NOVPUBThe corridor stretched endlessly forward.
Together, Hyperion and Lanci walked step by step through a series of Naikarisu-style music halls and meeting rooms, styled after the Ancient Demon World era—all strikingly silent as if invisible audiences were quietly watching their every move.
As Lanci closed the thick doors to the library, which seemed to lead to another time and space, Hyperion faintly thought she heard a deep laugh echoing from a classroom back in Purgatory Corridor Academy.
Upon closer inspection, the mansion’s design incorporated many architectural elements of Purgatory Corridor Academy.
"Indeed, you still can’t forget about that school,"
sighed Hyperion.
"Don’t you like it?"
Lanci turned to her and asked.
"No, I love it,"
Hyperion said with a slight smile, shaking her head.
The two of them felt as though they had returned to the ancient, revered academy of the Demon World, to the time when they first set foot in the Shadow World.
At that time, she thought it was the most wonderful day of her life.
Later, she discovered there were even better days.
Perhaps today was one of them.
"In the background of the story you told, wasn’t there a chance for Miss Witch to revisit Purgatory Corridor Academy with the Son of the Sun?"
Hyperion suddenly remembered and asked.
After all, in the backdrop of the Shadow World, she was playing the role of Miss Witch, while Lanci was the Son of the Sun.
In the first Shadow World, the Son of the Sun who had snuck into Purgatory Corridor Academy met Miss Witch, and took her away from the school to become companions in the human world.
In the second Shadow World, the true historic story was that Miss Witch died at the Sanctuary Evil Banquet, giving all her Royal Blood to the Son of the Sun.
So, from that point on, Miss Witch no longer existed, leaving only the Son of the Sun, alone.
The Shadow World they were currently in had veered slightly from history into an alternative "hypothetical timeline."
"Uh, probably, but maybe even so, the Son of the Sun would still build his villa in a similar fashion, waiting for someone who can’t return,"
Lanci pondered and guessed.
Maybe because he had played the Son of the Sun three times, he had a slight understanding of the Son of the Sun’s feelings.
The two of them chatted idly as they once again ascended the staircase.
The next floor was still imbued with the same antique charm—cabinets covering entire walls draped with rose and lavender satin, where vibrant flowers found their sanctuary.
Finally, they arrived at Lanci’s private quarters—there lay a bedroom, a reception room, and a study resembling that of a headmaster’s office from the academy.
They settled in the study and sampled a bottle of treasured Demon World floral wine that Lanci had retrieved from the wall cabinet.
Lanci himself didn’t dare drink, but last time in Herram Prison’s negative sixth floor, Hyperion discovered she could hold her liquor well, so she wanted to try any wine she came across thereafter. 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝖔𝔪
Sure enough, after two small glasses, Hyperion deemed it no more than sparkling water.
Lanci laughed it off, carefree.
His view on the wealth in his estate was casual, and after Hyperion’s arrival, all of it seemed trivial in comparison.
It wasn’t until he brought Hyperion to the third floor, facing a grand door standing tall before them, with gold-plated designs embedded in the towering doors reflecting a dreamlike glow in the glass window’s reflection, that they stopped.
Two more floors down, and they would reach the dining area where the restaurant was open for business.
As they pushed open the door, they were greeted with the faint scent of candle and incense from the third floor.
"I’m truly happy today, only after finding you did the Shadow World become joyful,"
Lanci said with a broad smile.
It had been a long since he and Hyperion had enjoyed such a jaunt together.
They had seen all of Royal Capital Ekrite, or at least for Hyperion, being a local, Ekrite held no significance except as a place of residence.
"Yes, I also started feeling joy each day after I met you,"
Hyperion had ridden an emotional rollercoaster throughout their journey.
From initial unease, to delight, and now, with her reunion with Lanci, she was falling into a blissful oblivion.
She had endured long nights at the royal palace, uncertain of when Lanci would come to the Demon World, the tension indescribable.
Now, she could finally let go of that tension, no longer that anxiety-wound clock.
"By the way, Hyperion, I have a place to take you,"
Lanci said, looking towards a direction.
"What is it?"
Hyperion, originally intending to explore further, turned her head with burgeoning interest upon hearing Lanci’s proposal.
"Come with me,"
Lanci chuckled, snapping his fingers.
Below was the restaurant, which might be a bit noisy.
On this third floor, there was a perfect terrace.
Lanci invited Hyperion to the third-floor open-air garden.
The moment they stepped out, their view widened dramatically.
They were on a wooden deck with rocking garden benches for resting, giving a clear view of just how vast Lanci’s estate was while also allowing for the enjoyment of the fresh outdoor air.
The full moon of the midsummer night climbed higher, and the endless night sky over the Naikarisu Sea hung with a string of silver stardust.
Here, they could finally hear the musical opera playing from the downstairs restaurant, like a show, along with occasional light clinking of glasses, conjuring images of bubbly wine being delicately tapped by patrons in slender glasses.
But there were drinks on Lanci’s side as well.
In the estate, a few steps took one past unnamed liquors and a complete set of glasses; the terrace had everything needed.
