Chapter 322: Surprise~~



Two familiar hands suddenly grasped at my sides.

A sharp jolt ran through my body.

The unexpected touch made my skin crawl, sending a wave of goosebumps across my arms. Without thinking, my instincts took over.

Mana flared from within me like a reflex-an uncontrolled burst of energy surging outward.

“O-Ouch!”

The sudden resistance made the intruding hands retreat, and I quickly turned around-only to see a human-sized cat tumbling backward, rolling in midair like a smoke-wrapped ball of fur.

“Cheshire?”

The familiar entity flickered in and out of his ever-shifting, smoke-like form, floating just above the ground with a mischievous grin plastered across his feline face.

“My~ My~ Riley, you’re still terrible when it comes to affection, aren’t you?” Cheshire drawled, his tone laced with exaggerated disappointment. He stretched his arms lazily, as if shaking off the lingering effects of my mana burst. “But I must say that’s exactly what makes you so fun~! Hehehe~”

He twirled midair dramatically, a pained sigh escaping him as he rubbed his chest in mock injury.

“This was supposed to be a beautiful reunion, a heartfelt moment between close buddies! Yet, instead of a warm embrace, you burn me with your mana? How cruel~!”

I deadpanned. “You were the one who suddenly hugged me from behind.”

I mean, really.

Any sane person would’ve reacted the way I did.

After all, it’s not every day you get grabbed by human-sized cat hands.

Cheshire ignored my words completely.

His body shifted like mist, dissolving into a puff of smoke before reappearing as a floating cat head. His emerald eyes gleamed with mischief as he circled around me, his movements as erratic as ever.

“Looks like you’ve gotten weirdly stronger as well-” he mused, his voice laced with curiosity. “Oh, how intriguing~ But that’s not important right now~”

As usual, he acted like the whimsical and unpredictable familiar I knew him to be.

But that wasn’t the real issue here.

Why was he here?

A nagging thought crept into my mind. If Cheshire was here, then did that mean-

“Ah~ If you’re wondering whether Master’s here, sorry to disappoint, but that’s a big no- no~”

Cheshire’s smug grin widened as if he had read my thoughts before I could even voice them. So Alice wasn’t around.

That only made things more confusing.

“Then why are you here?” I asked, crossing my arms. There were a lot of things I was curious about, but for now, his sudden presence took priority.

Cheshire let out a dramatic sigh, his body flickering like a dying ember before reforming. His next words, however, made me pause.

“Actually, Riley, I need your help. No-rather, Master needs yours~”

My brows furrowed.

A sinking feeling twisted in my chest as worry ignited like a spark catching dry kindling.

Was the White Queen making her move already?

That didn’t make sense. If I was keeping track of the timeline correctly, Act 3, Chapter 2 should be in progress right now. It was still too early in the story for her to act.

The White Queen wasn’t supposed to make any substantial moves until after the demons of Arc 2 had been dealt with-something that should fall under the Saintess and Lucas’s job description.

Unless something had changed.

Other than sending a few loose Rooks and Knights into the Academy, Alice shouldn’t have any trouble handling the White Queen’s forces right now… Right?

I turned my gaze back to Cheshire, my tone cautious.

“What do you mean by that, Cheshire? Is Senior Alice in danger?”

For a split second, I saw it-a flicker of amusement in his emerald eyes.

Then, a wide grin stretched across his face as he barely suppressed a chuckle.

“Yes- and no~” Cheshire purred, his tail swaying in amusement. “But she does need your help right now- That’s why…”

His grin widened.

“Can I have a drop of your blood, a single strand of your hair, and a few drops of your tears, please~?”

“…Huh?”

Before I could react, the air around me shifted.

A sudden surge of graying mana swirled like a thick fog, wrapping around my body in an

instant.

I felt it-tiny pinpricks of pain, sharp as needle-like bites pressing against my skin. A light dusting of something soft tickled at my eyes, making them sting.

The wind cleared just as fast as it had come.

And there, floating delicately between Cheshire’s newly manifested fingers-

A drop of my blood.

A single strand of my hair.

And-wait, were those my tears?!

I blinked in shock, my brain struggling to catch up.

Cheshire twirled the gathered materials around his fingers as if they were nothing more than trinkets, his expression practically radiating self-satisfaction.

My eye twitched.

I wasn’t sure whether I should be impressed or furious.

“Hm~ Hm~ Purfecto~! I did a satisfactory job, didn’t I~?” Cheshire purred, his voice dripping

with self-satisfaction.

His gleaming emerald eyes met mine, filled with a mischievous light that promised trouble.

“Well then, I’ve got to go now, Riley. See you soon~”

Before I could even protest, a crimson light wrapped around his form like a cocoon.

“Wait-!” I called out, but it was too late.

He disappeared, dissolving into a shower of red, sparkling dust that lingered in the air like the

remnants of a half-remembered dream.

“Hey, Senior, what are you doing?”

Flamme’s irritated voice pierced through my daze, snapping me back to the present.

Turning to the side, I found her glaring at me, hands on her hips, her usually bubbly

demeanor replaced by visible annoyance.

“Are you suicidal or what? If I hadn’t noticed you didn’t walk out with me, you would’ve been sealed for eternity, you know~?”

I glanced at the glowing portal that shimmered beside her, its swirling surface rippling with

an intensity that hinted at the massive mana cost she had expended.

“Sorry, I got distracted for a moment,” I replied, rubbing the back of my neck.

