Shadow Slave

«I've… made a terrible mistake.»

In hindsight, Sunny should have known that he was digging his own grave. It was just that he did not see Effie often these days, and so, he had forgotten…

That Effie's corrupting influence was just as terrible as the Corruption of the Void itself.

No, was it even more terrible?

In any case, the opportunities to stump the boisterous huntress were too rare! He simply could not pass on the chance to fluster her. More importantly… while Sunny knew that Nephis and Effie were close, Master Sunless had no way of knowing that. So, based on what he was supposed to know, the correct course of action had to be furthering the agreed-upon deception.

Therefore, Sunny passed the wine to Nephis. And then took her hand.

Why did he do that?

Well, simply put… because he could.

If there was an opportunity to hold Neph's hand, why would he not? Effie had accidentally provided him with a convenient reason, as well. It was all working out great…

Sunny had promised himself to enjoy the odd situation, and he was going to enjoy it as much as he could.

…Neph's hand felt soft and cool in his grasp.

He remained comparatively calm. That was not the first time the two of them held hands, after all, so there was no reason for him to lose composure. Sunny enjoyed the feeling silently, a small smile finding its way onto his face.

Of course, it was only a familiar situation from his point of view. For Nephis, suddenly holding hands with a stranger must have been surprising. Her expression did not really change, but he could feel a subtle tension in her shoulders. It seemed that she was a bit uncomfortable with his bold action… maybe even dismayed by it?

«Ah… did I mess up?»

It was then that Effie's rattled expression slowly turned into a mischievous grin, and Sunny's eyes widened slightly. He had realized his mistake.

But by then, it was already too late.

«Oh, gods…»

Soon, he found himself sitting on a sofa side by side with Nephis, listening to Effie explain contraception to them… in gruesome detail…

«What the hell? Weren't you the one who got pregnant in the middle of a disastrous military campaign?! Why are you, of all people, telling me this stuff?!»

people about safety, considering that she knew the

for mundane people, Awakened at most. At higher Ranks of power, things progressively became much

but he found himself listening with interest. There

was definitely the reason why he was

why I am acting

He frowned slightly.

were very much in line with his personality, Sunny felt strangely… extra, at the moment. After thinking

«Ah.»

strange ever since he met Nephis in the Nameless Temple. Was there such an element to her presence, as well? If so, there were two different sources influencing

way strong, and he could easily suppress it if he wanted to. But

«What a mess.»

company of

control, Sunny decided that he

waited for her to pause,

Athena. I couldn't help but overhear… did you mention wanting to

taking a sip of wine, suddenly

Nephis' white trousers from the rain of wine droplets

sorry. Did I say

few times and

alright. And thank you, but no! I have

«Now you remember!»

He smiled.

dad doing, by

friends in Bastion, and apart from Aiko, that nameless guy was the closest thing he had to a buddy. They often shared stories about managing the Beast Farm and the Brilliant Emporium, exchanging ideas and the like. However, Ling's dad seemed to be busy lately, so they had not had time to catch up in a

a hint of curiosity… and a hint of relief? She had seemed utterly unaffected by Effie's graphic tirade before, but maybe Sunny was simply

raised an eyebrow and

«You know each other?»

Sunny nodded.

«Yes.»

her chin and

haven't had the pleasure of dining there often, though. Still, Master Sunless is an incredible chef! Oh, and he also helped us a lot by

then gave Nephis a bright

I approve! Handsome, cooks well… and is great with

with emphasis, and accompanied by