NOVPUBNanwantian Border, eastern district by the sea.
The half-open window of a bedroom on the third floor of a large seaside Chamber of Commerce building welcomed the fresh sea breeze of summer.
Inside the room, the thin white window curtains fluttered rhythmically in the wind, while the continuous crashing of the waves against the shore outside produced a soft, persistent echo, turning into a lullaby of nature.
Talia gradually opened her eyes.
She looked around at the unfamiliar yet strangely comforting environment.
Turning her head, she noticed two pairs of eyes watching her.
It was Lanci and Hyperion.
They had taken their places beside her bed, sitting on two chairs, seemingly guarding her for a long while, waiting for her to awaken.
"Tata, are you feeling okay?"
Noticing that Tata had awakened, Lanci asked with concern.
Talia nodded slightly and struggled to sit up.
Her mid-length hair was a bit messy, and there was a bandage wrapped around her right cheek, but just the sight of her exposed lips and left eye was enough to assure that she possessed a rare beauty scarcely seen in the human kingdoms.
"We’re now at the Wilford Chamber of Commerce, and for the next few days, we’ll have to stay here."
Lanci explained to Talia.
After the attack, their family had temporarily moved to the third floor of the Wilford Chamber of Commerce in the eastern district.
This place could also serve as a domestic residence.
"Tata, my Tata."
Hyperion looked at the recovered Tata and then hugged her, tears welling up in her eyes as if she had been worried that Tata might not come around.
Talia was initially stunned, hesitated for a moment, but eventually placed her left hand gently on Hyperion’s back.
"It’s alright now, Hyperion."
Talia said softly.
She wasn’t sure if she had fulfilled her responsibility to protect Hyperion, but she knew this was the time to comfort her.
"How many days have I slept?"
Talia let Hyperion embrace her and looked at Lanci to ask.
She had felt all along that her right hand lacked strength, and only after glancing did she notice it was tightly wrapped in bandages.
It felt as if she had had a very long dream.
She dreamed of Antanas, who in her semi-conscious state seemed to be hastily healing her.
But of course, it was just a dream.
There were no more doctors in the Demon World as supremely skilled as Antanas.
"You’ve slept just one night,"
Lanci said, glancing at Hyperion.
Hyperion hadn’t slept all night, worried sick, staying right beside Talia.
But Lanci estimated that Tata would probably wake up during the day, as it had been over ten hours since Tata last ate, and hunger would likely rouse her.
"..."
Talia observed Lanci.
For some reason, she now felt an even stronger urge to seize this human and torment him a bit.
Even though he hadn’t done or said anything out of line, his psyche seemed to become unusually active at the least appropriate times.
As she thought this, Hyperion had already brought over breakfast wrapped in tin foil for Tata.
Not knowing when Tata would wake up, she always had food prepared and kept it warm with a Living Magic Device.
Upon opening it, there appeared to be a golden-brown pastry.
Hyperion held it underneath with her hand, bringing it to Talia’s mouth.
Talia bit off a piece from the end, and her expression gradually calmed.
The crust was crispy, the inside soft and piping hot, with the dough having just the right amount of chewiness, all while being engulfed in the sweet fragrance of baked cheese and the tender bounce of fresh beef.
Talia felt that this was the moment she truly came back to life.
"Unfortunately, we probably won’t be able to make it to Bibo Coast today," 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Lanci went to one side of the bedroom, poured three cups of honey lemon tea, and placed them on Talia’s bedside table before sitting back down next to Hyperion.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that in just a short while, nothing was left of the beef and cheese bread but the tin foil.
"Here you go, Tata."
Hyperion passed a cup of lemon tea to Tata, who quickly sipped from the cup’s edge.
Starting from the unique warmth and sweetness of sugar, she could taste the quite refreshing flavor of the lemon, and just when her mouth felt overly dry from the bread’s absorption of moisture, the beverage Lanci immediately provided was just perfect.
Although Talia had never tried relying on someone else to take care of her, she found that these two, having lived with her for so long, took care of her with such ease, fully knowing what she liked and what she needed.
Unexpectedly, this feeling wasn’t too bad.
"Didn’t you say you would go unless it was absolutely impossible?"
Talia leaned against the headboard and asked Lanci.
She originally thought Lanci was already prepared to take her and Hyperion to Bibo Coast.
After all, he was someone who valued promises greatly, and indeed, as he had said, even when Rebirth Church attacked, he managed to send them away.
Now they were just one step away from fulfilling the promise.
Although she wasn’t feeling well, she wasn’t as frail as ordinary humans, and if she wanted to travel, she could still manage it.
"Rest well,"
Lanci simply smiled casually, not minding the change in plans at all,
"Dragging you out to have fun by force would be putting the cart before the horse."
Lanci waved his hand and stood up, momentarily bidding farewell to Talia and leaving the room.
It was as if he was leaving space for Talia and Hyperion to be alone together.
Lanci sensed Hyperion’s unspoken words; there were things between them that should have been laid out in the open long ago.
"..."
Talia placed her hands on the pure white bedding, looking in the direction Lanci had left, and fell silent for a moment.
Until the curtains fluttered once more.
She exhaled a breath and finally turned to Hyperion.
"Hyperion, was that magic given to you by Almis?"
The freezing magic Hyperion had used to protect herself earlier was clearly not innate to Hyperion.
Talia knew well that Hyperion didn’t have an affinity for ice and heal attributes, and learning a Holy-level spell, no matter how long she tried, was nearly impossible.
To have acquired the spell, Hyperion must have encountered the Bingxue Witch Almis in the Northern Continent.
"Yes, in the first two months in the Northern Continent, Teacher Almis took care of me, she taught me a lot, and in the end, she gave me one of her unique Sacred Spell Cards,"
Hyperion replied.
Talia gazed into Hyperion’s eyes.
"So you know who I am?"
Talia seemed calm, but she could not hide her anxiety.
Or perhaps when she asked that question, she already had an idea of the answer.
Hyperion took Talia’s hand and nodded.
"You are my most important family member."
There was a hint of grievance in Hyperion’s voice, but it was filled with gratitude and determination as she seemed to tell Talia that she had finally found her.
"..."
Without responding, Talia slowly bowed her head.
Her hand, in turn, gripped Hyperion’s tightly, as if all the thoughts she couldn’t express were being conveyed to her through the warmth of their palms.
