Fifth Day: Adolescent Baby and the Sixty-Nine Child

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"Sister Jeanne?" Lily stood there, agape. She had heard that Jeanne had fallen in battle. Yet, seeing her here indicated that she hadn't perished but had been captured. Lily didn't know the extent of Jeanne's strength, but she was confident it exceeded level two hundred.

"Hah... Hah... Lily. How are you?" Jeanne was oddly panting and sweating, as if she had run a marathon before arriving. She appeared uneasy, her eyes darting back and forth, unfocused as she looked at James. Strangely, she was being exceedingly polite to Lily. Lily, typically an indolent princess, was usually ignored by other nobles of Bluebox, including Jeanne Scheherazade. Due to her low level and status among the royals, Lily was often subject to bullying.

"I was captured by James," Lily stated. "You as well?"

Their silence communicated volumes. With a single look, they understood each other. Jeanne had been in captivity for over a year. She appeared physically healthy, but her demeanor told a different story. Her complexion was pale, her breathing ragged.

"Master!!" Jeanne rushed toward James as he motioned for her. Like a dog responding to a call, she groveled at his feet. Lily gazed at her in shock, her jaw almost hitting the floor. Jeanne had been a proud knight during their time together at the castle. She had disapproved of Lily's indolent nature, frequently reprimanding her for it. It was inconceivable for Lily to witness her once-proud sister reduced to such a state.

"Here. Open your mouth." James produced a vial of the familiar pink potion from his [Item Box]. Dropping a few drops into Jeanne's mouth as she extended her tongue like a dog, he said, "The moment the liquid touched her lips, Jeanne's tension seemed to melt away, replaced by a moan of pleasure.

"Ah... Thank you, master... 💖" she murmured, squirming in pleasure. Watching her transform into such a state sent shivers of fear down Lily's spine.

"Lily, take a seat," James instructed, resting his feet on Jeanne's back as she crawled like a dog. Jeanne's expression showed no traces of hatred or humiliation, only bliss. Obeying his command, Lily walked over and settled on another sofa, facing him. In a king-like manner, James luxuriated on his couch. Another unfamiliar slave approached him and began massaging his back.

The plane began its ascent, its massive wings propelling it into the sky after a lengthy roll down the runway. Inside the fuselage were only two rooms: James's opulent cabin and the cockpit. The roomy interior of the plane boasted sofas, televisions, and snack carts. Soon, his guards were happily munching on snacks, their eyes closing as they focused solely on what mattered most to them—their own lives. Even Tiana, unfazed by James's behavior, didn't bat an eye.

"So, what's the continuation of the story?" James inquired.

"Huh?" Lily stared at him, puzzled. However, she quickly shifted gears when she caught sight of James's displeased expression. To her surprise, she still remembered the content of her story. "Ah, yes. The story about the Adolescent Baby and the Sixty-Nine Child. Once upon a time, in a village cursed by the witch of time, the residents were trapped in eternal loli, unable to physically age beyond the level of sixty-nine."

"Then, a hundred years later, two childhood friends emerged—a soldier's child and a doctor's child. Bound by a deep friendship, they reveled in playing together. One aspired to be the finest knight, while the other harbored dreams of becoming the greatest healer."

"However, one of these friends soon encountered a hurdle. She needed to be this tall to enter." Lily continued, accompanied by a mime of someone measuring height with her hand, reminiscent of the phrases often used in amusement parks. This amused James, eliciting him to chuckle. The crowd of guards and attendants behind him fell silent, captivated by the unfolding story. They had abandoned their earlier inappropriate behavior and harassment of slaves and flight attendants, engrossed in Lily's tale. Though Lily was heedless of their attention, she felt a sense of satisfaction in the silent atmosphere as she focused solely on James.

"Then the doctor and the child set out to level up. The doctor, with a cunning strategy, directed all last attacks to the knight. This way, all the experience points are funneled into the knight, leading to rapid leveling. The doctor ingeniously bred rats, poisoned them, and asked the knight to eliminate them.

"Eventually, the knight reached level 69 and underwent a growth spurt, becoming much taller, more than twice the doctor's height. With an air of pride, she enrolled in the barracks. It's essential to note that both of them were just 7 years old. Nonetheless, due to her strength and high level, she excelled in the entry test and was accepted," Lily narrated, but Isaac interjected.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"That's absurd. You can't level up that way. The rats would be low-level creatures. At most, you'd only reach level 10 using that method," Isaac pointed out. However, Lily merely smiled, dismissing his comment as she turned her attention back to James.

"May I continue the story?"

"Yes, please do," James consented, his expression transitioning from a smile to a frown. He had been scrutinizing her words intensely, perhaps reading too much into them, which had made him uneasy.

