CHAPTER 36: IT’S BEEN SIX DAYS SINCE THAT NIGHT...

It’s been six days since that night—the night when Ayra began her grueling training with Clotilde to master the Shadowshaper form of her Innatus.

And yet, I still haven’t heard a word about my mistress.

Nothing at all.

Only silence.

As if the situation weren’t unbearable already, Clotilde has been completely unyielding, forbidding me from attending the training she put her sister through.

According to her, I would only get in the way. And considering the strange bond that ties me to my mistress, it would be better for my mental and emotional health to remain ignorant of what Ayra has to endure.

Every time I recall Clotilde’s words, a shiver of terror runs down my spine at the thought of what Ayra might be going through right now.

I don’t even want to imagine it...

But that’s not what troubles me the most.

No, what truly shook me were the words Clotilde spoke just before ordering one of her men to drag me back to the dormitory: «For the next seven days, I demand not to be disturbed for any reason—not even when that matter comes up. You’ll handle it yourselves, as you always have. Am I clear?!»

That matter...? What did she mean by that?

The question keeps haunting me, constantly gnawing at me, but every attempt to gather information has been pointless.

The familiars in my dorm know nothing—though they hinted they could sense some strange unease in their masters.

Sasha and Daphne, on the other hand, even though I’m certain they know something, acted with such natural ease that I couldn’t pry a single clue from them.

Luckily, Daphne hasn’t abandoned me during this week without Ayra.

She’s always stayed by my side, doing her best to fill the empty space my mistress left behind.

She’s the only one in this rotten world I can share my pain and tears with, the only one who truly understands my suffering.

Her arms are always open for me, ready to wrap me in a warm embrace and soothe my wounded soul.

Even Sasha, I have to admit, has played her part.

Of course, she hasn’t given up on the idea of making me her familiar, nor changed her rather... unconventional methods of persuasion.

One afternoon she even demonstrated on herself how some of the strangest sex toys in her collection worked.

She moaned and gasped with such exaggerated intensity that even the boldest pornstar would have felt embarrassed.

She twisted herself into positions so absurd they made the Kama Sutra look like a children’s picture book, whispering unbelievably lewd phrases in my ear as if she were actually having sex with me—words that, I can’t deny, stirred feelings inside me I struggled to suppress.

«Y-Yes... harder, Lyon! Push harder...! F-Fuck me like I’m your slut...!»

According to her, it was a very effective way to show me what I was missing.

In any case, I think her opinion of me improved a little after that afternoon when I acted as her fashion consultant.

Thanks to my advice, she even managed to make it into the top five most attractive women in the kingdom.

Still, that result felt too small for her, especially considering that Daphne, of course, once again took first place.

In the meantime, I had to face two other matches.

The first was the day after I was separated from Ayra, against a certain Jung Malvhas—the Malvhas are a wealthy family of jewelers.

The second was just yesterday, against another member of the same family—Timothée Malvhas.

I had never seen either of them before, but with more than a thousand familiars spread across over twenty floors, there’s no way to know them all.

Despite my constant worry, I managed to win both matches—and fairly easily, I must admit.

My still-clumsy control of Vis energy played a crucial role, letting me endure blows and strike back far more effectively than before.

Unfortunately, since both opponents were ranked lower than me, I only gained a few spots, reaching a miserable 1394th place.

Still, facing weaker opponents proved useful for testing my Vis control in real combat.

But the most incredible thing was something else... Gerard won his first match!

And not against just anyone: his opponent was ranked almost a hundred places above him!

Much as I hate to admit it, I think it’s all thanks to Aron Dulcar.

He and Gerard were never particularly close—they would exchange greetings now and then, but nothing more.

In fact, their relationship even worsened after Gerard and I became friends.

But ever since that night they spent as roommates—the same night Kimberly Dulcar and I accidentally fell asleep together—their bond has changed, turning into a friendship that’s hard to ignore.

Okay, maybe calling them inseparable friends is an exaggeration, but at least they get along far better than before, enough to train together almost every day, with Priscilla’s resigned approval: «Do whatever you want, it can’t get worse than this anyway...»

During their training, they discovered they had very similar fighting styles—both relying mostly on brute strength—and from then on, everything became easier for Gerard, who started imitating Aron in every way.

Gerard isn’t weak: he simply never had proper training.

But now, thanks to Clotilde’s general introduction to Vis energy and Aron’s constant guidance, it seems good old Gerard has finally found his path.

Let’s just hope this also means fewer lashings from that little fuchsia-haired devil he has as a mistress...

...speaking of Priscilla...

Over the past two days, Daphne has been almost completely absent, and the few times I’ve seen her she looked unusually tense, lost in thought, as if something was troubling her.

I’m certain it has to do with that matter Clotilde mentioned, but according to her it’s only my imagination.

In other words: it’s something serious—something a small fry like me has no right to know.

Because of that—and since no one has taken Daphne’s place—I was supposed to stay confined to the dormitory.

Or at least, that’s how it should have gone.

But Gerard—probably not wanting to leave me alone all day—suggested we train together.

I won’t deny I would have preferred a lazy day of doing nothing rather than endure the annoying presence of that loli succubus, but faced with Gerard’s insistence, I gave in.

Priscilla’s bodyguard—the same one who handles teleportation until she can do it herself—took us to the training grounds.

Or so I thought...