I was accidentally injured by God and I just want to be an ordinary person

"So these rich people are the ones I envy. They lent me paper under the pretext of 'wanting to see what comics are all about'... Never mind, I probably won't be able to read it."

After we parted, it was really hard for me to imagine how to find Ella again. With my identity as an ordinary person, even if I could really walk into the Demon Tribe intact, I would not be qualified to meet the princess. Although I didn't feel anything when talking to Ella, if I really thought about it calmly, it would be easy to realize the disparity in our identities.

"It's even further away than the distance between an otaku and a high-ranking flower."

Thinking that he would never meet the friends he just met again, Jinghua felt a sense of sadness in his heart. Parting always makes people sad, not to mention that Jinghua is an outsider who is alone in a foreign land and has just been rejected. This sadness is not due to the childish idea that "he will lose protection in the future", but a pure feeling of not wanting to part with his friends.

Her vision was a little blurry, but this was a room where she was alone, and no one would see her embarrassing side. Tears gradually seeped out of her crimson eyes, and her long white hair behind her trembled slightly. While Jinghua sobbed softly, she continued to fold clothes at an extremely slow speed, as if this would slow down the flow of time.

"No matter how much...it would be nice if I could return the favor..."

"A return gift?"

pat.

There was the sound of a lock clicking, and Ella pushed the door from outside, but because the door was locked, she couldn't come in directly.

Startled by the sound, Jinghua immediately wiped her tears with her sleeve. Although she wanted to answer Ella immediately, she was afraid that Ella would hear her crying. In order to quickly recover, Jinghua could only pick up the cup of water on the table and splash it on her face, then simply washed her face.

"I heard it. Jinghua is inside."

"I-I understand. I'll be right there to open the door."

"Oh……"

I seemed to hear Ella muttering something like, "Isn't that a bit strange?" outside the door, but getting my friend in quickly was more important than that.

After judging by his feeling that he was no longer in the miserable state he was in just now, Jinghua slowly walked to the door and slowly opened it.

As usual, Ella first peeked to see if there was anyone else in the room, then stepped into the room cautiously with her head lowered. This act of fear of disturbing others sometimes made her doubt whether Ella was from this world.

"Ah... Kagamika is a little different than usual?"

"no."

In order to avoid being seen by Ella, Jinghua turned around and walked straight to the window.

"Hmm, that tone again, aren't you still mad about this morning?"

"how--."

She was originally going to say "How is that possible?", but because she was still feeling sad, her words got stuck in her throat and Jinghua had to change her words temporarily.

"no."

"Look, look, you're clearly angry. Well, you can talk about being angry later. I came to talk to Jinghua about what happened this afternoon."

"Ella... already knew?"

Probably someone was patting the bed, as there was a fluttering sound behind him, but Jinghua didn't turn around.

"Well, Olds has told me everything. Your Majesty's insistence and Jinghua's decision to leave tomorrow. Are you sure you won't reconsider this?"

"No, Your Majesty won't believe me, and I have my own things to do."

"Your own business, you mean the comics?"

"Well, after becoming a saint, I don't have time for anything else. And what's with Ella's tone? Your Majesty, it's completely unnecessary. It sounds like sarcasm to me. Excessive self-deprecation only makes people uncomfortable."

Although the title of princess was much inferior to that of king, considering the national strength, no one dared to say anything even if Ella called her Oz by her name.

But Ella just laughed dryly with a troubled tone.

"Ah, ha, ha... I've unconsciously learned to use Kagami's way of addressing you. After all, we're in a foreign country, so there's nothing wrong with following the local customs. But Kagami, are you really not going to try it again?"

"So, that guy won't listen to me at all. I don't want to suffer any more. I've made up my mind. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"But only becoming a saint can make comics easier, right? Without enough money, paper and ink, there's no way I can even consider it."

"The money can be exchanged for the magic cores obtained through adventures. I've already thought about this."

"But you need a lot of copies, and lots of people to enjoy them together, in order to spread BL manga, right? If you can only draw it by hand, do you plan to continue drawing one book at a time?"

There is no such thing as printing in this world, so books are extremely precious.

Obviously not having considered this, Jinghua's whole body froze.

“…There’s always a way.”

"Even if Jinghua could really draw many books a day, it would be completely useless if he couldn't promote it."

"Are you saying that no one will buy it, Ella? It will be difficult at first, but once we get the first person to approve, things will go smoothly."

