novelraw Chapter 239
Chapter 239
Chapter 239
Timani wasn’t even worth mentioning.
Leaning against a pillar and sulking for some unknown reason, the Fire Lizard was still wearing the outfit Sheffy had gifted her.
There was no helping it—she was just too poor and didn’t own any other clothes.
The only thing that tugged at Sheffy’s heart...
Her gaze shifted toward the sword hilt hanging at Xiarette’s waist.
Sylatrella had awakened around noon, but in such a lively setting, she had said she felt too sleepy and low on energy, and might need a bit more rest, so she wasn’t coming out.
When asked what was wrong, she replied from within the sword in a casual tone that she was fine. She even told everyone to enjoy themselves and not forget to save her some food—she might get her strength back at midnight and have a sudden surge in appetite!
Since she said that and needed rest, no one wanted to disturb her any further.
She had once said that her spent magic power could recover in a day, but this time... the rest period seemed a bit longer than before...?
Sheffy quietly etched this matter into her mind, planning to investigate it thoroughly later.
There were many things one couldn’t afford to treat carelessly.
While she was lost in such scattered thoughts, the award ceremony seemed to have moved on to the next stage.
Father King and Mother Queen had been whispering in discussion on the high platform for quite some time, and in the end, Father King gave a nod. Compared to his earlier Demon King demeanor, his smile this time was much kinder.
Maybe... he was afraid of getting his head smashed in again.
“Haha, Xiarette, there’s no one else here, so I’ll just call you by your real name. Thank you for your contributions to the Demon King’s Army during this rebellion! It might sound a bit odd since you’re the Hero, but regardless of identity, you are a friend to us of the Demon Clan, and someone my Harl family holds in high regard. That’s beyond question.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Xiarette slightly lifted the hem of her skirt and curtsied gracefully, her manner elegant and dignified.
She really had no desire to attend this award ceremony—it was just too troublesome.
But then again, Sheffy’s eyes had always sparkled with anticipation.
There was a saying that went something like this—
—“Just spoil her.”
With a soft, bitter sigh, Xiarette heard the Demon King’s sincere inquiry.
“Xiarette, feel free to make a request—whatever reward you desire! As long as it’s something our Demon Domain can provide and it's reasonable, you can have it!”
“Mm...?”
Xiarette didn’t know why.
When she heard those words, she instinctively turned to glance at Sheffy.
Sheffy was currently playing rock-paper-scissors with Belith, deciding who would give the speech at the outdoor ceremony later.
Sensing a certain gaze, the ahoge on top of Sheffy’s head stood on end!
Eh?
She looked around, but didn’t notice any danger...?
Yet why did she just have a terrifying gut feeling, like she might get eaten alive by a wild beast?
She couldn’t sense anything, because Xiarette had already withdrawn her gaze.
The Demon King had already asked his question—it would be impolite to delay her answer.
Xiarette gave a bitter smile. Sometimes, she felt she truly was too “greedy.”
The bond and affection between Xiarette and Sheffy was an eternal secret only the two of them knew. There was no need to present it in the form of a “reward” in a place like this, nor did it require the world’s approval.
Moreover...
If she really did say it now, she would definitely get kicked out by the Demon King and Queen!
“Your Majesty the Demon King, I don’t have any particular rewards I desire. I only wish... as you know, I am the Hero of Aurus. If possible, I would like the privilege of entering the Demon Domain at any time.”
“Oh, oh, so you want that privilege to visit Sheffy, huh? No problem! Just take her with you anytime! This troublemaker’s been giving me a headache—please, take her off my hands! I’ll even give you another medal for it!”
“?!”
That privilege... that privilege just got upgraded!
The Demon King stopped speaking immediately after those words.
Because he noticed that his second daughter had suddenly spread her black wings, her eyes glinting with a chaotic killing intent.
Alright, alright—Father’s done talking, okay?
That topic was put to rest for the time being.
The Demon King shook his head. It seemed to show he wasn’t entirely satisfied with the answer Xiarette had just given.
