Finally, Lin Yue still ended up testing it out in the training ground for half the day.
Come on, this was a real, genuine magical device.
Any guy would be totally obsessed with it, right?
Gus, however, couldn’t stand seeing him so enamored with it and just took off, telling him to call if there was any news.
After some experimentation, Lin Yue figured out a few ways to use it.
First, it could directly extend sharp claws to hook onto walls, which should be pretty useful for stealth.
Second, he could use magical power to charge and activate its laser core.
That move he just used was exactly that.
The only problem was the consumption was too high; better not to use it more than three times a day.
Unless he had some of Yuan’s potions, that was a different story.
That could double it.
Third, the device itself was incredibly sturdy.
Through its mechanical structure, it could extend a short distance, making it a good tool for close combat as well.
Thinking along these lines, he returned to his new home.
Some greenery had already been planted by the entrance—flowers that Airella had brought back.
But the flowers showed no signs of blooming.
If they were meant as decoration, they weren’t particularly pleasant to look at yet.
Lin Yue smiled faintly.
She sure had a flair for the romantic, starting to decorate other people’s houses already.
“Master.”
He looked up and found Melinda already standing on the steps at the entrance, a warm towel ready in her hands.
An excellent maid, or butler, needs to anticipate the master’s needs immediately.
Lin Yue had been training outside for a while and was definitely sweaty.
Having a towel as a ritual to shake off the fatigue of coming home was a very necessary touch.
“Thanks…”
For now, he couldn’t see any other motives from her.
These past few days, because of Liya’s comment, Melinda had also been asking him for advice on how to make “Chinese cuisine.”
After teaching her for a while, he discovered she was simply a genius.
She learned every step incredibly fast, a world of difference from his own clumsy attempts back in the day.
She could probably be considered to have graduated for now, though it still needed some fine-tuning… Having her around saved Lin Yue a lot of trouble, cutting out the wasted time so he could go out and level up.
Even though he hadn’t advanced in rank, his practical combat ability should still be improving.
Lin Yue was just about to take the towel when a figure suddenly burst out from inside the house and snatched the thoughtfully warmed towel from the maid’s hand.
“Airella?”
She was here again?
Thinking back to the beginning, it was her and Liya who had suddenly barged into his life, completely disrupting his original plans, and causing his mindset to change.
Now, it was the same as ever, only the setting had shifted from the wilderness to a large mansion.
“You… shoo, shoo, shoo! You go do your thing! I’ll take care of him!”
Somewhat clumsily, she wiped Lin Yue’s forehead, staring at Melinda with an expression that clearly said, “This is my thing,” her possessiveness maxed out.
It seemed because of what Lin Yue had said to her a few days ago, her sense of personal boundaries had become incredibly inflated, giving off a strong vibe of “the mistress disciplining a bad maid trying to seduce the master.”
“If Miss Airella is willing to take over, I’ll go attend to other matters.”
Melinda didn’t seem to mind at all.
She simply nodded, turned, and entered the house, heading back to her workstation to continue pondering how to make delicious food.
Lin Yue looked down at the cute girl standing on her tiptoes, trying to be at his eye level, and gave a doting smile.
“I can wipe my own face. What’s up with you?”
He took the towel, surprised by how clingy she was being.
After the first act’s plot concluded, Airella was completely liberated, having a little black dragon as a pet, and seemingly didn’t know what to do with herself.
Lin Yue was the person she knew best in the academy.
Coming to hang out with a companion every day was probably a lifestyle choice too, right?
Actually, Airella did enjoy socializing; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so severely hurt by the rumors and gossip in the original story.
In reality, Airella, after the last gathering, had developed intense insecurity about her position in Lin Yue’s heart.
The other girls were so proactive.
She was the first girl to stay by his side; she couldn’t let them overtake her progress!
“It’s nothing! I just don’t want you to become a lazy young master just because you have a maid, needing someone else to even wipe your face…”
She snorted lightly, a bit jealous.
This was something she could do too… and then this maid had to butt in!
I was planning to wipe my own face anyway.
Your actions just now are exactly what’s turning me into the ‘lazy young master’ you’re talking about… Lin Yue complained inwardly but didn’t say it out loud.
