Chapter 346: Herbert, What Exactly Are You Doing (52K Bonus 120 121)

"Herbert, after Valentina wakes up, she really won't notice anything at all?"

"Herbert, do you actually have a handle on this or not?"

"Herbert, say something!"

Fu Leimei pressed on without pause, trying to get a definite answer.

And yet the one who started all this, the mastermind behind the scenes and the bad guy who set the course, just shrugged carelessly and said, "Should be fine!"

Should be?

What do you mean, "should be"!?

Fu Leimei bit down hard on her lip, feeling more and more that something was off, desperately wanting to run away right now.

She'd listened to her teammate's sweet talk and, in a moment of muddled desire, made a big mistake—and now her teammate didn't look reliable at all afterward.

This is really the death of me…

After agonizing for a while, Fu Leimei finally half-convinced herself.

"Remember, if something really does happen, it was you who actively wanted to do it, okay? I just yielded to your coercion."

I was forced.

Right, that's exactly how it was!

Herbert shot a sidelong glance at the flustered mermaid Young Lady, the corner of his mouth twitching, and nodded helplessly: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I forced you."

That's right, it's all my doing!

I'm just the showerhead.

Speaking of which, you're so panicked now—weren't you having a great time just now?

If only there were sunlight here, the fountain would definitely cast a rainbow.

Herbert and Fu Leimei had been having a wonderful time just now.

After confirming that Valentina really wouldn't wake up, the two of them got into it—they gave the sleeping Hungry Dragon Young Lady a good face-washing.

As for where the water came from… ah, don't ask.

Anyway, mermaids can summon water elements, that's perfectly reasonable, right?

And after doing something so rude to a sleeping person, it's perfectly reasonable for the mermaid Young Lady to feel guilty and panicked!

……Right, isn't it?

Right, right!

Kids, don't ask too many questions, just accept that it's right.

But compared to the flustered Fu Leimei, Herbert really didn't think it was any big deal.

She didn't know Valentina's personality, but Herbert knew it well enough.

The Hungry Dragon Young Lady is a blank slate in many ways… ah, a stack of blank pages, so pure and innocent.

As long as Herbert was willing, he could paint on her however he liked.

If he went too far, he could completely make Valentina the victim of his dark thoughts—and she'd most likely be very happy and cooperative about it.

It's just that Herbert still had one last shred of conscience and didn't instill her with some dangerous knowledge.

But beyond the untouchable bottom line, in some harmless little flirtations, Herbert wasn't that stiff.

It's not like they played some heaven-offending game, no big deal~

Besides, if it really doesn't work out… just let Valentina make it up to you later, right?

Just have her wash your face too!

Perfect!

Plan goes through!

Herbert had already figured out a solution in his heart, calm as could be.

He smiled at Fu Leimei, gently patted the fishtail still wrapped around his waist, and laughed: "Alright, alright, don't worry, you go back first, I'll handle the rest."

Creak…

At a thought, the portal to the Deepwater Prison silently opened.

All she had to do was slip inside, and the criminal Fu Leimei could escape the crime scene, leaving her accomplice Herbert alone to talk back.

And faced with Herbert's kindness, Fu Leimei… of course didn't refuse.

She let out a long sigh of relief, raised her hand and cheered: "Yay! Herbert, you really are my hero."

The mermaid Young Lady quickly turned around, cupped Herbert's cheeks, and lightly kissed his forehead.

"You're the best!"

After finishing her act of coquettishness, Fu Leimei blew Herbert a kiss and swam toward the portal.

Off I go, off I go!

Herbert stared blankly at her smooth, flowing routine, took a moment to react, and couldn't help but laugh and shake his head.

"Hahaha."

Oh you Fu Leimei, what a battle-shy mermaid princess!

"Oh right."

Just before entering the portal, the fleeing mermaid Young Lady stopped.

She turned back, hesitated, didn't look Herbert in the eye, and said softly, dodging his gaze: "Um, that thing you mentioned before… I don't mind."

"Mm, I can do it, that's that! I'm going!"

After saying that, she didn't give Herbert time to respond, dove headfirst into the portal, and considerately closed the door behind her with her fishtail.

Click.

"……Pfft, haha."

Herbert watched her fleeing in disarray and couldn't help but smile, murmuring softly to himself, "I told you so — you'd definitely like this feeling."

Who could refuse such a thrilling thing?

After settling one side, Herbert stretched his waist vigorously.

He stepped down from the bed, picked up the still-sleeping Valentina, and walked toward the large cauldron he had prepared earlier…

That's right — he was going to wash her in the cauldron; after all, the Young Lady of the Hungry Dragon wasn't afraid of being scalded.

Just as Herbert was about to leave the room, his footsteps suddenly stopped.

"Mm, come to think of it, I wanted to ask this when Fu Leimei was here just now…"

He turned his head and looked toward a corner of the room.

In that inconspicuous corner, a small mirror was leaning obliquely with its back to the bed.

It looked as though it couldn't bear to look, shutting itself away facing the corner of the wall.

"Was this mirror placed here before?" Herbert muttered to himself.

"…"

Herbert squinted and studied it for a while, then chuckled inwardly and murmured, "Well, since it's there, I suppose it must be, right?"

"Oh my, our Young Lady Valentina really is a slob — how could she toss a mirror aside like that?"

"It's not like the mirror sprouted legs and ran over there on its own!"

He sighed with exaggerated feeling, and carrying Valentina, ambled his way toward the bathing pool.

And after they left, the small mirror still maintained its posture.

Motionless.

"…"

"Listen… haven't you gotten fatter than before?"

"Mm!?"

Faced with the sudden question from that petite puppet, Teresa, who was stuffing dry rations into her mouth, visibly froze.

She hesitated for a moment, then forcefully swallowed the food in her mouth.

Gulp!

Then, a little embarrassed, she set down the half-eaten bread in her hand and awkwardly shrunk her neck.

"Ah, I didn't mean it that way — I'm not telling you to stop eating, please go on." Miss Mise, realizing Teresa had misunderstood, waved her hand, gesturing for her to keep chewing.

She really wasn't telling Teresa to stop eating — after all, it wasn't her family's food being eaten.

As a legendary-tier mushroom person, she herself didn't need to eat like humans do.

She had genuinely grown curious — is eating really that enjoyable?

You see, along the entire way, this little half-blood had been constantly eating.

Apart from sleeping and resting, Teresa's mouth never stopped the moment she woke up — she kept eating nonstop.

Eat, eat, eat, sleep, eat, eat, eat…

And Teresa's appearance also changed noticeably through this constant eating — quite a bit different from when she had walked out of the Darklands.

Her formerly gaunt, bony look was gone; her body had put on a fair amount of fat in various places, and she looked much healthier.

And not just her body — there were far more smiles on her face too; the young girl's mental state had changed even more.

When she had just walked out of the Darklands, she would often wear a worried expression, lost in unknown thoughts.

By the time they were halfway there, the unease had left her face, and she seemed to have settled down.

By the time they arrived here, all that remained in the young girl's eyes was a craving for food… she paid no attention at all to the surrounding environment.

Child, open your eyes and look around!

Damn it — this is the Misty Mountains!

When Miss Mise was brought to the Misty Mountains by Herbert, her very first reaction was that she'd been swindled.

Where on earth have you brought me?

Your so-called territory is in here!?!?

She knew Herbert and the others came from the Mist Monastery, and at first she had no thoughts about their route — they had to go back there first anyway, then change course to the territory afterward, right?

As it turned out, they did change course — but only turned their heads, and then they had arrived.

The Misty Mountains! The Forbidden Zone of the Gods!

Is this place really suitable as a territory?

Miss Mise had many, many questions in her heart, but in the end, out of trust in the contract, she swallowed them all and painfully maintained her silence.

