Chapter 196: You Are My Best Christmas Gift
Their gazes intertwined for 12.6 seconds.
As the atmosphere gradually grew more ambiguous, Senior Pandora suddenly exerted force, instantly reversing their positions and pinning Dark down as she stood up.
Their positions were instantly swapped.
Seeing a flicker of surprise in Dark's eyes, Pandora couldn't help but feel a playful urge.
In front of Senior Pandora, who could step on a wolf's head and dance under the moonlight even as a child, Dark, who had skipped Valkyrie strength training, simply stood no chance of resisting.
Only then did Dark realize he was merely a lamb exposed to a wolf's jaws…
However, he blinked, then spun outward, easily escaping the wolf's grasp.
As expected, Senior Pandora was cooperating. Under his lead, she took quick steps forward, then, with a tip of her toes, executed a 360-degree spin, collapsing weakly once more.
Dark reached out and embraced her waist!
The lower curve of her chest came into view, revealing an increasingly vibrant vitality.
"Hiss…"
The music suddenly stopped.
Pandora rolled along Dark's arm, pressing close to his chest as she swiftly stood up, signaling the end of the dance.
…
When Dark and Senior Pandora walked off the stage side-by-side, the cutlery on all four long tables had been cleared, replaced with fresh drinks and pastries.
The Christmas ball no longer had assigned seating; everyone could move around freely.
Senior Pandora seemed satisfied with this one dance. She slightly lifted her skirt and walked out of the auditorium with Dark.
They tacitly remained silent.
It wasn't until they had rounded a wall and the lights of the ballroom were no longer in sight that they sat down on a stone bench.
Pandora gazed up at the Christmas Eve sky, an unexpected blush appearing on her cheeks.
Although she had acted experienced, tonight was actually her first time dancing with anyone.
It was also thanks to her secretly practicing circle dances in the past.
So, one dance was enough.
If she danced a few more times, what if she accidentally revealed her inexperience?
What about the image she had worked so hard to maintain?
After a while, she spoke, "Thank you, this is the best Christmas gift I've ever received."
Dark paused slightly, seemingly not expecting this to be the first thing she'd say after they left.
But then he smiled, "This isn't a Christmas gift."
Pandora: "In my heart, it is."
"Alright."
Dark looked up at the night sky helplessly.
Perhaps excellent people all have their stubborn sides.
…
Tonight, the moon was nowhere to be seen, the sky was clear and vast, with only scattered starlight shining down.
The two chatted softly for a while. Dark asked curiously, "Senior, are you leaving tomorrow?"
Pandora gently shook her head, "It's tonight."
Dark was a little surprised, "So soon?"
Pandora, however, smiled slightly, "It's a bit far, I might even need to take a leave of absence when school starts."
Dark: "I see…"
In that case, the Christmas gift he had originally planned to give after midnight tonight would have to be given early.
He slightly consider After a moment of thought, he stood up and said, "Shall we go upstairs for a walk?"
Pandora turned her head and saw people gradually appearing in their line of sight; this spot was no longer secluded.
She then stood up with him.
The two climbed the stairs, chatting casually.
They then arrived near the window on the third floor of the castle.
Having come here several times, Dark realized it was indeed a great viewing spot.
Leaning on the windowsill, one could see both the night sky and the Clock Tower, as well as the external bridge where many things had happened.
He clapped his hands and asked, "Can you summon your familiar?"
Though Pandora didn't understand, she still took out her House Card and summoned her familiar.
Her familiar, the small winged dragon, whose academic name was "Winged Hatchling," was a type of winged dragon that would never grow up.
Dark picked up this familiar, which was as large as a DemiDevimon, and held it high. Although the Winged Hatchling fluttered its wings happily, it was indeed just a familiar-level reaction.
Under normal circumstances, familiars only had an intelligence level of 2.5, half a level higher than Magic Guide Spirits.
They were considered mid-range quasi-life forms, and like ordinary Golems, they did not possess complete and independent thought processes.
So, while they might seem lively at first glance, prolonged contact would reveal them to be mere artificial creations.
"Can you turn around?"
Dark asked Pandora again.
Pandora looked increasingly puzzled, but based on her trust in Dark, she still turned around.
Dark slightly pursed his lips and drew out [Pride I] from the card pouch he carried with him!
