Eros remained silent. Generally speaking, when one is contaminated by the Mystery before their mind has matured, those like Mary—whose bodies simply stop growing—are actually the minority. Most sufferers sprout extra organs: a few extra legs, several redundant arms, or worse.
For instance, Eros had heard of a third-year male student at the academy who had encountered the Mystery as a child. As a result, three male reproductive organs now grew directly from his forehead. The student had reportedly begged the academy to remove them and restore his human appearance, but after an examination, the faculty discovered that the mass on his neck wasn't his brain—the three organs on his forehead were. Removing them would result in instant death. Consequently, the matter was dropped.
Seeing Eros’s silence, Mary smiled, her tone surprisingly indifferent. "I used to complain about my body, but not anymore."
Eros blinked, a sudden bad premonition rising in his heart. Sure enough, Mary’s eyes crinkled into crescents as she smirked. "Because someone’s reaction just gave away the fact that he actually likes this kind of figure very much!"
Eros’s gaze involuntarily drifted to the side. At this sight, the smile on Mary’s face grew even more radiant.
"Cough!" Eros let out a dry cough, forced to change the subject. "Is Doreen the same as you?"
"Mm. Doreen’s body was also contaminated, preventing her from growing, though she wasn't that old to begin with." Mary gave a meaningful smile at the end.
"How old is she then?" Eros asked curiously.
"Take a guess~" Mary’s smile turned increasingly peculiar.
"I’ll guess... eighteen!" Eros said with a serious expression and a very solemn tone.
Mary giggled.
"Did I get it right?"
"Not telling~ If you want to know, go ask little Doreen yourself."
After chatting for a while longer, Mary leaned against Eros’s chest, her tone turning hesitant. "Hey... what if someone from the camp comes out and sees us like this?"
"We're far enough away that they can't see clearly. Besides, I’ll sense it the moment someone steps out. Plus, don't you enjoy the thrill of it?" Eros said nonchalantly.
"True! Hehe! If someone comes out, I'll just jump off the chair immediately." Mary paused. "But we have to travel tomorrow. We can't stay up too late, or I won't be able to keep up."
"Then keep track of the time yourself!" Eros said, his eyes full of mirth.
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Mary grumbled, "You really know how to slack off."
Eros gave a cheeky grin. Mary let out a soft huff, her brow furrowing slightly before slowly relaxing.
Half an hour later, Mary stood up, hands on her hips, and puffed out her chest. "I’m done!"
Eros didn't speak, merely fixing his gaze on her. Under his stare, Mary felt a bit guilty. She gave a few dry laughs, defending herself: "Don't blame me! Who told you to be so slow?"
Eros remained silent, staring at her with a deadpan expression.
"Alright, alright... how do you want me to help you?" Mary asked, her tone somewhat helpless.
"Tie your hair up."
Mary froze for a moment. It took a while for the meaning of his words to sink in. Much later, Mary huffed at Eros: "Fine!"
After she finished, she tried to climb back onto the lounging chair, but as soon as she lifted her leg, her small face wrinkled in pain. "It hurts!"
Seeing Mary clutching her lower abdomen and crouching down, Eros stood up, picked her up, and placed her on the chair. He rested his hand on her stomach, and a soft green glow emanated from his palm, healing her internal discomfort.
Mary murmured three words: "Doesn't hurt anymore." Her voice grew fainter with each word until, by the last one, her head tilted to the side and she fell fast asleep.
Looking at the slumbering Mary, Eros took off his coat and draped it over her petite frame. He then manifested another vine chair and lay down.
As the red moon tilted across the sky, time ticked away. Occasionally, a dozen or so aimless spirits would wander near, drawn by the scent of life. But before they could reach the two vine chairs, countless pitch-black shadow tentacles would erupt from the ground. These tentacles coiled around their legs and torsos, dragging them inch by inch into the shadows. They struggled violently, but the more they fought, the faster they sank. Within moments, the spirits vanished, as if the entire scene had been an illusion.
Eros withdrew his gaze and continued to lounge leisurely.
As dawn approached, Eros woke the still-sleeping Mary. She stretched and yawned. "How did I fall asleep? That was a really comfortable nap. Wait... I didn't suffer an Eldritch Intrusion last night. Is it because I'm in the Sin Realm?" She paused. "No, that's not right. I've had them in Sin Realms before."
Eros looked surprised. "Eldritch Intrusion?"
Mary nodded. "Part of the reason I came out to find you last night was because of that. On this specific night every month, I suffer an intrusion once I fall asleep. My low mood yesterday was actually due to a shallow-level intrusion beginning. Usually, it's much more dangerous once I'm asleep, so I didn't dare to close my eyes. I didn't expect to pass out anyway."
"Strange! The shallow-level influence was already there before I slept, so why was there no movement at all after I went under?"
Eros blinked and said casually, "Maybe you just slept too soundly."
Mary rolled her eyes at him. "This is an intrusion targeting the soul. What does sleeping soundly have to do with it?"
"Well, anyway, isn't it a good thing? Who knows how those Eldritch things think. Maybe they changed their schedule?" Eros laughed it off.
Unable to find a reason, Mary sighed and pushed the doubt to the back of her mind. As Eros said, it was a good thing, so why overthink it?
"I’m going to go wash up. I feel a bit sticky since I didn't wash last night." With that, Mary hopped off the chair and jogged toward Annie’s tent. She needed to borrow the Level 3 Sealed Artifact: The Jar of Flowing Water.
The sole function of this artifact was water storage; when full, it could hold roughly fifty tons. Although water stored in an artifact would carry a trace of contamination, in a place like the Sin Realm where clean water was non-existent, that tiny amount of pollution was negligible. It could be purified later with a Sun-domain artifact or other means. In short, the pros far outweighed the cons.