Torture the hero, why has the Demon King's castle collapsed again?

Page 103

Demon City.

In broad daylight, the Ninth Demon, the zombie maid Fim, first returned to her room, took off her tattered clothes, and neatly piled them in a small basket outside the bathroom.

After taking a thorough bath and changing into a brand-new maid outfit, she slung the bag she had brought with her over her shoulder. The large bow on her back swayed gently a few times. In front of the mirror, Fim clenched her little fist, as if to encourage herself, before pushing open the door and heading up the steps of the Demon King's castle...

The light from outside streamed through the increasingly taller windows, falling into the girl's empty eyes, occasionally reflecting a hint of expectation and timidity.

As you climb the stairs, a familiar voice can be faintly heard from the upper floors:

"My lord, does offering rye bread to the shrine really make it taste better...?" came a clear, crisp voice that sounded somewhat like the clash of metal.

The other voice was a mature and steady male voice:

"Hehehe, that's because you're naive, Altottai. Do you think... a phrase like 'looking at panties to stave off hunger' is something you can just make up casually?!"

The owner of the voice said with pride.

This has caused shock as to what is considered a sacred artifact:

"I hope such a vulgar word was ever invented!!!"

In the cell, in the corner, Altotai unleashed a barrage of complaints.

"Would you be interested in finding that Astrid scholar in the library and applying to have this word included in the Kur dictionary as a case study?! The Kur Kingdom's Food Weekly would be astonished by your pioneering new way of eating!!!"

"Oh, stop talking."

"Speaking of food makes me hungry..." Mino sighed from the large bed. "If only Fim could have come back sooner—"

pat.

The sound of small leather shoes stopping outside the cell came from outside. Fim, carrying a small bundle, stood by the door, dazed, and said:

"Fim, you're back."

The cell suddenly fell silent. Mino, who was lying on the bed facing the shrine in a strange pose, suddenly turned his head and saw Fim outside the cell, and was slightly stunned.

The next moment, his eyes filled with deep sorrow, his fingers trembled as he pointed to the door, and he said to Artotai with a mournful expression:

"Look, Artotai..."

"My lord, I'm so hungry I'm hallucinating!"

Chapter 133 Comforting the Genius

A moment of silence fell.

“Uh… I must remind you, my lord,” Artotai said after a moment’s hesitation, “that was clearly not an illusion, because I saw it myself.”

"If you really have any problems because of hunger, it'll probably be something as minor as a drop in IQ."

"What?!" On the large bed, Mino, who had been in a "orz" pose, suddenly raised her head, turned her head again to look carefully at Fim outside the cell, and her eyes gradually brightened: "So you mean..."

"Joan of Arc eats mud ducks~~~! Fim!!!"

After a long absence, Mino flew to the cell and happily ruffled Fim's soft blue fur, saying in a puzzled tone, "Hey, why is there a tuft of hair of yours that's all pointed? You should dry your hair properly after you wash it."

Fim nodded, then shook his head, looked up at Mino, and then... silently turned his head away.

Huh? Mino was a little surprised. For some reason, he always felt that Fim was avoiding him.

To verify his thoughts, Mino immediately jumped to the left, about to meet Fim's eyes which were looking to the left... Suddenly—Fim hurriedly turned his head to the right.

"Okay, okay, let's play like this, right?"

Mino smiled confidently, suddenly unbuttoned a row of buttons on his chest, took off the winter coat made by the Demon King's Castle, and stylishly tossed it onto the bed. Then he straightened the non-existent air tie on his chest, and with a flick of his arms, this time, he jumped to the right of Fim!

Swish—Fim turned his head.

*Snap*—Mino jumps again.

Just as Fim was about to turn his head, Mino jumped around in quick succession, appearing on the left and right sides like a phantom!

"This...this is?!" In the corner, Altothai raised his sword hilt, his face grave, and said, "The legendary footwork, the left and right sidesteps!!!"

Seemingly caught off guard by Mino's move, Fim froze on the spot, his eyes fixed straight ahead, precisely caught by Mino, their gazes about to meet...

Paji.

In a panic, Fim moved closer and buried his head deeply in Mino's arms, leaving only the back of his soft, short hair visible.

"This...this is?!" Altotai, standing in the corner, straightened up, his face filled with excitement.

"The legendary German-style bridge throw!!! With this throw, my lord's limp spine will surely be shattered..."

"Wait! I surrender, I surrender, okay?!" Mino immediately raised her hands in terror and gave up.

Looking down and seeing that the maid holding her didn't intend to do anything, Mino breathed a sigh of relief and asked curiously, "So, what happened?"

Without meeting Mino's gaze, burying his head in Mino's arms, Fim's muffled voice slowly emerged:

“Fim, it’s lost…”

"Mino, something important."

"Something important?" Mino was slightly taken aback. What important things did she have?

