Chapter 77

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This chapter is edited by Rain. Thank you for your contribution!

Chapter 77: The Landlady’s Recommendation

Isabella had been struggling lately.

Not only were the deceived residents beginning to distance themselves from her, but ever since Qiong arrived, Isabella found herself unable to sleep soundly at night, constantly feeling anxious.

She feared that one day Lolth might steal the information from her mind.

Or worse… one day, she might realize the information had already been stolen!

This constant pressure left the once-honorable Isabella in a state of deep anxiety.

In truth, she knew that consuming so much food every day wasn’t really helping the residents at all—just a drop in the bucket! It was more of a form of self-comfort.

After all, binge eating and drinking was a common way for many to relieve stress and anxiety.

Today’s unexpected visit from Lolth made Isabella even more nervous.

She was worried that Lolth might sit down, start scanning her soul, and then evilly say, “Thanks for the information, now the Holy Alliance is finished,” before leaving her feeling regretful, all while indulging in crispy chicken and barbecue rice.

However, when Lolth noticed the neatly packed iron lunch boxes on Isabella’s table, she couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of her eye.

This knight certainly had quite the appetite…

Even though she was strong, eating food meant to last a hundred kilometers seemed like a lot.

She planned to bring her along, and it seemed like they’d need to prepare even more food…

Nevertheless, there really was no better choice.

After all, the strongest people in the town were busy building houses and farms at the construction site. The capable Maider had recommended Tina.

“Isabella, hand over your work tomorrow. Get ready to leave the town for a few days.”

Upon hearing this, Isabella tensed up immediately.

“Are you going to interrogate me in secret?”

“Yes, but not in the town. Tormenting you here would be too risky…” Lolth replied with a slight pause, sensing Isabella’s unease.

Lolth, who had gained considerable experience dealing with Tina, glanced at Isabella’s expression. Sensing a shift in her soul, she immediately realized that Isabella must have misunderstood.

“Why has this knight become so good at imagining all these random things lately…”

Internally groaning, Lolth quickly interrupted Isabella’s mental spiraling.

“I’m just going to purchase some building materials in a few big cities. I need a few helpers, so make sure you’re prepared,” she explained, wanting to stop Isabella from overthinking and to keep her from getting distracted by her food.

With that, Lolth swiftly left, saying, “I’ll inform you before we depart!”

Isabella stood there for a moment, staring blankly at her crispy chicken bibimbap.

“She… wants to take me to the big city in the west to buy materials?”

No, it couldn’t be that simple…

“I understand… Is this to send a message to those cities and the captured nobles?”

“If even I, of all people, have submitted, it would certainly strike a heavy blow to them…”

“Moreover, the nobles from the Republic of Seychelles might mock and humiliate me…”

Isabella’s thoughts spiraled further. “Maybe they want to use this opportunity to make everyone believe I’ve fallen from grace, so I won’t have a chance to clear my name again.”

With a heavy heart, Isabella finished the last bite of her food, feeling a pang of sadness.

“This succubus is truly wicked…”

Isabella couldn’t help but think, though there was nothing she could do about it.

She could only sit back quietly and wait for everything to unfold.

The mere thought of the news reaching the Ryman Empire sent a shiver down her spine.

“I hope… there will be a turning point in this situation,” she mused silently to herself, reaching for a fresh box of rice mixed with grilled meat.

As Isabella sought comfort in her food, trying to ease the pressure, Lolth had already left the torture tower and was making her way toward Hillenbrand Town.

Bringing only Isabella along was certainly not enough.

And it would be rather embarrassing too!

Lolth decided to take a stroll through the town, hoping to find other suitable candidates. Plus, she could grab a midnight snack at the tavern.

After all, Isabella had eaten so heartily just now that Lolth herself felt hungry.

As she entered the town, Hillenbrand was livelier in the evening than it had been before. Many residents returning from the south noticed Lolth and greeted her warmly.

“Master Lolth, come take a walk through the town!”

“Have you eaten, Lord?”

“The dinner tonight was delicious, Lord—would you like to try it?”

“Good evening, Master Lolth—you’re looking especially beautiful today!”

After spending over a week with the townspeople, they had already realized that this Demon Lord was not as evil and cruel as the nobles had claimed. Instead, she was quite kind and friendly.

Generous, benevolent toward the people, skilled at cooking delicious food, and approachable!

Being an Abyssal Demon? That didn’t seem to matter at all!

This was certainly much better than those noble lords.

Lolth returned the warmth of the townspeople with a nod and a smile, acknowledging each one as she passed by.

Before long, she arrived at the front of the small tavern, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.

Maider wasn’t around today, so only Ann and the landlady were present in the tavern.

“Oh, landlady… Ann, good evening,” Lolth greeted them both with a smile.

The landlady, sitting behind the bar as usual, stood up at the sight of Lolth’s arrival. “Oh, isn’t this our lord?” she exclaimed. “What brings you here? Are you finally planning to have a drink today?”

“No, no, I don’t drink,” Lolth replied with a grin. “I came today to taste the landlady’s cooking.”

She had already guessed that the landlady must have recognized her by now. “Just give me some special snacks!”

The landlady smiled and shook her head. “Even if you’re being casual, I can’t deceive our lord. After all… your cooking is quite impressive,” she said, playfully.

“Oh no, it’s just luck,” Lolth said modestly.

Without further delay, the landlady quickly prepared a bowl of special mushroom soup from the Republic of Seychelles and placed it in front of Lolth.

“These days, Kanor has been well taken care of by you… consider this bowl as my treat,” the landlady said warmly.

“Oh no, it’s mostly Jessica, Meisha, and the others watching over her,” Lolth replied, waving her hand as she tasted a spoonful of the soup. “Mmm… it’s really good!”

She placed the bowl down and, noticing how friendly the landlady seemed, she decided to ask a question.

“I plan to visit a few big cities in the next few days to buy some building materials and such. I need a few assistants. Do you know anyone in this town who might be suitable for these jobs?”

The landlady paused for a moment, her expression thoughtful.

“Let me think…” she murmured.

Then, a smile crept across her face.

“Oh, I actually have a few quite suitable candidates in mind.”