Chapter 160: Late-Night Visitor
Peruth didn’t move, nor did he speak.
Yu Mo raised his eyes to look at him. “What’s wrong? Aren’t we starting?”
This cardinal, who had spoken of love and trials, seemed to have great plans for him, but their interactions always ended before anything significant happened.
Yu Mo hadn’t missed the brief moment of stiffness when he had just sat on Peruth’s lap.
Peruth closed the book he was holding and placed it on the armrest, resting his hand on the cover with a casual tap. He looked relaxed. “Hmm, I didn’t expect this.”
Sitting astride his lap, the two were very close, but Yu Mo’s gaze remained calm, watching him with a hint of scrutiny.
Peruth nonchalantly took the magic book Yu Mo had chosen. “Let me see. Today you want to learn binding magic? This type of magic isn’t easy to master.”
His eyes were on the pages, not on Yu Mo.
He just looked at the book for a while without saying a word.
“Why isn’t the cardinal speaking? This book on binding magic, personally revised and rewritten by you—have you forgotten it?” Yu Mo asked calmly.
The cardinal, who seemed so absorbed in the book’s content, finally looked up from the pages.
“Hmm…” he murmured, suddenly using the open magic book to cover half of his face.
His Adam’s apple moved up and down behind the book, and his exposed eyes curved with a smile.
“Eloren, isn’t your test a bit too sudden?”
“Aren’t all tests unexpected?” Yu Mo countered.
“But with you like this, I can’t focus at all,” the cardinal complained, though not sincerely.
“Then I must apologize,” Yu Mo said as he made to stand, but was held down by a force.
Peruth’s long, broad hand gently pressed down on his leg, and with a light laugh, he said, “My test isn’t over yet… Looks like I’ll have to teach you without giving it my full attention.”
The book of dark magic that Yu Mo had chosen was more like Peruth’s notes on binding magic.
Yu Mo had been intrigued by several spells when he first saw the book, though his understanding of magic was not very deep. This large-scale binding magic involved many concepts he didn’t grasp, so he needed the original author to explain them.
Peruth rested one hand on Yu Mo’s leg, leaning back in the chair. His posture was less than proper, but his tone was that of a patient, gentle teacher.
Perhaps it was his habit from teaching the temple’s disciples, as after explaining a section, he would often kindly ask, “Do you understand this part?”
The man sitting on his lap was even more composed. Despite the warmth radiating through the fabric where their legs touched, he didn’t seem to care, treating it no differently than sitting in a regular chair, completely absorbed in the magic knowledge.
Yu Mo was so focused that he would occasionally nod and even press the pages of the book against the cardinal’s shoulder, using him like a desk to jot down notes.
Their closeness made Peruth suddenly pause, his gaze falling on Yu Mo’s calm, focused expression just inches away.
Hmm, there was a faint scent—narcissus, Peruth thought.
He hadn’t spoken for a while, so the pair of black eyes, which had been absorbed in the notes and deep in thought, shifted slightly to the left, showing a hint of confusion and urging him to continue.
For some reason, Peruth felt the urge to laugh.
How cunning, he thought. First, catch him off guard, then proceed to nonchalantly brush him off. The “initiative” of taking a big step made it hard to blame him for his “laziness.”
“Why isn’t the cardinal continuing? Are you tired?” Yu Mo asked.
Peruth tilted his head, pressing the book against his forehead, pretending to be troubled. “I can’t muster the energy.”
“Is that so?” Yu Mo set down his notes and quill. “Then how about we do something exciting? What do you think, Your Excellency?”
Peruth’s expression didn’t change. His lashes slowly fluttered. “Hmm? What kind of exciting thing?”
As the magical waves surged in Yu Mo’s hand, Peruth’s body also erupted with light magic.
Black magic enveloped both of them, and everything around them vanished, leaving only the chair beneath them. They were isolated in another realm.
Yu Mo said, “Casting dark night magic within the Holy Temple, does that feel exciting enough for you?”
If Peruth hadn’t reacted swiftly by casting a barrier of light magic to conceal the binding spell, the fluctuation of dark magic would have alerted the bishops in the temple.
Peruth glanced at the dense blackness around them, with faint symbols appearing and disappearing within it. He looked impressed. “The rule-based binding magic I just taught you—you’ve already mastered it.”
Though there were still many obvious flaws, such talent was frightening.
In terms of magical comprehension, Yu Mo might even surpass him.
“The cardinal is a diligent and knowledgeable teacher,” Yu Mo remarked.
Dark magic swirled around Yu Mo, making him appear and disappear within the small isolated space they had created.
In contrast, Peruth was using his light magic barrier, his entire being glowing with a soft, warm white light.
They seemed distinctly opposite, but in the next moment, dark magic waves also appeared on Peruth’s body, blending with the magic surrounding Yu Mo, slowly merging into one.
Peruth smiled faintly, his hand on Yu Mo’s leg moving to his waist as he straightened himself in the chair.
“I think any teacher would love a student like you.”
“You learn so quickly, it makes a teacher want to teach you even more.”
The binding spell dissipated, and the light barrier surrounding them also faded away.
Yu Mo rose from the cardinal’s lap, standing by the desk and smoothing the wrinkles from his pants.
With polite indifference, he expressed his gratitude, “I’ve learned a lot today. Thank you for your guidance, Cardinal.”
“It’s getting late; I should go.”
Peruth remained silent, leaning back in his chair, his head resting sideways against the backrest, watching as Yu Mo gathered up his manuscripts and put on the coat he had taken off when he arrived.
