As the sun dipped below the horizon and the evening lanterns flickered to life, the bustling crowds gradually dispersed, restoring a devout serenity to the solemn and grand monastery.
The night's ceremony began.
Priests processed toward the altar in neat ranks, cradling freshly plucked moon branches in their hands. They stood solemn and reverent before the goddess's immaculate statue, softly chanting sacred hymns passed down through a thousand years.
Candlelight flickered in the breeze, illuminating the faces of all who eagerly awaited the festival fireworks. On this day, Saint Creti Monastery was indisputably the closest place to the Moon Goddess in the entire Creti Empire.
Once darkness fell completely, moon lanterns would be released, fireworks would climb into the sky, and the High Priestess would perform her sacred prayer dance.
Out on Elliott Square.
"It's getting chilly, you know," Iphatia murmured, rubbing her palms together and exhaling a puff of white mist.
As the night deepened, the temperature dropped considerably, and light flurries of snow seemed to be drifting down from the sky once more.
Having just sampled some pastries from Saint Creti Monastery in the Chief Hall alongside her sister and daughter, the three of them had wandered back to the square and streets fronting the Elliott Building, which were packed with temporary food stalls.
At first, the queues in front of the popular shops had simply been too long, so they had decided to bring Talia to somewhere queue-free to fill her stomach first.
Now that everyone was busy scouting out a good vantage point to watch the festival proceedings, fewer people were buying snacks.
"Mom, wrap your scarf properly."
Hyperion unwound the scarf that had nearly slipped loose from Iphatia's neck, wrapping it securely around her once more.
Ever since Tamitha had critiqued her during the Shadow World for being terrible with kids, Hyperion had sought guidance from the Ice Witch on how to look after younger juniors. To her surprise, those lessons had actually come in handy.
The only strange part was that the one being looked after was her long-sought-after mother, Iphatia.
"My, it really is a bit embarrassing being looked after by you, but from the bottom of my heart, it feels wonderful being your mom," Iphatia said, squinting contentedly as she let Hyperion fuss over her, having clearly found a new host to latch onto.
Not only could Hyperion lead her by the hand so she wouldn't get lost and feed her tasty treats, but whenever her legs grew tired, she could even ask Hyperion to carry her on her back.
Thinking of it like that, carrying Hyperion for nine months and giving birth to her had been a real bargain.
"Takes a load off my shoulders. Feels like both of you have grown up," Talia said between bites of a grilled fish skewer, her paper container still brimming with plenty more.
It felt more like Hyperion and Iphatia could look after each other now, meaning she didn't have to keep a hand on both of them anymore.
Back in Ikerite, when the weather turned cold, she had been the one wrapping scarves around Hyperion; now Hyperion was doing it for Iphatia.
The three of them had thoroughly enjoyed themselves today in Brillda. She hadn't needed to worry about a thing, free to focus purely on eating wherever they went, while neither Hyperion nor Iphatia caused her any fuss.
"Sister! You're not allowed to retire! You have to keep taking care of mother and daughter!"
The moment her scarf was secured, Iphatia threw herself onto Talia's flank, wrapping her arms around her and clinging close.
She shot Hyperion a meaningful glance.
Catching on instantly, Hyperion hurried to the other side and clung to Talia as well.
"Tata, you still have so much to teach me," Hyperion urged.
"Alright, alright... Let go of me first! I don't want to get sauce on your clothes," Talia relented, holding the grilled skewers clear of them.
She couldn't bring herself to leave Hyperion and Iphatia to fend for themselves anyway.
"Sister, you're so warm. I'm so jealous of that kid," Iphatia mumbled, already growing sleepy the moment she embraced Talia.
"..."
Hyperion hesitated for a beat.
She had to admit Iphatia wasn't wrong—hugging Talia really was pure bliss.
Still, hearing it phrased that way sounded rather odd.
