CHAPTER 70: AFTER NIGHTFALL, A PROMISE TO DEFEAT HER RIVAL!

As the dawning light sprayed upon the white sheets, Mel’s eyes fluttered open.

She stretched with a yawn, the soft purple fabric of her sleepwear clinging like a second skin, warm and familiar against her shoulders.

Then she saw Lila, curled in her own blue pajamas, her cheeks still streaked with dried tears.

The Witch of Lust chuckled a little. If Lila was already this exhausted without doing the actual deed, how would she endure the night(s) to come?

As she mused, a panel flickered into her vision.

[ Good morning, Host! Ah. And wait for a moment... ]

[ Envy Favourability: 1567 - 93 ]

[ Wow... It’s a miracle you are still conscious after last night. ]

Mel’s lips curled to a wry smile before she waved her hand in the air, mumbling. "You didn’t peek till the end?"

[ Do you want to know? ]

Scowling, she poked at the panel before it flicked to the edge of her eyes.

She sighed before glancing at the ’System’. "No joking."

[ Hehe. Don’t worry. I’m not so ill-hearted. ]

[ Treat the moments I don’t comment on Envy’s thoughts as the ones I have already left for your privacy. ]

"Oh." Mel raised a brow. "Does that mean you didn’t watch our tongue kiss either?"

[ Mhm. Of course. ]

A wicked grin curled Mel’s lips, plotting how to crack open the Saintess’s shameless heart.

Mel rose from the bed, her gaze curved like a vixen. "You just don’t want to be jealous, do you?"

[That would be partly the truth.]

"Oh." She wobbled toward the kitchen counter in her room, fingers trailing over its edge. "Surprisingly honest?"

[ I don’t want your panties soaked with someone else’s fluid before you pry them away for me, willingly. ]

Mel’s face flushed slightly. Her fingers glided over the enchanted stove, runes flickering under her touch.

"Always looking to outpervert me, huh?"

[ Oh? Do you treat my desire for you unequally to others, Mel? ]

The Witch of Lust shook her head as she placed a pan over the heating stove, frowning. "Absolutely not."

Mel puffed out a heated sigh, her fidgety gaze darting toward the ’Saintess’. "Do you... not trust me?"

Expecting a tease back from her partner, she instead received a surprising response.

[ I would always trust you, Mel. ]

The weight of those words dimmed Mel’s playful eyes. How serious.

But just as the moment settled, another tease came immediately.

[ Ah. But I bet my trust would overflow if your panties were drenched in your own fluids rather than someone else’s. Promise? ]

Mel’s cheeks blushed a little, her eyes then narrowing. "Do your job well. And I might consider."

[ Hehe. Then consider it further after what will happen today. ]

What will happen? Ah. Come to think of it, the Saintess did arrange something before today.

Before Mel could inquire further, she heard a tired sigh from the bed.

A glimmer of excitement came as she turned around. "Lila! Have a good sleep?"

Lila’s eyes fluttered with fatigue as she sat up, her arms dropping to the side. "Good morning... Mel..."

Noticing the exhaustion in her voice, Mel quickly cast Whisper’s Faith on Lila.

She watched as Lila’s gaze grew steadier, then smiled softly. "Tired?"

The Witch of Envy nodded sheepishly. "Tired..."

Yet as her eyes briefly glossed over her pajama pants, dry and untouched, a realization slowly dawned upon her.

"Mel..." Her pupils dilated as she clutched onto the sheet, blushing. "How many... how many..."

"Ah. Don’t worry." Mel turned back as she turned on the stove. "I wiped and dressed you after you fainted. Quite a wild night we had."

"Uh-mmm...." Lila hung her head, unsure whether she should feel relieved or more embarrassed.

"Oh, and it was thirteen times, by the way."

"Mel!"

Lila shouted from across the room, her face burning red. Mel just flashed her a wicked grin.

"Come on now, you asked."

"Read the situation, you-you dummy!"

