Page 202 of I Ran Away to Evil 2
It would be really, really bad if he got ice magic into my blood.
“I yield,” I said, lifting both arms.
The lizardkin didn’t look like he believed me at first, or maybe that was just his squinty red eyes from my earlier jab. “Truly?”
“Iyield,” I repeated, and in that moment, I actually activated one of my most annoying perks. [Natural Poise]. The passive ability to make me look confident had made my life a thousand times easier since I’d become the commander general, but I rarely bothered to actually use the perk for its own sake. At this moment, I needed it to hide the grin that would have otherwise lit up my face and given everything away.
I knew the lizardkin could do it. Or, at least, I’dhopedhe was strong enough, and smart enough, to take the job from me.
Because I certainly didn’t want it anymore.
CHAPTER 124
Do You Wanna See My Dungeon?
Brownie
“So this is it?” King Keith offered his hand, and Rufus clasped his arm in a firm shake.
“I’ll be around.” Rufus let go, returning to holding Brownie’s hand again. She gave it a light reassuring squeeze.
After Knolith had come out victorious, the entire Black Fortress had gone into celebration mode. It had been almost adecadesince someone had bested their commander general, and it was the very son of their previous commander general (who definitelywasn’tcrying in the stands with fatherly pride). Knolith had finally grown powerful enough to take the position, and there was a veritable street fair going on outside.
“You know Chloe is going to just outright murder you, right?” Henrietta asked. “That you chose to step down duringher wedding, making her miss the entire battle. I hope Brownie has ample potions on hand. Actually, here.” The Dark Lady handed over two Revive potions, adding, “Just in case.”
“It was a fair fight,” Rufus argued. “I wouldn’t just leave you to someone who wasn’t powerful enough to take up my job.”
“You aren’t helping your case,” King Keith said. But he didn’t seem angry.
The two couples had stuck around to confer the Commander General title upon Knolith and settle Donna, and then had retreated to the office in the castle to file a report about it. Brownie stood as witness, and the files were already processed thanks to Henrietta. Knolith could sign his own forms later, as he was currently the star of the show outside.
“Speaking of Chloe.” King Keith rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “We left her with the florists. Do you think they’ll be alright?”
“No.” Henrietta reached out and patted her husband’s arm. “We should probably get back fast. Can you summon Gimtak?”
The very imp flew in from the window. “You called for me, Your Viciousness?”
“Were you waiting outside the window this whole time?” Henrietta asked, amused.
“No.” The imp shook his head, affronted. “I stayed back long enough to hear Madame Potts’s Cast.”
“What?!” King Keith snapped. “What did she say now?”
Gimtak opened his mouth, but the king shook his head. “No. Wait. Tulith should be here any second with the transcript.”
Henrietta pulled out another potion while they waited. “Gimtak, do you have enough mana to get us back to the border, or do you need a refill?”
“I’ll need one when we get there, but I’m fine for this jump, Your Viciousness,” the imp reassured his queen. He eyed Brownie and Rufus. “Are all four of you coming?”
“We could bypass any encounters?” Rufus said, putting the question to Brownie.
She shook her head. “No, we still have Donna, and the week long solstice festival has only just started. We’ll have plenty of time to get there before the wedding and the actual masquerade ball.”
A lizardkin maid appeared in the doorway to the office, coming to a dead stop from a full-on run. Seeing them all standing there, Tulith sighed and walked up to the Dark Lord, curtsying politely.
“Perfect timing, Tulith.” King Keith held out his hand, and the maid passed over a sheet of paper.
“I came as fast as I could.” She frowned. “You needed to hear thisss.”
