The dawn that promised a new meaning between us arrived, and even the night that seemed eternal was bathed in sunlight as a new morning greeted us.

“You’re awake.”

“Yeah…”

We woke up lying side by side. Perhaps it was the uncovered blanket that made her cold during the night; Irene had burrowed into my body while sleeping. I felt her warmth, the soft touch of her tail, and the unmistakable sensation of her body pressing against my chest. Still nestled in my embrace, she spoke.

“Last night… we just fell asleep like that.”

“We were both tired.”

“It’s been quite eventful.”

“Today promises to be busier than yesterday. We should get up and prepare early.”

“Alright.”

Irene nodded obediently. Though she answered promptly, her black eyes were still laced with sleep, and she looked disheveled and half-awake. I chuckled softly and patted her head.

“Hehe.”

“…”

Her compliance had increased noticeably. She no longer resisted my touch; instead, she simply accepted it silently. It reminded me of our sharp first meeting.

“I don’t trust humans. I know how deceitful and cruel your kind can be.”

“You said you wanted to tame me… but I’ll never submit to a human. If that time comes, I’d rather bite my tongue and die.”

“I only follow you to protect my siblings.”

Hatred, resentment, and a thirst for revenge. All those negative emotions were in her gaze back then, filled with defiance. She never let her guard down.

‘At first, I wondered how we’d ever get close…’

I reminisced idly. As I continued to pat her head, Irene suddenly grabbed my wrist. I looked at her with a question in my eyes.

“Miss Irene?”

Had she found it annoying? Just as I was about to pull my hand away—

“Um.”

“Yes?”

“You can touch… my ears too.”

She said it with an expressionless face, then guided my hand to her pointed ears. They felt soft and delicate against my fingertips.

“You kept avoiding them when you petted me. It looked like you were uncomfortable.”

“Is it really okay?”

“It’s fine.”

“Hm.”

I tilted my head, slightly puzzled. I had tried to touch her ears before but was rejected. While she tolerated her tail being touched, she never let me near her ears, showing genuine aversion. I had long given up, so her sudden permission came as a surprise.

‘Things really are changing.’

Last night’s conversation came to mind. Perhaps the promise we made had altered her perspective. Maybe she trusted me enough now to allow this. I smiled gently.

‘Yes… it’s about moving forward slowly.’

Taming is a process that requires patience. You sit apart on the grass, don’t speak, just glance at each other, share the silence and the scent of each other’s presence, and draw closer bit by bit each day. When you finally reach out, the other doesn’t run—they acknowledge the time spent. Maybe this was my moment.

“Then, I won’t hold back.”

I stroked her ears with pleasure. Thin, soft, and yielding under my touch, they crumpled slightly in my grasp. I could feel a faint warmth under my fingertips. Irene flinched slightly in my embrace.

“Ah… ha… hng…”

Her breathing became oddly ragged. Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes lost focus. Concerned that I might have hurt her, I asked, but she only replied that it was fine. She buried her face into my chest, breathing unevenly.

“Don’t… worry… it’s… nothing.”

“Should I keep going?”

“…Yes.”

She nodded. I loosened my grip and gently rubbed the edges of her ears. The soft sound of her breath filled the quiet room.

“Ha… hng… ha…”

The air was saturated with the scent of skin and shared warmth. Entangled as we were, our body heat intertwined. We stayed in bed like that for a while longer.

### A Slightly Late Morning

We prepared to return to the school trip. Standing on the wide deck, we let the sea breeze wash over us when suddenly, blue sparks crackled in the air.

Zzt—!

The shimmering light formed a circle. Space warped, and an impossible contradiction unfolded—a portal. From the undulating shadows emerged none other than Lena, her long black hair billowing. She met my eyes and promptly knelt.

“Commander. I came as soon as I received your summons.”

“Thank you for coming. There’s not much time, so let’s get the important explanations out of the way.”

“Understood.”

Lena had flown over the moment she received my message. I calmly summarized the situation, and she nodded in understanding.

“So, you want me to take care of the ship? You two are returning to your academy activities?”

“The school trip isn’t over yet.”

