Chapter 138: Angel’s Doubts.

When Angel found the room pitch-dark, his first thought was that Sperien had fallen asleep.

But after thinking about it more carefully, that made no sense!

Sperien had clearly said that he was returning to his room to study ahead so that he would not fall behind in his lessons.

Angel knew him well.

Once Sperien immersed himself in studying, he devoted his full attention to it. There was no chance he would go to sleep early.

At this hour, the Elves’ evening entertainment had only just begun. There were still three or four hours before bedtime!

Angel called softly, “Sperien... are you there?”

There was no answer.

Something was not right.

A trace of concern appeared on Angel’s beautiful face. After hesitating, he said, “It’s Angel. I’m coming in!”

Having announced himself, he pushed the door fully open, allowing the light from the corridor’s magic stone lamps to spill into the room, then stepped inside as quietly as possible.

By the light from outside, he saw that the blanket on the bed lay perfectly smooth, without the slightest sign that anyone had lain there.

Had Sperien shrunk down and rolled beneath the pillow?

The beds provided for Fairy cubs were full-sized, a meter and a half wide and two meters long. A Little Fairy could roll around as much as he pleased without falling off.

Sometimes they woke up without even knowing which part of the bed they had ended up in.

Angel was currently in his full-sized form, so he lifted the pillow with ease.

There was nothing beneath it. Sperien was nowhere to be seen.

Could he be under the blanket?

Angel put down the pillow and lifted the blanket next.

Still nothing.

To be safe, Angel searched the bed carefully twice and confirmed that there was no Little Fairy anywhere on it.

He dropped to the floor and peered beneath the bed. It was too dark to see clearly, so he took a cylindrical magic lamp from his storage ring and shone it underneath.

Empty.

Angel stood and used the cylindrical magic lamp to inspect every corner of the room. Finally, he stopped in front of the window.

Outside lay the courtyard where the Mother Tree grew. The Little Fairies greeted the newly formed fruits during the day, but they generally did not disturb them at night.

Sayah had explained that the Elf cubs inside the fruits needed plenty of sleep every day and that too much noise would hinder their development.

The courtyard was silent and deserted.

Angel withdrew his gaze and looked at the window, which had been left slightly ajar. Scratching the back of his head, he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Apparently, Sperien’s claim that he was going to study had been an excuse. He had really gone out to play.

That morning, some parts of the Saint Mage’s story had been so exciting that Angel had become engrossed in listening and forgotten to write them down. He had come to borrow Sperien’s notebook and copy the missing sections, only to discover that Sperien was not in his room.

Could he be in Disio’s or Budeno’s room?

But both of them were still dancing with the Elves in the hall!

Angel paced back and forth through the corridor, his mind working furiously as he tried to guess where Sperien had gone.

“Angel, what are you doing here?” Disio and Budeno approached side by side.

They had spent quite a while singing and dancing in the hall, but then they remembered that their leader was studying diligently while Angel had gone to copy his notes. Meanwhile, they were doing nothing but playing. They immediately lost all desire to dance and hurried back to join the others in studying.

Yet when they reached the rooms, they found Angel pacing through the corridor and muttering to himself.

Angel stopped and turned toward them.

After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “I’m looking for Sperien.”

Disio was puzzled. “Isn’t he studying in his room?”

Budeno pointed toward the closed door and grinned. “Angel, knock on the door!”

Angel spread his hands. “I already did. I even went inside to look. Sperien isn’t there.”

“He isn’t?” Disio froze. “Then where did he go?”

Angel shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Budeno walked over to Shu Li’s door and gave it a light push. The door opened, revealing a room shrouded in darkness.

“Did Sperien secretly go play with someone?” he asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Play with whom?” Angel frowned.

“The king!” Budeno said. “The king isn’t in the hall.”

“I know!” Disio clapped his hands as understanding dawned. “Sperien must have encountered a problem he didn’t understand and gone to ask the king about it.”

In that case, wasn’t it perfectly natural that he was not in his room?

“Oh.” Angel felt that he had made a fuss over nothing. His eyes shifted, and he suggested, “Should we go to the king’s room and take a look?”

“No, no.” Disio and Budeno shook their heads and waved their hands at the same time.

Little Fairies possessed an instinctive awe of the Elven King. Sperien was the only one who dared to be so close and affectionate with him. None of the other Little Fairies had the courage to cling to the king or rub against him.

