I'm fighting Kal'tsit? Really?

"So you came here to investigate while shopping?" Gerald nodded.

“No, that’s just normal business competition in Colombia, like what happened at the inn before.” Celia shook her head and said, “I came here just to show you the places I used to frequent.”

"You come here often?" Gerald seemed a little surprised.

“Tremont Polytechnic is not far from here. When I was a student, I would come here to buy some daily necessities.” A trace of reminiscence flashed in her eyes: “Whenever a project came to an end, Christen would drag me here to celebrate. Back then, there were still many people here, and there weren’t so many closed shops in the mall.”

"As for now."

Saria's gaze fell on a certain spot, and her expression shifted slightly for a moment.

Gerald followed her gaze and saw in a corner of the mall that an old maternity and baby store had completely closed down. The door was sealed off, and through the dusty glass window, one could vaguely see the remaining scenes inside.

Inside the shop, some baby products were still on the shelves that hadn't been cleaned up. It seemed that even the shop couldn't be sold and the workers were being lazy, so the place was still a mess when the last lock was put on.

Seeing that Saria's gaze lingered for a while, Gerald asked with some confusion, "Saria?"

"Hmm? Don't worry about it." She looked away and replied calmly, "I just think it's a bit of a pity that my memories before the age of three are very vague. If possible, I hope you can help me experience what it was like to be an infant. Maybe it will give me some new inspiration."

Pegasus glanced silently at Saria, who was dressed impeccably in a suit.

He's really handsome; anyone, regardless of gender, would admit that.

The things she said were so unexpected that they far exceeded his expectations, to the point that he didn't know how to respond.

“I understand.” Gerald hardened his heart, determined to keep his promise, and decided to gamble everything on Saria’s willpower: “My previous promise remains unchanged, I believe in you.”

"..."

Saria smiled gently: "I won't make things difficult for you. It's just that this is the first time I've wanted to act cute with someone else, so it's understandable that I didn't quite know how to handle it. I think it will get much better as we get to know each other better, and this situation won't always happen."

Gerald secretly breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, Saria seemed to be still within the realm of reason. He thought for a moment and asked, "So, what's something you want most right now?"

"Do you want to hear it?" Saria stopped and looked at Gerald seriously. "It might put you in a difficult position."

“I believe you,” Gerald said without hesitation. “Just like solving problems, you have to find the ones that aren’t so easy to solve first, and then deal with the easier ones later.”

"it is good."

After confirming three times that Gerald did not show any reluctance, Saria grabbed his hand and led him to a side passage.

……

In the corner of the mall, the lights became even dimmer, and a musty smell of dust filled the air.

No one passes by here; only a few old, dilapidated benches sit quietly in the corner, as if waiting to be forgotten.

Saria, holding Gerald's hand with a firm and irresistible force, led him all the way here until the surroundings fell into complete silence.

She released his hand, turned around, looked at Gerald, and said in a calm and rational tone, "Sit down."

Gerald didn't ask any questions and obediently sat down on the bench, while Saria stood in front of him, lowering her gaze to examine Pegasus's features and his neck, which was hidden by his trench coat.

After a moment, she spoke softly, as if presenting an academic research report, without a trace of extra emotion:

Do you remember the first time I lost control?

“Because of Muirseth’s words? I remember,” Gerald nodded, probably sensing what was about to happen, and sighed. “For some reason, you crave my blood, but I don’t understand Vaivaan very well, and it’s hard for me to understand what caused this situation.”

“I think it’s necessary to test this,” Saria said, taking a small step forward and placing her knees on the bench. She knelt on one knee beside Gerald’s leg, casting her shadow over Pegasus.

"The effects of saliva and blood exchange on physiological and mental states should be considered to prevent loss of control in critical situations."

Vayvan gazed calmly into his eyes, then lowered his head slightly.

Without any hesitation, she moved her face closer to the other person's until their eyes reflected only the color of their pupils.

In the instant their breaths mingled, Gerald could clearly feel the other's body temperature, which was not scorching but carried a strange calmness.

It suits her taste very well.

Saria never hesitated in her actions; her steady and slow movements carried a unique sense of power characteristic of Vaiva, yet she always controlled her strength, keeping everything within a manageable range.

Pegasus's eyelashes are a bit long.

Upon closer inspection, one realizes that his facial features are almost sharp, yet appear somewhat unreal due to the blurred and intersecting distance.

His breath smelled of grass and toothpaste, and her image was reflected in his golden pupils. It was wonderful, extremely satisfying.

"Sareya?"

Vayvan's tail froze in mid-air.

She desperately wanted to cover the horns on her head with her hat. She had never regretted that her tail was such a nuisance, and she never expected to run into someone who knew her here.

Saria moved quickly. She straightened up immediately, letting her arms hang naturally at her sides, trying her best to adjust her expression. She took a deep breath and then slowly turned around.

Her figure positioned perfectly in front of Gerald, flawlessly concealing him behind her as if nothing had happened, leaving her alone to face the newcomer.

Her gaze fell on the corner not far away, and she uttered a name in a calm tone—

"Nasti? Why are you here?"

The gray-haired banshee frowned, carefully examining the familiar face before her.

Since joining Rhine Labs, she had dealt with this former head of the defense department countless times. Most of the time, the name Vaivavan itself was a symbol of power, but she knew all too well that this power was far from comparable to the monsters within the Sarkaz court.

But the aura of a Banshee Queen was emanating from her... no, from the person behind her?

Her gaze paused slightly.

The water stains that Saria hadn't completely wiped away shimmered faintly in the dim light.

In the instant she slightly raised her chin and straightened her back, a trace of saliva remained on her lips, stretching out thinly without completely breaking off.

Nasti's breath hitched for a moment, and her gaze followed the direction of the silk thread as she slowly looked back.

Then, she saw another person.

The Pegasus who stood up after hearing her name.

"babble."

pat.

With a roll of her eyes, Nasti's exhaustion from the past few days and the sudden shock combined to create a magnificent symphony in her mind, successfully plunging her spirits into a deep trough.

Her body slumped backward and landed in the arms of the water sprite who had rushed over.

"Nasti!"

Muirsey's bad premonition came true. After encountering the banshee on the road, she carefully avoided her for about two hundred meters and cautiously followed her whereabouts.

If what Nasti herself said was true, and she needed to be more careful, then the same applied to Nasti herself—sure enough, when she saw Nasti take a step back and then suddenly collapse from afar, Muirsay didn't think about anything related to her safety for a moment.

Anyway, it's just a water incarnation and being targeted. How could it be more important than the safety of my colleagues?

So Muirsay decisively stepped forward to support Nasti's body, gently lowered her, and then desperately put on a fierce expression as he looked at... at... Vayvan in front of him.

She rubbed her eyes and glanced again at the lipstick mark on Gerald's lips behind her.

Oh, that's how it is.

"babble."

The little elf chose to join the ranks of those who slept peacefully.

--------

Nasti woke up slowly in a seat at an open-air café.

The weather was quite cool today; even if you left a little elf under the open sky without a parasol, there wouldn't be any problems. She looked up and saw Saria and the unconscious Muelseth sitting to her left and right, respectively, with a face she could only see in her memories directly opposite her.

For some reason, when she opened her eyes and looked around blankly, the Pegasus directly in front of her was looking left and right, studying the manifold's body structure, and muttering something like "So that's how it is."

“Teacher?” Nastie said.

Gerald and Saria's attention simultaneously shifted to Nastie, who was directly opposite them. Pegasus greeted her, "Good morning, Nastie...long time no see?"

Although I did see her in my dream yesterday, judging from her reaction, it's hard to say what kind of situation I've ended up in the eyes of this little demon.

Ah, perhaps we shouldn't call her a little enchantress anymore, since she's not only matured in appearance, but the dark circles under her eyes also clearly indicate that she has truly entered adulthood.

“Long time no see.” Nasty stared intently at the details of the person in front of her until she had taken in everything that needed to be noted—including the sword at Pegasus’s waist. “Why are you here… no, perhaps I shouldn’t ask that.”

She lowered her head and thought for a moment, then looked up at her teacher: "May I use a spell?"

“This place might not be very good.” Gerald didn’t seem to care much about how the little banshee recognized him after more than a hundred years. Rather, he was finally having a clear sense of reality: “If I were to test your work, it would be best to do it in an open place, like in the wilderness.”

“I’m not arrogant enough to be your enemy.” Nasti finally smiled from the bottom of her heart after hearing those familiar words: “It’s just a spell for checking.”

“No problem.” Gerald nodded. “Please go ahead.”

