Chapter 38: Lili’s Lingering Shadow and a Sudden Departure for War

Lili tenderly embraced Bai Yu, her eyes brimming with adoration, yet her heart was a maelstrom of conflicting emotions.

‘Damn that Witch! And that Knight Maiden! Despite everything, they can still interfere with my dream!’

Lili’s previously gentle smile vanished completely, replaced by a chilling expression, her face alight with undisguised jealousy.

‘My Master was always mine, and always will be!’

Rising from the bath, Lili astonishingly lifted Bai Yu into a bridal carry with her slender arms.

A warm breeze, seemingly from nowhere, swept through the room, drying every drop of water from both Bai Yu and Lili.

Lili gazed at the sleeping Bai Yu cradled in her arms, her lips gently brushing against Bai Yu’s face.

‘We’ll be here, together forever, won’t we?’

Lili placed Bai Yu on the bed, then extended her own hand, pointing it towards Bai Yu.

Instantly, a luminous blue-pink aura emanated from her hand, casting an eerie, beautiful glow under the moonlight.

‘This is my dream, and no one can interfere. As for outsiders who disturb my time with Master, they should just disappear.’

She lay beside Bai Yu, watching her peacefully sleeping face, her eyes filled with fervent longing.

‘Just a little longer, Master. I will eliminate everyone who disturbs us.’

Lili softly caressed Bai Yu’s cheek, slowly leaned in, and lightly touched Bai Yu’s lips.

****

Bai Yu spent a dreamless night, yet upon waking, an indescribable weariness permeated her body, making her reluctant to even rise.

Her entire body felt as though it might fall apart, and she distinctly recalled not overexerting herself the previous day, so why this profound exhaustion?

‘Wait, how did I suddenly fall asleep?’

Bai Yu abruptly sat up, finding herself in her room; the bed was clean and tidy, but Lili was nowhere in sight.

She remembered soaking in the bathtub just yesterday, so how had she suddenly ended up here?

Could she have fainted from soaking in the bath for too long? No, that couldn’t be right; was she truly so frail? Having already advanced to a second-tier Arcanist, her physical constitution far surpassed that of ordinary people, making such an occurrence highly unlikely.

This strange world must be the cause.

She then tried to recall where she was supposed to go today… where was it again?

Bai Yu’s mind felt muddled, as if stirred, and it took her a considerable effort to recall many details.

‘Ah, right, I’m supposed to investigate outside the palace!’

After much deliberation, Bai Yu finally remembered her plans from the previous day.

She dragged her weary body from the bed.

‘My goodness, this is too exhausting. What on earth happened?’

Bai Yu mused that if she went out to investigate in her current state, she’d likely have to be carried back by Lili.

She had initially thought of using [Kin of the Night] to recover, but then realized it was daytime, rendering the ability utterly unusable.

Now, she truly understood the ability’s limited utility; being usable for only half the day was quite a drawback.

Unless under very specific circumstances, this ability was practically useless in normal situations.

The only exception would be if she consistently encountered nocturnal creatures like vampires.

It seemed that upon returning, her focus must be on improving her power level and acquiring more abilities.

Her current weakness rendered her utterly incapable.

Bai Yu shakily made her way to the door; she still needed to go to the training grounds and explain her situation to Cecelia.

In her current physical state, training was likely out of the question, meaning she would have to request a day off.

Nevertheless, she genuinely desired to learn Cecelia’s family sword art; an ability that didn’t require a spiritual core to master was incredibly appealing.

It was truly fitting for a prominent family to possess such a fundamental skill.

But was it truly alright for Cecelia to teach it to her just like that? It seemed Cecelia had no prior memories in this place, though her mention of a family must be genuine.

Yet, Bai Yu hadn’t encountered any other familiar faces besides Cecelia.

Could it be that only Cecelia possessed the ability to interfere with her entry into this unknown world?

Bai Yu pondered this, concluding that Cecelia might very well be the key to leaving this place, and her amnesia was certainly not as simple as it seemed.

Just as Bai Yu was about to step out, the room door suddenly swung open.

“Oh, Master, why are you out of bed? Please lie back down immediately.”

Lili, filled with concern, rushed to Bai Yu’s side, placed the breakfast she was holding on the table, and then quickly helped her back into bed.

“Lili, what exactly is wrong with my body? Why am I so tired?”

Bai Yu looked at Lili, utterly perplexed.

“Master soaked for too long yesterday and even fell in the bathtub. Lili was so worried.”

As she spoke, Lili put on a sorrowful expression, pressing close to Bai Yu.

“Master should rest well. I’ve prepared breakfast for you—your favorite egg tarts!”

Lili picked up a plate from the nearby table, revealing several freshly baked egg tarts.

“How were these made?”

Bai Yu felt a pang of curiosity; surely the technology in this world wasn’t advanced enough to create such delicate egg tarts.

“It’s fire-attribute magic stones, Master! If you want to see, you can just go to the kitchen.”

Lili smiled, picked up an egg tart, and brought it to Bai Yu’s lips.

Bai Yu didn’t refuse, taking a bite.

“Delicious!”

Bai Yu had never tasted such exquisite egg tarts before; it was astonishing that such delicious treats could be made in a place with less advanced technology.

“However, I have important matters to attend to. I can eat the egg tarts later, when I return.”

Bai Yu shook her head, preparing to get out of bed.

“No, no, no, Master, don’t get out of bed! Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet.”

Lili pouted, as she had expended considerable effort yesterday to thoroughly exhaust Bai Yu.

‘But Master’s body truly is perfect,’ Lili thought, continually replaying the events of last night in her mind.

“How can this be? I haven’t even requested leave from Cecelia yet, and she’s expecting me for training. Or perhaps, Lili, you’ve already spoken to her on my behalf?”

Bai Yu said, a hint of helplessness in her voice.

“Cecelia? Oh, she’s already left the palace, Master! You won’t need to learn sword arts from her anymore!”

A shadow crossed Lili’s expression. If that Knight Maiden hadn’t used some unknown trick yesterday to partially escape her control, Cecelia would never have been able to meet Bai Yu, let alone teach her sword arts!

Yet, none of that truly mattered.

From this moment on, everything was falling into place.

Every additional second Bai Yu spent here would only deepen her descent into Lili’s embrace, binding them together forever.

“How could this be? So suddenly! Where did she go?”

Bai Yu asked, her voice laced with disbelief.

She still had so much to learn from Cecelia; her very departure from this place hinged on the Knight Maiden.

“Even if Master doesn’t wish it, it cannot be helped. The Knight Captain has already departed for the battlefield. The war between demons and humans is currently at a critical juncture, and a strong pillar of support is absolutely essential.”

“The battlefield… How could this happen?”

As Bai Yu heard that word, a maelstrom of complex emotions surged through her heart.