l’s golden eyes swept over Saira, her hand moving the sheet to cover up her naked parts.
Saria wore a simple red robe, her hair splayed across her back, sweat glistening on her forehead as she panicked inwardly at the unexpected.
Flashing a faint, mischievous grin, she glanced down at herself and sighed, her voice low and hushed. "Sister Saria... how long are you going to stare?"
She was going to tease Saria, but then rembered her and Lila’s relationship wasn’t quite as disclosed as she rembered.
"You two... uh... It’s just three months..." Saria murmured, more to herself than to the Witch of Lust.
l’s lips twitched as she stifled a laugh, while shock washed over Saria’s face.
The Knight’s cheeks didn’t even flush; instead, an existential crisis overwheld her as she realized l and Lila might have already... done the deed.
As expected, it’s a little awkward.
Sighing a little, she shuffled herself back to the bedsheet. "Well, I’ll be sleeping with Lila again, if you don’t mind."
Though she planned to comfort Saria later, her ti sleeping beside Lila was just as important.
Saria stamred in her speech, her conflicted eyes flickering over to Lila.
Shock subsided as her Knight’s training years purged all embarrassnt within her, as a stoic frown desperately returned to her lips.
Though glancing at l’s little smirk, her brows quivered. "Are you... really alright?"
The Radiant Knight Saria rushed over to l’s room as soon as she sensed the fabric of reality had gone through a slight tear.
When she found l, Saria noticed a stack of empty armors piled in a dark corner, each etched with a glowing Magic Circle inside.
A closer look confird it: this Magic could pull others into an artificial realm, a power only Pride’s Familiars possessed.
Then, she imdiately thought of the Saintess’s Directive, which was to
"Stop spacing out like that, Saria."
A breath hitched in the Knight’s throat as she glanced at l’s innocent eyes that shimred under the faint starlight of the wall.
"Right... sorry." The Knight whispered, aware of Lila’s deep slumber.
Questions about l and Lila’s progression can be left for later, not when compared to l’s safety.
A steady gaze returned to the radiant Knight, her brown eyes locking onto l’s.
She put on her more sincere voice. "l. Are you sure you want to co along on this trip?"
l let out an amused hum. "Why not? This sounds fun."
Under the starlight, the Knight’s conflicted expression contrasted sharply with l’s relaxed gaze.
The Knight squinted a little before turning around. "Put on so clothes and follow . We need to talk."
l blinked as the Knight opened the door and left, her silhouette darker and lonelier than l rembered.
She scratched her chin, wondering how she should approach this.
-----------------
Wearing a sleeveless pink pajama and shorts, l opened her room’s door to find Saria leaning at a distance on the wall.
Saria stood with arms crossed and unfocused eyes, the starlight softening the emptiness around her as if she were ditating, lost in deep thought.
So serious.
l grinned softly, a mix of teasing and warmth in her smile.
Closing the door, l inquired. "Better hurry up, Sis. My cuddle ti with Lila was running out."
Saria took a deep breath, mulling over her words.
"l." Her eyes remained closed as she muttered. "Tell honestly, have so creepy-looking Undeads kidnapped you into a place reminiscent of this?"
l glanced down the corridor where she and the Lich had their first playful spar.
Nodding, her expression glead. "Yep! They told to join their cult or sothing. I think they’re all not right in the head!"
The Knight’s eyes snapped open, scowling. "Cult?"
"Yep, Cult!"
Clenching her jaw, Saria covered her trembling lips, her mind racing to find more answers.
Cult. The Witch Cult that the Saintess requested her to investigate during the Academy Earthquake Incident.
Then this is worse. Due to its secretive nature, only a few higher-ups, including the Saintess, all Archon rankers, and now she herself, are even aware of its existence.
"How much..." Saria stamred in a slight rage. "How much did they tell you?"
l tilted her head, as if confused. "They only tell that if I don’t join them, I will regret it. Or sothing like that."
"This is serious, l. No jokes."
Saria nearly let out a tired chuckle as her gaze softened, taking in l’s ever-cheerful face, just as it had been the day they first t.
She rembered how l used to beg her to take her to the village, chasing after the idea of a ’destined one’, ard with every excuse in the book.
She even threatened to tell the orphans that Saria was padded. Ha. As if. She was a natural.
Her gaze lingered on l’s, the pink-haired, ssy kid from their first day, overlapping with the more mature yet equally cheerful l.
With heavy steps, she began to close the distance. "You don’t have to hide things from , l."
Which was why she had to interrogate her, for she was no longer a naive child.
"Please tell ."
l watched as Saria’s face towered over hers, a piercing glint crossing her brown eyes as she muttered. "What did the cult do to you?"
"Eh?"
Letting out a yelp, l shuddered under Saria’s gaze.
She has treated her journey in the realm as mostly a joke, as her partner guaranteed her safety.
Frowning, l confessed. "I’m fine, Sister Saria. The Cult invited , but they wouldn’t tell secrets so easily to a villager girl."
l tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and glanced down, awkwardness rising beneath the weight of Saria’s serious expression.
Perhaps it was her longing for her family back in the Old World, or maybe Saria’s concern hit deeper than she expected...
She looked up at the Knight’s strained face, noticing how tightly her cheeks were clenched.
With pure sincerity, devoid of any lust, she found herself tiptoeing forward...
And pressed her lips gently onto them.
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