Chapter 428: Suck Suck Suck (Request Subscription)

“Mmm~ hmmm~”

“Don’t run! Don’t be shy! Let me take a look!”

Let me see how well you’ve developed!?

In the dim space, Herbert casually held the serpent’s tail, stroking it and pressing his cheek against it.

Then, before Herbert could savor the serpent’s tail’s smoothness any longer, he touched the hidden runes on its scales.

Hum—

Herbert once again fell into the state of knowledge “pouring” into him.

Compared to his previous suffering, his now-advanced Legendary status had greatly improved his capacity to endure.

He could now withstand the violent baptism of this surging spiritual torrent.

Herbert held the serpent’s tail silently, feeling his mind gradually fill with knowledge.

In fact, Herbert could have chosen at this moment to release his arms and forcibly break free from this state.

But the knowledge transmitted from the hidden runes was precisely the Legendary knowledge he most urgently needed.

After much hesitation, Herbert had no choice but to abandon this rare opportunity to fondle the serpent’s tail and fully immerse himself in the ocean of knowledge.

He knew this was no coincidence—the reason behind it was heartwarming: Aphrodia had used knowledge as leverage to pin him in place.

“...Alright.”

After a moment of stalemate, Herbert reluctantly surrendered, giving up the idea of polishing the serpent’s scales further.

“You win this time. I won’t mess around anymore.”

Herbert became obedient, but on the other side, the atmosphere in the demiplane, though equally quiet, was the opposite extreme.

The two stared at each other, falling into an awkward silence, the air thick with unease.

Rustnail Bishop: “...”

Aphrodia: “...”

Rustnail Bishop doubted himself, his face rigid as he repeatedly pondered inwardly.

Had he come again at the wrong time?

Was he again in the wrong place?

And where was Herbert?

Where was he?

I clearly saw him walk in... This is strange.

The rigid knight could not fathom it.

Though born into a noble family, he had become a knight at a young age, never receiving formal noble education nor mingling in noble circles.

Yet, though puzzled, he did not suspect anything between Herbert and Aphrodia.

Romance? Secret meeting?

Impossible!

Most importantly, Rustnail Bishop had never once considered their relationship in that direction.

Not even the slightest hint of special friendship crossed his mind.

He had been raised under the watch of Ash Bishop, whom he had always respected—nay, feared—with humble deference for this elder who so loved mentoring juniors.

Childhood shadows made him unable to hold his head high before Aphrodia.

To stand tall before this lady?

What nonsense!

Even that brainless Bai Chi wouldn’t dare!

Beyond that, Rustnail Bishop also approved of Herbert’s character.

Especially his Oath of Purity—proof that needed no words.

Herbert was pure.

How could such a pure child commit such a sacrilegious act?

Especially not with this revered elder!

Impossible.

Absolutely impossible!

Thus, Rustnail Bishop’s unease now stemmed only from the belief that his arrival might have been untimely.

“...”

Aphrodia, meanwhile, was simply dumbfounded by her own foolishness.

“Was I insane?”

She silently questioned herself: “How could I have done something like this?”

In truth, Aphrodia did not know why she had instinctively shoved Herbert under her skirt...

At that moment, she had many other options.

For instance, she could have had Herbert stand openly beside her, showing she had nothing to hide.

In fact, there was no need to hide at all.

Or, she could have refused Rustnail Bishop’s request to enter the demiplane—she owed him no explanation.

She could have made him wait until Herbert had left before letting him in.

Or, she could have had Herbert hide elsewhere in the demiplane—after all, this was her domain.

Rustnail Bishop would not dare probe, and no one would notice.

But Pianpian , Pianpianna !

Aphrodia’s mind had seized up, choosing the most bizarre option—she shoved Herbert under her skirt and hid him there.

...Hiss!

When she came to her senses, even she could barely hold her composure.

Don’t ask.

If you ask, it was just a brain freeze—an instinctive reaction.

