Free Web Novel“It can only be nourished slowly.” Aislin’s gaze was complicated as she looked at the green ointment in her hand, then turned back toward Vieya standing behind her. “She has both new and old injuries. And for a monster, being able to maintain a human form after suffering injuries this severe is extremely rare.”
For most monsters, once their HP drops to around 20%, they can no longer maintain a human form.
“Maybe she’s just special.” Vieya brushed the topic aside lightly and changed to a new question. “Sister Aislin, you don’t seem to be in a very good mood tonight. Is it because of what Longyue said?”
“......”
Aislin was silent for a moment, then forced a smile. “Was it really that obvious?”
“Of course it was obvious. You only ate two bites at dinner before stopping.” Vieya put her hands on her hips and said leisurely. “Anyway, what’s done is done. Worrying won’t help. Instead, it’s better to let Elliti develop better adaptability and learning ability. This world is dangerous—having strength yourself matters more than anything.”
“...No wonder you can possess such terrifying power.”
Aislin finally understood why her old friend had been able to pile up her strength to such an unbelievable level. Even she herself, blessed by the Moonlight Goddess, still couldn’t see the other party’s true depth.
Perhaps she had accepted the blessing of some war-related deity long ago? Mm, long before they ever met.
“Sister Aislin, leave the next round of applying medicine to me.” Vieya raised a hand and pointed toward the room behind her, smiling gently as she comforted her. “If you run into something unpleasant, just sleep it off. If you can’t sleep, take a few more sleeping pills. You’ll feel better tomorrow.”
“Where did you learn that kind of banter?” Aislin shot her a sideways glance and sighed. “Just don’t mix up the medicines. The green jar is for external use, and the white one is for oral use.”
“Wait—there’s internal and external use too?”
“Of course.”
“Green is for applying, white is for eating. Got it.”
“Good. Then I’ll head back to my room to rest. After that, tomorrow morning I’ll take you to see the white-feathered griffins of our Elven Royal Court. I brought two of them—they’re outside Aydin City. Traveling on them is very fast.”
“Alright. I’m looking forward to your griffins.”
After seeing the elf lady off, Vieya finally turned her attention to the mermaid placed on the sofa.
“Isabelle, I know you’re awake. Stop pretending.”
Vieya reached out and smacked her tail with a pa.
Isabelle’s body trembled. The next moment, she slowly opened her eyes, her azure gaze filled with complicated emotions.
She asked, “Who... are you?” freewebnovel.cσ๓
“I’m your master.” Vieya handed the white jar to her and said calmly. “Hold this. This one you eat. Take it slowly—I’ll apply the green one for you.”
“Thank you,” Isabelle said pitifully. “But I don’t think I can lift my arms.”
“Useless fish.”
Vieya frowned, turned to the kitchen to find a spoon, then sat down beside Isabelle on the sofa. She scooped up a dollop of white paste and brought it to the mermaid’s mouth. As Isabelle took the spoon and swallowed the paste, several lines of text appeared before Vieya’s eyes.
[Scale-Gathered Merman]
[Name: Isabelle]
[Level: 999 (Severely Injured, all attributes reduced by 98%)]
[Origin: Eastern Realm Dragon-Gauze Palace, mutated merman.]
[Abilities: Divine Fish, Sea God’s Spear, Wind and Rain Calling, Clear Body, Ocean of Sloth.]
[Threat Level: Minimal (Demon King Authority disassociated, title sealed)]
[Note: Scale-Gathered Mermen have the most tender and sweet flesh among all mermen. Their population is extremely, extremely, extremely small! A thousand years might pass before one is seen. One bite extends lifespan, cures all ailments, and dispels misfortune with great luck. If encountered, do not miss the chance.]
Vieya couldn’t help swallowing a mouthful of saliva. She ignored the indecent note and focused on the abilities column. This Demon King actually had five abilities—one tier higher than the two at home.
Judging purely by strength, she was probably in the first echelon of Demon Kings beneath Flaviel. Unfortunately, the negative effects listed afterward were far too severe. Percentage-based attribute reduction, title sealing—utterly miserable.
So how did she end up like this?
Vieya couldn’t figure it out. She didn’t think that the two slashes she’d delivered across half an ocean back then could have caused such massive debuffs.