Admiring Lila’s blushing cheeks, Mel stifled a laugh before cracking an egg into the pan.

Ah. She’d forgotten the oil.

--------------------

"Learn to cook better next time."

"Ah-hahaha..." Mel’s eyes darted away, shifting uncomfortably in her seat as Lila grumpily munched on the soggy egg at the desk.

The Witch of Envy glared daggers into Mel, her pride as a chef not allowing Mel to dodge her resentment.

She promised there was zero personal feeling involved. Zero!

"Your sense of taste must’ve dulled after eating too many of Saria’s dishes."

Lila’s finger dangled accusingly toward the blackened bread beside the egg. "How do you even mess up baking bread? It’s just timing in the oven!"

Mel shuddered a little against Lila’s pressure. "Um... coz I rarely cook?"

The last time Mel cooked was back in her university days in the old World. And even then, she only ever cooked for herself.

Sighing, Lila pouted as the lingering taste of egg white stubbornly clung to her tongue. "Want me to teach?"

Mel nodded enthusiastically. "Yep yep! I would like to!"

A well-cooked dish is the way to a woman’s heart, and the Witch of Lust wouldn’t miss an opportunity to snatch another tool of seduction!

"...you’re thinking of feeding other women with your cooking now, huh?"

The observant Lila squinted at the bubbly Mel, whose golden eyes flickered nervously.

"Not... allowed?" Mel scratched her cheek.

"Not allowed."

"Aw..."

[ Envy sensed you took her for a fool again! Ah, but last night’s memory remained flesh in her mind. ]

[ Envy favourability: 93 - 91 ]

Amused at the System’s report, Mel leaned forward. "Even if I vow to pamper you more tonight if you allow me to, Lila?"

"Tha-that is..."

Lila shifted her gaze back as her thighs clenched tight, squirming slightly. "That is something... You should have done anyway..."

Got you.

Mel’s lips curved as she drew back, a teasing smirk curling at her lips. "That’s two."

Lila blinked, confusion flickering in her emerald eyes. "Two?"

"Two!" Mel’s face beamed. "Remember our little punishment last night?"

"Ah-"

A hiccup caught in Lila’s throat again, before she shook off the embarrassment.

She muttered with a slight grudge. "Why does it have to increase every time I accept your advances...?"

The Witch of Envy, especially after last night, faced an extreme turmoil of excitement and anxiety against Mel’s little punishment game.

For her life, that is....being drained dry by Mel until death was not exactly dignified.

"Anyways..."

She took a deep breath, steeling herself. She had something else to ask.

"I have something to ask you." A serious glint crossed her eyes as she met Mel’s gaze.

The Witch of Lust tilted her head, sensing the conflicted tone beneath Lila’s words.

For a moment, she feared Lila would ask for something against her own wishes.

But after hearing it, she chuckled out loud in relief and even felt a pang of gratitude.

----------------------

A lone blonde swung her sword with practiced ease in the training hall, now empty after everyone left for lectures.

She moved through her dull routine, arms performing a mechanical sword dance, precise, but lacking elegance, until a single footstep echoed through the silent hall.

Her lips lifted into a pleasant grin before she glanced at her ’admirers.’

"You again. And I see you’ve brought company this time?"

In her crimson dress, Rosana stared down at the two uniformed figures—Mel and Lila.

The Witch of Lust shrugged, smiling. "Yep. Sad we can’t have our little sessions like last time, but - Ow!"

"One more flirt, Mel, and I won’t revoke your rights to feed others with your cooking again."

Lila knitted her brows in annoyance as she handchopped Mel.

Taking a deep breath, the Witch of Envy stepped forward to face Rosana.

Observing the amused red eyes sparkling with bemusement, Lila’s frown deepened, and she declared boldly,

"Want to duel me, Miss Winterscourge?"

She had to take this first willing step toward becoming stronger.

Of course, while also looking for an excuse to beat down her rival.