“This smell is so extraordinary,” Zefrael suddenly said while pinching his nose, “Would you please put that away from me?” He took a few steps farther and glanced at the potion with disgust.

For once, Alexia agreed with him.

If it wasn’t a request that decides her next course of actions, she definitely threw away the potion she had been holding, because it smelled like shit.

She couldn’t believe there is someone in their right mind would ever want to drink this disgusting thing. She wouldn’t, obviously, definitely, and surely.

Nevertheless, it was not her position to judge people weird tastes.

The potion actually looked pretty normal—regardless the stinky smell. With the color of honey, but thinner, almost transparent, the liquid type potion was stored inside a small sized flask. At the top of the protruding cork, there was an insignia of a dragon.

It was quite a distinctive potion. Alexia hadn't had any hard time finding it among the item shop rubble. Instead, she rather considered it as an easy task. The stinky potion was the only mixture left within the rubble. The flask had miraculously survived the falling house, even when the house had completely collapsed on it.

Yes, finding the potion itself was a piece of cake, but the circumstance before was not. The girl didn’t want to admit it, but the demon lord had been quite a help for her back in the town.

When she was back, the townspeople welcomed her with joy—Merion included. They thought she had finished the dragon for good, and started throwing torrents to her. Sentences like, 'congratulations' or 'thank you' was the most frequent, but there was actually someone who had asked about how her fight against the dragon went. Honestly, they only caused her anxiety to build up. She was unable to explain the truth, where she only needed to fetch something from the item shop.

That was where Zefrael came in.

He casually brushed all of the townspeople’s inquiry, and concisely told them that the quest was not yet done. To proceed, they needed something from the marketplace rubble. Right after, the boisterous crowd instantly dispersed, losing interest about the request which hadn’t been completed, and she was free to go to find the potion.

With the potion finally in her possession, Alexia immediately hiked back to the cliff with the cavern with Zefrael at her side. They had been walking without a hitch, but suddenly the shitlord started protesting about the smell of the potion.

It really crossed the girl.

“That’s weird, coming from you,” replied Alexia with a sarcastic tone. She disgustingly held the flask with the tip of her fingers, as far away as she could from her nose. “You come under the category of filthy too, I believe.”

As the trees rustled by the calm winds, she was supposed to smell the fresh forest air, but instead, the stinky smell was dominating all of her sense of smell. It seriously increased up her annoyance towards the situation—and towards the asshole shitlord who had done nothing but protesting to her face.

“Oh, come on, it’s just a few crumbs!” Zefrael protested with a pout, “And I cleaned them already. I’m not that filthy…”

“Yeah?” Alexia promptly threw a sarcastic smile towards the demon lord's face, “I still saw some sticking in your hair.”

As if he was surprised by her words, Zefrael hurriedly brushed his white blonde hair. Potato chip crumbs instantly fell from his hair, and dirtying the forested pathway below his feet.

Alexia couldn’t begin to imagine how he didn’t realize the crumbs which had been stuck on him since he ate additional two potato chips bags back in town. Honestly, she was irked with his ignorance back there. She had been busy foraging the marketplace rubble to find the potion, but he was only watching while munching his damn potato chips deliciously. No help, nothing.

Still, it was all behind her.

As she saw the hesitation painted on the filthy demon lord's face when he saw his crumbs on the ground, Alexia felt like she had scored a win from him. A victorious smile promptly showed on her face. “See?” the girl deliberately moved the potion towards the demon lord, “Here, someone as filthy as you definitely more suited to hold this better than me.”

Zefrael immediately retreated even farther. “No! Why do you think I get you to fetch that stinky potion!?”

“What?”

Suspicion seeped into Alexia’s mind. Back there with the dragon, Zefrael had stubbornly passed the potion request to her, while saying it was her duty as the hero. She had believed him, but she might have been wrong.

"Was it because you don’t want to touch the potion you knew would stink?” Alexia spouted her hypothetical theory.

“Well…" Zefrael murmured while turning his eyes away, "probably…”

Now, that's fixed!!

“How dare you used me!?” exclaimed the girl.

Alexia was upset. She didn’t like the fact that she’d just played by the demon lord's hands. It was true she wanted to help, but when she knew that it had been instigated by the shitlord, she felt really miserable—and of course, angry.

“No, Alex. You’re a little wrong in that.”

“What IS wrong!?” she yelled.

Zefrael shrugged, “If I’m alone, I probably leave him as he is. It’s your will to help the townspeople that brought us to this situation. Isn't that a very commendable act for a Hero??”