Even if Herbert was swindling her, it would only be for ten years — at worst, she'd run off afterward.

But after resigning herself to it, Miss Mise found that the place didn't seem as terrifying as she had imagined.

There was no aura of danger, no sense of divine pressure — it felt like an ordinary mountain range shrouded in thick fog.

And most importantly, the thick fog blocked the sunlight, so the brightness here wasn't that high — quite suitable for a mushroom person like her to live in.

Although she didn't hold much expectation for her future working environment, at least this living environment left her quite satisfied.

And after resigning herself to it, Miss Mise's attention shifted to the companion beside her.

This one was a follower of her future employer… mm, perhaps it would be more apt to say an adopted pet.

Miss Mise could sense no threat whatsoever from this weak young girl, nor see any special ability.

She naturally took her to be a pet Herbert had impulsively taken in out of soft-heartedness — of course, this also fit well with his identity as a Holy Knight.

Whether because of the other's status as a pet, or because of her own legendary strength, Miss Mise would never entertain the thought of treating her as an equal…

But after watching Teresa eat the whole way, Miss Mise's view of her gradually began to change.

It felt like watching a cute little animal — just… quite interesting.

Watching her eat, she suddenly found herself wanting to eat something too.

After being utterly captivated by Teresa's casual eating broadcast, Mise took the initiative to speak: "Say, is eating really this enjoyable?"

Although Mise had long tried to imitate human behaviors, she had never experienced the pleasure of eating.

Teresa was momentarily baffled by Mise's question and tilted her head in confusion.

She had never before thought such a thing required reflection.

The girl hesitated, then asked, "Uh, I find it very enjoyable—doesn't Lady Mise like eating?"

Mise touched her mouth, chewed tastelessly, and shook her head. "I suppose I don't particularly like it. I've never found eating enjoyable."

It's merely a way to intake energy, no different from fungi rooting into the soil.

Upon hearing this, Teresa instinctively said, "I see… that's truly unfortunate."

Immediately after speaking, Teresa realized her mistake and hurried to correct herself: "Oh! I'm not mocking you—I just… truly feel sorry for you."

The girl didn't know how to express herself, awkwardly scratched her head, and instinctively reached for another piece of dried rations.

Mise waved her hand gently. "It's fine. I'm not angry. Go on."

Teresa lowered her head slightly, embarrassed, and whispered, "I grew up in a small, poor village."

"Though my father left me money, there were few traveling merchants, and the village's food supply was limited—often, you couldn't buy it even with coins."

"Perhaps I should have realized my uniqueness back then—I've always had a huge appetite, eating more than many adult men."

"But my father never let me tell anyone, never wanted outsiders to notice, so I often went hungry back then."

"For me, back then, simply being full was already something difficult to achieve."

After speaking, the girl scratched her head shyly and gave Mise a simple, earnest smile.

"When I was full, it was either because my father returned and brought me plenty of food, or during special festivals when the village prepared feasts."

"Now, every time I eat my fill, I remember how it felt before—happy, and warm."

Thinking of the villagers, Teresa's expression darkened, and she whispered:

"…Though they're all gone now, and they weren't kind to me then, those feelings still remain in my heart."

Mise nodded thoughtfully, understanding the meaning food held for this half-breed girl.

"I see."

For serpent-blood hybrids, though they can consume vast amounts of food at once and endure long periods of hunger,

they still prefer to be full after every meal, free from such torment.

Teresa observed Mise's expression, noticed she was easygoing, and sighed in relief before adding:

"Um, I don't know if this is just a personal habit, but if you're not happy, eating something makes you happy again."

She hesitated, then uncertainly offered Mise a piece of dried ration. "Lady Mise, would… would you like a bite?"

Just one?

Mise:?

The mushroom merchant stared at the dried ration the girl offered, unsure what to say.

Should she tell her that this avatar was merely a puppet incapable of eating?

