The train soon came to a complete halt at the platform. As the cabin doors hissed open, students emerged one by one, their faces etched with exhaustion and their expressions haggard.
When they spotted Eros, who appeared to have been waiting at the platform for some time, looks of sheer bewilderment flashed across their faces. They had no idea that the Storm High Priest of the Church of the Sea had arrived at the temporary camp, let alone that Eros had been "whisked away" by said High Priest for a high-speed ferry ride through the Spirit Realm.
Consequently, seeing Eros already waiting there was beyond their comprehension. They couldn't understand how he had arrived first. Did he not take the same train as us? But wasn't that the only one there? Did he leave before dinner?
That seemed to be the only logical explanation, but since it was a minor detail in the grand scheme of their trauma, they didn't dwell on it. Exhausted to their cores, they wanted nothing more than to return to the Academy and sleep. However, as they passed Eros, they still made a point to greet him.
After all, in this assessment, Eros had essentially saved all their lives. If he hadn't used a Sealed Artifact to lure away the majority of the specters, many of them might not have held out until the Academy's rescue team arrived. Eros responded to each greeting with a smile; as an undercover villain in the Church, maintaining good rapport with others was never a bad move.
Once the initial crowd had moved up the steps, Eros finally saw the figure he was waiting for. The figure clearly saw him too and immediately accelerated into a "boar-like" dash.
Undine, carrying her pack, threw her arms around Eros’s arm and shook it, her lower lip pouting as her beautiful eyes looked at him piteously. "I'm so tired!"
Eros reached out with his free hand to ruffle her hair, his voice softening. "I'll carry you up!"
"Hmph~" Undine hummed with satisfaction, but her gaze was suddenly caught by the silver bracelet on Eros’s wrist. Her eyes, previously sparkling with joy, turned sharp in an instant.
"Where did you get that?" Undine grabbed his hand, her tone sounding decidedly unfriendly. Knowing Eros as she did, he would never wear a bracelet just because it looked "pretty"—unless someone had given it to him. If it were a man, he certainly wouldn't gift a bracelet. The implication was obvious.
Seeing her reaction, Eros knew exactly where her mind had wandered. He tapped her on the head and said irritably, "Can't you tell this is a Sealed Artifact?"
Undine cupped her head with both hands while peering closely at the bracelet. Realizing it truly was a Sealed Artifact, she let out a bashful laugh. Come to think of it, every girl Eros knows was on the same train as me. He wouldn't have had time to receive a gift. I'm being too sensitive.
On the other side, Ayesha’s eyes nearly glazed over the moment she saw the bracelet. She stared at it without blinking. Eros, naturally, noticed her gaze, and a smirk played at the corners of his mouth.
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His guess was correct: Ayesha’s purpose for infiltrating the Academy was indeed this bracelet. He had worn it openly specifically to confirm his suspicions through her reaction. To tease her further, he intentionally waved the hand wearing the bracelet in front of her.
Ayesha instinctively reached out as if to take it, but halfway there, she snapped back to her senses and jerked her hand back.
"What are you thinking about so deeply?" Eros asked with a light laugh, still waving his hand.
Ayesha shook her head vigorously. "Nothing! I... I'm leaving first!" With that, she grabbed her small bundle and scurried away.
Undine pursed her lips. "She's already gone, and you're still looking!"
Eros chuckled and turned to the nearby Shifreya and Joanie. "Let's go as well!"
With a sudden burst of strength, Eros tucked Undine under his arm like a piece of luggage and started up the steps. Undine’s face turned bright red as she flailed in his grip, shrieking:
"Let me go! I didn't mean carry me like this!"
Seeing the startled looks from Joanie, Shifreya, and the other students, Undine’s face grew even redder. She let out a whimpering sound of pure embarrassment.
Eros teased, "Not like this? Then like this?" He shifted his grip and hoisted her directly over his shoulder.
Undine, slumped over his shoulder, covered her face with her hands and gave up on struggling. Thus, Eros carried her all the way home. Back in the hall, Undine sat on the sofa, turning her face away and refusing to look at him.
Eros leaned into her field of vision. "Are you mad?"
"Go away!" Seeing his face close in, Undine reached out to push him back.
"Big Sister Undine, I was wrong!" Eros apologized immediately, without a hint of hesitation.
"Hmph!" Undine turned her head to the other side with a cold snort.
Seeing the apology fail, Eros moved to her other side, putting on a pitiful act. "World-best Sister Undine! Dearest Big Sister! Please forgive your weak, pitiful, and helpless little brother!"
Hearing him call her the "world-best sister," a rosy tint appeared on Undine's cheeks, and most of her anger evaporated. However, she still maintained a stern front. "Don't do that next time. If you do it again, I really won't talk to you."
"I promise there won't be a next time!" Eros guaranteed with a straight face.
"Hmph! Good boy. Fine, I'm going to wash up!" With that, she skipped off toward the bathroom.
Watching her dainty retreating figure, Eros snorted. My silly sister is so easy to coax. He stretched and looked at the crescent moon in the sky. Seems tonight won't work for the ritual. But there was no rush; waiting a few days wouldn't change anything.
Meanwhile, Ayesha, having finished washing up, sat huddled on her bed, her small face filled with inner turmoil.
She was hesitating over whether to tell her mother that the bracelet was now in Eros's possession. Although she didn't know how it had ended up with him, she was certain it was her target: The Full Moon Bracelet.
Furthermore, there was another matter she was torn about: the fact that Eros had used his own blood to lead away the majority of the specters. Even if she didn't fully understand what that implied, the fact that a Senior Deacon of the Night Watch—a position held only by Transcendents—had personally come to modify their memories proved it was something significant.
She was also deeply puzzled as to why the Transcedent's memory-altering technique had failed on her. She wanted to ask her mother for advice, but bringing that up would inevitably mean explaining why the Transcedent tried to modify their memories in the first place.
She was terrified that if she told her mother these two things, her mother would report them to the organization. Then, the organization might send powerful experts after him, and Eros might...