NOVPUB"Oh," Hyperion seemed unsure how to respond for a moment, only nodding slightly before she walked toward the bedroom door.
She had heard from Lisandra that ever since Lanci arrived at Demon King Castle Necaris, he had purchased a mansion villa, which fit Lanci’s overly acclimated personal style.
But she had never imagined that Lanci would say it was bought for her.
For some reason, she now felt a little discomfort when making eye contact with Lanci, but overall, it was okay. They still had much to talk about, such as the current situation in Necaris and their future plans. They had only made small talk just now and hadn’t rushed to discuss these topics.
Hyperion was just relieved that Lanci hadn’t seen her dream earlier.
As they spoke and walked, led by Lanci, Hyperion began her tour of this villa.
Dinner prepared by Cat Boss would still take some time. On this leisurely evening, having not seen each other for a month, they both missed each other and slowly brought up the past month’s events.
They walked across the wooden floors of the mansion, their steps producing rhythmic, soft echoes, becoming the only symphony of the midsummer night’s villa.
"Your good friend Lisandra lives not far from here. If you want to see her, you can go any time, or invite her over to our place," Lanci said, looking through the large row of windows to the outside night, pointing toward a direction of the hedge.
Past the lawn, there was a small cottage amid the flowers.
"Um, do I live here now?" Hyperion pointed to herself.
She still found it difficult to think of this place as her home, even if Lanci had just said the mansion was bought for her; she took it more as a jest commonly thrown by Lanci.
"At least for today, Calila hasn’t said whether you need to go back." Lanci hesitated slightly as he asked, "Of course, if you miss her, I can call her to pick you up after dinner."
"No need for that, I’ll just stay here," Hyperion quickly waved her hand.
It wasn’t that she disliked the Fallen Queen, but Hyperion felt it was rare to get out of the royal palace to breathe and didn’t want to bother the Fallen Queen again. Staying with Lanci was nice.
Her mood grew more and more cheerful.
After all, the two of them had previously lived together in a castle during the Holy Temple banquet at Lichtenstein Castle, so there was nothing strange about it.
"We’ll stay here for a couple of days before we head back to the Palante Empire," Lanci said.
"Okay, I’ll go wherever you do," Hyperion, who had been confined in the royal palace for a month, was now free and walked with an extra lively step, akin to a butterfly.
She indulged in the wonders of the ancient castle, whispering softly and occasionally turning back to ask Lanci questions. Her voice was like an enchanting serenade.
She marveled at the carvings on these walls and couldn’t stop praising the artistic masterpieces Lanci designed on the ceilings.
Lanci smiled and refrained from discussing matters related to the Shadow World with her anymore.
He would handle everything.
Once he finished a research experiment with his new friends from the Great Demon Clan in Demon World and figured out what the "key to defeating the Blood Clan" from the missions objectives was, then he could bring his Great Demon Clan friends back to Palante Empire.
According to the intelligence and latest developments they had obtained, the mission objectives in Shadow World had successfully changed—
[Mission Objective 1: With your understanding, the Demon Ancestral Land may have the potential to seal the Ancestor of the Blood Clan. It might be possible to find some key spell principle there.]
Even though Lanci now believed he had found a new way to develop the Blood Clan’s economy, the mission objectives still had to be completed, to respect the Shadow World.
By finishing the first objective, his duty as Rocky McCarthy, the diplomat, would end, leaving only the work of Lanci Wilford, the Prime Minister.
He could do the remaining tasks while taking Hyperion on a tour around the Palante Empire.
Lanci felt that each Shadow World itinerary was always rushed.
For instance, at the Dream Corridor Academy back then, he hadn’t even started enjoying the fruits of victory when Shadow World was almost over.
The second Shadow World got slightly better; the Holy Temple’s good people banquet was sorted in one day, and they played for a full four days.
Sadly, it was situated in a wilderness castle, impossible to leave, somewhat resembling a club training camp.
This time, Shadow World was an entirely open map. Except for the southern continent, which was at war and inaccessible due to visa issues, travel through the northern continent was mostly unrestricted.
The moment he arrived, Lanci was determined.
He must turn Shadow World into a favorable situation early on, so that Hyperion could enjoy this Shadow World, free and happy.
If there was another chance, he would conquer the southern continent too, letting Hyperion go wherever she wished.
Indeed, compared to drawing on paper, drawing on a map brought a greater sense of accomplishment.
This was the ultimate goal for an art student.
Watching Hyperion happily exploring the villa, Lanci walked behind her with hands in his pockets, contemplating.
The mansion’s long corridors were like gateways to unchartered lands, each wall lamp, like a warm hand, reached out to assist, dispelling the night.
Hyperion wandered, being led.
Passing through an indoor courtyard surrounded by buds.
Walking down marble steps, the next level gradually came into view, presenting a delicate change—there were no extravagant decorations; the whole interior turned into a fragrant garden. Inside, the brilliance of daffodils, the purity of hawthorn blossoms like foam, plum flowers adorning the branches, the soft golden hues of honeysuckle flowers, all captivated her beyond words.
