Roughly around the same time when Inkaro was fending off Lizu from biting his face, the lone and sole maid of the Noutlyine Manor strolled down a gallant hall, carrying an entree of grilled meat and complementary side dishes on an intricately designed tray in her hands. Her body, entirely that of jet black shadows, which even corroded her maidly attire to match her in light absorption efficiency, wasn't the easiest thing to make out, even in the fairly lit hallway.

  However, the parts of her that could be made out by the naked eye, was her tall, and elegant figure that any gymnast would envy. Short but floofy hair with two small buns.

  The long halls, regal and grand in their designs, were peaceful, their silence serene, and the maid took great pride in the lack of unnecessary sounds: meaning there were no intruders in need of dispatching. As she walked, she passed by the main office of the Noutlyine Patriarch, Yuuvia's father, and overhead a snippet between the noble girl's parents.

  "To think she would not only complete her first dungeon test on her first attempt, but to also achieve it within record time, I'd expect nothing less of my overachieving daughter~," Yuuvia's father boasted with no shortness of excitement.

  Wearing a reluctant look of concern, Yuuvia's mother lightly hummed as she brazenly paced about the Patriarch's office: "However, she didn't look rather satisfied with the accomplishment, now did she, dear?"

  "Perhaps her teammate wasn't up to her standards, or was dragging her down in some manner of speaking? Or simply, she didn't like them. What if it was a boy-."

  Such suggestions got reserved chuckle out of the mother, while the father grumbled shyly at how overprotective his words made him sound. The maid cheekily smirked, even with her stoic expression making the facial shift hard to notice to those unfamiliar to her.

  "I doubt such a case applies here, dear. If it were, Yuuvia would have been more vocal about it in such circumstances, she is rather fond of bringing up that Lizuranti girl every chance she gets, now doesn't she?" Yuuvia's mother spoke, a strange hint of endearment adjoining her words the many times Yuuvia, as a child, would request to go to Lizu's house so they could have they're monthly rival battle. As the duo continued to discuss among themselves, the suggestion of appealing to the academy and have them assign Yuuvia to only be paired up with the highest achieving student in the Star Course was brought up.

  Knowing how uncouth eavesdropping on her employers any further would be, the maid decided to continue on her way, transferring the meal who's recipient would deem a small snack: "Those two certainly have a 'unique' way showing their concern for the lady, but is such action truly wise. If it were me, I would think I was underachieving if my parents went out of their way to partner me with my best classmate. Hmm."

  Before long, she reached the door to the young lady's bedroom where the sound of methodical clicking could be heard, that the maid attributed to Yuuvia twiddling away with her current fixation that was her tapestry staff.

  But no sooner than had the maid arrived, the clicking abruptly ceased, followed by the pitter-patter of weak footsteps approach the door. Yuuvia didn't immediately open the door, choosing to stand behind the object serving as her sole means as separating herself from the outside world.

  Eventually, Yuuvia cracked the door open, enough to check who it was, before slowly opening it the full way, allowing the maid to stroll her way in unobstructed. The room was a spotless and tidy, excluding all the tapestry components, bedroom befitting a girl such as Yuuvia. Spacious enough for all her things and sporting grandeur in its furnishing, especially her queen-sized bed where most of the tapestry components rested, it was the noble girl's utopia away from all forms of expectations she placed upon herself.

  "The snack you request, young master." The maid spoke with a refine tongue, the inflections behind her words seeming to soothe whatever unease the young lady of the house had been feeling, like a glacier of ice melting away and allowing the stagnant waters of frustration to finally flow away.

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  "Thank you, Unuvi," Yuuvia said weakly, purely out of exhaustion, as Unuvi set the tray down on empty dining table situated by the double glass door leading to the balcony.

  "You're noble voice is wasted on the likes of me, but I shall cherish them all the same," Unuvi stated courteously, giving a practiced bow of appreciation to Yuuvia. "Now, would you like to speak on what appears to be bothering you, young master? I'm all ears."

  An exacerbated huff that would be considered an over the top sigh escaped from Yuuvia's lips at being called out. She itched at the glass-like parts of her skin under her nightgown, getting little chimes every time she struck her skin with her fingertip. Having intended to think over her feelings a little more and not expecting Unuvi to pick up on said feelings, Yuuvia mulled over her thought before reluctantly spilling the question that has been plaguing her mind since defeating the baron slime: "Is it possible for those of the nine Humalia races to be able to use demon magic?"

  Not even flinching at a question that would be considered outlandish to the average person, Unuvi tapped at her chin, thinking over her response before coming to a conclusion."That depends, young master. Is it in the form of a Humalia picking up a demon magic tool and using it, or recreating demon magic using a Humalia magic tool?"

  "The second one," Yuuvia mumbled shyly, "So him recreating Corrosion Mist wasn't so unreasonable."

  "Hmm... no wonder you seem so down...."

  For a second, the duo stood in silence as Unuvi slowly processed Yuuvia's mention of the coppery mist Inkaro used. Then it hit the maid all at once, making her shadowy body ripple like a disturbed lake under the influence of a strong breeze.

  "Who did what?!" Unuvi blurted out in utter shock, any octave of her professional voice going up in smoke. Not believing what she heard, Unuvi wanted to suspect Yuuvia of lying to pull at her leg to get back at her for taking too long to bring the food. However, she knew Yuuvia wasn't petty enough to do something like that, because Yuuvia likes cooked meat after its cooled down so that excuse wouldn't even apply in this situation. So the maid was left with only one answer, Yuuvia was telling the truth.

  "So you're telling me. This classmate of your's. Recreated my family lineage's magic?"

  Yuuvia nodded nonchalantly, a sense of elation taking refuge where her unease once took root at seeing Unuvi have the exact same reaction she'd had mentally when seeing Inkaro using the coppery mist magic. "Hmm, that certainly is... concerning."

  "How so?"

  "That magic was developed by and is exclusively used by those of the Death Shade Lineage. Other demons having access to it is already call for concern, but a Humalia is an entirely other world of absurdity. However, seeing as he was able to get admitted to Solicrave Academy, I doubt he's anyone to be concerned about. In a moral lens at the very least."

  "Is now a bad time to add that he named the grimoire, he was using to replicate your magic, Shadeful Tribute?" Yuuvia asked worriedly. Unuvi's subsequent reverberating facepalm was all the noble girl needed to get an answer to her question.

  "I truly fear for your sanity, young master, if this classmate of yours has access to more forms of recreated demon magic... of the Shade Grade."

  Meanwhile, back at Inkaro and Lizu's home, Inkaro shivered down to his bones, the sort of shivering someone would do in the middle of a blizzard, as Lizu contently indulged in resting her head on Inkaro's lap.

  "It seems someone's talking about you~," Lizu teased playfully as she rubbed the ridges of her horns to fight back against the residual tingling sensation trapped within them, the memory of Inkaro mana rings was still fresh to her senses.

  Following a defeated sigh, Inkaro remarked, "Seems like it."

  "Can you stop flirting with him so he can pick a character already!" Nuenala exclaimed in frustration as she grabbed onto Lizu's tail. Lizu widened her eyes in clarity-restoring shock, only having a split second to get her bearings as she found her world flipped upside down. She had even less time to figure out her trajectory before landing face-first into the folds of her bed on the second floor, which she made no attempt to escape from as she tumbled into the clutches of sleep once again.

  "Now pick a character before I fight you in real-life, you jerk!"