But how had this instinct formed?

She didn’t know.

Don’t ask me!!!

The two remained silent, staring at each other, until Aphrodia finally spoke: “Malcolm, you’ve come again—what do you need?”

She made no mention of Herbert, taking full control of the conversation.

Did Aphrodia truly not know why Rustnail Bishop had come?

No, she knew.

The moment Rustnail Bishop entered the demiplane, he had mentioned Herbert’s name—but she pretended not to hear and said nothing.

Anyone with sufficient emotional intelligence would understand her implication—don’t mention Herbert.

Unfortunately, Rustnail Bishop’s emotional intelligence was lacking.

“Oh, my lady, this is it—I came to find Herbert. Earlier, he said he wanted to report to you.” Rustnail Bishop explained earnestly.

This knight commander, raised since childhood in the Mist Monastery, had no sense of social cues whatsoever.

Not that he was completely clueless—but when facing Aphrodia, Rustnail Bishop never even considered such subtleties.

In his mind, Aphrodia never lied or beat around the bush.

So he answered as he always had—with respectful directness.

“I forgot to tell him to come to the Knights’ Hall at noon tomorrow—any other time might cause complications.”

“You know, that battle armor is alive—it chooses its master on its own. I must communicate with it first, or I fear unforeseen consequences...”

Rustnail Bishop was about to elaborate further when Aphrodia, head throbbing, waved her hand to cut him off.

“...Enough. I understand. No need to explain further.”

Stop talking. Don’t say another word.

Seeing how clueless he was, Aphrodia was speechless—but knowing his nature, she said nothing more, merely murmuring: “You’re a step too late.”

“Before you arrived, he did come to report something to me—but just now, I’ve already sent him elsewhere.”

Even an Epic-tier power would be unwise to lie before a Legendary knight.

They possessed an uncanny sensitivity to deception, easily detecting falsehoods in speech.

So Aphrodia did not lie.

Herbert had indeed reported something to her, and he had indeed been sent to “another place.”

Her words were flawless—even a Legendary knight could find no fault.

Indeed, Rustnail Bishop paused, then slowly nodded, smiling.

“I see. I understand now.”

“Thank you for your understanding. I’ll take my leave.”

It must be emphasized: low emotional intelligence does not mean no emotional intelligence.

Even a Bai Chi can sense when the atmosphere is off.

Rustnail Bishop was blunt, not stupid.

He clearly sensed that the Ash Bishop was in poor spirits and did not welcome him.

Thus, upon receiving a sufficiently clear answer, he promptly chose to depart.

In short, let’s withdraw for now.

But the Bishop of Rust Nail, lacking emotional intelligence to the end, added unceremoniously: “By the way, if you happen to meet Herbert later, be sure to tell him to come find me at the Knights’ Order!”

“Hmph.”

Ophidia glared at him, sighed helplessly, and muttered irritably: “So tedious!”

Still, she didn’t refuse, saying calmly: “I’ll pass it on to him… if I happen to meet him later.”

“Besides, he probably already knows the answer without me telling him.”

The Bishop of Rust Nail didn’t think twice—he assumed Ophidia meant he’d encounter Herbert first.

He never imagined Herbert was standing right beside them, listening to their conversation.

He couldn’t possibly have imagined where he was at this very moment!

He took Ophidia’s acceptance as fact, bowed deeply before her in respectful deference.

Just as he finished bowing and prepared to rise, his peripheral vision caught the hem of her skirt.

Hm?

He felt a strange sensation—that the hem… seemed somehow off?

It didn’t look natural.

But what exactly was wrong?

It seemed the folds were unusual—perhaps inward…

“What are you looking at?”

!!!

A calm voice, laced with coldness, snapped the Bishop of Rust Nail back to reality.

He immediately snapped to attention, stomped his foot, and bowed respectfully to the Ashen Bishop:

“Report! I wasn’t doing anything!”

“I didn’t see anything!”