The last of his sentence clearly sounded like a tease, and it promptly increased her irritation. Plus, the fact didn’t change that Zefrael was the one who forced her to hold the stinky potion.

Hoping she wouldn’t gag, Alexia flashed the potion to Zefrael's place. A breeze of shit was wafting in the air, and blowing off an extraordinary stinky smell to the demon lord.

Zefrael’s face immediately grimaced in disgust. He stared Alexia beyond astonishment with a frown. “I told you to keep that away from me, didn’t I?”

“Like I care!" the girl blurted, "Just eat shit! Serves you right for using me!”

“Hey, that wasn’t me!” Zefrael refuted, “If you want to complain, do it to the dragon! This would never happen if he wasn’t stupidly transforming like that,” he continued grumbling his discontent, “And to begin with, if he doesn’t love rice vinegar too much, the potion wouldn’t be as stinky as this!”

Alexia promptly baffled by a word—two words, which had reached into her eardrums. “Rice vinegar?” she repeated.

“Yes, vinegar. That was the reason it smelled like that, Alex,” Zefrael added in a mumble, “He probably poured it too much in this potion.”

Now that Alexia thought it again, there was a kind of tangy scent mixing with the stinky shit smell. It could be the vinegar that Zefrael was talking about, but really, she didn’t exactly want to ascertain it. She definitely puked if she tried to smell the horrible potion again thoroughly, so she rather let it stay as a possibility.

Still, even if it was rice vinegar, not exactly a shit or anything like that, the potion was still stinky, and disgusting as ever. Alexia was really reluctant to hold it, and in her opinion, the filthy demon lord—who had trapped her to do this annoying request—should be the one to hold it.

Wasting no more time, she caught up to the retreating Zefrael and extended her hand again to him. “Just hold this, it’s your responsibility,” she said, twisting her words so she wouldn't need to hold the potion any longer.

“No way!” Zefrael refused again. He retreated for a second time, opening a distance from the girl and the stinky potion.

Alexia had no choice but to chase on him again. “Hold it!” The girl fervently forced the flask to him, running towards his escaping figure with vigorous steps.

The demon lord instantly paled while shaking his head. “You’re so stubborn, Alex," Zefrael protested with a pouting face, "I said no!” Then, he wheeled back, and ran away once again.

"Wait, shitlord!! Just accept your fate and take this!!!”

As she followed the demon lord who fled towards the cavern, the trees gradually became a blur, and a strong wind from her front side inadvertently blew the stinky smell away a little. Involuntarily, she started enjoying the chase.

Alexia had hated it before when she had chased him around his audience chamber—the fall caused by the potato chips had made it worse—but now, she felt a little different. The forest was different from the closed up chamber, and the blowing wind actually eased up the strain from the run.

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She would definitely, definitely pass the stinky potion over to the shitty demon lord! Just say your prayers, shitlord!!

As soon as she passed the small crevice between the two protruding cliff, Alexia finally caught the sight of Zefrael who was standing in front of the cavern’s entrance. She followed to stop, catching her breath, and glared the annoying shitlord with all of her might.

Realizing her eyes on him, Zefrael promptly let out a sigh. “Just give it up, Alex. Look, we’re here already, giving it straight to the dragon would mean much more than passing it to me.”

“You only played your way for not touching this shit!” Alexia instantly protested.

“Well, true…” he muttered quietly.

“Ha!!" the girl snorted dejectedly, "What’s the use of your existence if you’re not helping me to bring this to your dragon friend!?”

Of course with his promise to stay within her sight, he was obliged to be in the place she could see. He also said that he would be helping her with the party members finding journey, and she did appreciate his swift confrontation with the townspeople, but it was just too impossible to her to show her gratitude honestly. After all, Zefrael was supposed to be someone she hated so much she wanted him dead. Thanking him was a no-no!

Still, this was only a mediocre potion-carrying task. Anyone could do it, but he kept running away from it as if his life depends on it. Is he freaking serious???

“That was unbelievable, Alex," Zefrael opened his purple eyes wide, looking exaggeratingly amazed, "Did you just told me you’re too weak to hold that small flask by yourself that you need help from me? Wow, really, wow."

Alexia instantly burned with rage. “No!!” she retaliated, screaming to his contrived face, “Did your brain cells frozen, shitlord!? I’M NOT WEAK!!!”

“Oh, really??”

“Grr! So you want to try my strength again, huh!?”

Blinded with fury, Alexia threw the stinky potion she had been holding towards the demon lord, and moved to draw her longsword.

Zefrael instantly dodged the flying potion. Losing its target, the flask with golden liquid passed the side of his body, before it struck against the cavern’s wall behind him with a piercing thud sound.