I haven't lost anything on me yet. I just checked the panties in the shrine last night. They were Kleinna's personal items, practically brand new.

"If we're talking about the integrity our Lord had as a human being before he became a traitor, then that was indeed quite important," Artotai grumbled from the corner.

"Shut up! Altottai! Please don't write those baseless things on your freebie calendar!" Mino said righteously.

"Anyway," Mino said to Fim, lowering her head, "it doesn't matter what I lost, don't worry about it, anyway... it won't bring me any trouble, hahaha—"

A carefree laugh escaped Mino's lips. Fim's grip on Mino's arms finally loosened, and he took a few steps back. Fim stared blankly at Mino, nodding as if he understood.

Pulling Fim along, the two sat down on the edge of the bed.

"So, how did it go this time? Was the mission a success?" Mino asked with a smile.

“No, humans are very powerful.” Fim shook his head.

"Oh?" Mino was slightly surprised, then secretly broke out in a cold sweat... In that case, the dragons shouldn't take their anger out on the human kingdom, right?

Well, since it was a contract that she herself witnessed, deep down Mino still hoped that the contract could be successfully completed.

Thinking of this, Mino nodded with slight satisfaction: "Then King Callest Dragon should be very grateful to me now!"

"It's alright, Fim, don't be discouraged! Next time, I'll give you an even better intelligence report for free!!!"

Patting his chest, Mino offered a hearty reassurance.

"Hey!" From the corner, Altottai exclaimed in shock, "You're a genius at comforting people! Is that even possible?!"

"Haha, anyway, did you have a good time this time, Fim?" With his back to Altottai, Mino changed the subject.

Happy... Fim originally wanted to answer that he wasn't very interested in going out—

But the next moment, the bow on his back paused slightly. Fim recalled the red-haired woman from Akarin village he had met in the suburbs, the strange red-haired girl Natasha he had encountered by the trash can, and memories of eating with Mino's parents at the dinner table, and of Natasha's kind help in rescuing him from a predicament, gradually flooding his mind...

“Happy.” Looking directly at Mino, Fim nodded slightly seriously.

"That's good." Mino nodded in satisfaction.

“However,” came the emotionless voice of the zombie maid beside him, shoulder to shoulder:

"Fim, if the wound is still there."

"Definitely not, I won't go out, and I won't be happy."

Mino felt a tap on her shoulder and instinctively turned her head. Her gaze met Fim's for the first time, and the girl's empty eyes were now as clear and bright as jewels.

"Thank you, Mino."

Guh~~~—————

A deep, powerful cry came from Mino's belly.

“Speaking of which, I’m a little hungry…” Mino sighed. Ever since he was tortured by the demons, his tolerance for rye bread seemed to be gradually decreasing.

"Phim, go make something to eat." Phim patted her skirt, stood up, and was about to do so when Mino grabbed her arm.

"no!"

With a serious expression, Mino said, "Even if you just came back from a trip, you're still very tired. You should rest well today! You're not allowed to do anything!"

“But, Mino.” Fim stopped and stared at Mino’s shrunken belly.

“No need to worry.” Having just finished putting on a cool act, Mino turned to the rye bread in front of the shrine, gritted his teeth, and said, “What you love is your life…”

At that moment, the tuft of hair on his head suddenly stood up, as if Fim had thought of something.

Taking the bundle off his back, Fim took out a small lunchbox...

"Mino, want some?"

The wooden lunchbox was opened to reveal a very homey dish, but with a very tempting color.

"Wow! You even prepared bento boxes in advance? Hmm, they even look somewhat familiar... Well then, I won't be polite!"

Mino's eyes lit up, and he immediately took the lunchbox from Fim's hand.

Before Fim could explain, Mino grabbed the wooden chopsticks hidden inside the lunchbox lid and shoveled the food into her mouth...

This bento box was the leftover food that Eunice packed for Fim back in Akarin Village. She once said that these bento boxes wouldn't spoil even if left for three days and three nights, and now, only one day has passed, it's as good as new when opened.

However, what Fim didn't understand was why an ordinary lunchbox and food could be preserved for so long.

At the bedside, Mino's wolfing down of food suddenly stopped, and the next moment, he slowly put down the lunchbox with a blank look in his eyes.

Then, Mino closed her eyes.

Two clear tears gradually streamed down her cheeks.

Chapter 134 Opportunity, Big and Vast

A hint of surprise flickered in Fim's empty eyes... Could it be that Mino had already figured it out—that the long-awaited taste of her mother's cooking made Mino a little homesick?

Fim panicked and quickly looked down to rummage through his pocket for a handkerchief.

At this moment, a line of food scraps, chewed into a black mixture, dripped from the corner of Mino's mouth. A smile more painful than a grimace appeared on her face, and she said in a hoarse voice:

"Damn... this dish... it's so bad it reminds me of my mother's cooking..."