“I’ll open a portal for your return. Since I’ve visited Heylon before, I should be able to place you there accurately.”

“You’re a truly reliable subordinate.”

Having Lena around was reassuring. As an adversary in the original story, she had been a formidable foe, but on my side, she proved invaluable. Her loyalty was especially pleasing—a reward for taking in someone once starving and left to die. I smiled contentedly.

“I trust you’ll handle the details well.”

“I will erase the ship’s records and bring in engineers to refurbish it. It’s a high-performance vessel, so it should serve as a valuable asset.”

“Good.”

“I’ll also have the former slaves transported to a hospital, as we did in Belgen, for health checks. Once we know more about their identities, we’ll release them as free citizens.”

“Handle them carefully. They’ve suffered enough.”

“I’ll make sure they are treated with the utmost consideration.”

After discussing the complex procedures, I lowered my voice and brought up a new topic: the unwelcome encounter from a few days ago.

“As I said earlier, it’s a complicated situation.”

“With Nameless, the First Sword involved, it’s likely the Sovereign’s will was at play. We’ll investigate why they’ve resumed activity.”

“Make sure to keep news of the Sovereign from reaching the Vice-Commander. It might affect her.”

“Understood.”

Lena’s expression turned somber, likely due to mentioning Neria. I offered a wry smile and posed a question that had come to mind.

“Now that I think about it… why didn’t the Vice-Commander come with you?”

“She was temporarily dispatched.”

“To where?”

“The border. Reports came in of dark magic traces.”

“That area has been quite active recently.”

“The dark mages have become more restless lately.”

“Looks like it’s getting noisy. We’ll need to start preparing.”

“I’ll inform the members accordingly.”

“I’ll join once my schedule is clear.”

“Understood.”

Lena answered crisply. After patting her shoulder a few times, I turned and stepped onto the deck. It was time to return. Irene had already approached and stood by my side. With a simple nod, Lena extended her hand and created another portal, this time connecting to the hotel.

“We’ll be off.”

“I await your return, Commander.”

“Good to hear.”

“All shall be as you will.”

With that, Lena knelt once more in a show of loyalty. Leaving behind the devoted lieutenant, we stepped through the portal as blue sparks crackled around us.

Zzt—!

We found ourselves in front of the hotel.

### Back at the Lodge

We returned naturally to the lodging. Although we had been away for three days, it didn’t cause any issues. Professor Selena had assured me she would take care of the attendance. This allowed us to enjoy the remaining itinerary with peace of mind.

“You!”

“My Lord…?”

Of course, I had to face some questioning from those close to me. We had promised to explore together, yet I hadn’t shown up for days. I offered an awkward smile.

“Haha… I owe you all an apology.”

Standing before me were two girls: the villainess and the protagonist.

“Where have you been these past few days?”

“I was so worried… You weren’t in your room, and I looked for you everywhere, but no one knew where you were. I thought something might have happened to you…”

“Breaking school rules aside… disappearing suddenly is alarming! Where have you been for three whole days?”

“It’s a relief, though… that you’re okay.”

They each greeted me with different reactions, clearly having been worried. I delivered the lie I had prepared.

“I’m sorry. Professor Selena asked me to take care of something. I didn’t expect it to take so long.”

“I-I’m glad… I was just worried.”

“Thank you for understanding, Regia.”

“I’m not mad either… but it would’ve been nice if you’d told us.”

“I’ll make sure to do so next time, Lady Elysia.”

Mentioning Selena’s name seemed to satisfy them. My position as head assistant allowed me to invoke the professor’s name and escape difficult situations like these.

“Let’s make the most of today and spend it together.”

“Today is the last day of the trip, you know?”

“Then we should hurry.”

“The breeze is nice… Maybe we could walk by the beach…!”

“That sounds great. Let’s go.”

“Y-Yes!”

“Haa…”

The navigator, the pretender, the serpent, and the fox. We all stepped out of the lodge together.

As we walked along, the feel of sand replaced the pavement beneath our feet, and the blue sea stretched out, mirroring the sky.

“It’s perfect weather.”

And so, the children enjoyed the final day of their vacation.