Swish, swish, swish—
In an instant, Nanako darted into the blankets at an unimaginable speed, wrapping herself up tightly.
"Stupid disciple!!!" Nanako blushed and shouted.
She immediately reached out her hand.
Grabbing Lynn's cheek, she gritted her teeth and pulled hard.
"Wake up! Wake up!! Wake up!!!"
Lynn "finally" opened his drowsy eyes, looking at Nanako in confusion, yawning as he said:
"Master, good morning. What's wrong?"
Nanako swiftly retracted her hands, wrapping herself in the blanket, glaring at him with wide eyes, and said angrily:
"Why are you sleeping on the same bed as Nanako?!"
Lynn was momentarily stunned, looking around as if he had just realized the situation.
Lynn: "!!!"
Lynn exclaimed in shock: "What’s going on? I don’t know why I fell asleep so suddenly last night. What exactly happened? I have no idea!"
Nanako stared at him, shrinking further into the blanket.
"Is that so?"
"I can’t remember," Lynn said, rubbing his temples with a headache. "I can’t recall anything from last night."
[→_→ Oh no, I remember everything.]
[It’s all because Master’s sleeping posture was too violent. When I came back, I found that she had pushed all seven of those girls off the bed.]
[So I moved you to another room and even changed your pajamas for you. Aren’t I thoughtful?]
Nanako: "???!
Nanako’s eyes widened, her face instantly turning red down to her neck.
She shrank further into the blanket, only revealing a pair of aggrieved blue eyes.
Damn it!
It really was this scoundrel disciple!
How could he do such a thing to his master?
Changing… changing clothes…
Doesn’t that mean he saw everything?!
"You really can’t remember anything?" Nanako muttered:
"Weren’t we in a different room last night? Did we just float here magically?"
Lynn pondered, and suddenly, as if remembering something, he looked up and said:
"I vaguely recall something…"
Nanako tilted her head, asking: "Really?"
Lynn frowned, rubbing his temples as he said: "While I was asleep, I faintly felt someone dragging me. They weren’t tall, wore blue clothes, had two ponytails, and their eyes were closed, as if sleepwalking…"
Nanako was stunned.
Not tall.
Blue clothes?
Two ponytails…
Who?
Nanako looked around in confusion.
Then her gaze instantly fell on the mirror across the room.
Nanako froze.
"Disciple, are you saying that I sleepwalked, dragged you over, and then slept with you in the same bed?"
Nanako gritted her teeth, a "╬" popping up on her small clenched fist.
Lynn thought for a moment and said: "That’s very possible."
[It’s absolutely correct to blame Master for this, since she often sleepwalks →_→]
[I remember a few years ago, I was sleeping soundly when suddenly I saw a little girl standing by my bed with a kitchen knife, asking if I was hungry.]
[I was so shocked, I remember…]
As Lynn began narrating her dark history in his mind, Nanako shouted, shaking her head rapidly, her long ponytails slapping Lynn’s head repeatedly.
"That’s impossible!! Nanako never sleepwalks! Stupid disciple, don’t say such strange things!"
...
A few minutes later.
Nanako had neatly put on her robe, pulling the large hood over her head, revealing her big blue eyes from under the brim, and said:
"Disciple, I’ll forgive you for what happened earlier, since we both fell asleep last night. But don’t let it happen again, okay?"
[Wait, something’s off… why does Master sound like she knows it was me?]
[Did she not fall asleep last night? That’s impossible! I checked!]
[Then why does she sound so forgiving?]
Lynn’s probing gaze instantly shot over.
Nanako’s eyes widened immediately.
Her heart pounded rapidly.
Her small hands instinctively covered her mouth.
Fortunately, she was facing away from Lynn, so he didn’t notice.
Phew, that was close! I almost gave it away!
I really need to be more careful with my words from now on. If my disciple finds out I can hear his thoughts, he’ll definitely leave me.
Stay calm, stay calm!
You can do it!
Don’t give it away!
Nanako coughed and said: "Well… disciple, it seems we were both affected by that mysterious force last night. I was planning to go out and investigate, but I ended up falling asleep so quickly."
Lynn exhaled, pondering: "Yeah, it seems Elina was right. Every night, this place is influenced by some strange power…"
Nanako glanced at him subtly out of the corner of her eye.
[→_→ But that won’t happen anymore starting tonight, because I’ve already solved the problem brilliantly.]
Hearing Lynn’s thoughts, Nanako’s heart skipped a beat, her eyes widening.
Sol… solved?
By my disciple alone?
[If I hadn’t come here, if the volcano hadn’t erupted and loosened the seal, I wouldn’t have known that the King of Secret Source was trapped in this godforsaken place.]
[But luckily, I broke the seal, transformed his essence, and drove him away last night. Staying here wouldn’t do him any good anyway.]
After hearing Lynn’s thoughts, Nanako felt her breathing quicken.
She clearly caught a few key phrases.
King of Secret Source?
Seal?
Transformed his essence?
So… while I was asleep last night, my disciple did a lot of things here.
He broke the seal for the King of Secret Source?
Indeed, there must be some connection between my disciple and the King of Secret Source.
Both of them lost in their own thoughts, they walked down the stairs to the inn’s first floor.
"Master Nanako, Mr. Lynn, you’re here?!"
On the first floor, Elina and her six mage companions stood up excitedly upon seeing them, waving and quickly approaching.
While Lynn and Nanako were dawdling, they had also woken up.
Lynn was about to smile and greet them.
But the next moment.
His smile froze on his face.
Sitting across the long table from the seven girls was an elf wearing a light yellow robe, holding a harp, with long golden hair and long ears.
The elf, upon seeing Lynn and Nanako, smiled slightly, nodded gracefully, and performed an elegant bow.
Lynn: "What the hell, I…"
Nanako instantly turned her head sharply, sternly saying: "Disciple, you shouldn’t use such language!"
Lynn swallowed his words and said: "Sorry, Master."
[King of Secret Source!! That bastard! (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻]
[I told him so many times last night not to come looking for me, not to come looking for me, and it hasn’t even been half a night yet!]
[No, I have to find a chance to beat him up again later!!]
Hearing Lynn’s thoughts, Nanako was shocked.
Ki… King of Secret Source?!!
Nanako instantly turned her head, her gaze falling on the elf, her expression freezing.
My disciple said that elf is the King of Secret Source?
This… this is ridiculous!!
She clearly remembered that the King of Secret Source was an ancient being, existing since primordial times, even older than the Great Lord of Violet.
In her mind, such an ancient being should be thousands of meters tall, with eight ears and sixteen eyes!
This… this…
"Oh! Master Nanako!" Elina, her face slightly red with excitement, walked over to the elf and said:
"Let me introduce you. This is Rein, a wandering bard from the southern elven kingdom."
The King of Secret Source glanced mockingly at Lynn’s gloomy expression.
Then he smiled slightly, turned gracefully, and looked at Nanako, about to bow.
"Greetings, fair lady, I am…"
But at that moment, when he clearly saw Nanako’s face, his entire body shuddered, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.