Samantha’s legs spread, fist drawn to her waist in a firm stance as she glared at the fallen Lich.
"What did you do this ti to attract an Expert-ranked Lich?"
Despite her quip, the Teacher’s eyes quivered in a mix of annoyance and anger. She was against this trip when she knew the proposer was the scheming Saintess.
If not for her link to the , she wouldn’t have sensed l being pulled into the Realm.
She cast a sympathetic gaze upon her student. "Tell this isn’t your idea?"
"Nope!" l’s face glead. "Not one bit! I’m totally innocent!"
The Teacher’s brows knitted together, the over-cheerfulness in l’s voice ticking her off the wrong way.
[ Samantha instinctively guessed you knew more than you let on, but decided to let it slide as long as you’re unhard! ]
[ Samantha Favourability: 0.001 -> 5 ]
Woah. It rose back up!
l patted the beneath her, watching the Lich scramble to its feet, clutching the Counter tightly.
Samantha called out to her again. "You fought this thing?"
"Mhm."
"Heh." The teacher let out a scoff. "Too weak to have pulled you to this realm... but no matter."
She glanced at the Skull Staff lodged to the ground, the crowned skull oozing a mana eerily familiar to her.
A was sent to l, unprompted.
’We shall et again soon, l. Atop the glorious sancutary that was one of my allies.’
Then, the fires inside the Skull already dimd, as if the one behind it was cautious enough to leave without a trace.
The Necromage. Pride’s one of four familiars.
Samantha gritted her teeth, and before she could inquire more from l about her old enemy, the Lich’s trembling voice cut through the tension.
"A re user... how dare you intrude upon the Master’s realm..."
Its boney finger grasped at the Skull Staff, hood fluttering as it conjured glowy circles of .
As expected, the Lich could summon more all along.
l humd in amusent, but jolted as Samantha dashed at the Lich, her rainbow eyes glimring with a purplish mana that traced arcs in the air.
Just as the Knights’ heads snapped up from the Summoning circles, the teacher’s fist ca crashing down at the Lich’s-
An Undead Knight’s shield blocked her blow, the force of her punch denting the tal with a sharp crack.
The Lich ducked behind her minions, tone low yet mocking. "How impolite of you."
"Only a fool will wait till the Undead’s Summoning."
With only a squint in reply, her other fist swung again-
Snap! Bone Shield shattered under the impact, her fist blasting through and slamming into Undead Knight’s helt.
A sharp crack echoed as her fist pierced straight through the skull like a missile
The mont she retreated her arm, the lich floated upwards as its Knights swung down their swords.
Samantha’s eyes twitched, raising her palm. "."
In an instant, the World lost its color, washed in shades of grey.
Starlight dimd, their brilliance drained, as the ti itself stuttered... before it slowed to a halt.
l’s golden eyes, however, blinked, unsure of why she was still in the frozen ti.
She rely observed, couldn’t move a muscle, as Samantha’s hair suddenly turned colorless, yet glowy as if embedded by powers she couldn’t comprehend.
And with her rainbow eyes darting left and right, her fist drove upwards.
One, two, three, four, five skulls cracked, but no further creaking of bone followed before her fist lunged again.
Her punch struck with a hollow splash, as if hitting water.
As the seventh Knight fell, her legs bolted mid-air.
Color flooded back, painting the teacher’s skin pink once more, as her fist smashed into the Lich’s skull suspended in the air.
"What?!"
Samantha rolled her eyes at the Lich’s groan and swung another fist-
Snap! The Lich’s bone cracked as it was sent crashing down, tumbling across the carpet-like ground with a cartoonish flop.
l clapped her hands, not just for Samantha’s performance, but also for how the Lich clung to its staff while rolling, as if determined to protect its Master’s precious gift from harm.
Co to think of it, wasn’t it too much for two semi-Witches to bully a poor Expert-ranked Lich?
Just as she teased her enemy inside, the Lich’s defeated voice lingered.
"Filthy... users..."
Samantha cracked her neck, her steady steps approaching the Lich. "Better perish back to your Realm, Undead Slave, or at least cough up so useful intel."
The war veteran inside Samantha scread back, determining it was better to send the Undead back rather than allowing it to play further tricks.
Intel? Undead were the most loyal, souls bound directly to their Master.
Getting information from them was harder than avoiding watching l kiss Lila again in the middle of class.
The Lich coiled its body tightly around the staff, as if resigned to its fate.
"Your reliance on the ... will be your downfall..."
Samantha exhaled slowly, kneeling with her fist drawn back.
"I’ve heard that more tis than I can count."
Crack! Skull smashed, as the Lich disappeared into the Dust, returning to the realm it ca from.
Whistling softly, l hopped down from the ka-broom, her eyes fixed on Samantha’s solemn figure, motionless amid the fading bonfires.
