15~ Remember to wipe your lips, dear.
“So, Mr. Dillin and Big Sister Filisia, you two stumbled into some unknown underground laboratory filled with what looked like human organs used for experimentation, and you were chased by a grotesque, stitched-together monster??” The next morning, Wenfu was covering her mouth, her eyes wide in disbelief as she stared at Dillin and Filisia sitting across the breakfast table.
After leaving Coleman Forest, Wenfu had returned to her usual self, albeit rather weak. By the time they reached Coleman Academy and she got a good night’s sleep, her energy was fully restored.
“Exactly. Thanks to Mr. Dillin, or we’d probably still be there, keeping that monster company.” As she said this, Filisia nonchalantly popped a piece of Sara pastry into her mouth and shot a meaningful glance at Tillysha, then turned curiously toward Dillin.
This was the puppet Tillysha had mentioned, wasn’t it? So lifelike, it breathed, had body temperature, a heartbeat, and eyes full of vitality. Even so close, one couldn’t tell it was an inanimate enchanted puppet. In fact, if someone claimed it had a soul, people would likely believe it without a second thought.
She’d never heard of such astonishing magic back at the court, nor of alchemists or enchanters capable of forging something this close to a living being. Where on earth did Tillysha find these bizarre contraptions?
Though curious, Filisia had no intention of prying. If Tillysha didn’t want to say, she wouldn’t bother her.
In this regard, Tillysha hadn’t misjudged. Filisia was, indeed, a person to trust. Despite whatever quirky traits this knight princess might have, she was upright and considerate of her comrades—she would never betray someone’s secrets.
Listening to Filisia recount the events, the puppet Dillin quietly sipped his tea while Tillysha put on a somewhat astonished yet calm facade as she listened alongside two others at the table.
“Eh, did Mr. Dillin defeat the monster?” Wenfu asked, clearly puzzled.
“Of course not,” Dillin replied, setting down his teacup. “It was naturally Miss Filisia who defeated it. Thanks to her, I’m able to sit here talking to you.”
“Mr. Dillin is too modest. If it weren’t for your help, Mr. Dillin, I wouldn’t have made it out of that pitch-black dungeon,” Filisia smiled sweetly at Tillysha. “Isn’t that right, Tillysha?”
“Hmm,” Tillysha rested her hands on her lap, smiling and nodding innocently, seemingly unaware of Filisia’s underlying message.
“Whaa… I’m so sorry… Once again, I’ve just been deadweight,” Wenfu bowed her head sheepishly after understanding everything.
“It’s fine, Wenfu,” everyone thought, adding silently, “We’re used to it by now.”
On the surface, Tillysha didn’t voice her internal sighs of exasperation. It wasn’t Wenfu’s fault after all. Who could have guessed that the aura surrounding the lab would take effect on poor Wenfu?
It seemed the legends weren’t false; many demi-humans had indeed vanished without a trace in Coleman Forest.
At the moment, the mystery of why that eerie aura only affected demi-humans and orcs required further investigation. The biggest question, though, was who built that ominous laboratory.
“Do we really need to ask? This kind of sinister act can only be attributed to the Demon Race. Who else would do such a thing?” Wenfu pouted, voicing her opinion. After a brief silence, Aistride nodded in agreement.
From what they’d seen so far, the laboratory was likely the work of the Demon Race. The issue now lay in why the aura emanating from it could affect orcs, who were also part of the Demon Race.
Also, the strange handwriting in the notebook found in the lab left them scratching their heads.
Tillysha had a gut feeling this was far from a simple case.
“Should we report this to the Academy?” Aistride turned to Dillin for his input.
“I’ll include it in my report later,” Dillin decided.
Whoever built it, that cruel lab that toyed with human life couldn’t be ignored.
After dealing with this lab matter, their next priority was to help Filisia overcome the side effects of her bloodline issues.
“We’ve already obtained the five claws, so all that’s left is the Demon Race’s heart and the ancient race’s fluids, right?” Tillysha flicked a strand of her hair. “The ancient race’s fluids should be manageable. The challenge is the Demon Race’s heart.”
