This was quite a splendid bedroom.
The walls and ceiling were painted a warm, gentle goose-yellow, with every visible corner wrapped in gilded decorations.
The thick, colorful carpet was spotless, and not only the wardrobe, but even the tables and chairs in the room were carved with religious motifs in intricate relief.
Most notably, the room was filled with a pleasant scent of perfume, mixed with the freshly washed fragrance of girls’ clothes, announcing to any visitor that the owner of this bedroom was a young maiden.
Ino, hailed as the “Immaculate Saint Child,” was sitting at the edge of the bed.
Bathed in sunlight, the girl’s pale blue hair shimmered with an almost transparent, icy brilliance.
Paired with a pure white dress and her serene, beautiful features, she was reminiscent of the Madonna resting in the afternoon, an artwork just by sitting there.
If one zoomed in a little closer, glimpsing her curled, long eyelashes, delicate nose, tranquil temperament, and the holy radiance that seemed to flow from within, it was easy to believe that, walking down the street, believers would kneel in awe, thinking they had witnessed an angelic miracle.
Yet, in this moment, the angel’s heart was not at peace.
The hands resting on her knees kept clenching and relaxing as she gazed, troubled, at the girl who had been lying in bed all day.
If only she hadn’t made that joke.
Regret filled Ino’s heart.
The night before last, she had taken part in the operation to round up Magical Automaton smugglers, and toward the end had found that intriguing automaton with dragon horns and tail.
She had only meant to tease the girl, approaching her as a Vampire, but the girl had burst into tears and fainted right there on the spot.
Even after casting the highest level of healing Magic she could muster, there was no sign of her waking. Ino had been at her wits’ end.
It had now been a full day and two nights since the operation ended.
If word of this got out, her reputation as the Immaculate Saint Child would be ruined.
But who would have thought that the girl, who could banter with Smugglers and even call them “crazy” to their faces, would be so easily frightened?
Ino scratched her head in annoyance.
She was both the Vampire under the moon and the skinny man whom Lulumiya always accused of talking too much.
For someone of her caliber, changing her appearance was as easy as breathing—a feat Magic could easily accomplish.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
The knock on the door made Ino sit up straight at once.
An older woman in a nun’s headscarf entered.
She glanced at the dragonkin girl lying so quietly on the bed that she almost seemed lifeless, then bowed respectfully to Ino.
“Ino-sama, are you postponing your training again today?”
“Yes.”
“But this isn’t the Gefen District. If you keep postponing, the Bishop will be displeased.”
“The Bishop won’t be displeased. The only one who will is the Cardinal. If he asks, just say that kind of training meant for children isn’t suitable for me. I have more important things to attend to.”
Ino waved her hand in annoyance, signaling the older woman to leave.
But the woman did not comply; instead, her demeanor grew even more respectful.
Her eyes swept the bed and lingered on Lulumiya.
“She’s just an unowned Magical Automaton. You’ve looked into her background—she’s in debt, has a poor reputation. Even if something happened to her, all that would be required is compensation to the Magic Workshop. No one would blame you. This so-called ‘perfect’ is just advertising to drive up her price.”
“Advertising? Shalina, have you ever seen a Magical Automaton so lifelike? She doesn’t have a trace of that stiff, doll-like feel. No matter what others say, I just don’t want to see that Cardinal. Lulumiya’s injuries are my responsibility. I’ll go to the Church when she wakes up.”
“But—”
“Shalina.”
Ino raised her palm toward the older nun, her gesture clearly an order to leave.
Shalina hesitated, all her words dissolving into a heavy sigh.
“I understand.”
“And one more thing,” Ino called out as Shalina was about to leave, “have you found the person providing information? Those Smugglers are backed by that Duke. Whoever could pinpoint their location in sync with the Church, and even share intel, must have some serious connections.”
“No leads. The other party’s ability to hide exceeds ours.”
“Of course. With so much at stake, they’d have to be crazy to let us find them out. All right, thank you.”
Ino sighed helplessly.
Only after Shalina had shut the door did she prop her delicate chin up with one hand, pondering the problem from earlier.
Before their raid the night before last, the Knights at the checkpoint had received a note, detailing not only the location and movements of the Smugglers, but also the number of people at their base and their strengths—all written out in full.
If these had been mere ordinary bandits, the letter would have meant nothing.
But the issue was, the Smugglers had insiders in the Royal Capital.
Several Church and Kingdom operations to round them up had failed, only for it to later be discovered that a Duke’s shadow was behind them.
It was hard to imagine who, without relying on the Church, would dare challenge the Duke’s henchmen.
There was also the convenient fire on shore as the Church landed.
Who could it be?
Ino furrowed her brows.
Forget it, this isn’t something within my reach for now.
She pushed aside those distracting thoughts and stretched, her swan-like neck and radiant, alabaster skin revealed in the sunlight, dazzling to behold.
