Survival Guide After Accidentally Kissing a Demon - Chapter 215

Chapter 215

Amidst the chaos-

Beili and Ashera had already avoided the crowd, walking to a secluded corner.

Beili was still thinking about the sinful Mana in the Mana Crystal Water, walking silently along the small path.

Ashera held her hand, floating beside her with his toes hovering off the ground. His eyelashes curved slightly as he continued to look at her from the corner of his eye.

Ever since this guy got his eyes back, his gaze had hardly left her for a moment.

Clack-clack, clack-clack…

The sound of hoofbeats echoed behind them, approaching from the distance.

Beili’s thoughts were pulled back by the sound. She turned around and saw the people in Brown Robes, who had been driving away the peddlers, appearing behind them on horseback.

Beili was about to make way for them.

They reined in their horses and stopped.

The horses let out short whinnies, their hooves stomping in place, splashing murky water from the low-lying puddles.

The Brown-clothed People leaned forward slightly on their horses. Their tone was respectful yet carried an air that brooked no refusal as they spoke to Ashera:

“Your Highness, His Majesty the King of our Nauze Kingdom sincerely invites you to the Imperial Palace in the royal city. Please come with us.”

Hearing their words, Beili blinked her red eyes and turned to look at the silver-haired man in the Black Robe beside her.

As it turned out, the latter had a slight curl to his lips and was looking at her with a smile in his eyes.

“Little Butterfly, do you think I should go with them?” he asked in a lazy tone.

Why was this guy asking for her opinion at a time like this?

Beili was caught off guard and murmured somewhat blankly, “How should I know? This is your business.”

“Hmm?”

Ashera let out a soft hum with a raised eyebrow. He reached out to pull her by the shoulder, laughing softly. “That won’t do. I want to hear your thoughts. Besides, if I go with them, you’re naturally coming with me.”

Beili paused. She felt that Ashera probably planned to go to the Imperial Palace in Nauze in his heart.

So, she deliberately went against him, shaking her head and spitting out two words: “Not going.”

The corners of his cold, thin lips curled into a handsome arc. Ashera turned to the Brown-clothed People and said, “Then we aren’t going.”

Beili was secretly surprised. She asked in a low, uncertain voice, “Really not going?”

Ashera’s eyelashes curved as he nodded to her with a smile, answering with certainty, “Really not going.”

Beili thought for a moment and felt she might have guessed wrong-perhaps Ashera actually didn’t want to go.

So she went against him again, changing her tune. “Wait… let’s go.”

The smile in Ashera’s eyes deepened, and he said to the Brown-clothed People again, “Then we are going.”

“…”

Now Beili was confused, having no idea what he was trying to do.

Ashera’s current behavior was as if he were truly just taking her out for a stroll, going wherever she pleased.

Beili was quiet for a few seconds. After some thought, she finally shook her head and said, “Actually, let’s not go.”

Beili felt that the expressions of the Brown-clothed People had become quite a sight.

The half-faces visible beneath their wide-brimmed hoods had lips pressed into straight lines, and the corners of their mouths twitched slightly. They were clearly speechless.

She could almost hear the sound of these people rolling their eyes at the two of them in their hearts.

But Ashera didn’t care at all.

Still wearing a nonchalant expression, he turned back to the Brown-clothed People and repeated once more, “We aren’t going.”

…

The atmosphere became quiet.

The Brown-clothed People on horseback looked at each other, exchanging glances.

However, before they had time to speak or take their next step, several Black Silk Ribbons instantly pierced through their hearts.

Appearing along with the Black Silk Ribbons was a gust of strong wind that blew back the wide hoods the men wore, revealing their wide-staring eyes.

The light in their eyes was rapidly fading.

Beili’s eyes also widened, her red pupils trembling slightly, her face filled with the shock of not having reacted in time.

In the next second, a cold, large hand covered her eyes.

Her vision plunged into darkness.

It seemed as if Chains had emerged from the ground, wrapping around Ashera’s limbs with the dull, crisp sound of metal clashing.

She heard Ashera whisper in her ear:

“Sorry, Little Butterfly, I forgot about our Contract-”

“I should have asked you before the slaughter, but they were truly too annoying.”

“I originally didn’t want to do this.”

The smile on his face faded, and he let out a sigh, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.

“Even though I clearly refused them, they were actually planning in their hearts to forcibly take us back to the palace.”

