Chapter 221: Silverleaf Academy (LXIX)

But just as her fingers continued tracing his chest, Aestrea’s eyes suddenly narrowed slightly.

Grip…

He grasped her wrist tightly, not enough to hurt her, but enough to remind her of who stood above whom.

His glowing red eyes bore into her.

“…You forgot one thing.”

Isabella’s brow twitched slightly at his words, but she didn’t pull away.

Instead, she slid her other hand up along his chest, fingers tracing the faint outlines of his collarbone.

Her voice, smooth like honey over poison, spilled out again.

“Hm~? And what exactly did I forget?” she whispered, as if this were all still a game.

Aestrea tilted his head slightly, and then his lips curled up coldly.

“Everything your so-called divine body can absorb… the mana, the elements, the power…” he said slowly, “…all of them are useless to someone like me.”

Her seductive expression faltered.

Aestrea continued, his eyes never leaving hers.

“My mana, my aura… they’re far stronger than anything your body could store or refine. Unless you’re offering me divine energy… something like Void Energy, then your value, Empress…”

He leaned closer.

“…Is cosmetic.”

Her lips parted slightly, the confident smirk briefly disappearing.

But then…

“Nihihi~”

She giggled.

A low, breathy laugh escaped her throat, and without shame, she slipped her fingers into her gown, pulling from between her breasts a small, black key engraved with shifting runes.

Aestrea’s gaze immediately narrowed.

『 Scan 』

His vision glitched for a split second.

[Void King’s Dungeon Entrance Key.]

[Effects: Opens the entrance of the Void King’s Dungeon.]

[Details: Upon transferring mana onto this key, a Void King Dungeon will generate in front of the user. Be wary that only one person can enter this dungeon.]

His pupils tightened.

He totally didn’t expect that Isabella would have something as valuable as that.

Void creatures are extremely rare, and Aestrea only had the chance of entering one because of the protagonist’s dumb luck.

So, seeing something as precious as this in front of him… really raised the stakes for her.

“Ah~” Isabella said sweetly, watching his expression change.

“I see you recognize it.”

She held it up like a jewel, dangling it between two fingers. Her smirk returned in full, and her confidence was fully restored.

“You understand now, don’t you?”

She stepped even closer, pressing her body against his without shame, her voice now a whisper in his ear.

“With your mana body… and my divine one…”

Her breath ghosted against his neck.

“You could survive the dungeon. Together… we could make something this world has never seen.”

She pulled back, just enough for their eyes to meet again, her light green gaze sparkling with complete hunger.

“And once you’ve taken me… and then gotten the Void’s Blessing…”

She bit her lower lip.

“…Your power would surely transcend time and space~”

Even Lilith blinked at her words. If she were in Aestrea’s place, she would easily accept the Empress’s proposal.

But because she was not, her grip on Aestrea’s arm tightened, her expression twitching, her teeth barely clenched, but saying nothing yet.

After all, she was afraid that Aestrea would realize that there was no use in keeping her anymore.

“Mhm…”

Aestrea once again became thoughtful, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the black key, still dangling between Isabella’s fingers.

Just having a way to manipulate Void Energy made him almost fold.

But if he had access to it…

If the Purified Virgin Body truly worked as described, then using her as a conduit would allow him to absorb it safely.

Not just Void Energy, but maybe even the corrupted Gluttony Authority Lumi he had gotten from forming a contract with Lumi…

And more than that.

Fire.

Wind.

Earth.

Lightning… and many more.

Elements he’d ignored until now, because he couldn’t use them as he didn’t have their affinity…

But now?

If he could purify and refine those weaker energies… maybe, just maybe, he could evolve them.

Maybe he could fuse them, push them until they grew into something more. Until they reached the level of his Winter Magic.

It would take time, but it was possible.

And for him, possibility was enough.

“…Fine.”

Aestrea’s voice finally broke the silence.