Her blade was still half-drawn when Alexia froze in her place. She closed her eyes in fear of the impact, while cursing herself with her stupidity. She didn’t like the potion, and she was relieved that it finally released from her hands, but her short-fused actions just now would only disregard everything that she had gone through at the town.

She warily opened her eyes, scared to find her irreversible mistake, only to see the stinky potion fell to the ground wholly, looked like it ever was, without any scratch on the glass surface.

Both of her eyes promptly opened wide, stupefied with what she saw. It seemed the flask was very, very sturdy, beyond everything she could ever imagine. No wonder it could survive the collapsed house.

“Really, I never guessed that staying within your sight promise would turn this interesting,” said the demon lord, giggled behind his teeth.

His voice rang into her eardrums, but Alexia was still unable to return her bearing after the impossible happening with the flying potion. She only kept her silence, as he continued, giggling happily in his every words.

“See? He definitely can’t win from you regarding the interesting meter, Alex,” Zefrael said in a jeering tone, “Rather than waiting in the cave, this is clearly the best choice of having fun.”

His teasing words gradually called back her rage which was blown by surprise. Alexia sheathed her half-drawn blade, and pointed her fingers to the annoying creature in front of her eyes. “What the hell did you say, you crazy shit of a shitlord!?” she exclaimed, stomping her feet to the ground in irritation.

Her shrill was resounded throughout the air, breaching into the cavern, before a deep roaring answered her from inside. Surprised by the sudden roar, Alexia gulped down the next cursing words she planned to blurt and glared the demon lord with spite instead.

Ignoring Alexia’s obvious irritation, the demon lord grinned, and gestured towards the cavern entrance. “It’s a pity we can’t continue this interesting conversation, but you better not make him wait any longer,” he added jokingly, “He could become impatient and finally chose to trample the town, you know.”

“Then, pick it up from the ground, shitlord,” mocked Alexia as she tried to hold herself from being fazed by the demon lord’s teasing words, “Or maybe you’re saying that you’re too scared to touch that harmless potion?” she added with cynical insult, trying to provoke him.

Yet, Zefrael didn’t give the reaction that she hoped.

“Well, yes, I’m sooo scared,” he said, emphasizing his obvious contrived fear, “That’s why you should help me with that, o great hero.”

Alexia immediately raged even more. “How shameful!! A demon lord scared by a mere potion!! You brought shame to your own title, shitlord!” she shouted, and clenched her teeth in anger, “Do you want to go down in history as the demon lord who feared stinky potion!? What a load of bull!!”

“Ho, that’s kinda good idea,” Zefrael replied with vibrant expression, “So unique, enough for people to remember my existence after I gone, don’t you think?”

Again, the shitlord’s reaction didn’t go as she wanted. Alexia was very upset, at the demon lord who kept retorting, and at herself who couldn’t win against him, even in a stupid argument.

“Grrr! You’re really annoying!!!”

“Well, that’s an honor,” Zefrael said with a contented smile.

“You’re deaf!? I’m not complimenting you, asshole!!”

Zefrael giggled again and took a glance at the potion lying in the ground behind him. “I really had fun, but this is going nowhere,” he muttered quietly, before darted his eyes to the girl who was breathing hard after her scream, “You don’t want to touch the potion anymore?”

"Hmph!” Alexia turned her head away in annoyance, “That’s obvious!!"

“I don’t want either, so…” The demon lord paused and showed a wide grin, “The flask proved indestructible, and since no one of us want to touch that, why won’t you kick it with your boots and lead it to the dragon?”

“Ha?”

“Nice idea, right? No need to praise me, I can guess what you want to say already.”

“Nice idea your ass!!” Alexia instantly replied with irritation. He was so annoying and she just couldn’t take it anymore. To begin with, where was the nice in the brash idea he’d just spouted?! “Doing that would only made the dragon really going to trample the town in rage!!” she protested.

“Him? Pssh, no way!”

“Then you do it! He won’t be angry because he’s your friend!” Alexia denied again, coaxing her way for not getting near the stinky potion again.

“An acquaintance,” Zefrael corrected with a pout.

“Whatever!” Alexia didn’t want to care anymore. Friend, acquaintance, whatever it was, it wouldn’t change a thing. A demon lord and a dragon was a perfect combination for each other. If they want to destroy the world together, it would definitely over and done.

But of course, she wouldn’t let it ever happen.

“Just do it, shitlord! For your precious acquaintance.”

