Shadow Slave

After the five of them walked inside, Nephis remained silent for a few moments as she looked around. Although her face was still and stoic as ever, Sunny could have sworn that he noticed a hint of curiosity reflected in her cold grey eyes.

After a while, she asked:

"This is your home?"

Due to her sheltered upbringing, Changing Star had probably never been in a normal residence. Strangely, she was someone who had only experienced living in upscale manors and squalid Dream Realm slums, with nothing in between.

Still, Sunny was not discouraged. He grinned and nodded proudly.

"Yes. Bought it fair and square, with the contribution points from my first research paper. I own this place!"

Nephis hesitated.

"What happened to the walls?"

His smile dimmed a little.

"...Effie happened."

Of course, he had long cleaned the mess that the huntress created after Ascending. However, Sunny had been too preoccupied with other matters to enact proper repairs. As the result, the guest bedroom only had a flimsy curtain covering its irregular-shaped entrance, but no door.

'Maybe I should get to it…'

Sunny cleared his throat, then gestured at the living room section of the main space.

"Make yourself comfortable. I'll make us something to eat."

some reason, Sunny had a strong desire to cook

he produced a number of ingredients and laid them out on the cooking surface, then

fried rice should do the job. Omurice?

reached a poignant moment. Cassie was finishing describing the important details of the reason for their

only mildly aggressive. Sky Tide of White Feather took most of the blame for his

and

survivors. The rest of us took shelter in the Dream Realm. For the past six months, Sunny's contact in the government acted as an intermediary to arrange a peaceful negotiation. It seems that Valor is finally ready to

The blind girl sighed.

of tremendous. If they can't get all of us, they are determined to at least make sure that we don't pledge allegiance to their competitors. Of course, now that you are here, the situation has become even more fraught with tension.

weakly, and then said in an

sorry to have to burden you with all that right after you

for a few moments,

right to inform

look appeared on

in such a way that encountering words like "loyalists", "government contact", and "allegiance" in a casual conversation did not seem

meanwhile, looked at Changing Star with curiosity

the great clans is. What's your problem with them? I thought that you, of all people, would have been chummy

looked at her without

"They want me dead."

a couple of

"What? Why?"

Changing Star shrugged.

have to ask

for a while, thinking. After some time,

"So was Caster…?"

Nephis simply nodded.