Unable to persuade them, Angel gave up. “Forget it. I’ll go back to my room and study. I can copy Sperien’s notes after he returns.”

“Let’s study together!”

“Mm-hmm. Then we can discuss things with each other too.”

Before long, the three Little Fairies were studying earnestly in Angel’s room.

Meanwhile, Shu Li—the object of their concern—was hiding inside the tip of one of the Mother Tree’s roots, secretly observing the five adventurers through his senses from some distance away.

After only one day, they looked far more miserable than they had the day before.

Their clothing was torn and their hair disheveled. The Dark Elf was covered from head to toe, making it impossible to tell whether he was hurt, but everyone else had suffered injuries of varying severity.

They sat wearily around their camp, their eyes practically glowing with hunger. They did not even have the strength to speak as they waited for the half-orc to finish roasting the fish and animal meat.

Shu Li sat cross-legged inside the root tip for most of the day without obtaining any useful information.

At last, the meat and fish were cooked. The impatient goblin reached for some food, only for the half-orc to slap his hand away. The half-orc first passed a roasted animal leg to the Dark Elf.

As an Intermediate Grand Mage, the Dark Elf had played a vital role in their expedition. If he had not responded so quickly to danger, all of them would have died in the desert that day.

The goblin bared his teeth before retreating to the side to watch the half-orc distribute the food.

The half-orc gave animal meat to the white mage, the dwarf, and himself in turn, then handed the only roasted fish to the goblin.

The goblin held the tiny fish, which was barely enough to fill the gaps between his teeth, his face brimming with resentment. “Why do I have to eat fish?”

The half-orc glanced at him. “You want meat? Hunt it yourself.”

If not for the goblin’s greed, none of them would have been injured today. Giving him a roasted fish was already generous.

The goblin was thin and small, with no fighting ability whatsoever. If he had not been proficient with all manner of mechanisms and devices, he would never have qualified to join their adventuring party.

Knowing that he was in the wrong, the goblin suppressed his anger and bit viciously into the fish.

He had to admit that the half-orc was good at grilling food. He was simply too stingy.

The mage, Seidler, ate his roasted meat at an unhurried pace, taking sips of water from his waterskin and chewing every mouthful carefully.

The hungrier a person was, the more important it became not to gorge himself. Otherwise, his stomach would be unable to bear it, and he would be the one to suffer.

After the Dark Elf, Merisi, finished gnawing the meat from an animal leg, he took out a clean cloth and wiped his fingers. Then he retrieved a piece of fruit from his storage pouch and tossed it toward the white mage.

“Catch.”

Seidler caught it instinctively. When he discovered that it was a plump, juicy fruit, he frowned at the Dark Elf.

“It’s the last one. You can have it,” Merisi said.

“No.” Expressionless, Seidler tossed it back.

Merisi caught it and immediately threw it to him again. “Once I give something away, I don’t take it back.”

Seidler caught the fruit and glared at him. “I have the right to refuse it.”

“It’s only a piece of fruit,” Merisi said. “Do you really need to refuse?”

Seidler gripped the fruit in silence.

The goblin stared covetously and sidled up to him. “If neither of you wants it, I do—”

He stretched out both hands and rose onto his toes, trying to take the fruit from the white mage. He was practically drooling and looked ready to pounce on it outright.

Seidler raised the fruit in disgust, keeping it away from the goblin’s green hands.

If they had been in a city, they could have obtained as much fruit as they wanted. But they were now in the Ergejia Desert, where food was scarce. A piece of fresh, juicy fruit was extraordinarily precious.

They had originally expected to complete their mission within a month. Instead, they still had no leads at all, and the food they had brought was gone. They could only search for oases and hunt small animals to stave off hunger.

After eating roasted meat for an entire week, Seidler was almost sick of it.

Who would not want fruit after that?

Unfortunately, this fruit had come from the Dark Elf. If Seidler ate it, that shameless bastard would start clinging to him.

Ever since they entered the desert, the Dark Elf had constantly tried to take liberties with him.

Seeing the white mage remain silent, Merisi sighed. “Don’t read too much into it. I don’t have any ulterior motive for giving you the fruit. I mainly want to thank you for helping me. Otherwise, I would have lost both hands.”

Seidler stared into his blood-red eyes for several seconds. Then he brought the fruit to his lips and took a bite.

The goblin watched enviously, swallowing again and again.

The dwarf glanced sideways at the goblin and sneered. “Jamie, stop standing there making a fool of yourself.”