And with Isabelle’s abilities and strength, as long as she stayed in the ocean, she would be completely in her element.
At the very least, Vieya had no desire to fight her at sea.
After thinking it over, Vieya slowed the pace of feeding the medicine and casually asked, “Isabelle, how did ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) you end up like this? You look really pathetic.”
“Mmnh...”
Isabelle swallowed the medicinal paste with some difficulty. But after hearing the question, the emotions she had just barely recovered sank again. After a long while, she slowly closed her beautiful eyes and said softly,
“My retainers betrayed me. They joined forces with humans and forced me to hand over the position of Demon King.”
“In the ocean, and you still couldn’t beat them? That doesn’t sound right.” Vieya clicked her tongue. In her memory, this fish was slippery and adept at water escape.
She usually stayed deep in the sea, and even back then, when Vieya the Hero came knocking, she had just stirred up a tsunami and fled decisively.
“Don’t tell me they lured you into some kind of trap that was unfavorable to you?” Vieya guessed, her feeding pace returning to normal.
“...How did you know?” Isabelle froze.
“You should call me Master.” Vieya corrected her calmly. “Here, open your mouth and finish this last bite. Then I’ll help you take off your clothes and apply medicine to your wounds.”
“Th-thank you?” Isabelle said, flattered.
“From now on, you’re my pet.” Vieya stroked her beautiful sea-blue hair. “I’ll help you restore your authority as a Demon King. You’d better remember my kindness.”
“Restore my authority? You... why are you being so good to me?” Isabelle asked blankly.
“Call me Master.” Vieya corrected her again while applying medicine to the wounds on her tail. “Once you’re healed, you’ll serve me. Whatever I tell you to do, you do it. Even if I tell you to die, you’ll do it.”
“......”
Isabelle fell silent, unmoving. Only when Vieya applied the green ointment to her wounds did she tremble slightly.
“Your life belongs to me,” Vieya said softly, stroking the mermaid’s tail.
After a long while.
Isabelle gave a quiet response. “Alright...”
“Heh. You’re much more obedient than the other Demon Kings.” Vieya smiled, then suddenly sighed as if she remembered something. “Alright, the medicine’s applied.”
“Thank you... Master,” Isabelle said haltingly. It was her first time calling someone Master, and she felt a little shy.
But when she thought about how her Master was also a Demon King, and could even touch and wield the Holy Sword, her shyness was overwhelmed by curiosity.
She really wanted to ask this fellow Demon King some questions, but she didn’t dare ask recklessly, afraid of stepping on her Master’s landmines and being punished.
Demon Kings were always competitors. The other party was also a Demon King—there was no reason to treat her this well. Spending so much money to buy her, removing the slave lock from her neck, personally feeding her medicine and applying ointment...
“Oh right, Isabelle. Do you want revenge?” Vieya asked suddenly as she helped her put her clothes back on.
“Those retainers who betrayed me and poisoned me... I killed them all.” Isabelle said weakly. “These injuries were inflicted by a group of humans I didn’t recognize. They all wore masks, and their methods were strange. I couldn’t see through them—I couldn’t even sense their presence. I paid a huge price to escape, only to run into those greedy people.”
“Masks...”
Vieya stood up without saying anything. She already understood. But matters involving those people couldn’t be resolved in a short time.
It was already late. It was better to find a blanket for Isabelle on the sofa and let her recover most of her injuries before making detailed plans.
After covering her with a blanket, Vieya was about to leave when Isabelle suddenly grabbed her clothes, opening her mouth as if she wanted to say something.
But at that moment, someone knocked on the window by the door.
“Captain! Are you asleep?” someone shouted outside, sounding a little anxious.
“...How did this guy find his way here.” Vieya yawned and turned off the light. The living room fell into darkness.
In the dark, Isabelle also silently let go, her azure eyes looking toward the window in confusion.
Strange—the aura on the person outside the window felt familiar. Like she’d sensed it somewhere before. A very familiar feeling...
“Wait, don’t turn off the light! Wait, Captain—don’t hide from us!” the person outside kept shouting.
Bang!
“It’s the middle of the night—have you got any manners?!”
Vieya pushed the door open, about to scold loudly, when she suddenly noticed that behind Aurora, who was knocking, there was another figure standing there.
She froze.
“Ophina... no, Aurora! Why did you bring your sister with you?!”
