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!'

huntress glared at him for a

to eat. But also…

there

were not instantly apparent, but to Sunny, who knew her so well,

She looked older, somehow. It was as if there was an invisible weight pressing down on her, the kind that people usually accumulated with the flow of years.

Sunny. I'm so happy that you are

silent and turned away. This… wasn't exactly the kind of welcome he had expected from her. He had

shy because

reason for her subdued attitude. He just didn't want to admit

the vision. That

he sat down on one of the chairs and offered

did you guys want to

it. After that, he summoned

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

"What is that thing?"

a chair next to Changing Star and

cone of silence. No one

tell Sunny 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

He sighed.

say that I'm surprised. If anything, it's strange that he didn't make

Effie giggled.

"Oh, did he ever…"

her, making the huntress fall silent, and

previous attacks, but they were just a rehearsal. A few

Sunny raised his eyebrow:

cockroach like me help the great and

and Nephis a strange

What can this little imp… uh, no offense, Sunny… do that we can't?

"Hey! Offense taken!"

smiled, then

Sunny might behave like a cowardly weakling, but in fact, he's the last 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 right,

smile froze on his face. A few moments passed in silence, with

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

he glared at Effie and added in

you already knew. It seems that you

However, Neph interrupted him: