Raphael had unknowingly fallen asleep again.
There were many water stains on the sheets and bedding.
The girl’s body curled up into a ball as she hugged the blanket, a faint blush spreading across her delicate face.
Her hair was spread out on the bed, white strands scattered across the black-and-white sheets, faintly shimmering.
There was a faint, elusive scent in the air; the girl’s nostrils fluttered lightly as she breathed.
That thing was still too intense.
Even in her sleep, she was having a bit of trouble breathing at this moment.
There was only the girl’s figure in the room, but on the other side of the bed, there was a depression much larger than the girl’s form.
But at the moment, no one was lying there.
“…”
The lights in the entire town had long been extinguished.
There was not a single sound.
But a tiny glimmer of light in the night was somewhat glaring at this moment.
It was a shop, an ordinary shop that couldn’t be more ordinary.
The sound of men talking came from inside.
“Your Holiness, why have you come?”
Laiyinmute said respectfully to the white-bearded old man in front of him.
The old man smiled and waved his hand, saying, “There’s no need for such complicated formalities between us. After all, you are like a half-son to me.”
This person was none other than Hayake Qiaobuliqi, the Pope of the Church of the Light Goddess’s headquarters.
Having said that, he smilingly picked up a cup that was clearly coated with cheap gold paint, with many places where the paint had peeled off.
Laiyinmute’s somewhat respectful expression instantly collapsed.
In its place was a look of indifference; he picked up the drink beside him and took a gulp.
“So then, old man, why did you come looking for me this time?”
The corner of the old man’s mouth twitched.
Looking at Laiyinmute’s red head, he wanted to give him a hard punch like when he was a child.
“Sigh… I told you not to be so formal, but I didn’t tell you to be rude. Besides, you should at least call me Dad.”
The old man feigned a broken heart, covering his chest.
It had to be said, he acted it quite well.
“I won’t call you that. Don’t even think about me calling you Dad, Your Holiness.”
He particularly stressed the last few words.
Laiyinmute rolled his eyes, his fingertips lightly tapping the cup, making a clinking sound.
The Pope sighed and said helplessly, “Alas… I know you still resent me for that matter, but at that time, only your father and mother could go. Otherwise, the church would probably no longer exist.”
Saying so much in one breath made his throat a bit dry.
He picked up the cheap gold-painted cup, took a sip, and caught his breath.
“You lost your father, but you still have me, don’t you?”
When Laiyinmute heard the person in front of him say this, veins bulged on his forehead.
Even though he didn’t have particularly strong feelings for his own parents, ultimately, the two were the ones who gave birth to him.
He raised one hand and waved it, forcibly ending the topic.
“So, what did you come to see me about this time?”
Laiyinmute narrowed his eyes at the Pope.
He knew that although the man in front of him was very kind to him, his identity was extremely sensitive.
If it weren’t for something particularly important, the two almost never met.
Hayake looked Laiyinmute up and down, his eyes slightly squinting.
A smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
This gaze made him feel a chill down his back, especially around his buttocks.
Somewhat nervously watching the Pope who was still sizing him up, he tightened his buttocks a bit.
“Ahem, don’t be so nervous.”
Hayake coughed awkwardly, then turned his head towards the door of the adjacent room.
“Come in, Sira.”
The door was pushed open, and a girl walked in from outside.
The girl wore a long white robe, her head covered with a white cloth, and both the clothes and the headscarf were adorned with golden accents.
The girl’s face looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old, and she was a little over 1.6 meters tall.
Her outfit, combined with the exaggerated attire, gave a strange impression of pretending to be grown-up.
Laiyinmute looked over curiously and couldn’t help but be surprised.
He had seen this girl before—she was the sister of that Emil La’an.
The girl was well-developed.
At Emil La’an’s request, when he had brought her out from the Demon Race, he was actually quite surprised.
A human girl could stay among the Demon Race for so long without being tainted, which showed how well that person had treated his own sister.
He had been able to keep her chaste even in that environment.
Hayake smiled and gestured for Sira to sit on the other chair nearby.
The girl silently sat on that chair, lowering her head and not looking at the two men.
“I don’t need to introduce her, right? She is my student, Emile Xila, and also the sister of our mole in the Demon Race. You’ve met, so I won’t introduce further.”
Laiyinmute put away his scrutinizing expression and looked at the old man who was not acting his age.
“So, what do you want to do?”
Laiyinmute couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
He and this little girl weren’t familiar; at most, they had met once.
The old man mysteriously leaned close to Laiyinmute’s ear, lowering his voice and whispering, “You’re not getting any younger. It’s time you had a wife. What do you think of my student? Though she’s young, she’ll definitely be a beauty when she grows up. She’s just right for you.”
Laiyinmute stumbled, nearly falling over with his chair.
He stood up and took a few steps back.
He said seriously, “Sorry, I don’t have pedophilia, thank you. I’ll take my leave now.”
With that, he turned to leave, but Hayake forcefully pulled him back and pushed him into the seat.
He had no interest in this underage girl at all.
Moreover, according to the laws of the Imperial Police Department, dating an underage girl was a serious crime. Basically, it started at twenty years.
Besides, Sira didn’t match his type at all.
Thinking of this, Laiyinmute couldn’t help but recall what he had done to his little maid last night.
The sensation made him want to hurry back.
The tips of Laiyinmute’s ears involuntarily reddened.
Hayake naturally noticed this. Wasn’t this expression exactly the one a boy in love would show?
He silently speculated in his heart: what kind of person could make the young and famous Laiyinmute show such a look?
He had originally planned to just take a look at him today and then leave, but now he changed his mind.
He definitely had to go see that girl who could become his future daughter-in-law.
Then he spoke up, “We won’t be returning to the headquarters for a while. My student and I will stay with you for some time. How about inviting me to your home for a visit?”
Laiyinmute was about to refuse on the spot, but when he saw the hint of sharpness hidden beneath Hayake’s smiling face, he hesitated.
Hayake grinned at the conflicted Laiyinmute and continued, “What, don’t tell me you have a little girlfriend hidden at home?”
Laiyinmute’s heart contracted violently.
He thought to himself, ‘Hah, of course I do, and she’s even a demon.’
He couldn’t say that out loud.
Even though this Pope held a neutral stance toward the Demon Race, it was still just neutrality.
If he really encountered one, he probably wouldn’t let them off easily.
But if he really refused, that old fox Hayake would surely notice something—even though he had already noticed something now.
Pinning his hopes on Aiernan’s Ninth-Rank Magical Device, he reluctantly agreed to Hayake’s request.
Of course, people of their caliber could not be deceived easily.
Seeing Laiyinmute agree, Hayake raised his glass in a toast.
The two clinked glasses and downed their drinks.
Hayake wore a contented expression.
Meanwhile, Laiyinmute looked as if he was constipated.
And beside them, the girl still had her head lowered, as if forgotten.
The atmosphere of these people, each harboring their own thoughts, was unavoidably strange.