A few weeks went by. In the highest room of the grand church, Kailith was sitting on the floor with one knee bent. She wore a skin-tight slip dress in a soft, beige colour.
The dress hugged every one of her curves, and with its low-cut neckline showing a lot of cleavage, it gave her a very alluring look.
It wasn't just her dress that had changed; her presence felt completely different, too. Her beauty seemed more refined and captivating now, as if an appealing aura surrounded her body like a second skin.
The change was so drastic and had happened in such a short time, it was impossible not to notice.
In front of her, Igret sat on a seat that looked just like a king's throne, staring down at her with an intense gaze.
"We have taught you everything we can during this time. Your training period is now complete," Igret states, then went on, "Based on what you have learned, according to us, this training was..." she pauses for a moment, her voice rising slightly.
"A failure!" she declares, which surprises Kailith for a second.
Kailith's eyebrows furrows in confusion. "Huh? How? Shouldn't it be 'magnificent'?" she ask, her tone sounding incredibly seductive.
Every word she spoke was like honey. Even though she was just speaking normally, the pitch of her voice had completely changed from arrogant and wild to mature and attractive.
"Yes, if we are only talking about your tone and your sense of fashion, then you did a magnificent job with those. As for the charm spells, you did quite well. That's not something one can master in a few weeks; becoming an expert takes time," Igret explains. But then, she points her index finger at Kailith.
"But besides that, it was a complete disaster!" Igret shouts, and yet, for some strange reason, even her angry face seemed appealing.
"You were supposed to become a sugar mommy. Every move you make should radiate luxury and comfort and experience, but you are still so wild. You may have perfected your tone, but instead of speaking smoothly, you still use harsh words most of the time," she explained all in a single breath, not stopping there as she pointed out a few more flaws.
All Kailith did was remain quiet, her head bowed slightly.
In truth, after a few tries, Kailith understood very well what Ceres and the others were trying to teach her.
It was acting!
But it was a specific kind of acting. So much acting that it would become a whole new persona, the new persona of a sugar mommy.
But to Kailith, it felt no different from being two-faced. It was like those people who act one way with others but hide their true pitiful or dirty selves deep inside.
Kailith had never liked things like that. She had always been herself. If she didn't like something, she said so openly. And if she liked something, well, it became almost impossible for her to hide it.
She had never even been afraid of her own mother.
This was the same reason she admired Maruti and her free-spirited nature so much.
Sometimes, Kailith herself would try to act tough to hide her feelings, whether it was pain, what she hoped for, or even love.
But Maruti was even more free and open-minded. She wasn't even afraid of Kailith, the tyrant. She said or did whatever popped into her head without worrying about the consequences.
That's why, while she could put on the persona of a sugar mommy, it felt like she would have to be someone else constantly, to the point where one day she might forget who she really was.
And that was something she could not accept.
She learned what was useful to her, but she refused to change who she was at her core.
"I understand what you're saying. If I tell you I'm not here to charm people with my looks, you'll just reply, 'That's the first step of charming'," Kailith exclaims calmly, a faint smile appearing on the corner of her lips.
"But what I'm trying to say is, being wild is a kind of charm, too. It might be a failure in your eyes, but for me, it was a clear success," she replies, placing a hand over her heart as she stood up and locks eyes with Igret.
Igret stares at her for a few seconds and then let out a soft sigh. "Whatever. If that's what you find satisfying, why do I care? My work is done," she murmurs quietly to herself.
What really mattered was that Igret had done what she promised she would.
"So, you're going back now?" she ask, her tone much softer this time.
Kailith nods. "Yes, I'll be leaving today."
"Very well. You can meet with Ceres and the others if you want to, before you go," Igret add in a casual voice.
"I will," Kailith nods again. She turned around to leave, but just then, a thought popped into her head, and she turns back to face Igret.
"Um... I learned quite a few... 'provocative' things," Kailith sayd, a little uncertainty in her voice. "But what if my girlfriend doesn't like them?"
"What? Everyone likes those kind of thing. People with strong wills might try to resist it, but the ones who are easily impressed will fall for it right away. That's the only real difference. You'll never find someone who dislikes a sexy girl being affectionate with them," she said, holding up her fingers in a 'V' sign.
"It's called pretty privilege!" she added.
"In this world, if someone ugly shows kindness, most people will think they're being a creep pervert or that they have some ulterior motives for behind their actions," she was saying, and she was about to say more but stops herself.