Tillysha had discussed this beforehand with Aistride, who agreed. After all, offering a little bl**d wasn’t a big deal.
With just one demon heart left to collect, this meant they’d have to return to Ruglien, find a demon with a heart, k*ll it, and bring the heart back.
After their recent hustle, Brilliant Sun and Moon were all exhausted, so they decided to rest for a few days before setting out again. The extra treasures they collected beyond the claw served as materials for their field report, proving their one-day trip to Ruglien wasn’t wasted.
Since they were resting, they decided to do it right. They had already submitted their study leave forms, so skipping classes for a few days wouldn’t hurt as long as their grades didn’t drop during the final exam. The Academy could easily turn a blind eye to that.
Leaving the puppet-Dillin at home, Tillysha decided to go out for a stroll to relax her nerves after the tension from Ruglien.
Wenfu opted to stay home and review her studies. This girl seemed genuinely aware that her main role since entering the group was as a chef, improving her teammates’ meals.
She couldn’t mess up the fieldwork, but she sure as heck couldn’t let her academic performance drag the team down too, right?
No matter how much time she had, Wenfu chose to make the most of every minute to improve herself.
Filisia, on the other hand, headed to the training ground. Until she resolved the “Dragon’s Fury” problem, she wouldn’t be able to settle down.
Tillysha strolled out of the estate, stretching her slim, elegant waist leisurely. Her sleek platinum hair cascaded down, some strands grazing her collarbone and dipping between her cleavage.
Honestly, the female school uniform of Coleman Academy wasn’t especially revealing, yet somehow, Tillysha had a way of wearing it that exuded a certain charm she couldn’t quite explain—even catching herself admiring the bounce in those… generous areas while checking her reflection in the mirror.
For all her apparent saintly and pure elf essence, she gave off another vibe entirely, perhaps because those attributes were… well, disproportionately large? Enough so that it bordered on bust-enhancing effects, turning her outfit into what might as well be a strapless number.
Though, size matters—sometimes too much could be problematic, but it’s hard to resist the envy from others, like the kitchen-cat at home.
Tillysha had chuckled about it and reassured Wenfu, “Everything has two sides. Having developed attributes brings troubles too, like sore shoulders and needing to carefully maintain balance when walking. Wenfu doesn’t need to worry about these. Small, flat, nearly invisible—it wouldn’t affect her at all.”
Her earnest advice was meant to give Wenfu a balanced perspective. And indeed, it worked. Since then, Tillysha often caught Wenfu vigorously drinking milk, clearly determined to make progress.
Tillysha effortlessly found her way to the academy’s leisure street and settled down at a café named ‘Tropical Wood.’
Seated in the central area of the street, the wooden structure with warm lighting projected a cozy, inviting atmosphere. Tillysha loved sitting on the store’s outside wicker chairs, enjoying her tea while observing passersby—though, at this time, there weren’t many.
She didn’t mind the quietness.
“Ah?” As the waitress brought her water and refilled her cup, Tillysha noticed a familiar figure.
“Hey, Aistride! Over here!” Tillysha waved to catch the attention of the silver-haired beauty.
Spotting the blonde girl sitting in a lounge chair, Aistride glanced at the store’s sign.
A dessert shop?
Aistride had no idea Tillysha was a fan of sweets, and she couldn’t picture how Tillysha indulged in them.
While Aistride scrutinized Tillysha, the latter sipped her water and returned the favor, taking in Aistride from head to toe.
Aistride was the quintessence of the obedient upper-class maiden, no doubt. She even wore her school uniform during her time off. Despite Tillysha wearing hers too, the reason differed. Hers was simply because she didn’t have many changes of clothes—just the one.
Elves stayed clean naturally, so their skin and hair rarely got dirty unless deliberately soiled.
Tillysha noticed that aside from her uniform, Aistride wasn’t wearing the usual student knee-high socks but rather over-the-knee black stockings, subtly hinting at enticing flesh beneath, like a peek through sheer fabric at a snow-white dumpling, revealing pale pink innards. This view stirred up thoughts of taking a bite.
