Chapter 196:

Chapter 196:

Chapter 196 Precious person.

“They are the princess’s enemies. The princess’s enemies...”The eyes of the vampires that were densely gathered changed.

Sssssss─!

Wings sprouted from the backs of the vampires.

The next moment, they rushed towards Flan like a swarm of giant bats.

They were too many to count, but Flan was calm.

A blue beam that stretched only in a straight line.

The blue magic circle behind him pulverized the enemies without leaving any exceptions.

The vampires were reduced to dust and oxidized without landing a single hit on him.

“Flan, if you kill them, their numbers will only increase. It’s better not to fight them...”

Maiev whispered on Flan’s back. But the man just muttered softly.

“Maiev.”

“Yes?”

“Just close your eyes and be quiet for a moment.”

Maiev did not understand Flan’s intention, but she followed the order anyway.

She had no choice.

Sssss─

As she closed his eyes, her senses became more sensitive and read the currents around her.

Sssss─ Sssss─

Even at this moment, the breath of the vampires was growing.

Their amplified life force created a sinister current that swirled around them.

The approaching breath.

The looming bad feeling.

“When you open your eyes again, it will all be over.”

Flan’s voice erased them all.

It was a strangely reassuring tone.

But the vampires on the other side seemed to find Flan’s warning ridiculous.

They rather increased their breath, and when Maiev felt it was threatening.

Tick─.

The sun of the World of Painting turned blue.

There was no blind spot that Flan’s pure light could not reach.

“Kieek─!”

“Kuak!”

The flesh of the vampires that received the blue sunlight melted.

The screams did not harmonize and created a hellish scene.

It was a merciless and one-sided battle.

“Maiev.”

Flan said.

“Open your eyes.”

At his firm voice, Maiev slowly lifted her eyelids like a newborn creature.

The World of Painting that gradually came into his sight was truly peaceful.

Maiev bowed his head after a while.

“Thank you.”

But he was still anxious and added a few words.

“They won’t stay still in the void. If you ever regret helping me, please just tell me honestly. I’ll leave on my own.”

Maiev entrusted herself to someone else for the first time in her long life.

It was natural that she felt uneasy.

I did not answer, but instead took out a teacup and handed it to Maiev. It was something I bought from a store.

“Maiev.”

“Yes?”

“Enough, just make some coffee.”

She politely took the teacup with both hands, but she tilted her head as if he did not understand.

“Why coffee all of a sudden...”

I pointed to the bright scenery of the World of Painting with my chin.

“It’s a shame to waste your mind on unnecessary worries on a good day. Prepare the coffee you’re going to drink.”

Maiev replied.

“Making coffee is not hard, but my sister...”

His gaze reached his sister who was lying on the floor.

The small creature that was gasping for breath was in a critical condition at a glance.

“Why did you save me and my sister?”

“I saw the potential in Maiev. She’ll be a useful force in the magical research in the future.”

“Research...? Power...?”

Maiev tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.

“Can I live from now on?”

“Yes.”

“That’s amazing...”

The tiny Maibi gulped down the water. It seemed that water was a drink for vampires.

“My sister will be a real student soon.”

I nodded.

“It’s better to be a student than a slave of the void. Maibi.”

“Yes?”

“Get along well with Maiev from now on. She didn’t look for her own happiness. She wanted to be happy with you.”

Then Maibi smiled and showed her teeth.

“Okay.”

She handed me a glass of water.

“To our sister!”

I was speechless, but I obliged.

The teacup and the glass clinked.

“Don’t act frivolously. It lowers your dignity.”

“Frivolous?”

We all took a sip of our drinks.

It was a while after the representatives of the magic department left for the training ground again, when Maiev stood by my side with a nervous expression.

She blinked her eyes several times. As if she couldn’t believe it, she clenched and unclenched her hands a few times before opening her mouth.

“Flan.”

“What.”

“It’s hard to reveal my true self and communicate. Everyone treats me like a model student.... Is this right?”

I poured coffee for Maiev as well.

“Take a sip first.”

“...”

She must have been really tense, as she gulped down the coffee like water.

“You followed my instructions without a word, accepted the advice excellently, and performed the things I taught you without a problem. There’s nothing wrong with being called a model student.”

“Is that so....”

Maiev’s expression was priceless as she fiddled with the empty cup. Her eyes blinked incessantly and her lips twitched.

She seemed happy but also clueless, and also as if she couldn’t feel it.

“Hey.”

That’s when Maibi tugged on Maiev’s clothes.

“Sis.”

“Yeah?”

“What do I call this oppa? What’s your relationship?”

Then Maiev’s gaze met mine.

But it was a slightly different look from before. Not a look of uncertainty, but a look of determination.

“Flan.”

“Actually, I lied to the other students earlier. To commemorate the start of a new life, can I tell my sister the truth about myself?”

I nodded.

◈

Maiev crouched down and looked into Maibi’s eyes.

“Maibi. That man is...”

Holding her little sister’s hand, she whispered softly enough that Flan couldn’t hear.

“He’s someone very precious to me.”

“Precious person?!”

But Maibi asked loudly, revealing what she had said.

“...!”

Maiev turned around like a child caught doing something wrong, and met his eyes without a hint of wavering.

“...Haha, pahaha.”

She burst into laughter for the first time in her life.

In the World of Painting, spring had finally come.

◈

I met the secretary of Void that night.