“I can’t even imagine how that kid Timmy would have a total breakdown if he knew that the ‘White Moonlight’ big sister he’s so obsessed with is actually this lewd behind the scenes.”
Then again, it wasn’t impossible that he might charge in shouting, “I want to be Lady Lobelia’s dog too!”
With that thought, Katy reached into her pocket for the Record Crystal.
Since she was already here, she might as well take some high-definition photos.
If that woman ever tried to move against her or Gray in the future, she would plaster these scandalous images all over the streets and give her a social death!
However, just as her fingers were about to touch the Record Crystal, the transparent stone clinked lightly against a button on her pocket.
Clink.
In the silent night, this crisp sound was far too piercing, especially when standing outside someone else’s window.
Inside the mansion’s living room, Lobelia, who had been enjoying grapes fed to her by her male pets, curled her lips into a hair-raising, dangerous smile.
She waved her hand at the muscular men by her feet.
“Go, catch that little peeping mouse outside the window and bring them in to play with me.”
Oh no!
Watching those burly men charge toward the stairs like fanatical cultists who had received an oracle, Katy scurried up the rope to the roof.
She hurriedly packed her tools, preparing to flee, while realizing she had made a grave mistake.
Lobelia was a genuine A-rank Mage, while on the surface, she was just an E-rank Priest.
If she were actually caught, how would she explain herself?
“Don’t take Gray away from me?”
No, that would make it seem like she cared way too much about that idiot.
“I’m a passing-by Disciplinary Committee member. I’ve detected an orgy in your home and have come to warn you”—as if anyone would believe that!
Before she could run two steps, a pink light flashed.
A massive magic circle lit up on the roof, blocking her path.
Behind her, the stairs leading to the terrace thundered with the sound of heavy footsteps; clearly, that group of muscular men was about to arrive.
Trapped from both sides, Katy clicked her tongue, a flicker of helpless red light flashing in her eyes.
“Tch, I didn’t think the first time I’d use my Authority after quitting being a Calamity Pillar would be to escape a bunch of meatheads. How i…”
***
Lobelia’s figure appeared on the roof through a teleportation circle.
She looked at the rope loop on the railing that hadn’t been untied yet, her brow furrowing slightly.
The little thief should have been hanging here peeping, but… where was the person?
As an A-rank Mage, her sharp perception told her that just a few seconds ago, there was indeed a magical reaction here.
The fluctuations were identical to the blonde brat who had been following Gray this morning.
“Heh, trying to scout intel on a competitor? Though the methods are amateurish, I don’t hate this level of scheming.”
She had originally intended to catch that naughty kitten, discipline her properly, and then send her back to Gray in a package just to appreciate the man’s crumbling expression.
But now, the roof was empty, with only the night wind blowing through.
“Did she use an invisibility item?”
Lobelia sneered as pink mana wrapped around her fingers.
“⌈Manifestation⌋—reveal their veils.”
With a snap of her fingers, ripples of mana centered on the girl swept across the entire mansion and several hundred meters of surrounding space.
This was a high-level detection spell capable of revealing even hidden monsters in a Night-Brightness Level Labyrinth.
However, one second, two seconds, three seconds… until the light of the spell faded completely, Lobelia still hadn’t found a trace of the little brat.
“…How is that possible?”
Her brow furrowed even deeper.
Had she relied on her strange physical prowess to jump off the building and escape?
Impossible.
Even an A-rank assassin jumping from this height would produce a landing sound or a rush of wind that she could catch, not to mention that yesterday the girl seemed to possess nothing but brute strength.
A sense of irritation from things spiraling out of control welled up.
Lobelia sighed and waved her hand impatiently.
“Forget it. Since she ran, it means she’s just a cowardly mouse. No need to waste effort.”
The woman turned to leave, but she clearly hadn’t truly given up.
A few minutes later, a massive pink magic eye quietly opened above the mansion, coldly watching the roof.
Half an hour passed.
No one.
An hour passed.
No one.
It wasn’t until the eastern horizon paled and the dawn light broke through the night that an exhausted Lobelia finally became certain: that girl really had escaped, although she didn’t know what method was used.
“Katy… heh, just wait. When The Church’s mission is over, I’ll make you kneel and apologize to me.”
Filled with frustration and fatigue, Lobelia finally went back to get some sleep.
Another hour passed.
The morning sun had fully risen.
On the seemingly empty roof, the air suddenly rippled like the surface of water.
A fair little hand carved a crack out of thin air.
The barefoot girl rubbed her sleepy eyes, yawning as she stepped out of the rift.
“Haaa—sleeping on the floor all night nearly broke my back. That woman definitely won’t guess I’m still here now, right?”
Unlike human mages who studied natural elements like fire, lightning, and wind, the Demon Race—especially prominent Great Demons like Noctiluca—usually specialized in their own “Authority.”
Creating matter that could mimic anything, taking or giving life, creating inescapable illusions… the Authorities of the Calamity Pillars weren’t limited to magic, and they were often quite flashy.
By comparison, Noctiluca’s “Space” Authority seemed a bit useless.
It couldn’t teleport thousands of kilometers at will like an overpowered protagonist in a light novel, nor could it cut through dimensions to kill enemies.
Its only currently developed function was to create a small space completely independent of reality to absorb the power of enemies trapped inside for her own use.
Outside of combat, this space was mostly used by Katy to hide inside for naps or to kill time.
“Sigh, the other Calamity Pillars have such cool abilities. Why is mine so ‘small fry’…”
The girl thought of her colleagues’ powerful Authorities and sighed.
“If I could add a function to my space where time flowed ten thousand times slower than the outside world, I’d be willing to eat and drink well and live in a big villa every day!”
***
It was nearly nine in the morning when she returned to the small house where they were staying.
Katy pushed the door open quietly and saw Gray in the living room at a glance.
The tall young man was curled up in a rather awkward position on the narrow sofa.
He was still wearing the leather armor from yesterday.
He was clearly exhausted, having fallen asleep before he could even change his clothes.
On the coffee table next to him sat an exquisite, half-open small box.
Inside was a strawberry cake.
Katy subconsciously lightened her steps, even her breathing becoming cautious.
Looking at this setup, this guy probably rushed back with a cake to find her as soon as the Association’s mission ended, right?
Finding no one home and not daring to barge into her bedroom, he stupidly sat in the living room and waited all night.
She moved closer and squatted by the sofa, resting her chin on her hands to observe the young man’s sleeping face.
Up close, this guy’s eyelashes were quite long—you could count them one by one—casting two faint shadows on his face.
“…Idiot.”
Katy pursed her lips, but felt inexplicably a little happy.
Don’t get her wrong, it wasn’t because she was used to being alone and suddenly found someone cared about her.
What kind of A-rank Hero was he?
His alertness was so poor; he hadn’t even noticed a member of the Demon Race approaching him for so long while he was asleep.
Small fry, total small fry.
The girl stood with her hands on her hips, looking at the sleeping Gray, feeling an inexplicable urge to reach out and poke his face.
However, just as her fingertips were about to touch him, the large hand that had been hanging limply off the edge of the sofa suddenly wrapped around her wrist.
“Eh?”
His closed eyes slowly opened.
Those iron-gray eyes didn’t have a hint of cloudiness, not looking like someone who had just woken up at all.
Gray looked at the girl he had caught red-handed, his lips curling into a gentle and lazy arc.
“Good morning, Captain.”
Feeling the warmth coming from her wrist, two patches of blush immediately stained Katy’s cheeks.
“G-Good morning, Mr. Gray. So you were awake…”
Oh no!
You tricked me!
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