Miss Demon King, Please Endure a Little Longer - Volume 1 Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Suspicion
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“Well, umm, mmmmm…”
This question was very difficult to answer, because Aira was skilled at many things, such as fierce and explosive demon magic, domineering combat techniques wielded through bone swords, and speeches that easily stirred people’s hearts, as well as crafting meticulous and thorough conspiracies… but none of these were abilities she should possess.
What should a beautiful village girl who was captured by the Demon King for her beauty know how to do?
“I know some convenient household magic. I can help you with cleaning, quickly making clothes and items spotless, and if needed, bodies too… actually, let’s skip that.”
This kind of ability was indeed reasonable, but Celeste frowned slightly, clearly not very satisfied.
Aira wanted to try harder, so she tentatively added: “I can also… um… warm up beds in advance to make you more comfortable when sleeping.”
However, even the bed-warming technique couldn’t change Celeste’s attitude.
“I understand. I’ll consider it carefully.” She put away her pen and notebook. “But… hmm?”
Aira saw Celeste’s expression suddenly change as she stared at her and asked: “You have a fragrant scent on you?”
“Fra… fragrant scent?”
“Yes, a fragrant scent.” The girl said very seriously. “A very pleasant smell.”
“I guess there is.” Aira smiled shyly. “Others have said the same thing.”
Damn it, was the intelligence accurate again?
Celeste’s gaze remained fixed on her face without moving away, her delicate nose tip trembling slightly, as if holding her breath.
Didn’t she say it smelled very good? Then why…
“I understand. We’ll talk about this another time.”
Dropping this line, Celeste left directly, leaving Aira standing alone in place, blinking her eyes in confusion.
Wait, what just happened?
She wasn’t quite sure why, but she could feel that she had earned Celeste’s suspicion and wariness.
“Ugh…” Aira gritted her teeth. “It’s you again!”
Celeste, it was her again!
When they were in the forest, this woman stood at the front to block her, and now that they’d moved into the human kingdom’s royal capital, she was blocking her in a different way. Am I really going to be stuck with her one-on-one defense forever?
Thinking of such a scenario, Aira’s vision went dark.
No, she had to think of a solution.
On the other side, Celeste removed her armor and undergarments, changed into casual clothes for going out, and left the Campfire Lodge.
Under the dome of the Great Cathedral of Light, in the choir sanctuary, the golden-haired Saintess radiated an aura of sanctity and compassion.
“When we arrived at the forest, it was already too late. The Demon King had been cultivating there for years, and every blade of grass was tainted with darkness and blasphemy. On that land, there were no longer any living beings capable of receiving divine baptism.”
“Fortunately, my companions and I drove away the source of darkness. I believe that in the years to come, they will gradually break free from darkness and return to the embrace of light.”
Someone nearby hurriedly recorded the Saintess’s oral account, while the surrounding choir followed the conductor’s baton and sang in chorus. The entire sanctuary was filled with a sacred atmosphere.
Until someone quietly approached and whispered:
“Your Holiness, your companion has come to see you.”
Lia frowned slightly and went to the reception room, where she saw an ice-blue figure.
“Don’t rush me. I said I’d return tonight.”
“You misunderstand, Miss Lia.” Celeste said calmly. “I want to hear your thoughts on Aira’s application to join the team.”
Aira? What Aira?
Lia was stunned for a moment before finally remembering that Aira was the name of the girl they had rescued from the Demon King’s Castle.
“First, I wouldn’t mind that she comes from a rural village in the countryside, nor do I look down on her for being captured by the Demon King for many years. However, our missions involve danger, and not everyone can participate. The divine also doesn’t wish to see needless sacrifice.”
Celeste nodded: “I understand.”
Although the starting point wasn’t great, the final conclusion was reasonable and needed no further discussion.
After leaving the Great Cathedral of Light, she tried circling around the palace perimeter but couldn’t find Zero’s location, so she returned to the camp.
The clothes in the wooden basin were gone.
Looking up, Celeste found that both her armor and undergarments had been hung up to dry and were already completely clean. Not a speck of blood remained on the armor, which gleamed with reflected light.
The undergarments were dried fluffy and soft, with a refreshing fragrance.
Exactly the same as the scent on Aira’s body.
She hesitated for a moment, then let go, allowing them to continue drying on the clothesline.
That evening, both Lia and Zero came over, but Vina didn’t come. She was reportedly detained by the Magic Court and would be delayed for several days at least.
Celeste had a bit of a headache because the Magic Court was quite far away, not as convenient as going to the Cathedral.
She knocked on her teammate’s door:
“Zero, are you free now? I’d like to chat with you.”
“I’m free, coming.”
Zero had just removed her equipment and opened the door, proactively saying: “The report has been submitted, and the process went smoothly. Regarding the Demon King’s final escape, our teacher said a few words for us, and the others didn’t have major objections…”
“Thanks for your hard work, but I want to discuss something else with you.” Celeste lowered her voice. “Have you noticed the fragrant scent on Aira’s body?”
“Yes,” Zero replied without hesitation. “It smells very good, right?”
Celeste’s expression became serious. She closed the door behind her and sat down in the room before speaking:
“Zero, have you ever heard of the Tulip Incident from 10 years ago?”
This time the assassin girl shook her head: “No.”
“That was a terrible incident that happened in the past. It started with a confectionery shop called Tulip in the royal capital. One day, they launched a new type of dessert that became extremely popular as soon as it was released. Within half a month, it swept through the entire upper-class circle, with nobles and aristocrats sending people to compete for purchases, even fighting each other over it.”
After taking a slight breath, Celeste continued: “Later, the Tulip confectionery shop was raided and investigated. It was discovered that the desserts had such effects because they had added an addictive drug to them. Afterward, many nobles experienced withdrawal symptoms and took quite some time to recover.”
“I see, but…” Zero listened in confusion. “What does this have to do with Aira?”
“The scent on her body smells too good, making me want to engage in intimate behavior.” Celeste said expressionlessly. “But under normal circumstances, I would absolutely never have such thoughts.”
Why suspect Aira?
Because the Sword Saint had deep self-awareness.
She was too calm!
“Aira is single-mindedly trying to join our team, and she’s using this kind of perfume on her body, using the scent to gain our favor. So I have every reason to believe that her behavior may have ill intentions.”
Celeste gave her judgment, which was reasonable, logical, evidence-based, and irrefutable.
Until Zero blinked:
“But she’s not wearing perfume.”
“…What?”
“We came back together, remember? For a full 3 days, I shared the same carriage with her.”