Chapter 144: The True Use of the Black Shadows
In her sleep, Stelle felt something enter her nose, carrying the fragrant scent of a local Belobog bath soap. It smelled wonderful, but also quite itchy.
"Achoo!"
The itch made her instinctively inhale and lean back, then violently jerk her head forward with the sneeze.
Bang~!
Their heads collided, making a pleasant sound like two watermelons knocking together.
Caelus's head flopped weakly back onto the pillow. Annoyed, he brushed away the gray strands of hair that had clung to and entered his nose, then lay there with a look of utter despair, the Stellaron spirit in his arms clutching her forehead and groaning in pain.
"Can you not be such a menace when you sleep?!"
Undoubtedly, after what happened yesterday afternoon, Stelle certainly wouldn't feel comfortable letting Caelus out of her sight at night.
So, as soon as Caelus returned to his room, she immediately came looking for him, hugging her soft, luxurious gray pillow.
The key problem was, her sleeping habits were absolutely atrocious.
Rolling around, drooling, hogging the blanket, kicking others, and even falling out of bed herself—she was a master of it all.
It severely impacted Caelus's sleep quality!
Just as he was deep in slumber, Caelus, even in his dreams, could feel a suffocating sensation, like being entwined by a python.
Vaguely, it felt as if an octopus had wrapped itself around him. Her fair arms and long, slender legs, while soft and delicate, possessed the strength of steel rebar.
Caelus was held in a death grip; the strength was like a welded-down iron ingot, firmly pinning him in place, utterly merciless!
The crucial point was that due to their shared empathy, Stelle could also feel that constricting, heavy sensation. Her body would subconsciously relax its grip, and Caelus, who was on the verge of being throttled awake, would then sink back from his semi-conscious state, unable to fully rouse.
His deep sleep was effectively reduced to light sleep.
And once he fell into a deeper sleep, it would happen again, constantly toggling him between deep and light sleep.
"Well, it's all your fault for sticking your nose right next to my hair!"
Still lying on her side, Stelle ignored the soft, snowy flesh that had been pressed and distorted by their zero-distance contact. She released Caelus, who had served as her body pillow, and casually wiped her drool on his pillow.
Half-dead with sleep, she propped up her graceful, delicate body. Her gray hair, which had waged a war of love and hate with the pillow and Caelus all night, was now a tangled mess, making her look like a truly lazy, half-awake big cat. Stelle glared at Caelus, whose eyes were like dead fish, and bit back without missing a beat.
While her sleeping habits were indeed quite energetic, and the shared empathy had almost woken her up several times during the night, she certainly wasn't going to admit she was wrong!
"Are you even listening to yourself? Is that even a human thing to say?!"
Where did she learn such shamelessness?
Ah, he missed the naive Stellaron spirit who could be conned into calling him 'Dad'…
Caelus sighed internally, full of emotion.
What kind of place is Jarilo-VI, truly? It's utterly a bad influence!
Stelle yawned widely, covering her mouth with her left hand. She removed the long, fair leg that had been draped over Caelus, and the way her legs then rubbed together somehow added a peculiar girlish charm to her posture.
Combined with her unreservedly bare-chested and exposed appearance, it even made his 'little brother' give a thumbs-up.
Stelle noticed the 'thumbs-up,' and her eye twitched. This thumb was certainly long, but it didn't quite match what she'd experienced yesterday, did it?
Frowning her willow-like brows in confusion, Stelle extended her slender, scallion-white hand, spreading her thumb and middle finger, and began to measure it directly at zero distance.
"What are you doing?!"
Caelus shot upright with a carp-flip.
He could fully control his emotions and desires with the mask, but he wasn't using that ability now. It was simply because he'd had too much fun with Raven yesterday, and his 'sage mode' hadn't fully worn off.
Otherwise, with the Stellaron spirit acting so brazenly, Caelus would definitely teach her how to behave!
"Nothing."
