That evening, after completing her official duties for the day, Olivia once again found herself alone at the deserted barracks. In the empty training ground, she swung her longsword, practicing her swordsmanship.
Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, tracing paths across her cheeks.
Just then, barely audible footsteps approached, accompanied by Tribios's gentle voice, "Your father has just recovered from a serious illness, yet you're not keeping him company? Instead, you've come here alone to practice your sword?"
Olivia turned to face Tribios, silent, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath. Tribios offered her a water flask. "Want a drink?"
"Mm." Olivia nodded heavily, taking the flask from Tribios and tilting her head back to gulp down the water. Under the moonlight, Tribios could see Olivia's smooth, delicate neck and every movement of her throat as she swallowed.
Olivia finally exhaled deeply after draining the entire kettle in one go. Lowering her head slightly, she returned the kettle to Tribios and murmured, "Little Trib, can I... lean on you for a bit?"
Tribios looked surprised. "Hmm? That's not like you at all."
Olivia quickly added, "No, if you'd rather not..."
Tribios cut her off. "I just meant, why are you whispering? And it's such a small thing—how could I possibly refuse?"
As she spoke, Tribios took Olivia's hand and led her to a nearby bench. After sitting down herself, she patted the empty space beside her gently and smiled warmly at Olivia. "Rest if you're tired. Don't push yourself too hard."
"Mm..." Olivia sat down beside Tribios, leaning slightly against her. She rested her head on Tribios's shoulder, inhaling the faint, subtle fragrance of her hair. Olivia genuinely felt more relaxed.
Just then, Tribios leaned back slightly, causing Olivia, who had been resting her head on her shoulder, to lose her balance and slump down. Olivia instinctively tried to sit up, but Tribios gently pressed her back down, guiding her to lie back completely, her head resting on Tribios' lap.
A classic lap pillow. In her previous life, Tribios had often fantasized about the feeling of resting her head on another girl's lap. But now, her first experience was letting someone else rest their head on her lap?
Tribios' fingers lightly traced Olivia's forehead, gently smoothing her hair as she murmured, "How's this feel? Not too bad, right?"
"Mhm..." Olivia responded in a barely audible whisper.
The darkness of the night, combined with Tribios' chest obstructing her view, prevented her from seeing Olivia's flushed cheeks and utterly bashful expression.
Meanwhile, about a hundred meters away behind some cover, Half was pacing furiously, muttering, "Geez, Olivia's such a wimp! Just say what you want to say! Why are you holding back?!"
"Just say what you feel and hurry up and mate already! Stop beating around the bush! It's driving me crazy!"
Jay, who was also eavesdropping, was shocked. "What the hell?!"
After a pause, Jay said, "Wait, are you oversimplifying things? How could a confession immediately lead to a happy ending?"
Half retorted, "That's exactly why you humans are so complicated! You're always worrying about this and that, endlessly complicating things. Olivia clearly adores her, but Little Trib acts like she's made of steel. How can Tribios possibly understand if Olivia doesn't just say it outright?!"
In reality, Tribios had come to deliver water precisely because Half had secretly tipped her off. He'd approached her discreetly, saying Olivia might need help, which prompted Tribios to come.
As for Jay, he'd simply stumbled upon the eavesdropping mutt earlier and... eagerly joined in.
If Tribios ever found out that Half had described her as a "steel-plated straight girl," she'd probably die of speechless mortification. She definitely preferred cute girls to boys!
But considering her usual behavior, Tribios was indeed too prim and proper, making the "steel-plated straight girl" label seem fitting.
The perspective shifted back to Jay, who said, "You need to understand first that Olivia and Tribios are both girls, and that Olivia is the Demon Lord. In the future Tribios saw, Olivia will be killed by the Hero. Perhaps, knowing her own limited lifespan, she doesn't want to burden Tribios with her?"
"Is there any point in starting a relationship that's doomed to fail?"
Half scoffed. "Tch, humans sure complicate things. If I only had a few days left to live, I'd confess my feelings passionately and mate like crazy—that way, I wouldn't have any regrets!"
Jay was speechless. "Could you please stop using that word? You're lucky it's just me here. If those two ladies heard you talking like that, you'd definitely get a beating."
As the two were chatting, Olivia finished resting. She took a deep breath to calm herself, the blush on her face slowly receding, before climbing off Tribios's lap. "Thank you, Little Trib! I feel full of energy again! I'm going back to sword practice!"
Tribios wore a wry expression, both amused and exasperated. "It's already late. You should go home and rest. A little extra practice won't make much difference now."
After some persuasion, Olivia finally agreed to go home with her. As usual, it was bath time. Tribios took a bath every night—it was a habit of hers.
After filling the wooden tub with hot water, she casually asked Olivia, "Want to join me for a soak?"
It was just a casual invitation, like offering a friend a sip of a delicious drink you're enjoying. But after a brief pause, Olivia shook her head vigorously. "No, no, let's pass. This tub's too small, and I just finished sword practice—I'm all sweaty and smelly. I'll just wash up later myself!"
"Alright then," Tribios replied without much thought, having made the invitation on a whim. She retreated to the washroom, stripped off her clothes, and settled into a soothing bath.