“Distracted?” she echoed, eyebrows furrowing with suspicion.

“It’s nothing…”

Stepping through the portal, I felt the weight of her gaze lingering on me, sharp and prying.

Her curious eyes scanned my face as if searching for some hidden clue, a slight pout forming

on her lips at my evasive answer.

Her annoyance was clear in the stiffness of her posture and the way she continued to grumble

under her breath.

But I barely heard any of it.

My mind was still reeling, grappling with the bizarre encounter with Cheshire.

In the end…

‘What the hell was even all that about?’

Meanwhile, back at the Academy…

A mischievous grin stretched across a floating cat’s head as it drifted effortlessly through the

cool evening air.

Its emerald eyes gleamed with satisfaction as it approached a small, impeccably dressed figure sitting at the very edge of the newly reconstructed clock tower.

The figure, barely larger than an average person’s hand, sat with its legs crossed, its tiny yet

elegant suit neatly pressed.

Its gaze, purplish and sharp, was fixed on the distant academy grounds, shimmering with a nostalgic glow as if lost in a memory.

Without looking away from the horizon, the small being spoke.

“Hm. You’re back already?”

Cheshire, still grinning, flipped through the air and landed next to him, his smoky, ethereal

form flickering in and out of solidity.

“Well- everything went exceptionally well, you see~ Hehehe~” Cheshire let out a delighted chuckle, his tail swishing behind him like a wisp of mist.

The tiny figure, Oz, finally turned his head to look at him. “So, did you get all the

ingredients?”

Cheshire puffed up his chest with exaggerated pride, floating in a slow, lazy spin. “Hm~ Who do you think I am, Oz? Other than the personification of perfection? Of course I got all of it~” Oz let out a tired sigh, rolling his eyes. He had long since grown accustomed to Cheshire’s

dramatics.

With a flick of his fingers, the cat familiar revealed his spoils gleaming in the moonlight, a single strand of Golden hair, a crimson drop of blood, and a glistening tear.

They hovered in the air, swirling gently as if caught in an invisible current.

Oz stretched out his small hand, his sharp golden eyes scanning the materials as they floated

toward him.

With a brief hum of acknowledgment, he examined them closely, the glow of mana reflecting

off his eyes.

“So, with all of this, you can make it, right?” Cheshire asked, his tone unusually serious.

Oz was silent for a moment before nodding. “Yes… I can.”

He lowered his hand, closing his fingers around the gathered elements. “…Though I don’t see why it’s necessary. There’s no need for something like this between

those two.” He glanced at Cheshire with a knowing smirk. “Your master is already interested,

and while Riley may be unresponsive most of the time…” A soft chuckle escaped his lips. “It’s clear he’s at least somewhat interested in her as well.”

Cheshire snickered, his tail flicking. “Oh, far more than he realizes~”

Oz tilted his head. “Then why go through the trouble? Why do you need a Catalyst for

something that’s already bound to happen?”

A gust of wind howled through the stone pillars of the clock tower.

Cheshire simply grinned, his emerald eyes twinkling like stars. “Huhu~ If only it could be that simple,” Cheshire mused, his voice laced with amusement as he twirled through the air, his spectral tail flicking playfully. “But you see, Master’s position in the race is already getting endangered- My curiosity got the better of me, you see, and I ended up witnessing something that needs a little… fixing~”

Oz raised a brow but remained silent as Cheshire continued, his grin stretching wider. “Although I’m quite confident Master can make him crack, she’s just a bit too innocent~” He

let out a knowing chuckle. “Too patient… too willing to wait… But the others? Oh, they aren’t waiting at all~”

Oz sighed, shaking his head. “Well, if you say so…”

Despite his reluctance, he flicked his wrist, causing the gathered materials to vanish into a swirling black vortex-a pocket dimension of his own making.

He was curious about whatever nonsense Cheshire was scheming, but experience had taught

him that getting too involved with the cat’s antics only ever led to trouble.

“How long will it take you to make it?”

“A day or two, at the very least…” Oz replied, inspecting his pocket watch before slipping it

back into his vest.

Cheshire clapped his paws together in delight. “Good-Good- Make it as exceptionally potent

as possible,

okay?”

Oz shot him a dry look. “As long as you keep your end of the bargain.”

Cheshire’s grin never wavered. “But of course~”

With that, Oz gave him a slight bow before standing from his perch. A moment later, his form

dissipated into a dark puff of smoke, vanishing without a trace.

Left alone atop the clock tower, Cheshire’s emerald eyes gleamed with mischief. His tail

curled, his body swaying as he hummed to himself. Everything was going exactly as he had

planned. “Although Master might scold me for this…” His grin stretched wider, his fangs glinting under the moonlight. “In the long run, she’ll be thanking me~”

Even though Cheshire wanted his master’s progress with Riley to be as smooth and natural as

possible, that simply wasn’t going to happen. Not with those two.

They were far too similar.

Both stubborn. Both cautious. Both hopelessly dense when it came to matters of the heart.

‘My dear Master, I don’t want to interfere in your love affairs, truly I don’t…’

Cheshire let out a soft chuckle, his gaze turning toward the academy below. But the reality was undeniable.

A garden of flowers had already begun blooming around Riley-each one vying for his

attention. And if his Master didn’t act soon… she would be left behind.

He sighed internally, recalling all the times he’s been trying to help his master now.

‘For better or worse, Master, you need a boost of your own~’

And Cheshire was more than happy to provide it.

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