"Wait—!"
Raphael didn't even have time to stop her before Lucrezia's hand was already pressed to her lower abdomen.
In the next instant, the air thickened with a lush, life-attribute presence, blooming so strongly it was almost palpable.
"Hm? This is—"
Lucrezia didn't even get to finish voicing her question before Raphael sprang backward in a single explosive motion, retreating more than ten meters in a blink.
When she landed, a rare flush had surfaced on Raphael's face. Being so brazenly "provoked" like that—no matter how weathered she was—was still a little too much.
"Ah~ so that's how it is," Lucrezia said with a knowing, amused smile.
"Looks like you were right, Raphael. That new king really does have a frighteningly strong possessive streak." Lucrezia finally understood why Raphael seemed a little "rounder" than before—so she was carrying Akuto's symbiote within her.
…
Raphael's expression remained outwardly calm, but her cheek twitched more than once.
After a brief pause, she decided to change the topic.
If she didn't, that witch was absolutely going to keep teasing her.
"Anyway, I hope you won't hold it against Akuto-kun that he summoned me last night and then summoned you today."
"He did it for a reason."
Now that Raphael had completely given her loyalty, she naturally spoke from the perspective of defending Akuto.
"Oh?" Lucrezia licked her red lips. "And what reason would that be?"
If she'd guessed right, it was precisely that reason that made Raphael decide to offer herself. And there weren't many reasons in this world strong enough to move Raphael…
"To fight gods. And to fight this world," Raphael replied evenly.
…
A few minutes later, after Raphael's explanation, both Lucrezia and Diana nodded as if something had finally clicked.
Raphael didn't reveal the earthshaking secret that Akuto came from another world, but she did disclose one key point: Akuto could become stronger through certain "special" women.
"So you're saying Akuto-sama didn't summon us because he thought we were pretty?" Diana blurted, for some reason suddenly a little irritated.
So the new king wasn't interested in her looks or her outfit—he was interested in something else she had.
"Uh… I wouldn't put it quite like that," Raphael said.
"With Akuto-kun's possessiveness, even if you weren't 'special,' he would've come after you sooner or later."
As she spoke, Raphael glanced down at her own lower abdomen. Lucrezia and Diana followed her gaze.
Indeed, if it were only about gaining power, there was no need for Raphael to remain in a state that looked so persistently "full."
Maybe because Raphael's current condition was too visually shocking, both Diana and Lucrezia ended up accepting her conclusion without argument.
Akuto truly did need them.
And… Akuto's desire and possessiveness were far beyond ordinary.
…
After giving a basic explanation, Raphael left quickly.
After what had just happened, she was too embarrassed to stay and keep chatting.
Once Raphael left, only two people remained—Diana, still stunned, and Lucrezia, deep in thought.
[According to Raphael, the new king needs certain special women to help him awaken.]
[And since ancient times, priestesses and witches have borne the duty of aiding Godslayers in the subjugation of gods.]
[In other words, even if Akuto-sama didn't ask… once we know it can help him purge the gods, we witches and priestesses have reason enough to offer ourselves.]
Europe had suffered under Marquis Voban for so long that Diana's acceptance threshold was, frankly, very high.
After all, Akuto was only passively responding to divine threats. The "price" he asked for amounted to nothing more than the service of witches and priestesses.
Marquis Voban was the opposite—he would actively use witches and priestesses as sacrifices to summon gods, and once the ritual ended, most of those women would die.
It really was true: everything looked different once you compared it.
Compared to Voban, the new king felt almost gentle—so gentle that the entire situation became disturbingly acceptable.
Besides… Akuto was still Liliana's "senpai," wasn't he?
…
Tap.
A soft sound.
While Diana was still thinking, Lucrezia set a cup down in front of them—filled with a white, vitality-rich symbiote.
"Lucrezia… what is this?" Diana stared at it, confused.
Then—
A single second later, her confusion turned to shock, and her shock turned to outright disbelief.
"Don't tell me… you asked Raphael for this?"
Diana frowned hard. She hadn't expected Lucrezia to go that far.
"No. Of course not." Lucrezia smiled and shook her head. "I'm not in the habit of asking others for secondhand goods."
"I got this from the Crimson Devil's maid. She said it's all fresh."
