This diplomatic journey was not undertaken by Regulus and Sphinx alone; they were accompanied by a fully armed detachment of the King's Royal Guard.
Naturally, these elites were not there to guard Regulus and Sphinx. After all, even if they wanted to, one of their charges was a supreme Great Commander of the Demi-Human alliance, and the other was an invincible anomaly capable of effortlessly annihilating entire armies. They simply didn't need mortal protection.
Therefore, the primary purpose of the Royal Guard accompanying them was to safely transport and guard the massive caravan of betrothal gifts bestowed by the Crown.
That's right. Although the King's political methods were a bit underhanded, he was incredibly generous with his royal treasury, directly covering all travel expenses, which included various precious, magical gifts to appease the demi-human tribes. It could be considered a different, highly lucrative kind of compensation for Regulus's troubles.
"Lord Regulus, it is getting late. Shall we set up camp nearby?" a gentle female voice called out from the front of the carriage.
"Yes, find a suitable clearing to stop," Regulus replied lazily.
"I understand."
After the female voice respectfully replied, Regulus could clearly feel the dragon carriage's speed decreasing, pulling off the main road until it completely halted not long after.
Once they were fully parked, Regulus and Sphinx naturally stepped out of the dragon carriage together. After traveling for several hours, staying cooped up in the confined space of the cabin would make anyone feel stuffy.
In this medieval fantasy world, there were no such things as smartphones or the internet to pass the time. Even with the beautiful Sphinx as a companion, considering she was not naturally gifted at casual conversation, he couldn't just endlessly tease and bully her, right? That would quickly lead to the poor clone breaking down from sensory overload.
The first thing he saw after stepping out were the armored guards efficiently setting up the perimeter and tents. Following them, an ordinary-looking maid proactively approached him.
This specific maid was deliberately arranged by the King to drive the dragon carriage. Her presence was a calculated move to prevent the trained Royal Guards from hearing anything scandalous if Regulus and his new wife, Sphinx, were to do anything 'strenuous' during the long journey.
"Lord Regulus, do you have any special requests for dinner tonight?" the maid asked, bowing perfectly.
"Just prepare whatever you excel at making," Regulus waved her off.
"I understand."
Watching the maid scurry off to the cooking fires, Regulus casually scooped Sphinx into his arms and walked toward the dense woods bordering the roadside.
Although Sphinx didn't mind being thoroughly tainted with his scent, Regulus felt it was still very necessary to maintain proper personal hygiene on the road. So, he went to look around the forest to see if there was a natural spring or stream to wash up in.
Of course, even if there wasn't a natural hot spring, it wasn't a big deal. As a masterful magic caster whom the world feared as a Witch, Sphinx naturally had a flawless grasp of various elemental magic affinities. They only needed to find a suitable, secluded spot to bathe.
And it turned out there really was no natural pool nearby.
Adapting to the situation, Regulus and Sphinx spent a few minutes locating a massive, flat boulder deep in the woods that had a wide, concave depression in its center.
After meticulously cleaning the stone basin with pressurized water magic and filling it to the brim, Sphinx continued to channel her mana, smoothly heating the cold water to the perfect, steaming temperature.
Watching this flawless series of operations made Regulus once again sigh in genuine admiration at the sheer convenience of everyday magic.
Shedding their clothes, Regulus carried Sphinx into their temporary, makeshift hot spring and personally helped his petite wife wash her body. Naturally, during this intimate washing process, his desire to tease her flared up again.
But just as he pulled a blushing Sphinx securely into his arms...
Uninvited guests suddenly emerged from the treeline.
These intruders were not human bandits, but highly mutated Mabeasts with a very peculiar, grotesque appearance. Their lower halves resembled giant carnivorous plants with snapping maws, and sprouting above these horrific plant mouths were glowing, blue, bird-like skeletal structures.
"What a buzzkill," Regulus sighed, his mood instantly souring.
