In the drizzling courtyard, Roel’s body collapsed after he lost consciousness, but before it could hit the ground, an invisible hand propped it up and held it in mid-air.
The Witch Queen finally turned around to look at the sleeping black-haired man. With a wave of her hand, she moved his body to a nearby bench.
Usually, Roel’s manifested body would dissipate from the ancient god’s domain after he lost consciousness, and he would wake up in the real world shortly afterward. But this ti around, his body showed no signs of dissipation at all.
There was a simple reason behind this anomaly—Roel had really just fallen asleep this ti.
The Witch Queen had expelled Roel from her domain many tis before, but this ti, she had only cast a sleeping spell. In her domain, she was capable of pulling that off without catching Roel’s notice. The latter would wake up without noticing anything amiss.
But of course, that would happen only after the Witch Queen decided to send him off.
Amidst the drizzle, Artasia looked at Roel with a flickering gleam in her eyes, as if she was fearful or in a dilemma. Silence settled in the courtyard again. Rain fell relentlessly, pelting the plants in the courtyard.
It took ten whole minutes before she began to move.
“Think of it as compensation for then…”
Walking up to Roel, Artasia raised her hand to touch his cheek, only to stop the mont her fingertips ca into contact with his skin. Her hands awkwardly stopped in midair for a few seconds before she slowly parted Roel’s hair.
Her cheeks reddened as she looked at Roel’s sleeping visage. Her eyes turned gentle. She took several breaths as her gaze slowly moved down to his lips.
“…”
There was another prolonged silence before the Witch Queen made up her mind and bent down. Her white hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her warm cherry lips glistened as if they were coated with honey.
The atmosphere heated up despite the cold weather. Not even the pattering raindrops could mask her rapid breathing. The distance between their lips slowly closed, and just as they were about to et…
“I’m surprised. I didn’t expect this from you.”
“!” Artasia’s eyes narrowed in shock. She quickly turned around and saw an orange-haired girl behind her. “It’s you again! Who allowed you in here?!”
The unexpected arrival of an unwelco guest made Artasia’s face turn completely red. There was a clap of lightning as her mana billowed. She glared at Edavia with such nacing eyes that it wouldn’t be surprising if she murdered the latter.
This was the second ti Edavia had interrupted her at a critical mont. How could she not be infuriated?
However, Edavia wasn’t bothered at all.
“I’m here because you’re hindering his recovery by pulling him in here. I’ve already given you plenty of ti to talk things out. There’s no end to this if I continue waiting.”
“Wait! H-how long have you been here?”
“I entered shortly after Roel ca here, but you were so distracted that you didn’t even notice him, so it’s no wonder you didn’t notice .”
“…” Artasia opened and closed her mouth in utter shock.
Edavia glanced at the sleeping Roel and remarked, “I’m surprised, though. I thought you would talk about yourself. You tried to persuade him to leave with you instead.”
“Is there sothing wrong with that?”
“Is there a point in doing so? You’ll be in agony regardless of his choice. You are the one who needs faith.”
“…”
Seeing Artasia at a loss for words, Edavia dropped the topic with a wave of her hand. “Forget it. It’d be even more surprising if you can firmly stand your ground when faced with such an opponent, though I must say that I’m curious to know what you have in mind.”
“…What I have in mind?”
“Indeed.” Edavia floated over to Roel’s side as she asked, “You claid that it’s a despairing situation, but it’s not as if we don’t stand a chance, right?”
“…What makes you say so?”
“You wouldn’t have allowed him to choose if there’s no hope at all.”
“…”
Before the Spiriteer Sovereign’s intense stare, Artasia fell silent once more. Much to Edavia’s surprise, the Witch Queen affirmatively answered her question, “Yes, there’s a sliver of hope, but… it’s just a possibility.”
“That’s enough, at least to .” Edavia looked at the sleeping Roel. A smile crept onto her face as she thought about the happenings in the Witness State. She glanced at Artasia and asked, “So, are you going to continue?”
“…I’ve lost my mood.”
Artasia took one last look at the sleeping man before vanishing into thin air.
Edavia shook her head in resignation before grabbing Roel’s shoulder. She was just about to bring Roel out of the Witch Queen’s domain when she suddenly noticed sothing and raised her head.
“Oh? The sky has cleared up.”
Edavia watched a crack of sunlight pierce through the dark clouds before leaving with Roel.
…
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