Nasti took out her bone pen from her chest, touched it lightly in front of her, and a wisp of silver thread slowly flowed from the tip of the pen, forming a trace in the air.

Following this, a spell suddenly responded from Gerald's sword, and at the same time, a faint light appeared on Gerald's shoulder blade—an anomaly that surprised Pegasus himself for a moment.

He was quite certain that he had never felt any protection from Lamaren before.

Upon seeing the evidence, Nasti finally calmed her breathing, which she had been suppressing for so long, and her heart returned to its place. She turned to Saria, who was still trying to understand the situation, and said, "Excuse me, Saria, could you please leave for a while? Take Muerseth's manifold with you."

She glanced at Gerald first, then met Nast's gaze: "I understand."

Without hesitation, she grabbed the unconscious Muirsey by the neck and carried her away from a certain distance.

A hint of surprise flashed in Nastia's eyes. She hadn't expected Saria to leave so obediently, especially considering what she had just witnessed.

However, perhaps that's why she's Saria.

“It looks like something serious has happened.” Gerald looked in the direction Seria had left, nodded slightly, and used the wind to block out the surrounding sounds. “So, what do you want to tell me, Nastya?”

"...I witnessed with my own eyes how the former Queen of the Banshees buried you with a lament, leading you to the ferry to the underworld."

Nasti fluently translated the language into Sarkaz and began conversing with Gerald, "I also saw—"

“Wait a minute.” Gerald interrupted Nastya, “What do you mean by ‘former Banshee Queen’? Where’s Ramalen?”

"The venerable former Queen of the Banshees is still alive; she has passed on her duties to—"

Before Nasti could even put her thoughts into words, an invisible curse instantly bound her mouth and nose. Nasti's pupils dilated in an instant as she desperately tried to touch the bone pen that belonged to her.

But Gerald was quick enough that he severed the power he knew best with the wind before Nasti could suffocate from the curse.

As the restraints were released, Nastie slid off the chair as if she had been electrocuted, gasping for air, her eyes filled with terror.

“A forbidden curse.” Gerald stood up and quickly went to Nasti’s side. “It’s not very strong, but you still can’t break it now… Anyway, I already know that she’s still alive. I’ll naturally find out the rest when I return to the valley. And what about the others?”

"After your death, Kazdel maintained a long period of peace until the civil war between Princess Theresa and the Regent broke out."

Nasti gasped for breath, unsure if her words would violate the banshee queen's own decree, but she couldn't care less at the moment. "The former banshee queen chose to withdraw from the world, and Your Highness led many tribes away from Kazdel. The civil war lasted for about six years, and although most battles were minor skirmishes, the Regent's side ultimately emerged victorious."

“Before the civil war broke out, the former Queen of the Banshees told me,” Nasti said, emphasizing each word, “not to go back, but to continue pursuing my goals in Colombia, and that everything would be alright.”

"Princess Theresa is dead."

……

"This is...what happened after I died?"

After a long silence, Gerald returned to his seat and slowly asked Nasty.

“Yes.” She coughed a few times, and her expression softened. “As for the rest, the former Queen of the Banshees said something to me when I returned to the valley after Your Highness left. At the time, I didn’t quite understand what it meant.”

"What is it?" Gerald looked up and stared into the little banshee's eyes.

She said there was no need to worry about His Highness's safety, because—

Nasti's thoughts drifted back to that afternoon, and she repeated the words Ramalen had once told her:

"Death is rebirth."

That's quite a riddle.

However, it's true that this child shouldn't know so much; it might be part of someone's plan.

Thinking of this, Gerald pushed back the chair behind him: "Sorry, Nastya, but I have other things to do right now."

"Teacher?!" Nastya sat up in surprise, watching Gerald's retreating figure. "Where are you going?"

"River valley".

"Wait, teacher!" The little banshee rushed to Gerald's side, took a letter from her bosom, and stuffed it into his hand—she knew all too well how terrifying her teacher's speed was, and she didn't want him to have to make a round trip if he suddenly flew away. "The former Banshee Queen will be arriving in Colombia in the next few days, and she also sent me a letter."

Pegasus stopped in his tracks and took the paper Nasti handed him, unfolding it.

Aside from the time and place of the visit, there was almost no useful information on it... but as she said, it was indeed Lamarle's handwriting, which he had seen many times.

The little demon girl breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her teacher had finally calmed down.