Upon arriving at the front gate, an urchin approached Kane. Definitely not a Niflenia student. He wore a worn flat cap and was carrying a leather mailbag strapped on his shoulder. Looking at the half-oni up and down, the boy asked, “Are ya Kane Foxsnove?”
“I am. Is there a letter for me?” he asked back.
“Two, actually.” The urchin courier handed both envelopes. “Here ya go.”
“Mn.” Kane received them and then tossed the coin worth 10 gold from Salev. “Catch.”
“Whoa! Thanks very much!” His eyes sparkled.
“Yeah, yeah. Now, go. I’m in a hurry here.” Kane waved away to dismiss him.
“Y-yessir!” The urchin courier ran away while caressing the coin and grinning.
Kane checked the senders; they were from Ezar, his current father, and Bokar, the oni demon hunter on vacation. Faster than he expected since he had sent a letter to them around a week ago. Tucking them under his clothes, Kane resumed his journey toward the royal library.
---
Liana was sitting down at the dining table under the roof of the house on top of Niflenia’s library. Humming a song, she was drawing with her charcoal pencil on a large piece of paper. While she may not be the best singer in the world, her soothing voice made the worst tune sound dulcet to anyone. When she looked outside, she stood up and approached the sole house entrance. Opening the door, she said,
“Kane? Is that you? You always surprised me with your visit.”
“I want to borrow your magic circle drawing. I know it’s very late, so I won’t stay here too long” said Kane. He traveled here directly from the blacksmith.
“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind at all.” Liana then welcomed him.
Kane cast his gaze around to his surroundings. The golden magic chandelier, which was fueled by mana stones, lit the whole room and painted the room with warm color. The crackling flame was burning in the fireplace arranged from bricks, radiating a pleasant heat.
“Were you drawing something?”
“Uh, yeah. It’s kinda bad, though,” Liana hid her hands behind her back, coying.
Kane peered closer at the scribbles, it was a drawing of the campus from a bird’s point of view in the morning, judging from the sun’s position. Students were flocking toward the education building and each of them had a different face and hair. However, not all buildings were present due to the drawing left unfinished.
“Yours is better than mine, that’s for sure,” he remarked.
“Really? Thank you, Kane.” Liana grinned. “Anyway, I’ve stored the paper in my room. Wait for me, okay?” She hurried to her bedroom.
While waiting for her, he inspected the room once again. On the corner, he saw three small, dusty framed portraits with a respective name on the bottom. From left to right: Edward C. Niflenia, a middle-aged man with a big curly mustache and short light blonde hair; Yvonne Niflenia, a graceful-looking young woman with long red hair; and lastly, Nataliana C. Niflenia. Ahe was the girl herself except much younger than she was now. In this portrait, she was around 4 or 5 years old.
“Are they Liana’s parents? Seems like it. But, their last names are the same as this academy. Could it be…?”
“Found it!” Liana shouted as she left the room. “Ah! Don’t look!”
“What’s wrong?” asked Kane.
“It’s embarrassing.” Her cheeks turned red beet. “I look so silly in that picture.”
“Are they your parents?”
Liana’s face turned somber in an instant. “Yeah, but I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Alright, I won’t either.” Kane too found it difficult to talk about sensitive topics, so he wouldn’t do it to others. Besides, he could guess her parents’ background without her explanations. “Anyway, the paper.”
“Oh, here you go.”
“Thanks.”
As soon as she handed him the scribble, water droplets drizzled outside. It only took a moment before it became heavy rain.
“Damn, it’s raining outside. I can’t go back to the dorm without ruining the paper,” lamented Kane. He couldn’t help but think that the lords intentionally prevented him from leaving.
“You can wait here until it stops raining. Make yourself home.”
“I’ll excuse myself, then.”
Sitting on the couch and facing the fireplace, Kane opened the letter from his father first. The content was about his current health, condition, some mundane events in the village, and several questions regarding Kane's situation. Reading his father’s concern was somewhat touching, albeit it wasn’t that important. He still appreciated it, though.
Next, he read Bokar’s letter — the letter he had been waiting for.
---
Dear Kane, the greatest ax saint and weaponsmith alive,
First of all, many, many thanks for your lessons in smithing. They have tremendously helped my financial situation; I was able to live comfortably and lavishly. Your vis teachings also have increased my strengths by two folds.
I have much information regarding the demon’s feather you’ve asked for. They are referred to as ‘Black Feathers’ by most people. Lots of feathers have scattered in this continent, Colvanza, and many organizations have been vying for them. Devilsbane, the demon hunter organization which I belong to, is one of them. We’ve amassed quite a number of them, but unfortunately, I can’t tell you the exact amount.