Should she simply say outright that she'd never had the habit of eating?

Or…

After two seconds of hesitation, Mise, inexplicably, chose another path—she took the coarse grain product.

"Uh, thank you."

She controlled her puppet body, placed it in her mouth, and chewed silently.

"How is it?" Teresa asked nervously, leaning in closer.

Mise chewed for a while, swallowed, nodded slightly, and smiled. "... Not bad."

Huh!

Teresa finally exhaled in relief, delighted: "That's wonderful!"

Mise watched the girl's joy and smiled, shaking her head.

Just now, Mise had lied.

The food had no taste at all to her.

But it wasn't entirely a lie—there was truth in it too.

When she saw the joy on the girl's face, born solely for her sake, a warmth stirred within her.

"So, what matters isn't what you eat, but how you feel in that moment?"

Mise thought, feeling she understood humanity a little better.

Accepting Herbert's invitation might not have been just a desperate choice—perhaps it was a good one too?

As Mise reflected thus, she suddenly felt a stir in her spirit and turned toward the depths of the mist.

She faintly heard the galloping of hooves.

"Be alert—someone's coming."

Mise stepped before Teresa, frowned at the rapidly approaching danger, and hesitated inside.

"Is this the messenger Herbert mentioned? Or someone else?"

Moments later, a lithe figure leapt from the mist, seizing both their attention.

The approach was grand in momentum, yet landed with startling lightness, utterly uncoarse.

"A wraith?"

Mise stared at the semi-transparent figure, frowned, then quickly sensed something different.

The centaur before her carried no taint of fallen wraiths—instead, it radiated an aura that inspired reverence.

"This is… a Heroic Spirit?"

Miss Mise froze after recognizing Sophia's identity.

No, how could it be a Heroic Spirit!?!?

Didn't Herbert say his servant would come to pick them up… wait, this is his servant?

After seeing Herbert borrow the Sun God's power, summoning a Heroic Spirit wasn't really all that surprising.

But the problem was, this Heroic Spirit clearly didn't belong to the Sun God!

Could he be a follower of another god at the same time?

This kind of thing… hiss, would the Sun God even allow it?

He's never exactly been a good-tempered deity, has he?

At this moment, Miss Mise truly couldn't figure it out.

She couldn't make out what kind of identity this client of hers actually had…

A god-blessed one?

Or a fallen one deceiving the gods?

She squinted, watching the Heroic Spirit bow to her, and couldn't help asking in her heart: "Herbert, you… who exactly are you?"

The Endless Labyrinth.

The youth sat cross-legged in a gloomy, silent room, surrounded by a ring of blue-glowing candles, with stones of various shimmering colors placed all around.

Draped in a pitch-black robe, he pulled the hood over his head, letting the shadow fall and hide his face, and asked the mirror in a hoarse voice:

"Mirror mirror on the wall, tell me, who is the most beautiful woman in the world?"

The mirror showed no reaction.

But the youth wasn't discouraged, still maintaining the atmosphere he'd so painstakingly built, and kept muttering:

"Mirror mirror on the wall, tell me, what is the favorite compliment of the Mirror Fairy?"

"Mirror mirror on the wall, tell me, what is the Mirror Fairy's fatal weakness?"

"Mirror mirror on the wall, tell me, how should I curse the fellow who peeps on others' private lives?"

"Mirror mirror on the wall…"

Click.

Finally, after he'd been muttering for quite a while, the mirror reacted.

"Hey."

The eerily muttering youth stopped, his voice returning to its usual tone, surprised: "Hm? It really answered?"

"…"

The reflection in the mirror stared at Herbert, the corner of its mouth twitching, and squinted at the youth who had taken off his hood.

After a long while, Liukaliya finally asked, speechless: "Um… what exactly are you doing?"

No, what exactly are you on about?

And you even went out of your way to make the room's atmosphere so creepy…

Herbert, are you even a Holy Knight or not?

(End of this chapter)