Shadow Slave

The four people in the room reacted to his arrival differently.

Nephis seemed to be indifferent, as always. However, Sunny knew her well enough to notice a strange tension hiding in the depths of her calm grey eyes.

Caster greeted him with an amiable smile, but there was coldness hiding behind it. It seemed as though the handsome scion was not happy about this turn of events. Did he see him as a rival for Neph's attention, or was there more to it?

In any case, it was not Sunny's problem. He did not plan on returning to the cohort on a permanent basis. Caster could have all the attention to himself.

Effie looked at him with a genuine surprise.

"Doofus? You are actually alive?"

Sunny blinked and stared at her for a few moments, then said in an acrid tone:

"Sorry to disappoint."

She shook her head.

"No, no. Just… how the hell did you manage to survive three whole months in the ruins?"

He grinned.

"What can I say? I had a good teacher."

Since Effie was the one who taught him how to navigate the Dark City, that compliment was directed at her. However, the huntress simply shook her head.

"No student of mine would be stupid enough to actually live in the ruins. Not to mention returning looking so… feral."

'Do I look feral?'

Sunny took a mental picture of himself. Ragged clothes, dirty hair, a crooked grin, a hint of madness burning in his eyes… no, he couldn't see anything wrong with how he looked. In fact, the thought he looked great.

With an offended frown, he glanced at Effie and said:

"Yeah? Well… you look like you've gained a little weight."

…In all the right places.

'Focus, fool!'

him for a few moments, then

eat.

finally, there was

seemed to have changed the most out of all of them. The changes were not

an invisible weight pressing down on her, the kind that people usually accumulated with the flow of years. Her demeanor was calmer, more restrained.

I'm so happy that you

of welcome he had expected from her. He had been

shy

true reason for her

was the vision.

he sat down on

what did you guys want

glances. Before saying anything, Caster walked over to the door and closed it. After that, he summoned a Memory that looked like a bone flute and placed it on the table. Immediately, something

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

"What is that thing?"

man sat on a chair next to Changing

a cone of silence. No one outside this

that they were going to discuss something that had to do with the Bright Lord, Gunlaug himself. Suddenly, he felt an irrational desire to be anywhere else but in this brightly lit room. The wide window began to look very

He sighed.

to obliterate you all? Can't say that I'm surprised. If anything,

Effie giggled.

"Oh, did he ever…"

glanced at her, making the huntress fall silent, and turned

just a rehearsal.

Sunny raised his eyebrow:

like me help the great

him and Nephis a strange look, then cleared

little imp… uh, no offense, Sunny… do that we can't? I mean, he is a decent scout,

"Hey! Offense taken!"

then looked

person in the Dark City I would want to face in combat. He is far more dangerous than anyone thinks he is. Isn't it

few moments passed in silence, with everyone staring at him. Finally,

the secret is out of the box. Surprise, everybody! I am actually not a

glared at Effie and added in a

you already knew. It seems

However, Neph interrupted him: