By the time Niya found Aliviel in the meeting room, Cecil was leaning lazily back in his chair, his tail flicking back and forth.
Aliviel was sitting at the table, twirling a long, slender quill in her hand as if the two were discussing something.
Niya trotted over, clutching the platter containing the Battle Rooster.
“Lady Aliviel, I’ve brought the—”
“Ah, perfect timing.”
Hearing Niya’s voice, Cecil looked up and waved at her with a smile.
“We were just about to go looking for you, little Niya.”
Niya blinked.
“Looking for me?”
Aliviel stood up and smoothly took the platter from her arms.
“Let’s put this here for now.”
“I’ll notify Baroque and the others later.”
Before Niya could react, Cecil gently took her by the wrist.
“Come, come, sit here.”
“Eh?”
Cecil led her directly to a seat at the conference table.
Niya was completely bewildered.
“D-did something happen?”
“Don’t be nervous.”
Cecil’s smile was incredibly radiant.
“It’s just a little entertainment activity.”
Niya suddenly had a bad feeling.
In the next second, Cecil raised his hand.
Pale purple magic slowly unfurled in mid-air.
A glowing magic screen materialized in the center of the meeting room.
The image displayed was Leticia’s room.
Niya’s eyes widened.
“This is...”
She instinctively looked at Cecil.
“Why are you showing me the Holy See’s Miss Saintess?”
Cecil rested his chin on his hand, his tail wagging happily.
“We can’t just let what happened at noon slide, now can we?”
He said with a grin:
“We have to get a little bit of revenge for our little Niya~”
Niya froze.
“R-revenge?”
Aliviel spoke up leisurely from the side.
“Our cute Niya was so angry at noon that she almost couldn't suppress her magic.”
“A bad child who makes you that angry naturally deserves a little punishment~”
Niya immediately waved her hands.
“N-no, there’s no need!”
“That will only cause trouble for everyone!”
She hurriedly stood up.
“Besides, I still have to deliver the Battle Rooster to the Demon King and the others—”
She reached out, wanting to touch Cecil’s spell formation.
“Lord Cecil, please deactivate the magic quickly.”
“Oh dear.”
Cecil laughed and pressed her shoulders, pushing her back into the chair.
“Sit still, little Niya.”
“It’s just a tiny punishment~”
“I’ll have someone else deliver the Battle Rooster.”
Just as Niya was about to speak again, Leticia on the magic screen suddenly moved.
In the image.
Leticia was sitting on the edge of the bed.
Dinner had been placed on the table.
It was still soft bread and clear water.
She stared at the bread, her eyes terrifyingly dark.
Clearly, she hadn't moved past the events of noon.
Her complexion was poor.
Even so, she didn't dare to hurl insults at the demon who delivered the food like she had before.
The overwhelming pressure Niya had briefly released at noon had clearly terrified her.
Leticia bit her lip and stared at the bread for a long time.
In the end, she didn't touch it.
She climbed onto the bed and curled up under the covers.
Before long, her breathing gradually stabilized.
She had fallen asleep.
The meeting room was silent.
Niya couldn't help but whisper:
“That’s it, right?”
Cecil’s smile grew even more delighted.
“Of course not.”
He snapped his fingers gently.
In the next moment.
The image on the light screen began to distort.
The room vanished.
Darkness rippled out like water.
Then, a bustling market appeared before everyone’s eyes.
Niya blinked.
“This is...”
Aliviel propped her face on one hand.
“A dream created for her.”
Niya was stunned.
“You can see into dreams?”
“Of course you can.”
Cecil’s tone was light.
“Especially a dream that has been slightly ‘processed’~”
Niya: “...”
She suddenly felt a bit of pity for Leticia.
In the dream.
Noisy sounds suddenly erupted.
“Fresh roasted cakes!”
“Freshly baked pastries!”
“Fruit on sale cheap—!”
Leticia snapped her eyes open.
She was stunned.
She wasn't in that inferior room of the demons.
What appeared before her was a busy human street.
People were coming and going.
The cries of vendors never ceased.
The air was thick with the aroma of food.
Leticia’s eyes lit up instantly.
“I’m back?”
She looked down at her body.
The Saintess robes were still there.
Her white hair was still there.
She immediately showed a triumphant expression.
“I knew it.”
“Those lowly demons wouldn't dare keep me imprisoned forever.”
She raised her chin haughtily.
“Mere demons actually thought they could trap one favored by the gods.”
But as soon as she finished speaking, her stomach let out a loud growl.
Leticia’s face stiffened.
Only then did she remember she hadn't eaten all day.
The scent of the street food suddenly became exceptionally prominent.
She frowned and walked toward the nearest stall.
It was a small stall selling cakes.
Exquisite cream cakes and fruit pies were displayed on the counter.
Leticia stood before the stall and spoke in her usual condescending tone:
“Commoner.”
“It is your honor to have a Saintess taste your food.”
“Bring out everything you have.”
The stall owner froze.
Before he could even react, Leticia had already reached out and grabbed the most beautiful piece of cake on the counter.
However.
In the eyes of the stall owner.
The person standing before his stall wasn't some noble and holy Saintess of the Holy See.
It was a little girl in ragged clothes with messy hair and a face that begged to be slapped.
The stall owner’s face instantly darkened.
“Hey!”
He slammed his hand on the table.
“Where did this brat come from?!”
Leticia was stunned.
“What did you say?”
The stall owner was so angry the veins on his forehead were bulging.
“You still have the nerve to ask?!”
“Robbing people in broad daylight, are we?!”
He snatched up a rolling pin from the side and swung it directly at Leticia’s head.
“Put that down!”
Leticia let out a scream.
“How dare you!”
“I am the Saintess—”
Thwack!
The rolling pin struck her square on the top of her head.
Leticia clutched her head and crouched down.
In the meeting room.
After a brief silence.
Cecil was the first who couldn't hold it in.
“Pfft.”
In the next second, he burst out laughing.
“Hahahahahaha—!”
Niya was also startled.
“H-he really hit her?!”
Aliviel’s shoulders were trembling slightly; she was clearly holding back laughter as well.
“It seems this noble Miss Saintess still hasn't learned to recognize the situation.”
A voice suddenly came from behind.
“She’s used to being knelt to, after all.”
“It’s hard for her to suddenly understand what her current status is.”
Niya spun around.
“Eek!”
She nearly jumped out of her chair.
“Lord Phelan?!”
Without anyone noticing, Phelan was already standing behind them.
He was still holding his recording board.
He was still completely silent.
Niya patted her chest.
“Lord Phelan, you still walk so quietly...”
Phelan bowed his head slightly.
“Apologies, Niya.”
“I am accustomed to using wind magic to muffle my footsteps.”
“It prevents me from disturbing experimental observations.”
Niya: “...”
She always felt that Lord Phelan spoke of such things as if they were scientific research projects.
Cecil scooted over a bit.
“Just in time.”
“Look, look.”
“Our Holy See Saintess is being educated by a human stall owner.”
Phelan sat down and looked at the light screen.
In the dream, Leticia was clutching her head, her face full of disbelief.
“You actually dared to hit me?!”
The stall owner was furious.
“If I don't hit you, who am I supposed to hit?!”
“Stealing things and being so arrogant about it!”
Nearby passersby also gathered around.
“Whose kid is this?”
“She’s pretty, but her head isn't right.”
“Probably driven mad by hunger.”
“She just said she was a Saintess.”
“Hahahahahaha—!”
Leticia’s face flushed red.
“Shut up!”
“You lowly commoners!”
She shrieked:
“All of you, kneel!”
The surroundings went quiet for a moment.
In the next second, everyone’s expression changed.
“Is this girl sick?”
“Kneel?”
“Whose child is this? So ill-mannered.”
“Dressed in rags and pretending to be a Saintess?”
Leticia was completely bewildered.
She took a step back.
“This is wrong...”
“Why aren't you kneeling?”
“You should—”
An apple suddenly struck her in the head.
“What are you pretending to be a noble for?!”
“Get lost!”
Following that, more things were thrown at her.
Bread.
Fruit.
Vegetable leaves.
Leticia screamed and clutched her head.
In the meeting room.
Cecil was already laughing so hard he was slumped over the table.
“Hahahahahaha!”
“She’s actually still shouting ‘kneel’!”
Aliviel covered her mouth.
“She really has no realization of where the problem lies.”
Phelan, meanwhile, lowered his head and began to record.
—Dream stimulation experiment results are good.
—Target subject still exhibits severe cognitive bias.
—Recommended to continue observation.
Niya sat nearby, looking at the light screen and then at Cecil, who was laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
She asked softly:
“Is this... really okay?”
Cecil wiped away the tears he had laughed out.
“Don’t worry.”
“It’s just a dream~”
Then he sat back up straight and looked at the light screen with great interest.
“Come, come.”
“Let’s keep watching.”
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