The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

Page 136

　"What is this!" Diana exclaimed, displeased. "Why is it always like this?"

　Rose was also very surprised.

　She had initially thought Diana was already in the picture, since Dark hadn't shown any inclination to get too close to any girl.

　And these two women are undoubtedly the closest to Dark.

　If Dak wanted a dance partner, he should have chosen from the two of them.

　I just didn't expect that a senior student would suddenly appear out of nowhere.

　However, upon closer reflection, Pandora is indeed very charming, and she probably has a large number of admirers in the academy.

　It's unbelievable that Dark could make a deal with Pandora-senpai without any warning!

　This reminded Rose of a line from the book: "Excellent people are always attracted to each other."

　Diana is still not good enough.

　She sighed softly.

　I just don't know how to comfort the childish Diana now.

　Think of this.

　She couldn't help but look at Dak with a pleading expression.

　……

　But Dark simply shook his head slightly and said to Diana, "This year's Christmas ball is divided into two parts: the first half from nine to ten o'clock, and the second half from eleven to twelve o'clock. Would you like to be my dance partner in the second half?"

　"Eh?!"

　Diana came back to life almost immediately.

　She immediately opened her eyes wide and looked up at Dark, asking, "Really?"

　Dak couldn't resist gently pinching the bridge of her nose: "Of course it's true."

　Diana was about to cheer when she quickly covered her mouth and chuckled.

　Lady, lady!

　……

　Diana, after leaving the Dark dormitory, walked with a limp gait.

　She asked softly, "Rose, do you think the first half was better, or the second half?"

　Rose considered carefully and said, "The first half is good, but the second half would allow us to spend the last moments of Christmas Eve with our dance partners as the clock strikes twelve."

　Diana: "Let's play the second half then! Hehe!"

　Rose: "Okay, go to bed early, you need to look healthy."

　Diana: "Hmm!"

　……

　After seeing the two off, Dak let out a sigh of relief.

　In a Christmas dance, the first half is actually the main event. Although the second half is more meaningful, people's energy is limited, and their enthusiasm will gradually wane. Neither the first nor the second half can go on forever.

　It's perfectly normal to accept invitations from others along the way.

　By the second half, most people were probably no longer in the banquet hall.

　That is, around midnight, we might come back for a dance.

　Diana is so easy to please, she's so lucky.

　I need to let you know about my senior's situation.

　"Hmm, it should be fine, right?"

　It was just a dance.

　Dak didn't actually take the ball too seriously.

　……

　On the other side, in the teaching room.

　As the clock struck ten, Witt and Robert's confinement punishment finally came to an end!

　After wishing their instructor a Merry Christmas, they grabbed their schoolbags and fled back to the Knights' Academy tower.

　"It's finally over, Robert!"

　"Yeah, we have a nine-day holiday coming up! We're finally free!"

　Under the moonlight, Witt and Robert were moved to tears.

　But when they pushed open the tower doors, the overwhelming Christmas atmosphere stunned them.

　Aside from some differences in decor, the common room of the Knights' Academy was not much different from that of the Noble Academy.

　On the first night of the holiday, the Knights House held a small celebration that didn't begin until after 10 p.m.

　Many people even threatened to stay up all night!

　The atmosphere at the Knights' Academy was more unrestrained compared to that of the Noble Academy.

　In the corners of the common lounge, you could see older couples everywhere.

　The crowd gathered in the middle was even engaged in a magical chess battle.

　Both Witt and Robert were very interested in Magic Chess.

　But it wasn't until this moment that the two of them suddenly realized that Christmas was really coming!

　“Hey Robert, what gift do you want?” Witt asked.

　Robert shrugged. "How about a turkey leg? And I'll give you a turkey wing in return."

　Witt: "Okay, I'll think about it later."

　The two closed the door to stop the wind from rushing in.

　And they all deliberately avoided mentioning the Christmas dance on Christmas Eve.

　Robert: "Christmas dances and Halloween dances feel quite different, don't they? It seems like it's quite difficult for younger students to find dance partners."

　Hey, you said you wouldn't mention it?

　Witt quickly changed the subject, saying, "Robert, how about a game? I've forgotten how long it's been since we last played magic chess!"

