“But she did, didn’t she?” The royal lady smirked amiably.

  “What?” Tina’s forehead furrowed deeply.

  “She sent you.” Silvia looked at her dear companion meaningfully. “Or am I misremembering things?”

  “No, but I wasn’t part of the organization.” Her blue-haired friend kept looking back, still perplexed. “They were supposed to watch over me, no?”

  “And how did you learn about the troubles?” Selene asked.

  “I connected the hints from my duel with Roz…” Tina searched her memories.

  “During practice or lessons?” Her vulpine sister-mate continued.

  “No, there was this girl—” The dazed Summoner paused.

  The girl? Who was she?

  Tina remembered seeing some poor student getting harassed by Roz, their eyes meeting by accident, her noticing the pleading shadow in them. But the details about the woman were hazy, like she seemed so unremarkable or even forgettable. After confronting the bully, she was nowhere to be found. Tina recalled casting a look around, but with something much more important on her mind, she rushed back home.

  Surprisingly, her mother was nowhere to be found either. Even the servants had no idea where their mistress had gone, which was almost unprecedented. Now that she thought about it, she barely ran into anyone when trying to sneak out of her room with her savings, wanting to avoid any questions. It was way too smooth. She was never the best at hiding her emotions.

  “It was all orchestrated…” Tina whispered in disbelief as everything became clear. “Mother really sent me to help…”

  Miria giggled. “I bet it was her way of making you stand out in Master’s eyes! That was around the time when he began noticing you more, right?”

  Tina flushed deeply, her heart warming up at the memory of receiving his gratitude and the brooch. “Yeah…”

  “Mothers are never to be underestimated.” Selene snickered. “I understand why our mate is nervous around them.”

  They shared a good laugh before casting a glance at the trio by the Core.

  “Well, if you still have doubts, you can always just ask,” Silvia suggested. “There are no more secrets between you.”

  “You are right.” Tina nodded resolutely. “There are lots of things I want to talk about with them both. So, that’s where you’ll find me. Thanks for reassuring my doubts. I really appreciate it.”

  “We are a family. That’s what we are here for.” The princess took her hand and squeezed it compassionately. “And I’ll go with you. I’m curious what kind of gossip I might learn about Dad.”

  “I have things to attend to at home,” Bryn shared. “Now that Master is back, we might be able to move the schedule a bit ahead.”

  “Maybe Visenna is now a bit more free, so I’ll see what her opinion on Phatru’s methods is,” Althea said. “I’ll see you all later.”

  They bid each other farewell, snuck one more peek at their beloved, who was hard at work, and split up.

  ※※※

  “She is taking a break in one of the staff rooms,” a kind receptionist inside Glimmervale’s guild said. “I will gladly fetch her for you, My Ladies.”

  “No need. That’s more than perfect.” Selene smiled gratefully. “Have a nice day.”

  Miria didn’t wait for her vulpine sister-mate and rushed to the correct room, evoking an amused chuckle from the fox lady. At least, the bubbly panthergirl had enough tact to knock on the door instead of spooking her old friend.

  “Yes?” Ellie answered from inside.

  “It’s me and Selene!” Miria announced giddily before peeking inside and moving in after spotting no trouble ahead.

  “What a pleasant surprise.” Their personal advisor beamed at them, pushing herself up from the sofa. “You are back?”

  “It’s so nice to see you again, Ellie!” The cheerful feline spread her arms wide. “Or should I say, Agent Forty-Seven?”

  Ellie’s smile dropped in a blink, the muscles of her jaw tensing up.

  Selene spotted the change and immediately threw her hand forward. The room was flooded with spiritual presence so thick that everything rattled, and it felt like they plunged underwater, eleven tails swishing ferociously behind her back. Ellie’s eyes widened to the brim as she realized she was paralyzed, put into forced stasis.

  “That was way too careless.” The fox lady sighed heavily, directing a faint glare at her companion. “Even if I understand your excitement.”

