Chapter 55

I quickly recalled my teacher, and the evil spirits howled back into my consciousness, but Reynold remained sitting on the ground, his face deathly pale, as if he too were a corpse.

Before I could even ask him what was wrong, Luolan suddenly burst into laughter. Completely bewildered, I looked at him. Luolan, laughing so hard he was breathless, crouched behind Reynold and, mimicking Reynold's voice, said to me, "Please, please don't turn me into that!"

... Forehead...

Reynold's face was completely drained of color, but I couldn't help but sigh... Sigh, really, I wouldn't kill my ex-boyfriend over a breakup! I really don't understand so many young people these days—it's just a breakup, why can't we part amicably? One of my assistants' current boyfriends even demands that she treat her ex-boyfriend like an enemy every time she sees him—I strongly disagree with this kind of thinking. If two people aren't compatible, they can just break up; it's not worth fighting to the death. This kind of thing is a huge waste of time; I could use that time to read a couple more pages of a book.

Take Reynold for example. Although I really disliked him using me as a stand-in, the time I spent with him wasn't too bad. You can't condemn someone entirely because of one mistake, so I really had no intention of killing him, not even a little bit.

Luolan continued, pinching his nose, "How ignorant and shallow I was to mistake Lord 'Flame of Fury' for a substitute lover! I deserve to die! Thank you for not turning me into a skeleton puppet!"

Sigh... Stop talking, it's not that exaggerated... Uh, Reynold's eyes are almost rolling back! He'll really need CPR in a bit.

"What?" Mel suddenly asked sternly, "A substitute lover???" His long hair fluttered due to the unstable magical pressure, his narrow eyes narrowed, and a silver light of magic shimmered in his eyes. Mel like this... was also very charming!

... And he was angry because of what happened to me, really... Looking at Mel like this, I myself couldn't feel any negative emotions at all.

Reynold closed his eyes in despair, and with a soft thud, he...

He turned into an alpaca.

The alpaca opened its mouth in despair and let out a very cutesy "Oh~~~~~".

Mel asked menacingly, "This idiot sees you as a substitute lover? Why didn't you tell me sooner! You only said you weren't his true love, but that's not even close..." He asked Luolan, "And how did you know?"

Luolan shrugged. "Don't underestimate the Dark Elves' information channels! And to be honest, this isn't exactly a secret; it's a political topic. Everyone knows the Speaker of the Magic Council has a stand-in lover. If you're a bit gossipy, you can find politicians' secrets online."

Huh? So, I, the person involved, found out relatively late?

Is the internet really that convenient?

"What, you're toying with other people's feelings and you're so high and mighty? Are your eyes just decorations? You actually managed to get Xipei and you don't even know how to cherish her. Don't you even know if you're worthy of standing next to Xipei!" Mel was so angry that her hand trembled, and then with another "poof," Reynold Alpaca turned into a Reynold Alpaca baby.

Reynold, the alpaca calf, had such thin legs that he fell to the ground with a thud, covered in dust, and cried out in pain.

I couldn't help but frown, annoyed by my own stagnation.

--So even online gossip can reveal that Reynold didn't truly love me, and I hadn't even realized it! This poor judgment is simply unacceptable for a qualified mage! Although I've always felt that a smooth-talking politician like Reynold could easily manipulate me, he clearly couldn't, and certainly couldn't, fool everyone. If I had been more open to new things sooner, and hadn't been so stubborn when Moli was teaching me how to use the smart computer, I probably would have wasted less time on those barely-filling candlelight dinners!

After thinking for a moment, I waved my hand.

So Reynold turned into a black alpaca calf.

Hmm, looking at this soft and adorable little thing, I feel much better.

... But why does it seem like the alpaca calf has taken a deep breath?

Mel's voice rose a noticeable octave as he demanded sharply, "Who is it? And who is he truly interested in?"

"..." I couldn't help but sigh again... What should I say? The situation was awkward, but I had no choice but to speak, so I confessed, "It's you, Mel."

Mel: "..."

Seeing Mel with his mouth agape like a statue, I couldn't resist teasing him. His expression was just too cute; all I wanted to do was ruffle his hair and pinch his cheeks.

Mel was both amused and exasperated. "Me?"

"Reynold thinks we have some similarities." I nodded.

He turned to look at me, then at himself, and concluded, "Hmm, we are indeed somewhat similar. You see, our academic views are similar, our lifestyles are quite alike, and we even like the same things... Wow... This means we're a perfect match! Would you call this a 'couple's resemblance'?"

I finally made my move, ruffling his long hair, and then replied, "You're right, but we should look like a married couple."

"That's right, so it seems the Speaker of the Magic Council isn't completely blind, although I'm not as amazing as you, Xipei." Mel laughed, then leaned in and kissed me. "But I Xipei the most."

Chapter 55

"Oh oh~~~" The black alpaca calf Reynold on the ground whimpered, its eyes glazed over, and lay motionless on the ground.

... What's wrong with Reynold now? Mel just made a normal confession; he didn't cast any forbidden spells. I thought Mel had cast another curse on Reynold. I quickly squatted down and checked his breathing—normal, just a little rapid. I reached out and poked the alpaca's belly... Hmm...

"Mel! Reynold's touch is really good!"

"Huh? Really?" Mel leaned over and pinched it a couple of times. "It really is soft and fleshy!"

Hey, the alpaca calf is so small, why are you all crowding around? It's so tiny, it can't withstand being squeezed by five or six hands at once, can it? Hey Priestess Luolan, don't pull its fur, what if it turns into a bald alpaca!

That said, I've never actually tried it. What would a person look like after transforming back into human form if their hair were shaved off during the Transformation Spell's effect...?

I looked at the alpaca under my palm and couldn't help but feel a little tempted.

The adorable alpaca raised its face, its big, round, watery eyes blinking as it looked at me, making my fingers itch unbearably...

... No, no, no, we need to restrain ourselves! This is a complex underground mine! How did we accidentally switch into elementary school field trip mode again? Oh no, this time we seem to have switched into elementary school museum tour mode, complete with a professional guide... After visiting the museum, we even went to the zoo, where we all ended up abusing a poor, innocent animal. That's not good.

"The Electronic Demon have all been killed, can we move on now?" I forced myself to withdraw my hand from stroking the alpaca and said.

As expected, Lusien was reliable. When I brought up the main topic, his expression became serious, and he replied, "Yes, there were dozens of Electronic Demon just now, so I believe we have cleared out the main enemy force in this mine, and there shouldn't be any more large-scale cyber units further ahead."

Just then, a cyborg peeked out from the doorway, let out a strange cry upon seeing us, and turned to run, only to have its limbs entangled by Ms. Angela's vines... um... Ms. Angela's thorny branches even pierced the poor cyborg's mouth...

We turned around; nobody wanted to watch the detailed process of Ms. Angela manipulating the cyborg.

"But the key question remains: what is in this mine that warrants a large-scale military raid?" Mel asked. "All we've seen along the way are mining tools that haven't been collected yet. The ore was directly transmitted to the surface energy base as soon as it was extracted, so robbing the energy source is unlikely. I also don't think anyone would hire a private military company to steal dwarves' underwear and socks."