"Squeak—"
The main gate of the Noble House tower was pushed open from the inside, blending the outdoor night colors with the indoor lights. Two pink Magic Guide Spirits tentatively poked their heads out, as cautious as children roaming a mansion. The Feathered Serpent Golem coiled at the entrance suddenly opened its snake eyes, projecting a bright light from its vertical pupils that instantly swept over the bodies of [Miltank] and [Sylveon]. The two Magic Guide Spirits shrank back in fright, but when they turned to look, they found the snake eyes had closed once again.
"Moo."
"Mi."
The little ones breathed a slight sigh of relief and quickly ran out of the gate. The cold moonlight cascaded down, illuminating half of their bodies. In the silent night, only the rapid footsteps of the two little ones running across the bridge could be heard. But after exiting the tower and crossing the bridge, they couldn't help but stop and look back almost simultaneously at that nine-story tower. So this was what the "home" they had been living in looked like from the outside!
"Moo, moo, moo!"
[Miltank] thought of its milk bottle.
"Mi~"
[Sylveon] associated it with the [Catnip] toy.
The two Magic Guide Spirits looked at each other, then turned around resolutely, like iron-blooded soldiers rushing to the battlefield! However, it wasn't long before the two Magic Guide Spirits stopped again. St. Marian's castle was simply too big and too empty; there were no familiar scents in the corners or crevices. They half-squatted on the ground, looking up at the tall walls of the ancient castle, suddenly feeling a terrifying sense of insignificance. That was the oppression brought about by the accumulation of time and history.
The two little ones couldn't help but huddle together. It wasn't until a magical energy alarm sounded that [Miltank] hurriedly took out an [Ultimate Move Card] to produce milk. Sharing one bottle each with [Sylveon], they drank it down quickly. But after replenishing their lives, where should they go next? [Miltank] had never thought about leaving the tower in the first place, and [Sylveon] was just acting on a whim. They obviously had no plan.
"Mi yo."
[Sylveon] suddenly had a flash of inspiration and an idea!
"Moo!"
[Miltank] was very interested in its proposal and nodded vigorously right away. Thus, the two Magic Guide Spirits began to run through the dim passage. Not long after, [Sylveon] ran ahead to the classroom closest to the Noble House tower.
"Mi!"
It stood at the classroom door and gave a loud cry toward [Miltank], who had fallen behind. [Miltank], getting anxious, lunged forward, curled into a ball, and accelerated forward with a rolling motion.
"Mi yo!"
[Sylveon] suddenly stood up on its hind legs, its two ribbon feelers extending abruptly to block the rolling [Miltank] in the nick of time! But it was too hasty after all; unable to exert its full strength, the ribbons were bent back by [Miltank]. It only blocked it for an instant before [Sylveon] was knocked to the ground by [Miltank], who had unfolded its limbs, and they rolled into a ball together.
...
"Mimimi!"
Once they finally stood up, [Sylveon] immediately began to scold [Miltank]. [Miltank] felt guilty after all and didn't dare to talk back. [Sylveon] 'mi-ed' a few sentences at the air, suddenly feeling it was very buzz-killing, so it shut its mouth.
"Moo."
[Miltank] took the opportunity to look up, pointing into the classroom with a cry. [Sylveon] glanced sideways at the classroom and regained its interest. They didn't know what class this classroom was for, nor did they know if Dark had ever attended class inside. But that didn't stop them from using this as a basis for fantasy.
[Sylveon] entered with its head held high, jumping onto the lectern with a boost, looking down at the podium. Meanwhile, [Miltank] climbed onto a seat below the podium, sitting up to mimic a student, placing its two hooves squarely on the desk. It was as if one had become a professor and the other a student, both attending school in the same classroom as Dark. Just this alone made them feel very happy!
...
It wasn't until the two little ones had each drunk another bottle of milk that they left the classroom, still wanting more. Afterwards, they had no destination, so they simply wandered aimlessly through the empty castle. This wandering led to trouble!
The castle deep at night was not actually truly empty. Ancient golems were undertaking the task of "patrollers," wandering through the various floors of the castle. Although there was still some time before the twelve o'clock curfew, ever since the secret passage was sealed, the golem patrols had become stricter. The response method, which was originally just a "warning" before twelve o'clock, now began to implement "arrests" depending on the time or location! The time was after eleven-thirty. The location was near the secret passage. Effectively, in the eyes of the golems, the curfew was half an hour early, and the area around the secret passage had become a forbidden zone.
