Sense watched silently as Fíliya approached, feeling a mix of emotions. If Fíliya was nervous, then she was no different.
When Fíliya finally stopped in front of her, Sense couldn't resist, reaching out to touch the cheek of this troublesome person she hadn't seen in nearly a year.
Just as Sense was about to say something, Fíliya quickly extended a finger and pressed it against Sense's lips.
"Sense, did you know? According to the statistics of the 'Continental Smile Association', 'Miss Fíliya' hasn't seen your smile in a long time. Therefore, you are sentenced to smile for ten seconds."
Fíliya's off-the-wall line stunned Sense for a moment, and the scolding she had prepared was instantly forgotten.
In the end, Sense could only look helplessly at the girl before her who always caused her so much trouble.
"There's no such organization as the 'Continental Smile Association'..."
"Mm, of course there is. I just founded it a minute ago, so don't argue. Hurry, hurry, give me a smile."
Miss Fíliya leaned in with a grin, and her shamelessness earned her an exasperated glare from Sense, as if to say.
[Who's the one arguing here]?
Although a strong desire to retort welled up inside her, Miss Sense ultimately said nothing. She simply took a deep breath and, facing Fíliya, broke into a smile.
"Mhm, that's the one. Let me time it. Ten... nine... eight... seven..."
Fíliya began her countdown with a grin.
Throughout the process, Sense surprisingly didn't resist at all, allowing Fíliya to have her way with this little farce.
It wasn't until Fíliya counted down to "zero" that Sense finally spoke.
"You seem to have gotten a little taller."
Sense's tone was calm, but surprisingly, even though the ten-second countdown had ended, the smile remained on her face.
"Eh? Have I? I didn't even notice."
Fíliya tilted her head, a look of confusion on her face.
"You have, although only a tiny bit."
Sense nodded with certainty.
"Mmm, only you would notice such a detail, Sense."
Fíliya spread her hands helplessly.
This gesture undoubtedly drew Sense's attention. She had already noticed it earlier when Fíliya used her golden left hand to block the hair attack.
So, she asked with a hint of worry.
"You've already met Macht?"
Fíliya's brow furrowed slightly. She didn't answer Sense's question immediately, but after a moment of thought, her expression relaxed.
"Oh... was it when I entered the barrier? So the barrier has something like an 'alarm' function. That was truly my mistake."
Fíliya's guess was correct. As the guardian of the 'Great Barrier of the Golden Land', Sense had felt the alarm from the barrier itself and immediately headed towards the source of the fluctuation. That was how she ran into Solitär's group, who were waiting.
But Fíliya's explanation clearly displeased Sense.
"What do you mean, 'mistake'? Were you trying to enter the barrier while avoiding me?"
Ugh... Fíliya thought to herself that this was bad. Why did she always make such uncharacteristic mistakes in front of Sense... Perhaps this was just a case of one person being the other's weakness.
Fíliya sighed and looked at Sense again.
"Yes, that's right. I thought things would go smoothly and I wouldn't run into you."
This statement left Sense speechless. She didn't quite know what to say to Fíliya.
Should she praise her honesty, or scold her for always scheming...? This girl, if she were just studying ordinary demons, it would be one thing...
But why must she get involved with... so many dangerous beings.
Sense looked at Fíliya with very worried eyes.
"What did you say to Macht?"
Sense asked. It was her duty. Macht was a person of major interest to the Magic Association, and if he or anyone else made contact with the Demon Race, Sense was obligated to find out exactly what happened.
"If I said it was nothing, would you believe me, Sense? We just chatted casually, discussed a bit of magic, and I even had the tea and cookies he prepared."
Fíliya said nonchalantly.
Sense fell silent again. Her duty compelled her to doubt Fíliya, but her personal feelings urged her to believe her.
"Mmm... it's really nothing. I wouldn't lie to you, Sense. Why don't you use a memory-reading spell to check?"
As Fíliya spoke, she took a small step forward, took Sense's hand in both of hers, and placed it over her own heart.
"You know perfectly well I don't use mind magic."
Sense frowned but didn't pull her hand away.
"Then send a signal to the Association. Have them dispatch one or two people skilled in mind magic to examine me. For you, Sense, I'm willing to cooperate with anything."
Fíliya said earnestly.
This candid attitude left Sense at a bit of a loss... She slowly withdrew her hand and fell into a state of thought.
While Sense was thinking, Fíliya stood by her side in silence.
"Sigh..."
In the end, Sense let out a deep sigh.
"Let's forget about calling other mages... I believe you. Although you're a constant source of trouble, you've never actually lied to me."
"Besides... if other mages saw those three... it would cause a lot of trouble for you, wouldn't it."
As Sense spoke, she glanced out of the corner of her eye at the three demons not far away.
"Sense... you're too kind."
Hearing Sense say this, Fíliya was deeply moved and immediately hugged her. After all, who could blame her for missing Sense's embrace for so long? And she hadn't expected that in this situation, Sense would still be thinking of her.
Being hugged, Sense's body stiffened for a moment before relaxing.
"Mmm... by the way, Sense, how did you end up fighting with them?"
Fíliya slowly asked a question that had been puzzling her. She didn't believe Sense couldn't see the power gap between herself and Solitär's group. Faced with such a colossal difference in strength, why would Sense even think of actively attacking them?
While it was true that Sense held no affection for the Demon Race, she wasn't the type of berserker who had to fight every single demon she saw.
So, what was the reason?
Fíliya was very curious!
"Because... I sensed my scent on them... I thought..."
As Sense spoke, a faint blush colored her cheeks.
Oh, now Fíliya understood, and she was once again overcome with emotion.
Just because you sensed my scent on them, you completely disregarded the difference in power and attacked a greater demon...?
Sense, what am I supposed to say to you... If anything had happened to you, I would have been devastated.
___
🔥 New stories are available now! 🔥
✅ Access up to 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories!
✅ Receive exclusive content and updates!
Help us hit our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan