Chapter 198: Silverleaf Academy (XLVI)

By stabbing his hand into Ethan’s stomach, he used one of Lumi’s skills, which was called 『 Swallow 』.

It was a twisted skill, one that let his body absorb anything. Poison, magic, curses—whatever he touched, it became part of him.

And just like that… the venom that was killing Ethan was now inside Aestrea instead.

But Aestrea doesn’t know how the poison works, so he didn’t want to take more risks by swallowing the poison from Eira and her team members.

So, instead, he spoke coldly.

“What can you give me for their life?”

Everyone froze.

Rayn’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.

Ulgar, still kneeling, suddenly stopped holding Aestrea’s leg.

He looked up.

His eyes were wide, not in anger now, but now they had a hint of hope.

Slowly, he reached for his little finger.

A silver ring shimmered on it.

He twisted it off.

And pulled out a small, glowing bottle from inside.

The liquid inside was thick, golden-red, like molten lava, but it gave off a pressure like a living thing.

“…This… is Titan’s Blood.”

He looked straight at Aestrea.

“I’ll give it to you. If you really save them.”

Aestrea’s expression changed entirely.

His cold eyes widened.

Even he couldn’t hide the shock.

Titan’s Blood.

It was nearly as rare as Dragon’s Blood. Titans were near extinct… and only royal families, true heirs, might ever get their hands on something like this.

He stared at the glowing bottle in silence.

But he didn’t reach for it yet.

Instead, he asked flatly, “…What exactly does it do?”

Ulgar’s reply came in an instant.

“It… boosts your mana flow. Makes it smoother, faster. You’ll absorb mana from the air ten times better than before.”

He paused, watching Aestrea’s face for a reaction, but got none.

So he kept going.

“It also… strengthens your body. Your muscles, bones, and even your heart. Your whole physique becomes tougher—almost like a Titan’s.”

He glanced down at the bottle for a second.

“Your resistance to poison, pain, and even curses goes up. It’s why our family uses it in emergencies… for battle or survival.”

Aestrea still didn’t speak.

He just stared at the bottle, his red eyes focused, unblinking.

Then Ulgar added, a little more desperate now, “And… if someone uses it while their body is poisoned, it doesn’t cure them completely, but it keeps the poison from spreading. It slows it down.”

A quiet beat passed.

Rayn’s hands were clenched at his sides while the others also seemed pretty nervous.

They all watched Aestrea like their lives depended on his answer.

Because they kind of did.

Aestrea tilted his head just slightly, his hair swaying in the wind. His cold gaze flicked from the bottle back to Ulgar’s eyes.

“…So it’s worth it,” he muttered.

Ulgar nodded.

“It’s the only one I have. I was saving it… for Eira. In case something happened to her.”

He swallowed hard, his voice cracking just a bit.

“But if you take it… and you really save her… I’ll give it up, since it won’t fully heal her, and by the time we leave this dungeon, she might die.”

Silence again.

The wind howled across the icy ground.

Then, finally, Aestrea raised a single hand.

“Give it to me.”

Ulgar dropped to his knees without a second thought. Carefully, with both hands, he placed the glowing red bottle into Aestrea’s palm.

“Thank you… Thank you…” He whispered again and again, his voice full of relief.

The others followed right after.

One by one, they knelt and bowed their heads.

“Thank you so much…” they echoed.

Aestrea didn’t say a word.

He just frowned a little and looked over the poisoned group.

Four of them.

All lying on the frozen ground, bodies twitching slightly, faces pale and marked with the sickly green curse of the venom.

And Eira was one of them.

His eyes paused on her a moment longer.

But still… the Titan’s Blood was too valuable to ignore. He had already accepted it, so now he had to do this right.

He walked past the others and crouched near the first poisoned one. Without a word, he stabbed his hand into their stomach.

『 Swallow 』

A faint green mist pulled from their body into his palm.

He did the same to the next two. The poison inside them wasn’t too much, just enough to be dangerous.

He could handle it.

But then… he turned to Eira.

His eyes narrowed.

Her body looked worse than the others. Her long, frosty hair was tangled, her face pale, and the green mark crawling up her neck looked angry and pulsing.

It stretched all the way up to her eyebrow.

Even her long ears were turning a gross, unnatural shade of green.

Thump…!

His heart rate suddenly spiked up, as a jolt ran through his body.

He blinked, dizzy for a second, and looked down at his own gloved hand. A faint green vein had started to rise up from under his skin, spreading along his wrist.

“Haagh…!”

He took a sharp breath in, clenched his jaw, and forced himself to stay still.

He crouched beside her and slowly placed his palm on her chest, right over her heart.

A thick wave of killing intent crashed behind him, probably from Rayn or Ulgar, but he didn’t even flinch.

He just muttered under his breath:

『 Swallow 』

A green glow spread out from his palm, crawling over Eira’s skin. Slowly, painfully, the disgusting green marks faded.

Her ears started returning to their normal color, and that horrible mark along her face began to vanish.