“Err…precious is waaaay too exaggerating, so no.” Zefrael shrugged and showed an amazed look, “And do you realize we’re back in this argument again? You’re just wasting time.”

“You are!!”

“Haaah…don’t you want this to be over and done already?” Zefrael sighed wearily, but soon his dark expression shifted back into a teasing grin. “I could do this all day, but could you? It’s getting dark, Alex.”

As the demon lord pointed, the sun that had been hanging high in the sky, was now hanging low near the horizon. The orangeish color of the coming twilight was dyeing the sky with a tinge of purple. Soon, the night would come and shrouded the world with perfect darkness.

The time was indeed running out.

As she glances at the annoying demon lord, Alexia peevishly realized that he had said the right things. There would be no end to their arguments about the stinky potion if one of them didn’t want to give in. Plus, his smiling vibrant expression actually told her that he was obviously willing to continue the stupid argument for the sake of having fun.

It was really frustrating, but she had no better choice. Even if she hated him so much, it tired her to become angry all the time to the weird and shitty demon lord. Moreover, it would be her loss if her anger only brought amusement to him.

Finally decided, Alexia walked confidently to the fallen potion. She passed Zefrael and ignored him completely. Trying to look indifferent, she picked the stinky potion from the ground, and moved to grab it within her hand. The awful stench instantly tormented her nostril again, but she kept it to herself, breathing a little stale air as she could.

Kicking the potion wasn’t an option for her. As she had said to the demon lord, it was too brash. Even if her opponent could be an evil dreadful dragon, there was no honor in being disrespectful.

She didn’t care what Zefrael thought of this action of hers. To be exact, she didn’t want to care anymore. Whether he was happy, laughing, grinning, or maybe surprised, she didn’t even try to find out.

Without paying any attention to the demon lord behind her, the girl walked through the entrance, right into the cavern' inside. Her steps created echoes within the dark cavern, and when that echo was accompanied by other steps which weren't hers, she immediately knew that Zefrael was following her not far behind. He wasn't saying anything. Good.

As soon as she reached the cavern' depths where the outside light couldn't reach, Alexia immediately felt stuffy. Outside, the wind could blow some of the stinky scent away from her, but inside here, there was no wind to help her. The cavern itself wasn't really that deep. Her first experience in trekking this path before told her that. But because of the stuffy air, the walk seemed longer than she remembered.

In order to end this torture of shit in a flash, Alexia hastened her steps and entering the darkness cavern in front of her without doubt. Then all of the sudden, a light emanated from behind her, illuminating the rough cavern walls and grounds, before it flew pass her to show up the way.

Alexia didn’t have to guess anymore about the source of the sudden light. After all, he did the same thing before.

Actually, the demon lord did help her, in a way or another. If he doesn’t like making fun of her and provoking her all the time, could she probably—just probably accustomed to his presence? Honestly, it sounded impossible.

It didn't take long for Alexia to reach her destination. The diffusing glow from the dragon’s blue scale was already within her sight as the sign of the closing curtain of the stinky torture.

In front of that promising chance, the girl immediately walked to the dragon without further delay. She put the stinky potion on the ground near him, and retreated far enough to stay away from the stinky smell.

The blue scaled dragon growled while staring her with his silver eyes, but Alexia didn't exactly pay him any attention. She was just relieved to finally part with the disgusting smell from the potion. Plus, it was beyond her understanding about what he actually said. Zefrael would know, but she didn’t want to stoop that low only to ask him the meaning.

Moreover, there was pressing matter concerning her agreement for fetching the potion. “Now let’s see the proof,” she said, glancing resentfully towards Zefrael who stopped beside her. “Don’t forget your promise!”

“Of course!” The demon lord smiled joyfully to her resentment, before he raised his head and gazed into the dragon, “It’s showtime!”

Following the demon lord’s word, the dragon roared loudly while raising his gigantic head up. The cavern heavily reverberated in accordance of the deafening roar. Alexia immediately struggled to cover both of her ears, feeling somewhat grateful that the stalactites weren’t falling from the ceiling to hurt her.

The dragon opened his mouth wide—showing his sharp fangs, before he moved to swallow the stinky potion whole from the cavern ground. Painful cracking sound entered Alexia's ears, where she guess it must be the over durable flask—maybe the dragon sharp teeth was the only thing capable in breaking it.

Ignoring the fact that the blue scaled dragon was actually eating the glass fragments along with the potion, Alexia nervously watched it, hand in her longsword's hilt, ready to be pulled at any moment notice.

Smoke started billowing from the dragon's gigantic body, and shrouding him completely with a veil of whites. What would happen after the smoke disperses? Soon, she will find out.