It seems that the location of the Demon King's Castle is not far from what humans call the North.

In other words, perhaps the north in the human sense is the side where the Demon King's Castle is. Now that the monsters have been wiped out, this area has been assigned to humans, I suppose. However, I find it strange that Vilvy wants to take us to the North. The Demon King is dead, so the hero doesn't need to fight in the borderlands anymore, so why go to such a barren and uninhabited place in the North? Looking through the cracks of the carriage, I could not see a single household from day to night, and the land beside the road is not farmland, but a wasteland. Even birds are scarce, and as expected, the outside temperature is very cold. Although there is no snow, I can feel a layer of frost on the ground.

The carriage we are sitting in is used to carry weapons, and it is filled with spare weapons for the guards outside. The long swords are neatly placed in boxes. After ensuring that the boxes would not pop open, I took off my cloak and spread it on the ground and boxes as padding so that Lia could comfortably lean on them. The curtains on both sides of the carriage are thick and warm enough, so there are no problems inside the carriage apart from some bumps.

According to the conversations of the soldiers outside, it seems that we will be able to reach the town by tomorrow. I don't understand why Vilvy came here. Was she ordered to guard the border? But the monsters are gone, so who is she going to defeat? Could it be that this area is a reward? But why would such a place be rewarded? This place is very barren and not suitable for living at all.

Or is it a place of exile?

This barren land is perfect for exile. Vilvy is a hero, a hero specifically to deal with the Demon King. Now that the Demon King is dead, what use is a hero? The cunning rabbit dies, and the good bow is hidden; the birds are gone, so the good bow is put away. Vilvy, who has the absolute support of the people and possesses great power, is now the enemy of the ruler.

So, there is a reason for bringing Vilvy here.

However, based on my observations of Vilvy, she probably does not understand this matter. But I don't plan on telling her either, as it would not be good for her to have a conflict with Queen Sissi. It is said that when the nest is overturned, no eggs remain intact. For now, I have to rely on Vilvy in order to survive, not to mention Lia.

It's good news for me that it only takes one day. Lia turns into a succubus at night, or perhaps a succubus-like form. If discovered, I think Vilvy would have no hesitation in killing her. The longer we stay in the carriage, the more likely we are to be exposed, so the sooner we arrive at the destination, the safer we will be.

Lia doesn't lean on the boxes to sleep, but sits between my legs leaning against me, happily talking about all kinds of things. I sit cross-legged in the carriage, with Lia's little butt rubbing against my stomach, telling stories about the Demon King's Castle. But unfortunately, I didn't pay much attention to the stories she was telling, and instead focused on the warmth and touch in front of me. Thinking of Lia's posture last night, I feel...

"Ah, daddy, there seems to be something poking me."

Lia gently twisted her body, and with an innocent look, she turned her head and looked at me.

"I'm sorry..."

Looking at Lia's innocent and adorable eyes, I felt overwhelmed with embarrassment and shame. However, I quickly grabbed Lia's hand as she attempted to touch whatever was poking her.

The sky outside quickly darkened, and the oil lamps on both sides of the carriage were lit. The flames swayed back and forth with the movement of the horses' hooves. But we didn't travel far in the darkness, and soon we stopped. I looked outside the curtain and saw people unloading things from other carriages. A fire was soon lit on the barren land, and a soldier came to our carriage and said, "You two, come out and rest for a while."

I looked at Lia, and she looked puzzled. But Lia hasn't transformed yet, maybe it happens at midnight? To be honest, I don't have much of a sense of time here. In any case, it's safer to eat and return to the carriage quickly.

I jumped off the carriage and then carried Lia down. I caught a glimpse of Vilvy dismounting from her horse, and Lia immediately hugged my neck and shrank onto my shoulder. Vilvy's eyes swept over us and walked to the fire without saying anything. She took off her water bottle from her waist and drank several mouthfuls.I also went to sit by the bonfire, and in order to take care of Lia, I sat far away from Vilvy. However, Vilvy soon came over to us, and Lia shivered in my arms, not daring to speak. I looked up at Vilvy with confusion, and she handed me the water bottle, calmly asking, "Have some water."

I stared blankly at the water bottle in front of me. If I remembered correctly, just a few seconds ago, this water bottle had just been removed from Vilvy's lips, and there was a drop of water and a trace of wetness still on the bottle's mouth.

What was this...

An indirect kiss...?

To be honest, we haven't had much water along the way. I had no choice since I didn't have a water bottle...

I took the water bottle and gently held it to Lia's mouth, but Lia forcefully turned her head away, refusing to drink. It seemed that she would never accept anything from Vilvy. I sighed, then glanced uneasily at Vilvy, wondering if it was okay for me to take a sip.

Vilvy didn't seem to care about this issue, her gaze not staying on me but instead continuing to focus on Lia. This made me shudder, wondering if Vilvy was angry and going to do something to Lia... Vilvy was a serious person, and if she said so, it was likely that something would happen to Lia.

I put the water bottle to my lips, and my tongue couldn't help but lick the mouth of the bottle in a circle. To be honest, when I drank this water, I didn't feel the sensation of water at all. It seemed like there was some taste, but it might just be an illusion.

I handed the water bottle back to Vilvy, who took it without hesitation, drank another mouthful, and left me dumbfounded. It seemed that for Vilvy, this kind of thing wasn't a big deal — she didn't care about it at all. Then she stood up, went to sit on the other side.

