"What’s happening!" The carriage was in complete chaos.

Only a few minutes had passed—or so I thought with my precise sense of time. Well, okay, my time sense isn’t exactly reliable. It must’ve been over an hour and a half. We should’ve been far away by now. Why, why were they suddenly catching up?!

I was about to peek out the small rear window when an arrow whooshed past my head. It pierced the wooden wall, leaving only its tail sticking out. Such weak force—it had to be a warning. Oh no, we’re doomed.

"Get ready to jump," the Hero grabbed my arm. A broadsword materialized in his hand—the one he always used. Its blade was plain, but the hilt was intricately carved with a golden dragon’s head.

"Is this the Dragon-Slaying Blade?" I stammered.

"Nonsense," he flicked my forehead. "This is the Dragon King Sword. A gift from the Dragon Clan to a past Hero. Forged from a dragon skull and the essence of an earth dragon’s head. It cuts through magic like butter."

"So amazing…" Though the Demon Lord’s treasury probably had similar stuff, the quality might not match his. How did past Demon Lords gather so many rare materials? Selling one piece could set me up for life! I hope the world isn’t stripped bare of them~

But seriously, Hero—ow, that hurt!

"Driver, head for the forest! After that, it’s not your problem," the Hero shouted.

"What kind of troublemakers are you?! The Church’s Four Knight Orders!" the old man wailed. "You’re not the Demon Lord, are you? I heard the Demon Lord’s a little white-haired girl!"

"Just drive, old man!" I hurled a gold coin at him. He caught it perfectly. "Heh! That’ll do! Whatever—once you’re gone, it’s none of my business!"

The carriage drifted sharply around a bend, sparks flying as the iron-rimmed wheels scraped the ground. This driver’s skills—was he from Mount Akina?! He even dodged arrows! As the carriage veered toward the forest edge, the Hero yelled, "Jump!"

"Don’t follow us if you value your lives!" I roared at the slaves, then grabbed the Hero’s arm. Lott focused his Battle Aura into his shoulder and smashed the rear door open. Stray arrows flew straight at us.

"Dragon’s Guard!" he bellowed. A golden shield of Battle Aura formed before us, shattering the arrows on impact.

"Demon Lord and Hero spotted! Pursue!" A signal flare shot into the sky, exploding like fireworks.

"Holy crap, it really is the Demon Lord—wait, the Hero’s fleeing with the Demon Lord?! Did I see that right?!" The old man rubbed his eyes. A stray arrow nearly pierced his head as he looked back, but the knights ignored him now. He snapped the reins obediently, driving the terrified slaves toward the next stop.

Honestly, Lott and I had blown our cover almost instantly. In this prophecy-obsessed world, it was a miracle we’d gone unnoticed this long.

"Sky Soaring Art!" I seized Lott’s arm and shot toward the forest, dodging their sight. Horses were useless in woods—birds were faster. And near the Royal Capital, they wouldn’t dare burn the forest. What if it spread to the capital?

"Lott, how big is this forest?!" Once airborne, I felt lost like at sea, directionless. Maybe I was just hopeless outdoors.

*Whoosh, whoosh (Slow down!)*

What was that sound?

*Hoo, hoo (Help!)*

Hey, did you hear that? Sounded like it came from behind!

Ahem… Hero-san, you okay? I saw him dangling behind me, looking utterly miserable…

——————The girl mourns——————

"Feeling better?" I patted his cheek. From puking to passing out—this Hero was pathetic. Pathetic!

"I… get motion sickness…" he groaned weakly.

One car-sick, one air-sick. This generation of Hero and Demon Lord was hopeless. But… I must’ve slept through it earlier, so I didn’t get sick. Yeah, that’s it. QWQ

"Wake up, or I’ll kiss you~" I leaned in teasingly.

"Pfft!" He puckered his lips. I jammed the corner of my Oxford dictionary into his mouth.

"Gah! What are you doing?!" He jolted upright.

"Knew you weren’t dead. Get up—we lost the knights." I looked up, flashing an excited grin. He’d praise me, right? Wait—why did I care? Who wanted praise from that idiot? If he praised me, wouldn’t I be an idiot too?

"My head hurts… Next time, can’t you fly without dragging me like that?" He rubbed his temples. "But… thanks. Well done. You didn’t abandon me."

Hmph. Blaming me first. But… I’ll forgive him. He’s useful, after all!

"Good you’re awake. It’s almost evening—well, afternoon. We haven’t eaten lunch. Got any rations?" I leaned against a tree root, crossing my legs.

"Why’d you change clothes?" He pointed at my pure white dress—the one Clock gave me. Its magic kept it clean, and against the forest backdrop, it looked strikingly pure. With my silver-white hair, I probably seemed like a fairy, especially in the sunset glow.

Though at night, this combo would make me a ghost~ Hehe~

"Staring again?" He smirked. "Did you do anything weird?"

"Look all you want! Who’d get turned on by their own body?!" I declared my integrity loudly. "Go get food."

"Weren’t you making weird noises that day?"

"Don’t bring it up! Go get food, or I’ll run off and ignore you!" I kicked my legs. "Where are your rations?"

"Uh… I didn’t bring any."

"Idiot! What’ll we eat?"

"You’re just—" I glared, cutting him off. He shrugged helplessly. "How about skipping it? It won’t affect us much, right?"

"Let’s catch fish! I’ve got seasonings!" I huffed. "Man needs food to thrive! We can’t skip meals."

"I… I’m a terrible cook," he said wryly. "Give me a fish, and I’ll return something scarier than charcoal."

Ugh. Useless. How did he survive? "How do you manage?"

"I hire nannies. My sister only eats tomatoes."

"Sorry." I’d meant to avoid mentioning his sister. "You catch some fish. I’ll handle the cooking. Trust me!"