The amount of Lust contained within this goddess statue was staggering. If only it could be extracted – we're talking not just Lust I or Lust II, but potentially even reaching Lust III and Lust IV!
The only issue was that it seemed to be missing a certain... "something."
Through the connection he'd just forged, Dark had gained an initial understanding of the Lust within the goddess statue.
→ Something feels off, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is.
It could be a difference in quality, or perhaps the lack or presence of some crucial element.
Whatever the case, it was subtly different from the Lust Dark himself possessed.
This might explain why the Lust from the goddess statue could be used to create flower cards.
"I still don't know enough!"
Dark couldn't help but sigh.
Mastering this wasn't something that could be rushed; knowledge took time to accumulate.
He had to be patient.
"Tomorrow, then. I'll come back tomorrow night."
Having decided that, Dark didn't linger in the temple. He felt the need to borrow that thought bottle from Professor Kazel again.
...
Leaving the secret passage was much quicker than entering it.
This was mainly because Dark had spotted Virt hobbling along, clutching his backside, and followed him through a shortcut.
By the time they emerged, it was almost midnight.
Dark quickly said goodbye to Virt and hurried back to the noble dormitory tower before curfew.
Overall, the night's little adventure had gone quite smoothly.
Even though he'd lost a flower card and a Lust I, there were more in the Lust series waiting for him.
So, Dark slept relatively soundly that night.
In contrast,
Virt had a rather restless night.
After barely making it back to the knight dormitory before it locked up, his backside had split even further from the forced running, adding insult to injury.
But compared to the black-suited figure he'd encountered in the secret passage, this pain was nothing.
"He didn't seem like he was with the cult. He must have been there for reasons similar to mine."
"Damn it, who was he?"
"I wanted to catch him and question him, but... ouch!"
And so, Virt spent the entire night sleeping on his stomach.
...
A warm breeze wafted through the open door.
As sunlight streamed in, the catgrass, being particularly sensitive to it, woke up before Dark.
When Dark finally opened his eyes, he found his face wet.
He sighed and gently tucked the catgrass back into its little sleeping basket on the bedside table before getting up to wash.
"I'm feeling pretty good."
Dark glanced at himself in the mirror, then summoned [Trash Slime] to pat his face, instantly feeling refreshed.
Today's Sage Daily had a slightly different feel to it.
Dark sat alone in the common room, reading the newspaper. The headline was highlighted in color, featuring photos of the three princesses.
The eldest princess was described as gentle and virtuous, while the twin younger princesses were said to be incredibly cute.
The Sage Daily announced the princesses' Halloween schedule: they would be attending the Halloween ball at St. Maryanne Academy as representatives of the royal family.
Politically, this was a very clear gesture of goodwill.
And since Headmaster Arte had agreed to it, it also indicated her position.
Further down the page, there was a photo of the crown prince.
The crown prince would be attending the Halloween ritual at the Sacred Rites Academy on Halloween eve.
"Have the two factions already made their stances this obvious?"
Dark frowned slightly.
He didn't want to see any external wars or internal conflicts.
But humans had always been this way, since the dawn of time.
As long as they lived, they would never stop fighting.
"Sip~"
After taking a sip of black tea, Dark put the newspaper down.
He was firmly a dove, but he didn't necessarily disagree with all of the hawk faction's decisions.
However, since the Valkyrie was the leader of the dove faction, as her son, he naturally had to stand firmly by her side.
Still, he was only twelve. For the next six years, he would mostly be at St. Maryanne Academy, so external affairs weren't his primary concern.
Instead of worrying about that, he might as well think about the commotion the news of the three princesses attending the Halloween ball would cause!
"Elizabeth, Anna, and Ange, right? I remember they didn't get along with me."
"Well, that's fine."
...
The first class on Wednesday was Potions.
Dark arrived early and watched as Virt entered through the back door, being supported by Robert.
"That kid's backside is practically ripped open. Why doesn't he just go to the infirmary? Sister Carian would probably be more than happy to give him a painkiller shot in the butt."
Dark turned away, chuckling to himself.
Both Virt and Robert had managed to injure themselves in a single day, and both were walking around looking miserable.
"Ouch!"
Virt carefully sat down, still gritting his teeth in pain.
Robert sighed, "Just bear with it. It's your own fault for falling and refusing to go to the infirmary. Sister Carian is actually quite nice (and discreet). She's not as scary as the rumors make her out to be."
"No," Virt quickly replied, "It's just a fall. I'll get used to it, and it won't hurt anymore."
But as soon as class started, Professor Thompson noticed Virt wincing and called him to the front.
Virt forced himself to complete the task without showing any pain, but by the time he returned to his seat, his face had turned green.
The second class was Summoning.
Professor Sarah brought out a set of practice [Summoning Cards] that reacted to summoning wood, perfect for practicing sacrificial summoning.
The young mages excitedly chanted summoning spells, conjuring one glowing orb after another.
Before class ended, Professor Sarah informed the students that they could purchase a set of [Summoning Cards] from her for 100 credits to practice with, but less than a third of the class ended up buying them.
Dark, of course, bought a set.
His credits were visibly piling up again.
Whether it was helping Robert or with the "multiplication table," both had earned him a significant number of points.
The key was that these summoning cards were genuinely useful. He found that his standard summoning spells could now be cast in under six seconds, and while his sacrificial summoning was still in its early stages, he was learning quickly.
Last night's unexpected encounter with Virt had further emphasized the importance of summoning.
In battles between mages, every second counted. Only by minimizing casting time and cooldowns could one avoid being at a disadvantage in a fight.
After class, Dark took a deep breath and headed to Professor Kazel's office once more.
He didn't mention the previous night's events, simply borrowing a thought bottle from the professor.
When the professor casually inquired about it, Dark smiled and said that his experiments were progressing, and the thought bottle was just more convenient to use.
Professor Kazel offered a few encouraging words before returning to grading assignments.
Neither of them brought up the topic of flower cards.
After leaving the office, Dark went to the cafeteria for lunch, then returned to his dorm to gather his mind dropper and various instruments before heading back to the secret passage. In broad daylight!
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