Late at night, when Char returned to the academy dormitory, Dahlia was already leaning on the sofa and asleep.
Judging from the abundance of food laid out on the table, she must have been waiting for him to come back and have dinner.
Char's heart immediately calmed down.
He had been contemplating the banquet and the "Sun" just a moment ago, and his mood was somewhat agitated.
As for Arin's body, he couldn't claim it back from the Tower of Judgment at the moment, so Char decided to wait until the case was solved before giving him a proper burial.
However, it was highly likely that the case would be classified as an unsolved mystery.
The "Sun" was undoubtedly a secretive and powerful organization, even having connections with major aristocrats. Moreover, the mark disappeared from the wall in the blink of an eye, indicating their confidence in evading investigation.
But now, Char had inexplicably become a member of the Tower of Judgment, albeit a junior inspector. This gave him more opportunities to investigate that organization.
Although he was only a junior inspector, the privileges he possessed were much higher than those of ordinary members.
Once he wore the badge, Char had legitimate law enforcement authority when walking outside, with all his actions surpassing those of the city's public security department.
As for the other matter, regarding Sally's invitation to the banquet, Char naturally accepted.
Not to mention the 5 charm points added specifically for this situation, Arin had also used his life to give Char a hint that the clues he sought were hidden beneath the Violet Mansion.
The opportunity was right in front of him. How could he let it slip away?
But for now, Char just wanted to embrace the maid in front of him.
He quietly approached, squatting in front of the sofa, gazing at Dahlia's beautiful face, giving a slight smile. Then, he slowly leaned in, touching his forehead gently against hers and planting a soft kiss.
However, the next moment, a peculiar sensation came over him.
It was a gelatin-like, crystal-clear and tender touch, carrying a hint of sweetness unique to women.
Char lowered his eyes and discovered that Dahlia had awakened at some point, her wide eyes spinning around, her head tilted back, and their lips were just inches apart, their eyes locked.
Soon, a triumphant smile appeared on her face.
Their lips had barely touched before they separated, and Char smiled helplessly. "Did I wake you up?"
"Perhaps it's a psychic connection, who knows?" Dahlia said in a sweet voice, exhaling like an orchid.
She reached out, tightly embracing Char's neck, and then kicked off her cotton slippers with her small feet clad in white silk.
"Master, hold me."
Without hesitation, Char lifted Dahlia in his arms, one hand supporting her waist and the other cradling her bent legs, carrying her in a princess-like embrace.
Compared to before, since the daring incident when Dahlia fed him ice cream that one evening, their relationship had unknowingly become more intimate.
"Master, what have you been up to again? Why do you smell like a naughty woman?"
Dahlia rubbed her eyes and spoke, a bit drowsy.
"You're just tired, it's an illusion."
"Mmm..."
After carrying Dahlia back to the bedroom, Char sat on the edge of the bed and softly spoke with her for a while.
This kind of interaction used to be common when he was younger, but in recent years, they hadn't had such conversations as master and servant for a long time.
Once he managed to lull her to sleep, Char quietly left.
Looking at the cream stew, bread, and roast chicken laid out on the dining table, Char used magic to warm them up a bit before devouring them hungrily.
He had only had a beer at Mr. Don's place in the afternoon and evening, and now he was quite hungry.
Isn't this the meaning of a family?
After going through incredibly "exciting" days, returning home to a maid sister with a lovely smile and delicious food already made him feel completely healed.
After eating his fill, Char went to the bathroom to take a shower, then comfortably returned to the bedroom.
Sleep...?
.....
When Char woke up again, he found himself in a realm of nothingness.
Surrounded by profound darkness, the ground beneath his feet was incredibly smooth, and as he moved slowly, ripples would gradually spread.
"This is... lucid dreaming?"
Char looked down at his palm, speaking to himself in confusion.
Just a moment ago, he had finished taking a shower and returned to the warm bed, embracing the fragrant maid in white silk to sleep soundly. How did he wake up in this eerie place?
"It's not a dream."
Suddenly, a somewhat unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar female voice echoed, causing a slight start in Char's heart.
He looked up and vaguely saw something.
Although he shouldn't have been able to see anything, Char could see it nonetheless. Before him, the space was slowly undulating with a smooth, obsidian-like liquid droplet.
"Formless Demon?"
Char blurted out.
"It seems you still remember me."
That voice carried a hint of resentment.
Then, to his astonished gaze, the viscous substance rapidly expanded, falling to the ground and swiftly taking on a human form.
"Weren't you already erased?"
Char furrowed his brow, looking at the dark, vaguely feminine figure before him, and asked.
"This is a remnant of my consciousness, taking on the form of a cursed entity that has attached itself to you," the feminine figure undulated slowly, emitting a sharp laughter. "Not even the Witch noticed my existence."
"Speaking of which, I have to thank you."
"If it weren't for you using me outside the Abyss Palace in the real world today, coming into contact with some ancient aura, I wouldn't have been stimulated and awakened so quickly."
