Bidding farewell to Miss Jialinna, Xia De hugged the cat and, led by Tifa, went from the second-floor study through the corridor to Luvia's guest room.
Along the way, he saw that the awakened servants were tidying up the estate that had not been cleaned all day, and everyone nodded and greeted Xia De when they saw him.
It was already ten o'clock at night, but they would still be busy for a while before resting.
However, this was not because Miss Jialinna was harsh on her servants, but because everyone had slept almost all day and found it difficult to fall asleep now.
“Miss has told the servants that you are now considered one of the masters here by default, so please treat this place as your own home.”
Tifa explained softly, leading Xia De forward, but instead of taking Xia De directly to Luvia, she led him further and further off the path, even lighting a candelabrum and approaching an area where the light grew dimmer.
Finally, they stopped in a corridor where the lights were off; from their position, it was a secluded spot on the east side of the manor.
Miss Jialinna certainly did not lack pounds to pay for gas lamps, so even at night, most of the corridors in the manor were lit.
The fact that the lights were off here could only mean that very few people usually walked through here, so it was impossible for Luvia to be arranged to stay nearby.
Just as Xia De was puzzled, Tifa, holding the candelabrum in front, turned to look at Xia De, then bowed slightly, turning her body to place the candelabrum on the ground.
“Hmm?”
Xia De didn't know what was happening now.
“Xia De, there’s something I need to clarify.”
The girl in the maid's dress clasped her hands together in front of her body, her eyes on Xia De.
There was no light here, only the flickering candlelight at her feet.
“If I had agreed just now, it wouldn't have been solely because I wanted to thank you.”
Her pretty eyes looked at Xia De, who slightly opened his mouth in surprise, and it took him at least three seconds to understand what she wanted to express.
“Yes, I wasn’t ready; after becoming Miss Jialinna’s maid, I never thought I would have any intimate contact with a man.”
She said softly, then raised her hands, unbuttoning her top one by one.
Xia De was even more surprised; he had always thought that the row of silver buttons extending from the collar to about the upper chest was just decorative, but it seemed this dress was more complex than he had imagined.
“Please also don’t think that I can only accept Miss’s orders and have no opinions of my own.”
Her brown-black eyes looked at Xia De, and a smile played on her red lips.
She unbuttoned four buttons from the collar downwards, revealing a lady’s shirt underneath.
Since it was late summer, the shirt was very thin, and Xia De could see the skin below her neck.
Her hands continued to unbutton the four buttons on the shirt:
“To prevent others from finding out, we can stay here for three minutes.
Although I can’t offer you a grand meal, a small snack is possible.”
She said softly, exposing her neck as she looked at Xia De, who, observing the curves before him, said with some hesitation:
“I still don’t want you to do this out of a desire to thank me.
That gift was given to you by Miss Felianna, not me.”
The Black-haired maid chuckled, her smile containing shyness, charm, and a mixture of complex emotions that Xia De couldn't fully comprehend.
“You would say that, of course.
Then, how about this as an apology?
An apology for obeying Miss’s order and forcibly restraining you just now.”
She said softly, her dimples clearly visible on her face.
“Hmm?”
“Two minutes and forty-nine seconds left.”
Tifa walked in front of Xia De, slightly puffed out her chest, then placed her right hand on the back of Xia De's head, trying to push it down.
“Hmm?”
【Two minutes and forty-two seconds left.】
Xia De did not resist, and his head was pushed down.
Tifa's right hand was on the back of Xia De's head, she bit her lower lip slightly, her face flushed and smiling.
With her left hand, she pulled up the side of her dress, revealing her left foot, then kicked backward with her left foot, knocking over the candelabrum, and the candlelight went out:
“Perhaps, staying here for five minutes is also acceptable.”
“Meow?”
The cat, feigning sleep in Xia De's arms, was curious why the lights suddenly went out.
Then, because it was in the way, it was thrown to the ground by Xia De.
(Mia running.)
“Why is your face so red?”
Seeing Xia De enter the room, Luvia, lying on the bed, asked curiously.
When he sat down on the chair by the bed, she frowned and sniffed:
“What is that scent on you, why is it so fragrant?
Oh, it’s the perfume of that pretty maid.”
“Can you smell it too?
This is perfume used by Witches; only a very small number of people can smell it.”
Xia De subtly twitched his nose; he hadn't smelled anything on himself…
“I can smell it, it’s a very nice scent.
But what did you two do just now?
How did you get such a strong fragrance on you?”
She asked with a smile, and seeing Xia De's embarrassed expression, unsure how to answer, she smiled even more happily:
“See, I knew it; men all like pretty girls with that kind of figure.
Xia De, I bet you weren’t very honest just now.
However, harassing someone else’s maid in their home is not what a gentleman does.”