[Miltank] and [Sylveon] had absolutely no awareness of this. No, they didn't even know the "curfew" time! Therefore, when they encountered a golem at the staircase leading to the third floor, they even pointed and chirped at the golem with great novelty for a while. It wasn't until that "Heavy Cavalry" slowly leveled its two-meter-long lance and initiated a straight-line charge at them that they were suddenly startled awake, pouncing to the sides to dodge!
"Mi!"
[Sylveon] let out a short, sharp scream in panic. The gale wind from the "Heavy Cavalry" charging past made its fur stand on end. It had never been of a submissive nature. Turning its head slightly, it had already begun to condense [Moon Power]! Faint moonlight was drawn in, becoming part of the sphere of light in its mouth, gradually illuminating the surrounding darkness.
"Moo!"
On the other side, [Miltank] couldn't help but cover its head. It had experience fighting golems, but the opponent then was a "Dragon Cavalry" superior in function! At that time, with Dark's assistance, it had successfully used [Defense Curl] + [Rollout], and it was only on the fourth [Rollout] that it smashed that "Dragon Cavalry" apart. Therefore, it knew deeply how difficult golems were to deal with.
Being a four-star Magic Guide Spirit as well, [Umbreon] had been completely unable to cause effective damage to that "Dragon Cavalry." Neither "Shadow Ball" nor "Dark Pulse" could hurt the "Dragon Cavalry" at all. Although this "Heavy Cavalry" didn't look as high-grade as the "Dragon Cavalry," its thick armor and height exceeding two meters gave off an extremely strong sense of oppression! So, at a time like this when Dark wasn't present, it did not recommend conflicting with any golem.
However, [Sylveon]'s [Moon Power] had already erupted! The sphere of light spewed from its mouth shot ruthlessly toward the spine of the "Heavy Cavalry"! But due to the "Heavy Cavalry" suddenly turning around, the bright sphere of light hit the relatively fragile shoulder instead. The shoulder armor of that layer was instantly blasted out of position, and the "Heavy Cavalry" staggered slightly. But following closely was a storm-like, even more violent offensive!
The paralysis gem on the forehead of the "Heavy Cavalry" emitted a faint light, and the lance in its hand shook out countless spear flourishes. [Sylveon] jumped left and right, relying on agility superior to the golem to dodge in a sorry state; its face gradually revealed a panic born of losing its backbone. Ultimately, it was just a Magic Guide Spirit born not long ago. Without Dark present to command, the timidity it should have was completely exposed.
"Whoosh!"
The "Heavy Cavalry" thrust its spear like a dragon; a point of cold light flashed and fiercely pierced [Sylveon]'s shoulder! It forcibly moved sideways using its ribbon tentacles in the critical moment, but a gash was still cut on its shoulder by the spear tip. The fiery pain generated by this made it sober up completely. But when it finally wanted to turn and flee to avoid the sharp edge, the light emitted by the yellow gem on the "Heavy Cavalry's" forehead was already aimed at it!
That was the "Paralysis Ray," capable of paralyzing a creature's nerves, making its movements sluggish and easier to capture. Once hit by the "Paralysis Ray," [Sylveon]'s only advantage—agility—would be completely lost, and it would be reduced to a lamb waiting to be slaughtered!
"Moo!"
At the critical moment. [Miltank] landed on all four hooves, ran wildly all the way, and its curled-up body slammed fiercely into the flank of the "Heavy Cavalry," knocking it into a stagger at the crucial moment. The "Paralysis Ray" released by the "Heavy Cavalry," which had been knocked askew in an instant, barely grazed past [Sylveon]'s fur, then hit the floor and dissipated outward.
[Sylveon] took the opportunity to make a small jump, finally escaping the attack range of the "Heavy Cavalry." But the "Heavy Cavalry," having reorganized its stance, immediately aimed its spear tip at the closer [Miltank]! That two-meter-long, thick, heavy lance swept horizontally with force, its momentum like a wave crashing against a reef.
"Moo!"
[Miltank]'s eyes were sharp; a metallic luster flashed over its body, which was already curled into a ball, encasing its body in a smooth sphere.
"Ding!"
A sound like metal striking metal rang out immediately. [Miltank] was knocked flying by this spear strike, but although its magical power dropped slightly, fortunately, the defense under [Defense Curl] was sturdy enough, so there was no major issue.
"Bang!"
After being knocked flying, [Miltank] slammed ruthlessly into the wall, its limbs naturally stretching out, dizzy and disoriented.
"Mi yo!"
[Sylveon]'s urgent cry drilled into its ears. It rubbed out a milk bottle and downed it in one go; the warm current surging through its body allowed it to gradually recover, even gaining an extra bit of vitality.
