Chapter 62: The Aftermath of a Reckless Night

As the night receded, dawn broke.

Bai Yu’s slender form lay sprawled across Cecilia, their clothes disheveled, both lost in a profound slumber.

Bai Yu stirred, rolling onto her side on the adjacent bed, and let out a deep sigh.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, gazing with a hint of exasperation at the girl beside her.

The sunlight bathed them in a warmth that tempted Bai Yu to drift back into slumber, yet the stark reality of their situation compelled her to rise.

The hour was already late; yesterday, she and Cecilia had been entangled until deep into the night, only succumbing to sleep when utter exhaustion claimed them both.

What Bai Yu found most unbearable was Cecilia’s audacious counterattack.

She had initially believed she would fully command the offensive, relishing in the maiden’s softness.

Yet, under Cecilia’s unexpected assault, she discovered her body was exquisitely sensitive; the slightest touch from Cecilia instantly sapped her strength, leaving her utterly pliant.

All the formidable aura she had meticulously cultivated for so long crumbled at Cecilia’s mere touch.

Cecilia’s innocent demeanor, her shy expressions, had apparently been an elaborate ruse; Bai Yu had genuinely believed her.

It was only when the true battle began that Bai Yu realized who truly held dominion, finding herself utterly defeated.

Ultimately, she had been thoroughly ‘punished,’ performing an untold number of tidal magic spells before blissfully passing out.

Bai Yu sighed, reflecting on the sheer absurdity of their actions the previous day.

Considering they were ostensibly in the midst of a war against demons, engaging in such activities seemed utterly reckless; had the demons launched an attack then, they would undoubtedly have been caught entirely off guard.

However, it appeared no immediate threat loomed. Bai Yu’s previous assault on the Shadow Beast army had been devastating, making another imminent attack unlikely.

Bai Yu exhaled a breath of relief, dressed herself, and rose from the bed as if the previous night’s events had never transpired.

Yet, the persistent ache in her body eloquently testified to the intensity of their ‘battle’ from the day before.

“Hmph, next time, I’ll definitely get my revenge,” she mused.

Bai Yu resolved, and after a quick wash with a water magic stone, she noticed Cecilia stirring awake, her appearance captivating Bai Yu’s gaze.

Cecilia glanced around, then comprehended their current predicament. Her face flushed seeing Bai Yu, leaving her at a loss for words.

“Your Highness… you’re awake,” Cecilia murmured weakly.

She spoke with evident guilt, her voice barely a whisper.

“What do you think?” Bai Yu retorted, a hint of exasperation in her tone. “Have you seen the time?”

Bai Yu spoke with resignation, acknowledging that she had indeed initiated the previous night’s events, making her thorough ‘chastisement’ an unavoidable outcome.

Cecilia looked towards the sunlight streaming outside, then sprang to her feet in shock.

“It’s this late already!” she exclaimed. “The demons haven’t attacked, have they?”

Bai Yu, however, simply pressed Cecilia back down, settling her firmly onto the bed.

“Calm down,” Bai Yu admonished. “If the demons had attacked, do you think you’d still be sleeping soundly right now?”

Bai Yu was speechless, wondering why Cecilia’s personality seemed utterly unchanged even after regaining her memories.

“Oh, is that how it is?” Cecilia responded, sounding mollified.

Hearing Bai Yu’s explanation, Cecilia conceded its logic.

“And you’re aware that these demons are actually the Shadow Beasts from the real world, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Cecilia affirmed. “If we defeat those Shadow Beasts, we can escape this dream, right?”

Having regained her composure, Cecilia began to analyze their current predicament.

“Theoretically, yes,” Bai Yu conceded. “However, given our current circumstances, defeating those Shadow Beasts will be exceedingly difficult.”

Bai Yu tossed a water magic stone to Cecilia.

“Even with Your Highness’s ability to control Shadow Beasts, it’s not enough?”

Cecilia’s brow furrowed. She had witnessed Bai Yu’s power to control Shadow Beasts, and with her memories restored, she knew it was undeniably linked to the Outer God.

Yet, the precise nature of Bai Yu’s power remained a mystery to her. After all, the moment the Outer God’s dream enveloped the entire city, Cecilia had lost nearly all her memories.

Had it not been for the profound connection between her and Bai Yu, she would never have manifested within this dream world.

Bai Yu shook her head.

“The prerequisite for controlling Shadow Beasts is to first kill them,” Bai Yu explained. “Even if we could control the lower-tier Shadow Beasts, the higher-tier ones would prove insurmountable.”

“As far as I know, the highest-tier Shadow Beasts here are at least Fifth Tier. That’s not a challenge we can overcome with sheer numbers.”

Bai Yu had considered concentrating all the Shadow Beasts on Little Dark, thereby enhancing only her wolf’s strength.

However, calculations showed that if ten Shadow Beasts were required to advance one tier, the sheer number of lower-tier Shadow Beasts needed would be utterly unmanageable.

Even if the quantity of lower-tier Shadow Beasts were sufficient, and the theory proved viable, Bai Yu lacked the practical means to execute such a plan.

After all, while Shadow Beasts generally possessed low intelligence, those reaching the Fifth Tier would undoubtedly exhibit some form of sentience, making it impossible for her to casually slaughter them as if playing a game.

Bai Yu was no military strategist; indeed, she was commanding a battle for the very first time.

Their previous victory had largely hinged on the element of surprise, but more crucially, on Cecilia’s cooperation and the sheer idiocy of that Blade-Man Shadow Beast.

Bai Yu, however, could not afford to wager on her opponents consistently proving so foolish.

“I understand that, of course,” Cecilia replied, a note of worry in her voice. “But what then? If we withdraw our troops now, the Empire will…”

Cecilia trailed off, suddenly realizing that they were currently within a dream world; the so-called Empire was merely an illusion, a mere bubble of the dream. Her true home lay in the real world.

Cecilia lowered her head, thankful that Bai Yu, the most important person to her, was genuinely real; otherwise, she feared she might truly break.

‘Let this be a memory unique to us,’ she thought.

Cecilia rallied her spirits, understanding that their foremost priority was to escape this place.

“Your Highness, do you have a plan?” she inquired. “Without defeating these demons, we can’t possibly leave.”

Seeing Cecilia regain her resolve, Bai Yu felt a sense of relief, knowing that if Cecilia had been too deeply swayed by the dream, their situation would have become far more complicated.

Bai Yu pondered for a moment, recognizing that Moweila’s existence could not yet be revealed to Cecilia.

It wasn’t a matter of distrust; rather, Moweila’s very existence was shrouded in too many secrets, and divulging them to others would be a profound disrespect to her.

After all, Moweila was striving for the resurgence of the entire Witch race.

Ultimately, Bai Yu recounted the entire sequence of events to Cecilia, omitting Moweila’s direct involvement but revealing that Lily was Moweila, and also disclosing the existence of divinity.

Cecilia showed little surprise upon hearing this, as she had always harbored faint suspicions about Lily’s true nature.

The little maid’s presence had, after all, always been exceptionally peculiar.