"No, no, hugging my daughter is wonderful too! Just thinking about how that kid gets to hug my daughter in the future makes me so annoyed!" Iphatia realized what she had said and hurriedly scrambled to patch things up, striving to be completely fair to both.
Under Lanqi's firm insistence, she had successfully corrected her habit, swapping out "Big Brother" for "that kid."
Yet after saying it, Iphatia felt it sounded even weirder. No matter how she phrased it, she was putting her foot in her mouth—what kind of mother practically pawned off her daughter like that?
"Stop talking, Iphatia. You're only making it more convoluted," Talia said, focusing single-mindedly on devouring her fish.
Ever since she and Hyperion had laid everything bare between them last time, the final traces of reserve had vanished. No matter what became of their respective relationships with Lanqi, they would never scheme against each other, remaining the closest of kin forever.
"She's right, Mom. As long as you don't bring up 'that kid,' none of this has to be awkward. Tata and I can actually sort out our relationships with him quite easily. You're the only one whose connection with him makes no sense."
Hyperion recalled that back in the South Vantina territory and the royal capital of Ikerite, the three of them had spent every day together without agonizing over generational titles. It was only after Iphatia appeared that both of them had been thrown into confusion.
"Understood! I just won't call him 'Bro-ther,' that's all," Iphatia agreed earnestly.
"Bro-ther?"
Hyperion felt like she could no longer understand Creti speech; even with translation magic active, it felt as though the spell had malfunctioned.
"No, no, that's not right. Let's just call him Lanlan," Iphatia said, clapping a hand over her mouth.
She had wracked her brain for a long time without finding a suitable form of address, only to realize that using a familiar nickname derived from his name was the most normal option.
And so, adopting the tone of an elder, she settled on a pet name for Lanqi.
In public, they always used his alias, but this habit of calling him by an affectionate diminutive had originated with Talia, and the rest had gradually picked it up.
"Lanlan is alright, I suppose."
Hearing that, Hyperion felt her mother finally exhibited a shred of an aunt's proper presence.
Before this, whether it was mere imagination or not, every time she watched her mother interact with Lanqi, she inexplicably felt her mother seemed more like Lanqi's junior—one step away from wheedling him. That was blatantly off, easily nine if not ten out of ten on the weirdness scale.
The jarring incongruity was as if her mother had had her core directives rewritten by Lanqi; even if dropped on the battlefield as loot, no one else would ever be able to use her properly.
"Why are you all copying the way I address him? I honestly don't call him that on normal days."
Suddenly, Talia's ears twitched, her brows furrowing slightly as both her words and the grilled fish in her hands came to a halt.
She seemed to catch the sound of a familiar voice.
It was drifting over from a distance—
"Yes, she's exceedingly pretty, about 168 centimeters tall, looks roughly twenty to twenty-five, has long grey hair and an ideally healthy figure. Definitely hasn't had children. Very few words, rarely if ever smiles. She must have bought a mountain of food from the nearby stalls. Right—if she bought barbecue from your shop, you'd certainly remember her..."
Someone was inquiring with stall owners about a certain someone.
The veins on the back of Talia's hand gave a subtle twitch.
"Lanlan! Get over here right now!"
She turned around, shouting furiously toward the distance.
"Aye!"
Hearing Talia's incensed bellow, Lanqi immediately snapped to attention and turned toward her in acknowledgment.
Just as the stall owner seemed to recall something and raised a finger before uttering a word, the very young woman who had purchased all those skewers made her appearance.
Right in line with the direction the shopkeeper pointed, Talia had indeed bought snacks nearby just moments ago.
Lanqi hurried over to where Talia, Hyperion, and Iphatia were standing, looking as though he had business with them.
"Thank goodness. After leaving the Chief Hall, I only had to ask around along the way for a bit before tracking you down," Lanqi greeted them with a smile.
"You're here! Are you watching the fireworks with us?" Iphatia clapped her hands cheerfully.
Lanqi was finally done with work; she had been waiting for ages.
"..."
Hyperion shot another glance at Iphatia.
