If you could look past Skyl's inscrutable nature, you'd discover that he was actually quite childish. Of course, not everyone could see past that mysterious exterior.
An aura of power and a formidable reputation were the perfect disguise. Even an ordinary mortal could be elevated to the status of an untouchable idol simply by acquiring authority, let alone a true god.
Millicent suspected it would take her quite some time to adjust to this change in their relationship.
After the chaos of exam day that morning, she and Skyl had spent the rest of their time hiding atop the bell tower, where they shared a few sandwiches.
They had never been so physically intimate before. The closest they had come was probably eating together at the Three Cups Traveling Tavern, but their time living under the same roof had been relatively uneventful.
Back then, Skyl spent most of his time secluded in his room. Whenever he needed to take care of his personal hygiene, a simple snap of his fingers was enough.
His clothes would line up and march out of his room, wiggling their way across the comfortable hardwood floors and filing into the laundry room to wash themselves. Shirts and trousers shook off water like enormous dogs, while wizard robes grabbed the underwear and wrung it dry. The wizard hat enjoyed a bubble bath in the sink, then cast a Scouring Charm on itself once it had soaked to its heart's content.
Hearing the faucet whistle, the clothespins would race along the drying rack, take their positions, and open their jaws. The clothesline would then wave its long arms, tossing each garment into place, and the clothespins would snap shut one after another. After drying in the sunshine, the clothes would hop into the laundry basket all by themselves.
At the time, Millicent, Melina, and Marika still used washing machines. Sometimes, they would stand with their hands on their hips and watch the enchanted clothes behave like little animals, each with its own distinct personality. Even the washing machines hummed and sang under the influence of magic, and the very air seemed saturated with miracles.
Skyl never used the bathroom. He ate normally, and quite a lot at that. Whenever he wasn't researching spells, he would sneak into the kitchen to experiment with recipes and prepare extra meals for himself. He frequently invited the women and Gally, the house-elf, to join him for a late-night snack.
Millicent had once been curious about his bathroom habits.
Among the tavern's guests at the time was Lady Moonshadow, who had also been subjected to impertinent questions from a group of dwarves whose courage exceeded that of bears.
Lady Moonshadow had explained that there was a realm of annihilation inside her stomach. Even if she swallowed every dwarf who had asked her those questions, she wouldn't so much as burp.
As for Skyl, he wasn't the loneliest king of shit in the universe, sitting on a toilet overlooking the ocean. He simply used a Vanishing Spell to annihilate everything he consumed.
Up on the bell tower, Skyl lay down and rested his head on Millicent's lap. The skies above Liurnia were cloudy that day, so the sunlight falling across his closed eyelids wasn't particularly harsh. He lay there without a thought in his head, breathing in the fresh, cool scent of laundry detergent from Millicent's clothes, content to be a completely empty-headed god.
Millicent carefully ran her fingers through his hair. It was soft yet resilient, dry and lustrous, almost like an artificial wig. His skin was equally flawless, without a visible pore or a speck of dirt or dust. Every detail reminded her that the person resting in her lap was something other than human.
As Skyl had said, the real challenge of love wasn't establishing a relationship. Even if the courtship was passionate and filled with solemn vows of eternal devotion, the true test came the following day. Building a stable emotional connection was what mattered most if a relationship was to endure.
In that sense, love was a revolution, a revolution of romance.
The entire afternoon passed in what felt like the blink of an eye.
Millicent hadn't been particularly sleepy at first, but seeing Skyl resting so comfortably made her want to close her eyes for a little nap. Her head gradually began to nod.
Somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, the head resting on her lap disappeared. Skyl gathered her into his arms and lay down beneath her, offering himself as a cushion so she could sleep on her side with her head nestled against his shoulder.
It wasn't until the sun was about to set over Liurnia that Skyl woke her.
Together, they watched the sunset, the clouds painted across the sky like colorful ceramics, and the lake reflecting the heavens above.
