The Night in Seraphite

That day, Irina tried various methods to farm experience from Becky. However, perhaps due to overusing the same tricks, Becky had gradually developed an immunity. Head pats, which used to make her flustered, now only provoked mild annoyance—she no longer blushed, much to Irina's disappointment. Since Becky wasn't getting shy, the teasing was effectively a failure.

By the end of the day, Irina had only managed to gain experience from Becky through five handshakes and two hugs, totaling 90 experience points. Including the 100 experience she had gained from sleeping together the previous night, and her original amount, Irina's total experience had now reached an impressive 580 points.

What a pity… Whether it's handshakes or hugs, they have to last for a full minute to count. And all the other methods also have their own limits.

As night fell, Feilin escorted Irina back to her villa.

Switching on the living room lights, Feilin asked with some curiosity, "Princess, why were you sticking so closely to Princess Becky all day today? And also, you…"

For a moment, Feilin didn't even know how to put her thoughts into words.

"Becky is adorable. I just like her, that's all," Irina replied casually before heading straight to her room.

Since they had already had dinner at Becky's place, there was no need for another meal.

Watching the ever-changing princess disappear into her room, Feilin sighed softly. She knew it was the overwhelming pressure that had caused such changes in Irina.

============

Inside her room, Irina summoned her Supernatural Panel.

Right now, I'm a Rank 1 Apprentice with two abilities: Ignite and Sprint. To advance to Rank 2, I need 500 experience points. I currently have 580 experience.

Excitement flickered in Irina's eyes.

Apprentices had two possible advancement paths: Warrior or Sensory Master. After some thought, Irina decided to pursue Sensory Master.

She tried allocating her experience to the 0/500 progress bar for Sensory Master—but it didn't work.

No reaction? Do I have to learn all Rank 1 abilities first?

Frowning slightly, she tested her theory and unlocked Accelerated Reading, the third ability available to Apprentices, costing 100 experience.

Checking her remaining points, she then poured everything into the Sensory Master progress bar, bringing it to 480/500.

As expected, to advance to the next rank, she had to learn all abilities from the previous rank. However, now she was still 20 experience points short of advancing.

"Just 20 more points…" Irina murmured. Without hesitation, she left her room and went to Felin's.

She tried turning the doorknob—locked. Knocking yielded no response.

Looks like Felin is already asleep. I can't use her to farm experience. I could use the Gate-Drawing Pen to enter, wake her up, and gain experience… but I'd have no way to explain how I got inside.

Her eyes flickered with thought as she returned to her room.

After locking her door, Irina approached her wardrobe and opened it, scanning through the variety of clothing inside.

Before long, she changed into a black hooded robe, its loose fabric covering her entire body, with the hood hiding her hair.

This was something the original Irina had bought in a small town on her way to the Night Kingdom—a souvenir, apparently. She had never worn it before.

Then, she searched through the lower drawers and found a silver-white mask, one that completely concealed her face.

She didn't put on the mask right away. Instead, she first put in red-colored contact lenses. On the Scarlet Moon Continent, colored contacts were an alchemical product, commonly used for performances and disguises.

Now fully disguised, she placed the mask on her face, turned off the lights, and picked up the Gate-Drawing Pen.

If this pen works as described in Fred's letter, I should be able to leave Silverleaf Academy without a sound. Of course, completely escaping the Night Kingdom isn't realistic—who knows how many powerful supernatural beings exist here? They'd easily track me down. But leaving for just one night? No one will notice.

With her plan set, Irina quietly left her villa.

The night was deep, and the wind howled through the city.

Irina moved swiftly through the dim moonlight, heading toward the back hills of Silverleaf Academy. She passed through the quiet landscape until she reached the tall outer wall.

Taking out the Gate-Drawing Pen, she carefully sketched a rectangular doorway on the wall. The moment she finished, the drawn outline transformed from illusion to reality, exuding an air of mystery.

Satisfied, Irina gently pushed it open and stepped outside.

"This is a dark, deserted alleyway… perfect."

Whispering to herself, she turned back and closed the gate. The doorway instantly disappeared, confirming that each gate could only be used once.

Tonight, Irina had two objectives—one of them was to farm experience.

With her disguise complete, she walked confidently onto the bustling streets.

Seraphite, as the capital of the Night Kingdom, had a relatively open culture. People of all kinds wore extravagant or eccentric outfits, so her attire wasn't particularly strange.

However, before long, she had to hide in the shadows—the streetlights in the night gave her an overwhelming sense of fear.

She understood immediately: this is the Gate-Drawing Pen's negative effect at work.

Staying within the darker alleyways, she began searching for a target. Her gaze soon landed on a girl passing by.

The young woman had long, deep blue hair, decorated with elegant hair ornaments. Her light blue eyes were mesmerizing, her nose was delicately sculpted, and her lips were a soft shade of red. She appeared to be around twenty, dressed in a simple yet elegant light blue dress.

Upon spotting her, Irina lowered her head and silently approached.

============

Hyria Biloux came from a noble lineage—the daughter of an earl.

But she wasn't fond of the aristocratic life. To her, the rigid rules and traditions made it feel like everyone was just living for others, endlessly constrained by duty.

Thus, no matter how much she grew up, her rebellious streak remained strong. Every now and then, she would disguise herself as a commoner, sneak out of her estate, and wander the streets of Seraphite, marveling at the artistic vibrance of the city.

But now, it was getting late.

I should head home soon… Otherwise, Father will definitely throw a fit again.

Thinking of her father's furious expression, Hyria instinctively shrank her neck.

That was when she noticed a black-robed figure—about 150 cm (4'11") tall—walking toward her.

Instantly, her guard went up.

Then, the black-robed figure spoke.

"Excuse me, big sister…"

The voice was soft and sweet—innocent, even.

The moment Hyria heard it, her wariness melted away.

She's just a little girl… How could she possibly mean any harm?