The goblin muttered under his breath and returned to his former spot. Holding up the fish skeleton he had picked clean, he said to the dwarf, “Hack, don’t pretend you don’t want fruit too.”

Hack the dwarf admitted it openly. “Of course I want some. I just don’t have skin as thick as yours.”

Jamie jumped in fury. “You damned beard! The next time you step into a trap, don’t beg me to disarm it for you!”

Hack waved dismissively. “Fine, I won’t. I can dismantle mechanisms myself.”

Jamie scoffed. “What would a half-baked amateur like you know about mechanisms? Go back to hammering metal!”

Hack rolled up his sleeves. “Come on, then. Let’s see which of us is better.”

Jamie planted his hands on his hips. “Fine! Let’s do it.”

“Enough!” the half-orc, Nickbon, roared. “What are you arguing about? If you still have enough strength to fight each other, use it to kill a few more magical beasts for food!”

The dwarf and goblin immediately fell silent.

For a time, no one in the camp spoke.

The white mage silently ate his fruit. The Dark Elf repaired a bow with a broken string. The dwarf and goblin huddled in a corner, glaring at each other, while the half-orc continued gnawing his roasted meat.

The strained atmosphere left Shu Li thoroughly confused.

“Oenomysis, what happened to them today?”

They had been in good spirits yesterday. Today, every one of them looked utterly dispirited.

“They nearly sank into quicksand and were almost wiped out.”

“Quicksand? Doesn’t that Dark Elf know earth and water magic? How did he fail to avoid it beforehand?”

Shu Li was astonished.

“While crossing the desert, they encountered a fire dragon lizard. The goblin coveted its scales and urged the party to hunt it together.”

“Did they fail?”

Judging by the injuries covering every member of the party, the hunt clearly had not gone smoothly.

“Yes. Not only did they fail, but they nearly lost their lives. The fire dragon lizard they encountered was eighth-rank.”

“Eighth-rank?”

Shu Li sucked in a sharp breath.

Even a Saint Mage would not provoke an eighth-rank magical beast lightly. The most powerful member of this adventuring party was the Dark Elf, and even he was merely an Intermediate Grand Mage.

“They couldn’t defeat it, so they fled. Along the way, they encountered quicksand and nearly died. The Dark Elf used earth magic to get his companions out, but he was almost swallowed himself. The fire dragon lizard took the opportunity to burst from the quicksand and tried to bite him. At the critical moment, the white mage threw a magical lightning sphere that exploded against the fire dragon lizard’s eye. The Dark Elf used the opening to tear apart a magic scroll and escape the quicksand.”

“That... that was terrifying!”

Shu Li listened in stunned amazement.

Fortunately, he had not dared to enter the desert alone.

If he encountered an eighth-rank fire dragon lizard, a Senior Mage like him would not stand a chance.

The desert was terrifying!

He cupped his cheeks and sighed.

An adventuring party truly lived up to its name. Its members risked their lives on every adventure.

They were just like the adventurers who entered the Faerie Forest. Even though they knew they might die, an endless stream of them continued venturing inside for money and profit.

“There was something strange about that fire dragon lizard.” After repairing his bowstring, the Dark Elf suddenly spoke.

The white mage, still savoring the memory of the fruit he had finished, asked, “What was strange about it?”

At those words, the other members all turned toward the Dark Elf.

Shu Li stopped communicating with the Mother Tree and pricked up his ears.

Merisi put away his bow, picked up a branch, and drew a rectangle in the dirt. “I researched this. The mount of the Fire God Afama Chips was a fire dragon lizard. Two high-rank fire dragon lizards were once enshrined in the Temple of Edas. After the War of the Gods ended, the Temple of Edas disappeared, and the fire dragon lizards vanished with it.”

As he spoke, he continued drawing. The rectangle represented the Temple of Edas, while the two wormlike shapes were fire dragon lizards.

Seidler pondered this before asking, “You mean... the fire dragon lizard we encountered might have been one of the two enshrined in the Temple of Edas?”

“That’s impossible, isn’t it?” the half-orc said. “The Fire God’s mount would have to be ninth-rank, at the very least. The one we encountered was only eighth-rank.”

Ten thousand years had passed. There was no reason for the fire dragon lizard’s rank to fall instead of rise.

Inside the root tip, Shu Li nodded in agreement.