“Oh yeah, you didn’t go secretly meet with anyone else, did you… like Isabena, or Mapell…”
“No, I didn’t.”
But he would probably need to go to the Royal Capital with Mapell soon.
She didn’t know Mapell’s true identity anyway; better not tell her.
“Just now I was training with Gus. He had something to give me.”
Hearing that Lin Yue hadn’t been in contact with other women, Airella nodded satisfactorily.
“That’s good. You have to tell me whenever you’re meeting anyone, got it!”
Lin Yue suddenly felt like she was turning into that kind of mother hen who has to interrogate you about every single friend.
He glanced at the flowers gradually sprouting by the wall, a little curious.
“What kind of flowers are these that you planted near my house?”
There were only small buds; he couldn’t tell.
Ah… he noticed, huh?
Airella hadn’t expected Lin Yue to pay attention to the small changes around the house; she didn’t think he observed so carefully.
“Mmm… White Balloon Flower, but I prefer calling it by its other name: ‘Promise White’.”
Lin Yue sniffed and noticed that even in this state, the flowers emitted a faint, refreshing scent, very similar to the smell currently on Airella.
Perhaps because he was engaging with the topic, or because she was pleased that Lin Yue had noticed these little thoughtful details, she walked down the stairs with her hands behind her back and began to explain: “It’s said that it only blooms before the eyes of those who have made a true vow.”
“The buds will remain asleep until the vow that was made is fulfilled; only then will it bloom for you.”
Airella took a deep breath, her fingers gently caressing the dormant buds, and spoke with a tinge of sadness but firm resolve: “It can wait for a very, very long time… so long that, maybe the vow is fulfilled, or maybe the person waiting stops breathing…”
“Is that so…”
Lin Yue looked up and couldn’t help but feel that these flowers must have their own poignant, beautiful story.
“But… once it blooms, it becomes a flower that never withers…”
Airella suddenly smiled softly, her gaze intently fixed on the unopened flowers, as if she was anticipating something.
“Hehe… how about it? I’ve got good taste, right? Look, I even got you lost in thought.”
It turned out Airella was just an ordinary girl after all, prone to romantic fantasies.
“Rather than your taste, I’m more curious why you planted flowers near my house.”
Suddenly seen through by Lin Yue, Airella gave a slight shudder, then immediately tried to play it off.
“It’s just… I thought the area around your house was too plain. When I come visit, seeing pretty flowers puts me in a better mood… Oh, never mind! It’s a secret! Se-cret!”
Trying to cover up her true intentions, she pushed Lin Yue towards the house.
“You must be hungry too, let’s go inside and eat!”
In reality, the White Balloon Flower only blooms at the very end of winter, just as spring is about to arrive.
When all the flowers were in full bloom, and the warm spring weather came, she would pick them all, and then… make that never-withering vow.
…
“A bit too much sugar…”
Lin Yue commented while chewing on the food Melinda had prepared.
Airella, who was visiting, had no complaints; she was a guest, after all, and it was normal to eat whatever was served.
Her purpose in coming wasn’t really for the food anyway, but to… see if he was being unfaithful, to spy on any funny business between him and this maid.
So far, everything seemed normal.
Nothing out of line had happened.
But then again, Melinda’s failure to deliver a perfect dish this time was at least partly her fault…
“Okay, I’ve made a note.”
Melinda jotted it down seriously, with a hint of frustrated disappointment, as if she were about to face some final boss.
“And… next time, I’ll make sure to avoid Miss Airella, to prevent her from suddenly adding her own seasoning ideas.”
Hmm?
Airella suddenly looked away guiltily, as if saying: Airella doesn’t know anything about that~
“…”
“Next time, please feel free to throw her out.”
“Ah…”
Clang!
Lin Yue heard the sound of a spoon hitting the table.
He turned his head and saw Airella looking as if struck by lightning, her expression crestfallen.
“Please feel free to… throw her out of the kitchen. She can do whatever she wants elsewhere.”
“Understood.”
With that, Melinda closed her little notebook, picked up a broom, and headed to the small backyard to start sweeping fallen leaves.
Alright, I’ll pack my things after Airella leaves.
