"Well... I don't know if it's an ill intent, but I just wanna siphon a bit of the boss's power for myself."
Xuanyuan admitted her so-called 'ill intention' honestly—her tone and expression as she spoke contained no deception.
Lucian understood instantly upon hearing her reason.
Apparently, because her Sentinel, Form, could steal others' abilities for personal use, and after seeing Lucian's beam of light that could easily extinguish a planet, her heart was itching to obtain an ability like that.
It was no wonder that the effects of the Law of Calamity only caused her minor accidents like tripping, since her ill intention wasn't particularly dangerous in the first place. If she intended to extract the power completely from him, though, it would certainly amplify the severity and frequency of the accidents.
"Xuanyuan, you don't have to hide things like that—just say it outright, don't make things harder for others," Lucian said, waving his hand helplessly. "But my power isn't something you can use. Your Sentinel isn't qualified."
Hearing this, Xuanyuan didn't feel disappointed or angry, but merely got up from the floor and let out a cheerful "Oh" as if nothing had happened.
Seeing this anticlimactic outcome, the others sighed, then couldn't help but ponder Lucian's claim seriously.
In their eyes, Sentinels were Izumo's strongest creations, the strongest weapons, yet he said Xuanyuan's Form was not qualified?
What kind of weapon would be qualified enough, then?
"Boss, please don't curse me," Ana said in a trembling tone, shaking her head in fear. "I don't have any bad intentions toward you. I swear."
"Neither do I! I don't want bad luck!"
"Not me either..."
Azta added hurriedly, and Wendy followed, though her tone was somewhat nonchalant.
"Hmph, how dare mortals covet the power of the Savior of Light?" Kyuusyou, with her back turned to Xuanyuan, snorted and slightly tilted her head to give her a side glance. "Beware of being burned to ashes by the flames of judgment, girl—this is a one-time warning."
Right after saying this, she turned to Lucian, grabbed his hand, and looked at him expectantly.
"Boss, can I have a cursing ability like yours?! It's so cool!"
Needless to say, those with chuunibyou syndrome really liked things that sounded cool and stylish.
"Not yet," Lucian said with a smile. "You don't yet have the qualification to inherit my divine power. Keep training, girl."
"Understood! I'll work hard to earn your approval!" Kyuusyou adjusted her monocle in a pretentious manner, then finally remembered to bring up the main point. "Ah, by the way, Boss, the citizens haven't seen you in a long time. You should show up occasionally, or they'll think you've abandoned them."
Hearing this, Lucian calculated the time—it had indeed been a while since he last appeared in public.
He couldn't help it when the private world with Mei was too cozy, as it made him forget about the others.
"Fine..." Lucian said with a helpless sigh. "Tomorrow, I'll give my blessing to the citizens, but remember, no flowers, no gifts—I'm too lazy to carry them."
He casually set the event, showing none of the lofty airs of someone who considered himself above everyone, which was one of the reasons every guardian was so close to him.
"Alright, I'll arrange it and tell them."
Kyuusyou patted her chest proudly, then left along with the others to continue their duties, leaving only Lucian and Mei in the house.
In the end, Mei continued giving Lucian a massage for a while, then prepared dinner, and finally lay with him on the observation deck, counting the stars together.
Life was truly simple and ordinary.
===
As Lucian had promised, the next day, he gave blessings to the citizens who believed in him.
Even though the people of Izumo knew of Aeons from the records brought by their foreign ancestors, they did not follow any Aeon.
Several days ago, the large samurai statue standing before the Shuten Castle had actually been replaced by Lucian's statue as proof of their belief in him. In matters of life and death, it was he who responded to them, not any gods or any Aeons, which was why he had become the only faith in Izumo.
It wasn't until late evening that the blessing event concluded.
At this time, every guardian was drenched in sweat from the busy work, especially since it was late autumn, when the temperature was higher than usual.
"I'm so tired..." Ana complained groggily. "I want to soak in a hot spring..."
"Yeah! I'm dead tired!" Senti cheered while grinning. "I'll soak for ten thousand years!"
"Soak for ten thousand years?" Sakura raised her brows, then lifted her right hand to cover her teasing smile. "Can you really do that? You always give up first whenever we soak together, though."
"You damn fox! Are you underestimating me?!" Senti retorted in anger, glaring at Sakura. "C'mon! Let's see who lasts the longest!"
"Heehee, interesting," Xuanyuan chimed in with a giggle. "I'll be the judge, then. You don't mind, right?"
"Oh? A competition?" Bianka said with a faint smile, looking interested. "Alright, count me in!"
"Guardians competing among themselves, huh..." Kyuusyou muttered, closing her eyes and nodding to herself repeatedly. "Umu, umu, this is youth! I, the leader of the guardians, will show you who has the strongest body!"
"Hot spring, huh..." Himiko muttered with a smile, then smacked her fist against her open palm. "I love it! Let's go already!"
"Ugh, make your own pool, Himiko..." Sirin groaned with a helpless expression. "Every time you soak in the pool, you always heat it, turning it into a boiling bath! Scalding!"
"Right, right!" Wendy nodded in agreement. "If you wanna soak together, control your power, Himiko. Your Sentinel's power is so troublesome."
"Ah, about that, don't worry," Theresa assured with a smile. "I'll seal Himiko's power with Bind if she heats the pool. No problem."
"Great!" Azta cheered, raising a fist. "We're saved with Theresa with us!"