"Fresh…" Diana swallowed, throat going tight.
No matter what kind of "fresh" that meant, Diana felt like she needed to reevaluate Lucrezia from now on.
Lucrezia noticed her expression and chuckled, shaking her head again.
"Witch Diana—originally, I only meant to investigate a little. Can you guess why I brought a sample back?"
"Why?"
"Because when I asked the Crimson Devil's maid, she was applying a facial mask. Afterward I asked why, and she told me it's because this contains an incredible amount of vitality."
"In other words…"
"If you use this… you can maintain youth longer?" Diana's pupils widened. She had to admit, it was deeply tempting.
Her strength was nowhere near Lucrezia's. The time she could maintain her youthful appearance also couldn't compare.
By her estimate, she could keep her current looks for at most another ten years before her youth and beauty began to fade.
Even more infuriating was the fact that Lucrezia was decades older than her—yet because Lucrezia was stronger, she could likely maintain a youthful state longer than Diana could.
Just imagining herself aging while Lucrezia stayed young made Diana feel like spitting blood.
So the moment Diana learned Akuto's symbiote could supply vitality, she was instantly hooked.
To women, appearance mattered just as much as "strength" and "status" did to men.
That was why, in the hidden world, men tended to let their outward age match their real age, while women—once they reached Great Knight level and gained methods to maintain their beauty—usually chose to keep themselves at their peak.
Sadly, Great Knight level could only preserve youth for thirty or forty years at most.
Holy Knight level was different. In theory, someone at that tier could maintain their prime for a century or two.
And above Holy Knight…
That went without saying. Figures like Leader Luo Hao and Lady Aisha could be called ancient—yet they still looked as young as they had in their prime, and likely would remain that way until death.
…
Lucrezia truly lived up to her reputation as an old hand.
While Diana was still struggling with temptation, Lucrezia had already acted.
Right in front of her, Lucrezia drew out a portion of the symbiote and applied it across her face like a mask.
"H-Hey! Lucrezia—aren't you being a little too—"
Diana, face red, tried to protest, only to hear Lucrezia release a deeply satisfied sigh.
"Haa… yes. The vitality in this is exceptionally pure, and the absorption rate is absurdly high." Lucrezia's tone carried genuine appreciation. "No wonder that girl treasures it so much."
The "girl" she meant, of course, was Elianna.
Elianna knew her talent was far inferior to Erica and the others. She'd likely struggle to maintain her looks through sheer spiritual power in the future. So even though she was still young, she'd started using masks early.
Of course, that had only been Elianna's personal anxiety.
When Elianna asked Akuto for symbiote, he told her he had plenty of ways to preserve their appearance—he simply hadn't unlocked them yet, so she didn't need to worry in the future.
Even so, Akuto still gave Elianna symbiote. Since he hadn't unlocked any "rule-breaking chess piece" method yet, giving Elianna a bit more symbiote didn't cost him anything.
After receiving Akuto's promise, Elianna stopped craving the symbiote the way she had before. She treated it more like a normal drink than some immortal elixir.
That was precisely why Lucrezia had been able to get a sample from her.
"Th-then… Lucrezia… can I try it too?" After wrestling with herself for a long time, Diana finally made up her mind, cheeks burning as she asked.
"Of course~ Witch Diana." Lucrezia smiled, sliding the cup toward her. "As witches who need to maintain our beauty, we should advance and retreat together~"
Since Lucrezia had already decided to offer herself to Akuto, she knew she wouldn't be lacking this in the future.
And she was more than happy to use it as a way to build ties with Diana.
Lucrezia had a strong feeling that, given Akuto's personality, he would want everything firmly in his own grasp.
In that case, forming a small circle ahead of time wasn't a bad idea at all.
"…I understand. Thank you."
Diana pressed her lips together and, following Lucrezia's lead, applied it to her face as well.
It really was true—women over thirty were simply built different from girls.
After that, Diana and Lucrezia ran a series of small experiments together, thoroughly confirming the symbiote's effect.
As long as it remained in close contact, it would steadily provide that vitality.
And so, when night came and Diana went to meet Akuto, she wore cute white socks trimmed with white lace, paired with white boots.
With every step, her boots made a crisp little click-click against the floor.
(End of Chapter)
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