Chapter 164: Back To The City Chapter 164: Back To The City Cyrandel took a slow breath, steadying her turbulent thoughts. "Alright. Humans are not our true enemies," she said, her voice regaining its calm authority. "It’s the demons—and even they know it. In fact, Louis growing stronger is beneficial. The Demon Emperor’s attention will naturally shift back to him." Venyra nodded silently at her words, her posture straight and respectful. Seeing the agreement, Cyrandel continued without hesitation. "What about the plans to bring my niece back?" —Thalor City— "Mmm~" "Don’t—mmh—!" Lily’s protest was cut short once again as Leo pressed his lips firmly against hers, stealing her breath before she could finish. The wall behind her felt cool against her back as his kiss lingered, deep and unyielding. Finally—perhaps because she enjoyed it far more than she wanted to admit—she managed to gather enough strength to push him back. "Don’t try to divert my attention!" Lily snapped, her cheeks flushed and her breath uneven. She jabbed a finger into his chest, glaring up at him. "Now tell me—why do you keep buying all these stupid things? And where did you even get that much money?" He tilted his head slightly, gesturing around them. Furniture of all kinds surrounded them—beds, cabinets, rugs, tables—stacked neatly inside what was clearly a large store. But when Leo deliberately selected an especially large wooden bathtub, Lily finally snapped. "Where are you even planning to keep all this?!" she demanded. "We don’t even have a home to put these in!" She tried pushing him away by pressing against his chest, but every time her strength wavered, Leo’s grip on her ass only tightened, making her movements falter even more. Instead of answering properly, Leo pressed her back against the wall again, his arms wrapping around her waist as both his hands firmly kneaded her ass. The faint scent of polished wood and new fabric filled the air around them. "Didn’t I tell you?" he said casually, as if his hands weren’t doing exactly what they were doing. "We now have a house that moves. I’m buying these things to make our lives more comfortable." "Then where is this house?" Lily shot back, her voice rising. "You keep talking about it, but you’ve never shown it to me! Did you buy some new kind of vehicle and plan to overwork Shyra again? Make her pull it?! And once again—where did you get so much money?!" Her tone left no room for escape. Leo knew that expression all too well. With a resigned sigh, he finally began explaining—everything that had happened during the trial. How he traded with a wealthy-looking guy, how he earned gold through those dealings, and how he tamed a massive beast capable of carrying an entire fortress on its back. But instead of calming down, Lily only grew grumpier when she heard one particular detail. "Twenty gold coins...?" she muttered, her lips puffing out into a pout. "I wanted you to do some services when you came asking me for money," she said bitterly. "I even saved around two gold coins from the beasts Miho, and I hunted while you were gone..." Leo raised an eyebrow. "Services?" he repeated. "What kind?" Lily narrowed her eyes sharply at him. "The kind you made me do when you asked for money..." Leo paused, then hurriedly searched his memory—until realization struck. "No, no, wait!" he said quickly. "I’m pretty sure you were the one who extended that time. And I’m also sure you were enjoying giving me that deep—PUH!" Before he could finish, Lily drove her elbow straight into his gut. The impact forced the air out of his lungs and sent him stumbling back several steps, clutching his stomach in agony. "Miho!" Lily called out sharply, turning away as Miho appeared from around the corner of the shop. "Did you find something interesting?" When Miho spotted Leo, her body stiffened instinctively. But the moment she noticed Lily beside him, she visibly relaxed. "Yes, big sister," Miho replied politely. "As Master Leo instructed, I looked for suitable furniture and found some. Please come this way." She quickly turned and hurried off in the direction she pointed to, though her thoughts refused to slow. She couldn’t help but imagine just how badly Leo must have ploughed Lily for her to be screaming that loudly that night—not to mention they’d gone at it all the way until early morning. Big sister is a monster... Miho thought. Enduring that long—and then going to work the next day like nothing happened... As a former maid in a noble household, Miho knew that Beast Masters usually possessed frightening stamina—enough to put an enormous burden on unawakened women, often making them sick afterward. But even considering Lily was awakened, she was still abnormal. When Miho looked at Leo, she could instinctively sense similarities between him and the nobles she once served. Even if he was kinder and better than most of them, the resemblance was there. Because of that, calling him "master" came naturally to her, trained in her time serving Alric. She would have done the same for Lily as well, if Lily herself hadn’t insisted on being addressed as "big sister." But in Leo’s case, no one corrected her—if anything, Lily seemed happier that Miho called him master. So Miho simply continued. Lily’s reasoning was simple: no one should be close to Leo. Even if Miho were to become something like a younger sister to him, that was still closeness—and Lily didn’t like it. There was also the uncomfortable fact that Leo had once been like a brother to her as well, and their relationship had evolved into something far better in her eyes. That alone made her resolve ironclad. Absolutely no one would be allowed to get close to Leo. Well... unless Leo himself asked otherwise. Then she would comply—for his happiness. As for Leo, he simply didn’t care. Lost in thought, Lily suddenly turned toward him. "Didn’t you say you were twenty-seven in your previous life?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Wouldn’t that make you older than me...?" she pouted. "I was so happy being older than you—" Her eyes widened as realization struck. "No wonder you’ve been bossing me around since your awakening! You already think I’m younger than you!" She stepped forward, raising her arm to hit him again—but Leo calmly lifted his hand and pressed a single finger directly against her nipple through her clothes. As if a switch had been flipped, Lily shivered violently. The sensation spread through her body, intensified by all the kissing and kneading from earlier. "Heh," Leo chuckled softly. "What ’older’? Mommy?" As he spoke, he pinched her nipple lightly, making it stiffen beneath the fabric. "I wonder when the milk will come out," he added slyly, nudging her nipples again until they stood erect. Lily’s face turned red from head to toe—partly from his words, partly from the lingering stimulation. "I-idiot!" she shouted, flustered beyond belief. "I’m going!" With that, she darted off in Miho’s direction, leaving Leo behind. Leo watched her go, then shook his head helplessly. Why is her personality completely different in bed... and completely different outside of it?