Everything seemed perfectly normal on the surface, so why did it feel so completely wrong deep down?
"I'm sorry, but I still have work later. I need to make some preparations now before heading to meet Headmaster Violet," Lanqi apologized, pressing his palms together.
"Could you lend me Tata for a bit?"
He turned his gaze toward Talia, who had just finished her grilled fish and let out a small burp, making his request to Hyperion and Iphatia.
Thanks to Secretary Naila's arrangements, the Sixth War God, Violet of the Aquamarine, had squeezed a private meeting with Professor Landry into her packed schedule, set for right after the sacred prayer dance on the day of the Moon God Festival. Judging by the hour, that moment was approaching quickly.
"Of course."
Both Iphatia and Hyperion nodded promptly upon hearing this.
They understood why Lanqi wanted to borrow Talia before meeting the Sixth War God, Violet of the Aquamarine.
Lanqi needed a master of lie detection, and Talia possessed an unmatched combination of lie detecting and mind reading.
"Go ahead and take my sister, use her as you like," Iphatia offered generously.
Hyperion gave Iphatia yet another look.
"Let's go then. Make it quick, there and back," Talia said crisply to Lanqi, tossing the paper container into a nearby bin.
"See you back at the house later. Once I finish meeting Headmaster Violet, Secretary Naila will drive me straight home," Lanqi bade farewell to Hyperion and Iphatia.
"Come home early. It's getting cold," Hyperion said to them.
Lanqi's gray overcoat didn't actually offer much warmth; she didn't know why, ever since returning from the Northern Continent, he had developed such a fixation on this style of dress whenever winter rolled around.
"Don't worry, Hypie. The Side-Talia Treaty between Side and me has already been updated to the Hyperion-Side-Talia Treaty. We'll explain it all to you when we get back. Besides, the three of us still need to hash out how the rooms will be divided."
Talia waved to Hyperion.
Over the past couple of days, circumstances had been unusual, so she had stayed in Hyperion's room to keep her company, while Sigrid had slept alone yesterday.
Now that Hyperion had recovered enough to move around freely, it was time for Talia to go back to sharing a bed with Sigrid. Furthermore, regarding where Hyperion would sleep, the three of them needed to hold a brief meeting to negotiate. Since all of them were playing the part of Lanqi's fiancées, they ought to enjoy the same equal rights as real fiancées.
For now, Talia and Sigrid's stance was that even if they compromised by letting Hyperion sleep a bit closer to Lanqi, neither of them wanted to share a bed with Hyperion, or both of them would suffer for it.
...
A few minutes later.
The two of them strolled to the edge of the Chief Hall.
Specks of starlight swayed across the river's surface, faint yet warm.
They were bamboo moon lanterns, adorning this extraordinary evening.
At first, there were only a sparse few, but gradually, their numbers multiplied.
Releasing in clusters of three and five, in dozens at once, until at last they became too numerous to count.
Like fireflies dancing through the night sky, they drifted lightly upward, coalescing into a banquet of stars.
"Moon lanterns," Talia murmured softly, a touch of wistfulness in her voice.
The hazy glow of the lanterns intertwined and resonated with the drifting snowflakes falling from the sky.
Orange flames illuminated the ancient streets of Saint Creti Monastery, draping the stone masonry in a delicate golden veil.
Even though everything was tranquil right now, and the decisive final battle that would draw the curtain on everything was imminent, she felt an inexplicable sliver of happiness in her heart.
"Yes, it truly is breathtaking from here," Lanqi chimed in beside her, speaking as though the magnificent scenery before them were entirely his own creation.
"That air of yours really makes you seem quite overbearing, you know," Talia said, though not critically.
Back during their impromptu performance at the Brillda Opera House, she had noticed that Lanqi possessed an innate talent for playing a domineering viceroy. To her, that talent hadn't been half bad, and she even harbored a slight, latent fondness for the limited-edition disciple who played the overbearing viceroy.
"Is that so?"
