Demon King: Hero, don’t run away!
Chapter 117 Afternoon Tea Party

Chapter 117: Chapter 117 Afternoon Tea Party

On this leisurely Saturday afternoon, with the sunshine brilliant and weather pleasant, it was undoubtedly a perfect time for a tea party.

In the backyard of a villa, the gentle afternoon sun lay on the lush green lawn, with unique tables arranged meticulously, and upon them an array of luxurious plates filled with delicious and adorable pastries.

Graceful and exquisite young ladies moved between the tables, elegantly using tongs to sample the savory pastries, amidst laughter and merriment, a picture of joy.

The hostess of this afternoon tea party, with her fluffy red hair and petite frame, dressed in lavish clothing, sat in the gazebo enjoying her maid’s meticulously prepared black tea, her demeanor revealing an aristocratic grace that only those of royal blood possessed.

After savoring a sip of tea, she slowly set down her cup and stood up, stepping out of the gazebo and looking towards the azure sky.

A figure appeared in a corner of the sky, and it was known that this was her private villa; without permission, one mustn’t recklessly use magic in this area.

If one were not careful and lost control of their magic, it could ruin a peaceful tea party and could potentially escalate into an international issue.

Only that person was an exception, that person heralded as a once-in-a-century genius by the Library, one of the strong contenders for the champion title of the Dragon God Conference two years hence. It wouldn’t hurt to be on good terms with such a person.

Pressing down her huge blue Mage hat, Tico alighted in front of the young lady. Her silver-white hair was neatly groomed, resting on her shoulders, her usually lethargic expression now full of vitality.

"Latis, good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Tico Mith Titra, welcome to my tea party," Latis replied with a slight curtsy, greeting Tico with a bow.

Tico smiled shyly, "We’re friends, there’s no need to be so formal every time."

"In our Empire, strength is revered, and respect must naturally be shown to those with strength, as is the etiquette of the Royal Family," Latis softened her professional smile into one that radiated genuine warmth, "But that’s where etiquette ends, among friends, there is no need for too much formality. I’ve prepared Chilom Cake, waiting for you for a long time. Please join me in tasting it slowly, and enjoy the peaceful afternoon."

"Mm!"

At the mention of Chilom Cake, Tico’s eyes shone with eagerness, and she couldn’t wait to follow Latis into the white stone gazebo.

Once settled, a serving maid brought a plate to the table, lifted the lid to reveal a cake that was serenely lying in the center, layered with red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet from top to bottom. The maid skillfully sliced the cake into several pieces, serving the two largest slices to Latis and Tico, and the rest were taken outside for the other giggling young ladies to enjoy.

In the gazebo, only Tico and Latis remained.

"Don’t be shy." Latis lifted her teacup, once again gracefully savoring the sweet and rich black tea.

Tico wasn’t shy either, lifting her plate to enjoy the Chilom Cake, her favorite food.

This pastry was made with care, and the recipe was exceptionally intricate and complicated, if not made by an extremely experienced chef, it was easy to botch, hence, this pastry was costly and difficult to come by.

But every Saturday afternoon, Latis would have her maids carefully prepare one to treat Tico.

Watching Tico’s joyful expression, Latis smiled. She scrutinized Tico carefully, looking for a topic to discuss, and quickly noticed that Tico’s usual lethargy was significantly diminished.

"It’s clear you’ve been in good spirits recently, did something good happen?"

Tico wiped his mouth and smiled, "Turns out, the feeling of having someone’s support is really nice."

"What happened?"

"Listen to this. Latis..."

Eating out of someone’s hand and accepting their help, Tico held nothing back as he recounted everything that had happened in the Lati Dela Forest.

"I see. Encountering a fan while on a task... That’s certainly a good thing. If you win at the Dragon God Conference, your fan base might even grow, and you could soon catch up to me," Latis said with a laugh.

"Don’t joke with me. How could I compare to you, someone who has an entire country’s people as fans, while I..." Tico spoke without any jealousy, only envy was in his voice.

"Come on, have more confidence in yourself." Latis pushed a slice of Chilom Cake towards Tico, "If you want to learn how to become popular, I’ll teach you how. More importantly, I’m curious why your teacher would send you to Lati Dela Forest to place Surveillance Magic yourself. Couldn’t this task have been given to someone else?"

"My teacher said that the underground city is no ordinary place, the Magic Fluctuations spreading out were stronger than ever, indicating that there might be some very powerful monsters lurking inside," explained Tico. "If left unchallenged, the stronger the Underground Maze, the more likely monsters will escape and cause panic. It’s essential to set up a Monitoring Array for continuous surveillance and spread the word to keep adventurers consistently attempting to conquer it. Only by keeping those monsters contained within the first three layers will they be prevented from causing trouble."

"Underground cities really are a hassle, aren’t they? One can’t just make a big fuss and get the Library’s higher-ups to take on the challenge; it has to be capable adventurers going after it. They’re all too willing to face powerful monsters for the sake of treasure."

The presence of an underground city itself is quite a challenge; even with great rewards upon clearing it, the nation won’t intervene lightly, spending vast resources on conquering it. They’re more inclined to monitor like the Library does and leave the task to adventurers above B-class.

"However, this morning my master told me that the Underground Maze where I placed the Surveillance Magic yesterday has already been conquered. We no longer have to worry about the monsters causing trouble."

Tico’s fingers hooked the plate, drawing Latis’s Chilom Cake closer to him.

"It’s been conquered, that’s good," Latis said, her eyes widening in surprise as she spoke, "You mean it’s been conquered? Wasn’t that underground city just discovered not long ago? Could there have been a Super S-class adventurer team passing by?"

Normally, it’s impossible for a newly discovered underground city to be so easily conquered. It requires step-by-step trial and error, accumulating enough information to succeed.

Moreover, considering that even that esteemed person thought the underground city was extraordinary, to the extent that Tico personally had to set up an Array, how could it have possibly been conquered so quickly?

The only plausible explanation would be one of the few Super S-class adventurer teams on the whole continent.

Yet, Tico shook his head, "My master said that those three people were all quite young, not resembling any S-class or Super S-class adventurer teams he has seen before."

In other words, there’s a good chance a new S-class or Super S-class adventurer team has emerged. Even if not, they may very well become such a team in the future.

Befriending such individuals could not be a bad idea.

Latis was already quietly calculating her own little plan.

For the glory of the Empire, there could never be too much talent.