…

The Bishop of Rust Nail arrived in a panic and left in a hurry.

After his fruitless departure, the semi-plane sank back into silence.

Ophidia remained in her previous posture, standing still.

She lowered her eyes, lost in thought.

“…”

Until a strange, soft sound came from within her skirt.

Suck.

Her eyelids flickered slightly—expressionless, yet slightly exasperated—she muttered irritably: “Hey.”

“What are you doing?”

But after she spoke, the sound didn’t stop—it grew louder.

Suck! Suck!

Since he was already exposed, there was no point hiding anymore.

It was like those stealth games pretending to simulate assassins—once revealed, you simply moved to the next stage.

Exposure isn’t failure—if you eliminate everyone, I’m still perfectly stealthy!

Beneath the unseen skirt, a ravenous feast of knowledge was unfolding in full swing.

Herbert was using every ounce of himself to savor this rich knowledge—he reveled in it, longing to cram it all into his mouth… into his mind.

I love learning so much.

I love knowledge so much.

Learning makes me happy! Knowledge makes me joyful!

“Suck-suck-suck—”

While Herbert absorbed knowledge and inwardly cried “How glorious! How glorious!”… the owner of the knowledge was no longer amused.

Ophidia didn’t act at first, but after enduring for a while, she coldly snorted: “You’ve gone too far!”

“Three… two… one!”

After issuing a warning and confirming Herbert intended to stubbornly resist, she finally acted to expel him.

“Get…”

She adjusted the angle of her tail, then whipped it sharply.

“Out!”

History repeated itself.

Herbert was launched from beneath her skirt like a cannonball.

Whoosh—

But this time, he didn’t crash clumsily into the bookshelf—he adjusted his posture midair.

His twin wings unfurled, like an angel descending to earth, freezing him solid in midair.

He opened his eyes, smiled at Ophidia, and instinctively licked his lips.

“Heh, thank you for the gift.”

Thank you for the hospitality~

As for exactly which part he was thanking…

That’s up to interpretation.

Herbert had no intention of voicing it, and Ophidia had no intention of pressing for details.

Not everything needs to be made perfectly clear.

Some things remain Moqi when unspoken—asking outright ruins the charm.

In the end, Ophidia merely rolled her eyes and murmured: “…Hmph. Don’t let it happen again.”

For this stubborn boy who insisted on shouldering her burdens, accepting such a fate to become a Keeper of Secrets…

Even if she never said it aloud, Ophidia felt a quiet gratitude toward him, and treated him with unusual leniency.

Not to mention she already held considerable fondness for Herbert.

Though originally merely the affection one feels for a junior, Herbert’s actions had slowly begun to warp it.

It hadn’t fully transformed yet—but it was already vastly different from what it had been.

“Alright, I’ll be more careful next time,” Herbert said with a grin, nodded, retracted his blood wings, and landed gently on the ground.

“By the way, I didn’t expect the Knight Commander to be so obedient around you—is he afraid of you?”

The Thorn Bishop had already shown fear toward the Ashen Bishop, acting stubborn yet cowardly.

But Herbert hadn’t thought much of it then—he assumed it was an exception.

Yet after witnessing the Bishop of Rust Nail’s reaction, he realized… Ophidia might have a side he’d never seen before.

He was curious.

Was she that brutal?

Facing Herbert’s blatant probing, Ophidia’s gaze flickered, and she gave a faint, dismissive smirk:

“Oh? You want to try it yourself?”

Try it?

Sensing something dangerous, Herbert swiftly abandoned the thought and shook his head: “Hmm… not this time. But next time, definitely.”

“Hmph!”

After the jest, Herbert shed his frivolous smile, bowed lightly to Ophidia, and asked:

“Keeper, do I now have the qualification?”

“…Mm.”

Ophidia looked at Herbert with complex eyes, then nodded slowly and extended her hand.

“May you guard the secrets.”

“…With me.”

(End of Chapter)