Chapter 50: Pure Hearted God of Wisdom
Hearing that, Asuna froze for a moment. Before she could respond, they had already reached the entrance of the white castle.
Kotoko was waiting for them.
She had changed into a light pink Western style dress, a matching pink choker resting at her throat. Petite and doll like, she stood there with practiced grace, as if welcoming guests to a gala instead of inviting two Players into her home.
"Asuna Yuuki, Asagiri, please come in."
The way Kotoko said Asagiri's name so casually made a familiar sting flare in Asuna's chest.
Before Asuna could let that jealousy leak onto her face, Kotoko's eyes flicked to Asagiri's right hand. His fingers were subtly positioned, as if ready to form a gun.
Kotoko immediately understood. She turned to the maid who had led them over and smiled.
"Thank you for your hard work. You may go now."
"Yes, young lady."
Once the maid left, Kotoko looked back at them and offered a gentle, sweet smile.
"I know you can't fully trust me yet. But I can assure you, everyone in this house has been asked to leave for now. There are only the three of us. No ambushes, no tricks. Please rest easy, you and Asuna Yuuki."
"Everyone's been asked to leave, but…" Asagiri returned her smile, his tone calm. "What about the so called specters and yokai?"
Kotoko blinked, then let out a quiet laugh, as if genuinely amused.
"You've misunderstood." She waved a hand lightly. "Yes, I'm called the God of Wisdom of the yokai, and they politely call me Princess, but what I can ask of them is limited to things like delivering messages or gathering information."
She leaned her cane against her palm and continued, still smiling.
"Having them harm people? More than ninety five percent of yokai don't even have that capability. The small fraction that can is either unable to understand my words at all, pure malice that would attack even me, or they understand perfectly and still refuse any command that crosses the line."
Kotoko's gaze stayed clear and steady.
"The reason they acknowledge me as their Princess is because I uphold order between Yokai and human society. That is my duty. If I gave orders that violated that boundary, I would be unfit to lead them."
She lifted her cane and tapped her left leg. The sound was crisp, almost too neat for a room this grand.
"And besides…" She smiled, unbothered. "A physically fragile girl like me could be killed instantly at this distance by either of you. If I truly planned something, I wouldn't greet you in person, and certainly not this close."
With that, Kotoko turned, pushed open the mansion door, and made an inviting gesture.
"Please, come in."
...
Inside the living room, Asuna and Asagiri sat on the sofa while Kotoko stood by the coffee table. Black tea and delicate pastries had already been prepared, arranged with the kind of precision that screamed money.
"I'm sorry," Kotoko said. "Since I had to ask everyone to leave early, the tea may be a little cold."
"It's fine," Asuna replied quickly, still polite, still guarded.
"Good. Then let's get to business."
Kotoko skipped any further small talk. She took out her phone, opened the eye icon app, and handed it to them.
"This is the clear reward information I received."
Asuna looked at the screen.
Kotoko's clear evaluation was almost the same format as hers. The difference was the grade. Asuna had received an S plus. Kotoko had received an A minus. Even the reward list was short enough to feel insulting.
[Congratulations on receiving clear rewards: Basic Profession unlocked "Warlock", obtained Skill "Curse's Gaze", Mental Strength slightly increased]
[Warlock: A basic combat support profession that deals mental damage by consuming Mental Strength to cast skills]
[Curse's Gaze: When making eye contact with an enemy, you may activate this skill by consuming a certain amount of Mental Strength. If your Mental Strength is higher than the target's, the enemy will suffer dizziness, vomiting, or coma. The effect depends on the gap between your Mental Strength and theirs. If your Mental Strength is lower than the target's, activation fails, and you suffer a backlash equal to 50% of the skill's effect]
"This… this reward…" Asuna started, then swallowed the rest.
She wanted to say it felt worse than what Kotoko got from the beginner Dungeon, but saying it out loud would be cruel. So she forced a polite smile instead.
"Um… it suits you, at least."
"This reward is garbage."
Asuna hadn't even finished her sentence before Asagiri switched into blunt mode.
"Still, an A minus clear evaluation only deserves this level of reward."
"You're right." Kotoko didn't look offended at all. She simply nodded, smiling as if they were discussing the weather.
"It was expected. Honestly, even without me, you two could have cleared that Dungeon the same way. I didn't fight like Asuna did. So the system judging my contribution as minimal and giving me this evaluation and reward is reasonable."
She lifted her teacup with one hand and took a small sip, every motion elegant and composed.
Then she looked at Asagiri, a playful curve to her lips.
"Even so, if I show this much sincerity and you still don't trust me, my heart as a pure maiden will be deeply wounded."
Asuna couldn't hold it in.
"You? Pure maiden? Please. I've never heard of a pure maiden asking a guy to do… to do that."
"Oh?" Kotoko tilted her head, cheeks still perfectly calm, still perfectly cute. "You mean that silly 'growth' theory I mentioned?"
Asuna's face heated instantly.
Kotoko continued without the slightest embarrassment, voice bright and confident.
"I wasn't asking just anyone. I specifically requested Asagiri. Isn't that purity in its own way?"
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