Ch 14: Wishing Big Brother And Sister Good Health!

The carriage jolted for several days, and the two people inside were already suffocated with boredom. These days were surprisingly uneventful, without a single accident.

One morning, after packing up their camping gear, the two returned to the carriage.

“So bored.”

“Yeah, so bored.”

Phia propped her head up with her hand, and the baby fat on her little face was squeezed by her hand. Bal looked at the listless little cat in front of him, smiled helplessly, and reached out to cover the kitten’s head.

“Mmm~ The feel is still so good.”

“Mmm… Are you done touching?”

Phia pouted her lips, a little sullen. After the events of the past few days, the mysterious mastermind behind the scenes became a knot in her heart these days. She considered many possibilities: the Seven Demon Marquises, the Five Heavenly Kings, and the twelve old fossils of the Senate. But she ruled them all out. Simply put, three of the Seven Demon Marquises died on the battlefield. None of the Five Heavenly Kings died, but they all suffered injuries to varying degrees—missing arms or legs, or missing some internal organs. One even had a brain problem and was now like a child. The people in the Senate were very likely the culprits. Seeing Phia’s rising reputation, they feared losing their power and schemed to bring Phia down and install a puppet. However, the Senate was also located in the Demon King’s Castle. Even if they had this idea, it would not be possible now. As for the remaining four of the Seven Demon Marquises, they were all greedy and lecherous, and doing such a thing would not benefit them.

Phia sighed, her face full of worry.

“We should reach Temur City today.”

“Great, finally I can sleep in a bed. These past few days sleeping on a makeshift bed has made my whole body ache.”

After hearing the good news from Bal, Phia’s expression brightened.

At this time, a rush of hooves entered their ears.

Bal looked out and saw a group of horsemen rushing towards them. The leader was a man with a fierce face, someone who would make even new recruits’ eyes light up. Behind him were a group of people in armor, who looked like soldiers.

Soon, the fierce-faced man stopped the carriage Bal and Phia were in. The man dismounted and bowed to the carriage.

“Your humble servant greets Lord Bal.”

A look of surprise appeared in Bal’s eyes. He quickly thought about the man’s identity, and finally he got the answer.

“Don’t call me ‘Lord’, get up, Udel.”

“Udel? Who is that?”

Hearing the name Bal mentioned, Phia began to inquire about the man’s origins.

Bal took Phia out of the carriage. He first punched Udel in the chest, and then, under Phia’s questioning gaze, the two performed a series of hand gestures, feeling like some kind of mysterious ceremony. Then Bal turned around, embraced the still-confused Phia, and began to introduce her to Udel.

“Udel, this is my travel companion, Phia. She is a very powerful healer. She has been acting with me since the battle at the Demon King’s Castle.”

“Greetings, Sister-in-law! What are you all standing there for? Quickly greet Sister-in-law!”

After listening to Bal’s introduction, Udel immediately gave instructions to the soldiers behind him. This action completely baffled Phia, and a blush crept onto her delicate face.

“Greetings, Sister-in-law!”

“Quick… quick, stop!”

Under the friendly greetings of the soldiers, Phia felt so embarrassed she could dig a Demon King’s Castle model out of the ground with her toes. She wasn’t unhappy with the title; hearing them call her Sister-in-law made her very happy, but she wasn’t used to such a scene.

At this time, Bal began to introduce Udel to Phia.

“This is Udel. We were in the same year at school, three months younger than me. Don’t look at him, he looks handsome, but he’s a Logistics Officer. When I went on expeditions, he was the one who ensured my logistics. I trust him very much.”

“You… hello.”

Phia blushed, but her former status as a Demon King prevented her from being impolite, so she lifted her skirt with both hands, slightly bent her knees, leaned forward, bowed her head, and performed a standard curtsy.

“Sister-in-law is so polite and beautiful. Bal, where did you find such a great wife?”

“That… we haven’t gotten married yet…”

Phia explained, although she was happy to be called Sister-in-law, she still had to clarify their relationship.

“Yes, we haven’t gotten married yet; we’re just lovers. After we return to the Royal Capital and receive our rewards, I plan to retire and marry her.”

“So you haven’t gotten married yet, just fiancee. But it’s okay to call you Sister-in-law. However, Sister-in-law seems to be a beastman. So Bal, you like that type. I said that when you were studying, so many beautiful senior and junior female students confessed to you, but you rejected them all. It turns out you like beastmen.”

After listening to Bal’s explanation, Udel leaned closer to Bal, nudged Bal’s chest with his elbow, and smiled very, even nine-tenths, lecherously.

“Cough… Don’t talk nonsense. Okay, what did you come to see me for? You left your post in army logistics and came to find me, something must be wrong.”

“Bal, you understand me as always. So I’ll be straightforward. Temur City might have big changes. I came here to tell you, and since we are brothers, if anything happens to you, how can I explain to your family? My soldiers and I will protect you wholeheartedly while you are in Temur City and will be at your disposal.”

“Then I’ll trouble you. Let’s catch up on the road.”

“Okay, I’ll book you a room and food in Temur City, and I’ll have someone greet you at the City Gate.”

Having said that, Udel swiftly mounted his horse and led a group of men towards Temur City. Bal also hugged Phia and entered the carriage.

“Bal, do you sense anything wrong?”

“What?”

“It’s Udel. I have a bad feeling about him.”

“Are you kidding me? We are half-brothers! If we have children in the future, the children should call each other godfather. How could he harm me?”

Bal vehemently refuted Phia. He knew Udel’s character well and trusted him. He believed his good brother would never harm him.

“But have you ever thought about this: why would a Logistics Officer help you, a hero who can defeat even the Demon King? In terms of martial prowess, you should be the number one in the world. And what problems can a small squad of guards solve? If something really big were to happen in Temur City, it shouldn’t be something a Logistics Officer could solve. I think something is fishy.”

“Hmm… what you said makes sense, but I don’t think he would harm me. I’ll listen to you and be more careful.”

After saying that, Bal started thinking. The jolting carriage was very quiet.

After a while, Phia broke the silence.

“There’s something else I’m concerned about.”

“What?”

“I heard you were very popular when you were studying. I remember someone once told me that you only read the classics. What’s the story?”

“Are you jealous?”

“Hmph, how could I be jealous of something so old?”

Phia turned her head away so Bal couldn’t see her face, but the blush on her cat ears betrayed her thoughts.

Bal looked at Phia’s pink cat ears, smiled, put Phia on his lap, rested his chin on top of her head, and whispered in her cat ears.

“Okay, little cat, don’t be jealous. Udel also said that I rejected all those girls. I only like you.”

“Hmph, you better be. Let’s get this straight. In my dictionary, there’s no breakup, only widowhood.”

“Okay, okay, be good. Do you want to sleep in my arms?”

“…Don’t you dare move, or you’ll be sorry.”

“Yes, ma’am, my Demon King.”

“Smooth-talking.”

Phia relaxed in Bal’s arms and soon fell into a steady breathing rhythm.

Bal looked at the lovely cat in his arms, rubbed his face against her head, and closed his eyes.

Unbeknownst to them, a major event that would change their lives was about to come. They enjoyed the calm before the storm.