"Cough... cough... I really need to stop reading those dark romance books," she whispers to herself, her cheeks turning a little pink.
"Okay, okay, no need to get all philosophical. I get it," Kailith replies, turning back around. This time, she really did leave.
*****
After she left, she went to find Ceres, Abaddon, Lamia, and the others to say her goodbyes. Then, she packed up her things and left the grand church.
She had a ticket for the teleportation facility that would take her straight to Anastasia, the Anastasia Republic to be exact. She also had all the documents and paperwork she needed to travel from the republic to the part of Anastasia that was occupied by the Vanara.
But even though she didn't have to go through a long, complicated process once again, it would still take her at least two days to get back.
However, during her time with both Maruti and the succubies, she learned that there was nothing wrong with using the advantages she had.
"Enough of following rules," she thought to herself with a grin.
She walks around, looking for a quiet but open space. After a few minutes, she found herself in someone's backyard.
Without wasting a second, she leaped into the air, instantly transforming into a silver dragon with a dark, black tint on her scales.
Flapping her wings, she flew through the sky, not caring at all what the people on the ground below might think.
And their reactions were just what she expected them to be.
When a huge shadow suddenly passed over them and their homes, many of the residents started to panic. Mothers called out for their children and hurried them inside their houses.
"A dragon, a real dragon, and a huge one at that!" someone yelled.
"Aren't all dragons big, you fool?" the man beside him says, smacking him on the back of the head.
"That's what you get for not paying attention in school! A normal dragon is three to five times bigger than a wyvern, but just look at this one. It's massive!" the first man shot back with logic, shutting the other guy up.
Meanwhile, from high above, Kailith could see and hear everything they said perfectly. Her senses were already much sharper in her dragon form. On top of that, all of her senses had become several times stronger ever since her second awakening.
With another powerful flap of her wings, she soared even higher, like an arrow shooting through the clouds. She went up so high that the houses below looked like tiny little boxes and dots.
For the next few hours, she flew nonstop, covering huge distances in what felt like no time at all.
"How many times have I even traveled like this?" she wonders aloud, feeling a surprising rush of excitement. "I've been living like a human more than a dragon",
By the time she crossed the border and flew near the capital city of the Anastasia Republic, it was already midnight. The moon hung brightly in the sky, surrounded by countless twinkling stars.
Looking down from above, she saw the familiar city. Many of the buildings had been fixed after the destruction from the civil war.
The old royal palace, which was half-ruined, was still there. But unlike the other public places, it hadn't been rebuilt. It was left empty as a reminder of the change from a kingdom to a democracy.
Her eyes drifted to the giant mountains in the distance. One of them was split perfectly down the middle, as if a giant knife had sliced through a block of butter.
Kailith, and many others, knew exactly who had done that. It was Lortell. Back at the academy, when she tried to kill Elara with a powerful strike of her sword, the strike flew so far that it reached the capital, nearly slicing the royal palace in two.
The mountain was also a victim of her power.
This time, though, Kailith didn't feel jealous of her. Instead, a warm, nostalgic feeling washed over her.
Except for her time at the academy, she had spent most of her life here in this city.
If she were in her human form right now, a huge smile would surely be on her face.
Although she kind of wanted to turns into human form and look around and eat some local dishes But she didn't stop by. Her destination was clear in her mind.
****
More hours went by. The middle of the night gave way to the very early morning. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, but its light hadn't yet reached the land of Anastasia.
Knock!... Knock!... Knock!...
Someone knocked on the door of Maruti's apartment, but no one answered. Everyone inside was still fast asleep.
The knock came again, and this time, Surprisingly, it woke Alice up.
In her light nightgown, she rubbed her sleepy eyes and let out a small yawn.
"Who could be here at this time?" she mumbles to herself, slowly getting out of bed. She opens her bedroom door and walks into the living room.
Knock!... Knock!... Knock!...
The knocking sound came again, starting to make her a little annoyed.
"I'm coming, okay? Wait a seco—" she was saying as she pulls the door open.
Her eyes were looking down at the floor, but they traveled up past the creamy white feet, higher and higher.
She sees the alluring figure of a tall woman with silver hair and glowing red, dragon-like vertical eyes.
It was Kailith. A wide, bright smile spread across her face as their eyes finally met.
Kailith opens her arms slightly, as if to show that she was real and not just a dream.
"I'm back, ladies!"