132~ Little Chef
After switching shoes, they made their way to the third floor, where Dillin noticed Wenfu looking around as if searching for something.
“The third floor of Crown Villa has six rooms. Which one would Miss Wenfu prefer?” Dillin asked.
“Is Miss Tillysha not here?” The cat-eared girl, dragging a suitcase almost as big as herself, seemed slightly out of place in the unfamiliar surroundings. Her tail swayed nervously, betraying her unease.
“Hmm, Tillysha is out on some errand. Actually, she doesn’t spend much time in the estate,” Dillin mentioned casually, aiming to paint an image of Tillysha not often being around the villa.
“Is that so?” Wenfu pulled herself together but still appeared rather constrained, possibly due to Tillysha’s absence making her feel less comfortable.
“So, which room does Miss Tillysha occupy?”
“Tillysha…,” Dillin pointed to a room at the far-right end with a handwritten Elfish nameplate. “That’s Tillysha’s room.”
“Does Miss Tillysha also speak Elfish?” Walking up to the door, Wenfu looked curiously at the neat Elfish script.
“Yes, Tillysha seems rather interested in the studies of other races. In College, especially in Korman, knowing Elfish isn’t uncommon — especially for those interested in Elfish culture. That said, most students don’t bother.”
“Talking about how different races communicate, it’s necessary to mention the Elves’ education system. Any Elf who’s gone through the standard education knows three languages, including Elfish and Common.
“Don’t ask how they manage multiple languages. The answer? They’re just smarter and have more time than humans.”
“Does Miss Wenfu speak Elfish?”
“Just a bit. I understand a little but am not proficient.”
“Is the room beside it Mr. Dillin’s?”
“Yes.” Wenfu glanced at Dillin’s door.
The tags were similar yet completely different: Tillysha’s was elegant and precise, while Dillin’s was… not to say messy, but definitely rough and careless.
But hey, divine prince and all that. Remembering tons of knowledge and taking lots of notes takes precedence; handwriting doesn’t need to be perfect as long as it’s legible.
Just then, Aistride, who’d been examining the second-floor library, joined them on the third floor, spotting Dillin and Wenfu.
“Does Miss Tillysha live here?” Aistride hesitated momentarily, her gaze darting to Dillin’s room tag next.
“Yes, Miss Aistride, have you chosen a room?”
“My…,” Aistride glanced around, and both she and Wenfu simultaneously locked onto the only remaining room at the far right.
“Can I take that one?” x2
Caught off guard, both froze for a moment before unconsciously turning to glance at each other.
“Ah?” Dillin scratched his head upon seeing the two eyeing the same room.
Their simultaneous voices abruptly stopped. They quietly lowered their hands, not uttering another word.
“Huh? What’s going on here?” Suddenly, a door before them opened, revealing a teasing voice.
“Have you settled in, Filisia?”
“Yes, I’ve finished tidying up.” Filisia stepped out gracefully, spotting Wenfu and Aistride silently standing by her door. Her lips curled into a smirk. “I had my eyes on this room from the start and have already moved in, sorry ladies.”
And with that, she nonchalantly took out a name tag with her name and hung it on the door.
“Sorry for borrowing your name tags, Captain.”
“Sure, that’s their purpose.”
“Thank you.” Dressed in her school uniform, Filisia looked even more youthful and vibrant than usual, akin to a cheerful high school girl rather than a saintly knightess.
“I didn’t expect Miss Aistride to join our team initially,” Filisia said with a grin at Aistride. “Let’s hope we have a long journey ahead of us, Aistride.”
And with a confident stride, Filisia walked down the third-floor corridor.
“… It seems you two will have to choose from the rooms on the left side.” Dillin gestured towards the other end of the corridor apologetically.
Aistride’s eyes flickered briefly with disappointment but nodded and moved to the far-left room, opposite Tillysha’s.
Wenfu chose the room next to Aistride’s and both went into their respective rooms to sort out their belongings.
“Hmm?” As Dillin approached the second floor, intending to continue reading in the library, he noticed a not-so-small suitcase sitting by the library entrance.
Whose suitcase is this?
Filisia’s? Probably not, because she went straight upstairs afterward and didn’t have time to leave it there.
Wenfu, being small, had a comparably small suitcase, which she took up to her room.
That leaves only Aistride’s.
Rather careless, leaving a suitcase outside.
Dillin recalled their month of interaction, finding the normally cool and distant Aistride occasionally rather absent-minded, making this slip-up unsurprising.
As Dillin reached to carry the suitcase upstairs, a hurried step sounded from above.
“Did you see my suitcase…” Aistride, showing a rare tinge of urgency, trailed off the moment her eyes caught the suitcase next to Dillin and his extending hand.
It wasn’t just Dillin’s impression: Aistride’s usually graceful features froze for a moment.
“I was about to bring it to your room…”
“No need, I’ll take it myself.” Aistride swiftly snatched the suitcase with unnerving speed and a flat, almost mechanical voice, as if fearing something would happen if she delayed.
