Chapter 43

"Ow ow ow ow ow! It hurts so much!! You old hag, let go of me now!!!"

The moment Lisbeth’s ear was grabbed, she instantly knew only Head Maid Hilda would dare do such a thing here. When she turned back in pain, she indeed saw Hilda glaring furiously at her.

But unlike her usual anger, Hilda didn’t release Lisbeth’s ear. Instead, she stared coldly and demanded, "Who gave you permission to act so disrespectfully toward Lord Demon King? Who granted you the authority? Answer me, Alex."

"Ah... no, I..."

Honestly, Hilda often got angry, but Lisbeth had never seen her with such icy eyes—or even using her real name, Alex. Panicked, Lisbeth glanced away and shot a pleading look at Christia, hoping for help.

"Hmph!"

Unfortunately, Christia seemed furious too and ignored her entirely. No matter how Lisbeth tried signaling her, Christia deliberately looked away.

Sighing in despair, Lisbeth prepared to beg Hilda for mercy. But as she turned her head, the pull on her ear vanished—only to be replaced by a hand suddenly gripping her cheek and prying her mouth open.

"So this is the tongue that defiled Lord Demon King’s noble foot? Huh!?"

"Mmmph! Mmmph!!!!"

Seeing Hilda’s look—like she wanted to cut out her tongue—Lisbeth finally grasped the severity. She grabbed Hilda’s wrist and cried desperately, "S-sorry... I was wrong! Please don’t cut out my tongue!!"

"Shut up! For what you did, losing your tongue isn’t enough—even your head wouldn’t atone for it!"

"I... I..."

Watching Hilda truly ready to act, Lisbeth frantically shouted to Clothilde, attached to her hand, "Little Sword, what do I do?! I’m going to die!"

"Then just die, pervert."

"Huh!?"

Even Clothilde refused to help this time. In that moment, Lisbeth realized she might truly die here.

"Calm down, Hilda. I was just testing her loyalty—making her prove her devotion." Christia sighed lightly. "You know our Demon Clan custom: swearing fealty means kissing the foot. That’s all I asked her to do."

"Huh? Really?"

"Yes! Yes, really!" Lisbeth nodded eagerly like she’d found a lifeline. Confirming she wasn’t lying, Hilda released her mouth and sighed in relief. "I see. I thought you were disrespecting Lord Demon King. But even if you didn’t know our customs, licking his foot like that was improper."

"Yes... I’ll be careful next time..."

"You’re thinking of a next time!?" Christia, sitting nearby, blushed angrily and pointed at her. Lisbeth quickly shook her head. "No, no! No next time!"

"Alright, since Lisbeth knows she was wrong, that’s enough." Elinest, who’d come with Hilda, hurriedly intervened. "Since she kissed Lord Demon King’s toes, she’s already shown her loyalty. That’s a good thing. Please stop being angry, Hilda and Lord Demon King."

Stalos, who’d been watching silently, nodded in agreement. "Elinest is right. She’s proven her loyalty—it’s positive. Don’t be mad anymore."

"Fine. I’ll let her off this time." Hilda waved her hand reluctantly after everyone pleaded for Lisbeth. Grateful, Lisbeth nodded to Elinest and Stalos. "Thank you for speaking up. I’d have been in real trouble otherwise."

"No problem. You lured away the monsters and gathered so many herbs for us—it’s only fair to help." Both waved dismissively. But Stalos added, "Yeah, I said some unnecessary things at Krus’s earlier, so consider this payback."

"Ah... well, thanks then..." Any gratitude Lisbeth felt vanished instantly.

With matters settled, Christia coughed softly and asked Hilda, "Hilda, could you visit Ovelia later? Tell her I’ll go with her tomorrow to the place we discussed. Ask her to prepare early once she gets your message."

"Yes. I’ll deliver it as soon as I see her."

"Good." Christia glanced briefly at Stalos, then lowered her head to her documents. Without Ovelia’s prior warning, Lisbeth wouldn’t have noticed anything odd. But now, knowing Stalos had taken her to Ovelia’s lab on Christia’s orders, Lisbeth smiled faintly to Clothilde. "Little Sword, just as Ovelia said—Christia really was testing my loyalty."

"Hmph. Who cares? You pervert who likes busty women and feet!"

"Hey! That’s too harsh! I had no choice!"

"Hah? No choice?" Clothilde’s voice dripped with disgust. "With that creepy laugh and you licking feet like a freak, the guards should’ve arrested you already!"

"Huh? Was I really that bad?"

"Absolutely!" Lisbeth scratched her cheek awkwardly. "A-anyway, forget that. Since Christia’s testing me, I need to prepare."

"If there’s nothing else, Lord Demon King, we’ll take our leave."

"Dismissed."

After everything, Lisbeth and Hilda left Christia’s office. True to their plan, once Stalos learned Ovelia would be away from the Demon King’s Fortress for a day, she secretly found Lisbeth later.

"Lisbeth, you heard everything. Tomorrow’s the perfect chance. After the noon cleaning duty, we’ll act—deal?"

"Understood. Should I prepare? Like changing into easier clothes?"

"No need. We’ll grab the item and leave—no sneaking in at night. I’ll find you on time. Don’t do anything extra before then."

"Alright." Lisbeth nodded, agreeing.

As time passed, the next day arrived quickly—and Lisbeth’s test began there...