After switching to several different cans in a row, the black cat remained indifferent, and Sevitis couldn’t do anything about it for the moment.
A forced melon is never sweet… although it does quench thirst, she still remembered the painful price she paid last time vividly.
Sevitis sighed helplessly, had to give up for now, and began to put the cans on the stone back into her space pouch one by one.
But just as her hand touched the last can, Sevitis suddenly felt a chill down her back, and her hair stood on end.
A gentle breeze swept by, carrying faint sounds from the direction of the forest path.
No clear warning sign was needed; the vampire’s body reacted before her brain could—
Her instincts were screaming alarms at her. Something extremely dangerous was approaching, and it was at the very top of her personal danger list!
Without time to think about why this “natural enemy” had arrived so suddenly, Sevitis hastily cleaned up the mess left by her meal.
Then she suddenly spread her pitch-black bat wings behind her and dove headfirst into the dense thicket behind the giant rock.
As it turned out, her instincts were terrifyingly accurate.
Just a few seconds later, the noises from the intersection became clearer and clearer.
First came two sets of footsteps, one heavy and one light, followed by the cheerful voice that made her grind her teeth yet was all too familiar:
“Oh, just stop following me, okay? You’re a maid now. Since when does a maid cling to her master every step of the way when going out in the middle of the night? Shouldn’t you be waiting obediently at home, boiling hot water and preparing a late-night snack to welcome me?”
“I’m sorry, but your painstaking reasoning is beyond my comprehension. Also, please don’t forget that the title you bestowed upon your subordinate is ‘maid knight,’ not just ‘maid.’ Therefore, guarding your side remains my primary duty.”
Accompanied by this conversation, two figures walked into the clearing one after another.
The golden-haired Saint Candidate You Liya walked ahead with an angry pout, while following behind her was the knight who wore a clever combination of a Black Blood-silk Maid Dress and Silver White Knight Armor, still wearing that respectful yet cold and rigid expression.
Hiding in the thicket, Sevitis watched this scene through the gaps in the leaves and couldn’t help but curl her lips in smug satisfaction.
‘As expected! As expected of me, this life-saving instinct is reliable, especially against that scheming golden-haired girl. It’s completely effective.’
‘Good thing I ran fast and hid immediately, hahaha…’
‘But how am I supposed to run now?!’
Watching the two girls sit down unceremoniously on that big rock, clearly not intending to leave anytime soon, the white-haired loli crouching in the thicket immediately slumped her face and began gnawing on her nails in irritation.
The thicket behind her was deep and dense, clearly a dead end.
Forcing a charge out wasn’t impossible, but it would surely make a huge noise, making it hard not to be discovered.
If she were in her human race body now, she could easily make up some excuse to bluster her way through.
At worst, she’d have to endure the humiliation of being teased by that woman face-to-face again.
But the problem was, she was in her vampire form now!
With a head of white hair and a pair of bat wings, if she were caught red-handed, it wouldn’t be something she could just talk her way out of!
Last time in the Blood Burial Forest, she was lucky that the woman didn’t investigate further and let her off after a “lesson.”
But this time, the stakes were on a completely different level!
A pureblood demon race member—how could she have silently crossed the 【Moon Wall】 overhead and swaggered into Kantaier Academy?
If this got out, it would definitely cause a sensation across the entire continent.
If it really came to that, being toyed with like a plaything by that woman might even be considered a merciful exception.
If she were caught red-handed, she would definitely be thrown into a dark, sunless little room, subjected to endless interrogation and investigation day and night.
Worse, they might slice her up for research until they stripped her of every little secret!
Only after squeezing out the last bit of her usefulness would they graciously grant her a “Holy Light Baptism.”
Then, she could logically go settle the score with that vampire who turned her into this mess.
—Except that would be in hell.
As for why she didn’t retreat back the way she came now… what a joke.
How would she know whether what awaited her was freedom or an abyss that would devour both body and soul?
Jumping out to deliver herself into their hands would be far too stupid!
But even if she wanted to run, she wasn’t sure she could escape.
Both of those two outside were stronger than her.
If You Liya summoned those unscrupulous little followers of hers, it would be two fists against who knew how many hands.
