Teluminus Est (5K)

He really is an easy child to take care of.

Just as he was feeling sentimental, Claire's sword was already swinging towards him.

The attached magic traced arcs in the air, as if cutting through it, before slowly disappearing after a moment.

At the same time, the longsword had already slashed past him from directly in front.

Swish--

As if it were happening silently, there was no sound of anything breaking through the air, nor any other strange noises.

The blade swept across silently.

Even the students themselves were unaware of what had happened.

But then, a violent surge of magic erupted, transforming into a storm of thousands of sword blades that rushed straight ahead!

Claire slowly narrowed her eyes, letting the wind blow her long hair around.

Her gaze was fixed intently on Mahiro, observing his next move.

This is her killing move, which she also learned from Mahiro, who once showed her a sword strike powerful enough to cut through rivers and cleave the earth.

However, she knew her own limitations and couldn't unleash the same power that Mahiro had demonstrated.

Furthermore, she believed that Mahiro was definitely capable of withstanding it, which is why she dared to use it.

As it turned out, she was right.

Faced with the raging sword wind that howled towards him, and the myriad magical sword energies it carried, Mahiro simply raised his sword and then gently swung it down.

It's that simple.

With a single sword strike, the sword wind was broken, and everything was calmed down.

"I lost."

Claire said softly, then sheathed her longsword and returned to the group.

Mahiro was not surprised by her behavior.

When I taught her swordsmanship before, it was the same; I didn't need to comfort her or give her any pointers like I did at the beginning.

After each match, Claire would analyze the game, identify her weaknesses, and gradually improve.

Although it's a bit capricious, it does make things much easier for people.

But...

When will you ever stop?

Mahiro he looked at the faintly glowing mark on the back of his hand.

This thing had been throbbing for a while, but it only completely subsided after the game stopped.

It sounds like a child throwing a tantrum!

"Ugh, I'm so tired."

After school, Mahiro went straight back to his dormitory.

After a long day of hard work, he didn't want to think about anything or do anything. He simply took off his clothes and threw himself onto the bed.

Going off to become a teacher or something...

He couldn't quite understand himself; what had gotten into him to decide to become a teacher?

"Huh? What's this?"

Mahiro picked up a glistening strand of hair from beside the pillow.

It was very long and golden; it was clearly not his, nor was it Alpha's, because Alpha's hair wasn't that short.

He seemed to have thought of something, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

"Now that you're here, why hide again, Zeta?"

Rustle.

There was a tremor near the window, and then a slender figure quietly appeared in front of the French windows.

She wore a light-colored knit sweater paired with black trousers secured with a white belt, a simple and capable look, yet exuding a decisive and aloof aura.

Her calm and beautiful face was expressionless, her pale blue eyes held a hint of cat-like languor and indifference, and her short, light golden hair fluttered in the cool evening breeze.

Her beast ears twitched slightly, and her pursed lips only slowly curved into a smile the moment she saw him.

"Zeta, did you come to my bed to play again?"

"My lord sees through everything; you can't hide anything from me after all."

Just like being back home, Zeta gradually relaxed and chuckled softly, a very natural smile appearing on her seemingly serious face.

But Mahiro rolled his eyes and laughed, saying:

"How could I not notice? Even if you make my bed perfectly every time, there will always be a hair left as a trace."

"That's because I don't want my lord to smell like a stinky dog."

The "stinky dog" Zeta was referring to was naturally Delta.

These two are both orcs, but they act like mortal enemies, and it's almost commonplace for them to get together and fight.

If it weren't for him and Alpha, the two of them would probably have been fighting forever.

So, let alone leaving a scent.

"But the problem is, Zeta, you're from the Golden Leopard Tribe, right? You're a leopard, aren't you?"

"But my lord, leopards are also felines."

"... Okay, you make a lot of sense, I have nothing to say."

Mahiro simply gave up arguing with the silly cat.

Seeing that he was speechless, Zeta's smile seemed to grow even more delighted. With light and swift, silent steps, she quietly came to the bedside and gently nestled beside Mahiro.

"My Lord, no matter how others see me, I will always be that homeless cat abandoned on a cold winter night, the fragile cat that you picked up and gave new life and meaning to my existence."

Those familiar with Zeta would probably be quite surprised to see her now.

