Chapter 143

The moment Xiarette pushed the door open—

A torrent of fire dragon surged toward her face, clashing and neutralizing with the defensive magic she had preemptively activated. The collision of the high-temperature flames let out a sharp sizzling sound.

And through the curtain of fire, she looked ahead—inside the room, an even more intense fire spell was already being condensed and prepared.

If this spell were to be released, it would likely burn down half the house.

Forget the second spell...! That first one already scorched the front door!

“Stop, stop, stop!! Fire Lizard! Don’t wreck the place! If you burn the house down, where am I supposed to live?!” Sheffy was genuinely panicking!

“Useless talk...! Villain... prepare to die!”

Alright, Sheffy had clearly overestimated her rationality.

Timani was agitated and jumpy—completely beyond reason.

Having already overturned the solid wooden table to use as cover, Timani was crouched behind it. The torrent of flames coalescing at her fingertips had reached its critical point. All she needed now was to quietly chant the spell’s incantation, and this entire area would be reduced to ashes.

But the cold sweat on her forehead suggested she hadn’t fully recovered from her earlier magical depletion—casting magic was still a strain.

No choice left—time for forceful measures.

At the very instant Xiarette drew the Holy Sword in preparation to engage, the six wings behind Sheffy had already spread open in a flash.

The concept of space itself seemed meaningless in her presence.

In the blink of an eye, from Timani’s shocked perspective, the figure that had entered through the backlit doorway—originally too dim to make out clearly—was suddenly right in front of her.

That delicate and petite face was now reflected in Timani’s golden vertical pupils.

This time, she saw clearly who it was.

Which also meant—Timani had no choice but to release the spell!

“Demon Clan Princess?! Damn it... what’s the scheme behind bringing me here?! Prepare to—huh?!”

“Sheffy?!”

Not just Timani—even Xiarette, who had arrived a step late, was stunned by Sheffy’s move.

The magical particles swirling around Timani’s fingertip had already taken form—and Sheffy had actually...

—She had actually just chomped down hard on that fragile finger with her mouth!

The sharpness of her little canine tooth brought a sharp sting to Timani’s finger, but that was the least of her concerns.

What truly mattered was... she could feel her magic rapidly draining. The 【Dragonflame Torrent】 that should have been impossible to retract didn’t cause any destruction or effect—almost as if it had vanished into thin air.

“My magic... was devoured?”

It felt like she’d been bitten by a little shark... and that infuriated Timani.

Because... as someone born strong, this was already the second time today she had felt so powerless.

It was a truth she couldn’t accept—but also couldn’t change.

Timani swung her wrist with the brute strength innate to the Fire Dragon Clan, trying to fling off the creature clinging to her finger. But despite the tremendous force swinging Sheffy’s petite body up and down, she still couldn’t shake her off.

Timani was genuinely on the verge of crying!

“Let go...! You rude little—! Aah, are you some kind of man-eating flower?! It hurts!”

“Mm mm mm mm...!” (It’s because if I let go, you’ll burn the house down!)

With Sheffy’s mouth still latched onto her finger, her words came out muffled and unclear. Xiarette stood frozen for several seconds, utterly stunned by this bizarre scene, before snapping back to her senses. She hurriedly grabbed Sheffy’s body and quickly tried to calm Timani down.

“Miss Timani...! It’s me, I’m Hero Xiarette—we’re not here to hurt you. We’re trying to help you!”

“Hero?! But the Demon Clan Princess is right there—ah, alright, I get it, I get it! I’ll stop the spell! Just let go already! She’s gonna bite my finger off!”

Oh, see, you should’ve just said that earlier. I went through all that for nothing.

The moment Sheffy released her bite, she was pulled away by Xiarette. As she was whisked through the air, a faint sparkling arc trailed behind. Timani stared at the bright red bite mark on her finger, speechless and teary-eyed.

Xiarette immediately smacked Sheffy on the back of the head with a stern scolding!

“Sheffy, why would you bite her finger...?! You’ve never even bitten me befo—cough, I mean, that was very wrong of you!”

Sheffy wiped the corner of her mouth and let out a small, adorable burp.

But this burp was a little unusual—a wisp of flame and a trace of smoke actually drifted out from her lips.

“Burp... Well, can’t be helped, Xia. This is our home, after all. At this distance, any magic clash would’ve caused real damage, right? Even 【Storage Magic Space】 might not store things accurately in a rush. Compared to uncertain methods like that, it’s just better to swallow it directly!”

“Devouring magic... is that some new kind of magical concept?”

“Nope, I just opened the 【Storage Magic Space】 inside my mouth. That way, the fire can’t burn up the furniture. Isn’t that such a creative idea?”

“So in the end, it was still storage! No... don’t use that trick ever again.”

“Why not? It’s super convenient.”

“No reason. I said no, so no.”

“Fine... what a waste of genius creativity.”

Timani brought her finger to her lips and blew on it to ease the pain. The tear at the corner of her eye was filled with grievance, but also laced with unyielding defiance—as if silently narrating her ill-fated night.

And yet, the sharp glint in her eyes never faded for a second.

She hadn’t let her guard down.

She had collapsed from magical exhaustion in the arena after giving it her all, and when she came to, she was lying on this unfamiliar floor.

She had no idea how she’d ended up here, nor where “here” even was.

Waking up in a state of depleted mana had left Timani feeling extremely vulnerable. While quietly gathering enough magic to at least protect herself, she also observed the outside from the window.

