Chapter 158 : Honeymoon?
Chapter 158: Honeymoon?
Towering, lush trees stretched high into the sky, their dense canopy blocking out the sun. Rays of sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves, casting dappled shadows across the ground blanketed with fallen foliage.
Lilia even spotted a few small insects with transparent wings and vibrant colors fluttering among the flowers.
Normal.
Too normal.
So normal that it sent chills down Lilia’s spine.
“Th-this… where is this?” Lilia straightened up, ignoring the discomfort in her stomach, and looked at Hera in horror. “Master, did we get lost? Or did you use too much magic just now and accidentally send us to the Human Continent?”
If they really ended up on the Human Continent, with Hera’s overwhelmingly pure dark magic, she’d probably attract every member of the clergy across the continent the moment she landed.
“You’re overthinking.”
“This is still the Demon Realm.”
“The Demon Realm?” Lilia’s eyes widened as she pointed at a small yellow flower blooming nearby. “This art style is clearly wrong! Shouldn’t the Demon Realm only have withered trees, crows, and skeletons?”
A place like this, filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, looked exactly like the kind of small forest where princes and princesses fell in love in fairy tales, or where a Hero would grind levels on a slime plain right after leaving the beginner village.
Unless…
The “overthinking” circuit in Lilia’s brain suddenly short-circuited.
She secretly glanced at Hera’s breathtaking profile.
The boss had just said she wanted to “come out for a walk.”
Combined with this beautiful, undisturbed scenery.
And that heart-racing embrace just now, along with that word—“reward.”
A bold thought began to grow wildly in Lilia’s mind—
Could this be the legendary… honeymoon?!
Although using that term for a master and servant was somewhat rebellious, the atmosphere was just right! A domineering CEO bringing her delicate little wife—no, wait—for rewarding her loyal subordinate, specially bringing her to this hidden paradise to enjoy some private time together…
Lilia’s old face flushed uncontrollably.
She shook her head vigorously, trying to throw out these inappropriate thoughts, but the curve of her lips refused to go down.
“Um… Master,” Lilia rubbed her hands together, her tone carrying a hint of anticipation and probing, “since this isn’t the Human Continent, could this be… a secret garden?”
Hera turned her head and looked at Lilia’s infatuated expression, slightly raising an eyebrow.
“Secret garden?” She rolled the words on her tongue, a playful smile forming on her lips. “You could say that. But it has a better name—Forest of Life.”
Forest of Life?
Lilia rummaged through the pitiful geographical knowledge of the original body, along with everything she had crammed from the library recently, only to find her mind completely blank. The Demon Realm map was filled with names like “Abyss of Despair,” “Land of Buried Bones,” and “Decapitation Valley.” Since when did such a fresh and pleasant place appear?
Still, the word “life” sounded very auspicious!
And according to the usual isekai tropes, places with “forest” in their name were typically inhabited by elves.
Elves!
The dream of countless… ahem, countless humans! Blonde hair, blue eyes, pointed ears, long legs, wearing light leaf skirts, speaking softly, and casually shooting arrows and singing—
Lilia’s eyes lit up instantly, as if she could see two big words waving at her: benefits!
“So does this place have a lot of… pointy-eared, very beautiful creatures?” Lilia lowered her voice and leaned in, her face full of gossip.
Hera looked at her lack of composure with a hint of disdain in her eyes, but didn’t deny it.
“There are quite a few,” Hera said calmly. “And they are indeed quite… distinctive.”
Confirmed!
The little version of Lilia in her mind began setting off fireworks wildly. The boss really knew how to live! Fighting and killing all the time was so boring—occasionally coming to a place like this to cultivate one’s sentiments and admire beauties, that was the rhythm of a true winner in life!
That earlier dizziness had long been thrown out of her mind. Lilia tidied up her wrinkled maid outfit.
She decided—she would perform well next. Not only would she act as the perfect personal accessory to her master, but she would also display the professional standards of the number-one lackey. She absolutely couldn’t embarrass the Palace of Eternal Night in front of her future “elf colleagues.”
“Since it’s Master’s territory, then it’s our own backyard.” Lilia instantly slipped into character, a flattering smile appearing on her face as she took small steps closer to Hera, practically wanting to stick to her. “The scenery here is so nice—should we find a place for a picnic? Or I could weave a flower crown for you?”
As she spoke, she reached out, intending to hook her arm around Hera’s.
After all, in such an unfamiliar place, no matter how beautiful the scenery was, only by sticking close to the thickest thigh in the entire Demon Realm could Lilia feel true safety.
However, just as her fingertips were less than a centimeter away from Hera’s arm—
A sudden change occurred.
The green vines that had been quietly hanging around, looking harmless, suddenly trembled like venomous snakes that had caught the scent of blood.
“Rustle—”
The sound of leaves rubbing together suddenly grew louder. It was no longer the gentle whisper of a breeze, but like countless tiny feet crawling rapidly across the ground, sending chills down one’s spine.
Lilia’s 【Absolute Senses】 instantly went on high alert, a chill shooting straight to her head.
“Watch out!”
She instinctively tried to grab Hera’s hand, but the ground beneath her feet suddenly split open.
Several thick, dark green roots, as large as pythons, burst out of the soil with the smell of damp earth at lightning speed!
They didn’t attack the more threatening-looking Hera.
Instead, with extreme precision and cunning—
They wrapped directly around Lilia’s calves!
“Damn it! Where are the promised elf girls?!”
Lilia let out a scream as her body instantly lost balance. The strength of the roots was astonishing, and they were covered in dense barbs, instantly leaving several white marks on her leather pants.
She was violently pulled into the air, like a slab of cured meat hung upside down, about to be dragged deep into that seemingly lush yet sinister thicket.
“Master, save me! This grass is not behaving properly!!”
Lilia flailed wildly in midair, both hands gripping tightly onto the vine wrapped around her ankle, trying to activate 【Maid’s Monstrous Strength (Beginner)】 to tear it apart. But this thing was not only incredibly tough, it also secreted a slippery mucus on its surface, making it impossible to get a proper grip!
Compared to being eaten by a monster, what broke Lilia more was—
Just moments ago, she had been imagining things like “honeymoon” and “peaceful times.”
And reality slapped her hard in the face:
In the Demon Realm, even a blade of grass wanted to eat meat!
Meanwhile, Hera remained standing where she was.
She didn’t even lift her head. A trace of expected amusement flashed through her golden eyes. She leisurely adjusted her sleeve, watching Lilia swing in midair like she was on a swing, the corner of her lips curling slightly.
“Rip—”
Hanging upside down in midair, Lilia felt the blood rushing to her head, the world spinning violently. That thick, dark green vine seemed almost alive.
Every hair on Lilia’s body stood on end as the string of “rationality” in her mind snapped.
To hell with elf girls!
To hell with honeymoon trips!
This was clearly a scene straight out of some restricted tentacle monster comic!
“Let go of me, damn it!”
Lilia exerted force from her waist, like a dying fish struggling on land, her entire body swinging into a bizarre arc in midair.
A flash of cold light appeared.
At some point, a short blade had slipped into her palm. With a flick of her wrist, the blade traced a crescent arc through the air.
“Puchi!”