Xia De found it difficult to explain to her who had been harassed just now.
“Let’s go for a walk outside; it’s boring to lie here all the time.
Let’s go for a walk in the courtyard; I saw from the window that it’s very pretty here.”
She suggested.
“Okay, a change of scenery outside would be good.
However, have you had dinner yet?
I just ate with Miss Jialinna; you were still sleeping then.”
“The servants have already brought it.
This kind of aristocratic life, it’s my first time experiencing it.”
“How do you feel physically?”
“Very good, don’t worry about me; after all, I couldn’t accompany you…”
Xia De knew that Luvia wanted to walk in the courtyard because she didn’t want to discuss sensitive issues inside the manor.
Xia De only said she was someone who helped him, not revealing Luvia’s relationship with the whispering chapters, and Luvia herself didn’t want the Witches to know this secret.
So they walked together from the second floor to the first floor, then came to the courtyard for a stroll.
There were also many servants working in the courtyard in the night, as the Darkness had corroded plants, causing most of them to wither, which even Felianna's Witch Light could not change, so the servants were pruning the flowerbeds.
Walking through the courtyard, under the gentle Moonlight overhead, Xia De fully recounted what happened after he and Luvia parted ways at the manor.
Hearing that Human Pus used crystals to imprison the High-Ring Sorcerer, Luvia showed a slight look of concern; hearing that Xia De was still knocked away with Iluna after spitting out the 【Weak Angel Potion】, she quietly asked about Xia De's physical condition; hearing that the darkness box was out of control and Xia De devoured the Darkness in the dark, she tightly gripped Xia De's arm; hearing that Mia had taken advantage of the chaos to steal the fish training ring that could make demons speak, the purple-eyed girl smiled and looked at the cat standing on Xia De's shoulder, bathed in Moonlight.
Mia looked up, her pink little nose pointed towards the sky, her amber eyes gazing at the moon.
Under the Moonlight, this cat was quite extraordinary.
“Your cat is very unusual.”
The two turned a corner by the flowerbed and walked along the path through the flower bushes.
“Last time, it definitely wasn’t me who made it change back from a doll to a cat while I was unconscious; it very likely absorbed a trace of my power.”
Xia De reached back and stroked Mia's head, and the cat immediately let out a very soft meow:
“However, this time, it was all thanks to it, thanks to it somehow climbing into the box.
Miss Jialinna checked me, and this cat is still considered normal at the moment.”
As he spoke, he saw the metamorphosis ring and the fish training ring strung on the cat's tail:
“Mia is now ‘Two-Ring,’ and I’m Three-Ring.”
Xia De said jokingly.
“Three-Ring in two and a half months.”
She sighed softly, then heard Xia De mention something about the Witch Council.
After a moment of hesitation, he did not mention being examined by Miss Jialinna.
“What Knowledge did Miss Felianna leave you in the Witch’s Afterimage?”
She was very curious about this, and Xia De shook his head:
“Some basic Knowledge.
The time period Miss Felianna was in was not long after she established Saint Byron's.
She gave me some basic Knowledge of a Ring術士; I think this can make up for my foundation.”
He had reached Three-Ring, but it was impossible to apply to the academy to advance to third year.
Because there was no exam week in the autumn.
“However, the biggest gain this time, besides killing the second Chosen One, is this.”
Seeing that no one was around, Xia De took out the rhode cards deck from his pocket under the Moonlight, then took out the Genesis Darkness.
“You can control the Genesis Darkness like you control the genesis - balance?”
Luvia asked, puzzled.
“Not yet, at least not temporarily.
But look at this.”
Xia De pointed to the card face, and Luvia observed it for a long time before realizing that this card had a special texture.
It was different from all other rhode cards, and even from the genesis - balance and the founding · silver moon; the card face was more three-dimensional, as if it truly contained an entire scene inside.
“What’s going on?”
Luvia asked.
“I discovered this when I returned to the manor; it should be related to killing Darkness.
However, my other self has already captured information, and I probably guess what this is.”
Xia De took out his pocket watch, opened the cover, and took out the youthful immortality leaf.
He had two leaves when he entered the Darkness Domain, and later completed the key's task, obtaining two more.
One was consumed by Iluna, one was in Luvia’s hand, and the one from the Breath of Time was just returned by Tifa.
“You just did this to me, and now you say you want to give me a very precious relic; this will make me think we are engaging in some illegal transaction.”
This was what the Black-haired maid said when buttoning up; she insisted that Xia De take back the leaf.
So, Xia De now had two leaves in his hand; the one in his hand at this moment was the leaf containing the Knowledge 【A piece of true information - Dark Dungeon】.
Looking up at the starry sky, Xia De placed the emerald green leaf in front of his eyes.