Lanqi gave a gentle nod, his gaze fixed on the streets below the Chief Hall's steps.
The sunset glow had long passed, yet the monastery, illuminated by lamplight, conceded nothing to the splendor of broad daylight.
Cradling bamboo lanterns in their hands, students strolled either in pairs and trios or on their own, their faces radiant with heartfelt smiles.
The instant each bamboo lantern was lit, its cicada-wing-thin canopy quickly expanded, bearing candlelight and fond prayers as it ascended gently into the night sky.
Looking up at the rising lights, Lanqi's lowered gaze gradually drifted upward along with them.
He knew the only reason the moon lanterns could float in the air was the buoyant force of heated air; it had nothing whatsoever to do with magical miracles.
He also understood that once their fuel was spent and their flames extinguished, the lanterns would ultimately plummet back to earth.
Yet in this fleeting, beautiful moment, no one spared a thought for such things.
"Just like this Creti Empire. No one would ever imagine that two weeks from now, an upheaval capable of upending the entire world might take place," Talia said, as though seeing right through Lanqi's thoughts.
"..."
Lanqi looked at Talia in surprise.
He had the unexpected feeling that, this time, she hadn't relied on magic to read his mind.
Before he could ask, however—
A melodious chiming pierced the tranquility of the night, like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, rippling outward in gentle waves.
Like flowing water, the chimes struck the heartstrings of all present in steady rhythm.
*Clang, clang, clang, clang...*
Looking toward the sound, a crowd of festival-goers had already gathered around a distant elevated platform, from which the ringing emanated.
People sat encircling the circular stage, where a sacred bonfire blazed brightly in the center.
Today was a season of gratitude, a day to build a bridge of communion with the deity, an auspicious occasion to pray for favorable weather in the year ahead.
The people of Brillda praised the blessings bestowed by the merciful Goddess of the Silver Moon and Healing, praying that she would continue to watch over all living beings.
The main ritual was about to begin.
Onto the square where the bonfire had been lit at some unremembered moment, the one who would actually perform the ritual stepped forward.
Walking with rustling steps, wrapped in pure white robes, the tall woman gradually came into clear view.
Vastly different from her usual attire, the ceremonial vestments worn by Violet of the Aquamarine, High Priestess of the Moon Goddess, left her shoulders, chest, and mutton-fat jade calves bare, her pale skin flushed rosy in the glow of the fire.
Yet none of this was something worldly eyes could sully.
For the High Priestess serving the goddess to perform the sacred kagura in such garments was entirely natural and proper.
Holding her khakkhara staff aloft, Violet of the Aquamarine swept her ivory-white arm through the air in an exquisite arc.
As the bells on the staff rang out with a sharp *clang*, a trail of pure white cleaved the sky, creating the fleeting illusion of a howling, biting gale rushing past.
"In the name of compassion, courage, and wisdom,"
"Moonlit sanctuary, starlight gleaming bright,"
"The Silver Moon Goddess descends, all creation renewed and reborn."
"Here and now, I stand,"
"Chanting with devout devotion the Song of the Moon Goddess,"
"May Your sacred light shine across the earth—"
Her clear, ethereal voice echoed over the square, each word resonant and carrying tremendous weight.
This was a hymn dedicated to the divine, conveying mortals' gratitude for boundless grace through the purest faith and heart.
Her song seemed to pierce the barriers of time and space, reaching straight to the ears of the deities who walked during the age of gods tens of millions of years ago.
"Soon we're going to meet this Wolf Clan shrine maiden... When you think about it, today she looks like the chosen one, the only one," Talia murmured, stirred as she watched Violet dance.
Strictly speaking, the War Gods were supposed to be their enemies, but when it came to the Wolf Clan, Talia found herself incapable of disliking them now.
Simply looking at Violet reminded Talia of her beloved daughter during their time in the Shadow World, as well as Miss Side, the benefactor of herself and her sister.
"Yeah," Lanqi agreed.
