Chapter 2 The Next Day

The sky over Nicalis, the Demon King's castle, was still a deep blue, dawn not far off.

Around five o'clock, the sky outside began to change.

On the edge of Lisle Island's bay, a small wooden house with its outer walls covered in ivy, its beige facade visible amidst the greenery, Lysandra slowly sat up in bed in the bedroom behind the curtains.

"Haaah."

Her sleepy eyes were slightly dazed as she scratched her messy dark hair.

Looking at the clock, she was so startled that she tumbled out of bed, scrambling to wash and dress. Only after smoothing her long hair did she realize she could have slept in a little longer. Mr. McCarthy had promised to take her to the palace today.

However, she wasn't sure if Mr. McCarthy would be too busy to take her, so she had originally planned to wake up early as usual, just in case.

Now, she could only hope that Mr. McCarthy was free today.

She straightened her coat, grabbed her bag, and quickly left the cottage.

Several oddly shaped clouds drifted across the sky, blown by a faint morning breeze.

Normally, at a little past five in July, the sky would already be turning blue, but today it seemed particularly dark.

Lysandra had been about to go next door to the mansion to ask how to quickly find Mr. McCarthy, but as soon as she locked the door, she saw an amber-colored mana-powered vehicle parked outside her yard.

It was the same familiar face from yesterday, leaning back in the driver's seat, gazing at the night sky where the stars had yet to fade.

Perhaps he was out determining which part of the Demon Realm's sky belonged to him, or perhaps he was gazing at the faint blue glow emanating from the palace across the bay.

The fading moon still illuminated the bushes, and the garden of the mansion next door was already brightly lit at five or six o'clock, but the laughter and liveliness of the previous night were long gone.

The radiance patterns on McCarthy's handsome face resembled flower petals, his hair smooth as if he had it trimmed every week.

Lysandra couldn't detect any evil aura in him; he was simply watching the opposite shore.

Perhaps it was because he didn't drink that he was so different from the guests in the palace restaurant yesterday. The more cheerful and boisterous everyone was, the more solemn he seemed.

Lysandra suddenly realized.

Maybe every morning, McCarthy stood downstairs in the palace, gazing at a beam of light across the bay, as if trying to grasp something. And on the other side, was the pure land he longed for, belonging only to his heart.

Soon, McCarthy noticed Lysandra's arrival.

Out of courtesy, McCarthy got out of the vehicle and bowed to her.

Lysandra quickly nodded and hurried over.

"Um, Mr. McCarthy, were you waiting for me?"

Lysandra couldn't help but ask.

"I just got here a little while ago. Seems like good timing."

McCarthy turned around, his hands in his pockets, and said with a smile.

Lysandra nodded and, following the direction McCarthy indicated with a gesture, sat in the passenger seat.

If it were any other day, she would most likely be late, but with Mr. McCarthy giving her a ride, there seemed to be plenty of time.

She felt like he had been waiting for a long time, but still said he had just arrived.

"Will we have to transfer to a sea-going magic device later?"

Lysandra asked him again.

The streamlined mana-powered vehicle she and McCarthy were in was amber-colored, as beautiful as the princess's eyes, with long, elegant lines. The interior had wardrobe trunks, food boxes, and toolboxes, and the layered windshield reflected multiple lights from the streetlamps, which fit her image of a wealthy person.

"No need. It can drive directly on the sea."

McCarthy replied comfortably.

He expertly stepped on the accelerator, and the vehicle began to speed along the road toward the sea.

Lysandra once again felt the power of money.

She had originally thought that McCarthy was a mysterious and legendary demon, but that impression gradually faded. Now, she was more inclined to see him as a generous neighbor.

He was special, but not as special as she had imagined.

However, being in the car with him this time made Lysandra gradually realize that it was a little awkward.

She had agreed to let him take her to work yesterday without thinking.

In reality, they weren't close enough for that.

At best, they were just newly acquainted demons.

And she had already received his help and was asking him for another favor.

Now that they were alone together, she felt like she had nothing to say.

"Miss Lysandra, what kind of demon do you think I am?"

As if noticing Lysandra's slightly embarrassed grip on her handbag, McCarthy took the initiative to break the silence in the car.

"I think... you're a very nice demon, much more approachable than I imagined, without the airs of a noble."

Lysandra could only answer truthfully.

"I actually don't want you to misunderstand me because of those rumors. There may be many rumors about me in Nicalis recently, but you should know that gossip changes a little every time it's repeated, and in the end, it's almost completely unrelated to the truth."

McCarthy said to Lysandra, holding the steering wheel.

Lysandra nodded.

Obviously, McCarthy had also heard the various rumors being discussed by the demons around his palace restaurant.

"Did you really work as a spy during the war?"

Lysandra asked curiously.

"You could say I did, but not in the way the rumors say."

McCarthy admitted.

"Then... did you go to the Purgatory Corridor Academy?"

Lysandra didn't expect McCarthy to admit it, and she became more interested and continued to ask.

These things might interest the princess.

After all, the princess was a student at the Purgatory Corridor Academy, although she eventually dropped out and fled to the human realm.

"Of course, but... it's not quite the same as the rumors say."

As he spoke, McCarthy glanced at Lysandra from time to time.

This made Lysandra unable to tell whether McCarthy was lying or not. His hesitant appearance seemed to hide an unspeakable secret, but she could vaguely sense that McCarthy had a strangely deep affection for that school.

"Which year were you in? Who was the headmaster at the time?"

Lysandra asked casually.

Just by confirming with the princess, she could basically know whether McCarthy was telling the truth.

"Uh, that was twenty years ago..."

McCarthy's voice was a little strained for once.

"..."

Lysandra tried her best to suppress her laughter.

The lies he was weaving were so cliché that Lysandra couldn't bear to continue questioning him.

Next, they talked about his journey to start a business from scratch, which was very different from what Lysandra had heard in the restaurant last night. However, it was not difficult to discover that what McCarthy said himself was indeed the original version of the rumors. Without this original version, those rumors would not have been born.

However, she realized that Mr. McCarthy never intended to deceive her. His words were very conservative. Perhaps he was chatting about these topics to amuse her in order to put her at ease.

Communicating with McCarthy was indeed a very relaxing thing. He seemed to naturally consider the feelings of the people around him.

If it were an ordinary girl, she might quickly fall for him.

But Lysandra knew her own worth and could sense that McCarthy's kindness towards her was purely out of goodwill, regardless of whether she was male or female.

Of course, it was precisely because of McCarthy's natural attitude that, perhaps one day, when he was truly moved and cared deeply for a girl he liked, that girl would, based on the principle of not being overly self-conscious, mistake love for friendship.

(End of this chapter)