Lilith glanced up at him, a small flinch in her expression, as if surprised he actually agreed. Meanwhile, Isabella’s smile slowly widened, turning proud, confident, just a little too pleased with herself.

“Then we have a deal,” she whispered softly.

And without hesitation, she leaned in and pressed her pink lips gently against his.

Muah♡~

And the moment they touched… he tasted it.

The sweet taste of cherries… but it was gone just as quickly as it came.

“Pwa~”

She pulled back with a tiny breath against his cheek, her voice just as smooth as her smile.

“I look forward to our future… Your Majesty.”

She handed him the key, placing it gently in his palm as if sealing the contract.

Aestrea closed his fingers around it.

But then… his eyebrows lowered, and his eyes sharpened slightly.

“Your Majesty?”

“Yes…?” Isabella blinked innocently.

“When did I ever say I’d be Emperor?” His tone turned cold once again.

“I never said that, did I?”

Her smile faltered, only for a second. But that second was enough.

She hadn’t expected that. Of all things Aestrea could do, refuse her, test her, ignore her, this was the one outcome she hadn’t considered.

That he’d accept the deal… and still refuse the throne.

“I don’t want to sit on that useless golden chair,” Aestrea continued, tone flat. “If you want to rule, then rule. You’ll be the Empress alone. I’m not interested.”

He turned away.

“If you ever need help, I’ll give it. But don’t expect me to wear a crown.”

And just like that, he began to walk off, passing her. He was now heading toward the underground depths, the place where the worst criminals were locked up.

Even though, in his eyes, the true monster had already ruled from the throne.

“W-wait—!” Isabella reached out, but unfortunately, he was already gone.

Instead, someone else stepped into her vision.

It was none other than Lilith, hovering lazily, clinging to the air with a little smirk. She stuck her tongue out, tugging the skin below her eyes playfully.

“Bleeeee~”

Then she tilted her head, eyes sparkling, and floated after Aestrea like a cat following her favorite toy.

“Master~, do I get a reward for keeping that boring Sword Duke distracted~?”

Her voice echoed behind her, getting smaller and smaller as she disappeared.

Isabella clenched her teeth.

Her nails dug into her palm as her expression twisted slightly.

“Damn it…” she muttered under her breath.

“That wasn’t part of the plan…”

Her voice trembled just slightly, just enough to reveal the frustration building in her chest. The cool, perfect image she always maintained cracked, if only for a moment.

Her head turned sharply, her emerald eyes locking onto the last man standing near the shattered corpse of the Emperor.

Elandor, the Sword Duke.

He was still there, staring at the blood that pooled around Francis’s broken body.

His sword was in his hand, but it hung low, limp, like a knight who no longer had a king to protect.

Isabella approached him, her heels clicking softly against the cracked crystal tiles.

When she reached him, she stopped only a step away, looking down at the blood-covered floor, then at him.

“Elandor.”

Her voice had changed again, turning colder, and into a voice that was full of authority, as if everyone was an insect to her.

The Sword Duke lifted his head slowly, his expression unreadable.

“You were loyal to the Emperor,” she said, folding her hands in front of her.

He gave a slow nod.

“To the end.”

“Well, he’s gone,” she said flatly, no sympathy in her tone.

“So I’ll ask once.”

She took a step forward, gazing down at him.

“Will you now swear allegiance to me?”

The question lingered in the air like the tip of a drawn blade.

Elandor stared at her for a moment longer, then lowered his gaze to the ruined throne room around them.

Everything had changed in a single night.

“…On one condition,” he finally said.

Her brow lifted slightly.

“Speak.”

He didn’t hesitate.

“Marry my grandson to the Second Princess. Make him royalty.”

Isabella’s face didn’t change at his words, because she had expected this.

Then her lips parted, and the answer came, simple and clean.

“Done.”

The instant her words left her mouth, Elandor dropped to one knee and drove his sword into the cracked ground, the tip clinking against the stone beneath.