“Don’t just ask for something vague... Sheffy also received a lot of care back in your Kingdom of Aurus. I heard she was even granted some kind of border earldom? Hilarious. Now that you’ve come here, if we give you nothing, wouldn’t that make it look like our Demon Domain is stingy? Right, Xiarette, how about I make a suggestion, and you see if it suits you?”
“Y-Your Majesty, please go ahead.”
From the Demon King’s tone, he clearly had something in mind—something deeply meaningful and valuable, beyond the grasp of ordinary understanding.
Dielzner deliberately let out a cold chuckle, stalling without saying anything, keeping everyone in suspense with a mysterious air. Then he cast a sidelong glance at Livra, a proud gleam flashing in his eyes.
Livra tilted her head in confusion, not understanding at all.
Then Dielzner stood up and declared grandly:
“I’ve made my decision! I shall reward the Kingdom’s Hero Xiarette with 500 magic gold coins, 500 magic silver coins, and another 500 magic copper coins! O Hero, there’s no need to thank us for our generosity—being someone whom Sheffy trusts and holds dear, these are rewards you rightfully deserve!”
“......”
Xiarette didn’t even have the will to say thank you.
Mainly because... it just left her completely speechless.
So after all that build-up, after acting so noble and strategic, this was it? You ended up going with the most cliché, straightforward method—just handing out money?!
It wasn’t that Xiarette was dissatisfied with the reward, but the gap between what she imagined and the actual outcome was too jarring. It left her with too many feelings to unpack.
She said nothing, which the Demon King interpreted as her being overwhelmed by the generosity of the reward.
Behind Dielzner, a dark vortex appeared—that was the activation of 【Storage】 magic without incantation.
There was no need to retrieve them by hand. From within 【Storage】, a series of exquisitely crafted large boxes flew out in orderly succession and landed before Xiarette, laying themselves neatly across the ground. Once they touched down, the lids sprang open with a clatter, drawing everyone’s attention.
A golden gleam burst forth.
The boxes were filled to the brim with the Demon Domain’s common currency.
The purchasing power of a single magic gold coin was roughly equivalent to five Aurus gold coins. The same ratio applied to the magic silver and copper coins.
So, judging by the total amount, this was indeed a significant fortune—one could even say it was an enormous sum.
From the corner of his eye, the Demon King glanced at Livra, who looked pensive. He chuckled inwardly, smug beyond measure.
See that, Princess of Aurus? Back when your country rewarded Sheffy, all you could offer was land, noble titles, food, and trinkets—but you couldn’t even come up with actual money?
Ridiculous.
That was the difference in wealth between the Demon Domain and your Kingdom of Aurus!
There was nothing to be done. Flaunting strength and wealth was a deep-rooted desire within the Demon Clan—and a hopeless little ambition of the Demon King himself.
Down below, Xiarette looked around at the treasure boxes filled with gold. She had originally thought to politely decline—after all, she wasn’t short on money. But seeing that these were a personal reward from the Demon King, outright refusal felt somewhat inappropriate.
Until she saw a silver-haired dumpling rapidly scoot over toward the treasure chests, drawn by the scent alone.
Xiarette instantly made up her mind. She had it all figured out.
“Mm, very well, Your Majesty. I’ll accept these rewards. Thank you.”
“Hahaha! That’s the spirit! Our Demon Domain may lack in other things, but money? We’ve got plenty of that!”
Xiarette responded with a wry smile and a nod. Then, without waiting another moment, she stepped beside Sheffy and gently patted her little head.
“Sheffy, I’ll store it for you. You keep it.”
“Eh?! Really giving it to me? Hehehe, I feel kinda bad about that!”
“Mm, big sister doesn’t have any use for that much money anyway. You can go buy donuts, right? That should get you quite a lot?”
“Hehehe... thank you, Sister Xia~”
“So now you remember how to sweet-talk? You little rascal.”
The Demon King was dumbfounded.
Watching Belith also pull out some coins from her pocket and hurriedly shove them into Sheffy’s hands, His Majesty the Demon King slammed the throne in rage and stood up furiously!
