Chapter 45

He had barely finished speaking when the last member of our adventure team arrived.

... Hmm...

We turned around and saw Reynold, his face strangely pale, wearing a cool trench coat with a high collar (he had even filmed an ad for this brand), standing there stiffly.

... Um, we hope to find a sheep along the way, but we don't mean Reynold the Sheep!

Chapter 45

"What does he do?" Mel asked, his tone clearly hostile.

"This is the Speaker of the Magic Council, you should have met him." Lusien clearly hadn't grasped the true meaning of Mel's question, and his explanation missed the point entirely. He said, "Because this attack targeted the Federation's high command, the Prime Minister, the Marshal, and various key officials, after discussion, decided that Speaker Reynold would accompany us on this mission. He can assess the situation on the ground and formulate the Federation's next response plan. Furthermore, Speaker Reynold is very familiar with various potential hostile forces and can provide us with tactical guidance."

Mel crossed his arms and said, "But he can't even resist a Transformation Spell."

"..." Lusien's lips twitched slightly, clearly indicating he had also seen the unusually fiery photo of the sheep-like Speaker, and thus he replied, "Speaker Reynold is not a combatant, so..."

"It's fragile and needs protection." Mel nodded in understanding. "Remember to keep it away, the vase, don't let it get damaged."

... Upon hearing this, Reynold's expression seemed to contort even further.

He made two gurgling sounds in his throat, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he kept his mouth shut, remaining silent, and his eyes were fixed on... well, why are you staring at me like that?

He made me instinctively hide behind Mel, and Mel nodded again, then raised his hand, a bright red flame flashing across Reynold's clothes... He drew a "Fragile, Handle with Care" label on Reynold's clothes.

Should we add "this side facing up"?

Even the honest and reliable Lusien was trying not to laugh; I felt like Reynold was about to faint.

Anyway, we boarded the airship, and at least on the surface, everything seemed fine. We had tickets for a private compartment with only the five of us. Mel and I sat on one side, opposite Lusien and Luolan, separated by a table. Reynold sat awkwardly between us by the window, without saying a word.

I watched Reynold with some nervousness, worried that Mel might suddenly decide to turn him into a sheep again... although I'd love to do it myself, because Reynold looks so cute as a sheep... but that would give us away.

Fortunately, Mel remained rational.

Because I was also staring at Reynold, he met my gaze, gave me a weak smile, and then opened his mouth. "Xipulin..."

Mel stood up abruptly, switched places with me, and hugged me, forcing me to face away from Reynold.

Sigh... Hahaha, I couldn't help but laugh, patting Mel's arm across my stomach. So, my archmage, are you jealous? You don't need to worry at all. Even if my teacher were to resurrect and throw 130 curses at me, I wouldn't be so stupid as to abandon you and go back to Reynold!

Thinking about it, I took Mel's hand and kissed his palm, and Mel's mood immediately improved.

I used magic to check on Moli's condition again. She... was still very full, and seemed to be in a somewhat... um? excited state? Was she happy to be locked up? Her position hadn't changed, and there were no signs of injury, which reassured me a little. I had already placed a protective spell on her; any serious injury would activate that spell, so I wasn't too worried about her life. I was more afraid that the child would suffer non-fatal abuse, like being starved... But being full doesn't count as abuse, right?

That put my mind at ease a little.

Suddenly, she rested her head on my shoulder, closed her eyes, and said, "No, I can't look at him... I need to distract myself."

... Forehead...

Then, Mel frowned and muttered, "Why is Anna so happy... what did she do to the kidnappers?"

Moli was especially happy! Oh my god, what did those two kids do to the kidnappers? My expression twisted a little.

"Did you sense some danger?" Lusien asked with concern.

"Yes!" I replied, "We're afraid those two apprentices will be taken advantage of by the kidnappers!"

Lusien: "... No... it's okay... According to the Federation Constitution, this is... um... self-defense."

He stammered his answer, and Luolan, who was standing next to him, was practically laughing so hard he was practically leaning on his shoulder. Luolan shook his finger at us and said, "Don't, don't joke with knights, they won't understand!"

Lusien froze, then blushed and replied somewhat ruefully, "Of course I understand. What I mean is that whatever the two ladies did during their kidnapping, even if it threatened the kidnappers' lives, was a just act!" His face grew redder and redder with Luolan's laughter, until even his neck turned bright red. Seeing that the priest was still laughing, he simply stood up and went to stand outside the box. This made Luolan laugh so hard that she leaned on her chair, her ears twitching.

After receiving Lusien's reply, Mel closed his eyes again and rested peacefully. He hugged my waist and said, "Mel, don't pinch me!"

"Xipei! Your waist feels so good to hug!" Mel sighed and buried his face in my neck, rubbing against me... His hands rubbed my waist back and forth, making me a little ticklish, so I turned around in his arms, stretched out my arms to hug his back, and gently stroked it. Mel sighed comfortably and snuggled closer to me.

... Um, Reynold, did you eat something bad? Why does your face look a little purple? Oh, I wanted to apologize to Reynold. I'm sorry, although I know you like Mel too, I won't give Mel to you!

"Hey, knight!" Luolan opened the door and poked his head out. "I'm not laughing anymore. Come in, come in. Don't be so coy like you're getting married. We still have several hours of flying ahead. Save your energy for when you're fighting, okay?"

Lusien obediently walked in again with a gloomy face. He sat back down next to Luolan, but with his hands on his knees, his back straight, and his eyes fixed straight ahead. Even when the priest Luolan waved his hand in front of his eyes, he ignored him completely.

Whew... I yawned, hugged Mel in my arms, leaned my head against him, and sighed... I'm so sleepy, I didn't get enough sleep last night...

Hmm... the taste of Mel...

... slept so soundly...

With my eyes closed, I realized something: the reason I'd been sleeping so well lately was because I was holding Mel in my arms! Normally, I don't like sleeping with a pillow or blanket between my legs. I stopped doing that when I was little because in my second teacher's tower, I didn't have any pillows to hug, unless I wanted to hug a skeleton.

Mel's body was soft and warm to hold. He was holding me too, his chest vibrating slightly but clearly. His beautifully shaped muscles pressed against my body, transmitting warmth. It felt... it felt like... even if time could rewind and I could go back to my time in the bunker, I wouldn't be afraid anymore. I even felt like I could burn down ten or eight more of his bunkers! Forget thirteen curses, I could kill thirteen more teachers!

Mel is the best!

I opened my eyes and found that Mel was already awake. His forehead was pressed against mine, so when I opened my eyes, we were playing a staring game. Our hair was all tangled together again, almost indistinguishable—I hadn't thought to get my hair cut since I stopped working, and it would probably be about the same length as Mel's soon. But I'm always too lazy to move in this situation because lying in Mel's arms is just too intoxicating... Oh no, I've definitely become addicted to Mel.

He leaned in to kiss me, and our lips met, each breath carrying the other's scent... Mmm... So soft!

... I love kissing Mel the most...

I couldn't help but deepen the kiss, and so did Mel. His soft tongue invaded my mouth, swirling around haphazardly. I tried to keep up with his movements, but I was quickly left breathless, only able to open my mouth wide and let him do as he pleased. He held my head in one hand and stroked my back with the other, sending shivers down my spine.