Chapter 30: Extending my stay in the capital
For the first time since arriving in the capital—
The manor was quiet.
Peacefully quiet.
No Lilith hanging off my arm.
No random marriage proposals every five minutes.
No mysterious purple magic appearing whenever I tried escaping a room.
It was relaxing.
I sat near one of the large windows in the manor lounge while staring out at the snowy capital streets below.
But eventually—
My thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Back to the old woman from the market.
"...Mana core..."
I frowned slightly.
"...Magic burnout..."
None of it made sense.
According to everyone in this world, I was born without mana capacity.
Completely empty.
Yet that woman sounded absolutely convinced something had happened to me instead.
"A strong core..."
I quietly muttered the words to myself.
Honestly—
The more I thought about it, the stranger it became.
I had never even used magic before.
So how could something called mana burnout happen to me?
Before I could think any deeper about it though—
BOOM.
The massive doors behind me suddenly slammed open.
A blur of black hair instantly rushed toward me.
Then—
CRASH.
"Leo!"
Lilith slammed directly into me hard enough to nearly knock the chair backward before immediately wrapping herself around my body.
Her cheek pressed against mine as she happily nuzzled against me.
"I missed you so much."
"...You were gone for half a day."
"A horrible half day."
Honestly—
How did she survive before we met?
Lilith tightened her grip slightly while continuing to cling to me like I’d disappeared for years instead of hours.
I opened my mouth slightly.
"You know..."
I paused.
"...Why do you even bother going to the academy?"
The moment I asked it—
I immediately realised the answer myself.
Because if she didn’t—
She would probably permanently attach herself to my spine.
The academy was performing a public service.
Lilith meanwhile completely ignored my suffering while happily sitting directly beside me.
Eventually our conversation shifted toward business.
"I finished setting things up with the Valamere company," I explained.
Lilith nodded absentmindedly while still leaning against me.
"That’s nice."
"So I’ll probably head back to the Aldric territory soon."
Silence.
Instant silence.
Lilith froze completely.
Slowly—
She looked up at me.
"...What?"
"I said I’m heading back soon."
Her grip tightened immediately.
"When?"
"In the next day or two probably."
The room became quiet again.
Then Lilith suddenly shook her head repeatedly.
"No."
"...Lilith."
"No."
"I have work back home."
"You can work here."
"I also have Finn managing things by himself ."
"Bring Finn here too."
She sounded genuinely serious.
"I’m going back," I said firmly.
Lilith stared at me silently for several moments.
Then unexpectedly—
Her eyes started watering.
I blinked.
"...Wait."
Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks before she suddenly slid off the chair entirely and dropped onto her knees beside me.
Both hands tightly grabbed onto my shirt.
"Stay."
"...Lilith."
"Please?"
She lightly tugged downward on my clothes while looking up at me with watery eyes.
"My birthday is only a few days away..."
Her voice became quieter.
"Please stay until then."
Seeing Lilith like this felt deeply unnatural.
This was the same terrifying girl who crushed enchanted swords with one hand.
And now she was kneeling on the floor begging me not to leave.
"...You’re really crying over this?"
"Yes."
"That feels emotionally manipulative."
"I learned from nobles."
I sighed heavily.
She was hopeless.
After several long moments—
"...Fine."
Instantly her expression brightened.
"I’ll stay until your birthday."
The transformation was immediate.
Lilith practically sprang back to life before suddenly throwing herself at me again.
"You’re the best."
"I know."
She hugged me tightly while practically radiating happiness.
Then—
"Oh."
A dangerous smile slowly appeared on her face.
"If you’re staying..."
I immediately narrowed my eyes suspiciously.
"...What."
"We should celebrate."
"That sounds ominous."
"You also have to sleep with me tonight."
"No."
Lilith blinked.
"But you promised to stay."
"I did not promise that part."
"It’s implied."
"It absolutely was not."
Lilith ignored my protest completely before happily dragging me toward the hallway.
I should’ve just left today.
By the time the two of us returned to the room, I was already exhausted.
Though honestly—
I still had no idea why we were sharing a room in the first place.
The NightBane manor was massive.
There were probably over a hundred empty bedrooms here.
Yet somehow I still ended up trapped with Lilith.
A tragedy.
The moment we entered the room, I immediately walked toward the sofa near the fireplace before collapsing onto it.
Victory.
Or so I thought.
Because a second later—
The entire sofa suddenly lifted into the air.
"...What."
I looked downward in confusion only to see Lilith casually carrying the sofa with me still laying on top of it.
"How are you doing that so easily?!"
Lilith ignored me completely.
This woman treated physics like a suggestion.
She carried the sofa across the room effortlessly before tilting it sideways.
"Wait—"
THUD.
I was unceremoniously dumped directly onto her massive bed.
Before I could even sit up properly, Lilith climbed onto the mattress beside me and pointed downward firmly.
"You sleep here now."
"...That sounded less like a request and more like a declaration."
"It is."
I groaned while rubbing my forehead.
"I regret agreeing to stay."
"No you don’t."
"I absolutely do."
