Since Eiko and Glee were still busy crafting Blast Bombs and didn't seem like they had any intention of stopping, Lux decided to return to Solais in the morning.
Valerie then decided to spend the night in the Guild Headquarters and sleep with her first friend, Aurora.
The two ladies, one a peerless beauty and the other a plain-looking girl, lay on the bed while talking to each other.
"You know, I didn't notice it earlier, but looking at you closely now, I have a feeling that this isn't what you truly look like," Aurora said as she lightly cupped Valerie's face. "Of course, I won't force you to show me your true appearance. But can I ask why are you hiding your face? Don't you want Lux to see it?"
Valerie didn't reply right away. She was trying to find the right words to explain her current situation.
A few minutes later, she finally organized her thoughts and gave her reply.
"You see, my family holds a great deal of influence in Karshvar Draconis," Valerie answered. "Several months ago, this Guild Headquarters was inside our territory. However, some things happened, forcing Sir Lux to seek Asylum here at the Crystal Palace."
Valerie's tone became a bit sad after saying these words.
"Since my family is a bit special, I decided to disguise myself when I leave the Pala—our home. I've long been used to wearing this disguise, and I also met Sir Lux with this face. Right now, we are good friends. However, I am afraid that things might change if he sees my real face."
Aurora giggled as she lightly caressed Valerie's cheeks. "What? Are you going to tell me that you'll get pregnant if Lux sees your real face?"
Valerie pouted, which made Aurora giggle a second time.
"My mother told me that I shouldn't show my real face to people outside of our home, especially in front of men," Valerie stated. "According to her, people might abduct me if they see me walking the streets of the capital."
"Mmm," Aurora nodded. "I have my fair share of this problem as well. The only difference is that those who dared to abduct me ended up being cursed with bad luck. I'm sure that even now, they are regretting the choices they made many years ago."
The pink-haired beauty sighed after remembering those traumatic memories.
Perhaps influenced by the sadness that briefly passed across Aurora's face, Valerie decided to give her friend a hug, which the latter returned with a hug of her own.
"Actually, I kind of understand why people would want to kidnap you, Aurora," Valerie said. "You're so beautiful. Even as a girl, I feel very attracted to you."
"And I feel the same as you," Aurora smiled. "I'm sure that behind this face you are wearing right now is an incredibly beautiful girl. Since you like Lux, why don't you show him your face?"
The plain-looking girl blushed before shaking her head. She had long been tempted to do this multiple times already. But every time she tried to convince herself to do it, a part of her rejected it.
"I don't want Sir Lux to see my true face." Valerie sighed. "I will make him like me with my current face. That way, I will know for sure that he doesn't only look at someone's physical appearance. My mother said that if I manage to make Sir Lux fall in love with me with my current looks, she will convince my father to let the two of us be together."
The smile on Aurora's face widened after hearing Valerie's words.
"My, how romantic," Aurora commented. "Good luck, Valerie. I will support you."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. I hope that both of us succeed. By then, we will be calling each other sisters."
"I think I would like that," Valerie said. "Make sure to tell me what Sir Lux's fiancees are like when you return, okay?"
Aurora nodded.
The two chatted for another hour before both of them went to sleep.
The next day…
Lux, Eiko, and Aurora were bidding their goodbyes to Valerie, Ali, and Ari.
Although they had only been together for a short time, Aurora and Valerie had become very close, which also made the Half-Elf quite happy.
"I'll be visiting again, Sir Lux," Valerie said as he hugged the red-headed teenager.
It was Aurora who suggested that she did this, and Valerie decided to give it a chance. Fortunately, the Half-Elf didn't mind, which made the plain-looking lady quite happy.
"You can visit me anytime," Lux replied. "Just make sure to not make things difficult for Ali and Ari, okay?"
"…You're treating me like a child," Valerie pouted before pulling back. "I'm already an adult."
The plain-looking girl even puffed her chest, as if letting Lux inspect them to see if they belonged to a child.
The Half-Elf lightly coughed as he forced his gaze to shift from Valerie's chest to her face, and gave his reply.
"Of course you are." Lux smiled. "That's why you should take better care of yourself, okay? Especially now that you have a new friend you can visit here in the Guild Headquarters."
"Un!" Valerie nodded before turning to Aurora to give her one last hug as well.
"Remember what we talked about, okay?" Valerie whispered.
"I know," Aurora whispered back. "Count on me."
Aurora then took the initiative to stand beside Lux and hold his hand. Her gaze landed on her new best friend and gave her a playful wink, making the latter giggle.
Eiko was also firmly perched on top of her Papa's head as she waved at her best friend, Glee, who had also come to say goodbye.
"Bye bye, Glee!" Eiko said.
"Bye bye, Eiko!" Glee replied. "The next time we meet, let's destroy entire mountain ranges, okay?"
"Un!"
"Yay!"
Everyone, with the exception of the Half-Elf, who heard their words, smiled because they thought that they were only joking.
Only Lux knew that the two weren't joking. He could even feel beads of sweat forming on his head at the thought that the two would start destroying the mountain ranges around the territory of the Crystal Palace.
If that really happened, he was sure that if Lady Augustina didn't kick them out, Piccoro certainly would.
After finally saying their goodbyes, Lux, Eiko, and Aurora, turned into beams of light and shot towards the sky.
Their next destination was the world of Solais.
A place that Elysians couldn't possibly travel to at this point in time.
As to why Aurora could do it? The reason was due to her being Half Abyssal and Half Human.
Since Abyssal Creatures could travel to Elysium and Solais, Aurora could do it too by default.
Valerie looked at the sky for nearly half a minute before making her way back to the Teleportation Gate to return to Karshvar Draconis.
In the distance, Aur also looked at the sky with his hands behind his back for a few seconds before taking a step forward and disappearing completely.
He still had many things to do, and he had already delayed them to spend some time with the Half-Elf, who had returned to his own world to reunite with his two lovers.
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