"Mm," Sphinx nodded in agreement.
Hearing Regulus's complaint, she mechanically raised one of her slender hands. Crimson flames instantly gathered and condensed in her palm; though the fireball was small, its concentrated magical payload was absolutely no joke.
But just as Sphinx was about to obliterate the Mabeasts...
"Hold on. Let me do it instead," Regulus intercepted, gently pushing down Sphinx's fiery hand.
Because of the massive boulder they were occupying, this specific elevated area was not damp like the rest of the wetland forest; instead, it was very dry, surrounded by piles of withered leaves and dead timber.
If a high-tier fire spell were detonated here, the surrounding ancient forest would easily catch fire. As the saying goes in his past life: arson leads to a lifetime in prison. If an entire forest were set ablaze, even if he possessed the absolute power to avoid imprisonment, it would be highly annoying if the fire spread to any surrounding civilian villages.
As Sphinx obediently extinguished her mana, Regulus casually slapped the surface of the bathwater beside him.
As a sheet of water splashed into the air, he lazily waved his hand through it, activating the Authority of Stillness. The suspended water droplets instantly transformed into unstoppable, armor-piercing bullets, tearing through the air at supersonic speeds. They effortlessly shredded the uninvited Mabeasts into fine mist, leaving deep, perfectly circular holes in the forest floor behind them.
"The troublesome pests have been dealt with, so..." Regulus muttered, turning back with the intention of continuing his intimate interaction with his wife.
But then, he stopped, turning his head back toward the dark forest path where the Mabeasts had just appeared.
Something else was coming.
But this time, the presence was distinctly different. It wasn't the same pack of monsters; if it were more of those blue-glowing skeletal abominations, their light would have been clearly visible through the trees from afar. This was swift, light, and frantic.
While waiting for the newcomer to break through the brush, Regulus gently pressed Sphinx down into the warm water to hide her exposed figure. Who knew if the newcomer was human or beast, male or female? It was better to be cautious.
However, to Regulus's mild surprise, Sphinx seemed to have completely misunderstood his physical intention of pushing her down into his lap beneath the water's surface. Taking it as a silent command, she eagerly started playing and accommodating him on her own.
He didn't stop her. Since she was already submerged and out of sight from the ground below the massive boulder, he simply let her continue her eager ministrations.
With hurried, panicked footsteps, the presence in the forest finally burst out from the bushes.
Or rather, it launched itself out. Not only did the figure sprint out of the dark treeline, but it also took a massive, desperate leap to escape whatever was chasing it.
The person who jumped so incredibly high followed a trajectory that was going to land precisely on the giant, concave boulder where Regulus and Sphinx were currently bathing.
Regulus narrowed his eyes slightly, tracking the airborne figure.
When the moonlight illuminated the jumper, he clearly saw that the other party was a girl—an Elf Maiden, judging by the distinct pointed ears framing her face. Seeing this, he immediately gave up the brutal idea of directly intercepting her with Stillness or slicing her in mid-air.
'Indeed, playing games outdoors at night is not a wise choice,' Regulus mused internally. 'This time it happens to be a beautiful girl, which is fine. But what if the intruder had been a rugged male adventurer? Even if I instantly killed him, wouldn't my eyes still be permanently soiled by the sight?'
At the exact same moment, the Elf Maiden suspended in mid-air suddenly realized that the familiar, dry terrain of forest had drastically changed. There was a glowing, steaming pool of water on top of her usual landing rock!
"Ah! Ah! Ahhh!" she cried out in mid-air panic, her arms flailing wildly.
But having already committed to the massive leap, her momentum carried her forward, leaving her completely unable to alter her trajectory.
So, the very moment the Elf Maiden landed on the water-filled boulder, her boots instantly slipped on the wet, mossy stone. With a loud splash, she plunged directly into the steaming pool, crashing right on top of Regulus and a very busy Sphinx.
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