Leaning forward, she sighed.
Her clear, pale blue eyes were filled with boredom.
“When will you finally wake up…?”
***
It was as if she was rising from the depths of the sea—Lulumiya felt her body grow steadily warmer.
As sunlight shimmered on the water’s surface, the bright world rushed toward her vision.
Then she broke the surface and opened her eyes.
So bright.
But she felt fantastic, her mind sharper than ever.
Since graduating university, she’d hardly slept this soundly—even after nine hours, she’d always woken up groggy.
Now she felt truly alive.
A full night’s sleep had left her in an exceptionally good mood, but the next second, she realized something was wrong.
Wait a minute, wasn’t I dead?
Her mind flashed with her last memory: her own headless corpse, and that demon spattered with blood, silver cross-shaped sword raised high.
Lulumiya instantly felt as if she’d fallen into an icy abyss.
The terror of death made even the sunlight seem cold, and cold sweat burst from her skin.
Just recalling those monstrous, terrifying blue eyes sent goosebumps racing over her.
She quickly felt her neck.
Thankfully, her head was still attached.
She was alive.
…But isn’t this bedroom a bit too extravagant?
Was it the Fourth Princess who saved me?
Staring blankly, Lulumiya took in the room.
The gentle scent in the air made her nose twitch.
She turned her head, searching for the door.
And in the next instant—
Her gaze met a pair of pale blue eyes, so close she could see her own reflection.
These eyes brimmed with curiosity, reminiscent of a beast studying its prey.
For a split second, the world went silent—blood froze, breath halted, and horror surged through her nerves.
Every cell in her body screamed a death warning.
“Waaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
It was the demon!
The eyes and that murderous look from last night were identical.
Paralyzed by terror, Lulumiya nearly sprang off the bed, scrambling in tears toward the window.
“‘Blessing of Calm’”
Unfortunately, she only managed a few steps before something tugged her back.
Terrified, she looked over her shoulder to see a beautiful girl, around fourteen or fifteen, holding her tail.
Compared to the tall stature of the Fourth Princess, this girl was petite, but her expression held a maturity rare for her age.
Her features were delicately sculpted, impossible to look away from, and her long, pale blue hair drifted softly with every movement—a picture of refined purity.
Especially in her plain white dress, the girl radiated a gentle aura.
She wore not a trace of gold, yet seemed to glow with a sacred light.
The terror in Lulumiya melted away in seconds.
Even angels could be no more divine.
So she thought.
The girl before her possessed a calming presence—or, no, she’d just used Magic to forcibly soothe her nerves.
“Ahem, you’re finally awake.”
Ino glanced at her hand still gripping Lulumiya’s tail and at Lulumiya’s awkward crawling posture on the bed, then drew her hand back, embarrassed.
“My name is Ino, a Saint Child Candidate of the great Water Spirit, Saint Istelle. I was the one who saved you from those two Smugglers and healed your injuries.”
“You made a joke with me when you got off the boat, so I thought you were, um… a mature-type Magical Automaton. That’s why I teased you that night. I didn’t expect you’d faint on the spot. Sorry.”
“Uh…”
Lulumiya was stunned, trying to piece together what had happened.
At last, her attention landed on a crucial detail—a strikingly ornate silver cross-shaped sword on the table.
She first snatched her tail back, then kept a safe distance as she asked,
“So you’re saying… I’ve slept an entire day?”
“A day and two nights.”
“And the man I met when I got off the ship—that was you, and you’re also the one who killed Amy?”
“That’s right. The Church had long planned to wipe out the Smugglers. That day, we intercepted their merchant ship, disguised ourselves to rescue the trapped Magical Automatons, and wiped out the Smugglers. Altering my appearance isn’t a difficult Magic for me—it just has a few small drawbacks.”
Ino finished with a hint of pride, shooting a sidelong glance at Lulumiya, who was kneeling on the bed.
Lulumiya was wearing a white nightgown similar to Ino’s.
Her silky silver-white hair tumbled over the bed, and her delicate ankles and fine features made her look especially petite and exquisite.
But there was still plenty of wariness and fear in her eyes, reminding Ino of a kitten curled up in the corner.
She’d really frightened her the other night.
Ino couldn’t help but sigh again.
“I’ve looked into your background. You’re hailed as the perfect Magical Automaton, and you don’t have an owner. Because you owe a lot of money, you have nowhere to go.”
“After being kidnapped by your roommate, I doubt you dare go back to your dorm. How about staying here for now? I haven’t been in the Royal Capital long, but under the Church’s protection, no one would dare harm you.”
With her right hand on her chin, Ino pondered for a moment.
Her eyes brightened.
“Why not become my Magical Automaton? I just happen to need one—”
“I refuse.”
Lulumiya turned her down flat without a second’s hesitation.
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