## Chapter 126 – No. 25. Return
Leaving District 2 and passing through the gate, Acer glanced at No. 25.
Her eyes were red from parting with Rowoon, and she looked as if she would burst into tears at any moment. Even though she was only reclaiming what was originally hers, Acer felt like a criminal.
Acer, with a trembling voice, held No. 25’s hand tightly and cautiously asked,
“No. 25, is it really okay to part like this?”
At Acer’s question, No. 25 was startled and forced a smile as she looked at her.
“Y-yes, it’s okay…”
No. 25’s tearful reply sounded more pathetic than usual. Acer’s heart felt like it was tearing, but when she remembered the two years of pain she had endured, that pain quickly subsided.
As Acer walked, she began to recount the events that had occurred while No. 25 was away.
“Ah, the room you used to use has only been cleaned and hasn’t been touched at all. Uh… the maids have disappeared quite a bit, but the chef is still working, so you can still eat your favorite food. How about it? Aren’t you excited?”
No. 25 smiled slightly at Acer, who was speaking in a brighter voice than usual to cheer her up.
“Yes, more than anything, I’m happy to be able to live with the Demon Lord.”
Acer, with a touched expression, embraced No. 25.
Her arms, which had become much thinner than before, showed a strength that suggested she would never let go again.
As she walked, receiving Acer’s affection, which had matured like wine, she began to see the end of the long gate.
Passing through the gate that divided the districts, she finally arrived at District 7.
The sky of District 7, which No. 25 had longed for so much for two years, was much more acrid and filled with gloomy gray than the day she left.
The hazy cigarette smoke stung her eyes, and the smoke entering her trachea caused her to cough automatically.
The eyes of the people, who had lost their vitality, were filled with venom and hatred, and arson and violence were occurring everywhere.
No. 25 stared at the ruined streets with a bewildered gaze.
It was definitely a mess before she left, but the situation wasn’t this bad.
“The streets…”
Acer realized what No. 25 wanted to say and could only shut her mouth tightly.
Even though Acer worked hard on her political affairs, the district did not improve. From the moment she let go, the residents’ dissatisfaction became uncontrollable.
Charlotte patted Acer on the shoulder and said consolingly,
“It’s okay. That’s a problem the Demon Lord will solve from now on. Right?”
Although it was a comforting remark, Charlotte emphasized the last words in particular.
The reward for Charlotte’s political affairs on Acer’s behalf was so great that she could use No. 25 as she pleased for a month without any complaints.
Acer barely regained her senses and grabbed No. 25’s hand.
“L-let’s look at the streets later and go to the castle first? Huh?”
“The castle isn’t in a particularly good condition either.”
Ignoring Charlotte’s sarcasm, Acer snapped her fingers, and a familiar sensation took over her entire body.
Arriving at the entrance of the castle in an instant, Acer’s castle, which she was stepping on again after two years, felt particularly special.
No. 25 widened her eyes and fixed her gaze on one of the maids who was pulling weeds in the yard, a maid who boasted hair that resembled the particularly blue sky.
The side profile of the woman wiping the sweat beading on her neck and straightening her back was unforgettable.
Her first meeting with her, the things that happened while drinking, and even the fact that they ended up sharing their bodies, all vividly came to mind.
No. 25 waved her hand and raised her voice in greeting.
“Hilda!”
Hilda, who was drinking water while working, heard No. 25’s voice and looked in the direction of the sound with an incredulous expression.
From Hilda’s slightly opened mouth, No. 25’s name flowed out as if in a dream.
“No. 25…?”
Her body moved faster than she thought.
Throwing away her work gloves, Hilda ran to No. 25 in an instant and hugged her as if jumping into her arms.
She was so happy that even her tail and ears, which she usually kept hidden, were fully revealed.
No. 25 gently stroked Hilda’s head, who was wagging her tail and rubbing her face against her chest in her arms.
“It’s been a while.”
Hilda had words that were stuck in her throat, but she couldn’t overcome the tears that came out first and could only let out a sound close to wailing.
No. 25 patted her back and tapped her head until Hilda calmed down.
Acer felt a small sense of jealousy at the sight of No. 25 hugging another woman in front of her.
Did she have a deep relationship with a mere maid whose name she didn’t even know? An ominous suspicion began to sprout.