Fire dragon lizards were native to the desert. They existed in vast numbers and could be found everywhere. How could anyone encounter a random fire dragon lizard and immediately conclude that it was connected to the Temple of Edas?

Merisi glanced at the half-orc and raised an eyebrow. “I never said it was the Fire God’s mount.”

The dwarf asked, “Then why did you bring up the fire dragon lizards?”

“Exactly!” the goblin added. “We almost became its dinner!”

He was still worried that the fire dragon lizard might find this oasis and attack them in the middle of the night.

Seidler looked at Merisi. “Get to the point. Stop talking in circles.”

Merisi pointed the branch at the two “worms” he had drawn and shrugged. “The magical beasts enshrined in temples usually came as a male and female pair. Stop fixating on the Fire God’s mount and think about what happens when a male and female stay together.”

“What happens?” the half-orc asked.

The goblin let out a piercing laugh. “Idiot! Obviously, they make baby fire dragon lizards!”

The half-orc opened his mouth, exposing sharp wolf fangs.

The goblin hunched his shoulders and obediently fell silent.

The Dark Elf glanced at them. “Jamie is right. If a male and female magical beast remain together long enough, they’ll inevitably reproduce. Ten thousand years have passed. They must have produced many generations of descendants. Fire dragon lizards also have a particular habit. They ordinarily prefer to roam alone, but on the Day of Fire, they gather in one place to mate.”

Seidler finally understood. “You think the fire dragon lizards’ gathering place might be the ruins of the Temple of Edas?”

“Exactly,” Merisi said.

Silence settled over the camp for a moment before the goblin cried incredulously, “That isn’t even remotely funny! One fire dragon lizard nearly wiped out our entire party, and now you want us to look for a whole group of them?”

This time, the dwarf sided with the goblin. “Your reasoning is flawed! I don’t believe it!”

“Merisi’s deductions...” the half-orc said somberly. “They’ve never been wrong.”

Every oasis they had been fortunate enough to find had been located through Merisi’s deductions.

The dwarf and goblin immediately stopped talking.

Merisi looked at Seidler. “Do you think I’m joking too?”

Seidler took a sip from his waterskin and said calmly, “The day after tomorrow is the Day of Fire.”

Merisi burst into laughter and gave him a thumbs-up. “I like you more and more.”

“Get lost,” Seidler said coldly.

Merisi was accustomed to his icy expression. Turning to the others, he said, “Here’s my plan. We find the fire dragon lizards’ gathering place and keep watch nearby. Once they’ve finished mating and all left, we conduct our investigation.”

He was not foolish enough to confront an entire group of magical beasts head-on.

“Raise your hand if you agree.”

The goblin and dwarf did not move at first. The half-orc hesitated. The white mage studied the confident Dark Elf, then raised his hand first.

The moment the half-orc saw him do so, he followed.

The dwarf slapped his thigh and raised his hand as well.

The goblin tugged irritably at his hair before finally raising his hand.

“Good.” Merisi said. “Rest properly today and recover your strength. If anyone wants to bathe, I can provide water.”

Before long, the adventurers dispersed to attend to their own affairs around the camp.

Shu Li felt that his eavesdropping had yielded a worthwhile result.

“Oenomysis, was a fire dragon lizard really the Fire God’s mount?”

“Yes,” the Mother Tree replied.

“Were the two fire dragon lizards enshrined in the Temple of Edas ten thousand years ago really male and female?”

“The Dark Elf’s deduction has some merit.”

“Wow! Then the fire dragon lizards’ gathering place must be the former site of the Temple of Edas!”

Shu Li rubbed his hands together excitedly.

“Not necessarily,” the Mother Tree said, pouring cold water on his excitement. “No one has proven that the fire dragon lizards alive today are descendants of those two.”

Shu Li calmed down a little.

“That’s true.”

If their lineage had died out at any point, their bloodline could not have continued to the present day.

“By the way, I still want to ask you to keep following them.”

If they found the right place, it would save him a great deal of effort. He might even take advantage of the resulting confusion to slip in unnoticed.

If the Temple of Edas truly lay underground, that was where his advantage came into play: the Mother Tree could send him inside.

The more Shu Li thought about it, the more feasible the idea seemed.

“...Are you coming again tomorrow?”

“Of course!” Shu Li replied as though it were obvious.

“Fine.” The Mother Tree sighed helplessly.

All the members of the adventuring party had entered their tents to rest. With nothing left to overhear, Shu Li asked the Mother Tree to send him to Vanaku.

