Shadow Slave When Nephis returned, the courtyard seemed a little liveller than it had been before. A few people had strange expressions on their faces, and a few more seemed…

Shadow Slave It seemed like the diminutive Master Sunless, an unknown Ascended from the lakeshore settlement, had no chance against the young master of the Aegis Rose clan. Not only…

Shadow Slave Sunny's words hung in the air, contrasted starkly against his polite smile. The two young Masters seemed frozen, as if unable to digest what they had just heard.…

Shadow Slave Sunny was not unfamiliar with the Castle, since he had to come here every time he wanted to return to the waking world without raising any suspicions. However,…

Shadow Slave After they disembarked at the Castle, Effie bid them farewell and went away, giggling as she walked. Sunny and Nephis stared at her back until she disappeared from…

Shadow Slave «Gossiping about me, huh? How exciting!» Pretending to be oblivious, Sunny looked at Nephis and Effie with a little bit of masterfully performed confusion. Nephis spared him a…

Shadow Slave Nephis and Effie were staring at him in surprise, maintaining a smile. Sunny cursed inwardly. Over the years, he had gotten used to his Flaw, and it rarely…

Shadow Slave «I've… made a terrible mistake.» In hindsight, Sunny should have known that he was digging his own grave. It was just that he did not see Effie often…

Shadow Slave «…He's standing right behind me, isn't he?» Nephis slowly released Effie's hand, suddenly feeling weak. It was too late. «Oh, gods…» She briefly considered lighting the ferry on…

Shadow Slave Eventually, they reached the pler. There were six ferries carrying people and cargo across the lake to the Castle, operating in pairs. The one Sunny and Nephis approached…