Lilith happily ignored my complaints before laying beside me.
Then immediately—
Wrapped both arms around me.
Then one leg.
Then somehow half her body.
At this point it felt less like being hugged and more like being captured by a snake.
"...Lilith."
"Yes?"
"I can’t move."
"Good."
"That’s concerning."
"You might escape otherwise."
"I’m beginning to understand why everyone in the academy is terrified of you."
Lilith simply buried her face against my chest comfortably.
"You’re not allowed to be scared of me."
"I’m considering it."
"No."
Hopeless.
The warmth of the room combined with the softness of the bed slowly began making my eyes heavier.
Meanwhile Lilith tightened her hold around me even further as if ensuring absolutely nothing in existence could separate us.
Not even death itself probably.
"You’re staying for my birthday," she mumbled sleepily.
"...Yeah."
"And sleeping beside me."
"I was forced into this."
"Mhm."
Within minutes, her breathing slowly steadied.
She had already fallen asleep.
Meanwhile—
I stared blankly at the ceiling while trapped inside what genuinely felt like an inescapable cage.
There was no way out of this.
Eventually though, exhaustion won eventually.
And while completely imprisoned in Lilith NightBane’s arms—
I slowly drifted off to sleep as well.
——————-
I woke up once again unable to breathe properly.
At this point I wasn’t even surprised anymore.
Lilith had somehow wrapped herself around almost my entire body during the night.
One arm around my chest.
One leg across my waist.
Her face buried against my shoulder.
It genuinely felt like escaping a high-security prison.
"...Lilith."
No response.
"...Lilith wake up."
She tightened her grip slightly.
"No."
"You have to go to the academy today."
"Don’t care."
I sighed heavily before trying to pry one of her arms off me.
It didn’t move.
Her magically reinforced strength was absurd.
"You’re going to be late."
"Then I’ll skip."
"No you won’t."
"Yes I will."
For the next several minutes, I struggled to convince her to actually get out of bed.
Every time I managed to free one arm—
Another somehow replaced it.
It was horrifying.
Eventually, in desperation, I finally spoke.
"I’ll ride in the carriage with you."
Instantly—
Her eyes opened.
"...Really?"
"Yes."
Lilith stared at me suspiciously for a moment before finally loosening her grip enough for me to breathe again.
Victory.
After some time the two of us finally prepared for the morning and entered the carriage heading toward the academy.
Lilith happily rested beside me while holding onto my arm the entire ride.
At least this was less painful than being used as a pillow.
After a while, curiosity got the better of me.
"So..."
Lilith looked toward me.
"Your birthday is tomorrow, right?"
She nodded.
"You’re the daughter of a duke," I continued. "So is there going to be some massive celebration or something?"
"...Not really."
I blinked slightly.
"Huh?"
"Fifteen isn’t considered especially important," Lilith explained calmly.
That was surprising.
"I told father I only wanted one thing anyway."
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"...And what exactly was that?"
Lilith slowly shifted closer before gently laying her head directly onto my lap.
Then she looked up at me smiling.
A very happy smile.
A very concerning smile.
That expression immediately activated every survival instinct I had.
"...Lilith."
"Yes?"
"You’re creeping me out."
She simply giggled softly.
Before long, the academy finally came into view.
The carriage rolled through the gates before stopping near the main entrance.
I immediately started preparing to leave from the opposite side.
"Alright," I said quickly. "I’ll see you later."
Lilith opened the carriage door before stepping out.
Then suddenly paused.
Slowly—
She turned back toward me with a mischievous smile.
"How about no?"
"...What does that mean?"
Before I could react—
Lilith suddenly grabbed my arm.
Then forcefully dragged me straight out of the carriage.
"WAIT—"
I instantly tried shouting at her.
Mostly because dozens of noble students were nearby watching me get physically abducted.
But—
No sound came out.
I blinked in confusion.
"...What?"
Then I looked down at the arm Lilith was holding.
Or more accurately—
The empty air she appeared to be holding.
I froze.
I couldn’t see my own arm.
Actually—
I couldn’t see myself at all.
Some kind of invisibility magic.
Terrifying.
Meanwhile Lilith casually walked through the academy grounds dragging my invisible body behind her like this was completely normal.
Students nearby simply saw Lilith walking alone smiling happily to herself.
Which honestly was probably already terrifying enough.
"...Lilith."
Still no voice.
She ignored my silent suffering completely while continuing toward the classroom.
Eventually we entered her lecture hall.
Several students immediately looked toward her.
Including Clara.
"Morning Lil—"
Clara suddenly paused.
Her eyes slowly widened slightly.
Apparently she noticed something.
Or someone.
Meanwhile Lilith calmly walked toward her usual seat near the back.
Then before I could escape—
She physically wrestled my invisible body directly onto her lap.
There wasn’t much I could do.
Lilith’s strength was ridiculous.
And making a scene while invisible somehow felt even more embarrassing.
So now—
I was trapped silently sitting on Lilith NightBane’s lap in the middle of a classroom full of future nobles.
This was officially the worst morning of my life.
