonder if I can meet Her again..."

"Did She says you will?" Amarein asked.

"...yeah?" if I recall correctly. I couldn’t be sure because it was right before I woke up. It might also be my imagination after all.

She smiled kindly and spoke in a firm tone. "Then you will."

"Mm," I sure hoped so. There were a lot of things I needed answers to. Like who moved my soul here, who moved my grandmother to Earth, and...who exactly I needed to see once I was whole.

Because I thought I would get an answer immediately after our souls merged and became one, but turned out, I still had no idea who that voice belonged to.

"Oh--sorry for making you travel so far for nothing," I remembered what I wanted to say to her again, biting my cheek in guilt. I heard Druid really hated going out of their territory ever since the Kingdom fell, so she must have taken a huge risk by coming here.

"It’s not for nothing," she shook her head and smiled sweetly. "I got to meet you."

I bit my lips and grinned sheepishly.

"I’m supposed to come anyway, eventually. I just went ahead of the schedule," she added.

"Huh?"

"The Sarterians had been asking us if there was anyone who’d like to go to L’Anaak Eed to teach you, Princess Yuralein’s grandson," she explained, and then placing her hand over her chest. "I’m the one who’s supposed to go in the Spring."

"Ah!"

Right--I almost forgot about what the elves promised me. I had been waiting for their correspondence, but perhaps because there were too many surprising events kept happening, I forgot about it completely. "Oh--then...shouldn’t I call you teacher instead?"

My back straightened instinctively, just like every time Eruta started his serious lesson mode. Ah, it made me remember I still had unfinished homework.

She chuckled at my sudden shift in demeanor. "No, you don’t have to do that," she waved her hand casually. "It’s not fun learning something in a stiff environment. Besides, I still think it’ll be best to start in Spring."

Ah, that made sense if we wanted to make me learn deeper about elemental magic. "I see," I nodded. She also probably didn’t want to leave the realm of nature for too long during winter. "Then you’ll go back first?"

"Yes," she nodded, before smiling deeper and lowering her voice, eyes glinted playfully. "But I would like to ride a flying ship first before I come back."

I couldn’t help but laugh and felt even more at ease, knowing that she was more relatable than I thought. "Yes, you definitely should do that!" I said energetically, followed by Jade’s supporting chirp.

I patted the little bird and glanced at her again. "May...may I ask more about you? About Grandmother, about the druids?"

I asked carefully. Knowledge about druids that I had always come from third-party sources, and never from the druids themselves. So I had no idea which one was real, which was an exaggeration, and which was completely false. But I also wondered if they’d really be willing to share the information with me, seeing that I wasn’t a full druid, and a partner of the Demon Lord.

After all, teaching me elemental magic and telling me about the hidden knowledge of the elusive druid were two separate things.

But she looked at me with a pair of eyes that was as warm as the sun. "Of course," she reached out and grasped my fiddling fingers gently. "You don’t need to ask permission for that."

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