In the afternoon, sunlight filtered softly through the windows. Decaroline returned to the room carrying a tray with steaming dishes.
“You must be starving. Go ahead and eat something. I often forget meals myself, so… it’s a bit late. Lunchtime has already passed.”
She smiled gently and placed the tray on the small table over the bed.
The food was simple yet refined human cuisine—warm soup and soft bread.
Seraphina ate in small bites while Decaroline sat quietly beside her, keeping her company.
“Have… you eaten?”
“Worry about yourself first. Don’t mind me. By the way, Miss Seraphina—may I call you that?”
Seraphina nodded lightly, cheeks slightly puffed from food. “Mm… that’s fine.”
“Good.” Decaroline spoke softly, her tone consultative. “I can see your body and mind both need time to recover. Why not… stay here peacefully for a while? We can think about returning once you’re better. How does that sound?”
Seraphina’s hand paused on the soup spoon. She looked up. “Where… is this? I remember being in the border snowfields… Is this place very far from the Demon Realm?”
“Yes, I suppose I haven’t explained properly yet. This is Saint Roland Magic Academy. It’s located… toward the south-central part of human territory. It is indeed a bit far from the Demon Realm.”
That far?!
Drawing on her brief experience as a knight, Seraphina recalled that Saint Roland Magic Academy was the highest institution of magic among humans.
She also remembered one of Saint Eustacia’s reasons for not letting her return immediately—the long distance…
Then… when Saint Eustacia brought her here from the border, her condition had been far worse than now. Why hadn’t the distance been a concern then?
The question felt too complicated for Seraphina right now. She didn’t want to dwell on it. Besides, this gave her a chance to stay away from Movira for a while.
Decaroline continued. “A few days ago, Saint Eustacia happened to be near the border taking a rare break and came across you. But given her special status, she couldn’t bring you directly, so she sent you here to the academy instead. It’s quieter and safer.”
“But… I’m still… a demon, after all…” Seraphina hesitated for a moment before voicing her demonic identity.
She wasn’t even sure herself whether she truly was one anymore.
“Hm? What does that matter?” Decaroline straightened and met Seraphina’s eyes directly. “You’re different from other demons. You carry a human aura, and according to Saint Eustacia, you single-handedly curbed the Demon Realm’s desire for war for a year and a half.”
“For those reasons alone, you’re our friend! Don’t overthink it, all right?”
A human aura?
Seraphina accepted the latter part—she had indeed been the vanguard of “anti-war” efforts and made enormous contributions.
But… a human aura? What did that mean?
Could it be that after more than a year, the human aura on her hadn’t been completely erased?
Or perhaps… it came from spending so much time with Lina?
Decaroline seemed to know what had stunned her. “Actually, I’m a little curious too. Tell me—how does the Regent of the Demon Realm end up carrying a human aura…?”
Seraphina opened her mouth, but no words came out. She wanted to reveal her original identity, yet… after all this time, who would remember a low-ranking knight who had perished?
Decaroline had many more questions, but she considerately refrained from pressing and disturbing Seraphina’s thoughts too much.
As night fell, Decaroline helped Seraphina wash up and settle into bed.
“Sleep well. Don’t think about anything. It’s all in the past now—the rain has cleared, and the sky is bright again.”
She spoke softly, then stepped to the bedside. Magic light flowed from her fingertips, spreading a faint glow over the glass that veiled the nighttime garden view outside, as if drawing a curtain across the room.
Next, Decaroline casually tucked the corners of Seraphina’s blanket, naturally slipping a warm magic stone beneath her pillow without Seraphina noticing.
“Good night.”
Perhaps she truly was exhausted, or perhaps the unnoticed magic stone worked its effect—either way, Seraphina slept deeply and dreamlessly through the night until morning.
The next day, Seraphina woke naturally with her internal clock.
Her body felt considerably recovered. Aside from the severe pain in her chest wound, everything else had healed almost completely—an effect difficult to attribute to anything but magic.
After clumsily dressing, Seraphina took a deep breath and slowly sat up on the edge of the bed. When her feet touched the floor, a long-missed sense of stability washed over her.
Only… why did it feel a little strange?
She looked down and saw both feet wrapped in bandages.
“Was it that bad?”
She had spent the previous day lying in bed, so she hadn’t noticed.
Since they were still bandaged, there must be some issue. She didn’t dare move carelessly.
Next came… shoes.
She didn’t see her own, but a brand-new pair sat nearby, seemingly the perfect size for her feet.
With tentative care, she slowly slipped her feet inside.
“They… fit pretty well?”
She worried briefly that they might belong to someone else, but then reasoned that she was only borrowing them temporarily to move around.
Supporting herself on the bed frame, she stood despite some discomfort—at least she could manage it.
The first place she wanted to see was the garden beside the room. She had stared at it idly all the previous day.
The massive glass wall had been “sealed” by Decaroline last night, but fortunately there was still a door.
She shuffled slowly to it. The instant she opened it, however, her entire body froze.
Bone-piercing cold. Suffocating despair. Sudden, searing pain.
The fear memories she had instinctively suppressed surged back like a tidal wave. Her face drained of color in an instant, her breathing grew rapid, pupils dilated, filled with hopelessness.
Beyond the door was not the lush greenery she expected from yesterday.
Instead, a world wrapped in silver—white snow blanketing bushes, statues, and paths. A vast expanse of whiteness that instantly overlapped with her memories of struggling desperately in the snowfields before losing consciousness!
She staggered back half a step, clutching the doorframe.
“Don’t be afraid, Miss Seraphina. It’s all right.” Decaroline’s gentle voice sounded timely beside her.
She lightly supported Seraphina’s trembling arm. “This is just a four-season garden—a snow scene simulated with magic. See? It isn’t cold at all.”
She guided Seraphina’s hand outward to feel the warm indoor air.
“It’s all over now. You’re safe.”