The two of them emerged from the dessert shop, Sophia pushing Selim’s wheelchair as they headed toward the town inn.
“How was it? Do you feel much more at ease after having some dessert?” Selim’s voice carried a hint of lethargy.
“Mm…” Sophia nodded as she pushed the wheelchair. “I do feel a lot more at ease.”
Selim’s previous actions had left her heart in a bit of a flutter, but the anxiety regarding “staying out overnight” was indeed no longer so visibly written on her face.
“I really don’t have any experience, but I can learn.” Sophia’s gaze fell upon the top of Selim’s head as she asked tentatively, “Isn’t it anxiety-inducing for you, encountering this kind of thing for the first time?”
“Why would I be anxious?” Selim waved her hand dismissively with a breezy attitude. She naturally assumed Sophia was referring to the bloody and terrifying business of actively seeking out Overlords and cults.
“I’m quite experienced in this area; otherwise, why would I be the one guiding you?” She tilted her head slightly. “If anything, I was worried you wouldn’t be able to handle it, but fortunately, your level of acceptance seems pretty good.”
Having said that, she couldn’t help but yawn. “Ah, I’m so sleepy. I really want to take a hot bath right now and go to bed.” She habitually added another sentence, “Want to join me?”
However, this mindless comment from Selim only served to deepen Sophia’s misunderstanding.
“Wait!”
The footsteps Sophia was taking while pushing the wheelchair came to a sudden halt.
Even though she knew that aristocratic life was often decadent, Sophia still couldn’t accept for a moment that Selim would be such a “casual” girl who would invite someone to stay the night like this.
“Wait!” Her voice trembled slightly. “Isn’t this your first time? Do you do this sort of thing often?” Her eyes widened as she stared in shock at the back of Selim’s head. “Doing this is just too…”
Ultimately, the word “depraved” was swallowed back down.
“Is this matter really that hard to accept?” Selim looked up at Sophia in confusion, not understanding why she was reacting so violently.
In her view, as an excellent Demon Hunter, Sophia should naturally have a higher threshold for things like Overlords and cults.
“This kind of thing isn’t something you can just accept whenever you want!” Sophia couldn’t help but retort, her cheeks beginning to burn.
“Is that so? I thought your acceptance of this would be quite high, Sophia. At least among the people I know, it’s not low.”
Selim was puzzled and reached out to gently grasp Sophia’s hand on the wheelchair. “Don’t be afraid, Sophia. It’s just that it hasn’t been long enough for you to adapt. Trust me, in the future, you’ll become just like me—you might even fall in love with the feeling.”
Selim thought that because too many changes had happened in a short time, Sophia was temporarily unable to accept a life of opposing those religious fanatics.
In the original plot of the game, Sophia suppressed the Kingdom and the Empire quite ruthlessly, and she suppressed cults even harder. Therefore, Selim wasn’t worried that Sophia would be unwilling to swing her blade at others for her sake.
“I won’t become like that!” Sophia stomped her foot, sounding a bit piqued. “I’ll take you back to the room first, and then I’ll find another place to rest.”
“Isn’t that a bit much?” Selim found it baffling; Sophia’s reaction far exceeded her expectations. “It’s not like it’s your first time anyway.”
“I clearly…” Just as Sophia was about to argue back, she suddenly remembered the night she had given Selim a knee pillow.
“That time doesn’t count…”
Sophia’s confidence in her rebuttal weakened significantly.
“I know this might destroy the beautiful parts of your memory, but whether it’s you or me, we eventually have to face it together, don’t we?”
Selim looked at Sophia sincerely and said, “As long as we join hands…”
“You… You…” Sophia’s cheeks grew even redder. “Isn’t it a bit too early for this now…”
“Time waits for no one. Although the ‘Forbidden Army’ has been wiped out, the people who created them and the Overlord behind them are still huge threats.” Selim spoke with concern.
“But…” Sophia suddenly caught a word from Selim’s mouth that shouldn’t have been there—Forbidden Army.
