Allen was forcibly hypnotized by the rippling runes of the contract...

It didn't last long, but it left Allen feeling deeply comfortable... Truly... since being captured that time, Allen had spent every day and night in constant fear, never understanding what she'd done wrong... She'd clearly been stabbed to death by a sword, yet was dragged from eternal slumber. As a human, she held her faith: anyone entangled with the Demonic Race faced burning at the stake—a taboo. Serving the feared Dark Lord? That was unthinkable...

Fleeing... she hadn't committed any heinous acts... only made anesthetics... harmed not a single soul...

Allen was genuinely kind-hearted, a good person... but the Hero and Dark Lord were locked in a life-or-death conflict, an unforgivable clash by heaven's law... After her death, Allen had grown terrified of the Dark Lord—the one who slaughtered countless Hero predecessors...

Though Allen vaguely sensed the Holy War was a hidden conspiracy, she clung to her faith; the Goddess demanded her as its voice...

Her companions were all killed by the very person she served... yet she had to smile at this murderer, begging for scraps of survival... It clashed with her core values...

Allen had seen battlefields strewn with corpses... but never a sea of bodies piled into mountains of flesh and rivers of blood. Every corpse was pierced by weapons, leaving rotten, gaping wounds—all Lilith's doing. Swordsmen and mages were crushed like ants underfoot, smashed into pulp by Lilith's weapons... That's why... after grasping Lilith's terror, Allen would tremble uncontrollably whenever Lilith grew angry. Just recalling those scenes made her nauseous...

This sleep... Allen rested peacefully... though only one night...

In her dream, a faint tingling spread through her tendons... as if they'd been reconnected... her vision felt slightly restored too... distant objects were hazy like mist, but she could see clearly now...

Am I back to normal?!

The thought flooded Allen's mind instantly.

Bathed in bright spring sunlight, she quickly checked her body...

Eagerly, Allen scrambled out of bed. Afraid of falling, she gripped the bedpost, rose carefully, and took steady, small steps forward...

Step... step... across the smooth yew wood floor...

This was real walking...

Barefoot... the floor's chill bit vividly into her soles...

Overwhelmed by happiness, Allen's legs buckled... she knelt straight down... tears dripping uncontrollably onto the yew wood...

For Allen, it felt like rebirth...

Light and shadow filled the small room... distant shapes blurred but colors stood out—green for trees, blue for sky...

Leaning against the bed, Allen planned ahead...

Work for Lilith? Freedom after two years... compared to endless, timeless labor before, it was tempting...

No scheming needed; just do her job well, stay two years, and walk out of Demon Castle with dignity—exactly what she craved. No more worrying about escape or survival... wonderful...

What if the Dark Lord tore the contract? Allen dared not think. With her current strength, even a thousand Allens couldn't inflict the slightest damage on Lilith.

One step at a time...

Allen slowly walked to the wardrobe, washed up, changed clothes, combed her hair as remembered, slipped on shoes, and headed to the kitchen.

She could walk now, but as Lilith warned, the contract strictly limited her mobility to prevent escape. Her tendons felt fragile as ice, threatening to snap with any force, bringing sharp pain...

Long inactivity had weakened her body further...

It was still early; by habit, the other two should be asleep. Time to prepare breakfast...

After her long absence, bread and meat were gone...

"Hmm..." as Allen expected—Luna had probably eaten it all...

Only eggs and milk from the village remained, plus recently harvested potatoes.

She cracked eggs into a pan, gently stirring them...

While they cooked, she boiled potatoes fast over high heat, mixed in milk, mashed the blend with a spoon... added seasonings, and simmered slowly.

Breakfast would be just fried eggs, mashed potatoes, and hot milk—no choice.

Once nearly done, guessing the others were awake, she collected last night's clothes from the bathhouse. Soon, she'd wash them by hand.

When everything was ready, Lilith and Luna arrived punctually at the table.

Silence hung over the meal... Allen kept her head down, lost in thought as usual; Lilith stayed cold and wordless... only Luna chirped, "Mmm! So good! Allen, if you're not hungry, give me your share!~"

Allen, as always, pushed her plate toward Luna...

The mood seemed oddly harmonious?

No—only thick-skinned Luna missed it. Lilith and Allen both felt the invisible wall between them. Likely born from the Hero-Dark Lord conflict...

After they left for their tasks, Allen cleared the table...

Same as always... unchanged...

"Please cook it well!" Luna grinned foolishly, handing Allen a dead creature. It had fiery red fur, deer-like antlers, but a horse's head.

"Amazing... a Crimson Flame Deer-Horse!" Allen exclaimed sincerely. Before dinner, Luna had brought it to the kitchen.

This rare delicacy seldom appeared; it dwelled deep in the Demon Beast Forest, beyond human hunters' reach. Its cunning made capture near-impossible for ordinary folk. Yet these pure-hearted beasts sometimes dashed out... crashing into tree stumps—their only vulnerability. For saint-level Luna, catching one was easy...

Its unique texture made it a prized ingredient. Allen had only heard tales; this was a revelation...

"Got it! I'll cook it perfectly!" Allen declared firmly, taking the carcass. All day, she'd worked dully, eyes vacant—rarely did such spirit flash in them. Luna smiled inwardly...

Unsure of the recipe, Allen treated it like steak. The result succeeded brilliantly; savory aroma filled the kitchen.

"Delicious! Delicious!" Luna grabbed steaks, devouring them. Starved for meat, she never passed up such chances.

Lilith, at the other end, ate elegantly, savoring each bite with knife and fork.

Even Allen ate the unfamiliar meat with interest this time.

After the meal, Luna and Lilith headed to the bathhouse. Allen washed dishes, scrubbed the floor clean, then followed.

Night deepened; Allen's vision dimmed further, as if to trap her. Thankfully, Demon Castle's lights stayed on for Lilith's convenience...

The bathhouse was empty—perfectly timed to miss them...

Coiling her silver-white hair atop her head, Allen slipped slowly into the warm water, easing her body weary from the day's labor...