Stelle pouted at his refusal to let her measure. She playfully elbowed Caelus, then picked up the Tara mask from the bedside table and placed it onto his face.
After sensing the power of the Black Shadows, Stelle snapped her fingers with a giggle. Instantly, the Black Shadows in the room sprang to life and began to move.
A Black Shadow picked up the slipper that had been flung to the wall last night and put it on Stelle's foot.
With a head full of messy hair, Stelle shuffled towards the washroom in her slippers, scratching her lower abdomen where her pajama had ridden up. A Black Shadow ninja had already opened the door for her.
Stelle stood before the sink like a salted fish, opening her mouth as a Black Shadow held up mouthwash to feed her.
Gurgle, gurgle~!
Spitting out the mouthwash, Stelle parted her lips slightly. A Black Shadow picked up a toothbrush with toothpaste already squeezed onto it and began brushing the 'Queen's' teeth.
Beside her, another Black Shadow held a warm, wet towel ready to wipe the 'Queen's' face, while yet another held a comb to brush her hair.
The entire process was seamless, flowing like water.
She had servants attending to her every step of the way; all she had to do was walk to the washroom.
All of this was something she'd learned from Caelus!
From now on, even if she were to be pierced through the abdomen by a 30-centimeter 'Yakuza Emperor Weapon', Stelle would still shout loudly: "Black Shadow Legion, forever our god!"
"Gurgle, gurgle… Ptooey! Caelus, what are you doing?!"
Suddenly, Stelle jolted. The Black Shadows holding her water cup and toothbrush instantly retreated into the shadows. She scrambled to catch the nearly dropped cup, her cheeks puffing out as she glared towards the room.
There was only one reason the Black Shadows vanished: Caelus had taken off his mask.
"Nothing."
Returning her exact words from earlier, Caelus was quite satisfied with the girl's flustered, clumsy attempts to catch the cup. He then put the mask back on his face.
Then, to Stelle's dumbfounded expression, a Black Shadow soldier, on all fours like a horse, carried Caelus into the washroom. The exact same routine Stelle had just experienced then began for him.
"You can do that too?!"
With toothpaste foam still on her lips, Stelle's eyes widened. She stared at Caelus, who was riding a human-shaped 'horse', and her expression immediately brightened with delight.
Yay!
From now on, I won't even need to walk!
"I think you two are going too far. You're barely acting human."
By the dining table in the living room, March 7th sat on a chair, dumbfounded, watching the two gray-haired figures emerge from the room, riding their Black Shadow soldiers. She looked as if she'd seen a ghost.
What a pair of geniuses!
"What does it matter? They don't have true personalities, no gender; they're just shadows anyway."
Caelus waved his hand dismissively, an indifferent expression on his face.
"But, even so, it's just a little too…"
March 7th took a small, sharp intake of breath. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was watching a medieval slave owner exploiting their servants, especially since the Black Shadow soldiers looked quite human.
"March, I think you need to change your perspective."
Seeing March 7th, who seemed to be feeling a bit uneasy, Caelus snapped his fingers with a grin. Instantly, several Black Shadow soldiers appeared around March 7th.
Some tidied her hairstyle, others maintained her longbow, and still others held breakfast and milk, ready to feed her.
"Eh! Th-this… Mmmph."
Suddenly, ten servants appeared around her, leaving March 7th flustered and at a loss. Then, a Belobog specialty breakfast was spooned into her mouth.
Caelus observed March 7th's subtle movements, and seeing her gaze drift towards the milk, he immediately had a Black Shadow soldier offer it to her.
"Do you want me to have the Black Shadows tidy your room?"
"A professional-grade housekeeping team! Guaranteed to leave your room without a speck of dust, your bedding perfectly neat, and your floors shining bright."
The temptation from the 'Evil Overlord,' the 'Black Shadow Emperor,' made March 7th swallow hard.
Oh, little March, little March, you absolutely cannot be tempted by such things and fall into decadence!
March 7th pressed her right hand to her chest, constantly admonishing herself internally, even as her little head vigorously nodded.
