June 5th, Saturday, 2:21 PM.
The lake was serene and tranquil, like a flawless piece of jade, shimmering with a soft luster. It reflected the blue of the sky, the softness of the white clouds, and the red of the maple trees. Every drop of water seemed to hold infinite beauty and mystery. A gentle breeze rustled the crimson maple leaves, sending them drifting through the air. At the center of the lake stood a massive tree that reached the ceiling of the Third Floor. Even from a distance, its trunk appeared incredibly wide, so thick that any other tree on this floor would feel inferior in comparison. Its crown, extending hundreds of meters, bore only sparse leaves scattered across the branches.
But the most eye-catching feature was the black hole at the base of the trunk, large enough to fit three steamrollers inside, maybe more. If possible, Siloque would like to fill that gap. The black void looked like the tree’s eye staring straight at him, even though he knew it was just his imagination. He glanced away and shifted his focus back to the book in his hands.
Past the maze in the backyard of Leiz Castle lay this garden full of maple trees. In the white pavilion by the lake, Ineffa played the piano, her nimble fingers dancing across the black and white keys, producing a light, soft melody that blended seamlessly with the sounds of nature. Beside her was a round table with a two-meter radius. A three-tiered porcelain dish held snacks like apple pie, matcha latte, and scones. A full tea set was also present, offering options like Earl Grey, fruit tea, and flower tea. Piles of books were stacked on one side, and a long-haired girl (?) was leafing through one.
Siloque had been reading for three straight hours, stuffing his head with knowledge, and his concentration was starting to wane. As for Hill, there was a tablet on the table, evidence of her study session half an hour ago. She had now been defeated by her teacher’s boring online class and had fallen asleep.
“Heh… heh…”
Siloque picked up his sister and laid her on the bench in the pavilion, taking a pillow from the Ring Chart to let her sleep comfortably. Now she shifted positions, scratched her stomach, and continued sleeping.
According to his sister, the advantage of taking the online class early was that they wouldn’t have to do it again after grinding monsters later, so they could relax and play games. Even though experience point gains were getting less and less efficient for leveling up, they still needed to grind monsters at 3 PM to keep their skills sharp and collect material drops from monsters. For now, he’d keep Ineffa company for afternoon tea and take a break.
Siloque listened to the melodious piano music, slipped a bookmark between the pages, grabbed a chocolate chip cookie, and tossed it into his mouth. He stared blankly at the lake without thinking.
“Cackle, cackle, you dumb human, you’re completely captivated. This scenery must be burned into your eyes for a lifetime.”
He turned his head to find Ineffa sitting in the white chair next to him. The piano music continued, though, like a recording—the black and white keys bouncing automatically, perfectly replicating the piece Ineffa had just played.
“Ineffa, you play the piano so beautifully. I’d like to listen a bit longer.”
“…Huh? Isn’t it playing now?”
“I want to see Ineffa play. Ineffa herself plus Ineffa’s music—that’s the best.”
“When I’m in a good mood, I’ll play again. Cackle, cackle.”
Ineffa hid her face behind her teacup, taking a sip from the cup held high. Noticing Siloque staring at her, she quickly looked away, pretending she hadn’t seen it.
“A-Anyway, about this backyard’s beautiful scenery—every time I wake up from a long sleep, I always pick a good day to come here and enjoy it. Even I, the noble vampire, absolutely love it.”
“I can tell. The pavilion is very clean. You’ve clearly put effort into cleaning it.”
Siloque stared at the lake, recalling the days when he and Cass had been teetering on the edge of life and death on the First Floor. He had seen a similar scene before. Ineffa’s backyard, Maple Court Garden. But the Goddess had been gone for so long that the lake’s healing properties were gone—just ordinary water now. In contrast, clear fish swam freely in the lake.
“Of course. When it comes to cleaning, I, Ineffa Einscelion, am a master far beyond you, you dumb human.”
Ineffa’s voice was full of pride. Her legs naturally swung back and forth as she grabbed a triangular piece of apple pie and opened her mouth wide to take a bite.
“…Ineffa, I’ve been meaning to ask.”
“Hmm?”
“Are you setting up some new character trait? Why do you keep tilting your neck like that?”
Every time Siloque looked at Ineffa, she would turn her neck 45 degrees to the right or left, showing off her beautiful golden hair. This had gone on for so long that he couldn’t look her in the eye—he’d only been stealing glances. The situation had lasted nearly a week. At first, he thought she had a stiff neck, but clearly, someone couldn’t have a stiff neck every day. Besides, he’d never heard of a vampire with a stiff neck before.
