Chapter 205: The Poet of Boundless Loves New Look

Chapter 205: The Poet of Boundless Love's New Look

Another day had passed, and it was now Friday morning. The dark horizon gradually flushed red with the blooming glow of dawn. As the sun rose, its rays pierced through the wooden slats of the fence around the terrace, casting a dancing pattern of light and shadow across Lance. His shadow on the ground stretched long and slanted in the early morning light.

An elegantly designed wicker chair sat quietly on the terrace. Beside it, a glass coffee table held several books on magical engineering, their pages fluttering in the breeze as if retracing the very passages Lance had studied the night before.

A gentle breeze drifted in from the distant garden, carrying with it the scent of flowers, and brushed softly against his face.

"Lance, hurry up and make me some enchanted cards — quickly!"

The Poet of Boundless Love had just been summoned. She picked up the watering can to tend to the flowers as usual, but upon spotting Lance leisurely feeding the birds on the ground, she immediately walked over and gave him a couple of kicks.

Lance fed his animal friends, his eyes still heavy with sleep. "I know, I know... I bought a ton of materials yesterday and experimented until dark... Everything is ready now. I was just waiting to make them with you."

Since returning from the Shadow Realm, Lance had spent the past few days quite productively. On the afternoon of his return, he visited his old man, then asked Talia to look after Hyperion that evening. The next day, he dueled Adam and won over Cultist Fenix. On the third day, he shared all the good news with Dean Lawrence, giving the dean a wonderful surprise.

Today was the last workday of the week. Lance planned to finish feeding his animal friends, then craft a new skin for the Poet—and if time permitted, check in with the Student Management Council to see if they needed any help.

Of note, there was now another regular visitor to his home besides the Poet. Boss Cat had been coming over to Lance's place for the past two days.

Last night, Lance had spotted a small black cat hopping onto the terrace and opened the door to let it in. The little black cat was still lazing about, sprawled on Lance's sofa and refusing to get up.

Meanwhile, the Poet, who had been watering the plants beside him, suddenly vanished. At some point she had slipped away from the terrace and back into the living room.

"Where did this widdle kitty come from?"

Standing by the sofa, the Poet picked up the small black cat and rocked it gently, though it was unclear whether she was trying to wake it up or lull it back to sleep.

"Meow..." Boss Cat opened its sleepy eyes. The first thing it saw was Tali, wearing a sweet, beaming smile. Seeing her smile so happily made it wonder if it was still dreaming.

Wait a minute... why is she a demon? Boss Cat instantly sprang from the Poet's arms with lightning reflexes, scrambling to put some distance between them before demanding, "Who are you? Meow!"

Her eyes were far too alluring, and she carried a unique floral scent. This definitely wasn't the Tali it knew.

The Poet simply stood there smiling, showing no intention of harming Boss Cat.

Lance turned around from the terrace to explain, "She's my signature card. Be careful. Don't let the fact that she's only Tier 1 fool you. She's the ultimate powerhouse of my lineup."

He stood up, tucked away the half-empty packet of bird feed, and strolled back into the living room. After placing it in the cabinet, he headed toward the card-making workshop.

"How could she possibly... be a summoned creature?"

Boss Cat circled this cheerful version of Tali, eyeing her up and down with a mix of skepticism and utter astonishment. She was, for all intents and purposes, a living, breathing demon. Her every expression and the aura of life she exuded were things no mere summoned creature should ever be able to replicate.

Lance grasped the handle of the workshop door, pushed it open, and waved to his summon in the living room. "Poet, it's about time we got to work."

Boss Cat called out in confusion, "Get to work? What are you two doing?"

It knew that the massive storage room Lance had renovated was his workspace for making enchanted cards.

The Poet said with a bright smile, "Making cards, of course."

"You've got to be kidding me! What kind of summoned creature makes enchanted cards? Meow!"

Boss Cat felt like the Poet was treating it like a fool. The very idea of a summon card making other enchanted cards was simply absurd.

With her hands on her hips and an incredibly smug look on her face, the Poet boasted to Boss Cat, "Heh, if only I weren't limited to Tier 1, the enchanted cards I make would absolutely be the best in the world!"

"Fat chance! Keep on bragging, you little devil!"

In all its long life, Boss Cat had never seen a summoned creature whose specialty was making enchanted cards.

The Poet didn't bother arguing, though. She was confident. When she believed something to be a fact, she didn't care whether others believed her or not. She crouched down, gave Boss Cat a mischievous smile, then trotted happily toward Lance's workshop. "See you later, widdle kitty."

Even so, Boss Cat remained stunned for a moment by the Poet's sentience. It still found it hard to believe she was merely a summoned creature.

"You... you aren't doing anything behind Tali's back with your summon, are you? Meow!" Boss Cat asked, suddenly alert, as Lance was about to close the door.

It could tell that this gray-haired summon in the red dress was a succubus. Her voice carried a bewitching, magical allure. Given Tali’s beauty... Well, few men could resist such a temptation!

Lance looked at Boss Cat in bewilderment. "Just what are you thinking..."

If he were susceptible to the Poet's influence, he would have long since become her slave, his mind completely controlled by her words and magical voice. She was a dangerous enchanted card with an innate tendency to devour her master. Wielding her power required, above all else, a heart that would remain unshaken by her.

As the Poet stepped into the workshop, Lance sensed that Boss Cat was deeply suspicious of him. Rather than closing the door fully, he left it slightly ajar, allowing the cat to watch if it pleased.

Back in the living room, Boss Cat felt that Lance was acting increasingly strange and resolved to keep a closer eye on him. However, it didn't quite dare to step inside the workshop. The way that guy crafted cards was downright terrifying.

So it could only huddle by the doorway, peeking in furtively. It was determined to see exactly what the two of them were up to.

***

A sofa-style bench sat before the central workbench of the card-making workshop. The Poet took a seat right next to Lance. The way they focused on the task at hand made them look like a pair of pianists preparing for a four-handed duet.

The tabletop was a scene of organized complexity. Sheets of paper were meticulously categorized and spread out. Faint creases and marks suggested they had been frequently consulted and analyzed. It was clear that Lance had spent considerable time preparing.

"Poet, let's start by crafting a demon disguise for you. If we're going to disguise you as a different kind of demon, what sort would you like?"

He planned to create two skins for her today, just to be prepared for any eventuality. With Polymorph: Demon and Polymorph: Human as the foundational spells, he could currently make disguises based on either of those two races.

Lance decided to start with the simpler option. Although he couldn't alter her fundamental physical features, he hoped to make her appearance distinct enough that she wouldn't be easily recognized by race, hair color, or clothing once they reached the Northern Continent.

The Poet rested her index finger against her lips, thinking for a moment. "Hmm... maybe a dragon demon?"

"A dragon demon? Why that?" Lance was slightly surprised.

Her request was a stark contrast to her original form, and she didn't strike him as the type to crave raw power.

As far as he knew, Talia wasn't a succubus, but belonged to a pure, primal demon lineage. For some reason, however, the demon manifested through the Hymn of Compassion had spontaneously taken on the form of a succubus.

The Poet grinned. "Don't you think it looks cool?"

Lance nodded; he understood now. "I see. Do you have any preferences for hair or eye color?"

"For a demon disguise, the eye color doesn't really matter... but let's go with red hair."

"Red?" he confirmed.

The Poet found some ink on the table and demonstrated exactly the shade of red she had in mind.

"Right. Red hair looks the best."

The two of them continued discussing the plan, Lance sketching out the design while the Poet offered her opinions from the sidelines, much like a client commissioning a piece of artwork.