Chapter Twenty-Two: Maid, Hungry, Hug Me

The Ninth Demon Officer, the zombie maid Fim, was the earliest riser among the demons in the Demon King’s Castle.

Before dawn had fully broken, Maid Fim would awaken from her soft coffin-like bed, change out of her simple cloth pajamas, and select a maid’s outfit from her wardrobe.

The classic black-and-white maid uniform fit her perfectly. The voluminous skirt’s hem was embroidered with delicate white lace, fluttering lightly with her movements, revealing slender ankles.

The only trouble for Fim was the enormous bow tied at the back of the maid dress, nearly half her height, which made her duties somewhat cumbersome.

But Lady Cletina insisted it was adorable and forbade her from taking it off.

About half an hour later, after finishing her morning routine, the zombie maid Fim would appear in the dim corridors of the Demon King’s Castle.

In the darkness, faint reddish stains—like ancient decorations—marred her black-and-white uniform, making her resemble a small ghost.

Fim moved rather stiffly, her awkward charm evident in her gestures. This made her cleaning tasks take longer, as she would occasionally pause, tilt her head in thought, then continue her “work.”

This was because Lady Cletina had recently assigned her tasks that required careful reflection, constantly keeping a certain person in her heart.

And so.

After finishing cleaning, washing and drying clothes in the open space behind the castle, and handling other chores, Fim pushed her little cart, the large bow swaying gently behind her, as she approached a prison cell.

“Mino, good morning.”

“Today’s interrogation begins.”

Fim opened the cell door and courteously greeted her subject in her maid role.

“Huff, huff… huff, huff…”

The greatest hero in human history’s face was no longer marked by determination as before. His cheeks flushed like he was steaming, tightly wrapped in a blanket, breathing uneasily.

Fim was momentarily stunned.

A more profound emptiness appeared on her already hollow face.

It had been ten days since the hero was captured and brought to the Demon King’s Castle.

—the hero had fallen.

“My lord? My lord, what’s wrong? Don’t die, my lord!!!”

Hearing Alto’s frantic words, Fim’s stiff limbs betrayed her panic. She hurried to the bedside and touched Mino’s forehead.

It was burning… surely very hot now—Fim could feel the faint warmth even through her suppressed senses.

Could it be poison, or some curse? Should she ask Lady Cletina to take a look? Fim pondered seriously.

At that moment, Mino coughed twice and said with difficulty, “I was careless, cough cough… forgot that after my power was sealed, my constitution became that of an ordinary person… so I got sick.”

“Come to think of it, I forgot to cover myself last night.”

Alto muttered, “You might as well just die first.”

Fim blinked, standing by.

“Mino, you fool.”

…

A heavy atmosphere enveloped the capital of the Kingdom of Kurl.

A dense crowd gathered toward the spacious central square, facing the palace’s high walls. Countless people clustered together, holding white flowers picked from outside the city.

Today was the memorial ceremony for the hero Mino. Most of the kingdom’s citizens had come together, with other regions preparing to broadcast the upcoming speech.

In these days, the tragic news weighed heavily on the people’s hearts, yearning for a place to vent their grief.

The responsibility to comfort the mourning citizens naturally fell upon the kingdom’s jewel, Princess Kalia.

In fact, Kalia had been preparing for this for a long time.

She fully understood how deeply painful losing the hero Mino was. For that reason, she needed to dispel the gloom from her people’s hearts and guide them forward.

The head maid lightly knocked on Princess Kalia’s bedroom door.

“Your Highness, it’s almost time. P-Princess?!” The head maid’s expression changed abruptly as she pushed open the door.

Lying on a bed adorned with golden floral patterns, dressed in pure white silk pajamas, Kalia’s complexion was unusually pale, her eyes vacant, her frail body attempting to rise.

“Your Highness, you’re burning up. You’re ill! Please lie down!”

The head maid’s heart skipped a beat.

Princess Kalia’s health had never been robust. As her personal attendant, she immediately understood that Kalia’s body had weakened from the recent exhaustion.

Kalia shook her head weakly. “No, the ceremony is about to begin… I’m just a little unwell, it’s always been this way, you know.”

The head maid opened her mouth, but she knew well that Kalia’s body frequently faltered. Though illness was a trigger, it was mainly her constitution.

Yet, even if she could endure it, delivering a speech to the entire capital was no light task. Facing all the citizens’ eyes required intense focus, which was a heavy burden on Princess Kalia’s strength.

“No, you can’t push yourself like this! Let someone else give the speech; we can explain—”

The head maid’s voice grew faint as Kalia shook her head.

“No. Some citizens have already heard the terrible news of Brother Ota and Chief Rak falling ill recently. At such a time, I cannot let the people fall into panic again. I cannot lose to mere illness.”

Kalia stubbornly lifted her chin and said softly,

“If Brother Mino were here, he would make the same choice I have.”

…

“Waa, hungry… maid, hug me.”

Mino lay in bed, seemingly delirious and babbling nonsense.

Fim blinked, tilted her head in confusion, then gradually leaned closer to the bed.

“Fim, what’s wrong with Mino?”

Cletina’s voice drew near.

Fim and Mino’s murmurs stopped simultaneously.

“Mino is sick,” Fim said, turning to Cletina.

Mino opened his eyes, looking pale and pleadingly at Cletina.

“The woman is ruining my plans!”

Today, Cletina wore a fiery red rose gown, the passionate petals accentuating her alluring waist. Her pink eyes shifted indifferently toward Mino on the bed.

She could feel Mino’s elevated body temperature—probably a moderate fever, but not enough to cause delirium.

Daring to tease her adorable Fim… at that thought, Cletina’s lips curved slightly. She raised a fingertip to her chin and chuckled softly.

“The strongest hero in human history, catching a cold… hehe.”

“Oh, so kawaii~”