  “I thought we were friends…” Miria looked massively scared, her face pale and her ears laid flat atop her hair as she realized what had been prevented. “That she trusted us…”

  “And what guarantee did she have that we are who we look like while we were supposed to be off-world?” Selene asked calmly. “You know how strict Noblesse’s rules are when even Gwen had one.”

  The panthergirl dropped her gaze and squirmed while rubbing her fingers. “I’m sorry… I should have thought it through more…”

  Taking a deep breath, her sister-mate ruffled reassuringly through her hair and turned to the frozen receptionist. “Our deepest apologies, Ellie. You know best how easily excitable Miria gets, and we have just come from a conversation with The Director. Master has been briefed on the role of the organization. We decided to let you know so that you don’t have to feel like you are constantly lying to us about who you are. We all still consider you our close friend.”

  To prove their identities, she flashed the True Mate band around her finger and tickled Ellie’s mind through the bond. When the receptionist girl’s eyes relaxed a bit, she released the pressure that held her in place. With a gasp, their friend wobbled and supported herself against the couch’s backrest.

  “That was… something.” Ellie flashed them a pained grin.

  Miria wanted to rush to her side but held away, looking ashamed of herself.

  It was Ellie who approached the panthergirl first and wrapped her arms around the other woman’s waist. “It’s alright. Just a small mistake. And to be honest, I’m kind of disappointed you managed to stop me. I’m so curious about how this weird memory thing works, and it looks like I won’t get a chance to test it anytime soon now.”

  The joking tone helped Miria settle a bit, and she sniffled softly while hugging their friend back.

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself. Let’s just say that we are now even for me spying on you in the past.” Ellie giggled guiltily. “Do you really think Ast will forgive me?”

  “Master already did.” The panthergirl showed a tiny smile. “We all have. I was so surprised to hear about that. Though, why do you even have this thing with you when you are now with us in Dragon Valley? Is there a reason to still watch Master in secret?”

  “Ah, no, that task finished a long time ago.” Their secret agent friend shook her head. “I personally asked for this dose. For a situation exactly like this one. I don’t want to be a weakness others can abuse to get to you or Ast. It was concocted before you departed, so no one could learn about it from me.”

  “Woah. That’s so smart. And heroic.” Miria was in pure awe. “Thank you so much, Ellie. Master would be so proud. Even if he would be a bit angry that you have to do something like this too.”

  “He would.” Ellie giggled knowingly.

  “I have one thing I’m wondering about too,” Selene chimed in. “You really didn’t know anything about Rhode?”

  The other girl’s expression fell as she looked down to avoid their eyes. She chewed on her lip strongly.

  “I really should have noticed… Not just as an agent but also as a receptionist… I have no excuse for my incompetence… If I wasn’t so fixated on Asterios, the accident could have been prevented… I was in a position to do something about it… Yet even when I suspected Rhode of trying to mess with Ast after the test, I didn’t…” Ellie admitted sadly.

  Selene hugged her from behind, trapping her between the two of them. “Don’t take all the blame. You weren’t the only one working there. You had it even harder than others due to your double identity and responsibilities. You did your best.”

  They stayed in silence for a while, until Miria peeked at Ellie with a slightly cheeky grin.

  “So… Do you have any funny stories about Master from your observations?” the panthergirl asked.

  “Oh, I have plenty,” the receptionist replied mischievously. “There was this one time when he came in all wet…”

  ※ ※ ※

  Back in the depths of the dungeon, Asterios and Grea were hard at work. Umbra watched over them and instructed the pair on what to do while often listening to their feedback and introducing it into his designs. They shared one mind, all calculations and analysis going through their heads at the same time, allowing them to take care of their tasks without a break.

  Ast’s job was to carve a runic circle around Kori’s platform, similar to a Summoning Array but without the middle part. He used his draconic claw, sharpened with his energies, to cut into the durable mineral of the platform. Then, he dripped enough blood to fill the niches up to the floor’s level. The crimson symbols quickly grew in number.