　Robert gradually became excited: "One game isn't enough! Let's fight until dawn!"

　……

　No matter what happens or what one encounters, everyone has their own way of living.

　Witt was actually more concerned about the Christmas ball than Robert was. But he was currently in a strange state of inferiority and didn't dare to mention it at all.

　Thinking about the ball, he could only console himself that there would be plenty of time, and there would be another opportunity next year.

　I still have to give this Christmas present.

　If I can make a good impression on Pandora, that would definitely be a win.

　How should I choose this gift?

　"Alright, let's play a game of Magic Chess first!"

　……

　The next morning.

　Perhaps due to the holiday effect, Dak stayed up a little later than usual.

　He picked up the cat grass that was licking his face and put it back in the sleeping basket. He yawned slightly and then got out of bed.

　The winter sun shone through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

　Dakla opened the curtains and looked outside for a while, seemingly staring blankly at something for two minutes. Then, as if suddenly waking up, she turned and headed to the bathroom.

　Wash up, apply a face mask, and fix your hair.

　A holiday should look like a holiday.

　Dak didn't plan to solve all the problems left over from the previous semester during the holidays. He picked up a copy of "Claire's Travelogue" and sat on the deck chair on the balcony to read it.

　Once the little devil had arranged the bread, bacon, sausage, eggs, and milk on the stool next to him, he began to eat while reading.

　"This kind of life suits me better."

　It wasn't until after breakfast that Dak put down the short section of "Claire's Travelogue" he had just finished reading and picked up today's "Daily Wise Man".

　There are only two days left until Christmas.

　Following the announcement that the Holy Church would hold a super-large mass in conjunction with the Holy Church's Mystic Academy, the eldest princess also announced that she would personally pray for the nation in Heroes Square in the capital on Christmas Eve.

　At that time, many small gifts will be given away for free in Heroes' Square...

　"Which is more appealing: faith or free gifts?"

　When Dark saw this, he couldn't help but laugh.

　Although the struggle between hawks and doves is gradually coming to the surface, both factions have their own concerns, and for now it is just a minor skirmish.

　Sometimes it's quite interesting to watch from an outsider's perspective.

　……

　After noon.

　Dak went to Traveller Street again.

　From that day on, the streets suddenly became filled with couples, and Christmas decorations were fully put up, with Christmas trees draped in colorful lights everywhere.

　Adorable magical sprites danced in the air, holding up signs to attract customers.

　Duck occasionally caught a glimpse of Witt and Robert hurrying through the crowd, and couldn't help but feel happy for them, thinking that they had finally escaped from the hell of confinement.

　A Christmas ball is different from a masquerade ball; if you want to appear at the ball, a formal outfit is essential.

　As a result, all the ready-made clothing stores in the clothing section were packed with people.

　Students may not be able to find a regular dance partner before the ball, but they still have opportunities after the ball begins.

　Throughout history, many couples have successfully paired up at dances.

　The prerequisite is that you need to have formal attire!

　Dark glanced at the densely packed crowd, where there wasn't even a crack in the fabric, and couldn't help but feel incredibly fortunate that he had bought the Prince of the Night outfit before Halloween.

　Diana gets a point.

　Afterwards, he went to the small garden in the center of the street and watched a magic circus for a while.

　The clowns in the circus manipulate all sorts of magical sprites in incredibly skillful performances. Their superb manipulation techniques make the magical sprites move without any hesitation, just like completely real living beings.

　As Dak watched, his fingers unconsciously crossed together.

　He finally had an inspiration!

　"Let's give that one!"

　……

　After deciding on the Christmas gift for Pandora, Dark stopped lingering in Traveler's Street.

　He began purchasing the necessary items for his adventure, as planned.

　He wasn't entirely without plans for this nine-day holiday.

　Christmas is secondary.

　During this rare holiday, he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to explore the secret passage for an extended period of time!

　It's time to find the treasure the Valkyrie left in the secret passage!

　Although he wasn't particularly eager for the treasure, he was quite curious about what it actually was.

　He had asked Claire about this before. But Claire just smiled mysteriously and told him that the reason a treasure is a treasure is because it is full of surprises. If you knew what was inside from the beginning, wouldn't that reduce the fun by more than half?

　Dak said he didn't care.