Sherylvale Connalt.
Why was she here?!
And… how did she find him?
Moreover, how did she appear behind him in such a bizarre fashion?
“Kitty, not good!”
While Ian’s brain was still heavily overloaded, a dissatisfied murmur quietly sounded beside his ear.
Ian was startled abruptly, only to see that Sherylvale had flashed onto his back at some unknown point and was hugging him firmly.
Listening to Sherylvale’s huffy tone and feeling the very light yet heavy thumping coming from his back.
Only now did Ian recall that the system data seemed to have mentioned that in the later stages of the plot, due to certain opportunities, Sherylvale would awaken a talent ability related to space.
Could it be that because of his intervention and “correction,” this talent had awakened ahead of schedule?
Or was it that her autism was completely brought to completion through the awakening of spatial power?
Sherylvale, who was thumping Ian with her little fists on his back, tilted her head slightly as she looked at the suspicious and uncertain Ian, her red lips parting slightly as her voice came out very light.
Speaking with immense grievance:
“Kitty is bad… You lied to me.”
“The cat Father brought… is a fake. The scent is wrong, and the feeling is wrong too.”
“You are… my kitty.”
How did she know?!
Could Duke Frederick Connalt have betrayed him too? Didn’t they agree that he wouldn’t let Sherylvale touch that cat?
Under the circumstances where she didn’t touch the cat, how could Sherylvale possibly discover the disguise technique of her father, a Tier 6 Legendary Grand Mage?
Ian was currently using his remaining bit of rationality to rapidly barbecue his brain.
In other words, at this moment someone’s rationality had hit rock bottom. Given that the person had already awakened space magic, would it be very difficult to touch an ordinary black cat?
Duke Frederick Connalt hadn’t betrayed his agreement with Ian; it was just that it was truly impossible for him to keep his eyes fixed on his own daughter 24 hours a day.
He was a Duke, and he was very busy.
Therefore, the highly patient Sherylvale caught an opportunity very quickly. With a single flash, she apprehended that black cat that wasn’t Ian.
As early as over 10 days ago, Sherylvale had already discovered that the black cat wasn’t Ian.
But with the gradual stabilization of her spatial capability, Sherylvale was no longer so sensitive and fragile.
Although she was very sad, she wanted to know even more whether Ian himself wanted to leave her, or if it was her father’s coercion.
Hence, she chose to conceal it, silently observing in the dark, hoping to find a bit of a clue.
Facts proved that for someone who could be a heroine in the plot, their luck generally wouldn’t be too bad.
When Old Anna went to feed that fake black cat, Sherylvale, who was secretly observing nearby, overheard the news that her father had given Ian a recommendation letter.
Having a clue, during a chat and conversation with her father, Sherylvale learned that he had sent out a recommendation letter regarding the ‘Stargazer.’
But Sherylvale didn’t know who the ‘Stargazer’ was, nor where she was, so she could only continue to wait.
As luck would have it, the ‘Stargazer’ and Duke Frederick Connalt were close friends.
The inn she stayed at upon arriving in the imperial capital was also prepared by requesting Duke Frederick Connalt’s assistance.
Learning that ‘Stargazer’ Margarita was bringing a student and preparing to participate in the ‘exhibition match’ at her own school, the Imperial Royal Magic Academy, Sherylvale Connalt naturally used the excuse of clearing her mind to obtain an opportunity to come to the school.
But Frederick Connalt, who knew the inside story, could not possibly allow his daughter to meet Ian, so he arranged for Old Anna’s guards to guide Sherylvale and keep her from drawing close to the arena.
Moreover, with the existence of the ‘False Star Mask,’ Sherylvale, who lacked a perception as sharp as Otilia’s, naturally didn’t discover that Ian was currently conducting an ‘extreme challenge’ inside the arena.
Sherylvale, who had been thinking of ways to enter the arena, was turning around nearby until the moment when someone lacked the rationality to maintain the effect of the ‘False Star Mask’ and took it off.
Sherylvale, who was nearby, instantly perceived that surge of magic power that caused her peace of mind.
With a single teleportation, she directly broke free from the guidance of Old Anna and the guards, also exposing the fact that she had already awakened her spatial talent.
Familiar magic power coupled with a familiar touch—Sherylvale was certain that Ian was her ‘kitty.’
Finding him this time, it was impossible to let him go…
Sherylvale thought this way, and she acted this way too.
Then, Ian felt a massive force travel over from behind, immediately followed by a warm, soft, and light body pressing tightly against his back, as two slender yet extraordinarily powerful arms firmly encircled his neck with immense force.
It caused him to recall the days back when he was a black cat and was strangled by this woman until he saw his great-grandmother.
“Cough, cough… Let, let go… If you don’t let go, I’m going to die…”
Ian struggled in vain for a moment, only to find that the young girl behind his back was clinging tightly like an octopus.
What was even more fatal was that he could clearly perceive that along with the fluctuations of Sherylvale’s emotions, the surrounding space seemed to become viscous and sluggish. A kind of invisible yet real sense of restraint quietly seeped in from all directions like quicksilver, firmly “pinning” him in place, making even lifting a finger become extraordinarily effortful.
This was not physical brute force, but was instead… a suppression on a spatial level.
Although it was still very tender, and the range was also limited only to the surroundings of her body contact, that stagnant feeling of being trapped in honey, coupled with Ian’s terrible physical state at this moment, unexpectedly left him completely incapable of breaking free for a moment!
“Kitty is bad… Lied to me…”
Sherylvale buried her face in the crook of his neck, her warm breath spraying upon his skin, her voice muffled, carrying a heavy nasal sound and grievance.
Her encircling arms did not loosen up in the slightest, however, instead tightening a bit more, strangling Ian until his eyes rolled back.
‘No, sister.’
Ian’s heart cried out bitterly.
Although his mana was full right now and he could release magic, with his current control over his body and magic power, at such a close distance, any slight carelessness might injure the young girl behind him who had just “recovered” and awakened a troublesome ability.
He had zero doubt that if he dared to use brute force to shock her away right now, in the next second this eldest young lady might not just stop at dropping tears.
Heaven knew what kind of out-of-control reaction her newly awakened and unstable spatial talent would produce because of this.
Can’t hit her, can’t break free, and looking at her appearance, she couldn’t listen to reason either…
Ian felt like a mouse that had fallen onto a sticky mouse board, caught in a dilemma.
“Mr. Cat, let’s be together forever…”
As Sherylvale’s words fell, Ian perceived with horror that a spatial channel opened up behind him!
That channel was precisely the channel to the ‘Tranquil Land’ where Ian had been when he first met Sherylvale.
This girl truly wanted to be together with him forever!
“No, sister. My eldest young lady! Stop! Quickly stop!”
Ian was truly panicked. Just as he fell into a dilemma, hesitating over whether he should risk a massive danger to forcibly shock Sherylvale away and interrupt this dangerous spatial opening—
That dark entrance, which was slowly expanding and looking as if it would swallow everything, was suddenly caught fiercely from the outside, as if by an invisible, incomparably massive palm.
The expansion of the channel ground to a halt.