He needed to speed up the purification of Fruit Number Three.

He had spent longer eavesdropping than usual. By the time he reached Vanaku, the midday sun was at its fiercest.

The instant Shu Li emerged from the tree trunk, the sunlight stung his cheeks.

He tightened his hood and swiftly found the branch bearing Fruit Number Three. After hiding beneath a leaf, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He took out the canteen he carried with him and drank a couple of mouthfuls to quench his thirst, then began by purifying the Mother Tree’s offshoot.

Halfway through the purification, a Dark Elf entered the courtyard.

Shu Li immediately flattened himself against the branch and watched alertly.

It was Efit!

At this hour, Efit was the only one who came here to count the fruits.

Shu Li relaxed slightly, raised his magic staff, and continued casting purification magic on the Mother Tree.

Beneath the tree, Efit held a pen and paper as he looked up into the dense foliage. When he noticed tiny motes of light sparkling around one particular branch, he knew that the Little Fairy was purifying the Mother Tree.

According to their usual schedule, today was not the day when the Little Fairy was supposed to purify her.

Why had he come several days early?

Although puzzled, Efit did not immediately ask. He dutifully counted the fruits and recorded how many years each one had been growing.

Once Shu Li finished purifying the Mother Tree, he turned his magic staff toward Fruit Number Three and silently cast purification magic.

To move Fruit Number Three sooner, he purified it more times than usual. Even Fruits Number Five and Ten benefited a little.

After completing the purification, Shu Li put away his magic staff and looked down at Efit beneath the tree.

He thought it was necessary to have a talk with the Dark Elf.

Raising children was not simply a matter of providing material comforts. He also needed to guide their thinking and lead them onto the right path.

After Efit finished recording everything, he noticed the Little Fairy still standing on the branch and waving both hands at him.

Did he want to trade for herbs?

Because they were not supposed to meet today, Efit had not gone to gather any high-grade blue sweetstone.

When Shu Li saw that Efit was not moving, he waved again.

Come on! Hurry up and get up here! Don’t make me throw gold coins at you!

Fortunately, Efit did not keep him waiting for long. He leaped onto one of the Mother Tree’s branches and bounded upward, landing on the branch where Shu Li stood.

Crouching on the thick branch, he looked down at the Little Fairy hiding beneath a leaf.

“What is it?” he asked evenly.

Shu Li looked up, his expression solemn. “Fruit Number Three was nearly lost yesterday.”

Efit frowned. “You came yesterday?”

Shu Li nodded his delicate little head. “Yes. I arrived an hour early and saw the two cubs you adopted...”

He recounted everything he had seen and heard the day before without omitting a single detail.

A trace of surprise flashed through Efit’s blood-red eyes when he finished.

Shu Li spoke with grave earnestness. “You meant well when you adopted those cubs, but you mustn’t neglect their psychological problems. That child called Luka clearly has serious flaws in his character. You need to guide him properly and correct his mistaken ideas. His actions might appear to be his way of protecting you, but they actually reveal that he feels extremely possessive of you. A normal child should be optimistic, cheerful, and positive, not destructive like him...”

Efit quietly listened to the Little Fairy lecture him at length, a thoughtful expression gradually appearing on his face.

The Little Fairy had a point. Efit was so busy working and earning money that he had indeed neglected the cubs’ upbringing. He had never realized that Luka had developed such dangerous thoughts.

Luka was already eight years old, yet his behavior remained rather immature.

By contrast, the Little Fairy called Sperien had dared to come here and purify the Mother Tree’s offshoot at five. At ten, he had boldly approached Efit with a proposal for cooperation. Now, at fifteen, he handled every matter methodically, spoke with clear and persuasive reasoning, and offered unique insights that Efit found deeply enlightening.

Once the Little Fairy finished speaking, Efit said apologetically, “I’ll guide him properly.”

Shu Li kept his little face stern. “The same goes for the other cubs.”

Efit nodded. “I will.”

Hearing his promise, Shu Li finally smiled. “Good... By the way, I’m planning to move Fruit Number Three the day after tomorrow.”

Efit paused. “So soon?”

Shu Li shook his head. “I’m afraid that if I wait any longer, it’ll be born here. That would be too dangerous.”

Efit considered this for several seconds. “That may be for the best.”

Shu Li hesitated before asking, “Um... if I take the fruit away, will it cause trouble for you?”