At last, Yu Mo walked to the door, nodded slightly in farewell, opened it, and left.
In the now-empty study, Peruth shifted his position, crossing one leg over the other, and a laugh escaped his throat.
*
Learning a large-scale magic spell in one day was no easy task for Yu Mo. To refine and consolidate it, more study and practice would be required.
Yu Mo went to the estate with Charli to relax. He visited it once a week, staying for two days at a time.
Compared to his residence in the royal city, the basement of the estate outside the city was better suited for studying and practicing dark night magic.
In the basement, Yu Mo was reviewing Amos’s assignments. The dark-haired boy stood nervously beside him, his breathing fluctuating with the turning of Yu Mo’s fingers—sometimes light, sometimes heavy.
Whenever Yu Mo lingered on a page for a little too long, Amos’s breath would halt as well.
At last, Yu Mo finished his review and left only two words: “Not bad.”
Amos instantly relaxed, feeling like a condemned man who had just been pardoned, as though he had narrowly escaped a dire fate.
Yu Mo then picked up the magic potion Amos had made—an elementary potion. Due to Amos’s weak magical abilities, the potion wasn’t of great quality and was slightly cloudy.
Yu Mo didn’t comment on the potion.
So far, every potion Amos had made was given to Makin to drink. In order not to accidentally poison his best friend, Amos had been doing his best to improve.
After finishing Amos’s evaluation, Yu Mo turned to Makin’s assignments.
Compared to Amos, Makin’s work was an absolute mess.
The simplest piece of music was played with countless mistakes, his art assignments were so ugly that they seemed like a waste of paint, and his flower arrangements revealed his terrible taste in aesthetics.
Because of good maintenance, the man’s skin had lightened by several shades, making him look less rough.
The four of them had dinner together, with Yu Mo, as the head of the household, sitting at the head of the table. He was a man of few words. Though not harsh, Charli and the other two behaved like obedient little kittens in his presence.
Even Makin, who had been the most rebellious at first, his eyes filled with defiance and suspicion, now resembled a drenched kitten, glancing pitifully at Yu Mo several times during the meal.
After dinner, Makin summoned the courage to make a request to Yu Mo. “Baron, I don’t want to…”
Yu Mo looked up. “You don’t want to?”
“I don’t want to bathe in milk and petals anymore,” Makin said, his face full of exasperation. “And I don’t want to use essential oils on my face and hands every day.”
Amos stood by, struggling to contain his laughter, while Charli looked at Makin, unsure of what to say.
She didn’t really understand why Makin and Amos were learning different things, but she trusted that her brother had his reasons for arranging it this way.
Besides, it wasn’t that hard to endure. Noble ladies used such methods to maintain their appearance all the time.
Once Makin started speaking, his courage grew. “I’m very grateful for your help, Baron. I’m willing to repay you, but this is just too strange.”
“I’d rather learn swordsmanship, riding, and become your warrior or guard, or even work the fields, hunt for you, or trim the garden!”
Anything but learning music, painting, and flower arranging every day like some pampered noble lady—even Charli didn’t have to do these things!
Yu Mo wasn’t angry, nor did he immediately agree. He simply responded calmly, “I understand.”
…
Later that evening, Yu Mo called Charli and asked her, “Charli, what kind of man do you like?”
Charli: “?”
She hadn’t expected her brother to ask her such a question and felt a bit embarrassed, her voice dropping to a shy whisper. “I don’t know.”
Yu Mo had never spent much time with his sister—he only had experience with his younger brother—so he relied on that and asked bluntly, “Do you prefer pale, refined noble boys or strong, valiant knights?”
Charli, still too young to fully understand such matters, blushed and stammered, “I-I guess both are fine.”
Both are fine? Both, huh? Yu Mo understood.
Charli, feeling a bit uneasy, asked, “Brother, are you planning a marriage for me?”
Yu Mo replied, “Not so soon.”
According to his plan, Charli wouldn’t be able to become the emperor for at least another three years.
“And in that matter, you’ll have a lot of autonomy.”
The autonomy to select her own harem.
Charli relaxed and smiled. “Thank you, Brother! I’ve only just started learning magic with you, so I don’t want to get married so early.”
…
Later, when teaching Amos in the underground lab, Yu Mo glanced at the pale and delicate boy, then turned and agreed to Makin’s request to learn swordsmanship and riding.
“Study hard, and train to build a strong, excellent physique,” Yu Mo said.
“Yes! I will, thank you, Baron!” Makin replied enthusiastically, though he had no idea what Yu Mo was really thinking.
…
That night, Yu Mo stayed at the estate. His room faced the garden, and the bright full moon cast a cold, frost-like glow outside.
As he lay in bed, resting with his eyes closed, he heard someone tapping steadily at his window.
“So, why have you come visiting so late again?” Yu Mo asked as he opened the window.
“There’s a gathering for the Star Society tonight, and you promised to help manage it properly for me, Eloren. Isn’t it time for you to come with me and check it out?”
Yu Mo never went back on his word, so he got dressed and left with the late-night visitor.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s go.”
Peruth glanced at Yu Mo’s simple attire and said, “Wait a moment.”
A sapphire star necklace, gleaming with the sheen of moonlight, swayed between his fingers.
“This is the token I entrusted you with to manage the Star Society.”
With a slight smile, Peruth personally fastened the necklace around Yu Mo’s neck, then lifted the sapphire star and gently kissed it, his voice magnetic and soothing. “The moon will protect you.”
