"It's getting late. You should head home too. Your family has probably been waiting for you for a while."
The sun had long since set, and night once again blanketed the world. The guests attending the coming-of-age ceremony had also temporarily settled into the royal palace's guest rooms.
From above, countless points of light could be seen moving through the royal city. Some belonged to the fireflies of Firefly Island, while others were the eyes of the cats.
These cats were not pampered house pets that could not even catch mice.
Their minds were sharp enough to operate mechs. Though their controls were not as precise as Blitz's, they were already ahead of some clumsy humans.
Cats were crepuscular animals. Dawn and dusk were their ideal hunting hours, and the moving lights now belonged only to some cats working the night shift.
"Thank you for your concern. Then I'll be taking my leave."
Since Oran had said so, Tesoro naturally had no reason to linger. He turned and prepared to head home.
"Remember to report to Brand tomorrow. He'll arrange what you'll be doing afterward."
Tesoro had actually returned two days ago. Otherwise, he would not have had time to change into formal attire and come here. Still, these few days together felt far too short compared to the years they had spent busy elsewhere.
Without wasting much time, Tesoro took the last train back to his residence.
Not long after Tesoro left, a ghost passed through the wall behind Oran, waving its limbs as though trying to convey something to him.
Other than Perona's Spirit-Spirit Fruit, nothing else could create such a thing. The ghost was clearly acting under Perona's orders.
After a round of highly unprofessional sign language, it successfully got Oran to follow it.
Faint arguing could