A fruit on the verge of hatching would suddenly disappear. Someone was certain to notice, and if questions were asked, Efit—the one responsible for counting the fruits—would be in danger.

Shu Li did not want anything to happen to him.

Efit saw the concern in the Little Fairy’s eyes and said quietly, “No. I determine the official fruit count, and I’m also responsible for disposing of cubs that die before birth.”

He had removed Fruit Number Three from his notebook as soon as its purification began.

In other words, none of the purified fruits were included in the figures he reported.

After hearing his explanation, Shu Li gave him an admiring thumbs-up.

His concern had been completely unnecessary. Efit had already prepared a contingency, making arrangements well in advance to help him steal the fruits.

After bidding Efit farewell, Shu Li slipped into the tree trunk and returned to the Elven courtyard.

When he poked his head out, intending to nuzzle the little fruits, he was shocked to discover that the light in Angel’s room was still on.

What was going on?

It was already past midnight. Wasn’t he tired?

Shu Li had no choice but to abandon his plan to cuddle the little fruits. He furtively flew back to his window and squeezed through the narrow gap.

“Angel, go look again...” Budeno lay sprawled across the table and nudged Angel. “See if... Sperien has come back...”

Angel rubbed his eyes and forced himself upright, then patted the drowsy Disio. “Don’t fall asleep.”

Disio waved a hand at him. “I... I know...”

Angel summoned his energy, stepped out of the room, and staggered toward Shu Li’s door.

Just before he reached it, Sayah’s voice came from behind him.

“Angel? Why are you still awake so late?” Sayah approached in surprise and stroked his head. “Good cubs mustn’t stay up all night.”

“...I’m looking for Sperien...” Angel patted his cheeks to wake himself up. “He hasn’t been in his room all evening. I’m a little worried...”

Sayah smiled. “Sperien has gone to bed.”

“He’s asleep? Since when?” Angel asked in astonishment. He had checked several times without seeing Sperien return. How could he suddenly be asleep now?

“I told him to go to bed just before you came out,” Sayah replied without the slightest change in expression, smoothly deceiving the Little Fairy. “You should go to sleep too.”

“Can I see him?” Angel asked, placing a hand against the door to Shu Li’s room.

“No,” Sayah stopped him. “It’s rude to disturb someone while they’re sleeping.”

“But I...” Angel had waited until midnight and was unwilling to give up.

Shu Li had barely slipped back into his room when he heard the commotion outside the door, giving him quite a fright.

Had Angel discovered that he was not in his room?

Why was Sayah lying for him?

Without enough time to remove his equipment, Shu Li took off his hooded cloak and pulled a small blanket from his storage ring. He held it in front of himself, tousled his hair, and opened the door while pretending that he had just woken up.

“An... Angel... were you looking for me?” he asked drowsily.

Sayah quietly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Shu Li.

“Sperien!” Angel exclaimed joyfully. He wanted to hug and nuzzle him, but then remembered that he was currently in his full-sized form while Sperien was tiny, so he reluctantly gave up.

“I’m so sleepy. Aren’t you tired?” Shu Li asked, his eyes heavy with feigned drowsiness.

“Oh... yes, I’m tired too. I’ll come find you tomorrow!” Angel grinned. “Good night, Sperien.”

“Good night, Angel.” Shu Li waved, then nodded to Sayah. “Good night, Sayah.”

“Good night,” Sayah replied before urging them, “Go to sleep, both of you. You’re not allowed to stay up this late tomorrow.”

“All right!” Angel stuck out his tongue and ran back to his room. He woke Disio and Budeno and sent them back to their own rooms to sleep.

Shu Li closed his door and wiped away a sheen of cold sweat.

As expected, having his friends nearby made it inconvenient to sneak out and work.

Tomorrow, he would have to be more careful and find a better excuse—one that would prevent his friends from coming to look for him at night.

Angel lay in bed. Although he was very tired, he could not fall asleep for quite some time.

He could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Sperien had returned without making the slightest sound. And if he had gone to study with the king, why had he shrunk into his smaller form?

How strange—

Angel closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep.

A moment later, he opened them again and tried to remember what shape Sperien’s little flower crown had taken today.

It had not been a circlet. It had been a hair clip.

Yet just now, Sperien had been wearing both a circlet and a hair clip.

The circlet had even been golden, with a fiery red gemstone set into it.

Angel abruptly sat up, his head overflowing with questions.

Why had Sperien been wearing a sunstone circlet to sleep?!