Stability

Morning sunlight streamed through the high windows, scattering across the soft carpet as dust danced lightly in the golden beams. The sunlit room was quite comfortable.

Mian felt that... his captivity was actually rather pleasant.

Sharon had brought him a few grimoires, and as he trained, he suddenly remembered that he was a student at the magic academy.

Musen often kept him company with casual chat.

Musen had brought a chessboard, and the two of them sat cross-legged on the carpet by the door, playing chess... Mo Lini watched eagerly from outside the door.

Aside from not being able to leave the room, everything else was fine.

And the food here was excellent too...

"Aina said that once she finishes setting up the formation around the mansion, you'll be able to come out, Mian, and take a stroll in the courtyard," Mo Lini said, with Little Blue perched on her head.

"That really would be wonderful, Teacher Mo Lini," Mian replied with a somewhat forced smile.

He had no idea when his own problems would be resolved.

Beside them, Luo Lun, sitting on the floor, looked somewhat surprised.

A formation that required Aina—someone of her caliber—to spend considerable time setting up... just how terrifyingly powerful would it be?

"Gah?"

The blood bat on Luo Lun's shoulder let out a strange squeak and rubbed against his cheek.

Luo Lun gently tapped its little nose, which was just beginning to take shape.

Ever since he had followed Aina's instructions and merged his own blood into the blood bat, refining it into a part of himself... the little creature had become a bit dazed and silly.

Hmm... was his blood really that bad?

Still, there was no comparison with Aina.

"Oh, everyone's here. No wonder the living room was empty," Liyana said, striding over with her usual swagger, coming from the hallway.

Mo Lini shot her a glare. "Were you out again last night?"

She hadn't seen Liyana this morning, and Luo Lun had ended up making breakfast instead.

"Heh, adults' business. Kids shouldn't ask too many questions," Liyana said, ruffling Mo Lini's head vigorously before yanking her hand back just before Mo Lini could retaliate.

"Where's Sharon?" Liyana asked casually.

"Don't know. Didn't see them this morning."

"Probably still in bed, then... must have great stamina," Liyana commented enviously.

Mo Lini tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"

"Cough—never mind, kids don't need to know that," Luo Lun interjected awkwardly, cutting off Mo Lini's curiosity.

Liyana glanced into the room. Mian was racking his brains dealing with Musen's offensive on the chessboard and didn't notice the conversation outside.

Shrugging as if she found it all a bit dull, she wandered off on her own.

They had been back in Oli Fiendo for a while now, and it was clear Liyana was getting restless.

But she also knew that until Mian's issues were resolved, Sharon and the others wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

When would she get to go on another adventure...

Humming a little tune, Liyana's voice faded into the distance.

...

The days settled back into calm.

In the master bedroom, sunlight filtered through the window, magically transformed into a warm golden glow.

Sharon lay on the bed, propped against a cloud-soft goose-down pillow, watching as Aina reached a hand out of thin air and pulled out an ancient tome.

"Reading while lying down is bad for your eyes," Sharon reminded her, his fingers toying with his wife's silver hair. The sunlight caught tiny sparks of light dancing through her locks, like trapped stars.

Aina looked up slightly and glanced at him.

"Forget I said anything," Sharon chuckled, pinching Aina's cheek playfully.

Arguing with the Demon Lord about trivial matters was undoubtedly pointless.

Aina knew he was just trying to start a conversation. Lying against Sharon's chest, she flipped through the pages and explained, "I'm looking for a way to resolve that problem with Mian."

"You've been working hard," Sharon said, burying his face in Aina's thick, fragrant hair and taking a deep breath.

Aina then pulled out another thick ancient tome and lightly tapped Sharon's head with its spine. "Don't just laze around. Help me look, too."

"Oh..." Sharon took the tome from his wife's hands.

The cover and spine bore no markers, and he had no idea what book it was. A somewhat abstract magical circle was drawn on the front cover.

For ordinary magical circles, Sharon could usually judge their purpose by the magical circuits and his own experience... but this one was completely incomprehensible in both structure and content.

He looked down at Aina in his arms.

"Soul magic—a very niche branch. Hardly anyone studies it. Even among witches, very few know about it," Aina explained without looking up.

The book was well-preserved, exuding a pleasant fragrance of paper and knowledge.

But when he opened the yellowed pages, dense lines of tiny text filled his head, making him dizzy and disoriented.

The words were all recognizable, but when combined, their meaning eluded him entirely...

In contrast, Aina's expression remained calm as her slender fingers turned the pages at a steady pace.

She flipped a page every seven or eight seconds, reading quite swiftly.

Sharon struggled through an entire page, his face showing clear difficulty, before forcing himself to turn to the next.

"If it's too much, you don't have to read it," Aina said from within his arms, a slight smile curving at the corner of her mouth. She knew her husband's temperament all too well.

"It's just too hard for you. You'd be better off giving me a massage—it'd help me work more efficiently." Aina nuzzled her head gently against his.

"Oh." Sharon put the tome aside and placed his hands on Aina's shoulders, kneading them softly.

Aina's eyes narrowed as she enjoyed it for a few moments before correcting, "I wasn't asking you to massage my shoulders."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Sharon grinned, having already rubbed her shoulders for several minutes. He then slid his hands through her hair and gently massaged her head and temples.

Aina's smile grew wider. Sharon's hands were warm and strong, and under his touch, she felt as if she were soaking in a warm hot spring, melting completely.

"Sharon..."

"What is it?"

"I wasn't asking you to massage my forehead either," Aina's voice turned soft and alluring.

The remaining options were now rather limited.

Sharon, naturally understanding what his wife was hinting at, sighed and tapped her head lightly. "Will you still be able to focus on your book?"

"Yes, I will."

Aina sat up straight, facing him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Holding the tome, she rested her chin on his shoulder, crossing her legs behind him.

"See? This way I can still read," she said with a light laugh.

The curtains drew silently, blocking out the sunlight, and flames rose around their bodies.

"Let's begin..."

Her words dissolved into the mingling sounds of their breathing.