"Moo, moo, moo!"
After a hurried exchange. The two Magic Guide Spirits turned around and ran toward the nearest staircase! The "Heavy Cavalry" had a heavy body, a width of fully one meter, and belonged to the type specialized in defense with slower movement. Although its movement method was rollers + spider legs, the relatively slender spider legs were actually insufficient to support its heavy body, so they could only undertake the role of turning in emergencies. It could not rely on spider legs to cling to walls like the "Light Cavalry"!
Once the capture target fled up the stairs, its clumsiness would be exposed. [Sylveon] and [Miltank] ran up the stairs quickly; turning their heads, they found that big guy struggling to climb behind them and instantly understood they had chosen the right strategy. But just as the two Magic Guide Spirits were about to show joy, the "Heavy Cavalry," failing to catch up, suddenly emitted an alarm sound! That sharp, piercing sound echoed constantly within the empty castle, causing the expressions of the two Magic Guide Spirits to change drastically.
"Mimimi!"
"Moo, moo, moo!"
After a brief exchange, the two Magic Guide Spirits took to their heels! This time, [Sylveon] pricked its ears high during the escape; once there was any sign of movement, it would turn urgently, successfully avoiding one golem after another. A few minutes later. They fled into a classroom, leaning against the wall and panting violently! Thrilling. Stimulating. Exciting!
[Sylveon] took the milk bottle handed over by [Miltank], threw its head back violently, and poured the milk into its mouth, as dashing and neat as if drinking strong liquor! But though milk doesn't intoxicate, one can get drunk on it oneself. [Sylveon] suddenly coughed violently; it had choked on the milk! [Miltank] hurriedly huddled over, patting its back firmly, mooing to comfort it. After a long while, [Sylveon] finally recovered with a flushed face. Then, it suddenly collapsed from exhaustion.
It slid down against the wall to sit, feeling weak all over, an unspeakable fatigue including its spirit. Clearly, it had fought fiercely in the dueling arena too, but it hadn't been this tired even after being defeated. Was it indeed because of the lack of a backbone?
"Mimimi~?~!"
"Moo..."
The two Magic Guide Spirits reached a consensus. Go home immediately!
...
But just as they were about to rouse their spirits to move, their nerves, which had become keen to avoid golems, suddenly jumped. [Sylveon]'s ears instantly went rigid as it heard light footsteps slowly approaching from a short distance away. It gave [Miltank] a look, and the latter immediately pressed against the wall, motionless. [Sylveon] did the same; only its pink ribbons floated in the air, sensing the subtle fluctuations in the air.
The footsteps gradually approached. Then gradually faded away. The heartbeats that had momentarily stopped finally resumed their smooth rhythm.
"Mi..."
"Moo..."
The two Magic Guide Spirits turned back into two puddles of liquid.
...
"Moo."
[Miltank] tugged at its own scarf, wrapping its neck a bit tighter. It climbed up, rousing its spirits, ready to end this night tour. [Sylveon] glanced at it and also rolled over to stand up. But when they walked out of that classroom, [Sylveon]'s little heart, unwilling to be calm, became restless again. Its eyes rolled around, looking in the direction where the footsteps had just disappeared.
"Mi~"
"Moo, moo, moo!"
[Miltank] immediately shook its head vigorously!
"Mimimi~"
[Sylveon] rubbed its ribbons against [Miltank]'s face. Then it lifted a paw pad and patted its chest.
"Mimimi!"
But [Miltank] still shook its head firmly. [Sylveon]'s brows furrowed; after a while, one of its ribbons suddenly went taut. It seemed to have figured something out and cried out at [Miltank] for a while again. [Miltank] seemed to be persuaded by it; its expression actually softened slightly, and then it retreated back into that classroom.
Afterwards. [Miltank] moved the little schoolbag to its front, opened the lid, took out the [Ultimate Move Card]s, and triggered them one by one. Bottle after bottle of milk appeared in its hands, placed on the floor one by one. As for itself, it only kept two cards of [Ultimate Move: Milk Drink]. [Sylveon] looked at the milk on the floor with a face full of joy, extended its ribbons, and rolled them up one by one. Then it nodded to [Miltank].
"Moo!"
[Miltank] gave one last instruction, then put the little schoolbag back on its back and carefully set foot on the journey home. Watching its back disappear around the corner, [Sylveon] hooked the corner of its mouth, immediately wrapped up the milk, and chased in the direction where the footsteps had disappeared. It looked just like Alice chasing the rabbit.
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