Her tiny body wouldn’t even be enough to fill the gaps between their teeth!
‘Whatever, look on the bright side. Those are just worst-case scenarios. What if they’re just patrolling and happened to sit here for a while before leaving?’
‘I’ll be a bit more patient, stay put, and eavesdrop on what this master and servant want to do.’
Having made up her mind, Sevitis carefully shifted her butt, which was itchy from the branches poking her, and found a slightly more comfortable position in the thicket to squat down.
“Besides,” Angelina’s voice sounded again from outside, “if you didn’t come to this godforsaken place every single night to wait for someone, would your subordinate have to cling to you every step of the way?”
However, You Liya seemed not to have taken the knight’s complaint to heart at all. As soon as she sat down, she slightly twitched her small nose:
“Hmm? It smells… a faint scent of osmanthus.”
Sevitis, hiding in the thicket, froze instantly, cold sweat nearly breaking out.
‘Damn, I almost forgot this one has a dog’s nose!’
“Master, please don’t change the subject.” Angelina cut her off expressionlessly. “There isn’t a single osmanthus tree planted in these woods. How could there be a scent of osmanthus?”
“But you don’t have to stare at me like that! I protest! Even a Saint Candidate has human rights!” You Liya puffed out her delicate face in defiance, trying to muddle through.
“Protest denied. Ever since you sneaked off on your own during the last assessment, you’ve lost the last shred of trust your subordinate had in you.” Angelina was completely unyielding, rejecting her sternly.
“Of course, if you’re dissatisfied with your subordinate’s decision, you’re free to write a letter and seek Lady Saintess of Dawn’s opinion.”
Hearing this, You Liya immediately deflated like a punctured balloon, her puffed cheeks slowly sinking back. She gave a dry laugh and turned her head, her eyes shifting guiltily:
“Haha… forget it then. How could I bother her with such a trivial matter…”
Seeing her master concede so quickly, Angelina didn’t press further. She just sighed in exasperation:
“If you still have that much self-awareness, then stop coming to this crappy place every night to wait for people. What normal person would go to a place like this in the dead of night?”
You Liya blinked thoughtfully at that, then pointed at herself with a finger, looking pleased:
“Me~”
“…” Angelina fell silent.
“Oh, sorry, I left one out.” You Liya grinned and pointed at the female knight. “Now, there’s also you~”
“…” Angelina’s fist tightened.
“Alright, alright. Now that you’re my maid, don’t be so petty about such trivial matters,” You Liya said quickly to change the subject, skillfully pulling out box after box of pastries and placing them on the stone.
“But speaking of which…” You Liya drawled teasingly as she arranged the plates, “Didn’t our one-week agreement pass long ago? Why haven’t you taken off this outfit yet, Angelina?”
Angelina’s expression instantly stiffened, a blush quickly climbing to her ears.
She turned her head away in slight embarrassment.
Catching this, You Liya immediately stopped what she was doing. Her sapphire blue eyes rolled playfully:
“Oh my? Could it be that my dear guarding madam has already gotten completely used to the identity of a ‘maid,’ become addicted to wearing it, and doesn’t want to change out of it?”
“Really? Really?”
Angelina forcibly composed her face, which was about to burn up, and expressionlessly reached out a hand to push back her master’s grinning face that was covering her mouth.
“I have no idea what nonsense you’re spouting, master. I simply feel that it is not the way of a knight to give up halfway. Since I have put on this outfit, I must see it through and not take it off lightly—that is the most basic respect for the profession of a ‘maid.'”
“Eh, but Angelina, being a tsundere is already out of style these days.”
“I don’t have such a weird attribute.”
“Alright, don’t be mad.” You Liya chuckled and pinched a piece of pastry, handing it to her. “Here, a special osmanthus silk cake as compensation. Will you forgive me?”
“That’s quite unnecessary.” Angelina refused coldly.
“Huh? Why? Did I make it badly?” You Liya looked hurt.
Angelina gave her a tight, false smile and voiced a soul-piercing question:
“Are you referring to… how you force your subordinate to help dispose of large quantities of leftover pastries that a certain someone never came to eat every day, and then force your subordinate to lie and praise them as delicious?”