"Hey, you already have three fiancées, so why are you still staring at her?" Talia nudged Lanqi with her elbow, teasing him playfully.
"I was just thinking... Violet won't end up being an enemy, will she?"
Staring at Violet's graceful figure, Lanqi voiced his inner thoughts word by word.
His tone was quiet and resolute, yet tinged with a faint trace of bitterness.
"You don't want to go through what happened with Inoan again, do you? Nor do you want to be cornered by Beelzebub, where all you could do was rely on divine favor."
Talia quickly grasped what Lanqi was thinking.
She knew Lanqi still couldn't forget the lessons of the City of Flowers.
Having spent so much time in the Creti Empire, they had received considerable help from the faculty and students of Saint Creti Monastery. If the day came when they had to stand as enemies, Lanqi would be more decisive than anyone, but that didn't mean he wouldn't feel the sting in his heart.
Talia had no soul link with Lanqi at the moment, yet she was surer than ever that he hadn't truly relaxed lately, constantly maintaining his vigilance and tension.
It circled back to their conversation before the prayer dance—with the great battle approaching, as the central control tower, he invested more effort and focus than anyone else.
"No matter how much you do, no matter how hard you strive, all you can ever secure is odds of winning. So I've done everything within my power. I only hope the gods will grant some measure of favor, just as the prayers ask. And of course, I hope the Moon Goddess loves her High Priestess and watches over Miss Violet," Lanqi said slowly.
"Indeed. Odds of winning don't equal victory."
Talia agreed wholeheartedly with Lanqi's view.
Even with countless companions and friends offering support and encouragement, standing shoulder to shoulder in battle, nothing guaranteed the final outcome.
The shadow of defeat clung like a specter, dogging the Lord of the Black Sun, impossible to shake off.
That was precisely the insight Lanqi had gained from that ageless dream within the Shadow World.
"Which is why I didn't make a moon lantern," Lanqi confessed.
Every scrap of time and energy had to be poured into war preparations, into dealing with the vampires, into readying for the final confrontation.
Even if the odds of winning were already ninety-nine point nine-nine percent, he would strain every nerve to avert that one-in-ten-thousand chance of defeat.
Before that conviction, everything else had to yield.
Without the reflection of the Mirror of Tiberius, what seemed like ninety-nine percent odds could in reality be terrifyingly low, fragile as a soap bubble. People typically saw only one face of reality, while the other side of truth remained submerged beneath the water—these were the lingering impressions the Eternal Damnation Undying Finale had left upon him.
As the two conversed, silence abruptly fell over the night sky.
The ceremony had concluded, and the festival drew to a close. The bonfire on Elliott Square died down as the crowds scattered, leaving only the flickering lanterns swaying in the night sky to illuminate Saint Creti Monastery.
The conclusion of the sacred rites marked the Moon God Festival's end, the quiet settling over the bustling revelry.
It was time for the two of them to get down to serious business.
Once they finished meeting Violet, the day would practically be over.
Now that night had fully fallen, the corridors of the Chief Hall looked even dimmer than they had in the afternoon.
"I really am the most useful one, aren't I?"
Walking beside Lanqi, Talia tilted her chin up proudly.
She wanted to seem cheerful to lift Lanqi's spirits.
Lanqi used to call her a free starter unit, but with every shift in the meta, she had ultimately become his must-have tier-zero pick.
"The trouble is, you're too strong. If I simply introduce you as my fiancée and bring you along to see Violet, she might notice your true strength," Lanqi said, bringing up a concern that had occurred to him.
Earlier outside, surrounded by crowds and absorbed in watching the ceremony, he hadn't mentioned it to Talia.
Now that the crowds had thinned and they were practically alone in the corridor, they could discuss it properly.
"True," Talia admitted, casually deploying a portable soundproofing barrier.
She knew she was weaker than Violet, and even if she did her utmost to conceal her magic power, staying in Violet's presence for an extended period might allow the Headmaster to see through to her eighth tier.