What is she hiding in there, bombs?
Dillin watched as Aistride hurriedly carried her suitcase upstairs, puzzled.
Dillin knew some things about Aistride, who might seem standoffish and aloof, but this partly stemmed from poor social skills and a preference for solitude.
Quietness, aloofness, gracefulness were common stereotypes for Elves.
“Captain, Captain!”
“Hmm?” Hearing Filisia calling, Dillin looked about and realized the sound was coming from the backyard.
“Filisia, do you need something?” Dillin asked, looking through the window and seeing Filisia dressed in a fitting combat outfit in the backyard.
“The backyard is spacious, but the front yard is a garden. Do you have any plans for the backyard, Captain?”
“Not yet.” Glancing at the vast empty space apart from a pile of junk in the corner, Dillin replied.
“Then how about using it as a training ground?”
“Of course. This is merely a suggestion. Should we let everyone decide?”
“Not a problem.” Beneath the moonlight, noticing Filisia’s arms and thighs exposed in her tight-fitting outfit, Dillin nodded.
“Thank you.” Beneath the moonlight, Filisia’s pink-tinged eyes gleamed, accentuating her vigorous yet sensual aura.
She began practicing, lifting the Crown Giant Sword high, closing her eyes beneath the moonlight.
Dillin glanced at the crescent moon hanging in the sky, calculating that they were nearing bedtime, yet Filisia was still training.
Certainly, no achievement or glory comes easily. Most only see her radiant image during the day, unaware of the immense efforts behind it.
As such thoughts crossed his mind, Dillin compared himself to her.
Compared to her hard-earned accomplishments, his instant rise via ‘cheats’ felt somewhat ironic.
No, not exactly a cheat—more like standing on the shoulders of a great being to pluck victory.
Dillin had confirmed that the “Elf Divine Warrior,” Tylisagala Nolin, and Tillysha were one and the same.
Tylisagala Nolin, as the second daughter of the Elf King, might mean that the Elf King perished in a battle against the Demon Race. His eldest daughter might have taken the throne, making her Bilodis.
Hence Tillysha was Bilodis’s sister.
The realms and divine authorities he now possessed were truly Tillysha’s—fruits of her centuries of cultivation.
Though it seemed like his levels were reset, using the stats of an Elf Divine Warrior to participate in a rookie tournament was like using a buzzsaw to slice butter.
“Grumble grumble…”
“d*mn.” Watching Filisia’s amber silhouette training like a monk beneath the window, Dillin’s stomach gave a sudden growl. He suddenly realized he’d forgotten dinner.
The cafeteria must be closed at this time. What now?
He had intended to stay up in the library, but it wasn’t feasible to survive an entire night hungry.
If he did, he might end up gnawing on books in the wee hours.
“Dillin, are you hungry?”
“Eh?” Dillin turned around to see a small cat girl shaking her tail at the bottom of the staircase.
Wenfu, having just taken a bath, smelled of soap. Water droplets glistened on her hair, and her cherry-red tresses accentuated her innocent and fresh appearance. Thanks to the private baths per room, there’d be no awkward bathing mix-ups.
“Don’t skip meals, Dillin,” she said lightly as she descended in a sleeveless nightdress. “Mom says it’s healthier to have meals on schedule. Skipping meals or eating irregularly can harm your health.”
“Is there even any food left in the villa?”
“Um? Can Wenfu cook?”
“Yes, I learned a bit from Mother. I hope this isn’t too inconvenient.”
“Isn’t it too much trouble for you?”
“Not at all. Isn’t it normal for teammates to help each other?”
Pushed and pulled, they descended to the kitchen. Fortuitously, there were some frozen ingredients left in the storage cabinet, albeit not much.
Wenfu donned an apron and stood on a stool to cook since she was a bit short.
“Anything Dillin dislikes?”
“None.”
“More meat or vegetables?”
“More meat.”
“Okay, please wait.”
For Wenfu, finding a suitable team was difficult. Noticing the gap between herself and her teammates, she wished to bridge it and showcase her value as she feared of being left behind.
As Dillin waited, watching her in the apron with bare, soft feet atop the stool, he had a strange feeling akin to observing a young wife.
What’s wrong with him? This was illegal in any timeline!
Looking at Wenfu diligently slicing and cooking at the stove, her tail unmoving with her focus, the well-lit living room, and the crystalline lamp glowing outside the door, a sense of warmth filled him.
He suddenly felt at home.
As the aroma arose, seeing the beautifully floating leaves, eggs, and meat slices in the soup, Dillin’s taste buds danced.
It seemed even better than the cafeteria’s.
Wenfu smiled beside him, watching him eat. Afterward, she took his utensils without waiting.
“Ah, I could wash them myself.”
“No need, Dillin. Walking around a bit after eating late is good for digestion.” With that, Wenfu stood back on the stool, cleaning his dishes.
Dillin felt a bit embarrassed but stepped aside as it’d be rude to interrupt her now.
In the end, he left the kitchen.
