Chapter 198: An S-Rank Dungeon Date

Chapter 198: Chapter 198: An S-Rank Dungeon Date

I finished washing thoroughly, then spent an absurd amount of time convincing the tail to retract.

The new horns made the whole process feel like I was trying to sheathe a weapon inside my own body.

Every time the tip brushed too close to places it had no business being, I clenched and swore under my breath.

’Go slow, you asshole.’

Of all the things this class had given me, the fear of literally ripping myself open with my own demonic appendage ranked highest on the embarrassment scale.

Eventually the tail slid back in with a final, almost sulky flick.

The base of my spine still tingled.

I ignored it, dried off, and walked out of the bathroom.

Giselle glanced up from her data pad.

"There are clothes on the board. Change."

I looked.

A neat stack of men’s clothing waited on the low side table: more than one set, different sizes, different cuts, all high quality.

Too many for a room that supposedly belonged to the Empress’s daughter alone.

"You bring others here?"

"Nope."

That’s good.

Wait, why do I feel good hearing that?

"Then what’s all this?"

"Uncle Draven’s. He used to come up here when he needed a place that wasn’t one of his public residences. You know... use the room."

I turned toward the bed we had destroyed a few hours earlier.

"Not this bed, right?"

A small, almost imperceptible smile touched her mouth.

"No. This bed is changed every day. You’re clean."

I pulled on the trousers and the shirt, deliberately leaving the top three buttons open.

The fabric sat well enough.

I walked over to where she sat, leaned down, and let the open collar hang in her peripheral vision.

"Only me, then."

Her eyes lifted.

The morning mask was back, but her voice dropped half a register.

"What is it?"

One of her fingers rose and traced the exposed line of my chest, slow, thoughtful.

"You look even more beautiful in the morning," I said.

"Oh? Didn’t we also fight in daylight?"

"That was different."

I leaned further and kissed her.

Soft at first.

Giselle’s left hand came up and settled against my cheek, not quite pushing me away.

A quiet sound escaped her when I deepened it.

"Mmph... what is this? Don’t think last night gave you more permission than necessary."

I answered against her mouth, tongue sliding once before I spoke.

"Never. Always within bounds."

Her other arm started to rise toward my neck.

"I will slap you again if—"

A sharp knock cut the air.

Giselle shoved me back hard enough that I lost my balance and sat down on the floor.

The door opened without waiting for an invitation.

Draven walked in, white coat open over dark training clothes, expression already amused.

He looked at Giselle first, then at me on the floor, then back at Giselle.

"You didn’t go home last night. The Empress was starting to wonder."

"I wanted to stay here."

"With him?" Draven pointed a finger in my direction.

"He slept on the floor."

"Oh."

Draven’s grin widened.

"You little birds. I’m not going to involve myself in whatever private arrangements you’ve made. Keep it off the official channels, and I don’t care."

He waved a dismissive hand, then fixed his attention on me fully.

"Today you’re coming with me. Dungeon raid observation. Most non-academy personnel aren’t allowed anywhere near an active gate without a license. I asked for an exception."

I stood, brushing imaginary dust from the borrowed trousers.

"Dungeons. After everything since I arrived, I finally get to see the real thing."

"You sound almost eager."

"Do dungeons vary?"

"Vary how?"

"Difficulty. Structure. What comes out of them."

"Yes. They vary."

Draven’s tone lost a fraction of its playfulness.

"The one we’re visiting today is classified S-rank. Prepare yourself accordingly."

Giselle had already moved to the wardrobe, selecting clothes with efficient motions.

"Inside?" she asked.

"Not exactly. I’ll take him to the nearest staging platform. He’ll see the preparations, the containment fields, the way a proper raid unit moves before entry. Actual penetration of an S-rank gate can wait until he has a license and a team that isn’t currently wanted for questioning by half the faculty."

I watched Giselle pull a dark combat-ready outfit from the wardrobe.

The marks I had left on her throat were still visible above the collar she chose.

She didn’t cover them.

"Time?" I asked Draven.

"Thirty minutes. Eat something. The food’s already cold, but it’s better than nothing. After that, we leave. Giselle, you’re not required."

"I’m coming."

"Of course you are."

Draven turned for the door, paused, and looked back at me with that same yellow-eyed amusement he had worn in the ballroom.

"Try not to be out of touch today. The observers get nervous."

The door sealed behind him.

Silence settled for half a second.

Giselle tossed a second set of clothes onto the bed, darker, closer to a combat cut.

"Change into those. The ones you’re wearing still smell like last night."

"It’s new."

"Doesn’t matter. Wear this."

"You ordered them already?"

"I ordered options. Move."

I stripped the borrowed shirt off again.

Her eyes tracked the motion for a fraction longer than necessary before returning to her data pad.

The tail stayed quiet inside me, but I could feel the new horns like a memory of pressure at the base of my spine.

While I changed, I opened the system interface one more time.

[Sybaritic Nexus — Active]

[Linked Anchor: Giselle — Stable]

[Pillow Talk: Dormant]

[Succubus Tail: Retracted — Horned variant]

’Variant?’

[Yes.]

’You keep surprising me but never answering anything.’

No voice answered when I probed the mental space the new innate skill had opened.

Only quiet.

Giselle’s voice cut across the room.

"How do you feel?"

I looked up, surprised.

"Something’s wrong?"

"No. You spent too much time in the bathroom."

"You felt something?"

"I felt you talking to something. Don’t make a habit of keeping secrets that can get us both killed."

"Understood."

She sealed the last strap on her jacket and finally met my eyes fully.

"Last night stays between us. The level increase stays between us."

"Okay."

"Good. Eat. We leave in twenty."

I sat across from her, took a piece of the cold food, and forced it down.

"You should’ve woken me up."

"I did. You didn’t move."

"You fucked me that good."

She hit my shoulders playfully.

The taste barely registered.

My mind was already moving ahead, to an S-rank gate, to the first real look at the threat that had shaped this entire world, and to the quiet new presence sleeping somewhere behind my thoughts.