Chapter 44 : Mysterious Little Gift
Chapter 44: Mysterious Little Gift
Dragging her legs as if they were filled with lead, Lilia mechanically followed behind Hera.
The path ahead grew increasingly remote.
What had once been a magic crystal lamp every five meters had now turned into a dim candle every several dozen meters.
In her current state, Lilia was basically walking purely on instinct.
Her brain was still frantically processing the horrifying flood of information about “postpartum care for Abyss Three-Headed Hounds” and “classification and archiving of forbidden grimoires.”
Suddenly.
The corner of her eye caught something on her right.
It was a door.
Unlike the massive stone doors from before, covered in runes and towering dozens of meters high—
This was an ordinary wooden door.
It was even… a little cute?
The door panel was pink.
Hanging on it was a crooked little wooden sign, painted with a… rabbit stabbed with seventeen or eighteen knives?
Lilia couldn’t help but take a couple more glances.
In this dark and oppressive Demon King’s Castle, a pink door appearing out of nowhere was as jarring as seeing someone dancing in a public square inside a funeral home.
The footsteps ahead stopped.
Lilia’s heart skipped a beat. She immediately lowered her head, staring at her own toes.
As long as I don’t speak, I didn’t see anything.
“Want to go in?”
Hera’s voice drifted over lightly.
There was no killing intent.
But the hairs on Lilia’s back instantly stood at attention.
“No!”
Lilia answered decisively. “Lilia didn’t see anything. Lilia only wants to work for Master.”
“Heh.”
A soft chuckle.
Hera turned around. Those hands, always wrapped in black gloves, now rested directly on Lilia’s shoulders.
“This is a good place.”
Her fingers lightly tapped Lilia’s collarbone. “Since you’ve seen it, come in and take a look.”
“N—”
Click.
The door opened.
A thick, almost choking fragrance rushed out.
Before Lilia could step back, an irresistible force dragged her straight inside.
Bang.
The door shut.
Lilia pressed tightly against the door, trembling.
She had expected to see severed limbs, or cages imprisoning terrifying magical beasts.
But there was none of that.
The room… was as messy as an unorganized junk shop.
No.
More like… a somewhat bizarre collection room.
The floor was covered with a thick long-fur carpet, soft underfoot like the belly of some animal.
Shelves surrounded the room.
And they were filled with all sorts of strange little items.
Lilia cautiously glanced at the nearest shelf.
It was a book.
The cover was pink, with bold letters in the Demon Realm’s common language:
《One Hundred Ways to Make a Holy Knight Kneel and Sing Conquest》
The corner of Lilia’s mouth twitched.
What kind of trashy literature was this?
She looked to the side.
A black feather, sealed inside a crystal box, was constantly trembling, emitting a strange sound similar to human panting.
Next to it—
A metallic… tail?
This was just a fake tail, right?!
And one with… that kind of function?!
【Warning: High-tier charm-type magic tool “Succubus’s Shame” detected.】
【Item Description: A certain kind of device used to enhance intimacy. Comes with a mental shock effect. The wearer will uncontrollably…】
Lilia immediately looked away.
What even is all this?!
So this was the Demon Queen’s private hobby?
After learning such secrets… could she really leave this room alive?
“These were all offerings from those boring fellows in the past.”
Hera casually picked up a skull from the shelf.
Red light immediately lit up in its eye sockets. It opened its jaw and let out a spine-chilling cackle: “Hehehe! Her Majesty the Queen is as beautiful as ever today! Hehehe!”
Hera expressionlessly crushed the skull.
Ash fell in soft rustling streams.
Lilia held her breath.
“I don’t like these.”
Hera brushed the dust off her hands, her tone filled with disdain. “They take up space.”
Then throw them away!
Are they being kept here to ward off evil or something?!
Hera turned around, her gaze sweeping across the dazzling array of items before finally landing on Lilia.
That evaluating gaze returned.
Lilia wished she could shrink into the crack of the door.
“You’ve done quite a lot. By your humans’ standards, shouldn’t I give you a reward?”
Hera slowly walked up to Lilia, her height completely enveloping her.
“No no no! Being able to share Master’s burdens is Lilia’s blessing! No reward is needed!”
Lilia shook her head like a rattle drum.
Everything in this place looked anything but normal.
If she took that panting feather—or that strange tail—
How would she face life again?
Or even continue being a demon?
“I never mistreat those who belong to me.”
Ignoring Lilia’s refusal, Hera lifted her chin slightly, gesturing toward the room full of strange objects. “Pick one.”
“Master…”
“This is an order.”
Her tone turned cold.
The temperature in the room instantly dropped to freezing.
Even the “eyeball creature” on the shelf, which had been trying to disguise itself as an ordinary ornament, immediately shut its eye in fright.
Lilia froze.
She knew this tone all too well.
If she didn’t choose now, Hera might randomly pick something and use it on her in the next second.
Maybe even that cursed skull.
Gritting her teeth, Lilia quickly swept her gaze across the shelves.
A spiked ring? No, it looked painful.
A bottle of purple liquid? The label had a skull—definitely not anything good.
A fully enclosed mask? She’d suffocate wearing that.
The more she looked, the more hopeless she felt.
This wasn’t a reward.
This was clearly an exhibition hall of execution devices.
“What? None of them catch your eye?”
A trace of impatience crept into Hera’s voice.
No way!
Her survival instincts surged to the forefront.
With a thud, Lilia dropped to her knees.
The movement was so practiced it was heartbreaking.
She clasped her hands in front of her chest, raised her head, and looked at Hera with those crimson eyes.
She had to be sincere.
She had to be flattering.
She had to kick this problem back to her!
“Master, Lilia is foolish and cannot discern the value of these treasures.”
Taking a deep breath, her voice trembled yet remained firm. “In Lilia’s heart, anything bestowed by Master—even a stone by the roadside—is the greatest grace.”
“So…”
She lowered her head, pressing her forehead against Hera’s cold boots.
“Please, Master, decide for Lilia.”
“As long as it is chosen by you… Lilia will like it.”
The room fell into deathly silence.
Lilia could hear her own heart pounding like thunder.
One second.
Two seconds.
Hera said nothing.
Lilia didn’t dare move. Cold sweat slid down her temples, dripping onto the carpet.
Did I overdo it?
Did I flatter too much?
Just as Lilia felt she might faint from lack of oxygen—
A soft chuckle came from above.
Different from the earlier cold, killing laugh.
This one seemed to carry… a hint of pleasure?
“You do have a sweet mouth.”
Hera bent down.
Cold fingers hooked under Lilia’s chin, forcing her to raise her head.
Those golden vertical pupils reflected Lilia’s pale face.
“Since you say so…”
Hera straightened up, not even glancing at the shelves.
She walked straight to the deepest corner of the room.
There sat a black velvet box.
Very small.
There was no strange magical fluctuation, no glow—it looked completely ordinary.
Hera picked up the box and walked back.
“Hands.”
Lilia tremblingly extended both hands, palms up.
The box was placed into her hands.
It was light.
“Open it.”
Lilia swallowed.
Her fingers didn’t quite obey her, trembling several times before finally gripping the edge of the box.
With a gentle lift—
The lid popped open.
The moment she saw what was inside, Lilia’s pupils shrank, and all the blood in her body seemed to freeze.
It wasn’t some world-destroying artifact.
Nor was it some shameful toy.
It was a ring.
But the material of the ring—
Was actually a segment of a still faintly pulsating, bright red blood vessel, forged into the shape of a ring. At its center was embedded a rice-sized golden crystal.
The color of that crystal—
Was exactly the same as Hera’s eyes.
“Put it on.”