Chapter 39
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This chapter is edited by Rain. Thank you for your contribution!
Chapter 39: Isabella’s Trial
Lolth had no idea how her unintentional choice at the Demon Tower had affected the Demon King’s thoughts. As for Hillenbrand Town, she remained blissfully unaware, viewing it merely as the beginning of her peaceful life.
From now on, her story would shift from an epic fantasy style reminiscent of “The Lord of the Rings” to a rural, idyllic narrative akin to “Anne of Green Gables”. She felt that in Hillenbrand Town, she could finally embrace a tranquil existence.
Fighting and killing? War and peace?
Let them go!
Lolth had no interest in such matters anymore.
The credit she’d earned for her actions on the western front would last for years, ensuring she had nothing to worry about.
“Ding!”
The sound of the oven signaled that her baking was done. Lolth opened the Otherworld oven—an intricate device crafted with four fire elements, two wind element magic arrays, and an automatic energy storage magic system. She carefully pulled out the slightly swollen, golden flatbread with its delightfully crispy edges. Placing it on a brass octagonal plate with distinctive Ryman-style engravings, she ladled a generous spoonful of her celebration minced meat soup onto half of the bread. The rest of the soup she poured into a separate bowl.
As a finishing touch, Lolth added a crispy chicken leg to the plate—a well-deserved reward for Isabella’s hard work.
Judging by the time, it had been five or six hours since Isabella began her task. The Grand Knight should have finished by now. Perfect timing to deliver this hearty work meal and get her feedback!
After that, she would begin preparing dinner for Tina.
Carrying the tray, Lolth made her way to the top floor. The long staircase seemed never-ending, but eventually, she reached the storage room. Inside, materials and farming tools were scattered in a somewhat chaotic manner.
Though not neatly arranged, everything was there as intended.
Amid the clutter, Lolth found Isabella sitting on a refined obsidian stone, breathing heavily.
Isabella’s usually sleek hair was now tangled and damp with sweat. Her hands rested on her knees, her elegant features marred by dirt and exhaustion. The light dress Lolth had sewn for her clung to her slender figure, soaked through and outlining her undergarments.
Despite being under the Curse of Weakness, Isabella relied on her unwavering strength and strong will to accomplish what seemed nearly impossible.
Each trip she made carried at least a thousand pounds of materials. Even with her rigorous training as a knight, it was a grueling task.
Initially manageable, despite the Curse of Weakness, Isabella’s strength surpassed that of the average adult male farmer or craftsman, and her endurance was unquestionable.
But with each back-and-forth journey, she gradually began to feel weak!
Without her usual knightly prowess, her hands blistered from carrying the ore, and her faltering grip almost caused her to stumble on the stairs several times. Toward the end, every step felt insurmountable. Black spots danced in her vision, and her mind grew fuzzy.
This indeed squeezed her body to its limit.
Thinking of the despicable face of the succubus and reminding herself that she must not yield to the torment of the demon race, Isabella managed to finish everything purely through sheer willpower.
Despite having exceptional talent and a good background, becoming a Legend Level Knight at the age of eighteen, and achieving numerous victories, Isabella relied not only on talent and privilege.
Unlike many second-generation, newly noble, and talented individuals who came to the Holy Alliance for fame and experience, Isabella had already been through the baptism of war before joining.
Apart from being a legendary Grand Knight, she was also the leader of the Northman Knight Order!
“Do you think that by torturing me like this, I will give in?”
Isabella even felt that such hardships made her willpower stronger.
No, not just her willpower—she had been stuck at a certain level for a while, but it seemed to loosen up a bit!
Ever since entering the legend level, she seemed to have hit a plateau and had been stuck at the Legend First Level.
As she progressed beyond the extraordinary epic and legend stages, advancement was no longer just about increasing magic, strength, and attributes. It was about mastering more powerful magic spells and martial skills.
Even if her progress remained stagnant for another ten years, she would still be much stronger than most people her age, even most “geniuses.” But deep down, Isabella still had concerns about it.
As the legitimate daughter of the Schwarzwald family and the future leader, she felt obligated to take on the safety of the entire country and continent.
Legend First Level is very strong.
But not strong enough!
For this, she has tried extra hard practicing, seeking out famous teachers, practicing with peers, and even learning some basic warrior skills.
Coming to the Holy Alliance to fight the demon race, she also desired breakthroughs.
However, today, Isabella could clearly feel…
that her own state of being had loosened.
Though she couldn’t show it due to the anti-magic shackles, she believed that she would progress to the next stage as soon as she removed them!
Was it because her mindset had changed in this desperate situation, or was it because of the anti-magic shackles?
Or perhaps pretending to submit earlier, seemingly breaking the so-called “knight’s code,” had actually freed her from the restraints that held her back?
Isabella hadn’t fully thought it through yet.
But she knew one thing: by chance, the succubus had made her stronger.
Even though Isabella was utterly exhausted, she still lifted her head with a cold and disdainful expression when she heard Lolth entering the room.
“Is that all?”
Isabella said proudly.
She felt like this knight was indeed a bit useless—getting out of breath from moving such a small load, yet still acting so tough! She had just pledged loyalty to her moments ago, and now she was being arrogant.
Along with that, Lolth’s opinion of Shelldor, who had once matched Isabella in strength, also diminished.
But regardless, since Isabella had successfully completed the task in the end, Lolth decided not to argue with her.
She was always very kind to people.
“It shouldn’t be too hard for you,” Lolth said as she placed a piece of bread on a black obsidian stone in front of Isabella. “Have some food to regain your strength. If you keep looking like this, you won’t last a few days!”
Lolth spoke with great concern.
Yuul
Thanks for the chapter!