Acer was about to carefully stop him from the prolonged hug, but Charlotte grabbed her wrist and shook her head.
“Let’s just leave them alone for now. You’re not trying to ruin their friendship, are you?”
“Ugh…”
Acer approached No. 25 and muttered,
“No. 25, when you’re done greeting, rest in your room and come to my room. I have something to talk about.”
No. 25 nodded slightly and turned her gaze back to Hilda.
Her tireless tail was representing the emotions she was feeling.
If she could, she wanted to have a leisurely conversation with Hilda, but Acer’s appearance kept bothering her.
After asking Hilda for her understanding and hurriedly ending their reunion, No. 25 returned to her room and naturally collapsed on the bed.
The ceiling was clean, and there was no mold on the wallpaper. In contrast to the cracked appearance of the castle, this room was particularly clean.
No. 25 only felt the texture of the somewhat hard bed and immediately got up.
While roughly tidying up the disheveled bedding, No. 25 saw a mysterious white piece of cloth that had fallen at her feet. Without thinking, she picked it up with her fingers, grabbed the ends of the cloth on both sides, and spread it wide open.
She had seen it before.
Acer’s white lace underwear.
At first, she didn’t understand why Acer’s underwear was here, but after seeing a stain on one part of the underwear, she could roughly understand what had happened.
She must have missed No. 25 so much that she came to her room and masturbated repeatedly.
No. 25 decided to bury this incident for now so that Acer wouldn’t commit suicide out of embarrassment.
No. 25 came out of her room and went straight to the third floor to knock on Acer’s door.
After three knocks, she heard a voice from inside telling her to come in. No. 25 carefully opened the door, bowed her head, and stepped inside.
Acer and Charlotte were in the room. They waved slightly at No. 25, who had returned to the room, and gestured for her to come over.
No. 25, who had joined the table where the two were sitting and talking, began to read the room.
She was happy to be in District 7, but there was something she had wanted to say to the two of them all along.
No. 25 mustered her courage and carefully opened her mouth.
“Um… I’m really happy to be back, but what about the academy?”
The academy she had entered thanks to Rowoon’s consideration was too good to quit after only a month. Besides, Saruk would be worried if she left without saying anything.
Charlotte smiled as if telling her not to worry.
“We were just talking about that.”
Acer nodded and added,
“Yeah, I’ll take care of that.”
“The Demon Lord will take care of it?”
Charlotte naturally fed No. 25 a piece of cake and opened her mouth.
“Did you forget? The academy is just an institution to be chosen by the Demon Lord. The Demon Lord can personally choose you and recognize your graduation. Besides, the classes taught by those professors are boring anyway, right? Or is there another problem?”
Before she had time to taste the sweetness of the cake in her mouth, No. 25 nodded.
The academy’s classes weren’t particularly interesting, as Charlotte had said, but she was concerned about her friend. No. 25 hesitated and opened her mouth again.
“Um…”
After listening to No. 25’s long story, Acer hummed and nodded as if she understood.
“Your friend… Saruk Balac? I’ll send a separate message to the Demon Lord of District 5 for that child. And you don’t want to suddenly quit the academy that you got into thanks to Rowoon’s consideration, is that what you’re saying? Then let’s do this. You only participate in the academy’s major events, and don’t go anymore after that. I’m not going to stop you, but I just want you to be by my side.”
For once, Acer honestly revealed her feelings.
She wanted No. 25 to be by her side, that was Acer’s own desire. Now, she felt anxious if she couldn’t see No. 25, and it felt like something bad would happen.
She didn’t want to let her out of her sight for even a moment.
No. 25, who had noticed Acer’s intentions, nodded and agreed to her proposal.
“Okay. If it’s just going occasionally…”
She was a little disappointed, but the most important person to No. 25 was still Acer. She didn’t want to see her sad face again.
Charlotte, who was sitting next to her, stretched and naturally put her arm around No. 25’s shoulder.
“Well, it seems like we’ve solved one problem for now, and in celebration of returning to the castle… is that okay?”
No. 25 took a short breath and nodded with a face that quickly turned reddish.
The sexual desire that had accumulated for two years was not resolved by just a few encounters, and as a result, their dawn was expected to continue for a long time.