Beili heard the muffled ‘wuwu’ sounds of powerless struggling after being tightly bound, as well as the ‘crack’ of breaking bones.

The sound of the Chains coiling and tightening around Ashera became even clearer.
Two complex sounds rang out, sounding exceptionally harsh in the quiet atmosphere.

They made the back of Beili’s neck crawl. She reached out with both hands, grasping the fingers and wrist covering her eyes.

“There’s no need to kill them.”

She spoke quickly: “Just give them a lesson. Once they’ve learned their lesson, they probably won’t try to force us anymore.”

But-

“Mm… it’s already too late, Little Butterfly.”

Ashera’s chin rubbed lightly against the top of her head. He leaned down slightly, leaning close to her ear to explain in a lazy, low whisper: “They are already dead.”

The cold hand moved away from her eyes, and the dim light returned to clarity.

Beili looked toward the horses. Only a few shriveled corpses, looking like withered wood and draped in Brown Robes, remained atop them.

She looked back at Ashera; there was no trace of the Chains on him.

She was quiet for two seconds before saying softly, “You just wanted to absorb Mana from them.”

“So, regardless of whether we go to the palace of Nauze or not, you were going to kill them anyway,” she said.

Ashera tilted his head slightly, humming with a lingering tone as he pondered for a moment. Then, he patted her head, a smile spreading across his lips.

“You’re quite right,” he said in a low, gentle voice, making no attempt to hide it.

With that, his pale, slender fingers made a gesture, and a Black Horse slowly materialized from a condensation of black mist.

In the next second, Beili felt her body lighten as she was lifted by Ashera. They both sat upon the horse.

“Now we can travel in peace.”

Ashera pulled his arms tight, circling her in his embrace.

He turned his face slightly, resting his chin on her shoulder. His thin lips parted, his words brushing against her ear along with his cold breath.

“My dear Little Butterfly, where would you like to go?”

Despite having restrained his aura, his embrace remained ice-cold.

Beili withdrew her gaze from the shriveled corpses of the Brown-clothed People. After a few seconds of silence, her voice carried a tremor she hadn’t even noticed herself as she said, “I want to follow those water vendors.”

Beili suddenly had a premonition-the reason Ashera had no plan for the trip to Nauze might be because he was also collecting Mana everywhere.

Ashera’s method of collecting Mana through slaughter was much faster than her method of absorbing sinful Mana.

And he was in a hurry.

If he encountered a Mage he could take down, he wouldn’t hesitate to strike.

Perhaps it was to prepare for retrieving the second item-his Torso.

At this thought, a shadow gradually cast itself over Beili’s heart.

“Follow the water vendors?”

Hearing her words, Ashera raised an eyebrow slightly and asked in a lazy tone, “Why follow them?”

“Because I’m curious.”

Beili lowered her eyes, masking the stiff expression on her face as she replied calmly, “I just want to see where the water they sell comes from.”

Ashera let out a low chuckle, holding her tighter as if he were cradling a cat. He pressed a light kiss to her earlobe and said, “Fine, we’ll do as you wish.”

As the words fell, the pitch-black horse moved in a certain direction under his command.

…

On the road.

Beili’s heart felt somewhat heavy. She brooded silently, not sparing a single glance at the person behind her.

Ashera, on the other hand, acted as if nothing had happened. He seemed to greatly enjoy riding the same horse as her, his gaze fixed only on the side of her face; the roadside scenery didn’t register in his eyes at all.

…

After being driven away, the water vendors would not return to this mist-shrouded Town for a short while.

Thus, the Black Horse beneath them, driven by a certain someone, soon left the Town far behind after traveling for a while.

After another stretch of road, Beili spotted the vendors in a forest.

They were gathered together, seemingly discussing their next destination.

In the distance, the two people on the Black Horse did not approach.

The Black Horse was draped in Fish-scale Black Iron Armor, and its face was also covered in black iron, shielding its eyes. It made the sound of clashing metal as it moved.

Beili and Ashera followed behind the vendors just like that. When those people entered a Teleportation Array, they followed; when those people stopped, they stopped too.

Gradually, the water vendors also realized they were being followed.

They tried to shake the two of them off. The group would speed up for a while, suddenly turn a corner, or split up and duck into narrow, intersecting alleys.

However, no matter what method they came up with, the two people on the Black Horse would always appear behind them at the next intersection.

Finally, the water vendors couldn’t take it anymore. They sent a representative over to inquire.

The representative sent over was the very same one who had taken the initiative to talk to the two of them while selling water.