He was a bit tired after testing the magical device all day.
“Um…”
Airella tugged at Lin Yue’s sleeve, a cautious look on her face.
“Don’t kick me out, okay… I promise I won’t mess around next time…”
She actually wanted to cook something tasty for Lin Yue too, but he always seemed busy and hadn’t really taught her much.
Any dish Airella could make, the maid could also make, and Lin Yue didn’t seem particularly fond of them anyway.
She was just trying to learn by watching.
She only wanted to keep Lin Yue in her heart and spoil him—what was wrong with that?
“I’m not kicking you out. It’s just that everyone has their own strengths. That maid is obviously a faster learner than you; you don’t need to compete with her pace…”
To be honest, he was a bit intimidated by Melinda’s learning aptitude.
If she applied that focus to magical research, he felt her achievements might not be far behind Liya’s given enough time.
He meant academically, of course. In combat…
Well, everyone knew no one in this plane could beat Liya one-on-one.
“Oh…”
Airella pouted, knowing Lin Yue thought she was clumsy, but she was helpless to change it.
“If you want to learn, I’ll find some time to teach you. It’s not as hard as you think.”
Have I been getting too soft-hearted lately?
Lin Yue couldn’t help but shake his head.
As his words fell, Airella was momentarily stunned.
Then, a flicker of secret delight rippled from the depths of her eyes.
He… was willing to set aside special time just to teach her?
A warm feeling of being cherished quietly wrapped around her heart, making the frustration she’d felt from being outshone by Melinda moments ago suddenly seem insignificant.
She lowered her head, hiding the smile that threatened to spread across her lips, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.
Her mind had already begun, uncontrollably, to fantasize: in a kitchen with just the two of them, he might stand behind her and hold her hand to correct her posture, or sigh helplessly at her clumsiness, yet still be infinitely patient… Those images made her cheeks flush.
To calm her racing heart, she turned her gaze towards the window.
In the twilight, the cluster of white “Promise White” buds stood silently, like secrets sleeping in time.
She had just told Lin Yue their legend: they bloom only for true vows, and once they blossom, they never wither, even in death.
A thought, carrying shyness and immense courage, quietly took root.
“Lin Yue…”
Her voice was soft, holding an unprecedented anticipation, her gaze still fixed on those buds.
“Hmm?”
“Do you think…”
She turned her head, her emerald eyes unusually bright in the fading light, looking directly at him.
“Do you think this flower… will bloom?”
Lin Yue followed her gaze to the small, indistinct white buds outside the window, their outlines blurring in the dusk.
This question seemed to be more than just casual inquiry.
He paused, not answering immediately.
Then, in a calm tone, as if he’d given it some serious thought, he said: “I don’t know if it will bloom.”
“But if…”
He withdrew his gaze and looked at Airella beside him, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on him.
His voice carried his characteristic tone—that ambiguous blend of joke and promise.
“But if it really is as magical as you say, and if that day really comes…”
“I’ll remember to pick the most pleasing one and stick it in a vase in the living room.”
He imagined that scene for a second, then added another line, as if teasing himself:
“Otherwise, if it really blooms and I don’t pick it, and it withers later, wouldn’t that be a total waste on my part?”
Airella was stunned.
She had imagined many possible answers—a practical guy’s “depends on the soil and weather,” or a dismissive “maybe.” She never expected this.
A reply so typical of him: awkward yet gentle, a kind of “promise.”
No guarantees, but it gave her anticipation a place to land.
“Oh.”
She lowered her head, responding softly, but she couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at her lips.
She murmured quietly, “It won’t wither, you know…”
This answer seemed to make her heart race even faster than any definite vow.
Because it belonged to Lin Yue and Airella—a little promise just for the two of them.
…
That evening, Lin Yue was still in his room fiddling with his new weapon.
A nightingale flew in through the window.
Lin Yue walked over curiously and, sure enough, spotted a mechanism on its leg.
He opened it and found a small note inside.
[Depart tomorrow, please prepare.]
The Royal Capital…
Lin Yue clenched the note tightly, gazing towards the distant Imperial Capital.
He wondered what awaited him there.
Better be fully prepared…