After taking a bath.
Li Xiuman opened his wardrobe, slipped into a pair of large boxers and a short-sleeved shirt, put on his slippers, and pushed open the bathroom door.
And then...
...he saw his house in absolute ruins.
He could only vaguely recognize it as his own home.
There was also Rorona, kneeling on the floor.
“Master, I can't even clean properly! I am completely useless!”
Rorona slammed her forehead onto the floor.
Wait a minute, this isn't a matter of cleaning well or not.
Usually, even if a thief broke into a house, they would show more mercy than this.
This was absolute devastation.
“It's fine. You can learn slowly,” Li Xiuman comforted her.
Then, he grabbed his wand leaning against the wall and raised his hand.
“Cleanse.”
“...Master, I can't learn that.”
“I didn't ask you to.”
He used his magic to cleanse the entire house and assigned a room to Rorona.
“Master, I don't need a room. I can just sleep on the floor.”
“The wooden floor here is very comfortable to sleep on.”
“...The room is empty anyway. Just sleep in it.”
Li Xiuman tossed the room key to Rorona.
This kid always managed to say things that pulled at his heartstrings.
Afterward, Li Xiuman went to the window of his second-story loft.
Hanging from the window frame was a white feather attached to a small bell, swaying in the wind and ringing out a pleasant chime.
When he opened the mailbox under the feather, there was a letter waiting inside.
It seemed Shino had successfully delivered the letter into the mailbox.
Li Xiuman took out the letter, tore open the envelope, and unfolded the paper.
“To my dear Li Xiuman Pound:
I have arrived at Fairy City north of White Bear City. There is a dungeon here of the same scale as the one in White Bear City.
They said it was cold inside, but even after descending to the forty-eighth floor and defeating the dungeon king here, I still couldn't tell which floor was supposedly cold.
But the scenery is indeed very beautiful.
From the twentieth floor down, there are beautiful frozen underground rivers. And past the thirtieth floor, everything is encased in solid ice, looking just like crystal.
I really wish you could see it too.
I worry about you, and I miss you.
Don't reply. (Crossed out)
If you see this, write back to me. Shino will come to you every night to pick up your letters.
Ilu Mantield.”
The handwriting looked as if it had been carved with a blade, full of force and vigor. Only the very last line lacked that confidence, carrying a faint sense of bashfulness.
Li Xiuman could already picture Ilu holding a pen at her desk, knitting her brows as she struggled over what to write.
But he couldn't quite imagine her looking shy.
He slipped the letter back into its envelope and stored it safely in a cabinet.
Next, he pulled out a sheet of stationery, picked up a quill, dipped it in ink, and began to write.
“Dear Ilu Mantield:
Having returned from the dungeon, I have received your letter and am very pleased. The dungeon you described truly sounds captivating.
In the dungeon of White Bear City, I also encountered a thrilling crisis.
But do not worry, I am unharmed, and I have thwarted the conspiracy of a noble within the dungeon.
This gave me a taste of the thrill of adventure and the sense of accomplishment that comes with overcoming danger.
That I was able to survive this crisis is also thanks to the swordsmanship you taught me during our time together. It was of great help.
I also hope you will not be careless. Take care of yourself, and do not put yourself in danger.
Missing you just as much, Xiuman Pound Li.”
Li Xiuman placed the quill back on its stand, waited for the ink to dry, folded the letter, and slipped it into an envelope.
He then heated some sealing wax with Fire Magic, sealed the envelope, and turned it over to the back.
“To the beautiful Miss Ilu Mantield.”
He then drew a cute, chibi-style skull in the bottom right corner of the envelope.
“Wait, should I have made it look more heroic?”
Li Xiuman muttered to himself, but he didn't bother starting over.
Seeing that it was getting late, he decided to stay in the loft. He opened a magic book, reading while he waited for Shino.
After some time, a snowy white owl landed on the windowsill. It tapped the glass with its beak and tilted its head, staring at the skeleton with large blue eyes.
Around its chest was a small satchel meant for carrying letters, with a line of small characters embroidered on the edge.
Ilu's Owl.
“Good owl, Shino. Come here~”
Li Xiuman waved.
“Hoot, hoot.”
Shino hopped onto Li Xiuman's arm, gripping the bone of his forearm, and narrowed its eyes in satisfaction.
It seemed the thickness of his arm bone offered a very satisfying grip for the bird.
“Make sure you deliver this letter safely to your mistress.”
Li Xiuman stroked Shino's fluffy feathers, opened the satchel on its chest, and slipped the envelope inside.
“Hoot!”
The owl nudged Li Xiuman's cheekbone, hopped back onto the windowsill, and flapped its wings as it took off into the night sky.
Li Xiuman watched it fly away for a moment, then closed the window and went downstairs.
“Do vampires need to eat?”
Li Xiuman asked, looking at Rorona, who was sitting idly on the sofa.
“Yes, Master.”
That was a bit of a problem.
He never kept any food at home, and the kitchen had never been used.
“What do you want to eat? I'll go buy some for you.”
“How could I trouble Master with such a task?”
“Then I'll give you some money and you can go buy it yourself.”
“When you get back, we need to talk about your future.”
Li Xiuman pulled out a pouch of copper coins and handed it to Rorona.
After all, this girl was weak to silver, so she could only use copper or gold coins.
Afterward, Li Xiuman grabbed his wand, threw on his cloak, left the house, and headed toward the library.
He wanted to borrow some books on Golems.
As well as books on Tier 2 Elemental Magic.
He needed to cram hard so that his theoretical knowledge wouldn't fall behind his actual magic level.
He borrowed five books: 《What is a Golem?》, 《Golem Anatomy》, 《A Compendium of Common Tier 2 Elemental Magic》, 《Analysis of Tier 2 Elemental Magic Circles》, and 《Viewing Magic Circles in Perspective》.
Five books in total.
It looked like he would have to pull some all-nighters again to study.
Li Xiuman packed the books and left the library.
Returning home, he saw Rorona sitting in the corner of the sofa, washing down a hard piece of black bread with cold water.
“Is that all you're eating?”
Looking at Rorona, Li Xiuman felt a pang of pity and a sudden surge of irritation.
“I can get by on this. It saves Master money. As long as Master doesn't throw me out...”
“Besides, compared to what I used to eat, black bread is already delicious. I really like eating it.”
Li Xiuman marched over to Rorona and snatched the black bread from her hand.
“Who said anything about throwing you out?”
“Anyway, let's go buy something actually edible.”
He bought soft white bread, corn-and-meat porridge, and steak, sitting by and watching Rorona finish it all.
Rorona ate with pure joy.
But it wasn't because of the delicious food. It was because Li Xiuman had promised not to throw her out.
“In any case, if you're going to stay with me, this is the absolute minimum standard for your meals from now on. Black bread is banned. Understood?”
“Understood, Master.”
Rorona nodded.
“And stop calling me Master.”
“Understood, Master.”
“...Lastly, I am asking you in all seriousness. Are you willing to become my Subordinate and work for me from now on?”
“A Subordinate!”
“Am I... allowed to?”
“I won't turn you into a skeleton, don't worry.”
“If I can become Master's Subordinate, I don't care if I turn into a skeleton.”
Having long assumed that everyone in this fantasy world had a screw loose, Li Xiuman was already used to it.
“Then we'll do it once you finish eating.”
“Yes!”
Rorona dug in with renewed gusto.
“Slow down. Don't choke.”
Rate on N.U.