The guards put two wooden bowls in our hands, and a pot was set up on the bonfire, boiling the food we had eaten in the morning. The army's black bread was also thrown in and slowly cooked, which was probably the only way to eat it.

Soon, everyone began to take turns using a large spoon, one spoonful per person, each with a spoonful of soup and a large piece of bread. Lia sat in my lap, looking at the pot in front of her with great anticipation, eagerly waiting for the spoon to come her way. I picked up the spoon and gave one spoonful to each of us. This time, I felt that we could be casual about eating, even if it had been passed around, there was still half of the food left in the pot.

The soldiers began to chat casually, but Vilvy didn't participate in anyone's conversation and focused on eating the food in front of her, eating very fast and seemingly not feeling the heat. I had only eaten half of my portion when Vilvy had already picked up the spoon and added soup to her bowl twice.

"Dad, I want more..."

Next to me, Lia also raised her empty bowl without admitting defeat. I stretched out my hand to fill her bowl again, and as soon as I put down the spoon, Vilvy immediately picked it up and added more soup to her bowl.

"Dad, I want more..."

I was wrong.

Even though there was still half of the food left after each of us took a spoonful, it was not enough for Lia and Vilvy. I saw the last spoonful and wanted to favor Lia, so I quickly reached out my hand, but as my hand touched the handle of the spoon, another hand suddenly pressed down on mine. Surprised, I looked up and saw Vilvy's clear blue eyes in the firelight.

She stared at me seriously, speaking in her usual plain tone and earnest expression, "Give it to me."

"..."

I let go of my hand. When Vilvy said this, I felt she was indeed serious. It was like the last time I stopped her from killing Lia – if I continued to argue with her, I felt that my head would fall into the pot the next second.

"Dad..."

Lia, very scared, pulled back her bowl and pulled my arm back.

Vilvy happily poured the contents of the spoon into her bowl. Then she looked at the frightened Lia and hesitated for a moment before walking over to us. She reached out, picked up Lia's bowl, and poured the food from her own bowl into Lia's. Then she held it out in front of Lia.This is already a very obvious gesture of goodwill! I just had a close call with Vilvy over food and almost got my head chopped off, but now Vilvy is actually sharing half of her food with Lia—it's a clear sign of her goodwill.

"Wow!!"

But Lia does not accept this kindness; she screams and swings her hand violently. Vilvy is taken aback, and the bowl in her hand is knocked away by Lia's forceful blow, splashing the steaming hot soup all over Vilvy's face.

My heart almost stops...

Subconsciously, I pull Lia behind me and stand up to face Vilvy. The wooden bowl falls to the ground with a dull thud. Vilvy stands there, still expressionless, the hot soup on her face slowly flowing down. The surrounding voices all stop, everyone staring in our direction in surprise. Lia, realizing she has done something wrong, holds onto my leg, shivering.

Alright, let me think for a moment.

"I'm sorry..."

What I need to do now is to quickly minimize the other party's anger, and now it's like I'm negotiating with Vilvy in front of me. I want to calm her down as much as possible so that she doesn't act impulsively. I don't know how many chances I have, but I'd better apologize directly.

"..."

Vilvy doesn't say anything but continues to look at Lia behind me. It seems that I now understand what Vilvy wants.

Once you know what the other party wants, do your best to satisfy them.

"Lia, come and apologize."

Though I bring Lia before Vilvy, I keep my hand on her shoulder so that I can immediately pull her back in case Vilvy acts aggressively. Vilvy looks at Lia, who is frightened and unable to help but cry, desperately trying to get behind me. But now, it's clear that Vilvy wants Lia's apology, not mine. Lia sobs softly, struggling and squirming as if she's about to roll on the ground. She doesn't want to face Vilvy, who has been haunting her nightmares after nearly chopping off her head.

"…Forget it."

Seeing Lia's continued fuss, it seems Vilvy has given up. She wipes her face with her hand and turns around to leave. The soldiers around us all let out a sigh of relief, forcing bitter smiles before resuming their conversations. Lia falls to her knees, and I squat down, she suddenly flings herself into my arms and cries loudly.

"It's okay, it's okay, Lia. I'll help you."

I reach out and gently stroke Lia's back and head, and she clutches my chest tightly, like a wounded animal unwilling to let go of a single step.

It seems that this incident has caused a breakdown in communications between Lia and Vilvy. Lia hasn't given Vilvy what she wanted during the negotiation, so Vilvy has refused to continue negotiating. As Lia's caretaker, I must mend the relationship between the two of them to continue communicating with Vilvy.

Without Vilvy's help, we'd be doomed; we have no family or connections here.

We must repair the relationship between the two of them.

"Lia, stay in the carriage, don't move, and don't come out, understand?"

I carry Lia back to the carriage, place her inside, and remind her, "Daddy's going out for a while, and he'll be back soon, understand?"

"Daddy... don't leave me... Daddy..."

Lia immediately clings to me, holding my arm tightly as she sobs. I look at Lia and think for a moment. At this point, Lia won't leave me, so I might as well stay with her, put her to sleep, and then go find Vilvy. I climb into the carriage and hold Lia in my arms. Lia softly sobs in my embrace, closing her eyes and slowly finding peace...