"No, no, what I mean is that there are only a few people in this world who can afford to buy comics. The paper alone is a huge expense. Unless Jinghua is planning to do business at a loss, only the nobles can afford it..."

But do nobles really appreciate comics? Because this sentence was too hurtful, Ella didn't say it out loud.

"Then I'll give it away for free to anyone who wants to see it."

"Do those people really want to see it? Won't they turn what Jinghua worked so hard to draw into something else?"

If you soak the paper, mash it, flatten it, and dry it, it will become a brand new piece of paper. In the environment of the kingdoms, Jinghua's kindness will only be exploited by others.

"There are always people you can only trust. I have my own considerations."

It is indeed "Kanzaki Kagamika".

Ella couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Only the protagonist could say such words, believing in a tiny possibility.

"It's not like there's no possibility. Well, I didn't come here to argue with Jinghua. I was just offering another possibility. Jinghua herself probably still longs for a less difficult life, right?"

"...Yes, but so what? In the current situation, anyone who holds onto hope for the Saint is an absolute idiot."

Because of the conversation, Jinghua felt a little calmer and turned to face Ella.

"That Majesty said things like 'fake' and 'get out'. If you appear before him again, I will believe you even if you are sentenced to death by hanging."

Was she shy? Or was she trying to save face by not looking at her own expression? Ella lay on the bed, covering her face with the white silk she had bought.

"I heard the words 'return the gift' outside the door earlier. I hope I'm not being overly sentimental. Jinghua must be saying this to return the gift to me..."

Sure enough, he is shy.

After hearing Ella's words, Jinghua made a judgment in an instant, but at the same time, he also felt very embarrassed. Fortunately, Ella covered her face with silk, and neither of them could see each other's expressions.

Jinghua turned his eyes to the side and subconsciously kicked the dust at his feet.

"It's for Lotte."

"Um...please pretend you didn't hear what I just said!"

You can see Ella tightly pulling the silk, and she is so shy that her whole body is trembling slightly on the bed. She definitely wants to crawl into the cracks in the ground. The demon queen actually has such a cute side. The contrast between her identity and reality makes Jinghua laugh. After a moment of silence, she speaks in a self-deprecating tone.

"Ahh, you're talking about Ella. Seriously, you actually made me say it myself."

"Eh? Really?"

"I was just joking when I said I'd give it to Lotte."

Jinghua embarrassedly curled the ends of her hair with her hands.

"Once I prepare the return gift, I'll send it to the demon tribe. Ella, don't worry that I'll go back on my word."

"Well, it's not so much that I'm worried about breaking my promise, but rather that I'm worried about whether I can receive it..."

He must be worried about what he just thought of. In fact, he does not have the ability to send the return gift to the demon clan, even though he is already level 13 now.

But apart from this, he had no other choice. He couldn't ask Ella to go to the countryside with him until he made the return gift.

Jinghua couldn't help but look at the white silk in Ella's hand. That was the material for the return gift she had prepared. It sounded insignificant, but after seeing the silk, she decided that this piece of fabric was very suitable for decorating Ella. Usually, Ella liked to tie a black ribbon behind her blonde hair. Although it was a good match, she always felt that the ribbon was missing something. After seeing the silk, she felt as if she was inspired by God, and the idea of ​​sewing small white stripes on the edge of the black ribbon instantly emerged in her mind.

Although such a return gift is insignificant, it can at least represent one's thoughts. Compared with buying a finished product at an expensive price, it is more sincere to make it yourself.

However, having said that, there was no time to catch up. Feeling a little powerless, Jinghua walked to the bed and sat down.

"There's no other choice. Even if it's a commissioned adventurer, I'll send the return gift to Ella."

"Haha, I say, Jinghua, can't you be a little more flexible? We have to stay in the capital for a while due to other matters. Can't Jinghua prepare during this time?"

"But the room—"

Hotels in the royal capital are very expensive, and you can't just stay a few days longer if you want.

Jinghua's words made Ella throw away the silk and sit up angrily.

"You're still saying things like that after all this. Jinghua has absolutely no self-awareness! I'll take care of the room. Jinghua just needs to stay in the royal city for a few more days."

Was it because he wanted to replace Angelina as the Saint? Or was it simply because he wanted her to have a better life as a friend? Or was it simply because he couldn't bear to be apart?

Jinghua shook her head, and the large black ribbon tied at the end of her hair swayed from side to side. It would be more direct to ask the person himself than to imagine it herself.

"Stay a few more days...why? If I can't become a saint and replace Angelina, won't I be completely useless to Ella?"

