Dekalorin stepped forward and gently patted Saint Eustacia’s shoulder. A comforting smile reappeared on her face.
“I can’t wait any longer. I’ll leave the wrapping-up work here at the academy to you. Sorry for the trouble. I have to go find Movira right away. I suspect she’s encountered some danger she can’t resolve!”
Although Saint Eustacia also couldn’t fully grasp the current situation, out of her instinctive trust in her teacher, she still nodded solemnly.
“I understand, Teacher. Please rest assured. However… if you encounter danger, please be sure to notify me!”
“Alright.”
After hearing her, Dekalorin didn’t delay any further. She quickly straightened her robes, and her figure vanished from the office like a gust of wind.
Saint Eustacia stood alone in the empty office, watching her teacher’s departing figure. Her brows were tightly furrowed as she worried in her heart.
Teacher… your strength is already far inferior to before. Don’t overexert yourself…
***
Meanwhile, at Dekalorin’s manor, Seraphina had already finished washing up. She sat on the bed in her nightgown.
Her heart was pounding thump thump fiercely. Spread open on her knees was a book given by Dekalorin—its cover elegant, yet its contents enough to make one’s face burn with embarrassment.
These past days, Seraphina couldn’t help but sneak peeks at these books. Although time was limited—after all, Movira was always by her side—she had managed to finish one of them in fits and starts.
As for this second book, its contents left Seraphina utterly shocked.
The pages exquisitely depicted two girls who were “intimate beyond measure,” with even bold and explicit annotations beside them. She was completely absorbed, sometimes twirling a strand of hair with her fingertips, sometimes raising a hand to lightly pat her burning cheeks, fully immersed in that unfamiliar flutter of excitement.
It wasn’t until a faint turning sound came from the door handle that Seraphina snapped back to herself like a startled bird.
“Not good!”
She fumbled to close the book, then turned and shoved it under the pillow. In her panic, she nearly tore a page.
Fortunately, that didn’t happen.
Almost the instant she pulled the quilt back into place and pretended to lie down casually, Movira walked in, wiping her wet hair.
“What’s wrong?” The other walked to the bedside and sat down naturally. A cool, clear water vapor mixed with her unique cold fragrance washed over her.
“…Nothing, nothing. It’s nothing.” Seraphina replied guiltily, pressing her head tightly against the pillow, terrified the “evidence” would be exposed.
She didn’t even dare look into Movira’s eyes. Her gaze wandered restlessly around the room.
Fortunately, the other seemed not to notice anything amiss. It’s just that she probably wouldn’t be able to put the book back tonight.
In this short span, Movira had already dried her hair with magic. At the same time, she was pondering what exactly was wrong with Seraphina.
It had happened several times already. Whenever she suddenly appeared before her, she would show a flustered expression.
“Alright, it’s not early anymore. Lie down properly and get ready to sleep.”
But she clearly didn’t want to pursue it at this moment. Her top priority right now was to coax Seraphina to sleep as soon as possible.
Seraphina therefore breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. However, this also made her realize that she seemed a bit too obsessed with the plot in the books. Was this a good thing…
Like a child who had done something wrong, she obediently curled into the quilt, leaving only a pair of flickering eyes carefully observing Movira.
Movira extinguished the light and lay down in the darkness. She habitually extended an arm, and Seraphina also shifted over, resting her head on her shoulder.
Only this time, in Movira’s feeling, it seemed more proactive.
Seraphina: How can I not be proactive? Otherwise you’d come over here!
If Movira moved over to Seraphina’s side of the pillow, she would definitely discover the book hidden underneath!
“Hmm… what’s wrong? You seem a bit tense.” Movira’s voice rose from the darkness as she drew her arm in, pulling Seraphina further into her embrace.
“Do I? I don’t think so.” Seraphina buried her face in the crook of her neck and replied in a muffled voice.
“Alright, then let’s sleep.”
***
When a flock of birds was startled into flight from the nearby woods, a figure cloaked in black quietly descended.
It was Dekalorin, who had hurried over. It had taken her several hours to arrive.
Dusty from the journey and carrying a hint of urgency, she was just about to push open the manor’s main gate when an obscure aura that sent a chill down her spine instantly made her stop. Alarm bells rang in her heart!
“This is…” Dekalorin’s eyes turned vigilant toward the surroundings. Battlefield instinct made her swiftly restrain her aura as her gaze, sharp as a torch, swept the area.
However, before she could determine the direction, the shadow at her feet suddenly twisted as if coming to life. A pitch-black shadow shot out and precisely coiled around her wrist!
Dekalorin was startled in her heart, but she was no ordinary mage. She wasn’t particularly afraid of close combat.
Yet her counterattack never left her hand. Instead, a familiar sensation reached her mind before any killing intent.
In that instant, she abandoned resistance and allowed the shadow to swiftly pull her away from the main gate. Along the shadows of the manor wall, it leapt in from a lower spot.
“Movira, what are you up to?!” The moment she stood firm, Dekalorin deliberately lowered her voice and looked toward the mass of shadow that was gradually gathering from the darkness yet maintaining a blurry humanoid outline, with a mix of puzzlement and annoyance.
The shadow emitted Movira’s voice. “I’m surprised you can still recognize me.”
“Hmph!” Dekalorin quickly straightened her clothing, which had been disheveled from the rush. “Anyone else might not be able to tolerate this cold gloom of yours, but there’s no way I wouldn’t know! Speak. What’s going on with mobilizing the troops? And this appearance of yours… you don’t even dare show your true form when seeing me?”
She looked the mass of shadow up and down. This was Movira’s usual trump card. In the past, when she had been defeated multiple times, she had relied on this move to repeatedly escape from her grasp.
“Mm… Seraphina is still sleeping. I don’t want to disturb her.” Movira’s explanation was concise. She then spoke of the troop mobilization. “As for notifying me to come over as soon as possible in this ‘loud’ manner? This is the only way I have right now to notify you. You should understand my concerns. Of course, I’ll lift the mobilization order very soon.”
Dekalorin interrupted her at this moment, an “I understand” expression instantly appearing on her face. “Oh— so you can’t bear to wake your little wife! Is she sleeping while hugging you? How is it? Is her body very soft and comfortable? Oh-hmm?”
Upon hearing this, Movira fell silent. The surrounding air even seemed to drop in temperature by quite a bit.
“In a situation like this, you still have the mind to joke?”
“Alright, alright, alright. Let’s talk about the proper matter. The purpose of mobilizing the troops, I guess is…”