“Wait, the thing you’ve been talking to me about all this time is…” Sophia bit her lip, her voice laced with uncertainty. “The Forbidden Army and those cultist groups?”
“What else?” Selim looked at her strangely. “What could it possibly be?”
“I thought…” Sophia realized in an instant that she had misunderstood. Her ears turned deep red, and it felt as though all her blood was rushing there. “No, it’s nothing.” She hurriedly lowered her head.
“Hmm?” Selim narrowed her eyes, catching Sophia’s unusual behavior.
Looking at those crimson ears, Selim closed her eyes and thought rapidly.
When she opened them again, her eyes held a hint of realization and a playful smile.
Selim had figured out what the misunderstanding was, but she didn’t intend to expose it.
“Let’s go, to the inn first,” Selim’s voice carried an imperceptible trace of amusement. “As for the things you’re worried about, I’ll slowly explain them to you tonight. Haven’t you always been curious about the secrets of your past?”
“Oh.”
Sophia said no more, silently pushing Selim into the inn room.
“Phew… I’m really exhausted today. I’m going to take a bath first.” Selim used her soul tentacles to prop herself up and floated toward the bathroom.
The moment the bathroom door closed, Sophia collapsed onto the edge of the bed as if a great burden had been lifted.
Away from Selim, her tense nerves finally relaxed a little.
“Want to join?” Selim suddenly poked her head out from the crack in the door, her wet hair clinging to her forehead as she issued the invitation again.
“Wash up by yourself.” Sophia quickly turned her head away.
Selim shrugged and retreated back inside.
The sound of running water began. Sophia could only see a hazy silhouette through the glass.
Sophia wanted to say something, but her throat felt tight. She could only close her eyes to rest, but the sound of the water and that blurred figure stubbornly forced their way into her senses.
“Sophia.” Selim’s voice came through, mixed with the sound of water. “You know what the ‘Forbidden Army’ is now, right?”
“The Royal Family is the culprit, right?” Sophia forced herself to concentrate.
“Exactly!” Selim confirmed. “After seeing those lunatics from the Blood Mummers, do you think you can deal with them on your own?”
Sophia shook her head. “If it’s just me alone, I probably can’t.”
“So, isn’t it lucky that you met me?” Selim spoke with a bit of pride.
Just as she finished speaking, she floated out supported by her tentacles, wrapped in a bath towel. The towel only covered the essential parts, leaving large areas of fair skin exposed to the cool air, with water droplets sliding down from the tips of her hair.
“You… Why aren’t you wearing clothes properly again!” Sophia exclaimed, hurriedly grabbing the pajamas prepared nearby and holding them in front of her like a shield.
“It’s not like it’s a big deal for Sophia to see.” Selim chuckled lightly but didn’t take the pajamas. She just spread them out and intentionally shivered.
Since Sophia’s heart was already in disarray, she didn’t mind adding a little more fuel to the fire.
“It’s so cold.” She sat halfway with her back to Sophia, the knot of the towel looking as though it might come loose at any moment. “Hurry up and help me put them on.”
Her tone carried a pampered quality that brooked no refusal.
Looking at Selim’s slightly trembling, slender shoulders, Sophia took a deep breath, suppressed her racing heart, and stepped forward.
Compared to Sophia, Selim appeared quite petite; the whole process was like dressing a Barbie doll.
As Sophia helped her into the sleeves, her fingers inadvertently brushed against Selim’s cool, delicate skin. That smooth sensation caused her fingertips to subconsciously, almost instinctively, stroke downward lightly.
“Eek!” Selim let out a deliberate, sensitive soft cry and quickly clutched her collar.
Hearing Selim’s exclamation, Sophia’s whole body jolted as if she had realized something. She jerked her hand back, her cheeks burning. Her movements became frantic and swift as she finished pulling the pajamas onto Selim in a few quick motions.
After Selim was dressed, she shuffled toward the wall, distancing herself from Sophia, and deliberately peeked at Sophia with a strange look.
Launching an attack and then withdrawing at lightning speed—it was like a carrot dangling in front of a donkey.