She watched as the teacher hesitated briefly before lifting her leg and stomping down hard on the crowned Skull Staff, splintering it into pieces
The Realm cracked apart, shards of starlight falling like a rain of scattered jewels.
Then Samantha glanced back, her piercing rainbow eyes locking onto l.
As the teacher strode towards her, l thought of various excuses for how she was pulled into this Realm.
The war veteran wasn’t easily swayed, and no matter how hard l tried, shrugging it off would be difficult-
Plop.
A confusion flashed through l’s face as she peeked at Samantha, patting her.
Samantha’s eyes closed briefly, as if searching for sothing
With a sigh of relief once again, Samantha muttered. "No residual mana... good. That Necromage didn’t do much to you."
l fought back a tremble, her expression softening at the teacher’s concern.
Ultimately, the Witch of Gluttony was more concerned with her students than with answers.
She chuckled before inquiring. "Necromage? What’s that?"
Samantha tilted her head, visibly exasperated, as if finally accepting that l wasn’t even trying to hide that she knew sothing.
Her hand smoothed over l’s hair as she shrugged. "Nothing worth your concern. But just one thing."
A sharp glint crossed her eyes as she stated. "Whatever she said, don’t listen to her. She may have threatened you, but I ensure no harm will be done to you or those you care about."
When she grasped that l had been kidnapped to the Realm, she imdiately inford the Royal and Holy Knights to check on Heima Village and the orphanage where l resided, ensuring no Cultists’ threats from within.
Surprisingly, the places were squeaky clean, as if soone had already cleaned up before them.
Imagining a certain Saintess, who used l as bait, held suspicion; she frowned as a faint blush crept up l’s cheeks.
With a quivering voice, l chuckled with a tease. "I would’ve felt safer with a hug, Miss Samantha."
The teacher raised a brow, a look of indifferent amusent spreading over her features.
Eying l’s foxy smile, she now knew the tease was intentional, perhaps spurring her sense of duty as a teacher for the need to calm her student.
Seeing there was no harm done, she relented with a light embrace, her arms tightening gently around l’s back.
l returned the hug with more strength. "Thanks, Miss Samantha."
A flicker of warmth stirred within the teacher’s chest as l’s skin pressed softly against hers, her cheek nuzzling just beneath the shoulder.
Star-glitters continued to fall softly around them, glowing with a serenity Samantha couldn’t quite na.
She pulled back slightly, eting l’s sincere, jewel-like eyes.
The faint blush still lingered, painting a quiet stroke of gratitude across a heart the teacher wasn’t ready to accept.
Cute.
A complint slipped through Samantha’s mind as she took a deep breath.
The Realm continued to crack around them, further pushing them back towards the real world.
l smirked as she felt herself returning. "See you then."
Samantha nodded, her rainbow eyes softening just a fraction. "Try not to be alone when in trouble next ti, alright?"
With a giggle, l’s fingers tugged at Samantha’s shirt. "Will we hug again if I do?"
"I don’t close distance with soone that reckless, Kid."
Samantha patted l again. "So, stay sharp."
As l blinked with the Realm shattering around her, a shuddering smile curved her lips.
She didn’t rejected the offer.
The Witch of Lust clutched her chest, feeling her heartbeat thunder within.
[ Gluttony was attracted to you, even for a slight mont! ]
[ Gluttony favourability: 5 -> 9 ]
-----------------------
As l was pulled back to the real World, she first felt the soft mattress underneath her back.
She glanced beside her at Lila, curled beneath the sheet. Her bare skin was marked with bite scars - unspoken badges of possession.
Her breath hitched as her mind reeled from what felt like a long, strange dream.
[ Good evening, l! About 12 Hours have passed since you were asleep and kidnapped inside the Realm. And... sorry for using you as a bait again.]
"No worries, Partner. I got sothing out of it in the end, so it’s fine."
She stretched as she asked. "Then, what happened when I was asleep? What is my purpose as a bait? And how exactly is it related to the Spies onboard?"
[ About that, I-uh... ]
"Hm?"
l blinked in confusion. "What is it?"
[ It seems that Saria was coming to check on you because of a certain ruckus outside. ]
"Heh?"
l froze as she glanced at the naked Lila beside her, then at herself.
"Uh... another ti?"
[ She’s rushing in right now... ]
Oh...
And with a sudden that caught a breath of l’s, the door was slamd open.
"l! Are you-oh..."
l’s golden eyes locked with Saria’s, now out of her caged helt and armour, wearing a standard robe with a sword at her waist.
Saria’s expression fell as l’s smile strained under the pressure.
Except for Lila’s soft giggle, which seed to ease the tension.
"Hehe. l... so naughty..."
Uh-thanks, Lila...
The Witch of Lust chuckled a little, before moving the sheet to cover up Lila’s bare shoulder.
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