"Then I shall proceed. With the skill points she acquired, the girl outshone all the other knights. In no time, she was hailed as the premier knight in the entire kingdom," Lily's smile deepened as she closed her eyes, her focus shifting from James to the narrative itself. This was the first instance she had invested her heart into her story. She yearned for the idyllic life of knights, where everything seemed attainable.

"How wonderful it would be if this story could materialize," Lily mused, indulging her indolent tendencies in a moment of fantasy. The joy of leveling with little work. She smiled as she rounded off her tale. Yet, upon reopening her eyes and locking onto James's gaze, she found him fixed on her, unyielding and expectant as if he awaited more.

"...," the silence hung heavily in the air. Her hard work had been acknowledged as incomplete. Thus, she was compelled to press on.

"Soon after, the neighboring kingdom launched an attack. Amid the chaos, the 7-year-old adult knight rushed to the rescue! Yet, facing off against the champion of the opposing realm, she was defeated. The handsome champion spoke these words to her, 'Those who do not labor shall not be graced with glory.' Dejected, The knight returned home," Lily surveyed her surroundings, greeted only by silence, neither applause nor disapproval. She dug deep to the bottom of her shallow brain to unearth more of her story.

"The knight turned to her old friend, who remained a little girl. Unchanging."

"Hm? Why didn't the friend level up?" Isaac, the insolent critic, immediately interjected.

"... I-I shall explain that later," Lily stammered. She hadn't foreseen the fate of her heroines, having woven the tale in haste, akin to serialized authors rushing to meet deadlines. She had let the narrative flow as it wished. Switching to autopilot, she continued her story.

"The knight implored her, 'My friend, the kingdom is in peril. I must vanquish the enemy's champion, or we shall be enslaved. Please, help me. Allow me to use your rats once more.'

"The doctor, now leading a leisurely life as a farmer and local medic, responded, 'You are my friend, and thus, I must speak the truth. You cannot use them anymore. Your level has stagnated, hasn't it? There are no more adversaries powerful enough for you to gain experience,' she clarified." Lily swiftly incorporated Isaac's feedback by introducing the rule that an adequate-level opponent was necessary for leveling up, even though it made more loopholes in her stories. Without pause, she resumed her tale.

"'Then what am I to do?' the knight bemoaned. After pondering, the doctor proposed, 'Why not hone your skills?'"

"Yet, the knight declined, countering, 'Training my skills now would yield little. I need years to master them. If I don't defeat the enemy's champion within a month, they will march on our capital!'"

"At this, the doctor offered a solution, 'Very well, I know a way to enhance your skills within a month.'"

"'How?' the knight inquired. 'Do you possess a master swordsman who can instruct me here?'

"It is simple. Hold your sword and swing it back and forth. Your skill will gradually improve," the doctor advised. One month later, the knight returned to the capital, her swordsmanship skill now at level 10. And when she faced—"

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be landing at the Former Bluebox territory in five minutes. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts," the pilot's announcement signified the plane's impending arrival.

"Excuse me, Your Highness," Lily said as she buckled her seatbelt. James wasn't particularly pleased with the pilot's interruption, but they had reached their destination. He still had tasks to attend to tomorrow.

Upon reaching the hotel within Bluebox, James instructed Tiana, "Tiana, stay at the hotel with Lily. I have matters to attend to tomorrow. I will bring Jeanne."

"Yes, sir." Tiana bowed. James and his retinue proceeded to Bluebox's SkyBlue Palace. The palace gleamed atop a hill akin to a dreamy sky. Lily stared at it wistfully. Her life had been confined within its walls, colored by disdain and mockery. However, the library, a place dear to her, emitted a calming aroma that soothed her heart.

"Is the library still intact?" she queried.

"I don't know, but it's likely. King James does not engage in unnecessary destruction. However, a portion of propaganda or Bluebox's historical texts might have been burnt already," Tiana responded.

The hotel Lily occupied resembled the chambers in Redbox Castle. She now understood the opulence of Bluebox's royalty and nobility. While King James was deemed the wealthiest in Redbox, even the castle's accommodations appeared comparable to certain hotels in Bluebox.

"He won't be coming tomorrow?"

"Yes. King James will remain in the palace. He won't be visiting our hotel," Tiana explained.

"Why can't we all go to the palace?" Lily asked, her head tilted in confusion at James' directive.

"It's a directive from King James. You are to stay in the hotel until tomorrow or the day after tomorrow," Tiana explained. She didn't understand the reasoning behind James' order, nor did she consider it necessary to know. Her understanding was simple: disobeying him could result in even harsher consequences.

"I understand," Lily replied, opting not to probe further. Her languid mind was fatigued from the experiences on the airplane. She settled onto her bed and allowed herself to rest.

"I still have to get ready for tomorrow's stories..." Lily muttered as she drifted into slumber.