Caelus snapped his fingers again.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Five or six Black Shadows zipped into March 7th's room, followed by a flurry of busy clinks and clangs.
After enjoying breakfast served by the Black Shadows, March 7th ran back to her room for a peek.
The floor was so clean it reflected dazzling arcs of light and shimmered with a golden hue. She didn't even dare to step inside, afraid of dirtying it.
"They can clean for you every day from now on!"
The 'Evil Incarnate Black Shadow Emperor' once again whispered his tempting words, causing March 7th to let out a roar in her heart, like a prime minister of old.
Black Shadow Emperor, I'll fight you to the death!
"Long live the Black Shadow Emperor!"
March 7th threw herself into the embrace of darkness.
With a joyful, enthusiastic hug, the girl's plump chest pressed against Caelus's body, deforming and making her curves even more prominent under the pressure. The subtle sensation spreading from the sides of her chest made March 7th instantly realize something.
The girl's small face flushed red, and she frantically let go.
Stelle, seeing through the trick and understanding the situation, felt her playful mood surge. She grinned teasingly: "March, I recall you've hugged me quite a bit, haven't you?"
"Hey~ What do you mean, 'quite a bit'?" March 7th put her hands on her hips. That didn't sound right at all!
"Just a reminder," Stelle said with a teasing smile, crossing her arms, "Caelus and I share body empathy, you know."
That profound implication left March 7th utterly dumbfounded.
Normally, when she and Stelle played around, she naturally wouldn't worry about physical contact. After all, they were both girls—holding hands, hugging, cuddling, and all that…
Body empathy meant Caelus could experience all of Stelle's physical sensations—whether it was the smoothness of March 7th's small hands, the tenderness of her cheeks, or the springy softness of her chest.
March 7th's small face instantly turned beet red, and in her mind, it was as if groundhogs were screaming.
Seeing March 7th, who had turned into a literal steam engine, Stelle laughed mischievously. "Hmph, this maiden will give you two punches! You're still laughing? It's all your fault, you know!"
March 7th grabbed the teasing Stelle and gave her a flurry of 'little pink punches' to the chest.
Caelus remained calm; he was already used to it. Besides, for him, who possessed several beautiful girl bodies, this level of intimacy barely counted as a 'benefit'.
"By the way, where's Dan Heng?"
Caelus looked around, but the versatile 'Teacher Dan Heng' was nowhere to be found.
"Dan Heng went back to the Express with the Stellaron. He's probably going to help Himeko with the sealing work."
Completely… well, not completely, but securely sealing the Stellaron in the relatively reliable large-scale containment device would take a day or two.
Feeling the springy softness emanating from his elbow, Caelus watched March 7th and Stelle bickering, and blinked.
Stelle's reminder was useless; once March started messing around, she forgot everything.
"What about Uncle Welt? Did he go back too?"
Come to think of it, Caelus hadn't seen old Welt all day yesterday.
"Ah, Uncle Welt."
Locked in Stelle's brute-force embrace, March 7th spoke while struggling. Caelus could smell the girl's ice-lotus-like body fragrance, a sensation transmitted through Stelle's empathy, and it felt as if a delicate body was squirming in his arms.
"Uncle Welt seems to have gone to Everwinter Hill."
"Hmm?" Stelle released March 7th and asked curiously, "Why would Uncle Welt go there? Didn't he say he wanted to sightsee in Belobog? Why go to the Fragmentum?"
No sooner had she spoken than Stelle had an epiphany, answering her own question, "Oh, right. Understanding the Fragmentum is just like understanding trash cans—they're both important parts of Belobog!"
"Trash cans are not! Apologize to the people of Belobog right now!" March 7th retorted.
"Let's go check it out."
Over the past few days, the trash can treasure chests inside Belobog city had mostly been plundered.
Crystals +179.
Caelus began to shift his target to the Fragmentum; it frequently spawned sizable treasure chests.
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