Chapter 146: Claire’s Animal Domain
At three in the morning.
Claire woke up from her sleep, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead.
After she opened her eyes, she looked at the ceiling of the balcony. Her gaze shifted from confusion to focus, and it took her a while to regain her senses.
“It’s back again.”
The layout of the tower dormitories had remained unchanged for decades, with only the furniture being updated regularly.
Each dormitory was a template.
The space on the balcony was just as narrow as ever.
Claire was neither good at socializing nor lacked a sense of security.
During her student days, her after-school time was mostly spent reading books on the balcony.
The cramped space and the animals around her made her feel at peace.
Speaking of animals…
She only remembered now.
So she got up, picked up the Grass Cat Plant, and peeked into the bedroom.
There she saw the magic golems that had accompanied her for half her life, all sleeping peacefully in the bedroom.
This surprised her a little.
“Did Dark do this?”
She turned her head to look at the bed.
Her best friend’s son was nestled under the covers, with a spherical familiar with bat wings at the head of the bed.
“Bats?”
Claire yawned, still feeling a bit drowsy.
She pushed open the door to the balcony, and the mana card concealed in her sleeve trembled slightly, causing the field magic covering the entire bedroom to dissipate naturally. The magic golems simultaneously turned into light and flowed into her mana card deck.
Under normal circumstances, magic golems couldn’t exist outside mana cards for long, but Claire, known as the “Beast Sage,” naturally had her own methods.
Whether it was the small field card “Zoo” or the large field card “Animal Kingdom,” both could allow the “Avian-beast Kin” magic golems to manifest for extended periods.
As long as she unfolded the field card, the area within its coverage became her animal domain!
…
Inside the bedroom, Claire placed the Grass Cat Plant in the bed basket, then her gaze flickered as she looked at Dark on the bed.
Before coming here, she had heard about Dark’s current situation from many people.
But combining her past understanding of him and what she had heard over the years, she felt something was amiss.
How could someone who couldn’t even persist in basic sword training become such a well-rounded model student according to others?
Yet, the blanket in her arms seemed to silently confirm a fact.
“Has he really grown up?”
Claire bent down, her eyes gleaming as she carefully examined the young man she hadn’t seen in years.
“But he still looks so small.”
She reached out and poked Dark’s cheek, the light in her eyes growing stronger.
…
At six o’clock sharp…
Dark suddenly woke up.
Throughout the night, he had been having a jumbled mess of dreams.
From various anime series he watched in his previous life to the events he experienced in this one, everything was mixed together, making his sleep quality very poor.
Especially the dream he had before waking up, which directly startled him awake.
Around the age of six.
He had been turned into a cat by Claire because he tore her book.
That same night, he almost suffocated in his sleep, trapped between Claire’s breasts!
Worse yet.
Afterwards, Claire seemed addicted to it, turning him into a pillow whenever she was upset or couldn’t sleep.
Even his mother, who usually spoiled him, joined forces with Claire, squeezing him between them several nights, causing him immense pain and almost leading to psychological trauma!
Those nightmare-like days finally ended when Claire left the Duke’s Mansion.
But now, the demon has returned!
Memories lingered in his mind.
Dark abruptly opened his eyes.
Claire’s scent was unique, a fragrance that was hard to forget.
He first saw Claire sleeping beside him.
Then he instinctively looked down.
But instead of seeing a cat body, he saw smooth skin.
[Bliss +1]
Dark’s expression changed slightly, immediately using the “Technique of the Shadow God” to clear his mind, stopping the Bliss from increasing further!
For some reason, Claire didn’t turn him into a cat.
But she still treated him like a pillow.
After a brief moment,
Dark steadied himself and canceled the “Technique of the Shadow God.”
Claire’s graceful face was close by, her breath carrying the fragrance of orchids.
Silently, Dark pulled away, trying to get off the bed from the other side.
But Claire’s eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes, her gaze sharp.
Dark remained calm, “Good morning, Aunt Kate.”
Claire sat up straight, arranging her hair, “I’m staying overnight here. You don’t mind, right?”
Dark then smiled, “Of course not. Didn’t Principal Altair arrange a dorm for you?”
Claire smiled, “She probably did. But I came earlier than expected, and it wasn’t good to disturb her late at night, so I came to your dorm.”
Dark’s face darkened, “So disturbing me isn’t disturbing anyone else?”
Claire patted the bed, “Considering our relationship…”
…
The fresh air of dawn remained as usual.
Walking side by side towards the cafeteria, Claire sniffed the air around them, sighing, “Old things never change.”
Dark casually replied, “Isn’t that precisely their value?”
Claire did not comment.
Dark continued, “Aunt Kate, why don’t you tell me about your travels these past few years?”
Claire shook her finger, “Want to know? Then you’ll have to buy my travelogue, ‘Claire’s Travels.'”
Dark was surprised, “You wrote a book?”
Claire, “I’m a columnist for ‘The Scholarly Magazine.'”
Dark, “Alright, I’ll check it out sometime.”
Claire, “Don’t just ask me. How’s your academy life? Got any girlfriends?”
Dark rolled his eyes, “Maintaining the image of an excellent student is time-consuming.”
…
The two of them then entered the cafeteria.
Claire skillfully ordered her meal, greeting the older halfling chefs.
Finally, they managed to sit down, and Professor Shylph appeared simultaneously.
Dark slightly reined in his demeanor, giving the floor to Claire and Professor Shylph.
They did not immediately start discussing official matters but instead sipped tea after their meal, reminiscing about Claire’s student days.
Professor Shylph had served at St. Maryan for a long time, second only to Principal Altair.
She had witnessed countless heroes grow.
She had also witnessed countless heroes fall.
Time was cold and cruel.
Only the emotions between people could defy the passage of time.
Professor Shylph genuinely felt joy at Claire’s return to the academy.
