Chapter 209: Darling~ Why Weren’t You in Bed~?
Yet here.
The mana flowed freely throughout the entire place.
She slowly looked around.
Rolling hills stretched into the distance, towering mountains pierced the horizon, and vast forests swayed gently beneath a calm sky.
The peaceful scenery only made the place feel even more extraordinary.
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, she turned toward Luke.
"Sir Luke..." Her voice trembled slightly with excitement.
"What is this place?"
The longing in her eyes was impossible to hide.
As a mage, she understood better than anyone what an environment like this represented.
If she cultivated here, the speed at which she engraved Arcane circle upon her heart would increase dramatically.
It was nothing short of a paradise for mages.
Luke watched her reaction and nodded inwardly in satisfaction.
Just as he expected.
There was no need to force loyalty through fear or empty promises.
Real benefits spoke louder than words.
If he wanted Lucy to become one of his most loyal followers, then he had to give her opportunities she could never find anywhere else.
And once she experienced those benefits. Leaving would become the last thing she wanted.
"This is the Time Chamber," Luke said with a smile as he continued walking toward the Mage Residence.
Lucy froze for a moment.
"The Time Chamber?" The name alone was enough to leave her stunned.
Seeing that Luke hadn’t stopped, she quickly followed after him.
As they walked, her curious eyes wandered across the surroundings.
Some residents were busy working in the fields and workshops.
Groups of knights sparred with one another on the training grounds, the sound of clashing weapons echoing through the air.
Farther away, an enormous city was steadily taking shape, with workers moving back and forth in an orderly fashion.
The entire place was full of life.
’Does this place have something to do with time?’ The thought naturally surfaced in her mind.
As if reading her thoughts, Luke spoke again.
"The flow of time here is different." He glanced at her before adding calmly,
"It has a one-to-thirty time ratio."
"One day outside is equal to thirty days inside."
"...!"
Lucy nearly stopped walking.
Her beautiful eyes widened as she stared at Luke in disbelief.
"W-What!"
She had certainly heard of Time Chambers before.
However, those legendary training grounds belonged only to the strongest forces or ancient existences.
They were treasures that ordinary people could never hope to encounter.
After all, time itself was one of the rarest and most mysterious powers in existence.
Although true Time-related powers were unimaginably rare, high-level mages—especially those at the Demigod level—had spent countless years studying the laws of time.
While they couldn’t truly control it, their vast knowledge allowed them to comprehend a tiny fraction of its mysteries.
Over the generations, that knowledge was passed down and refined.
Eventually, it became possible to create artificial Time Chambers.
Of course, such facilities still belonged only to the greatest powers.
The cost of constructing and maintaining one was so enormous that most organizations couldn’t even dream of owning one.
"But..." Lucy swallowed.
"I’ve never heard of a one-to-thirty ratio."
She muttered the words under her breath, unable to hide the shock in her voice.
Luke heard her clearly. He wasn’t particularly surprised.
After all, there was always the possibility that somewhere in the vast Valtharion, even greater Time Chambers existed.
Lucy simply hadn’t reached a level where she could learn about them.
"We’ve arrived."
Luke’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
Lucy blinked before raising her head.
There, a vast lake stretched before them, its crystal-clear surface reflecting the nearby cottages like a flawless mirror.
A gentle breeze rippled across the water, carrying with it the cheerful giggles of several women.
Splash!
Splash!
They were clearly enjoying themselves in the lake.
"...Wait." Luke’s footsteps paused.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
’Why is it always like this?’ He inwardly groaned.
For some reason, every single time he came to the Mage Residence, he always ended up arriving while the resident mages were bathing—whether alone or in groups.
’What kind of ridiculous luck was this?’
[Kekeke.]
Luke shot the system a deadpan look.
"..."
The shameless system seemed to be enjoying the situation, far more than it should.
Suppressing the urge to argue with it, Luke cleared his throat.
"Ahem!"
His voice echoed across the quiet lakeside.
Almost instantly Splashing sounds came to an abrupt halt.
A brief silence followed.
Then came the soft rustling of clothes as the women hurriedly got dressed after realizing someone had arrived.
A few moments later, the mages walked out from behind the lakeside cottages.
"Master." Their voices carried a hint of embarrassment.
Among them was Elena, the Holy Light healer, whose complexion looked noticeably healthier than before.
Luke gave them a small nod before gesturing toward the girl beside him.
"Everyone, meet our new mage—Lucy Dawnvale."
"She’s the eleventh mage of Blackstone."
Hearing herself being introduced so formally, Lucy became a little nervous.
Still, she stepped forward with a polite smile.
"Thank you for having me."
Her gentle greeting immediately earned warm smiles from the other mages.
Before long, several of them gathered around her, introducing themselves and asking questions about where she had come from and what kind of magic she specialized in.
Seeing everyone getting along so quickly, Luke nodded inwardly.
Looks like everything is going smoothly.
However...
The very next moment, the cheerful chatter came to an abrupt stop.
The smiles on the mages faces froze.
One after another, their gazes shifted past Luke’s shoulder.
They were all staring at something behind him.
’Behind—’ Before Luke could even finish the thought, a pair of soft arms slipped around his neck from behind.
A sweet yet dangerously calm voice whispered into his ear.
"Darling~ why weren’t you in bed~?"
"...!"
Luke’s entire body froze.
He knew that voice.
A familiar warmth of melons pressed lightly against his back as he felt her gentle breath brush across his neck.
The faint fragrance of lavender drifted into the air.
Normally, that scent always calmed his mind.
Today.
It had the exact opposite effect.
A bead of cold sweat slowly rolled down Luke’s forehead.
’System...’
’Why do I have this strange feeling that if I answer this incorrectly. she’ll actually choke me to death?’ Luke asked inwardly, forcing a stiff smile onto his face.