Shen Tian, sweating cold sweat, suddenly stood up and grabbed the neck of a passing alchemist.
"Hey, fetch me some sugar cubes. Now!"
"Huh? Why do you need sugar cubes suddenly?"
"Stop yapping and move!"
At his gesture, the alchemist produced sugar cubes from his pocket.
The alchemist handed them over with a look that questioned whether this sugar craving signaled a new form of alcohol addiction.
I’m the one guarding Hyeminwon right now! Ugh!
Ignoring the alchemist’s mix of scorn and concern, Shen Tian deposited the cubes into Ayan’s leather pouch.
"Quick on the uptake, aren’t you?"
Ayan’s smirk made Shen Tian’s eyes bulge as he delivered the remark.
"Fairy Lady!"
Lou approached the duo collecting sugar cubes from alchemists around Hyeminwon.
"Lou!"
Despite reviving the Black Night Guild, Lou had remained at Hyeminwon. Kynemia had offered to establish a separate guild headquarters, but he preferred the familiarity of his longtime residence.
Thus, the guild now shared Hyeminwon’s sprawling grounds. With ample unused rooms, accommodations posed no issue—though Shen Tian fumed over his self-proclaimed disciple’s habit of interrupting his drinking sessions.
Yet with the disciple stubbornly entrenched, even Shen Tian had to relent.
"Fairy Lady, you’re a thousand times cuter today!"
"Lou, you’re a thousand times more dashing!"
"Kya! Kyaa!" Their reunion sparked gleeful hopping from both.
At that moment—
Ayan, who’d strong-armed Shen Tian for the sugar cubes, raised a hand with thumb and middle finger poised.
Lou instantly released Kynemia and leaped back.
Whoosh—
He skidded sideways, scraping the ground as Kynemia spun around, baffled.
"Oops. Nearly slipped up again."
Ayan’s innocent smile contrasted with Lou’s nervous chuckle. "I—I thought you were returning to the forest!"
Lou dabbed his brow, dismissing Ayan’s antics as harmless quirks. Only Kynemia eyed the mage suspiciously.
"Huh? Why?"
Ayan merely tilted his head.
Shaking her own, Kynemia resumed her mission. "Grrr! Hand over snacks or become my meal!"
Lou grinned at her twitching ears. "Lynx!"
"Better than a housecat," Kynemia huffed, conceding lynxes were at least proper predators.
"Joining the festival today, Fairy Lady?"
"Yep! Here for snacks. No snacks = I get eaten!"
"Aha!"
Ayan chimed in with a sunny smile. "I’ll skip snacks. Just die."
"...?!"
"Why?!"
Their synchronized shock turned to him as he explained, "The Ghost Ship Captain’s candy haul today puts him in a murderous mood."
What?!
While Kynemia gaped, Lou nodded sagely. "Ah! Thematic consistency!"
You’re buying that?!
"Yep," Ayan affirmed, sugary-sweet.
"Don’t just ‘yep’!" Kynemia scolded. "Quit the creepy talk!"
Ayan pouted as Lou blinked at the mage’s piercing stare. "I’ll fetch snacks pronto! Fairy Lady, Rikasha—wait here!"
Summoning subordinates with a stern call, two veiled Kshans materialized.
"Maren. Bijou."
"Yes, Chief."
"Buy snacks downtown."
They vanished with a whoosh, leaving Kynemia starry-eyed. "Like a fantasy flick...!"
"But Lou—do all Kshans pop in and out?"
"They’re shy."
Shyness explains that?!
"How’d they work part-time before?"
Lou’s shrug held grim realism. "Survival trumps dignity."
"Thanks to you," he added, "they’ve reclaimed their swords. Everyone’s grateful."
"Me? I just wanted magic stones..." Kynemia flushed, guilt pricking her otherwise shameless conscience.
As they awaited the Kshans’ return, Ayan’s gaze fixed skyward.
"See something?"
"Nothing."
Maren and Bijou returned with premium bakery cookies. When Kynemia reached to thank them, they flinched and fled—confirming Lou’s "shy" claim.
Treats in tow, the group headed through the castle gardens.
Enough to share with Shane and Lirine!
Kynemia’s inaugural snack raid had triumphed beyond expectations.
Time to visit the caretaker—
"Ah!"
The Magical Tower Lord’s entourage crossed their path. Ayan grimaced, but Kynemia dragged him forward.
"Greetings, Esteemed Tower Lord."
"Kynemia!"
While she bowed, Ayan drawled, "When are you leaving?"
"Learn some respect, brat! You’ll be the death of me!"
As the Tower Lord fumed, Kynemia interjected, "Comfortable here?"
"Thanks to you. Though..." He eyed her basket. "...forgetting something?"
Ayan snorted at the transparent hint.
"Ah...this?" Kynemia wavered, mortified yet unable to refuse his eager stare.
His eyes are sparkling... Fine!
"Grrr! Snacks or I devour you!"
"Mercy! A fearsome tiger!"
Genuinely startled by his act, Kynemia gasped. "You recognized me?!"
"What else could rival such ferocity?"
Scooping her up, he tutted. "Light as a feather! Eating properly?"
"Three meals plus snacks!"
"Yet no weight gain—must be all that squirrel-like scurrying."
His chuckle died under Ayan’s glacial glare.
Jealous over a hug? Pathetic.
"If you’re miffed, grow taller."
"Huh?"
"Not you, dear."
As Kynemia puzzled, the Tower Lord met Ayan’s glare head-on.
This attitude at his age? Future’s clear.
"Now...what gift pleases our tiger?”