No guards. No people inside the mansion either. It looked like some remote, deserted area. But the furnishings, meals, and lighting within the house clearly indicated that it was inhabited.

Timani had considered escaping outright, but ultimately decided to stay, recover her mana, and observe for now.

Since she hadn’t been harmed during her unconsciousness, nor felt any discomfort upon waking, that meant the other party’s intentions were not robbery or murder.

Walking away without understanding the situation would have been even riskier.

But more importantly...

—She had lost the match at the arena.

Timani was now utterly homeless.

Even if she left, where could she go?

“I’m telling you, Xia, I lost the bet just now. She really didn’t leave. I owe you two fish. Once I catch them, I’ll sneak them into your bed.”

“Don’t do that. Let’s just say I lost, alright?”

“I never go back on a bet. I’ll pay back those fish for sure... uh, Xia, the Fire Lizard seems to be crying.”

Crouched beside the overturned table, Timani was weakly sobbing.

Her stomach kept growling from time to time, throwing fuel onto her sorrow.

Even when those large, unwilling tears fell to the floor, she still refused to make a sound while crying.

Xiarette and Sheffy exchanged a look, both feeling a little at a loss.

They had no idea how to comfort others—they only knew how to comfort each other.

But right now, there was one thing they could do.

“Xia, let’s eat. Look at her—she’s crying from hunger.”

“Alright. Even if that’s not why she’s crying, she’s definitely hungry.”

...

To eat with such wolfish intensity—this was only the second time Sheffy and Xiarette had seen it.

The first time was at a roadside tavern in the Royal Capital, when they ran into Timani.

And the second time—it was still Timani.

“This is so good...! This fish head is really amazing! Ahh... how did you get the fish to taste like this?! Isn’t it supposed to turn to charcoal the moment it’s grilled?! And it’s even sweet... Hero, I’m serious—your human race is incredible!”

“Haah... I think this is the most basic way to grill fish. Why would it turn to ash right away... uh, Miss Timani, how come you haven’t spat out any bones? Did you... eat even the bones?!”

Sheffy chuckled and patted Xiarette’s shoulder, signaling her to let it go.

Why bother? Sheffy admired her eating style—it was so primal, rugged, and full of spirit!

Timani clutched the fish meat tightly, devouring it with laser focus. She was a stunningly beautiful girl, yet paid no attention to her manners while eating. In Sheffy’s eyes, that just made the food look even more delicious.

Sheffy herself was no slouch either.

She jabbed her fork at lightning speed, stuffing fish into her mouth like she was racing against time—so fast it almost left afterimages.

Hey... not bad. As the cook, Xiarette found the sight pretty satisfying!

At least it proved her grilled fish really did taste good.

The whole grilled fish and all the side dishes were soon wiped clean. Timani patted her now-full stomach. Though her crimson pupils gleamed with gratitude and contentment, the wariness and suspicion in them had not faded one bit.

Her eyes remained locked on the silver-haired witch across from her—a figure whose name made even higher races shudder—as well as that ferocious way of eating...

Timani’s brows knit together slightly, as she tried to analyze the situation and draw some conclusions.

“Demon Clan Princess... why are you with the Hero... don’t tell me... ah...! I get it now! You two must’ve conspired together—planning to capture me and use me to threaten the high races of the Northern Territory in exchange for benefits, right?! Give it up! That kind of plan is pointless—they don’t care if I live or die. Even if you stew me into soup, it won’t help you at all! Let alone... let alone me giving in!”

Oh, please stop. You just exposed your own pitiful situation beyond any means of concealment.

“Alright, alright, put away those little flames already,” Sheffy said, pressing her fork down, still not giving up on her meal. “Stop jumping to wild conclusions. You already scorched the front door earlier—wasn’t that noisy enough? I just went through the trouble of fixing the door, and now you're stirring things up again. I’m warning you: if you burn anything else this time, I’ll skewer you over the fire and roast you into a real Fire Lizard!”

“!”

She really was a violent witch!

Wait—what did she just say?

Door?

Hearing that word, Timani instinctively turned toward the entrance.

Just earlier, that door had been charred by her fire magic.

But now, as her gaze fell upon it, Timani blinked in surprise.

That same door, which had just been scorched and billowing smoke... now looked completely restored—fresh, clean, even shinier than before.

How... was that even possible?

If it were the old her, Timani would’ve flatly declared that no such magic existed in the world.

But this sort of thing—she had seen it once before...

It hadn’t happened long ago.

So she still remembered clearly—that day in the small tavern, when that annoying girl named Shaya cast what could only be described as a magical miracle.

Back then, the tavern was a total wreck, and it, too, had been restored as if touched by divine power.

And now—this situation was exactly the same.

Timani thought hard, her expression slowly shifting into one of realization.

Sheffy raised an eyebrow, figuring she must’ve caught on.

And yet...

Timani sat back down on her chair, clenched her left fist and smacked it into her right palm, blurting out a conclusion that nearly made Sheffy choke on a fish bone!

“I’ve got it! I always wondered why that girl named Shaya was so annoying—your magic shares a common origin... So! Shaya must be part of the Demon Clan too, right?! Don’t tell me... she’s the Demon Clan Princess’s sister?!”

“Is that brain of yours just for decoration?!”

“How dare a Demon Clan member insult me?!”

“Yeah, I’m insulting you! Bleh—roasted brain, melted intelligence.”

“You...! Don’t go too far!”

Well... what else could she do but get angry?

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