Logically speaking, a fiancée hailing from the frontier had no business possessing such formidable magic.
"I can turn back into the Demon King of Fanatical Love and return to your body," she suggested to Lanqi.
When they had first arrived at Saint Creti Monastery and Lanqi came to the Chief Hall to meet Headmaster Violet, Talia had been in her Demon King of Fanatical Love form, hiding within Lanqi's soul space to help him listen to Violet's words.
"If you do that, my work efficiency over the next two weeks will drop substantially. Besides, if you vanish every night to rest in my room, wouldn't Sigrid and Hyperion misunderstand?" Lanqi asked, puzzled.
Maintaining Fanatical Love's summoned state over the long term would leave Lanqi far more exhausted, cutting into his working hours to make up for lost sleep and restore mana.
"That's true..." Talia conceded hesitantly.
She couldn't permanently become Lanqi's bonded summon just yet; the optimal timing for that was right before the decisive battle.
Over these next two weeks, she and the other great demons had work to do as well.
They needed to analyze the vampire modification potion formula left behind by True Night Lord Esmond in the Shadow World. With the aid of the Ice Witch, who was equally versed in magical engineering, and the erudite Pranay, their research was currently progressing very smoothly.
"So what should I do?" Talia finally looked up at Lanqi.
Since Lanqi had brought her here, it meant he had a better solution in mind besides turning into the Demon King of Fanatical Love.
"Could you bear with it a little and temporarily turn into a cat so I can carry you in my arms to see the Headmaster? The entire school's faculty and students know I have a feline contracted beast. A contracted beast being a bit stronger than usual is easy to explain—after all, I'm seventh tier. That way, she won't suspect anything. Even if she senses something, as long as you suppress your magic power to the seventh tier, there won't be an issue..."
Before Lanqi could finish, Talia's flushing face had driven her to clap a hand over his mouth.
"D-Do you have any other ideas?!"
Thoroughly flustered, Talia glared at Lanqi.
Setting aside how much she resisted turning into a cat in the first place, even if she did transform, there was no way she could let Lanqi hold her like a pet!
She had never intended to use that [Polymorph: Cat] card she got from the Shadow World.
"Then we can only fuse into the Demon King of Fanatical Love like before. It's foolproof, though I'll probably be exhausted for the next two weeks," Lanqi said, lowering his eyes in compromise.
He had no intention of forcing Talia. If she was unwilling, so be it; transforming into the Demon King of Fanatical Love ahead of time was also a viable option, and he was already prepared to explain to their friends the special state that resulted from fusing Talia with the Poet of Great Love.
"..."
Talia fell silent for a long time.
Seeing how weary Lanqi looked, her heart twinged with sympathy.
Today, everyone else was enjoying the festival, while he alone worked overtime, grinding away—she had seen it all.
Ever since arriving in the empire, Lanqi hadn't rested for a single day, and she knew that better than anyone.
Talia clenched her fists, wrestling with herself for quite a while.
"F-Fine, I'll transform. Just this once! And you're not allowed to touch me inappropriately!" she relented through gritted teeth.
"Thank you, Master," Lanqi gave a grateful, slight bow.
It seemed he wouldn't have his mana drained by Talia over the coming days after all.
"Come with me."
Sensing for living beings nearby, Talia grabbed Lanqi's sleeve and led him to a deserted, empty corridor in the Chief Hall.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled out the translucent natural magic card engraved with a cat-paw pattern.
Talia cast a complicated look at Lanqi, as if wishing she could cover his eyes, yet knowing full well it wouldn't make any difference.
Then she activated the polymorph spell. A silver radiance enveloped her body until she was completely enshrouded.
Her form gradually shifted into that of a cat, her dimensions shrinking under the spell formula of the magic card.
A moment later, the silver light dissipated, leaving only a ragdoll-like grey cat on the floor.
"I really did turn into a cat..."
Cat-Talia lifted a paw, examining her fur-ball form.
