“What benefit do they get by having me return to the Royal Capital?” Loviki asked, putting down her chopsticks with a look of confusion.
“They likely need a vessel—one with immense potential that can remain hidden,” Chen Mian said calmly. “Both Flora and you fit the bill.”
“Flora?”
“Yes. When I was targeted by the Shadow Cult before, something tried to seize my body,” Flora said softly, her brow furrowing slightly.
“So their target is actually my body.” Loviki's fingers tightened slightly around the rim of her cup.
“The aura of the curse the Shadow Cult placed on Flora and the King of Hella is highly similar to that of the Child of the Rot. It wouldn't be surprising if some of these creatures escaped over the years and infiltrated the Continent of Cecia. Although I'm not entirely sure about the traits of the other sealed creatures, the Child of the Rot possesses this kind of ability.” Chen Mian placed a slice of cooked beef into Flora's bowl. “But you don't need to worry. They can't do anything to you.”
“I'm not worried,” Loviki said, taking a sip of her juice and pursing her lips. “With you around, it'd be a miracle if they actually succeeded.”
“Is the king's curse the same as mine?” Flora asked, looking up slightly.
“They share the same source, but his is much weaker.” Chen Mian put down his chopsticks and nodded. “The leaves of the Spirit-Silver Tree should be enough for him to recover.”
“I brought some.” Flora put down her chopsticks and took a small cloth pouch from her backpack, revealing a stack of silvery-white leaves. “Mr. Chen Mian, please give these to Hella's Court Mage Leader. I barely have any use for them anymore... Also, I want to resolve this matter together with Loviki. Is that okay?”
Seeing her serious expression, Chen Mian took the pouch of Spirit-Silver Tree leaves. “Then go ahead and do what you must. Exact your revenge.”
“Okay~” Flora replied with a soft giggle, her eyes curving into crescents.
“...I haven't agreed yet,” Loviki muttered, putting down her juice.
Flora tilted her head, an innocent smile playing on her face. “But Loviki... I really want to settle scores with the Shadow Cult too.”
“W-Well, alright then.”
“Then it's a deal,” Flora said cheerfully, swishing a slice of beef in the pot.
Louise leaned back in her chair, taking a slow sip of her juice. Her violet-gold eyes flicked between the two of them, and her lips curled up slightly.
Velyan, on the other hand, paid absolutely no attention to their conversation. She was busy devouring the beef in her bowl, a look of pure satisfaction on her face.
Chen Mian smiled at the scene and slipped the pouch of Spirit-Silver Tree leaves into his pocket. “Then it's settled. But I'll be tagging along.”
“Why?”
“Because I'm afraid that once you're done, you'll run off with Flora, Miss Landlady.”
Loviki, who was in the middle of drinking her juice, nearly choked. She set her cup down and glared at him. “I'm not running away! Once this is over, I'm taking Flora with me to... eat your food and live in your place!”
Louise let out a low chuckle beside her, leaning back. “Loviki is really getting bolder and bolder with her words.”
“I-I am not!”
“You call that not bold?” Louise rested her chin on her hand, a teasing glint in her violet-gold eyes. “When you said ‘eat your food and live in your place’ just now, your tail was practically wagging in the air, just like Velyan when she gets delicious food.”
“Louise, d-don't talk nonsense! I don't have a tail!” Loviki instinctively reached behind her, only to freeze a moment later.
“I meant your aura.”
Flora pursed her lips to the side, her shoulders shaking slightly as she tried to hold in her laughter.
Velyan looked up, her mouth still full as she mumbled, “I think Loviki is right. We're supposed to eat his food and live in his place anyway.”
“...Velyan, shut up!” Loviki's ears were completely red. She lowered her head and began poking at the beef in her bowl with her chopsticks.
“Why? I think eating his food and living in his place is great,” Velyan said, puzzled. “Loviki was staring at the door the whole time earlier. She clearly wanted to see Chen Mian. If we eat his food and live in his place, we can see him every day.”
The moment Velyan finished speaking, the room suddenly fell dead silent.
Loviki's chopsticks froze in midair. A slice of cooked beef hung just above the rim of her bowl, sauce slowly dripping from its edge.
