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?!»

about safety, considering that

mostly limited to the precautions meant for mundane people, Awakened at most. At higher Ranks of power, things progressively became

and nonchalant, but he found himself listening with interest. There

that was definitely the reason why

why I am acting

He frowned slightly.

actions earlier were very much in line with his personality, Sunny felt strangely… extra, at the moment. After thinking for a while, he took

«Ah.»

Nephis in the Nameless Temple. Was there such an element to her presence, as well? If so, there were two different sources influencing him, mixing and fusing

strong, and he could easily suppress it if he

«What a mess.»

the company of powerful

Sunny decided that he had enough of Effie's

waited for her to pause, and

but overhear… did you mention wanting to gobble up something tasty earlier? Was

was taking a sip

an arm, shielding Nephis' white trousers from the rain of wine droplets with the folds of

Did I say

few times and shook

And thank you, but no!

«Now you remember!»

He smiled.

dad

about managing the Beast Farm and the Brilliant Emporium,

a hint of relief? She had seemed utterly unaffected by Effie's graphic tirade before, but maybe

raised an

«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

hesitated for a moment, and then gave Nephis a bright smile and a thumbs

Handsome, cooks well…

and accompanied