episode_0008

-Tiny movements.

The movement of the small creature was directly felt by her.

“It’s warm.”

Well, living organisms are naturally warm.

In her body, having mastered Kristia’s great mana manipulation to its limits, there was an unyielding energy that could not be ignored. Yet this little boy seemed to exude warmth as if it were nothing difficult.

-Concentrating.

She was focused on her work, but she was also a multitasking genius.

While concentrating on her work, she was also feeling the touch of the boy on her body without any filter.

“You’ve been away for too long.”

Always warm and affectionate,

A presence that comforted her weak and pathetic self.

She had been apart for a staggering 15 years.

She had lived within the body of the great woman Kristia for 15 years, yet she had never once closed off her heart to her. However, in this world, she could never reach his world, so she had endlessly nurtured her longing.

The image of him that she had drawn was countless.

Although his appearance had changed, what lay within was the very image of him that she couldn’t help but love.

“I won’t let go again.”

Strength filled her hand as she embraced the body of the little boy.

****

“This is a bit unexpected.”

Kristia is a great ruler.

So, she managed administrative tasks well.

However, doing well and doing often were words that were miles apart.

She had tremendous administrative abilities, but she didn’t use them well. She always made grand decisions and left the rest to the subordinates. And she played around while tormenting her slaves.

Seeing her maintain a high level of concentration while handling administrative tasks was quite different.

“Long time no see, huh?”

Yes, I fell for this sight.

I couldn’t properly see her face since I was hugging her from behind, but sometimes, the sighs or the sound of her pondering while stroking her head made me feel like it was the familiar her.

“Shall we take a look at it slowly?”

I didn’t want other subordinates to see the embarrassing sight of me embracing her and working, so there were only the two of us in her office.

“Christiane, how long has it been since you came to this world?”

“Cute thing, didn’t we agree not to mention that for a while?”

“That wasn’t an agreement, it was coercion… Ugh!”

Christiane’s hand pulled my cheek again.

“Fine, let’s say it was coercion. Anyway, since we have plenty of time, don’t rush too much.”

While she was working with a speed that was unbelievably fast considering she was holding someone else’s cheek, I couldn’t help but stick out my tongue.

“Ttuk”

“What’s going on, Laila? Does Sacher need something from you again this time?”

“No, he doesn’t. Hypefree is about to return soon.”

“Soon, huh.”

Only then did Christiane let go of my cheek and slowly walked out of the office.

Of course, still holding onto my wrist.

“Hypefree? It’s a familiar name…”

After racking my brain for a while, I soon remembered who that was.

Hypefree, the High Liberator! It was the name of the character we created together, yearning for freedom after being overworked.

She was such a powerful character that she could easily rank within the top 5 characters most likely to overwhelm Christiane, which was why she was hard to forget.

Not only did she receive relatively little attention from Christiane because she was a woman, but she also had outstanding talent and even the power to attract people.

Moreover, given the success rate of over 20% for both my girlfriend and me in dealing with routes targeting Christiane after coming under her, it was more than enough to say that she was the most successful character.

“But why…”

“I missed you, Christiane…”

Why was she burying her face in Christiane’s chest and acting all cute?

And in front of the other subordinates, no less.

“Sigh… You’re doing it again.”

Christiane lightly pushed away the affectionate Hypefree.

“However! I’ve been away from Lady Christia’s side for a whole month! You need to make up for this!”

A distinct chill emanated from Haifri’s body.

Although the level of chill was similar, its nature seemed akin to Christia’s, indicating that Haifri was clearly using mana manipulation techniques developed by Christia.

“Tsk, forget it.”

“That’s strange… Usually, saying this much would have been permitted…”

Haifri raised an eyebrow and looked at me.

“Oh… who is this?”

“He’s Sacher, recently appointed as Lady Christia’s personal attendant.”

There was no need to wonder why Haifri was here. Most likely, Christia recruited him. And it was very safe, without any possibility of betrayal.

Initially, considering Christia’s current actions, there was hardly any reason to doubt her loyalty.

“A guy?”

Haifri’s expression subtly changed.

Considering the actions he had just shown to Christia, one might have expected jealousy or hostility towards me, but apart from the expression that seemed to be admiring Christia, there was no animosity towards me.

“This is your type? It’s a bit risky, isn’t it?”

As Haifri spoke while poking my side with her elbow, Christia’s expression subtly stiffened.

‘Ah, unnecessary pride has arisen again.’

My girlfriend is quite proud.

So she’d probably leave a delicious chocolate latte and opt for espresso instead.

She seemed hurt by her pride, having heard a similar question yesterday and now hearing the same one today.

“What are you talking about?”

“You like the taste of small, cute children. Not something I would say, but it’s quite a maniacal preference, isn’t it?”

As Haifri teased playfully, Christia confidently responded, easing her stiff expression.

“Sorry, but Sacher is older than me.”

For a moment, everything around me froze.

Haifri remained frozen in the same posture, and Laila, who was following behind, was so stunned that the tea almost spilled onto the floor.

“… Did I hear that wrong?”

Afria, who was standing behind, barely managed to speak, breaking the silence.

“I told the truth. Soccer, aren’t you older than me?”

No, that’s just a thing in South Korea.

“Considering what has been achieved so far, it seems like there is much more mentally than me…”

Still, there was no courage to deny her words.

“Yes, I am older.”

The truth of this statement is impossible to ascertain.

Because Soccer was an orphan.

Moreover, neither I nor my girlfriend had set Soccer’s age. We just wrote that he was a boy from the north.

Even if time passes, Soccer’s height is not likely to change drastically, so even Cristiano probably wouldn’t know the truth of my words.

“…Wow.”

Hypri exclaimed in admiration and followed up with a comment.

“So, unnie likes not just a small and fragile man, but despite being older, she likes a small, delicate, cute man. Saying it like this… it sounds quite perverted, doesn’t it?”

“It doesn’t necessarily connect like that!”

Cristiano yelled inappropriately.

Despite the commotion around her, it was surprising that my body felt no weight at all.

“So, liking a Soccer-style man is a fact, right?”

“No! Liking a Soccer-style man isn’t really my preference!”

She seemed unsure as she deliberately huddled up.

“Let’s put off talking about Soccer for later; now is the time to welcome your return.”

Still, Cristiano remained herself.

In just one second, she regained composure and restored the atmosphere, showing her true leadership qualities.

At least, she was more suitable than the Northern Empress.

“Alright. But you have to tell me later.”

The welcome ceremony wasn’t grand.

It was just a gathering of subordinates, giving brief instructions about their duties.

“Hey, Hypri, you’re still different. You completely crushed the great Swordmaster Hapen, didn’t you?”

“It wasn’t as big a deal as you think. 15 moves? I think I subdued him in just that many.”

Hahaha, although we were laughing and chatting, the content was definitely not something to be taken lightly.

Well, it’s no wonder. Hapun, as a formidable opponent with skills approaching those of Cristia, also held a remarkably high win rate of 12% against Cristia.

But still, he was defeated so miserably by someone who isn’t even Cristia herself?

“What on earth were you doing while I wasn’t around…”

Cristia just looked at me with a smug expression.