Then, Loviki's ears turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye, the blush rapidly spreading to her face and neck. Her grip on her chopsticks tightened. “I-I did not!”
“I-I was just checking if the door was locked properly,” Loviki said, her voice trembling slightly.
“But you were clearly staring at it the whole time,” Velyan said, tilting her head while still chewing her meat. “And your ears are so red.”
“That's because the hot pot is too hot!” Loviki slammed her chopsticks onto her bowl and gulped down a large mouthful of juice, seemingly trying to cool down her face with the icy drink. Her gaze darted around, sweeping from the ceiling to the bookshelf in the corner, carefully avoiding Chen Mian.
Flora sat beside her, her lips pressed together as she struggled to suppress her laughter. She then quietly placed another slice of beef into Loviki's bowl.
Louise leaned back in her chair, holding her cup with both hands as she slowly took a sip of her juice.
Only Velyan continued to press curiously, “But Loviki, why would your ears turn red just from checking the door? Back at the apartment, I never saw your face turn red from checking the door.”
“Velyan!” Loviki finally couldn't help but turn around, her ears completely crimson, her voice tinged with sheer desperation. “Can you just shut up and eat your meat?!”
“Oh.” Velyan looked at her, then at the beef in her hand, and decisively chose to lower her head and go back to swishing her meat.
The bubbling sound of the hot pot became exceptionally clear, and steam slowly rose under the warm yellow light.
It was only after a long while that Loviki's voice sounded again, much quieter than before. “I was just... worried that he might get lost.”
Chen Mian raised his cup, a faint smile playing on his lips. “I did actually take a wrong turn down an alley when I first got here, but I managed to find my way back pretty quickly.”
“See!” Loviki snapped her head back toward them, speaking at breakneck speed. “I told you he might get lost! The alleys in the Royal Capital are so winding! And he hasn't been here in years!”
“Oh! I see.” Velyan didn't even look up as she continued cooking her food.
“Pfft!” Flora finally couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.
“You two!”
...
Outside the window, the night grew deeper. The hustle and bustle of the streets had completely vanished, leaving only the occasional bark of a dog and the sound of carriages rolling across the pavement.
The hot pot broth had boiled down to almost nothing, and the ingredients on the table had been completely cleared out.
Loviki stood up and began clearing the dishes, while Flora helped carry the pot into the kitchen.
Velyan leaned back in her chair and patted her stomach, letting out a satisfied sigh. “I think this thing called hot pot can be written into my survival guide.”
“Your survival guide is basically turning into a cookbook at this point,” Louise said helplessly, holding the last half-cup of her juice.
“Is not! I also wrote about friends!”
“Like what?”
Velyan thought about it, counting on her fingers. “Good friends should eat delicious food together, good friends should sleep together, and good friends should fight together...”
“When did you add that last one?” Loviki poked her head out of the kitchen, a rag in her hand.
“Just now,” Velyan said righteously.
The wave of soft laughter echoed in the living room.
Once everything was cleaned up, everyone sat side by side on Loviki's sofa.
Loviki's sofa was indeed long enough, but with five people sitting together, the cramped space was packed to the brim.
Velyan sat at the very edge. Because she couldn't stretch out her wings and tail, she had completely retracted all her dragon traits. At this moment, she was leaning sideways against the sofa, looking like nothing more than a dozing, golden-haired human beauty.
Loviki sat in the middle with her knees pulled up, her hair loosely draped over her shoulders. A thin blanket was draped over her, and Flora had casually pulled over a corner of it to cover her own legs.
Louise leaned against the other end of the sofa, her silver-gray hair falling casually by her side, her gaze fixed on the moonlight outside the window.
After a moment, she spoke softly, “The moon is quite round tonight.”
“The moon in the Royal Capital looks different from the one in the Forest of Death,” Flora said, looking out along with her.
“It's a bit smaller, I think.” Loviki sat in the middle of the sofa with her knees pulled to her chest, her chin resting on her arms. “Whenever I couldn't sleep at night in the past, I would draw back the curtains and look at it.”
“Did you often have trouble sleeping back then?”
Rate on N.U.