You might be asking yourself: what’s the big deal with those feathers? We’re still researching their properties, and they’re currently unknown to us — including whether they’re able to pinpoint Xervatia’s location or not, but it should be possible according to our engineers. We do know, however, that some factions are more relentless than others to possess those. I’ll send you another letter when I have more important news. Our current mission is to secure all Black Demon Feathers to prevent them from being misused by others.
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I think it’d be best for you to join Devilsbane and collect as many feathers as you can together with our allies. I know you’re currently busy as a mage student, so consider that only after you’ve graduated.
By the time you read this letter, I’m on my way to Fort Harkensburg, the headquarters of Devilsbane, south-east of Rabrond. My expertise is urgently needed there. Also, the location is not hidden nor classified, so come visit when you have time!
Best regards,
Bokar
P.S. Don’t neglect to practice the demon’s language I’ve taught! You’re barely fluent at it. Oh yeah, I hope you remember all of my lessons about the demon race. In case you forgot, your school’s library must’ve at least a book about them.
P.S.S. Your ‘father’ was seriously worried about you. He kept asking about you over and over again. Every. Single. Day. It drove me crazy and probably one of the reasons why I left Deven. Please visit him sometimes.
P.S.S.S. I almost forgot to tell you that I am focusing on crafting armors and shields now since there’s a lot of demand for those lately. Besides, there’s no way I can catch up with your weaponsmithing skill. If you need protection, I can make some for you free of charge and without delivery fee! Consider this as my gratitude. Just let me know in your next letter.
---
It took almost half an hour to read Bokar’s letter. Kane had gained so much information, it was difficult to process it. He initially believed that while the feather was important, it shouldn’t have drawn too much attention. Now, he had to race against time. Kane hoped that no organization hadn’t discovered Black Feather’s whereabouts in this academy. Especially the church in which Aureus used to be their leader. That would be troublesome.
Meanwhile, Liana was busy drawing. The drizzle on the outside filled the silence between the two.
As time passed by, Kane had a sudden realization: why is the rain not stopping yet? Based on his internal clock, it has been three hours since he was stuck in Liana’s house. If this goes by, he had no choice except to push through the rain without the paper.
“Liana, it’s getting late. I think I should return to my dorm,” said Kane.
“But, it’s still raining!”
“It’s okay. A mere rain like this won’t stop me-”
“No way! What if you get sick!? Can you even find your way in the dark?” argued Liana.
Kane uttered a defeated sigh. “...you have a point. I’ll spend a night here, I guess.”
“That’s the spirit!” Liana nodded fervently and entered her bedroom. “Come here, Kane!”
Kane raised his brows. For some reason, Liana became more excited than usual. Not expecting anything, he followed her. She probably needed a hand to bring a blanket for him to sleep in the living room.
The bedroom was quite dark until Liana lit up a few magic candles with a simple chant. The first few things he noticed were how almost everything was white… and messy. Many kinds of stuffed animals cluttered up the floor. The white sheet was spread across the queen-sized bed. It was a rather refreshing sight when compared to his dorm room. Stepping on the wool carpet, together they approached toward the bed.
Liana then tucked into the blanket. Seeing this, Kane pointed at her and asked, “So… you’re not gonna give me that?”
“For what? You’ll be sleeping here anyway,” she said nonchalantly.
“Come again?”
“We’ll sleep together!”
Blinking his eyes twice, Kane was at a loss for words because he couldn’t process her way of thinking. “Uhh… thanks for the offer, but I’ll just sleep on the couch.”
“No!” she shouted. “Don’t go anywhere, please… To be honest, I never have someone to sleep with except with my dolls. Not even my parents.”
“So, what you’re trying to say is…”
“Please don’t make me lonely for the first time,” Liana begged with her teary eyes.
Kane was silent, mulling over his choice. While he didn’t want to feel guilty for taking advantage of her, this was also a golden opportunity to sleep with a girl. Finished deciding, he then began removing his shirt.
“Why are you suddenly taking your clothes off?” asked Liana, tilting her head.
“I’m preparing to sleep,” replied Kane thoughtlessly.
“So, you’re going to sleep here? That’s great!” She became ecstatic. “Why are you doing that then?”
“It’s more comfortable this way,” said Kane. He stopped after removing his pants, unlike the usual; a sudden realization hit him. He shouldn’t have said that.