"Interesting," Char looked at her deranged appearance and spoke with a smile. "I wasn't the one who killed you. In fact, I even approached you willingly at that time, intending to end your life. How did the hatred end up being directed towards me?"
"You're afraid, aren't you?"
"You don't even have the courage to face the Witch again, do you?"
Char's nonchalant words infuriated her.
The Formless Demon screamed loudly, "Who said I'm afraid! The next time I see her, I will tear her face into pieces!!!"
"Why are you yelling at me like that? Shouldn't you be going after the Witch?"
Char shrugged shamelessly, deflecting responsibility.
The Formless Demon paused for a moment, then revealed a sinister smile. "Are you scared?"
"Heh," Char responded expressionlessly.
"I see, you're afraid of me because this is my domain!!!"
It spoke in disjointed sentences, with actions and behaviors that were difficult to comprehend. The female form, composed of black liquid, continuously twisted and transformed into various shapes.
How did this Formless Demon regain consciousness and yet seem less intelligent, thought Char with a slight headache.
Then, screaming, she condensed a large mass of black viscous substance from behind, rushing towards Char like a surging wave, engulfing him!
"Hahahaha!"
"I will erase your consciousness first, possess your body, and then descend into reality, step by step, regaining my full power, reaching the highest peak!"
"I will become the strongest evil god!"
"And then, I will seek revenge against that damn bitch!"
Witnessing Char being swallowed by the black liquid without any resistance, the Formless Demon laughed uproariously, like a madwoman.
However, as she came into contact with Char's body, the eyes of the Formless Demon gleamed slightly.
Not only did the black liquid devour Char's consciousness, but it also managed to extract some of his memories along the way.
"This woman has a nice appearance."
Then, her body trembled slightly and quickly condensed into a young woman wearing a moon-white mage robe, with a beautiful face.
Miss Mevis.
A trace of delight flickered across her beautiful face as she looked at the motionless Char, preparing to devour him completely. However, she suddenly froze.
She felt a sudden lack of control over the black viscous substance originating from her own body.
"Sigh, you've gone mad."
A sigh came from within the black liquid.
Char stepped out from the viscous substance, completely unharmed, and gazed at the transformed Formless Demon, now taking on the appearance of Mevis. He let out a gentle sigh.
"Do you think I didn't realize that this is actually my sea of consciousness?" Char shook his head, looking into the distance and taking in the surroundings. "I never expected this textbook-like idealist worldview to actually manifest before me."
"If I hadn't noticed it earlier and tried to resist, my consciousness would have been truly devoured by you."
"H-How did you figure it out?"
Mevis's beautiful face showed a terrified expression as she took two steps back, attempting to control the black viscous substance to continue attacking Char, only to find no response.
The feeling of fear resurfaced.
For some reason, facing the current Char, she suddenly felt as if another witch had appeared before her.
"When I came in just now, do you remember what action I did?"
Char didn't keep she in suspense and volunteered a hint.
"You..."
"Mevis" recalled the situation just now, realizing that after Char finished his first sentence, he lowered his head and looked at his two palms.
"You guessed it."
Char burst into laughter and spread open his palms, displaying them before the Formless Demon.
The palms that should have been covered in lines suddenly sprouted two eyes with patterns.
"This is called the Sharingan... but forget it, even if I explain, you wouldn't understand," Char looked at the Formless Demon before him. "I thought it was just a lucid dream, so I tried random things. I never expected to be able to freely manipulate everything here."
"And through our conversation, I became even more certain of this."
"You are just a curse parasitically attached to me. A feeble existence that even the Witch Miss didn't notice. How could you possibly have the power to create or condense such a space, and pull me into it, deciding life and death?"
"You... You deceived me?!!!"
Upon hearing Char's words, the Formless Demon became somewhat panicked, but being already heavily injured, it lacked the rationality to contemplate.
Perhaps it was exactly for this reason that she chose not to continue lurking on Char and silently accumulate power.
Of course, there was also an excessive underestimation of Char on her part.
After all, she was once an entity close to divinity, and in her eyes, Char was nothing more than a weak knight.
"By the way, even if you really kill me here, I won't die. I might even thank you... Oh, no, wait, you're too weak right now. You can't provide any experience at all. Forget it."
A strange smile suddenly appeared on Char's face.
"Do you know? The image of that woman you thought you retrieved from my mind, it was deliberately transmitted by me."
"She... is one of the people I currently despise the most."
"What... What are you going to do to me?"
After multiple attempts and realizing she had no ability to fight back, the Formless Demon fell into complete panic. With Mevis's beautiful face, she revealed a frightened expression.
"This expression, how delightful it is to behold." Char gradually laughed maniacally, resembling a villain. "I remember, when you transform into a certain race, you gain all the physiological structures of that race, right?"
"Hehe..."
"Come forth, Ancient God's Tentacles!!!"
In an instant, countless wet, slippery, and sticky tentacles condensed from behind Char, surging toward the only target in this place!
"Mevis" stumbled and fell to the ground, watching the scene before her with extreme terror.
Then, trembling, she hugged her head.
"No, please, no!!!"