  As for Grea, she used an artifact chisel to carve different sigils right into Kori’s body. She wrapped her thick tail around the girth of the massive ring and hammered away, often hanging upside down. But it didn’t bother her in the slightest. She was fully focused on precision, not wanting to make it even more painful for the friendly Core than it already had to be. There were no do-overs. At least for a good while, as recovering broken-off pieces took a lot of time.

  Hours went by before Umbra announced that they were finally done.

  “This is great. Now, rest. I will handle the next part alone.” He chuckled deeply. “Better to step off the peak just in case.”

  They followed his advice and sat down a few steps away from the top, peeking past the edge. Umbra wasted no time and floated to the middle of Kori’s ring. His shadows exploded in all directions and formed an uneven sphere of wriggling darkness, stopping short of the ring’s inner edges. The formations all lit up with a crimson glow, then shifted to ominous purple.

  Kori’s body began spinning faster and faster until it became a blur. The winds created by the motion blew at the pair, who shielded their eyes from the dust that had gathered during their work. An eerie atmosphere descended onto the Core Chamber, sparks of violet lightning shooting into Umbra’s shadows from the ring.

  After a moment, everything flashed brightly, and the shape made of darkness burst outwards with a creepy wail. The next time Asterios and Grea looked ahead, they found a perfect sphere floating in its place, filling the gap inside Kori’s ring almost wholly. They both recognized the object right away, one directly from his memories, the other from the recap she had received earlier.

  The heart of Umbra’s realm was before them, albeit in a miniature version.

  Kori’s body slowed down its spinning and returned to its lazy rotations. Now, this looked more like a Dungeon Core than before, the sphere going to mislead many future adventurers for sure. Whatever it was, it belonged to Umbra or the two of them. Asterios wasn’t sure if it was just some kind of spiritual projection or part of the realm’s core brought into this dimension.

  The Lord of the Nethernight Realm appeared ahead of them once again. “It is done.”

  Before they had a chance to respond, another shadow pooled next to him. It rose from the ground, taking the silhouette of a person made of pure darkness. This one was shorter, and its figure turned out to be completely different. Bit by bit, Asterios and Grea watched as what looked like a short female dressed in a maid uniform came into existence in front of their eyes.

  Fully formed, the newcomer opened their ominous purplish eyes resembling Umbra’s. “Hi. No, wait, not like that. Ekhm. Greetings, My Lord. Right, Umbra? Did I do it correctly?”

  The voice that reached them felt familiar, but at the same time not. It belonged to a young girl with a curious but respectful tone.

  As Umbra chuckled mirthfully, Asterios raised a brow at him. “I thought you said Kori remained referring to itself genderlessly?”

  “Allow me to answer, My Lord.” Kori bowed politely. “Just like my senior in the past, I thought it would be more comfortable for everyone for me to choose a distinctive form. Since he already uses the male template, I chose the female one. I hope you’ll forgive me for basing this build on one of your human allies, as she seemed the most fit for my young but growing existence.”

  Grea cocked her head to the back in realization. “Irelia. I knew it.”

  “Now that you mention it, the height checks out,” Asterios agreed. “It was difficult to match without facial features and with a different hairstyle. Anyway, it’s alright as long as you don’t just copy her.”

  “I assure you that I am my own person and will continue to adjust this form until I find a shape that will become my permanent depiction.” A purple curve appeared on Kori’s empty face, signifying a smile. “I’m looking forward to finally working with you directly, My Lord.”

  Asterios nodded respectfully, glancing at Umbra. “Is she like you now, then?”

  “Not entirely.” His shadowy partner shook his head. “First of all, she can only manifest inside her domain, which is this dungeon. The new ability falls under the same restriction.”

  “New ability?” Grea raised a curious brow at him.

  Kori raised her hands into the air, and multiple of her forges activated, glowing with purplish portals. A few seconds later, monsters stepped out of them.