“Such a coincidence, Aistride! On a random street stroll, I bump into you. Got a free moment to chat?” Tillysha rested a hand under her chin, leisurely curling her golden strands with the other, radiating grace laced with casual elegance.
“Sure,” Aistride thought briefly. She didn’t have any plans, so sitting was better than idling back home. She joined Tillysha at the table.
“Same as usual, Miss Tillysha?”
“Yep, a piece of Strawberry Snow Velvet Cake and a cup of Mountain Grove White Tea.”
“Oh, and what would you like, Aistride?”
“No, thank you. I’m not hungry,” Aistride declined with a shake of her head.
“Eating sweets has nothing to do with hunger.”
“Since Aistride won’t order, allow me to get something for you then. Let’s go with a Blueberry Velvet Cake and a cup of milk tea. Thank you~”
Tillysha flashed the blushing waiter a saccharine smile, her finger lazily twirling her silky hair, leaving the boy flustered after taking the order and retreating.
Miss Tillysha was kind and polite to everyone.
Aistride observed this scene, slightly baffled. Hearing Tillysha’s order for her sweet treat, Aistride’s eyes widened in surprise.
How did Tillysha know she liked blueberries?
Coincidence?
“I heard Mr. Dillin mention that Aistride likes blueberry cakes, only blueberries,” Tillysha explained calmly under Aistride’s questioning gaze.
“Someone who favors blueberries must not be a fan of bitterness, so a milk tea seemed suited.”
Aistride looked straight at Tillysha, once again struck by the young woman’s thoughtfulness. She felt a tinge of confusion creeping in.
If her feelings were truly reciprocated, could she handle a competitor of this caliber?
In no time, the sweets and drinks arrived.
As Tillysha picked up her fork and began enjoying, Aistride tentatively took small bites of her cake. The sweetness of blueberries and the rich aroma of milk tea filled her mouth—a perfect reward after a hard day.
Suddenly, Aistride sensed something unusual, raising her eyes, unsurprisingly meeting the gaze of a golden-haired girl sitting across from her, idly holding a fork in one hand and propping her head with the other, her gaze warm and inviting.
“……Is there something on my mind, Miss Tillysha?” Uncomfortable under Tillysha’s scrutiny, Aistride questioned.
“Nothing. Can’t I simply enjoy looking at Aistride?”
“Staring at me has no substantial meaning.”
“Not necessarily. There’s a saying, isn’t there—‘beautiful sight is as good as a feast.’ Eating cake while watching Aistride’s beauty makes the cake taste all the sweeter~” Tillysha’s tone floated ambiguously between seriousness and jest.
Aistride averted her gaze.
“Sorry, did I bother you, Aistride? If I’m making you uncomfortable, I’ll look elsewhere.”
“…..No, you haven’t bothered me,” Aistride wanted to say she did, disliking being watched while eating, yet inexplicably changed her words before they reached her lips.
“Oh, good.” Tillysha folded her hands together. “Aistride looks lovely when she smiles.”
“Isn’t it a waste? With such a beautiful face, always having a strict expression? More smiles would put your beauty to good use,” Tillysha added, for reasons she didn’t fully understand, enjoying teasing normally silent Aistride.
“Did I smile?” Aistride blinked in surprise.
“Ah, did you not notice yourself, Aistride?” Tillysha tilted her head with a playful grin. “You looked so blissful while eating your cake just now.”
“……..” Suddenly, Aistride felt a warmth creep into her cheeks, unsure if it was out of embarrassment or something else entirely.
The desserts were almost done, and it was about time to head back. As Aistride was about to stand up, she heard Tillysha call her name.
“Wait a moment.” Tillysha leaned forward, one hand on the table, her alluring assets swaying slightly with her movement, her valley glistening faintly with captivating clarity.
Caught up in the view, Aistride suddenly felt something soft brush against her lips, shortly followed by the musical, honeyed tones of Tillysha’s voice.
“Remember to wipe your lips, Aistride. There’s some cream there~”
Aistride’s icy-purple eyes connected with Tillysha’s sparkling green ones, and she found herself momentarily mesmerized.
