Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Climbing the steps is like ascending a princess's castle, while the knight drifts in the wind, searching for the beauty he longs for.

William quickly reached the top of the ladder, directly below the door.

Next comes the most difficult part of the whole process.

William raised his arm and knocked on the bottom of the wooden door.

Two scenarios.

The first possibility is that Anna is not present.

The second scenario is that Anna angrily opens the door and kicks herself in the face, trying to kick herself off the door.

William was mentally prepared for this situation and was determined to shamelessly cling to her, grab her foot, and persuade her.

As for what happened next, William couldn't imagine.

The dull thud of the hammering on the wooden planks mingled with the creaking of the ropes as they swayed under the force, and William felt a chill run down his spine.

Tap, tap, tap. The vibrations of the heels hitting the floor reached William. As he felt a surge of joy, a five-layered, translucent frost mask appeared on his face.

No more, or we'll give ourselves away. William has never been sure of the succubus's strength, but from some clues, this succubus does indeed possess all the potential of a female tyrannosaurus.

It's unlikely they're determined to crush me; William probably isn't so sure about that now either.

William's anxiety didn't last long, because the wooden door had already opened above him.

Perhaps in every dark corner, sooner or later a ray of light will shine upon that place. In this smog-filled city, right above his head, William saw the light.

It was the faint light filtering through the cracks in the pavilion, like a hazy veil draped over Anna's face. Tranquil and gentle, her curved eyelashes, capable of holding tears, unfolded like flower buds, and her jewel-like eyes gazed at William, pure and without blemish.

Looking at Anna like this, William was stunned and forgot all his plans. A succubus had somehow acquired a touch of holiness, even though she remained stunningly beautiful and alluring. Her eyes seemed detached from her seductive and decadent body, captivating William's soul.

As for why William appeared normal again... it was because of William's angle; Anna's firm breasts, with the slightest rise and fall of her breath, would obscure their eye contact. Her waist was perfectly proportioned, her thighs full, and those high heels...

Five layers of ice don't seem to be enough.

"Anna... I'm so sorry..." William stammered out the lines he had prepared beforehand, already raising his right hand in a defensive stance, though to onlookers it looked as if he wanted to touch her thigh.

William's palm was clasped together with a soft hand.

"Anna?"

"Aren't you tired?" It felt like she was holding the boom of a crane, and Anna lifted William up with one hand and the other. "Let's talk about it once we're up." There was no physical pain, no verbal abuse; the gentle Anna carried William up.

Yes, it was an embrace. Driven by the insecurity of being completely at the mercy of his own weight, William instinctively grabbed onto something nearby—Anna. He enveloped her in his arms, her soft body pressed against his slightly sweaty skin. Before him were those beautiful eyes, the girl's scent already mingling with his breath. With just a slight tilt of his head, William could feel… the prickling sensation of being stung by devil horns.

The man and woman embraced, and William knew that Anna must have heard his pounding heartbeat, just as he could feel her arms clasped behind his back.

"I'm...I'm sorry, I'll step back right away."

“If you step back, you’ll fall.” Anna didn’t let go of her arm. This position lasted for a few seconds until the cold wind was kept out by the closed wooden door, and William came to his senses.

The two sat at a wooden table, looking at each other. Anna seemed like a completely different person.

“I’m the one who should apologize, William. I shouldn’t have interfered in your affairs.”

"No, Anna, I..." I didn't know what excuse to use to refute you.

Anna smiled, propping her cheek on her elbow as she watched William's embarrassment, but made no attempt to tease him.

“William, you are an excellent person. I believe this is not just my personal feeling. Everyone in the Blood Rose has grown to like you after spending less than a month with you. Your magic makes you a unique and charming person. I… perhaps I was a little too hasty. The Secret Council is indeed the best place for you. I don’t want to see you give up that opportunity, William, otherwise I would feel sorry for you. I… I am very grateful for your help to Candy. Candy has become much more cheerful recently.”

"Candy helped me a lot; it's a mutually beneficial relationship."

"Yes, I was a little jealous when I saw you and Candy together."

William had no idea what was going on. Suddenly Anna seemed like a different person, and the two of them talked like friends, as if they were meeting for the first time.

"Anna, you... how come you've changed so much all of a sudden?"

Anna had a smile on her face.

"I think it's about time I accepted the fact that there's a handsome boy in my life, so I want to change myself a bit."

"Is that so?" William scratched his head awkwardly upon hearing Anna's polite words.

“William,” Anna reached out and took William’s hand, “I’ll be asking you to take care of Candy from now on.”

"What about you?"

Anna's pupils contracted sharply, and she narrowed her eyes. "I'm quite looking forward to it too."

William left Anna's house with a smile, having severed his grudge against her, and began to look forward to the future.

Anna stood in front of the door, watching the cheerful departing figure, a sweet smile on her lips.

This smile is like a mask.

Anna returned to her room and found the small box at the very bottom of her bed. She blew away the dust and tore off the seal that read "Sister's Dowry".