  No, it wasn’t exactly monsters in the usual fashion. Asterios quickly recognized the characteristic qualities and features of the Nethernight Realm denizens. Both the civilized folks and the more savage creatures. They had met a few of them along the way.

  “Damn. You can bring in your friends now?” Grea whistled in awe. “But, they can only roam around the dungeon, from what you said.”

  “That is impressive, but are you certain it’s a good idea? Or are you going to be constantly looking after them? I don’t mind if some monsters die against our adventurers, but I have a feeling you are going to use this ability to let your people experience some more freedom before loosening the seal around your world.” Asterios hummed thoughtfully.

  “As astute as ever, Master.” Umbra winked at him. “That is my intention. But you don’t have to worry. Do you remember what happens when a summoned creature dies outside their home realm?”

  “Their soul returns there to possibly reincarnate,” Grea answered right away.

  “Yes, and a similar thing will happen here. With one major difference. Thanks to the formations, your power, Kori’s dungeon, and my involvement, when anything dies, it will simply reform back home as it was.” The Lord of Shadows grinned proudly. “Of course, there still will be pain and such, but we are more than accustomed to it. What do you think?”

  Asterios stared at the display with an impressed smile. “Amazing. And it did help Kori advance enough to communicate with us. This will be a great thing even if your kin can’t go outside.”

  “I’m sure I will figure a way to change that in the future, My Lord,” Kori said resolutely. “I want to thank you for not killing me and instead offering me a new life. Now, I even have companions with whom I can make bigger progress than ever before. I’m learning so much from everyone. So, I’m at your disposal anytime, My Lord.”

  She once again bowed deeply.

  Grea nudged Asterios with her elbow, waggling her brows at him.

  He groaned, evoking a laugh from his naughty mate.

  Umbra would better keep a close eye on Kori before the ladies taught her way too many unnecessary things.

  Chapter 47

  Days Gone ❤

  “It’s getting fairly late,” Umbra said as he looked into the ceiling. “We kept you two here for a long time. I should return home too and rejoin Abyss. She’s been busy helping me stabilize things further. I’ll remind her to keep her promise as soon as possible, Master.”

  Asterios waved his hand at him. “It’s alright. She did help a bit even before. And we are soon heading to the place where the seal came to be. Perhaps we won’t even need her aid in the end. But, I’ll gladly welcome any support when we get there and learn that things aren’t as simple.”

  “As you wish.” The Lord of Shadows bowed, turning to Kori. “You should be able to converse with Master through my bond with him. Keep up the good work, and feel free to ask him questions about the dungeons too. His mates and allies possess a great deal of knowledge on the matter.”

  “Yes, Senior.” The Core curtsied. “I welcome all ideas for more floors. At the current pace, I’ll run out of my designs soon enough. There are also other aspects I would like to receive guidance in, but for today, please retreat to your well-deserved rest, My Lord. It was a pleasure.”

  The shadows dispersed, and both figures disappeared. Alongside them, the summoned creatures popped out of existence too, taken back to their home dimension. The chamber grew calm and quiet, a soothing hum of Kori’s rotating ring filling the empty space. It looked like the purple markings on its body and resting place were to stay.

  “Should we?” Grea looped her arm through Ast’s with a wide grin.

  Smirking, he leaned in to peck her cheek and plunged them both into darkness. Soon after, they resurface inside their bedroom in the castle. But, instead of getting themselves ready for sleep, they paused, their gazes falling onto a breathtaking sight atop the comfy mattress.

  All the other ladies were already out, snuggled together sweetly, tucked under the covers. Miria held Tina close to her chest as the big spoon, purring quietly into the other girl’s hair. Silvia ended up embracing Selene’s fluffy tail, her noble face buried in the soft fluff with a pleasant smile. Althea lay between the two pairs, sprawled on her back, the sheets hooked on her knee and pulled down to reveal her gorgeous body to the world. The cold clearly didn’t bother someone as hot as her.

  “So beautiful, isn’t it?” Grea leaned in to whisper into Ast’s ear. “You are such a lucky man.”