Having transformed into a cat, she subconsciously felt the urge to adopt verbal tics like Boss Cat's; so it hadn't been Boss Cat's fault after all.
"You really are the most useful," Lanqi praised sincerely, crouching down to scoop up the grey cat.
At first, the grey cat gave a couple of squirming struggles, evidently uneasy with losing her center of gravity, but once Lanqi cradled her securely, she relaxed and settled quietly into his arms.
"Don't squirm, Master," Lanqi whispered, holding the big grey cat.
The texture alone was wonderfully fluffy, as soft and warm as a fleece blanket.
"T-Then you'd better hold onto me properly! Don't let me fall on the floor," Cat-Talia said, pawing at Lanqi's arm.
She could feel Lanqi touching her without the slightest inhibition now. Even though this body didn't feel entirely like hers, Lanqi's warmth transmitted to her without reservation, forcing her to tell herself over and over not to panic.
"Don't worry," Lanqi assured her, soothing the gradually calming grey cat.
He could sense Talia was even more nervous than he was; right now, she was simply straining to adjust to interacting with him in feline form.
"Then I won't say another word from now on, meow. But this stays strictly between you, me, and the heavens!" Cat-Talia agreed in an embarrassed voice.
Perhaps only by genuinely convincing herself she was a cat rather than a woman could she interact with Lanqi normally in this state.
Otherwise, the mere thought of being lifted into the air and cradled by Lanqi was enough to make her want to die of mortification.
"..."
The moment Talia slipped into that Boss-Cat-style verbal tic, the corner of Lanqi's mouth twitched.
"What are you laughing at, meow?!"
Cat-Talia caught Lanqi's micro-expression red-handed.
He seemed to be clenching his teeth with all his might.
"Nothing. I just remembered a legendary voice actress."
Whenever Lanqi recalled how Talia had mimicked Boss Cat's voice that day, he had to fight back laughter.
Now hearing her do it again, he couldn't hold back the memory.
*I've always been cute, meow.*
The words seemed to echo in his ears.
He probably wouldn't forget it for the rest of his life.
"I'll scratch you to death, meow!"
Reading Lanqi's thoughts, Cat-Talia instantly started thrashing about, becoming almost impossible to hold.
"Haha, stop squirming!"
Lanqi tried his best to restrain the grey cat and keep her from causing a ruckus.
Two or three students passing by at the far end of the corridor were drawn by the commotion, glancing over briefly before continuing on their way.
"Why does it look like Professor Landry is flirting even with a cat?"
"Hey, don't laugh, that cat seems to be a contracted beast. Who knows, maybe it can turn into a fiancée too."
"Holy crap, going after a cat would be way too ruthless."
"Don't tell me all the cats at his place can turn into people? If there's an underage one, I'm calling the authorities."
"Honestly, even taking ten thousand steps back, a female cat is one thing, but a male cat would be truly beyond..."
Their voices drifted faintly in barely audible whispers.
Lanqi was so consumed with wrangling the big grey cat that he didn't notice the fleeting figures in the distance at all.
It wasn't until Cat-Talia inadvertently stumbled and nearly hurled herself onto the floor that Lanqi's arms swiftly swooped in to catch and lift her.
"Meow!" Cat-Talia yelped in alarm.
Fortunately, Lanqi had caught her in time.
"Master, really... Since you're only turning into a cat this once anyway, let's just cooperate and get this job done, and we'll never do it again, okay?" Lanqi said to the grey cat in his arms.
"Meow, meow..."
Pretending to be an obedient cat, Cat-Talia nodded meekly.
That sensation of steady support set her heart pounding.
She couldn't help feeling relieved that she had turned into a cat—that way, Lanqi couldn't see her expression at all.
She had no idea why becoming a cat made her so hopelessly flustered. The only thing she knew for certain was that she could never turn into a cat and engage in such intimate contact with Lanqi again.
Her pride as a princess would never permit it!
Chapter 832