This was his first time using a Seven Deadly Sins series card on another person's familiar (Magic Guide Spirit), so he couldn't confirm its effects.
According to his original plan, if the effect wasn't satisfactory, he would switch to a different Christmas gift.
So, at this moment, he didn't mention the words "Christmas gift" to Pandora.
Fortunately, Pandora was cooperative enough, saving him a lot of trouble.
He didn't bring [Pride I] into view, but hid it behind his back.
Instructors had a sensory connection to the Magic Guide cards they personally crafted; by injecting a trace of magic power, they could instantly identify the card's type upon receiving feedback.
He began to silently chant the Standard Summoning Spell.
4 seconds later.
A golden-eyed orb of light emerged from [Pride I], slowly drifting towards the Winged Hatchling he held with his other hand.
The Winged Hatchling watched the orb with wide eyes, showing no sense of danger.
It wasn't until the orb entered its head that it seemed to short-circuit, suddenly ceasing all reactions.
Immediately afterward, it suddenly opened its eyes, and dark golden light burst forth from them!
Its previously somewhat dull facial expression suddenly came alive!
Almost the next moment, it bit Dark's finger!
"Hiss!"
Dark felt a sharp sting and quickly let it go.
The Winged Hatchling then flew high up, chirping "Jiu jiu jiu"!
Pandora finally couldn't help but ask, "Can I turn around now?"
Dark tucked [Pride I] back into his card pouch and said, "You can now."
Upon receiving permission, Pandora immediately turned around.
The Winged Hatchling, which had just been bossing Dark around, suddenly felt a terrifying pressure, as if it could be crushed into pulp in an instant!
That was a biological-level hierarchical suppression!
It was the absolute dominance of a superior over an inferior.
In this instant, the "Pride" provided by [Pride I] alone was no longer enough to keep its head held high.
It suddenly tucked its tail, trembled like a tiny lizard, and slowly turned its head to face its master.
Yet, it was precisely this "humble" yet "real" reaction that instantly cleared Pandora's furrowed brows.
No one understood a familiar better than its master.
She felt the change in the Winged Hatchling almost immediately.
It was the change she had often dreamed of during her first summoning of a familiar, three years ago.
Her adorable Winged Hatchling, transforming from a familiar into a true creature, becoming her first family member, accompanying her day after day…
But as her knowledge of magic guides grew, she gradually understood that such a thing was impossible.
A familiar was, after all, a familiar.
Not a family member.
The intelligence level of a familiar seemed half a level higher than a Magic Guide Spirit, but that was almost its maximum, a hardware limitation that simply couldn't be overcome.
Mind Magic Guide Masters could form bonds with Magic Guide Spirits, but not with familiars.
This made that period very difficult for her.
It wasn't until Madam Bella noticed her state and reached out that she fortunately found her first family member.
But now, the dream from three years ago seemed to be coming true right before her eyes?
She blinked, revealing a rare and endearing expression.
"Roar!"
The Winged Hatchling's final burst of pride made it exhale a flame-like dragon's breath towards the sky.
Perhaps it wanted to declare its nobility through this display?
But as the flames scattered like fireworks, its nobility remained unappreciated.
Watching her familiar, which theoretically had no offensive capabilities, suddenly use a skill, Pandora instantly understood Dark's reason for refining [Curse Cage].
"Perhaps I also need a [Curse Cage]?"
Pandora always tended to hide overly intense emotions deep inside, but she was genuinely excited at this moment.
She had just received the best Christmas gift.
And in the blink of an eye, that record was already broken!
She couldn't help but look at Dark. Just how many surprises would this first-year junior bring her before he stopped?
…
As the superficial effect of [Pride I] faded, the Winged Hatchling finally returned to normal.
However, its spiritual intelligence had awakened, and it now possessed a complete, independent consciousness.
Pandora playfully teased the Winged Hatchling, which she couldn't bear to put down, using her slender fingers to tickle its pink tongue.
Her mood was utterly joyful.
If Dark were to confess to her at this moment, she might even happily agree!
"Oh right, I need to give a return gift!"
Pandora racked her brains, trying to think.
Although the Christmas gift she had originally prepared was also thoughtful, it paled in comparison to Dark's surprising present.
"How about I give him that!"