“Cack… cackle, you dumb human, you finally noticed. This is how I express my contempt for you. A lowly creature like you, worse than a flea, doesn’t even deserve to be looked at directly. This is only for you. Isn’t that great?”
The insults seemed to have escalated too.
“Really? I’m so happy!”
“Don’t answer so seriously, you dumb human… And don’t smile so brightly.”
Ineffa kept her face turned away while scolding him. Since she said it was to show contempt, Siloque decided to take it as that. Besides, being glared at by a loli with a disdainful look—after getting used to it—wasn’t so bad. A cool, tingly sensation ran down his back.
Siloque leaned back in his chair and stretched backward. His neck made a cracking sound. His gaze was drawn to a stone. On the right side of the lake, beside a maple tree second only to the massive tree in the lake, a stone engraving was embedded into the tree. “Embedded” might not be the right word—it looked more like the stone carving had grown out of the tree. The rock and tree blended together perfectly, as if they were naturally formed.
Ineffa ate a chestnut cake, growing curious about the books Siloque was reading. She picked a few up to look: Residential District Planning and Design Standards, Form, Space, and Order, and… Sewage Pipeline Construction Law? The vampire’s golden eyebrows furrowed slightly. Ineffa felt her head swelling, and soon she gave up.
“It’s amazing you can actually read that stuff, you dumb human… If it weren’t for those perverted habits of yours, you’d be pretty impressive.”
She muttered under her breath, placed the books back on the table, and neatly stacked them into a skyscraper (forming a rectangular prism).
It was just that his Magic was so weak that he had to cram this knowledge to use Alchemy. People with abundant Magic didn’t need to learn so much—they could turn their vague imaginations into reality. For example, to make a ballpoint pen, someone with Great Magic Power using Alchemy just thought “ballpoint pen,” and it would appear. But Siloque had to think about the steel ball, the spring, the pen body material, the ink composition, how to assemble them… Only then could he create a ballpoint pen. The more complex it was, the harder to create, and the more knowledge was needed. In short, it was a huge hassle. Siloque let out a resigned sigh.
“Oh, Ineffa, did you make that stone?”
He pointed with his slender index finger.
“That one? No. It was there before my mom and I came here to build the castle. It’s a great punching bag.”
“Punching bag?”
Ineffa closed her eyes contentedly. “Cackle, cackle, that brings back memories. My mom and I used to test new magic on it. No matter how powerful the spell, it wouldn’t damage the surroundings—it would just make the stone tremble a little. Once, my mom used her most confident Severing Magic on it, but it didn’t even leave a scratch. She got so mad she kicked it, and she broke her own foot.”
Ineffa found it amusing, her shoulders trembling as she laughed.
“I see… That fits the original work.”
After all, the stone tree was marked as “Absolutely Indestructible” by the production team at the code level. In the storyline’s lore, it was part of a divine miracle. Even the Church’s Pope’s world-destruction magic couldn’t leave a scratch. The Pest-Removal Tool that would be retrieved later was hidden inside that stone engraving within the tree. But the keys weren’t gathered yet, so it couldn’t be opened.
How annoying this feeling was. If he could just take it, this Dungeon Task would be done in three days. He knew something good was inside but couldn’t take it. The remaining time could just be spent playing with Ineffa and sightseeing. Just kidding—if he did that, the storyline would fall apart.
The greedy Siloque glared bitterly at the stone engraving. He took a sip of the flower tea, sneaking a glance at Ineffa out of the corner of his eye, only to find her sneaking a glance at him too.
“Ahem.”
Seeming to notice Siloque’s gaze, Ineffa pretended to cough lightly, straightened up, and said, “You dumb human, I’ve made up my mind. I can help you.”
” ? What?”
“Don’t play dumb. It’s about the bathroom back then… Playing the evil villain act! Tch.”
Her voice faltered, her face slowly reddened, and her gaze dropped. Finally, she got annoyed. Ineffa angrily opened her small mouth and took a huge bite of a scone, her puffed-up cheeks making her look like a chipmunk.
“Really? Thank you, Ineffa!”
The weight in his heart finally lifted. Ineffa hadn’t mentioned it once in these days, and Siloque had been living in constant anxiety. He bowed his head in gratitude.
“Kuku (haven’t finished the pastry) Cough! Cough, cough, cough! —”
She choked. Siloque quickly poured her some tea to help her swallow and calm down.
“Th-thank you… Cackle, cackle, cackle, don’t get too excited, you dumb human. In return, I’ve thought of conditions.”
She gulped down the rest, crossed her arms, and showed an evil grin. If not for her head still turned away and her eyes and nose still watering from the choking, she might have actually looked sinister.