His head lowered in a deep bow.

“My sword is yours, Your Majesty.”

Isabella looked down at him, her long white hair drifting slightly from the breeze that still passed through the broken windows.

Her green eyes narrowed… and then she smiled.

“The first step…,” she whispered to herself.

“…has been completed.”

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The air beneath the palace was damp and cold, the stone walls thick with silence.

Faint torchlight flickered across the narrow corridors, casting long shadows over the moss-covered floors.

There, Aestrea walked calmly through the corridors, his eyes looking at the names on each cell, hoping to find the one where Violet’s mom was.

Behind him, Lilith moved with a completely different energy.

“Mmm~ Are you really ignoring me right now…?” she purred softly, leaning in to wrap her arms around his waist from behind.

She pressed her cheek against his back for a second, then giggled as she let her large chest flatten against him, her movements slow and deliberate.

“Mou~ Shouldn’t I get my reward for distracting the Sword Duke~?” she whispered, voice sweet and dripping with mischief.

Aestrea didn’t answer.

He just kept walking, scanning cell after cell without saying a word.

So Lilith tried again, she shifted closer, brushing her lips softly against the side of his neck.

“You smell really good when you’re serious~”

Still nothing.

So she pouted, sliding her hands up to his chest. “Or do I have to be naughtier to get your attention?”

Aestrea sighed quietly.

“I said I’d reward you later,” he muttered.

“But it’s later now~,” she sang.

He glanced at her for just a second.

“No. It’s not.”

Lilith clicked her tongue, but she was smiling.

She didn’t mind; teasing him was half the fun.

He suddenly stopped in front of a particular cell.

His red eyes narrowed.

“…Victoria Von Luxuria.”

Lilith blinked, lifting her head as she followed his gaze.

Inside the cell, dimly lit by a single flickering torch, sat a woman.

She was chained at the wrists, her body slumped forward, breathing shallowly.

Her once-glorious violet hair had faded and dulled, falling over her shoulders in messy strands. Her skin was pale like paper, her lips dry, her body dangerously thin.

But even like that… she still looked like Violet.

He could see it in her face.

She looked up weakly, blinking as she saw movement, and her tired eyes widened slightly.

That face… that silver hair, and those red eyes…

She blinked again, her breath catching.

Aestrea didn’t hesitate.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The cell door exploded off its hinges in a burst of purple light, crashing into the far wall.

Lilith blinked, her teasing paused.

He stepped forward, slowly and carefully, his expression gentle now.

He knelt beside her, reaching out, brushing aside the dusty strands of hair from her face.

“…I came to get you,” he said softly.

His voice sounded like an angel to her.

Victoria’s lips trembled, and for a moment, she couldn’t speak. Her throat was dry, her body frozen, but she could see him clearly now.

Through blurred eyes, that silver-haired boy looked like a hero from an old story.

A savior glowing like moonlight.

“A…angel…?” she whispered faintly, her voice weak.

Aestrea smiled just a little.

“No. Just someone that has a debt with your daughter.”

She stared at him for a moment longer, then smiled, too. Her head tilted softly into his palm, a faint pink rising to her pale cheeks.

He picked her up gently in his arms, holding her like something precious.

Lilith followed silently now, her playful air quieted for the first time in a while.

Together, the three of them ascended from the dark depths of the castle.

And as they reached the palace rooftop, Aestrea took one last look back.

FWOOOOOSH—!

His body glowed faintly violet, and in a single step, he vanished into the night sky.

They flew far above the sleeping yet almost destroyed capital.

He had already sent a message to Yara saying that he had killed the Emperor, so for now, most of the troops were going back to heal themselves.

Fuuuu~

The wind blew against them.

And in his arms, Victoria rested quietly, her eyes were thinly closed, finally breathing like someone free.

The night would end soon.

But for now…

They headed toward Violet’s home.

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