She quickly had an idea.
"Dark, turn around."
"Huh?"
Dark hadn't expected it to be his turn so quickly.
He simply turned around and leaned on the windowsill, looking down.
The external bridge, visible from where he stood, was indeed a romantic spot; in just this short time, two couples had already gone onto the bridge.
They kept to their own sides, not interfering with each other, all speaking softly and affectionately.
As Dark watched, he remembered the Seafood Cult, whom he hadn't seen in a long time—he wondered if they had recovered yet?
There were sixteen members in the Seafood Cult. Aside from Mr. Starfish, who was expelled, the remaining fifteen were still at school.
The school authorities hadn't publicized their identities and, in public announcements, treated them as victims.
Which was, in fact, true.
They had all suffered from the brainwashing of the Statue of the Moon Goddess to some extent, otherwise, they wouldn't have done those things.
With the conclusion of the entire incident, the remaining fifteen members of the Seafood Cult had resumed normal academy life. Dark had seen Scott the Squid more than once.
Scott no longer seemed as gloomy as before; aside from avoiding Dark when they met, his interactions with peers of the same year were quite smooth.
However, Dark didn't know that the Seafood Cult had not disbanded.
Those fifteen members were still secretly in contact.
Only its nature had changed, from a cult with hidden conspiracies to a club-like organization.
They held weekly meetings to vent their grievances to each other, thereby relieving stress.
Professor Sarah had secretly observed them and only allowed them to continue after confirming they posed no threat.
…
"You can turn around now."
Senior Pandora's clear voice came from behind him.
Dark, guessing what kind of surprise it might be, slowly turned around.
He saw Senior Pandora, dressed in pure white, with her hands hidden behind her back, looking at him playfully.
The Winged Hatchling, whose spiritual intelligence had just awakened, lay docilely on her shoulder.
"Here, your Christmas gift!"
After Dark turned around, Pandora extended her hands from behind her back and opened her five fingers in front of him.
"Hmm."
Dark looked closely and found a crescent-shaped silver scale, about the size of a fingernail, lying quietly in her palm.
He couldn't help but ask, "What is this?"
Pandora: "A Dragon's Reverse Scale!"
…
A dragon has a reverse scale; touching it will inevitably incur its wrath!
Because the reverse scale is the only soft scale on a dragon's entire body.
The inside of the reverse scale is filled with numerous nerves, and its surface is covered with receptors, making it exceptionally sensitive.
Whether it's touch, pain, or other sensations, they are all magnified several times!
This is one of a dragon's most important treasures.
After every molting, even if a dragon discards all its skin and scales, it will never abandon its reverse scale.
Therefore, the rarity of a reverse scale far surpasses that of ordinary dragon scales.
In some sense, this was indeed a precious gift comparable to Dark's surprise!
Dark extended two fingers, picked up the dragon scale, and examined it carefully.
Of course, this was his first time seeing such a thing as a dragon scale, let alone a reverse scale among dragon scales.
The reverse scale itself wasn't cold like ordinary scales; it felt slightly soft to the touch. It's said that historically, one type of soft sword was crafted entirely from reverse scales, light and flexible, yet indestructible!
But the first thing that came to Dark's mind was the countless dragon species, or Dragon-type Magic Guide Spirits!
Could a powerful dragon species be refined using this Dragon's Reverse Scale as the core material?
The option of preserving this silvery-white reverse scale as a collectible simply didn't cross his mind.
…
"How is it? My Christmas gift is sincere enough, right?"
Senior Pandora, seeing him examine it intently, teased.
Dark, however, was excited and mimicked Pandora's tone, saying, "Of course, this is the best Christmas gift I've ever received!"
Pandora covered her mouth and chuckled, "I hope an even better gift doesn't appear immediately."
Dark took a handkerchief from his card pouch, carefully wrapped the reverse scale, and then put it back into the pouch.
The boy and girl who had exchanged Christmas gifts then leaned against the wall and chatted softly.
Senior Pandora was broadly knowledgeable, speaking eloquently on any topic, and once she started, she couldn't stop.
By the time Dark came back to his senses, it was already half past ten!
Seeing him frequently glance at the Clock Tower, Pandora asked, "Do you need to go back to the auditorium first? You seem to have another appointment?"
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