Alfia had reappeared in Orario after disappearing for several months.
And in his own home, no less!
Two days and nights had passed since that day, and Rayleigh was still marveling at the fact.
Now, that embodiment of silence lived on the third floor of his newly built home.
The room featured 270-degree wraparound windows offering a clear view of the bustling street intersection below.
The study inside was a tranquil place, feeling entirely isolated from the rest of the world.
Alfia liked the quiet.
She despised noise.
Fortunately, the soundproofing of the entire house was top-tier. Even if the front door were bombarded by a Tomahawk missile, nothing would be heard inside.
Therefore, Alfia was very satisfied with her new living environment.
She stayed in the attic all day, resembling a princess secluded in a high tower, or perhaps an aloof witch.
Although understandable, Alfia's current lifestyle rendered her a complete shut-in.
Because she remained an official enemy of the city, she was unable to show her face in Orario right now.
Doing so would definitely cause an uproar. Even if she had not personally killed anyone during the Great Feud, as an executive of the "Evilus," the Guild would undoubtedly place a massive bounty on her head if she were found alive.
Although with her raw strength, the ones getting wiped out would undoubtedly be the Guild and the bounty hunters, but her peaceful life would be destroyed right along with them.
For someone who hated noise as much as Alfia did, that would definitely be a terrible situation.
"Then, before breakfast, let us proceed with the morning treatment."
Rayleigh and Alfia sat across from each other at the dining table.
Hearing his words, the woman nodded and extended her pale hands.
Two days had passed, and she had become quite familiar with the treatment process.
She was extremely cooperative.
Rayleigh held both of her hands. Even though it was not the first time he had held them, he still experienced a brief moment of distraction from the exquisite, soft sensation.
Soon, he adjusted his mindset and began channeling the power of Kaido to treat her failing body.
"..."
"Mmh!"
A soft, involuntary noise reached his ears, making Rayleigh feel like an electric current had just shot through his entire body!
It came from Alfia.
He was sensible enough to pretend he did not heard it, keeping his focus entirely on casting the healing Kidō.
Because of the diminished, sealed effect of the Gif Blessings, he found that whatever he attempted now was incredibly easy to pick up.
He could draw inferences from one case to another, intuitively realizing how to correct his mistakes.
This might not sound like much, but experiencing it firsthand felt exactly like using a cheat code.
Take cooking, for example.
Rayleigh, whose culinary skills were originally average, only needed to make one or two mistakes to realize why the ingredients' conditions had changed and exactly how to adjust the recipe.
In just two short days, he had gone from a kitchen novice to a michellin star-level chef.
And this was only a fraction of the skill's true effect.
Having experienced the buff personally, he could now clearly grasp just how heaven-defying an existence Alfia was when operating with her fully intact Falna.
It was the exact same with Kaidō.
Rayleigh's mastery over the healing art advanced by leaps and bounds, his growth rate changed by the day.
About twenty minutes later, the treatment ended.
Rayleigh exhaled, wiping a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead.
Because of the daily, high-intensity treatments, his Magic attribute had been steadily growing—it remained the only ability parameter among his core stats showing obvious, trackable progress.
Ever since all his attributes broke through to the S-Rank threshold, their growth speed had slowed to a snail's pace.
Even with the raw Excelia provided by forging so many Zanpakutō, the efficiency remained frustratingly low.
It was no wonder most Adventurers chose to level up the moment their ability parameters stagnated.
If not for the Excelia siphoned from the Zanpakutō, his stat points might have only increased by a tiny fraction over an entire month.
This was the distinct benefit of having a cheat ability.
It was hard to imagine how amazing it must feel for Bell, who possessed an active, exponential experience multiplier.
After the treatment, the two prepared to eat breakfast.
Rayleigh brought out a porcelain bowl filled with round objects and placed it gently in front of Alfia.
"What is this?"
Even with Alfia's vast worldly knowledge, she had never seen this specific kind of food.
Snow-white spheres, slightly swollen from being boiled, floated in a clear broth that looked exactly like plain water and did not emit any distinct scent.
Was this really considered food?
Rayleigh smiled faintly and explained, "These are glutinous rice balls. It's a traditional dish from my homeland."
"Far Eastern cuisine?" she guessed.
"Hmm, not quite."
Although it was not what she had guessed, Alfia did not press the issue further.
She scooped up a riceball with a ceramic spoon and examined it for a moment.
Seeing the hot steam rising from the surface, she used one free hand to brush her long white hair behind her ear.
She blew on it gently.
Rayleigh watched as she placed the riceball into her mouth and began to chew.
About two seconds later, a look of genuine surprise appeared on the woman's face.
Her entire expression suddenly softened significantly, as if her whole body had instantly relaxed.
Judging from her calm demeanor, she was very satisfied.
"Sweet," Alfia commented softly. "Not bad at all."
"That's good." Rayleigh finished his meal and quickly cleared the table.
He turned to Alfia. "I'm heading out into the city. It might take some time, do you need me to lock the front door?"
Since an unexpected visitor might come knocking, it could cause serious trouble if anyone caught a glimpse of her.
Savoring the lingering sweetness, Alfia closed her eyes and gave a gentle nod.
"Understood."
...
After locking the door from the outside, Rayleigh navigated the streets and arrived at a local inn.
He approached the front desk and told the innkeeper, "I have an appointment to visit Asfi of the Hermes Familia."
The innkeeper looked him up and down, asking respectfully, "Are you Lord Yotosai?"
"Yes," Rayleigh replied.
"Please, follow me."
Rayleigh followed the innkeeper up the wooden stairs to the second floor, stopping before the room at the very end of the hall.
"Please knock for yourself," the innkeeper said before bowing and leaving.
Rayleigh knocked on the heavy wooden door a few times, waiting for someone to open it.
No response.
Just as he was about to activate his Reiraku perception to check inside, the door suddenly swung open.
An older blonde woman with a bombshell figure appeared wearing a loose silk nightgown.
She looked every bit the sultry beauty, with her sleepwear slipping provocatively off one shoulder.
Seeing her face, Rayleigh froze and blurted out in shock, "Lidith?!"
The beauty standing before him was none other than the Captain of the Hermes Familia, Lidith Caverna!
The delicate flower who was originally fated to die during the Great Feud had not perished this time around, surviving thanks to his interference in this timeline.
However, she looked heavily hungover.
She did not seem fully awake, and her long wavy blonde hair was a chaotic mess from sleep.
"Oh? Rayleigh-chan! Haha, did you come to join the fun too?"
Before Rayleigh could even attempt to explain himself, Lidith grabbed his arm, pulled him into the room, and conveniently kicked the door shut behind them.
(Yes they do in fact have sex)
...
More than an hour later, Rayleigh walked out of the room, adjusting his collar.
Lidith had fallen into a deeply satisfied slumber, considering the intense physical exertion, she would probably sleep straight through to the evening.
"YOU?"
As chance would have it, Asfi Al Andromeda saw him leaving her Captain's room.
Seeing his actual target finally appear in the hallway, Rayleigh prepared to step forward and explain his intentions.
But the exact moment he took a single step, Asfi instantly retreated backward like a startled rabbit, seemingly determined to maintain a strict safety distance of at least five meters from him!
'Why am i suddenly being treated like a highly dangerous individual?'