“Is that so? I’ll try that too!” she said enthusiastically as she pulled up her gown.
“Wait, you don’t have to-”
By the time Kane knew his mistake, it was already too late. His eyes feasted on Liana’s supple breasts that jiggle upon undressing. Although the white bras covered the pairs, he could determine that they probably could fit in his palms. Looking slightly below, her flat stomach and curved hips were alluring to see despite nothing out of ordinary. The rest of her body was blocked by the bed, until she put her thigh on the mattress, revealing the white underwear.
“Umm, should I remove the rest, Kane? It’s kinda cold.”
“No! You don’t have to!” shouted Kane. He turned away yet his eyes weren’t.
“Okay then.” Liana then hopped underneath the blanket, tucked in. “Come over here!”
Slowly, he did the same. Both Liana and he were covered underneath the same blanket with some space between them. The bed and the pillow were soft, akin to a jelly.
“You’re right, Kane! It’s really comfy!” exclaimed Liana as she faced him.
“That’s great…” Kane turned his face away and shut his eyes.
The heavy rainstorm persisted even after a long time had passed. Loud, it might be, however, that was not the reason why Kane couldn’t sleep. Dirty thoughts kept plaguing his mind as his heart was beating uncontrollably fast. He had to restrain himself, otherwise, an undesirable outcome would occur.
Kane had a fair share of experience with various women in one bed during his previous life, yet a mere young girl like Liana abashed him. How perplexing. Perhaps because it had been a long time since he had embraced a woman. After all, a saint had to let go of worldly desires to break one’s limit and achieve enlightenment… most of the time.
He then rolled his body rightward to face Liana. She was sleeping soundly as her mouth gaped a little.
“Thinking about her would only deprive me of getting sleep. I should plan for the future instead” He rolled back to his previous position.
Now that he owned a workshop, he could smith a new weapon. The usual one would serve him very little due to his current body. Rather, he had to smith a magic weapon — a weapon that utilizes mana instead of vis, pretty much had the same function as staves and wands. They were popular among magic swordsmen and battle mages, due to the high viability in close-quarter combat.
However, they were also inferior to normal weapons in the same rank due to the type of ore that magic weapons used, granted they fetched for a much higher price. Compared to ordinary steel, they were much softer and thus not as durable. It wasn’t much of a concern since mages were rarely engaging in close quarters anyway.
Some had attempted to fix the issues by casting the ore and other materials into a special alloy. They did manage to produce a strong, durable alloy albeit severely reduced mana conductivity, causing the user to spend more mana than using a magic staff or wand. No blacksmiths could do anything about it, not even the Valvaris, as far as he knew.
Except for Kane.
All that left is he had to gather or buy the required materials and free time. The perfect time to do that would be after the end-of-semester exam. Without realizing it, he fell asleep.
---
“Ugh, is it morning already?” grumbled Kane as he slowly opened his eyes.
The heavy rainstorm had ceased, though the sun had yet to appear, judging from the lack of the sound and sunlight. The usual time for him to wake up. When he was about to get up, something soft and heavy prevented him from moving.
“Don’t tell me…”
His suspicion was true. Liana’s bosom pressed against his arm while she was hugging it. Her messy hair draped all over his stomach.
“This girl… Why is she so careless? She’s several years older than my current body and yet she doesn’t act like one,” muttered Kane. Her behavior kept baffling him.
After he finished monologuing, Liana opened her eyes. Wrapping around Kane’s arm, she said, “Mmh… Kane? Did you stay awake all night?”
“I just woke up a while ago.” Kane then tried to pull his right arm away from her; it didn’t budge.
“Could you… let go of me?” he asked, scratching his nose.
“Ah! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hug you like that,” apologized Liana. She immediately released her clutch and backed away.
“I’m not saying that I hated it but… nevermind.” Kane cleared his throat. “Could you activate the portal, please?”
“Eh? It’s still very early in the morning,” said Liana.
“I want to do some daily exercises,” he replied.
“Okay, then.”
As Kane got dressed, Liana called, “Kane?”
“Yes?”
“Let's sleep together again next time!” she suggested.
“Uhh…” Kane hesitated to answer. It sounded wrong, but he understood that Liana didn’t mean that. “Alright, I’ll sleep with you sometimes. If I have free time.”
“Great! I’ll be waiting for you!” Liana grinned ear to ear.
After Kane teleported into the storage room, he went to his dorm without encountering anyone. In his dorm room, Calypso was sleeping soundly, which was to be expected. Kane began his daily exercise.