Chapter 99 - 26: Good night, Lilia

Chapter 99: Chapter 26: Good night, Lilia

"Hm?"

Lilia propped her right elbow on the armrest of her chair, cupping her cheek in her palm as she watched him. "How do you know they’re all so concerned about me?"

Victor kept his eyes on his book. "During class this morning, they asked me why you weren’t there. I told them you weren’t feeling well and had taken leave. Chris was out of it the whole time."

"He left early. I’m guessing he went to find you."

It wasn’t just Chris. The same went for Veronica and Leo, whom Lilia had just mentioned.

They were all supposed to be rivals, and yet... they didn’t seem to hold much animosity toward Lilia.

Lilia nodded. "I see."

A smile touched her lips. "But I have a feeling the one who’s most concerned about me is actually someone else."

"..."

Victor’s hand paused, mid-page-turn, a subtle motion to hide the fact that his breathing had all but stopped.

He asked nonchalantly, "Who?"

"You, of course."

Her directness was completely unexpected, hitting him right in the heart.

Lilia smiled. "Thanks for thinking about me all through class."

Victor fell completely silent.

Lilia was right. He had been thinking about her all day.

When Chris left class early, when he saw Veronica and Leo heading toward her dormitory together, and even...

When he came to this loft alone and sat among the mountain of books, the first thing to surface in his mind wasn’t research on Demons, but her words from the day before—

"See you tonight."

Victor stared at the book in his hands. The dense lines of text entered his vision, but they flowed through his mind like water, leaving no trace behind.

His fingers unconsciously traced the surface of the page.

After a long moment, he snapped out of it and pushed a notebook toward Lilia. "You can record any important information about the Demon Lords in here."

"Write down anything you think is worth studying."

Lilia nodded in understanding.

But...

"Am I to be the sole judge of what’s important?" she asked, looking up for confirmation.

Lilia was, after all, an outstanding student from two major Magic Academies with a wealth of theoretical knowledge. And this time around, blessed with an A-level talent, even her one weakness—practical combat—had been shored up.

It wasn’t that she lacked self-confidence, but when it came to the Spirit Realm and related fields concerning Demons, she was admittedly a novice.

"Once you’ve finished taking notes, I’ll help you review them."

Victor had obviously already thought about this.

There were countless books here. If he had to summarize them all himself, there was no telling how long it would take. With Lilia’s help, things would go much faster.

She was a novice, true, but given her talent and learning ability, he was confident that after he reviewed her work a few times, she would be able to summarize all the information he needed without missing a single key point.

"Also..."

Victor paused for a moment. "If there’s anything you don’t understand or are unsure of while you’re taking notes, feel free to ask me anytime."

"Understood."

Lilia replied.

Knowing she had Victor as a safety net, she cast aside her reservations, picked up a book, and began to read with complete focus.

Victor’s gaze had been resting on her this whole time.

Seeing how serious she was, apparently not even noticing him watching her, Victor smiled softly and brightened the nearby lamp.

For a time, the only sounds in the room were the occasional RUSTLE of a turning page and the faint SCRATCH of a pen on paper.

Otherwise, the room was silent.

...

As dawn approached, Lilia handed Victor her completed notes at his request.

Victor’s hunch had been correct. Lilia was a quick study. Even though this was her first time doing such a task, she had performed exceptionally well.

After she had summarized the main points of the first book, Victor hadn’t found a single mistake or omission. Every entry and every paragraph was clear and concise, providing a perfect overview that still managed to cover all the essential details from the text.

This time was no different.

"It looks like I won’t need to review your work anymore."

Victor set the notebook down and looked up at Lilia, who was standing right beside him.

His voice was gentle, a softness he himself didn’t even notice. "It’s late. You should go get some rest."

Lilia nodded. "And you? You’re not going to rest either?"

When Victor confirmed he wasn’t, she couldn’t help but protest, "Classes during the day and pulling all-nighters... Even a Mage can’t handle that."

"It’s fine. High-level Mages aren’t so fragile."

"Is that so?"

Lilia leaned down, closing the distance between them.

Victor hadn’t expected her to suddenly move so close. He froze for a moment but didn’t pull away.

He simply let her scrutinize him from point-blank range.

As he felt her gaze drift across his face, Victor’s heart began to beat inexplicably faster.

He tried to steady his breathing, only to realize with a jolt that the air around him had become saturated with her unique, sweet scent. With every breath he took, the faint aroma filled his senses, making him feel almost dizzy.

He opened his mouth, about to say her name. "...What is it?"

"You really don’t have any dark circles," the girl said, her tone filled with amazement. "And you’ve already pulled two all-nighters in a row."

Victor: "..."

He never would have expected that kind of response.

He couldn’t help but laugh. "...So that’s what you were looking for."

"What else would I be looking for?" Lilia said, completely unabashed.

She saw nothing wrong with getting so close just to look for dark circles.

Victor’s gaze fell to the girl’s eyes.

Her eyes were dark and bright, like a shimmering lake or a night sky full of twinkling stars. Her long, curled lashes were like raven feathers, fluttering with every breath. He found himself wondering what they would feel like against his fingertips.

Victor swallowed hard and forced his gaze away, down past her lashes.

"It’s nothing. It’s just..."

Victor said, "You’re the one who looks sleep-deprived."

Lilia: "!"

She shot upright, cupping her face in her hands. "Is it that obvious?"

"Not really."

Victor chuckled. "A good night’s sleep will probably take care of it."

"...All right."

Lilia was convinced.

Today’s research was only the beginning; there was still a long way to go. Lilia couldn’t pull all-nighters and then skip class every day. That would seriously slow down her academic progress.

So, she would have to adjust her schedule. She could leave a little earlier than Victor in the morning and maybe take a nap after dinner each day. That might be enough to make up for the lost sleep.

After bidding Victor goodnight, Lilia turned and left the library.

The rich fragrance faded as she departed. Victor watched her go, then lowered his gaze to his own slightly open, empty palm.

"...Goodnight, Lilia."