Seemingly due to her race, Zeta's development is more mature than Alpha's, and she appears to be very slender and tall.

In addition, because she doesn't readily show her emotions, in the eyes of others, she is always a proud, aloof, and unruly round-headed old woman.

Sometimes they can even give off a cold and aloof impression.

But when she's with him, she turns into a house cat, showering him with affection.

"So, I've always been curious about what the world looks like through my Lord's eyes. You never talk about these things, so it's very difficult for me to imagine."

"Oh? How arrogant, Zeta. You want to stand at the same level as me and observe the world?"

Zeta lay on top of him, Mahiro combed her blonde hair while lifting her chin with his hand.

But Zeta responded with a smile as always.

"I wouldn't dare. I simply hope to better understand the world through my Lord's eyes, so that I can better understand my Lord's thoughts and help my Lord fulfill His wishes."

"So, you really are arrogant."

Mahiro spoke softly, his touch on her becoming even gentler, occasionally rubbing her cat ears, causing them to twitch incessantly.

"Actually, I don't have any particular wishes. I just hope that you can follow your hearts, live happily, and do what you want to do."

It doesn't matter what kind of trouble we cause.

Even if the sky falls, I will hold it up for you.

Was the Diabolos Cult important to him?

Honestly, it's not important; you could say it's dispensable.

He only chose to deal with it because they so hoped and prayed for it; otherwise, what did it matter to him whether that thing lived or died or what became of it?

He, Yotsuba Mahiro, was never a savior, but a completely capricious Demon King.

This matter has remained unchanged from the very beginning until now.

At most, the only thing that might interest him is the pill made from Diablos's blood. If it could be added to the enhancer, the enhancement effect would probably be even stronger!

"My lord is so gentle..."

"Hehe, many people say that, but I've never been a gentle person at heart."

"But, my lord, your gentleness has saved each and every one of us, and that much is undeniable, isn't it?"

"You talk too much, you Hakimi!"

"But I will not breathe on you, my lord."

I don't know if it's because I've been around him for so long, but no matter what he says, Zeta always has something to say in response.

In terms of eloquence, even Gamma would probably be ashamed of himself.

And most importantly, it's hard to imagine that this is a cold and aloof catgirl who never smiles.

"My lord, do you desire eternal life?"

After enjoying his caresses for a while, Zeta suddenly asked a question.

Why would you say that?

"Because you, my lord, crave the blood of Diablos, don't you?"

Zeta, lying in his arms, turned over, placed his hand on her chest, and looked up at him with a serious expression.

As the person in charge of covert operations, she could be said to have obtained a great deal of intelligence about the Diabolos Cult.

But the most frequently used word surrounding this cult is "immortality".

It is said that the cult wanted to resurrect Diablos in order to obtain the blood of the demon and achieve immortality.

Therefore, in her eyes, the Mahiro to obtain Diablos's blood was also a desire to obtain that elusive immortality.

"If my lord wishes, I will grant your wish; I will resurrect Diabolos."

"Hehe."

Seeing her so earnest expression, Mahiro couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You silly cat, when it comes to immortality, almost no one can resist the temptation."

The question is, even if Diablos were resurrected and actually obtained her blood, would he truly gain so-called "immortality"?

Chapter 195 Tiruminus Est (5K)

That night, Zeta talked to him a lot.

From ideals and immortality to the future plans for the Shadow Garden, and what will become of each individual.

This was perhaps the most Zeta had ever spoken since he had taken her in.

I left him a few grilled saury for dinner late at Yotsuba Miya before leaving his dormitory.

He jumped from the balcony and disappeared into the dark night.

That's just how cats are. They're wild and do whatever they want, but they're always worried that their human will go hungry, so they'll bring back some strange things.

Mahiro savored the freshest grilled saury while gazing at the dark night sky and thought to himself.

However, his room wasn't the only one where the lights were still on at this hour of sleep.

In the girls' dormitory, not far from the teachers' dormitory, one of the rooms also had its lights on.

Huaimin was also awake.

If there were an NPC status bar, it would definitely be displayed above Claire's head like this.

As if she had just taken a shower, her delicate body, still covered in a nightgown, was slightly damp, and water droplets were still dripping from her neatly combed long black hair.