No Entry Except for the Master - Chapter 38

Clutching them dearly in her arms, the rabbit tilted her head in confusion. Teia gently tapped her forehead with a finger.

“When I went outside earlier, they called me to pick up the prize. You must’ve won first place.”

In truth, he had gone to the event booth himself and nearly snatched them away. But Teia adjusted the story to sound better, recalling her tear-streaked face. He hadn’t meant to keep them, and even now didn’t know why he had brought them—after scolding her, giving them back seemed foolish.

He’d almost thrown them away. But watching the rabbit struggle to recover from her shock, he figured maybe this would help lift her spirits. Seeing her now—clutching the cufflinks in both hands and standing on her hind legs—pleased him more than he expected.

After a moment’s hesitation, Lilith toddled over to Teia and gently placed a pair of cufflinks in his palm.

A birthday present. Even after being scolded, she still wanted to give him something?

Teia gently turned the cufflinks over in his palm, sinking into a complicated feeling as they came back to his hands.

With an immensely proud expression, the rabbit climbed back up to Teia’s face and wedged her body between his neck and shoulder.

It was where she could feel the steady pulse and lingering warmth of his body. Even when Teia flinched from the ticklish sensation, Lilith didn’t pull away.

In the end, Teia adjusted into a reasonably comfortable position and offered his shoulder and neck, and Lilith curled her body into a ball like a bird nesting, lying down cozily.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

From beneath the skin, Teia’s warm pulse could be felt throbbing.

Are humans’ hearts always this slow?

Unaware that her own heart was beating abnormally fast, Lilith, completely wrapped in Teia’s scent, fell into a peaceful sleep.

The bookstore owner, who had been arranging the books back into their usual order, straightened his back when he noticed a shadow cast over him. It was the author who had stayed in the bookstore for the past few days, holding a signing event and giving a lecture.

“Oh my, sir. Are you leaving now?”

“Yes. The festival’s over, and I’ve spent plenty of time with the readers. It’s time for me to head out again.”

“I look forward to what new work you’ll bring next time.”

The man smiled warmly and wiped his dusty hands on his apron, then extended his hand to the author. The author, wrapped tightly in a travel cloak, took the man’s offered hand and shook it kindly.

“I hope your schedule wasn’t too busy for you to enjoy the festival properly. Still, it’s been a year since you last came to our town.”

“Yes. I’m glad I returned.”

“Oh, right—yesterday, that guy who used to work as a carpenter in the lower village came by again. Even though you managed to send him away nicely during the signing event, he came back asking for you, so I told him I’d pass along the message…”

“Ah, thank you for letting me know.”

To the bookstore owner, the author was like a benefactor. Running a bookstore in a small town wasn’t easy. Nobles only used well-known bookstores, and commoners didn’t see the point in spending money on something as expensive and seemingly useless as books. The one who had helped him in such times was none other than Hecate.

A best-selling author and a famous bard, he had come all the way to a local bookstore in a small city to host events—an act the owner couldn’t be more grateful for.

The man stomped his feet, thinking of the ill-natured fellow bothering his benefactor.

“That guy left town ages ago saying he was going to the big city to strike it rich, and now who knows why he’s come crawling back. If you’re in any trouble, sir, is there anything I can do to help? He always had a bad reputation, even back in the day.”

“It’s alright. If I run into him again, I’ll handle it. I doubt he’ll come looking again.”

But Hecate only smiled gently and politely declined the man’s offer. Though the owner looked at Hecate with concern, he soon nodded with the thought, Our author always handles things so smartly.

“Well then, safe travels to you. Oh—and I truly hope you find the one you’ve been looking for all this time!”

Hecate waved back until the man waving at him disappeared from view.

When he stepped out of the alley and reached the plaza, a wave of emotion swept over him. The bustle of the recent festival had vanished completely, and only pigeons and sparrows were now peacefully chirping as they searched for food. Hecate recalled the scenes of that day, still vivid before his eyes.

The moment he had met the one he had long yearned for, searched for, and waited endlessly to find, was etched into his mind like a photograph.

“I’ve finally found them again.”

The moment to place a period on the long journey of thousands of years was drawing near.