Inside the box was a bracelet with a line of small characters on the inner ring.

"To my daughter, Gurelia."

Anna picked up the bracelet, spread her bat wings, and flew away.

In the sunlight, the pendant around her neck, a gift from William, that of a female demon, shone brightly.

On the side, in a barely noticeable way, there is a small line of demonic runes in the gap of the woman's face.

That's a name.

Gureria - War Messenger.

Chapter 286 The Anticipated Meeting

Bloody Rose Bar.

Beatrice was directing her employees to tidy up the chaotic store when she realized something terrible had happened while she was only away for a short while. Fortunately, no one was injured, and Beatrice only stopped when she heard that the damage was caused by her own employees' carelessness.

Rubbing her temples, Beatrice slowly walked back to her second-floor room.

Compared to the dazzling bar on the first floor, the second floor is left with only dim decorative lighting, casting a sunset-like red glow on the hanging curtains.

Beatrice is a vampire; she doesn't need light, and she has night vision. She walked back to her desk, stretched out her arms and legs, and took a bottle from the counter behind her.

“This is the second time you’ve come in through the window, Anna. The last time was several years ago.”

The succubus Anna emerged from the shadows and stood before Beatrice.

"Lady Beatrice, I would like to take a vacation for a while."

Beatrice looked up and saw the beautiful pendant, and that alluring yet melancholic face.

“Your pendant is back, Anna. You were the one who asked me to sell it.”

“Yes, Lady Beatrice, this is my… destiny.”

“Fate,” Beatrice said, bringing her lips close to the glass, her fangs pressed against the rim. “Fate shouldn’t be making my employees look like this.”

"Grelia, could this vacation be our last?"

Gurelia lowered her head, her two pale arms folded in front of her.

"I would like to ask Lady Beatrice to look after the candy for me."

“I will naturally take care of my employees, Guleria, you are my employee too.”

Gurelia bowed deeply. "Lady Beatrice thanks you for your care over the years, but I don't want you to take any more risks."

“Is that so?” Beatrice’s face showed a hint of sadness. “Are you going back to your people, Gurelia, back to the War Demons…”

“No,” Gurelia’s eyes were firm. “I am not a war demon, I am a succubus, the daughter of Sarah Nightwish. I will hide and escape that man’s pursuit.”

“Are you going to hide like this for the rest of your life, Anna? Just give yourself to me, and I will handle everything properly. I can’t do it. I still have Naslan behind me, my sisters, and my people.”

Gurelia walked to Beatrice's side, took her hand, and pressed it against her skin.

"I have no right to let you, who have shown us such kindness, suffer any further loss."

"Anna, I've always considered you my sister."

"Then please take good care of the candy, Sister Beatrice."

Ignoring Beatrice's attempts to stop him, Gurelia disappeared into the night.

The next day, William learned at the Bloody Rose Bar that Anna had taken leave.

According to Beatrice's explanation, it seemed to be a normal work and rest schedule. Although Candy had doubts about Anna's arrangements, she did not do anything unusual under the persuasion of her domineering boss.

Candy was taken upstairs by Beatrice, which made William, who had originally planned to find out more details from Candy, give up his plans.

William has another appointment today.

After reconciling with Anna, William carefully considered the invitation to the arcane mage. This was an opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Just as William was worrying about how to find the arcane master, the man in the purple robe appeared out of the void like a timely rain, and the magic of spacetime dissipated from the air and seeped into the ground beneath his feet.

It's like this man has been monitoring her, no, watching over her.

He gave himself a symbol signifying his mastery of magic, and then departed like a gust of wind.

This emblem, meant to identify an arcane user, was used by William himself for the first time, to pass through the portal in the Fifth District of Light.

Yes, William has a date today, a date with Fanila.

"Anna should be fine, right? After all, she's always so elusive."

William had been to District 5 a few times, but always with Candy, under the guise of business. Therefore, William was familiar with the scenery there. Those ancient trees, as green as jade and glass, those shadows filtering through the leaves from who-knows-where.

Gentleness is the dominant theme of this area. The dwellings of the elves are nestled among these plants, which resemble paintings and calligraphy, and blend seamlessly with the gnarled tree roots.

Even the elves who walked by, upon seeing a strange human like William, would simply stop and smile at him.

The scenery of the Fifth District is beautiful, but for those elves, the truly beautiful and enchanting place remains their unsurpassable homeland, as depicted in their stories. Temwood.

Hines's residence was in a secluded corner of this dense vegetation. Even among the withering crowd, he was one of the more solitary ones.

William did not see Hines again, although the tall male elf had indeed extended an invitation. However, the scheming William couldn't figure out how to face him; this was his first visit. William was prepared to face the strange look in the elven elder's eyes.

Holding the gift nervously, William stood outside the door and knocked gently. The knocking on the solid wooden door triggered new noises inside. However, the tense William didn't hear any of the strange sounds.

"Ah!!! He's here! He's here! Quick! Hines, hide with me!"