NOVPUBInside a loft at the end of the second floor of the Boss Cat Restaurant in Capital City Ekrite.
When the night was deep and quiet.
Moonlight, like water, seeped through the seams of the bedroom curtains, adding a touch of mystery and tranquility to this warm space.
The faint light and shadows played on the quilt. Talia and Hyperion each occupied a side, with their breaths gentle and fine.
At first, Hyperion was quite restrained when she shared a bed with Talia, and only gradually let go of her inner tension late into the night.
Her steady breathing persisted for a long time, as if she had fallen asleep peacefully.
Only at this moment did Talia slowly turn her body around, no longer with her back facing Hyperion.
However, she found that Hyperion was curled up tightly in the quilt, unguarded, and was actually facing her in sleep.
Talia looked at Hyperion’s cheek.
Curiously, she wanted to reach out and touch this cute creature.
But her fingertips had hardly peeked from under the quilt when she pulled them back, afraid of waking Hyperion or being discovered by her, which might arouse her suspicion.
Thus, Talia quietly observed Hyperion, her golden pupils reflecting her thoughts.
The curtain on the window swayed slightly, bringing in a gust of autumn wind. The cool wind stroked their cheeks, like the gentle palm of Mother Earth.
Perhaps because the night temperature had dropped a few degrees, or maybe because Talia had been watching for too long, Hyperion began to stir awake while pulling the quilt tighter around her.
"Miss Tata..."
Hyperion murmured as she opened her eyes slightly, as if she was half-awake and half-asleep.
She noticed that Talia seemed to be looking at her.
Far from being surprised, Hyperion felt grateful realizing she was being watched over carefully.
"Can’t sleep?"
Talia’s voice was soft.
"No..."
Hyperion shook her head, her head rubbing against the pillow making a rustling sound.
"Sleep well then. You don’t have to go to school tomorrow. Just rest well here for two weeks. I’ll protect you."
Talia snaked out of her quilt, raised the quilt on Hyperion’s back lest she catch a cold, and then silently returned to her own quilt.
Lanci had said he would help Hyperion take two weeks off, making use of her "unused holiday following the end of the Shadow World challenge." During this time, she doesn’t need to go to school, and he had requested Talia to look after her all the time.
However, Lanci also mentioned that if all went well, the assassin might take action in the next two days. They would find a way to lure the assassin to show his hand as soon as possible.
This way, in the remaining days to come, Talia and Hyperion would no longer bear any mental burden. They only needed to rest well. 𝓷ℴ𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝒸𝓸𝓶
"Miss Tata, what you and Lanci said are totally different."
Hyperion murmured in her sleep.
Her, who had no mother since she was a child, unexpectedly felt something wonderful from Tata, as if filling a vacancy in her heart, warming her immensely.
However, Miss Tata was still very young. Considering her as a mother might be too disrespectful.
"What did Lanci say about me?"
The moment she heard Lance’s name, Talia’s tone cooled down slightly, but was also somewhat curious.
She always felt like Lanci gossiped about her behind her back.
"He...said...you are very strong... trustworthy... "
Hyperion suddenly realized that she spoke out of line. She wanted to gloss over it but didn’t know what to say. She could only pick the good parts first.
She felt too comfortable by Talia’s side, thus she spoke mindlessly without thinking much.
"I’ll ask him myself next time. Don’t worry, I won’t get angry."
Talia spoke sensing Hyperion’s difficulty.
Naturally, she sensed that Lanci must indeed have been speaking ill of her, but also spoke well of her.
"Miss Tata, you are indeed the most gentle."
Hyperion curled up in his blanket, moving a bit closer to Talia, and murmured to her.
"Alright, time for sleep."
Talia’s voice was softer this time.
Listening to Talia’s words, Hyperion swiftly fell asleep again. It had been a long time since she had slept so soundly.
She didn’t have to worry about waking up from nightmares in the middle of the night, or about being slain by villains.
Talia had set up a protective barrier around their room, but what comforted Hyperion most was Talia herself being by her side.
Talia was still awake, contemplating the words of the Cat boss.
After her lengthy travels, observations, and learning in the Human Kingdom, Talia could understand her feelings for Hyperion- they were love. The love one has for their family. She would give Hyperion the same affection and longing she has for her sister. If she could manage it, she wished to compensate Hyperion for the lack of maternal love her sister owed her.
Yet Talia did not understand the kind of love Cat boss spoke of.
Her sister Isatia had fallen in love with Duke Migaya.
So the Demon Race should learn how to love a person too. It was just that she hadn’t managed to do it yet.
There was an ancient legend in the Demon World—
Only a demon who fully comprehends human emotions is the biggest threat to humans.
But the Demon Race and humans are similar yet completely different species. There are some emotions that they, the demon race, inherently find hard to comprehend.
Talia couldn’t understand or even imagine what that feeling would be like.
She just couldn’t figure it out.
She only felt her stomach growling the more she thought about it.
Better just go to sleep and not think about it.
With that, Talia turned over and fell into a deep sleep.
...
The next day.
Adams left the accommodations of the academic delegation from the Royal Arolan Academy early in the morning, heading to Sage Academy on his own.
He received a response from Ichrite Academy yesterday- Lanci was willing to have a friendly competition with him.
This morning, Lanci would be waiting for him in the conference room of the Main Building of Sage Academy to discuss the specific details.
Considering their status, this competition was highly anticipated by the students, thus, they received support from both the student council and the Magic Engineering College.
The only regret was that Dean Loren had important church matters to deal with and had left Capital City Ekrite for a few days, thus he was unable to be there to host the event himself.
Adams strolled into the heart of Sage Academy, a towering educational hall.
The imposing stone columns, arched windows, and complex intricate crystal carvings. Every detail of this place was imbued with a strong architectural style of the old times.
The wide central courtyard of the Main Building of Sage Academy was brimming with a classical ambiance, with many students casually chatting.
"Did you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"The gossip about Dean Loren and Knight Juliana."
The more they spoke, the more students gathered to listen.
"What happened?"
"Actually, Dean Loren and Knight Juliana’s relationship wasn’t bad at all at the beginning, but it was rather ambiguous! Knight Juliana wanted Dean Loren to be solely focused on her, but Dean Loren couldn’t let go of his dozens of fiancées... Eventually, Dean Loren was left wanting for love, and Knight Juliana became resentful out of love, causing the two to fall out and become enemies..."
As he strolled along, Adams overheard the hot topic the students of Sage Academy were discussing. He couldn’t help but clench his fists, making sounds as his protective leather gauntlets rubbed against the metal.
"Loren..."
Adams’s eyes were filled with fury.
Who would have thought that the austere Great Priest would actually turn out to be such a playboy, fooling around with Knight Juliana’s feelings.
There was no need to question the truth of this gossip. No student of any school would dare to discuss their dean in such a way, especially when it’s Loren, one of the strongest people in the world!