"I'm suddenly reluctant to leave this place." Skyl smiled and stretched, working some feeling back into the arm that had gone numb beneath her. "A college romance. My God, how did I ever end up living out a dream like this?"
One side of Millicent's face bore a red impression from where she'd been sleeping, and there was even a little drool at the corner of her mouth.
Skyl burst out laughing.
Lunch had been a rather haphazard affair because of the chaos that had engulfed the Academy, but the evening banquet went ahead as scheduled.
Thops was delighted that his conspectus had managed to preserve its reputation. His young apprentice, Moli, had also performed exceptionally well in the practical spellcasting examination. As for Doniel, although the fellow was rather eccentric, his abilities undoubtedly placed him among the most accomplished sorcerers of the younger generation.
Consequently, Thops made several runs through the instanced planes before the banquet, collecting as many ingredients as possible.
Skyl once again took charge as the chef, with Millicent serving as his kitchen assistant. Whenever he prepared a dish, he would set aside a small portion for her to taste, even preparing a dedicated plate and spoon for that purpose.
Millicent could barely withstand his enthusiasm. Her mouth was constantly stuffed with food, and before she could swallow one bite, another spoonful would already be waiting at her lips.
"I'm full."
"Try some tiramisu."
"All right."
By the time the banquet began, all the sorcerers had gathered, including the members of the Karolos Conspectus. There was no sense of hostility between the two groups.
Doniel found himself surrounded by people eager to learn about the Grace of Silver. His habit of speaking his mind proved quite useful in this situation. At the very least, everyone knew he wouldn't lie to them.
His descriptions of the Silver Network were extraordinarily enticing. Who wouldn't appreciate the opportunity to learn at an accelerated rate? The Tower of Tomes also possessed an enormous wealth of information, making the temptation virtually irresistible.
Skyl welcomed everyone who expressed interest. He had intended to promote the network anyway.
The Silver Network presented an opportunity, but how far each individual could progress would ultimately depend on their own efforts, decisions, and luck. It was unlikely to produce a world where gods of sorcery were everywhere, although there would probably be a considerable number of Legendary-tier spellcasters.
Millicent, meanwhile, was approached by the instructors of the Karolos Conspectus.
They had no intention of pursuing the matter of Botari's injuries. However, Millicent's sword strike had severed one of the Academy's most treasured possessions, Azur's Glintstone Staff, and they hoped she would make amends.
"Only Primeval Sorcerer Azur himself can repair this staff. He's being held somewhere in the volcanic region. We hope you'll take the staff to him and persuade him to restore it."
Millicent was kindhearted by nature, so she readily agreed.
The Karolos instructors exchanged glances, their eyes carrying a meaningful look, as though they had reached some unspoken agreement.
Millicent therefore prepared to depart for the volcanic region the following day.
Her destination was Mt. Gelmir, a desolate region of the Altus Plateau. Deep within its rugged terrain stood Volcano Manor.
When the royal capital's army had marched against the traitor Rykard, its forces had clashed with the volcano's defenders among the shattered hills. To this day, many Leyndell soldiers and knights remained stranded there, their supply lines severed. They had established camps throughout the volcanic region and clung to life by feeding on the flesh of their fallen comrades.
The moment Skyl heard about the expedition, he immediately decided to accompany Millie on her adventure.
He was already an experienced errand-running demon god, after all. This time, he could use official business as an excuse to go sightseeing with Millicent. Granted, a volcano wasn't exactly the most pleasant vacation destination, but an adventure together sounded like a wonderful way to spend their time.
While he was there, Skyl also intended to pay a visit to Rykard, the great serpent of Volcano Manor.
After all, since he was already making the trip, he might as well.
Once their departure had been settled, Melina also requested permission to accompany them.
Her justification was that followers of the Frenzied Flame had been spotted around the volcano.
That was a perfectly legitimate reason.
Thus, their expedition became a party of three.
In the end, they decided they might as well invite Thops and the others along, too.
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