Dante appeared beside Vexian and Lexa. Both women turned toward him immediately.
Vexian tilted her head.
"Master... is something wrong?"
Dante shook his head.
"Nothing serious. We just had an observer watching us from quite a distance."
Both of them instinctively looked around, trying to follow where he was looking. Dante smiled.
"You're searching the wrong place. She was over thirty kilometers away."
Both women froze.
"Thirty... kilometers?"
Dante nodded.
"It isn't someone either of you could have detected."
Lexa's expression became serious.
"A Mythical Being?"
"Yes."
His answer was simple. Nothing more.
Vexian quietly lowered her gaze, a trace of frustration crossing her face before she clenched the edge of her sleeve.
She still wasn't strong enough.
Dante noticed immediately. He reached out and lightly tapped her forehead. Vexian looked up.
"You've been thinking too much again. Mythical Beings are my responsibility. If I wanted Mythical-level subordinates, I'd recruit Mythical-ranked subordinates."
His tone remained relaxed. "But I didn't. I chose both of you. You each have strengths that no one else can replace. And besides—" A faint smile appeared. "—you'll reach that level eventually. So stop worrying."
He glanced toward Lexa.
"Be a little more like her."
Lexa simply shrugged.
She had never been bothered by it. Long ago she had accepted one simple truth — her master's enemies were not always her's to battle.
Some battles belonged to him alone. Her responsibility was everything beneath that. And she had no intention of failing him there.
Vexian let out a quiet breath before smiling.
"...Understood, Master."
"Good."
Dante looked toward the distant terminal.
"Let's head back."
With a snap of his fingers, space folded around the three of them, the scenery distorting. An instant later they stood outside the transportation terminal. Like before, they purchased tickets for the next Void Ship returning to the Central Academy. Departure was still twenty minutes away.
Having nothing better to do, the three wandered through the terminal. Numerous docking platforms stretched into the distance — some housed academy transport vessels, others stood completely empty. Dante stopped before one of the vacant platforms.
"What's this one for?"
Lexa glanced around before walking toward one of the attendants. A few minutes later she returned.
"They're reserved for factions."
"Factions?"
She nodded.
"Apparently powerful student factions can purchase their own private Void Ships. The academy even allocates permanent docking platforms for them. They're expensive. But once a faction becomes influential enough, they can travel wherever they want without relying on academy schedules."
Dante looked thoughtfully across the rows of empty platforms.
"So factions are more valuable than I thought."
Lexa nodded.
"Apparently so."
Dante simply committed the information to memory. There was little point dwelling on it — they weren't even official academy students yet.
Eventually a boarding announcement echoed throughout the terminal. The three stepped aboard the Void Ship and returned to their previous seats. The journey back was uneventful — Dante spent most of it asleep, Vexian quietly rested beside him, and Lexa occupied herself by watching the scenery drifting past the windows.
By the time the ship returned to the academy, night had already settled over the mountain ranges, the campus glowing beneath countless enchanted lights.
Dante stretched lazily.
"Long day."
Neither woman disagreed. With another effortless manipulation of space, the three returned to their residential district.
After exchanging a few final words, they each retired to their own rooms. Silence gradually settled over the academy. Tomorrow would mark the beginning of something entirely different.
....
Morning began as it usually did for Vexion and Dante.
Vexion had a smile on her face, pride filling her heart.
She managed it.
After countless attempts, she had finally managed it.
This morning, while spending another blissful morning with her Master, she had finally claimed a tiny victory — for the first time, she had managed to make her Master climax before she did.
Of course, she herself followed only moments later, whether it had been five seconds or ten seconds afterwards didn't matter.
She won.
That alone was enough.
Because of this, she was exceptionally giddy.
Of course, one could also bring up the fact that she proceeded to lose all three rounds that followed.
That, however, was completely irrelevant.
History had been made today.
As she and Dante exited their room, Lexa had just finished showering, still dressed in her sleepwear. She looked at Dante in surprise.
"Master is up earlier today."
Dante shook his head.
"Not out of choice."
Vexion simply skipped past him, humming happily to herself. Lexa watched her with complete confusion.
"...Why is she acting like that? Since when did she become a teenager?"
Dante merely chuckled before shaking his head.
It didn't take long before Vexion, much to Lexa's misfortune, proudly explained her greatest accomplishment of the millennium thus far — she had finally beaten her Master once.
Lexa was nowhere near as excited as Vexion. In fact, she rather wished she had never been told this interesting piece of information.
The three soon enjoyed their usual breakfast together.
Not long afterwards, the barrier surrounding the house informed them of a visitor.
Dante nodded, finishing the last bite of his food before walking downstairs into the living room.
Without the slightest hint of elegance, he practically threw himself onto one of the sofas, spreading across nearly half of it as though the furniture belonged exclusively to him.
Vexion immediately frowned, her cheeks puffing out into an unmistakable pout.
"Master."
Dante blinked.
"What?"
She stamped her foot once, her cheeks carrying the faintest hint of red.
Lexa, watching the exchange, simply sighed inwardly.
'They really are like a couple. Vexion also becomes an entirely different person around Master. Usually she's elegant, calm, terrifying, almost psychopathic in how composed she is. Yet around him she becomes expressive, playful, almost childish.'
Seeing Dante still genuinely confused, Lexa decided to help him.
"She wants to sit on your lap, Master."
Vexion's blush deepened.
Truthfully, she knew her behaviour around Dante was odd.
She simply didn't care.
Whenever she looked at him — his handsome face, those calm blue eyes, his gentle smile, the relaxed confidence he carried — she didn't merely see her Lord. She saw her Master. The man who had claimed her, both as his subordinate and as the woman she had willingly devoted herself to.
She belonged to him completely.
More importantly, Dante never hid how he felt. He never pretended. He never lied about whether he desired her. Knowing that filled Vexion with a pride she couldn't quite explain.
When the heavens themselves acknowledged you, how could you not smile?
Realising what she wanted, Dante chuckled before sitting upright.
"There."
Vexion's bright smile immediately returned. She happily climbed onto his lap, shifting slightly until she settled into the position she found most comfortable. Feeling the familiar closeness of his embrace firm between her but cheeks, she instinctively relaxed.
Dante wrapped one arm around her waist while resting his chin against his other hand, his eyes drifting toward the entrance.
A few moments later, Lexa opened the door with her usual calm smile.
"Welcome, Number Three and Number Four."
Elric greeted her with a rather wry expression.
After all, she had killed him yesterday.
Lexa merely smiled in return, completely unbothered.
Amber, meanwhile, politely greeted Lexa before following Elric inside. The moment the two entered, both of them stopped. Their eyes landed on Dante lazily occupying half the sofa while Vexion sat comfortably on his lap as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"..."
"..."
Dante looked at them in confusion.
"What?"
Vexion tilted her head as well, sharing her Master's puzzled expression. Neither of them seemed to understand why the newcomers had suddenly gone silent.