Page 15 of I Ran Away to Evil
I became very, very familiar with that room. So familiar that after two years of screaming and ruining my nails trying to escape, I found a secret door leading into the servant’s wing and out past the castle into town!
From there, I had been able to slip out and do whatever I liked doing! I’d also made my first friend, Bronwynn; she was an apprentice bard who knew everyone. She’d even set me up with baking lessons from Jeff, the husband of a famous baker. He helped his wife as an assistant, and I helped him when I wasn’t off dungeon delving to level up my Warrior class.
And since I was punished at least once a week, I’d happily spent that time living my best life.
Now, I was living my best life baking for the evil hordes.
“He licked the plate clean, as I heard it.” Sithli chuckled. “And he wasn’t the only one. Please share your recipesss with my wife, Princesss, and I’ll gladly swear to assist you in your hour of need.”
“That’s sweet, Sithli, but I’m sure I’ll only be around for a short time. In the meantime, I’m happy to share any of my favorite foods with you and your family. If you hadn’t let me in to see His Viciousness, I don’t knowwhatI would have done.”
The thought of fighting the lizardkin left a sour taste in my mouth.
“It was our pleasure, Princesss,” Sithli said. We turned a corner and suddenly found ourselves looking out over a beautiful wooden hut village built into and over the swampland. Wooden roads on stilts high above the soggy grass kept our wagon from getting bogged down in the … bog.
Sithli continued. “The gate golem didn’t attack, and we figured that our most illustriousss and powerful Dark Lord would want to know right away if any foreign royalsss came to duel. It’s all the rage in North Sumbria these days, you know! Our ordersss are to never enter the inner sssanctum, so as a royal, it seemed only right to let you deliver your challenge in person.”
“Oh, um …” I realized how my declaration of, “I’m here to fight Lord Keith!” might have been taken the wrong way. I should have said something like, “I’m the hero, come to end the evil Dark Overlord cursing our lands!” or something like that.
Just another way I failed at being a proper hero.
Also, maybe I should’ve taken off the adorable hedgehog-print apron Gerda had given me and put down my basket of bimbleberry scones before making my challenge.
I’d taken them off before seeing King Keith, at least!
Anyway.
“Sithli, my love!” A very pregnant lizardkin who wobbled while she walked hurried over to meet us. She had beautiful golden slit eyes and darker magenta-and-green scales.
“Milith, how are you?” My lizardman friend jumped down and wrapped an arm around his wife to steady her. “I’ve brought someone to break bread with.”
“I’m Henrietta,” I said, unhitching the alligator-dog bog beast that was pulling our wagon. I led it into a muddy stable and settled it in. One of King Keith’s automata looked at us from its half-sunken state near the town entrance, but it didn’t otherwise react. I gave it a wide berth. “I promised Sithli some scone recipes in exchange for a tour of the village.”
“A foodie?” Milith raised an eyebrow, smiling. “You’ll want to try out Dithba’s Laire.She is our kin’s best.”
With our things stowed, I happily followed after the pair while they explainedwhy Dithba’s twisted flake loaf was to die for. Namely, it was folded in garlic and cheese.
We reached the village square when the Village Crystal lit up.
Hello, this is Madame Potts.
This week’s events are in! February edition.
There will be a special drop in the Depths of Despair Dungeon, on the third floor.
Crit rates in the Dungeon Valley Crest will have a +5% bonus if you are wearing red from now until the new moon.
Anyone interested in Grand Duchess Calisto’s Spring Ball, you should have received your invites by now.
Marquess Dorset of the kingdom of Servaltisthe slave trader you are looking for. Please catch him before he attacks the Filla Orphanage.
The king of Drendil has ordered the crown princess to go kill King Keith—or die trying! Luckily, mass murder has been avoided.
Peldeep’s Lunar New Year will spark an interesting event this month: couples who confess in front of Julia’s Grotto will have matching tattoos appear on their hands that can only be washed off with water steeped in Julia apple-tree blossoms.
This is Madame Potts, signing off.
Wow, Madame Potts’s Cast had some really useful tips this time! It was odd that wearing red would give extra damage in Dungeon Valley Crest, but Madame Potts was almost never wrong. And even then, she only ever failed if someone worked hard to change her future predictions.