The vendor rode his horse up to them. After pulling the reins tight, he asked in a tactful tone:
“You two… excuse me, why have you been following us?”

They had been called out directly.

Sitting in front of the Black Horse, the girl silently looked back at the silver-haired man in the Black Robe behind her. Her words were calm, her voice very soft as she said, “Didn’t you just confidently say they wouldn’t notice?”

The man did not speak. He lowered his golden eyes, the corners of his lips curling into a beautiful arc as he gave her a gentle smile.

When he looked up at the newcomer again, his gaze turned icy, and a dark, gloomy light flickered in the depths of his eyes.

Meeting the man’s gaze, the water vendor’s heart couldn’t help but tighten. Even the horse beneath him took half a step back in unease.

“You two…”

He still forced himself to remain calm as he spoke: “If there’s nothing else, please stop following us.”

“Hmm?”

The man gave a low chuckle and said, “Since you’ve already walked right up to us…”

His golden eyes stared, suddenly becoming deep and dark, as if he could seize a person’s soul in his hands.

“Don’t even think about going back.”

The man stared into the water vendor’s eyes. His tone was as casual as ever, but it seemed to carry a certain magic.

At the same time, a strand of Black Silk Ribbons burrowed into the vendor’s head, leaving a black mark like a birthmark on his forehead.

Gradually, the water vendor’s eyes became dull and hollow, his will seemingly controlled by a powerful force.

“What is your name?” the man asked.

After a moment, the water vendor’s tone was somewhat halting, answering without any emotion.

“…Vulture.”

Vulture?

Mr. Vulture?

Was it the Mr. Vulture who helped her gather information in the Flea Nest?

Beili’s long, curled eyelashes trembled slightly upon hearing his answer, and a light flashed through her eyes.

She looked at the water vendor again-

Like the other vendors, he was dressed very simply, wearing layers of dark, durable, coarse cotton clothes.

His eyebrows had become very thick and bushy, and half his face was covered by a grey-black beard.

Looking at those eyes again, even though they were lined with thick eyeliner, the contours were still soft.

No wonder the vendor had given her a sense of familiarity when they first met.

It turned out Mr. Vulture had come to the Nauze Kingdom.

“What’s wrong?”

Ashera seemed to feel the sudden change in her emotions. His eyelashes paused slightly, and then his golden eyes turned to look at her.

“Little Butterfly, do you know him?” he asked thoughtfully, his tone slow.

Beili suppressed all her emotions and shook her head calmly.

“I don’t… I just thought the name was interesting.”

Ashera chuckled. He shifted his gaze back to the vendor named Vulture and said slowly, “From today on, you are ours. You will follow our orders.”

The vendor who called himself Vulture had soft-contoured eyes under his heavy, thick eyebrows that seemed to be covered by a layer of mist.

He nodded dazed and woodenly, his thick beard covering half his face trembling slightly as he spoke.

“From today on, I follow the orders of you two.”

From then on, the group had an extra guide.

No, a carriage driver.

…

In the Nauze Kingdom, the sale of Mana Crystal Water was prohibited.

This was because the Royal Family of the Nauze Kingdom naturally believed that this chain of profit should be held in their hands, or in the hands of the Nobles.

At the very least, they could drive the prices up.

Gold coins should not be earned by commoner vendors with a mind for business.

Commoners.

Oh, commoners were the lowliest of all.

In the palace of Nauze, the King received suggestions from the Nobles regarding Mana Crystal Water every day.

They believed the supply of Mana Crystal Water should be cut off.

After all, if everyone became a Noble, the wealth of Nauze would be divided into such small portions for each person-though the possibility of becoming a Noble was extremely low, such things had indeed happened.

Oh, Half-beasts had used Mana Crystal Water to turn themselves into Nobles who could freely switch between Beast Form and human form.

Although they had no other abilities besides the change in form, it was enough for this group of people to squeeze into the circle of Nobles.

They became the type most hated by the old-school Nobles.

They called these people greedy, low-level Nobles.

However, the Royal Family and the Nobles had no way to control the Mana Crystal Water.

Because the source of Mana Crystal Water was a long river.

This river had many branches that flowed through almost the entire Nauze Kingdom.

In the past, the Nobles only needed to arrange for people to scoop from the river, filter out the impurities, and boil it a few times before it could be sent to various shops to be sold at high prices.

This information was originally suppressed, but for some reason, it had gradually begun to spread.