Allowed to look, not allowed to eat.
Playing hard to get was the best way to stir someone’s emotions.
The oversized pajamas further emphasized her daintiness and that unique sense of sickly weakness, which unexpectedly caused a sudden impulse to rise in Sophia’s heart—a desire to press Selim down firmly and bully her.
“I… I’m going to shower!” Sophia practically fled, rushing into the bathroom and slamming the door.
Icy water splashed against her face, cooling the heat slightly.
Sophia found that her mind was completely filled with Selim’s image. She forced herself to shift her attention.
“The Blood Mummer cult, Charles, and the people who created the Forbidden Army—they are all enemies, right?” Sophia began to forcibly redirect her focus, actively changing the subject.
“That’s right. In the future, we will join hands to deal with them, okay?”
“My favorite Sophia.”
“Favorite…” Sophia repeated in a low voice, the sound of the water masking the concern in her tone. “That sentence… have you said it to anyone else?” she couldn’t help but ask.
Selim hadn’t expected Sophia to care about this, so she could only answer according to her expectations at this moment.
“Of course not.”
“Then…” Sophia turned the water flow to the maximum. The water washed over her face as she took several deep breaths, as if making a firm decision. “Do you want to sign a Demon Hunter’s Sigil with me?”
Hearing this request, a shallow smile played on the corners of Selim’s mouth.
Although the strength of this Sigil was practically negligible—only a mere 5% output bonus—for a Demon Hunter, this Sigil held an extraordinary symbolic meaning. Generally, a Demon Hunter would only propose signing this Sigil when they completely trusted someone.
It wasn’t much different from a confession, though Selim didn’t plan on exposing the underlying subtlety of the gesture.
“Sure,” Selim’s voice was lazy and gentle. “Let’s find a time to sign it.”
She let out a long yawn. “Let’s sleep for now. I’m so sleepy.”
“Maybe you should think about it again?”
There was no further response from outside the door, only the continuous sound of running water filling her ears.
Sophia soon finished washing up, changed into her pajamas, and walked out. Only a small nightlight was lit in the room, and Selim was lying quietly on the bed.
“Selim, are you still awake?” she asked softly.
Sophia walked light-footedly to the bedside, knelt down, and gazed at Selim’s profile in the dim light.
Sophia remembered something her master once said—when you kiss someone you like, your heart beats so fast it feels like it’s going to jump out.
Looking at the lips of the sleeping Selim, she couldn’t help but lean in.
Just a quiet try… it should be… okay, right?
Holding her breath, her body leaned forward slightly. Like a dragonfly skimming the water, Sophia’s lips touched Selim’s lips and then pulled away at lightning speed.
“I’m awake, you know…”
“Ah! I didn’t mean that—no, I didn’t do it on purpose.” Sophia sat up quickly, her heart rate accelerating violently. Her cheeks instantly turned red like a cooked shrimp as she turned into a human steam engine.
“…So don’t even think about secretly putting less sugar in the cake.”
Selim pretended she was talking in her sleep, rolled over, and continued to feign sleep.
Sophia clutched her violently heaving chest and stood there panting for a good while. Only when she was certain that Selim had truly just spoken in her sleep did her racing heart gradually calm down.
She could only force herself to stay calm, carefully lifting the blanket to crawl inside.
“So cold…”
Selim rolled over again, but this time she rolled into Sophia’s arms. One hand naturally rested on her waist as her whole body curled up. Soon, she emitted truly steady breathing and sank into dreamland.
Sophia’s body stiffened instantly. The soft, warm sensation in her arms and Selim’s shallow breathing made her heart throb wildly.
But the day’s exhaustion eventually won out. The tension was slowly replaced by sleepiness, and she too fell into a deep slumber.
Meanwhile, far away in the territory of the Blood Lion Empire, the home of a noble named Ross was brightly lit.
Deep within the manor, a middle-aged noble was calmly enjoying the guests’ compliments and congratulations regarding his daughter, Cecilia, becoming the Empire’s youngest Bright Moon rank.