"By the way, you guys go ahead first," Mei said with a faint smile. "I'll go ask Lucian if he wants to come, too."
"Oh? Let's go together, then," Kyuusyou said with a smile. "If he refuses, we'll drag him along."
"As expected of someone living together with him—always thinking about him first."
Bianka leaned close to Mei and teased with a meaningful smile.
"Of course I'll think of him first," Mei replied calmly, smiling back at Bianka. "Everything we have now comes from him, after all."
"Uhh... you're right..."
Bianka let out a forced smile as she realized that her effort to tease Mei and make her embarrassed had failed.
Just like that, the twelve guardians walked out of Shuten Castle together and went to the hillside south of the Castle where Lucian's residence was located.
===
"Boss! Let's go to the hot spring! You can share a pool with Himiko! Feel her boiling frog treatment!"
As soon as Senti saw Lucian lying on a reclining chair in the front yard with his eyes closed, she ran over to him and shouted whatever came to mind without holding back, then boldly grabbed his arm and pulled him along.
Hearing Senti's sudden invitation, Lucian froze for a moment, then opened his eyes and glanced behind her.
Not far away, he saw eleven beautiful women of varying styles and body types chatting happily as they walked closer.
Twelve beauties inviting him to soak in a hot spring together?
How could he refuse?
Before Lucian could respond, Mei and the others, thinking he was reluctant when they noticed his silence, quickly moved in around him.
"Let's go. Soaking in a hot spring after a long day feels amazing."
Bianka spoke with a casual smile and grabbed Lucian's other arm, while Himiko and Ana pushed lightly at his back.
It was obvious—they truly wanted him to join them.
"Lucian, as you can see, everyone wants to spend a little more time with you. Shall we go together?"
Mei stepped forward, gently persuading Lucian.
"Alright, alright. I'm in..." Lucian sighed helplessly, then let out an earnest smile. "Let's go. No need to push me."
With that, he walked toward the hot spring together with the twelve guardians, chatting merrily along the way.
===
Lucian learned that Kyuushou had apparently reserved the most luxurious hot spring in Amatsukuni, which was three times bigger than the one in Wagatsuma, where he met Mei for the first time.
And as Senti had said earlier, Himiko ended up sharing a hot spring pool with him.
He had to admit that this red-haired big sister was very straightforward and bold, not at all bothered by soaking in the same pool with him.
Her pair of large breasts, which were at least D-cup, covered by a thin white towel, floated on the water like a pair of buoys. Her face was beautiful, and her body was in a perfect golden ratio, truly identical to Himeko's.
Now, the Astral Express had Himeko, and Izumo also had one—except that their personalities were completely different.
"Boss, the water's not hot enough. I wanna raise the temperature."
"Fine, adjust it to your liking."
"You know, Boss, let's soak together again next time. Seriously, the others are too delicate—they can't even handle my heat. Only you and I get along well, Boss! Hahaha."
Himiko laughed cheerfully at Lucian's response, causing her breasts to bounce and her thin towel to almost slip off.
In the next moment, she grabbed Flare, which was lying by the pool, and then activated its power to heat the water to almost a boiling point.
Fortunately, Lucian was an Emanator with a powerful body, so the high temperature didn't affect him at all.
===
At the same time, in the neighboring hot spring pool, the rest of the guardians were soaking together, filling the pool with girlish laughter and play.
Mei, with her eyes closed and wearing a comfortable expression, leaned against the edge of the pool and focused her hearing on the conversation between Lucian and Himiko in the neighboring pool.
Thanks to Himiko's consistently loud voice whenever she spoke, and the bamboo wall that couldn't properly soundproof the separation between the two hot spring pools, Mei could hear Himiko's words clearly by focusing her hearing.
Soon, when she heard Himiko say 'get along,' it suddenly stirred something inside her, and in that instant, she felt the pool didn't seem so comfortable anymore.
Mei opened her eyes, then stood up, preparing to leave.
"Mei? You're done already?" Bianka asked confusedly, her face tinged with worry. "We've only just been soaking for a few minutes. Are you not feeling well?"
"No, it's just too cold here," Mei replied with a forced smile, shaking her head. "I'll go next door."
Under Bianka's suspicious gaze, Mei decisively left the pool.
===
Back at Lucian's side, Himiko had already stopped chattering and now closed her eyes in contentment to enjoy the boiling bath.
A little bored, Lucian was about to casually sense the women in the neighboring pool, but before he could, the sliding door suddenly opened, and Mei entered with a somewhat shy expression, slowly approaching him.
"Lucian... can I join?"
"Mei? Why are you asking me?" Lucian raised his eyebrows, then waved to her. "Of course, c'mon. No need for my permission."
He had to admit that the emotions of this younger Acheron were truly rich, and her expressions abundant.
Right before his eyes, Mei's face was now slightly flushed—whether from heat or something else was unclear, but it was cute nonetheless. Like Himiko, she also wore a white towel that covered her body from the chest to the thighs, outlining her perfect figure.
Hearing Lucian's response, Mei sighed silently in relief and then stepped into the pool, but in that instant, when she felt the water was scorching, she flinched slightly.
Even though she was used to hot baths, this one was way hotter than normal—almost enough to cook her.
Yet she didn't leave and instead endured it silently.
As for why she went this far, it was mainly because of a single thought.
'I don't want Himiko to soak with Lucian alone... I have to stay no matter what...'
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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