The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　After confirming that the crisis in the City of Freedom had indeed been resolved, Professor Sylph, who was now somewhat anxious, finally took Number Two, who was imprisoned in the "Orb of Truth," and boarded the dragon for the return journey.

　But she was not accompanied by all of them.

　First, Wit Gold and Ophelia Brad must go back with her.

　Professor Steven Harvey, who has a strong interest in studying both No. 1 and No. 2, will certainly accompany them.

　Similarly, Sister Kallian, who is extremely passionate about the research into the technology of soul cutting, will surely return as well.

　Professor Jones originally wanted to stay and look after the students. However, because Professor Lily and Professor Mitia volunteered, she felt relieved and returned.

　Of course, she was relieved to hear from Professor Mitis.

　In order to maintain communication between the academy and the ducal mansion, Eve had no choice but to embark on her return journey.

　As a result, more than half of the original thirteen-person team returned, while the remaining six chose to stay.

　Ever since Dark started focusing on his studies, Lily has been running around everywhere. If it weren't for the "Thunder Chicken's" flight speed limiting her return, the entire Free City might have been thrown into chaos by her.

　Moreover, every time she goes out, she brings along Little Guhuoniao, Magnemite, and Devimon, making her look like a king of children leading a group of kids, causing mischief everywhere.

　She hadn't had enough fun, so there was no way she would go back.

　As for Professor Mitya, it's naturally because... she hasn't found a replacement for her "Black Beast" yet!

　The "Black Beast" is a very special kind of shadow creature, which can be broadly classified as elemental life.

　They don't need to be fed; they can draw energy simply by curling up in the shade.

　They have no fixed shape and can change freely as the pumpkin carriage is enlarged or shrunk.

　They can travel on land, sea, and air, and they are all quite fast.

　Finding a creature that meets all three conditions is indeed a very difficult task.

　It's unknown whether Professor Mitia will be able to find it before returning to the academy.

　……

　After seeing Professor Sylph and the others off, the remaining six quickly returned to their respective lives, or as the saying goes, "do what you're supposed to do."

　The second semester of second grade begins on Monday, January 6th.

　On the evening of January 5th, there will be a pivotal opening ceremony.

　They only need to get back before the opening ceremony begins.

　That afternoon, Aurora's work also came to an end.

　Dark occasionally helps out, but most of the time he just sits on the sidelines doing his own thing.

　Another day has passed peacefully, and the new year is getting closer and closer.

　At 9:30 p.m., Dark said "goodnight" to the magical spirits sitting around the room and then put them back into his magic cards one by one.

　Then he finally brought up the system list and, as usual, summarized the Seven Deadly Sins Index for December.

　"System, expand the indicators."

　[Arrogance: 94→90]

　Jealousy: 42 → 40

　[Rage: 89→88]

　Laziness: 59 → 57

　Greed: 91 → 93

　[Binge eating: 93 → 94]

　[Paradise: 93→98]

　A lot happened in December, causing significant fluctuations in the overall major sin values. However, the fluctuations were mainly concentrated on "Greed," "Gluttony," and "Ecstasy."

　Among them, "paradise" is the most beautiful.

　In December, Dak had actually drawn a total of 6 points of "Bliss". However, the final value of "Bliss" did not decrease but increased, reaching 98 points, which was close to breaking 100.

　Since his ability to control his emotions has gradually improved, he has rarely been able to reach such a high level.

　But occasionally, he would indulge himself a little—and that's the bad consequence of indulgence!

　Fortunately, a month has passed, and the CD is back to normal. Tomorrow night, I can find some time to relieve the pressure of "bliss".

　Originally, because of his focus on collecting the "Lunar version of Elysium," his need for "Elysium" was no longer significant, and he was more inclined to pursue other major sins. But now it seems that precise control is proving somewhat troublesome.

　In addition to 6 points of "Ecstasy", December also draws 6 points of "Pride", 4 points of "Greed" and 4 points of "Gluttony".

　The remaining reserves of major crimes are as follows:

　[Arrogance]: 10

　[Rage]: 1

　Greed: 24

　[Binge]: 1

　[Paradise]: 6

　[Moon Goddess Version of Elysium]: 1000+

　After careful reflection, Dak began to deeply examine his actions.

　Recently, control over "greed," "gluttony," and "bliss" has been gradually reduced. Especially "bliss," it must not be allowed to increase again until it is reduced to a safe range.

　However, considering the upcoming itinerary, the danger of "greed" is actually greater.

　This is something that needs to be paid special attention to.

　After thinking it over carefully, Dak tucked the mischievous little Guhuo bird into the quilt and went to sleep early.

　……

　January 1st, 5:00 AM.

　A touch of gold and red lit up the edge of the city of freedom, and then spread throughout the entire city at an extremely fast speed.

　The new year arrived amidst this bright and delightful sunlight.

　In this world, there is no New Year's Day, no Spring Festival, so Christmas is the last holiday of the year.

　But this day, when the calendar turns a new page, remains a special day for many.

　On this day, every household washed away the dust and put on new clothes, sweeping away the gloom surrounding the city of freedom, and the whole city was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

　And the most dazzling jewel in this city of freedom also got up early to dress up in front of the mirror.

　I've been so busy these past few days that I haven't had time to dress up.

