Adeline paid close attention to the story while savoring her food. From the story, she concluded that this was a medieval fantasy world. Unfortunately, she had limited knowledge of these types of worlds. She was too preoccupied with surviving to read fantasy novels or py games. The other thing was the woman in front of her, Melora. Why was she quick to reveal such intimate information? Aren’t I an enemy against humanity, or does her hate for the Empire run that deep?

  “I have a question: why are you telling me all this?”

  “Some would say it is reckless, but I believe to gain trust, you must trust the other first.”

  “What if I betray you?”

  “I don’t think you will do such a thing.”

  Adeline let out a ugh as she continued to eat.

  “Since we are doing this trust-building exercise, I think you should take a closer look at your father than the Empire.”

  The mood suddenly turned chilly as Melora pced down her piece of meat. Fang and Scales instinctively gred at her but were dismissed as Adeline waved her hand.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “You need to stop being so na?ve. I am simply mentioning what you already suspect.”

  “My father? No. The Grand Duke of Credoa would never betray his people. He swore to the god of war to always protect his people!”

  Melora screamed at Adeline, her eyes full of fury. To even suggest such a thing was heresy and deserved capital punishment.

  “Then why did he make such a decision?”

  “He might have misjudged and made the wrong decision, but he would never risk the safety of his knights.”

  “From what you told me, your father is not one to make such mistakes. What happened to you was not a simple ambush; it was calcuted down to the st action. Stop being emotional and start using reason.”

  Melora closed her eyes as a small tear ran down her face. She was ashamed and hurt. She felt a strong attachment to the demon she just met; she gave her crity. No matter how painful the truth is, it was something she needed so she could be a better leader.

  “I do not want to believe that my father of all people would be involved in this conspiracy.”

  “Reality is a cruel mistress, but she waits for no one, so you either wallow in self-pity or do something about it.”

  “I need to regain my strength and return to the duchy. I will need your help, Adeline.”

  “Why should I do that exactly? Move away from my comfortable life to get into noble politics? Also, in case you forgot, I am a demon.”

  “Precisely. You can help me traverse through the dangerous forest. I cannot go back to the Empire, so I will have to go deeper into the forest and reach the port city of Joma, then return to the duchy through the coastline.”

  Adeline simply stared at the woman who enthusiastically presented her pn. She wondered if she actually understood anything she said.

  “Again, why should I help you?”

  “I have a lot of money. I can compensate you with gold and other pleasantries.”

  “What use do I have for gold? Again, I am a demon!”

  “What do you want?”

  “I want my peace and quiet, that’s it.”

  Melora reached out and held Adeline’s hand. She looked down on her hand with a slight frown.

  “My people may be in danger. I have no right to ask, but please help me.”

  Her soft brown eyes and red lips sparkled under the moon. Adeline was thrown into a rare panic, not knowing how to react.

  “I will think about it. Now let me go.”

  Melora, with a pleased smile, returned to eating. Scales and Fang shot a gnce at each other but did not speak. Adeline cleared her throat and regained her composure.

  “Fang, where are the mana cores?”

  “I hid them, master. I will come with them.”

  Fang left, then returned, holding dozens of magical cores of different colors. One of them was far bigger and had a distinctive green color. Adeline picked the rgest one and stared at it for a moment, then threw it at Melora.

  “This is an A-grade magical core? It is worth one hundred gold coins. Are you sure you want me to have it?”

  “The stronger you get, the quicker you will leave me be.”

  Melora stared at Adeline but decided to ingest the core. She then quickly started to meditate as she deconstructed the core and concentrated it in her heart. She started to emanate a purple light which quickly vanished. She opened her eyes and assessed her body.

  “Thanks to you, I have regained enough to form the first yer. Though I will miss my white mana, it can’t be helped.”

  “How did you do that?”

  “In order to manifest mana, you either need a vast amount of it or a blessing from one of the eight gods. Monsters usually accumute vast amounts of mana over time, but humans rely on blessings.”

  “I see. Well, that is unfortunate. I will have to wait for mine.”

  Adeline popped three magical cores simultaneously as she, too, wanted to have her own mana, believing it would make her far stronger. She felt a strong heat on her stomach, which spread to her heart like a hurt burn, but she did not stop consuming the magical cores till none were left.

  “Did my horns grow bigger?”

  “Not really, still the same size.”

  Adeline let out a sigh as she got up and went inside the makeshift house. Melora quickly followed suit, leaving Scales and Fang who were still eating. Adeline id down on the ground covered with animal hide as she prepared to sleep. She suddenly felt another person y next to her.

  “Melora, what are you doing?”

  “You finally called me by my name.”

  “This is my bed. Go find another one.”

  “I would, but I am sticking by you until I am back to full strength.”

  “You won’t move no matter what I say.”

  “Yes, also, you’re very warm.”

  “Are you sure you’re a noble and not a seductive mistress?”

  Melora pulled her tail in retaliation as they both drifted to sleep. Adeline opened her eyes again shortly after, but to her surprise, she was sleeping on top of water. She turned around only to realize she was alone. The sky was lit up by small stars and multiple moons.

  “I do have to apologize for us meeting this way, but it was the only way.” A soft voice could be heard.

  The stars realigned as the entire night sky turned into a face. Adeline nearly fell over as she watched everything unfold; she could make out a female face which directly stared at her.

  “Who are you?”

  “I am the goddess of life and nature, and I need your help.”