The laughter echoed in the heart of the night.
The first of Æthelflæd's alchemies was complete.
The other two friends hugged each other and slept peacefully.
This was the end of the bad mood, the long-awaited return of joy.
AND THE PARTY'S GONNA HAPPEN
Æthelflæd was being watched by a sullen, embarrassed Cwenburg:
— Do you have to do that? — Æthelflæd was sniffing powder in a line right on top of Cwenburg's horn.
This was part of the alchemies made in recent days.
— Certainly. — The smile beneath the alchemist's dark circles no longer faded. And she was using her own invention, made of leaves, to inject into her vein more substances extracted from flowers. It made her delirious, nibbling on the unicorn girl's calf. — Cwenburg, can't you see this world is perfect? Why question me? Come, dance with me.
And she would have danced, if she weren't among the clouds flying on the serpentarius, and being held by her two friends.
Falling into Leofwynn's lap, the two averted their gazes, until the alchemist gathered her courage:
— I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't want us to get killed. I just thought everything would be better without the Demon King.
— It's alright, I've gotten used to you. You can say whatever you want, always. A friend is someone who lets you be yourself.
— Would you really kill me to kill the Demon King?
— Of course not, Æthelflæd.
Leofwynn was Lawful Good. She lived deprived of her own power and sacrificed herself even for strangers.
It wouldn't be any different for that strange human whose bad mood and good mood were both so pronounced.
— You won't date me. I like manly men, like the Demon King type.
Far away, in the Demon King's Castle, he himself was listening to the lolis talking and cut off the connection from the communication magic, turning to the maid, who now worked almost an hour every day.
He seemed satisfied, observing the throne room without so much dust.
Cynethryth had long golden hair that fell in two long strands above her ears and was tied in a ponytail that reached down to the loli's knees.
She had an upturned nose, her eyes almost always near closing. And something the Demon King loved, she even hated him, but she hated having to work much more.
Back to the trio, a new city was found, Sword Coast.
With long streets and bridges, with dug-out houses that never saw daylight.
Proud buildings up to six stories high.
Many carriages arriving and departing from the port taken by large caravels.
Even in the ocean, vessels could be seen waiting their turn to dock to leave or take barrels and sacks.
Almost thirty thousand people lived there.
Mostly humans, although other lineages were occasionally seen, with top hats and tailcoats in the center, or in worn-out clothes in the harbor districts.
The number of tritons and mermaids was higher among the non-humans, as the port of Sword Coast was the first stop, south, on the continent, on the entire sea route coming from the kingdom of Great Pearl, on the great island of Setting, which was distant, a four-day journey eastward into the open sea.
— That friend of yours would go crazy over these mermaids. — Cwenburg remembered the old man, but even Æthelflæd didn't care about that anymore. She needed to sell the alchemies and buy resources to produce more potent recipes.
— We'll meet in a few hours, at the main square.
— Don't you need help? — Leofwynn inquired, blushing, hearing from her smiling friend as she kissed her on the cheek:
— For your own good, it's better not to. And, I almost forgot, I have a plan about the cook. Try to find some famous restaurants, I'll explain better when I get back.
And they separated.
Cwenburg and Leofwynn went to the bustling avenues filled with carriages, but they weren't allowed into the best restaurants because they were dressed as adventurers, and Cwenburg was still all covered in vomited blood.
So they visited distant neighborhoods, sampling, and with the unicorn girl vomiting, many of the local recipes.
They ate for most of the day and wrote down the names of the three best chefs.
If the two could see Æthelflæd, they would see the black cloak in the dark alleys of the port and in the poorest parts of Sword Coast.
The alchemist sold alchemies to all kinds of lineages.
Sometimes she would stop a noble carriage, buying lots of powder and injectable liquids.
The herbs also sold well, but the drinks were ignored.
In between, Æthelflæd smoked quietly in an abandoned building, alongside other users of illegal alchemies.
No one said anything, just enjoyed the moment and the reveries, letting out occasional laughter.
Thus, the human bought new clothes, bags, and vials, and felt free.
When she reunited with her friends, they were also in a good mood.
And they would have left together, if not for the gathering of beggars catching the trio's attention.
— Look, it's the loli Haerdas! — Said the homeless man, smelling of shit and piss, covered in debris, next to others in worse condition.
Haerdas was a mermaid.
Out of water, she had her tail transformed into ordinary feet and differed little from a human, except for her long greenish-blue hair, which against the twilight light seemed to glow:
— Ten will dine, and I will prepare, and nine will return with full bellies! — Everyone celebrated.
The toothless, the rotten-toothed, the bearded, the naked.
It was like a procession of old and thin people, dirty and stinking, and among them went the trio of lolis.
— By the way, Æthelflæd, what's your plan?
— Leofwynn, how didn't we think of this before? We just need to kidnap someone.
— Wait, I can't accept that, that's crazy. We are not kidnapping anyone! — Leofwynn asserted herself.
The alley was narrow between walls of reddish bricks, with more than thirty men and women beggars, and the house with the chimney at the end, that was Haerdas's home.
— Cwenburg, help me convince her.
— I don't think that's a good idea, Æthelflæd.
The three disagreed, and, gradually, they noticed.
Ten went in, and nine came out satisfied.
Then another ten went in, and nine came out again.
Finally, this repeated, and Leofwynn questioned one of the men stinking of shit, who was satisfied after dinner:
— And when will the others come out of the mermaid's house? Those who stayed inside?
The rotten and kind man was filled with joy and a certain childishness:
— It's the mermaid's magic. Out of ten, one is always sent to Candyland, where he lives happily. In return, the Queen of Candyland sends us good dinners.
Leofwynn's eyes sparkled, lit up.
And Cwenburg pleaded:
— Please, let's have dinner with the mermaid Haerdas!
Meanwhile, Æthelflæd immediately understood what was obvious and misled her friends:
— Get Godwyna and wait for me at the square again, in the same place as before. I'll get some takeout food, and then we'll eat together.
— And why can't we go together?
— Because I want to ask for the mermaid's recipe, and she won't give it if more people are with me.
Leofwynn was suspicious but chose to believe her smiling friend, drinking more from the flask.
The two left, flying on the serpentarius.
And Æthelflæd peered through the window, seeing a human arm being cut with a sharp cleaver.
That meat was mixed into the pie taken to the oven by the mermaid.
— Are you there, Demon King? — the human said, touching the mark on her own body, and he answered:
— I am.
— Did you understand what's happening? Or do I need to explain?
— I understood. — he used the magic "teleport" and took the mermaid, who was never seen in that region again.
Thus, the Demon King got his new cook.