　Sitting in front of this dressing mirror today, I can't help but wonder if I was too careless before, giving that person a bad impression.

　Although it's called dressing up, it's really just about trimming my bangs a little, covering up some tiredness, applying a touch of red lipstick, and making my temperament more distinctive.

　Since they were going to explore the temple today, Aurora changed into casual clothes that were easy to move in. Compared to her normal clothing for this season, it was a bit thin.

　But she has a quarter of the Sun Giant bloodline, so there's no way she'd be afraid of the cold.

　He put on a hat to protect himself from falling rocks and leather gloves to prevent cuts on his hands, then fastened a short sword and a card holder, and finally wore the two brooches, one red and one blue.

　Aurora went out with a joyful heart.

　Finally, I can relax a bit!

　……

　Before six o'clock, the group that was going to explore the temple today had already gathered in the meeting room that was usually used as a restaurant.

　Apart from Professor Mitis, the other five people had all arrived and were chatting about their experiences over the past few days, occasionally mentioning content from the newspapers.

　The monster siege that befell the City of Freedom has finally reached the capital after such a long time, and has been published in the newspapers and sent back here.

　Under the Duke's deliberate arrangement, this event was portrayed as a major event of military-civilian cooperation, with the entire city united in fighting against the remnants of the demon race.

　The one who was pushed to take the blame was "The Lich" Ian Tuttle.

　This "villain," who was incorporated into legends long ago, has a charm that makes people believe in the evil deeds he has committed as soon as they hear his name.

　In short, even the people of the Free City quickly came to believe that the Warcraft siege was orchestrated by the old lich, and that the "Tower Demon" Atal, who was publicly killed a few days ago, was the old lich's number one subordinate.

　Of course, they gave "Tower Demon" Ata a new name with a lot of words.

　As for the students of St. Mary's College, they were not featured in the newspapers.

　This was proposed by Professor Sylph herself.

　The main reason, of course, is that the existence of Number One and Number Two is a top secret that cannot be leaked.

　More than a decade after the war ended, this great victory for the Free City is undoubtedly a cause for celebration among the people of the kingdom.

　Driven by their aversion to demons, some people who were previously not fond of the City of Freedom because it was the home of hybrids have changed their attitude towards it.

　In addition, this victory can also be seen as a demonstration by the Freedom City.

　War is, in essence, a way of demonstrating military power.

　Those who coveted the capital of freedom will be somewhat more restrained after this victory.

　Adventurers who are already extremely interested in the Free City will be attracted even more, resulting in a larger influx of people and faster, better development for the Free City.

　Beneath this surface of enjoying all the benefits, the City of Freedom is also silently licking its wounds.

　The losses this time were actually quite significant.

　……

　However, some people die and some people live, and the living cannot stop because of the dead.

　The road lies ahead; we must always keep moving forward.

　……

　"Tell me about the temple!" Lily quickly interrupted the discussion about those topics, her eyes wide.

　Although this temple exploration was organized by Dark, he wasn't the most excited person among them.

　Professor Lily jumped for joy upon hearing the plan for this operation.

　She couldn't remember the last time she had an adventure like this, traveling to unknown lands with a few friends.

　The academy's underground city never really appealed to her.

　What she always cherished was the time when she was a novice, running around and playing with Kazel and others.

　And at this moment, on the first day of the new year, she finally rediscovered some of the feelings from the past.

　Hmm, it would be even better if those two maids weren't here!

　It's not that Lily dislikes Ollie and Angeli, but rather that neither of them has any sense of adventure about them!

　However, one cannot strive for perfection in everything, so she could only make do for now.

　Aurora smiled slightly and said, “Actually, my understanding of the temple isn’t thorough either. Our discovery of it was purely coincidental. We never imagined that such a temple was buried beneath this city. Initially, we discovered some leaking energy while working on the city’s underground pipes. Well, how should I put it? Warm or cold air was blowing from some cracks. During the day, it was warm air, and at night it turned cold. Because of the alternation of heat and cold, the cracks gradually widened, eventually breaking open…”

　"So, have we finished exploring?" Lily asked the question that concerned her the most.

　Aurora shook her head and said, "The temple is very dangerous and often unpredictable, making it difficult to guard against. We can only proceed cautiously and explore carefully, so progress is very slow."

　“Not bad, not bad,” Lily nodded in approval immediately.

　Aurora smiled and said, "With Professor Lily here this time, we should be able to go a little deeper."

　Lily immediately patted her chest and assured them, "Of course, I'm here!"

　Dark couldn't help but facepalm, feeling that bringing Professor Lily along might have been a big mistake.

　But with the die cast, they had no choice but to set off after breakfast.

　Then, Dark saw Aurora summon a small rhinoceros that was about a meter tall.

　"A three-star bird-beast species—the 'Heavy Armored Rhinoceros'."

　Aurora introduced her magical spirit and then had her attendant strap the huge backpack she had prepared beforehand to the back of the "Heavy Armor Rhino".

　This "Heavy Armor Rhinoceros" is round and plump, about 1.3 to 1.4 meters long and 1 meter tall. It has a low lower body and a metal shell that looks like armor plates on its body. It is a Steel and Ground type magical spirit.

　Judging from its appearance, the "Heavy Armor Rhino" should be a defense-specialized type, and it is really stable when it runs!