Chapter 67: Itch? Itch! And Caught?

“Oh?”

Carola stopped her movements but didn’t let go of Phyllis’s foot.

“Really! I swear it’s true, meow!”

Phyllis’s blue eyes shimmered with tears as she looked up at Carola with a pitiful expression.

“Looks like I need to keep tickling you a bit longer~”

Carola resumed her punishment.

“Hahahaha—no, no, no—hahahaha—”

Phyllis’s laughter echoed through the room.

Carola slowed down.

But just as the tickling punishment was about to end, Carola suddenly sped up.

“Hahaha—Carola—I’m sorry, meow—I really am—hahahaha—”

Phyllis couldn’t take it anymore, but the ropes binding her made escape impossible.

All she could do was writhe on the bed like a caterpillar.

When Carola’s fingers reached their fastest speed on Phyllis’s soles, Phyllis was so ticklish she started banging her head against the wall.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The impact wasn’t violent, but Carola’s face changed when she heard it.

Her fingers loosened a little.

“Hahahaha… Huh?”

Feeling the tickling lessen, Phyllis blinked and looked at Carola.

“This wall…”

Carola shot Phyllis a glare, quickly put away her feather, and stood up, leaving Phyllis completely confused.

Phyllis turned to look at the wall.

What was wrong with the wall?

Was there something strange about it?

Hmm…

The other side of the wall was High Priestess Iona’s room.

Wait.

Did that mean she had just…

Realizing what had happened, Phyllis froze.

Carola’s barrier could block sound, but it wasn’t strong enough to stop the noise of her head hitting the wall, was it?

In other words…

Iona must have heard the banging.

Great.

This is a disaster.

A total disaster.

Iona definitely heard the sound of the wall being hit.

Normally, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

But during this special time…

Any slight disturbance or suspicious sign…

Iona would probably come to check right away.

Which meant Iona could show up any moment.

Phyllis stood frozen, looking down at herself.

Her hands were tied behind her back, her legs bent together, and the ropes outlined her curves…

That posture was definitely not appropriate for receiving visitors!

Phyllis started thrashing frantically.

Trying to break free from the ropes.

But clearly, she was wasting her energy.

She hadn’t been able to get free even when Carola was tickling her so much.

How could she do it now?

Meanwhile, Carola had already tidied up at lightning speed.

“Help me, meow!”

Phyllis pleaded.

Carola grabbed the rope and yanked hard, snapping it cleanly.

Then she broke a few more sections.

Only then did Phyllis finally free herself.

Carola picked up the broken rope pieces and stuffed them into her Space Bracelet.

Phyllis started straightening her bed.

After all, her thrashing had left it a mess.

Once Carola was done, she transformed into a Bat Decoration and flew onto the Mirror Magic Tool.

The barrier was also lifted.

Knock knock.

A knock came at the door.

“Phyllis? What happened just now?”

It was Iona’s voice.

“High Priestess Iona, I’m fine! Give me a moment, I’ll put on some clothes and open the door, meow!”

Phyllis steadied her nerves, checked around the room to make sure nothing was out of place, and then got out of bed to open the door.

Creak!

“High Priestess Iona, what’s the matter, meow?” Phyllis blinked and asked.

Iona stood at the doorway, her hair draped over her shoulders, wearing a loose nightgown that accentuated her impressive figure.

She was clearly in a state of having just gotten up after resting.

Her gaze swept past Phyllis and scanned the room.

The bed was a bit rumpled but still tidy.

The window was closed.

“I heard a banging sound.”

Iona’s tone was calm, but her eyes sent a chill down Phyllis’s spine.

“Coming from your side of the wall.”

“A b-banging sound?”

Phyllis’s mind raced.

‘What do I do, what do I do, what do I do—’

‘Say I was exercising? But what kind of exercise at this hour?’

‘Say the bed collapsed? But I’d need proof for that!’

‘Got it! I’ll say—’

“Oh, that!”

Phyllis gave Iona an embarrassed smile and scratched the back of her head.

“I must have been rolling around in my sleep and accidentally hit the wall. That’s what woke me up.”

“Oh? Really? Let me see your forehead.”

Iona leaned in closer.

Phyllis obediently let Iona examine her forehead.

She had indeed hit it pretty hard trying to escape the tickling.

It was probably red by now!

“You hit it pretty hard! It’s all red!”

Iona gently touched Phyllis’s forehead.

“Ow~ It hurts a bit, meow~”

Phyllis winced and hissed in pain.

“Oh! Sorry! Poor thing~”

Iona withdrew her hand.

“Let me heal that for you!”

A soft white glow appeared on Iona’s finger as she passed it over Phyllis’s forehead.

Phyllis felt a cool sensation spread across her forehead.

Soon, Iona pulled her hand back.

Phyllis touched her forehead and exclaimed in surprise, “Hey? It doesn’t hurt anymore, meow! High Priestess Iona, you’re amazing!”

“It’s just a small Healing Magic spell,” Iona said, looking pleased with Phyllis’s compliment.

She gave Phyllis’s head a gentle pat.

“Is everything else alright?”

“All good, all good, meow!” Phyllis waved her hand.

“Sorry to trouble you, High Priestess Iona. You should get some rest too. There’s a lot to do tomorrow, isn’t there?”

“Tomorrow is fine. Have you forgotten what day it is?”

Iona looked at Phyllis curiously.

“Tomorrow? Oh! I forgot—it’s the day the Candidate Saintesses go home!”

Phyllis remembered after Iona’s reminder.

Come to think of it, it had been about a month since she came back to the Sacred Ground for training.

“Call me if anything happens.”

Iona stared at Phyllis for a long moment but found nothing unusual, so she decided to go back to rest.

Maybe she was just being too sensitive?

Iona felt like there was something off about Phyllis.

As if Phyllis was doing something secretive right under her nose.

But so far, she hadn’t figured out what it was.

“Okay, meow~ Good night, High Priestess Iona~”

Phyllis waved with a smile.

Iona turned and left.

Phyllis kept smiling as she slowly closed the door.

The lock clicked into place, and the moment it did, Phyllis slumped against the door, letting out a long sigh.

‘That scared me, meow! I almost got caught! Good thing I managed to bluff my way through!’

Thinking about it, Phyllis glared at the Bat Decoration on the Mirror Magic Tool.

If Carola hadn’t tickled her soles so badly, she wouldn’t have banged her head against the wall!

The invisible barrier activated again.

The Bat Decoration twitched, transforming back into Carola, who landed lightly on the floor.

“Are we going again, meow?” Phyllis looked terrified.

“No,” Carola stepped closer to Phyllis.

“The sole-tickling punishment is over.”

“Then what are you planning to do now?”

Phyllis asked in confusion.

“Giving you compensation, of course~”

Carola lowered her head and pressed her lips lightly against Phyllis’s neck.

It wasn’t Blood Sucking.

Just a gentle touch.

Warm, soft, with a faint, almost imperceptible sensation.

Phyllis froze.

‘Wait, wait, wait… Isn’t this going in the wrong direction?’