“Why are you all giving money to that little brat?! Xiarette, what’s the meaning of this? These were the rewards I gave you, and you just turned around and handed them away? Uh... although you gave them to my daughter, I suppose... that’s not entirely inappropriate?”
Upon hearing this, Xiarette paused her task of helping Sheffy move the treasure boxes into her Storage Magic, turned back, and politely responded to the Demon King’s question.
“Your Majesty the Demon King, my money—well, we always spend it together. In other words, my money is Sheffy’s money. Is... is there a problem with that? Didn’t you say these gold coins were a reward for me?”
“Well, that’s true... uh, but the problem is... uh? Where did this go wrong? This is weird.”
The Demon King had always been reluctant to give his eldest daughter too much pocket money. The little rascal was too good at wasting it—she would collect donuts even if she couldn’t eat them, buy fish fry and open lakes at a crazed pace, and she even spent money buying ingredients to research all kinds of weird magic spells that often ended in explosions.
Now, watching Sheffy cheerfully stashing away all those treasure boxes filled with coins with a look of harvest-season bliss, Dielzner felt miserable to his core.
A complete miscalculation!
Timani was no longer sulking. People often said dragons liked rare treasures. She walked over to peek at the coins—she couldn’t say she loved them, but she did know that a single magic gold coin could feed her for a whole month. Seeing such a display, she was undeniably surprised.
“Fire Lizard... I’m telling you now, as a dragon, you need to have standards. Don’t even think about freeloading.”
“Hmph. You think I’d stoop to stealing your gold coins?”
“Of course I’m not worried—see? They’re already gone, all packed up!”
“Damn it... it’s just money... I can wash dishes for a living too! I still have several copper coins left!”
“...Should I maybe give you one later...?”
“I don’t need your pity!”
Ah, now it made sense why she’d been sulking earlier. It was poverty—an incurable condition.
Having accepted every last treasure box without hesitation, Sheffy eagerly thanked Xiarette again and again—but didn’t notice the satisfied curve of triumph at the corner of Xiarette’s lips.
Sheffy... there’s a saying, you know. When you take someone’s gift, you lose your edge; when you eat their food, your words soften.
So, wouldn’t this mean... that from now on, big sister might have a bit more say?
Tonight, big sister wanted to see just how “soft” that mouth of hers could be.
Exchanging a handful of gold coins for the greatest gain—Xiarette felt, for once, that she’d truly played it smart!
Dielzner collapsed back onto the throne, devastated by the loss of his gold, and no longer wanted to speak.
And with that, this mock-family-style reward ceremony could finally be considered concluded.
However...
The Queen, Herilet—who had remained silent until now—adjusted the golden-trimmed blue crystal crown atop her head, then moved forward as if gliding, stepping to the front of the throne.
She patiently waited for the children to come down from their high of receiving so much gold.
And once they gradually quieted and their attention shifted naturally to her...
The Queen suddenly dropped her smiling expression, her demeanor shifting sharply. In a graceful but commanding motion, she swept her sleeve with a dignified authority.
Thus, she proclaimed:
“In the name of the Harl Royal Family, I hereby declare Sheya Harl as the new lord of the border fortress, 【Riedekidu】, granted the title of Honorary Border Duke, with full rights to territorial autonomy. She may travel freely between Riedekidu and the royal city Campeno, without being stopped for questioning at the borders. All rights and privileges accorded to Demon Nobility are hers to enjoy!”
Her clear yet gentle voice rang out, catching everyone off guard.
As her words echoed through the hall, before the sound had even faded, everyone stood blinking, unable to react.
Herilet’s stern expression vanished, and the imposing queen slowly reverted back to that warm, smiling mother figure.
“How about that? Children, are you satisfied now?”
“Ah...” Xiarette only now finished mentally processing the content of the proclamation. “Th-thank you, Your Majesty the Queen, but I...!”
“Wow! Xia, now you’re a border lord too! We’re even now!”