By the time she emerged in her loose pajamas, she found Half perched above Olivia's head, repeatedly tapping her head with his claws. With each tap, Olivia let out a soft "Ouch!"
A puzzled expression crossed Tribios' face. "What are you two up to?"
Olivia looked equally bewildered. "I... I have no idea! Half suddenly appeared and started knocking on my head."
Half sighed dramatically. "Alas, I'm just frustrated that you're not living up to your potential!"
With that, he vanished into thin air, leaving Tribios and Olivia staring at each other, completely baffled.
-
A short time later, about half a month, news gradually spread that the Kingdom of Ukel had been defeated by a nameless, insignificant nation. Although Ukel publicly claimed it was a misunderstanding—that there had been no "war indemnity," only "compensation for damages"—any discerning person could see through the pretense.
Meanwhile, the Old Loli Mage, who had been searching for the Grand Duchy of Augustus for over a year, finally caught wind of its existence. She immediately set out, rushing headlong toward the Kingdom of Ukel.
However, whether she sought information from Ukel's people or Augustus's caravans, she found nothing. No one seemed to know the Grand Duchy of Augustus's location.
The Old Loli Mage now stood before an Augustus Caravan, stamping her foot impatiently. "Do you know who I am?" she demanded. "I am Friedrich Smith, one of the greatest wizards of the Kingdom of Green Eagle! I have urgent matters to discuss with your Holy Maiden. Can you bear the consequences of delaying such crucial affairs?!"
The merchants exchanged glances, then looked at the young girl before them—petite and adorable. One of them tentatively asked, "Um... where are your parents? Why are you here all alone?"
"I have candy. Want some?"
"Stop messing around. Where do you live? Should we take you home?"
Friedrich nearly exploded with rage! She suddenly realized the downside of being trapped in a little girl's body: she looked nothing like a wizard!
If she were still in her old man's body, leaning on her staff and coughing a few times, these people would have immediately believed her identity, wouldn't they?
In truth, verifying her identity would have been simple—demonstrating some powerful high-tier magic. But here was the problem: Friedrich was a necromancer, and necromancy... well, it wasn't exactly easy to showcase.
Her spells either involved high-lethality attacks against living beings or required corpses for 'resurrection.' After much deliberation, Friedrich finally settled on a Fifth-Level spell called Soul Vision.
She reached out her small hand and gently tapped the nearest merchant. Instantly, the merchant felt as if his soul had left his body, "floating" upward into the air, gazing blankly at his surroundings.
The next moment, terror flooded his face as he began to struggle frantically, flailing his limbs like a drowning man who couldn't swim.
But then, Friedrich canceled the magic, allowing the merchant to plummet back into his body with a thud, collapsing onto the ground and gasping for breath.
To the onlookers, the scene was even more bizarre. They had simply witnessed the little girl lightly touch her companion, and suddenly he had transformed into this state?
Friedrich calmly explained, "This is the Fifth-Level Magic Soul Vision. It allows your perspective to temporarily detach from your body and roam elsewhere. However, it's not true soul projection, as human souls are far too fragile and would dissipate within minutes of leaving the body. So, I devised a workaround: I sculpted magic power into the form of a soul to carry your consciousness, making the process far safer than true soul projection."
"See? Now you believe I'm a Grand Wizard, right? So hurry up and tell me where the Grand Duchy of Augustus is! I have a really important matter to discuss with your Holy Maiden!"
The merchants exchanged uneasy glances before the one who had experienced Soul Vision finally struggled to his feet and said, "Y-Your Excellency... Please wait here a moment. I'll inform the Holy Maiden immediately!"
About half an hour later, the news reached Tribios's ears. She still remembered the Old Loli Mage, but she was puzzled: Why was the mage suddenly seeking her out?
After quickly wrapping up her current tasks, Tribios opened a Century Gate beside her and stepped directly into the Old Loli Mage's presence. She cut straight to the chase: "What's this important matter you mentioned?"
"Huh?" The Old Loli Mage had been sitting idly on the ground, her mind wandering far away. Tribios's sudden appearance and abrupt question startled her badly.
She literally jumped up from where she stood. Only after landing did the Old Loli Mage turn to see Tribios behind her, patting her flat chest as she exclaimed, "You startled me! Next time, please don't appear so suddenly!"
After a pause, she continued, "I've found a way to cure the Insulation Disease."
Tribios looked puzzled. "But didn't you say it was incurable before?"
The Old Loli Mage coughed awkwardly. "Well, I suddenly had a breakthrough! It's not a conventional treatment, you see. Simply put, if that girl—Melly, was it?—can't use magic in her current body, why not give her a body that can?"
"Like how you changed bodies?" Tribios asked.
The Old Loli Mage planted her hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and declared, "Exactly! This is my original magic, and I'm the only one who knows it!"
Tribios now understood: it wasn't that the mage had just found a cure, but rather that she was now willing to treat Melly. Clearly, news of the Grand Duchy of Augustus being protected by a Demigod had reached her ears.
In other words, this wasn't a free treatment—it was a transaction.