However, his words made Ella's eyes widen, and she nodded repeatedly as if she had suddenly remembered something.

"Ah, yes, that's right. Since Jinghua's value hasn't been fully exploited yet, I'm going to continue to use her."

This was definitely an excuse that Ella came up with on the spur of the moment. I must have had a different idea. Jinghua couldn't help but feel a little warm in his heart and asked with some amusement.

"What a scumbag's statement... Then how will Ella-sama use me?"

Ella suddenly put on a serious expression, took a step towards Jinghua, and raised a finger.

"Once again, I'll try to convince Oz. However, this time, I need to make some preparations before I go. Even if I fail in the end, I will wait here for Jinghua to give me the return gift."

"What if it succeeds?"

Jinghua asked subconsciously, even though he couldn't imagine what success would look like.

But Ella lowered her head and frowned, as if she was really thinking about what to do after success.

"You're such an idiot! Your Majesty, there's no hope at all."

"Got it! If Jinghua becomes a saint, I will fulfill one of her wishes—no matter what it is."

Grabbing Jinghua's shoulders with both hands, Ella stared at Jinghua and emphasized each word.

Chapter 52: Alchemy of the Night

*创世纪6187年11月1日 晚20:00分 库米海姆王国

After walking out of Jinghua's room, Ella closed the door with her backhand, raised her head to look at the moonlight outside the corridor, and let out a long breath.

"Is it already this late? I said I'd make some preparations, but I haven't actually thought of anything yet."

After hearing from Olds that Jinghua would leave the royal capital tomorrow, he immediately rushed to persuade Jinghua to stay. As a result, he talked nonsense and coaxed Jinghua into trying again. As for the reason for keeping her, it was not that he wanted Jinghua to replace Angelica, but he simply thought that Jinghua should not leave like this. Whether it was future life or the vision of BL comics, becoming a saint was a shortcut. As for becoming an adventurer as Jinghua said, and then using the money earned from adventure to buy paper, in his opinion it was no different from throwing money into the water.

Ella sighed again and walked down the stairs.

"Well, Camisia said that Kiru and Lingran will be in the outskirts of Kumiheim tomorrow. That probably means Kiru will meet the King of Kumiheim, right?"

Jiru is the elf envoy who requested him to send troops to assist, and he is also the head of the delegation.

"Tomorrow, Linglan will bring Kiru to see me first. We need to keep Angeline away. It would be terrible if the elves had the special ability to sense their own people. Also, regarding Kiru's meeting with Oz, having Jinghua come along would at least increase the chances of success. However, this alone is not enough. We need to find some other evidence."

"Ms. Ella?"

"Ah, it's Lotte."

At the corner of the stairs, Lotte called out to Ella, who was so lost in thought that she had forgotten her surroundings. Probably because she had just finished showering, Lotte's wet purple twin ponytails were casually spread out, and she exuded a pleasant fragrance.

Smelling the faint fragrance in the air, Ella subconsciously took a step back, but this action made Lotte tilt her head curiously and chase after Ella.

"What's wrong? Miss Ella seems a little different than usual. Am I scary?"

"How, how could that be? Lotte is always pretty..."

It was precisely because she was so beautiful that I instinctively stepped back, both out of politeness and shyness—would I smell strange without showering? Was it really okay to stand next to her like this? And so on.

With an expression that was unclear whether it was satisfaction or regret, Lotte sighed softly.

"Is that so?"

"Did Lotte just come out of the bathroom?"

"Well, this place doesn't have a dedicated bathhouse, just like any other inn. Elise-sama and I are in the woods outside the city. Ah, if Miss Ella wants to go, I think the water there should still be warm."

"It's not cold yet. Wait, did they use magic to dig a bathtub again?!"

Due to the lack of places to bathe, everyone could only ask Camisia to dig a deep hole by the river. After the river water filled the hole, Ella, Angelica, Shen Gan and Jinghua sealed the hole with stones and mud, and used "solidification" magic to fix it to form a bathtub. Then Iris chanted the fire-based "Wings of Red Lotus" to heat the water in the bathtub, and a simple open-air bath was created.

However, doing so would cause suffering to the monsters and ordinary creatures living in the river. Not to mention Camisia's heavy blows, every time Iris used the "Red Lotus Wings", a large number of river fish would jump out of the water at the edge of the bathtub because they could not bear the temperature - it was a very spectacular and very subtle scene.

Ruthie nodded.