But then—

Aestrea’s eyes widened slightly.

Something deep inside him was pulling—no, sucking his mana from the inside. Like the poison had a will of its own.

His body tensed slightly.

“…Damn it…”

He clenched his teeth and pushed harder.

He raised his mana output from five to eight, flooding his body with more power than usual. His limbs trembled slightly from the pressure.

But it worked.

The absorption turned in his favor. His energy overwhelmed the poison, trying to bite back.

“…Agh…”

He let out a quiet groan, sweat dripping from his temple.

Then, finally, he pulled his hand back.

The glow faded.

Eira’s body stopped twitching. Her skin returned to its usual pale tone, her ears were normal again, and the green mark across her face was completely gone.

She looked like she was just sleeping now.

Aestrea stood up slowly, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.

But even so… his face was calm again.

“Done.”

Aestrea muttered quietly.

Fwoop!

Fwip!

And right away, two strong gusts of wind rushed past him.

Rayn and another figure landed beside Eira, kneeling next to her, checking her condition in silence.

Aestrea didn’t look at them for long.

He turned away and started walking back to where Mia, Maria, James, and Derek were waiting. He figured they hadn’t moved from where he left them.

But before he could take more than a few steps—

“Wait!”

Rayn’s voice rang out from behind.

Aestrea glanced back over his shoulder.

Thwip!

An object flew toward him fast, but he simply shifted his waist and caught it without effort.

He looked down at what landed in his palm.

“…This?” he muttered, raising an eyebrow.

It was a small leather pouch, and it was heavy.

He untied it a little and saw the glint of platinum coins inside.

“I don’t have anything better on me right now,” Rayn said seriously. “But that should be enough… for now. I’ll repay you properly later.”

Aestrea didn’t respond.

He just waved a hand in the air like he didn’t care and kept walking.

He moved farther and farther from the others, until he finally reached a quiet spot behind a rocky wall.

Then, suddenly—

“Haah… agh… ngh…”

His breathing grew rough and uneven. He leaned against the stone wall, gripping his side as sweat dripped from his face.

The poison was spreading more quickly.

His vision blurred for a moment, and his legs started wobbling a little.

“Lumi.”

He called out weakly.

In front of him, a small green light shimmered into view.

Pop!

The green light disappeared as a soft, slimy figure appeared, floating with a gentle glow.

“Master~?” she chirped sweetly, blinking her wide, curious eyes.

Sliding against the wall, Aestrea sat down slowly, pain twisting his face.

“Help me…” he whispered through gritted teeth.

Lumi’s eyes widened in shock.

She could feel something was very wrong.

Quickly, she summoned an invisible barrier around them, blocking sound and sight from the outside.

“…Poison?” she asked softly, frowning.

She moved closer, pressing her soft, slime-like body against his chest, trying to absorb the poison directly.

Her body trembled slightly as she worked.

As a gluttonous slime, she was pretty much immune to all poisons, so absorbing it wouldn’t cause damage to her at all.

But then, she stopped.

“…This won’t work,” she whispered.

“The poison’s too deep. It’s not just in your blood, Master. It’s in your mana flow.”

Aestrea gave a weak nod as he knew.

He slowly raised a shaky hand and pointed to his mouth.

Lumi’s eyes blinked once.

Then, she blushed.

“Y-You mean… that way?”

Aestrea weakly nodded, blinking and trying to keep his eyes open.

She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh.

Gurglee~

“Alright, Master… I’ll do it.”

Her voice deepened with a thick, slippery tone, like warm honey sliding over skin.

Her soft green color began to darken, changing from light and fresh to a deep, glowing purple that seemed to pulse with heat.

Her light green hair melted into a soft pink glow, strands clinging to her neck and shoulders like dripping candy.

Her body started to grow—slowly, seductively.

Her breasts swelled, becoming big and full, pushing forward as if begging for attention. They jiggled softly with each breath, glistening as her slimy skin shimmered with a smooth, wet glow.

Her waist pulled in tighter, hips flaring out wide and thick curves so perfect they almost didn’t look real. Her thighs thickened, pressing together with a soft, sticky sound, as her legs shifted into a more powerful, alluring shape.

Her ass grew round and plush, high and soft, like it was made to be touched, squeezed, worshipped.

Then, she opened her eyes.

Gone were the soft, gentle green orbs she usually had. Now, they were bright pink, glowing, and shaped like a snake’s—long, narrow slits that stared with hunger.

She looked at him like prey, but with care… twisted with desire.

Her lips slowly parted, glistening wet.

A long, forked tongue slid out, slow and teasing. It flicked in the air, split down the middle like a serpent’s, tasting the space between them.

She was now in her snake form.

Then, she leaned in closer to Aestrea, a hot breath escaping her lips.

“I’m in my snake form now, Master…” Her voice sounded as seductive as the devil’s whisper.

Slick~

Her long tongue brushed lightly against his lips.

“…Now… let me suck the poison out.”

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