Chapter 145 : What a Fool
Chapter 145: What a Fool
Camilla only had time to cast her thickest shield before throwing herself flat onto the ground, covering her ears tightly.
The entire Dark Moon Canyon trembled violently under that single strike.
The headless giant—previously completely unharmed no matter how Camilla attacked—didn’t even manage to let out a scream within that white light.
The light lasted for a full ten seconds.
When it finally faded and the dust settled—
Camilla raised her head tremblingly.
Her jaw nearly hit the ground.
The place where the headless giant had stood was now a massive crater hundreds of meters in diameter, bottomless to the eye.
As for the giant?
Not even ashes remained.
Not just the giant—strictly speaking, the canyon itself was gone.
The once rugged, narrow mountain path, the filthy ruins, and that invincible headless giant—
all of it had turned into a gigantic crater hundreds of meters wide and unfathomably deep.
The crater walls had crystallized under the intense heat, reflecting a dark red afterglow, like a massive monstrous eye embedded in the land of the Demon Realm.
The air still carried a scorching heat capable of burning lungs.
Lilia maintained that one-handed, sky-pointing pose for a full five seconds.
The wind swept past, her silver hair fluttering wildly behind her, her silhouette appearing especially desolate, aloof—and invincible.
Only Lilia herself knew—
she was panicking like hell.
【Ding! Detected that Host has cast a Forbidden Spell beyond her level. Mana pool completely drained, stamina reduced to zero.】
【Current Status: Weakness, dizziness, severe hypoglycemia.】
【Friendly reminder: looking cool comes at a price. Recommend preparing a stretcher before showing off next time.】
The system’s notification sounded as annoying as ever.
Lilia felt like her body had been trampled by a hundred elephants, then thrown into a washing machine and spun for half an hour.
Even the gaps between her bones seemed to ache.
But this backlash was way too ridiculous!
It was like firing an intercontinental missile with a toy water gun—the missile launched, but the water gun exploded along with it.
“Cough…”
A metallic sweetness rose in her throat. She tried to lower her hand, only to find her arm stiff and unresponsive.
Her knees felt like someone had removed her meniscus—soft like overcooked noodles.
Her vision began to blur.
The once-clear world turned into distorted patches of color, and the wind in her ears became a sharp ringing.
“I’m done for. I’m going down.”
Lilia wailed inwardly.
If she collapsed like a limp noodle in front of Camilla right now, the “peerless expert” image she had just established would shatter into a joke.
And faceplanting would hurt.
Just as her vision went black and her body tilted backward like a kite with a snapped string—
there was no expected hard, cold ground.
No anticipated pain of smashing into the earth.
A hand—
a slender, powerful hand wearing a black lace glove, cool to the touch—reached out from the void without warning and firmly wrapped around her completely numb waist.
Then, a cool and fragrant embrace enveloped her entirely.
That scent…
Lilia’s muddled mind cleared for a moment.
It was Hera.
“Can’t even stand anymore?”
That familiar voice came from above her head.
Lilia forced her eyelids open a crack.
What entered her sight was Hera’s flawless side profile.
Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, her golden eyes flowing with a dangerous glint in the dim light. She wasn’t looking at Lilia, but at the massive crater ahead, her brows slightly furrowed.
“M-Master…”
Lilia parted her lips weakly.
“Was… that move just now… cool?”
At a time like this, she was still concerned about that.
Hera lowered her gaze, looking at the girl in her arms whose face was pale as paper.
That mouth—usually nonstop chattering, either complaining in her mind or acting obedient—was now silent.
Even those crimson eyes, always filled with cunning and vitality, had lost focus, like a candle about to go out.
The fingers around Lilia’s waist tightened slightly, almost imperceptibly.
It was like something lightly pricked her heart.
Not painful—but irritating.
“Cool.”
Hera replied flatly, her tone unreadable.
“So cool it makes me want to hang you on the city wall as a mascot.”
Though her words were still sharp, her actions didn’t stop.
A warm stream of magic flowed from where their bodies touched, continuously pouring into Lilia.
“Mmm…”
It felt too comfortable.
Lilia couldn’t help but let out a soft, kitten-like purr, rubbing her head against Hera’s chest and finding a more comfortable position.
If she wasn’t afraid of being beaten to death, she’d happily stay in Hera’s arms forever.
Hera looked at this little creature taking advantage, and a corner of the frost in her eyes quietly melted.
She raised her other hand, her fingertips brushing across Lilia’s cheek, wiping away a bit of dust.
Cool to the touch.
“What a fool.”
Hera murmured softly, her voice so light even the wind couldn’t carry it away.
After the healing, Lilia felt somewhat better.
Hera lowered her head, noticing the faint return of color to Lilia’s face. Only then did her slightly furrowed brows relax.
“How do you feel?”
Hera asked.
Lilia blinked. Though the soul-draining exhaustion remained, at least she could move her limbs now.
She tried to stand up from Hera’s embrace—after all, one couldn’t take advantage of the boss for too long or it might backfire.
But the moment she left that warm support, her knees buckled again.
Hera reacted instantly, pulling her back into her arms.
“What are you moving for?”
Hera’s tone turned sharp.
“Tired of living?”
“N-No…”
Lilia buried her face in Hera’s coat collar, her cheeks slightly flushed.
“It’s just…”
Before she could finish—
the scene distorted.
Palace of Eternal Night, Bedchamber.
As the ripples of space settled, Lilia was “thrown” onto the soft bed.
She sank into the feather quilt, barely having time to sigh in relief before seeing Hera standing by the bed, calmly removing her black gloves.
“Um… Master?”
Seeing Hera’s expression—the unmistakable “time to settle accounts”—Lilia’s heart skipped a beat.
Hadn’t this already passed?
“Take off your clothes.”
Hera said succinctly.
“Ah?!”
Lilia clutched her chest, horrified.
“T-That’s not appropriate, is it? Even if I’m your maid, I still have dignity… my body right now… can’t handle that kind of—”
Hera raised an eyebrow.
She leaned down, bracing her hands on either side of Lilia, her imposing posture instantly enveloping Lilia in her shadow.
“What kind of filthy thoughts are you having?”
Hera extended a finger and poked Lilia’s forehead hard.
“I’m checking whether that Forbidden Spell caused any irreversible damage.”
“After all…”
Her gaze trailed down from Lilia’s neck, stopping at her chest.
There, the red contract pattern flickered faintly.
“Even tools need maintenance sometimes, don’t they?”
Lilia: “…”
Maintenance is fine.
But did she have to make it sound so terrifying?
However…
Looking at Hera so close, smelling that pleasant scent—
Lilia suddenly felt that this so-called “maintenance” didn’t seem so bad?
“Then… please be gentle?”
Lilia released her grip and lay back in a “do as you please” posture, blinking innocently.
Hera looked at her shameless attitude and couldn’t help the slight upward curl of her lips.
“Getting bold, aren’t you.”
She muttered softly.