A week had passed since that night beneath the white moon.
It was a quiet week, but far from an idle one. The day after their date, Sora had departed the Divine Sanctum to return to her homeland—the Luminous Duchy in the eastern territories of the Atlantis Empire—leaving Null alone again. The Sanctum felt noticeably different without her, but Null hadn't allowed himself the luxury of dwelling on it.
Under the relentless supervision of Commander Dhomnac, Null had been training like a madman. Weapon drills, mana control, endurance conditioning, and combat theory were repeated mercilessly until his arms trembled and his mana circuits burned.
According to Dhomnac, Null's combat instincts were "barely above a civilian's," meaning the only solution was grueling repetition.
Outside of training, Null's life had settled into a steady rhythm. He cooked his own meals to avoid the cafeteria's alarming obsession with boiled vegetables, and he spent his free time exploring the Sanctum's sprawling halls. Most of the paladins and acolytes were curious or cautious around him, but thanks to Illiana's energetic introductions, the majority had grown friendly.
Speaking of Illiana, she had been a constant presence throughout the week, acting as a guide, a supervisor, and a loud, mischievous companion.
With permission from her pontiff seraphel, she often accompanied him on outside tasks to ensure he didn't die from rookie mistakes, frequently justifying her presence by claiming she had promised Sora to watch over him.
Null wasn't sure if it was an excuse or the truth, but he appreciated it.
For some reason, there were days when she would deliberately push aside her own schedules just to accompany him. Something Null found quiet touching. Even if he kept that gratitude to himself to prevent her from becoming unbearable.
Lately, Null had also begun taking low-rank missions, not for the payout, but for real combat experience. Real fights. Real decisions. Real consequences. And perhaps most importantly—a chance to explore the strange fantasy world he now lived in.
Which was exactly what brought him to the Mission Hall today.
...
The Mission Hall buzzed with the low chatter of trainees and operatives studying boards lined with parchment notices.
"…Hmm."
Null scanned the low-rank section, before tapping on a parchment request for bandit suppression.
A group of petty criminals had been harassing merchant caravans along a primary road leading to Lumeris City. The objective was simple on paper: subdue and deliver them to the Justice Regulators.
It was organized enough to challenge a novice, making it a perfect target.
"I'll take this."
Null tore the slip from the board and brought it to the registration counter.
"Understood," the processing priest said, stamping the parchment. "Several local adventurers have also accepted this contract. You will rendezvous with them at the designated location."
Null nodded. He knew he couldn't take on an entire bandit group alone yet.
Leaving the hall, he walked down the quiet stone corridors toward the teleportation chamber.
As he approached the glowing runic platform, he saw her.
Illiana was waiting for him. Her arms were folded, and her half-elven ears were twitching rapidly, almost like a nervous antennae.—a clear sign of anxiety.
Null slowed slightly. That was… unusual.
Normally those ears were relaxed. Or perked with curiosity. Or angled aggressively when she was about to start teasing him. But this? This was something else.
When she noticed him, she tried to mask her expression, but her ears kept twitching. She walked over, stopping a few paces short. I
lliana clearly wanted to say something. But for nearly a minute, she simply stood there in a heavy silence.
And during that minute... Null found his attention drifting to those twitching half-elven ears. Soft. Delicate. Moving slightly every few seconds.
For a brief moment, a dangerous thought entered his mind.
'…I wonder how she would react if I suddenly asked her to let me nibble them.'
Immediately—Null crushed that thought. Because he was a man of discipline. A saint in spirit. A gentleman of impeccable restraint.
So instead, he carefully stored the idea in a mental "future cultural bucket list." For research purposes. Of course.
"What is it?" Null finally broke the quiet.
Illiana let out a hesitant sigh. "Null-kun... I won't be able to accompany you on your mission today. My master assigned me a task that I can't postpone, so—"
"You won't be coming along, right?" Null finished for her.
Illiana nodded slowly, her shoulders drooping. "Yes. Sorry."
Null chuckled and lightly patted her shoulder. "Why look so depressed over that? You're not a bodyguard I hired. You've been helping me because you want to, and I'm already grateful for that."
Her ears relaxed slightly as a flash of relief crossed her face, though the guilt lingered. "But... I promised Sora I would look after you while she's gone."
Null shrugged. "And you did, every single day this week. And you'll continue after today, right?"
Illiana nodded vigorously. "Of course."
"Then it's fine. I'm sure Sora will understand."
"Well... yeah," Illiana offered a small smile. "I know how kind she can be beneath that detachment."
Null nodded proudly. "I know. That's my Sora for you."
The words slipped out entirely by habit. Null froze, his eyes widening slightly as he slowly turned his head.
Illiana was staring at him, her brows lowered and her eyes sparkling as her gossip instincts instantly reached full power. "Yours?"
Uh-oh.
"Hey!" Null deflected rapidly. "Didn't you say you had an important task from your master? You should get moving. Otherwise, your master might be waiting with a sharp stick to slap your butt if you're late!"
It was a tactic Null had learned directly from Sora—The ultimate Illiana deterrent (UID)
The sudden reminder of her master worked perfectly. "Oh crap!" Illiana blinked, spinning on her heel. "Null-kun, Thanks for reminding me!"
She took three running steps, then abruptly spun back around with a dead-serious face.
"Be very, very, very careful. Don't die, okay?"
Null raised an eyebrow. "Why do i feel like you're jinxing me by saying the word 'die'? Do you have that little faith in my survival skills?"
"You're a novice," she stated flatly. "So, yes."
"That hurts," Null clutched his chest. "But fair enough. I'll be careful."
"Good." Illiana nodded firmly and sprinted down the hallway. Halfway down the corridor, she called back over her shoulder without stopping, "And don't think you dodged my suspicion! I'm making you spill the beans the second you get back!"
Null rubbed his face, letting out a heavy internal sigh. How did I let that slip? Did getting a girlfriend make me careless? He resolved to simply avoid her until Sora returned, though given his set schedule, it wasn't a very practical plan.
"I'll figure something out later," he muttered.
Stepping onto the teleportation circle, the runes beneath his boots flared with a sudden, soft light. A surge of mana enveloped him, and in the next heartbeat, he vanished to reappear in Lumeris City below
Entirely unaware that a contract for his death had already been issued to the shadows.