Spell Scroll: Condition Type
This spell was unique and unlike any other; it activated under certain predefined conditions.
Once Aether tore the scroll, it cast a condition upon him that caused his lungs to cease moving.
That was all!
The rest was up to Aqualina.
If she didn’t care for Aether, he would die… But if she did, she would need to perform CPR as soon as possible.
CPR? Just for that?
Yes. Up until now, Aether had never been allowed to touch her without explicit permission.
He wanted her to touch him….willingly.
He wanted her to touch a slave’s lips.
He wanted the haughty and arrogant princess to touch his lips!
As the princess of the Empire, she would not do this for a mere slave….. But what if the slave became more than just a slave to her…. a friend, a companion, a trustworthy man.. a crush… a love? Then what would she do?
Leave him to protect her purity, or embrace him fully?
And the answer was clear….
[+5000 Affection]
“Ba… Dump, Ba… Dump, Ba… Dump”
“Cough, Cough”
Aether slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurry at first. But then he saw her….. a beautiful purple-haired girl looking at him with a tenderness that made his heartache.
It was as if he were her entire world!
‘S-Success…’ Aether thought, relief and triumph washing over him as his lips curled up into a smile.
Seeing Aether’s smile, Aqualina, her face soft and tender, leaned closer and asked, “What are you smiling at, idiot?”
“Y-you look beautiful even in afterli—cough, cough,” Aether managed to say between real coughs, his body still weak from the ordeal.
He had almost died for her!
“N-no need to talk now! And this is not Afterlife!! We are still in the academy… You are still with me!” Aqualina said with a serious voice, her hands gently rubbing his throat with a concern she had never shown before.
The sight of her worried expression was both touching and surprising.
‘Look at that… Now she has really changed…’ Aether thought, inwardly amused. His hand travelled towards her face but halted just as he was about to retract it when Aqualina leaned her face into his gentle touch.
‘Got the puppy!’
Aether’s expression softened with surprise as he gently rubbed her teary eyes, “Did you cry?” he asked, his voice filled with genuine concern and a pained expression.
He truly felt pained….. He knew he had pushed this girl too much for his own goals.
In the end, he was also a human who wanted love from others, and seeing her in pain caused him distress.
It was a conflicting feeling!
“No…” Aqualina replied, but her lips trembled.
She could still vividly remember his motionless body, the haunting images almost like a relentless nightmare….. But there was no way she would show her weak self before the man who had almost sacrificed everything for her.
Seeing her maintain her pride, Aether smiled.
He was really glad he hadn’t broken her spirit too much.
He still liked that untouchable attitude and was relieved to see she was doing great….. Her strength and resilience were part of what made her so captivating to him…. just like her mother.
“You are bleeding…” Aether said, shocked to see her broken, bleeding hand. He immediately lifted his body and took her hand, examining it with a shocked face, “What happened?”
He was sure he had placed a weak stone.
But in truth, she wasn’t in great shape to begin with, and he had miscalculated her physical state.
“It’s fine…” Aqualina said warmly, seeing him still worried about her rather than himself. She couldn’t ask for a better man than this.
She touched his hands gently and said, “Let’s go… We need to treat you.”
Aether nodded and glanced at his list of notifications,
!~Ding~!
[Survival rate: 19.4%↑ ]
!~Ding~!
[Congratulations on Completing the Mission: Seduce Aqualina Naiadia]
!~Ding~!
[Reward: 50,000 Affection Points]
Aether frowned and looked at his mission tab. The word ‘Save’ was blinking faster than ever, urging him to take action…..
…..sssssss
Chucckk
Aqualina’s eyes widened in shock when she saw Aether’s shoulder pierced by a sharp, bullet-like object.
Blood began to seep from the wound, staining his clothes. Aether gritted his teeth in pain before glaring back, trying to locate the perpetrator. However, before he could pinpoint the source, another attack came.
…..ssssss
Aether clicked his tongue in frustration, immediately moving Aqualina to the side while dodging the incoming bullets…. He could hear the distinct whistling sound of more bullets slicing through the air.
…..ssssss
…..ssssss
…..ssssss
Thanks to his heightened senses and his Freedom Skill, Aether was able to sense his surroundings. Without it, he would never have detected the first bullet in time. He quickly hid behind a cluster of trees, scanning the area with heightened alertness.
Suddenly,
“Arrrhh!!” Aether groaned in pain when Aqualina touched his wounded shoulder. “A-Aethe—” she began, but before she could finish, another bullet whizzed past, almost piercing her head. Aether immediately pulled her down, saving her from a fatal blow.
Gritting his teeth, Aether realized having Aqualina by his side was only a drawback in this situation. He quickly pulled out the spell scroll that Delphine had given him, ‘I never thought I would be using this!’ he thought before placing it on Aqualina.
“I am sorry,” he said, and within seconds, she vanished.
The spell scroll worked even though there was no Arcane energy around them but Neither Aqualina nor Aether cared about it.
Aqualina suddenly found herself standing somewhere far away….. alone, “W-What happened?” Aqualina frowned, not understanding what had just transpired. She couldn’t see Aether anywhere. A sense of dread passed through her heart. ‘D-Did he….’
Meanwhile,
“Tsk, due to the lack of Arcane presence, the bullets aren’t even blasting anymore,” a hooded figure mumbled, focusing its sniping gun on the tree and shooting another bullet.
‘To think that slave would interrupt my master’s plan again… Sigh, I have no choice but to handle the situation myself,’ the hooded figure thought, loading another bullet and taking aim.
“If not for that damn slave, she would hav—”
“Would have?”
The hooded figure froze upon hearing Aether’s voice and just as it began to turn around, Aether kicked it hard.
“Motherfucker!!” Aether shouted, and before the hooded figure could collect its thoughts, Aether delivered an uppercut followed by a punch to the stomach.
Thud
Bam
There was no mercy as Aether continued to assault the hooded figure relentlessly.
“You are the one who almost killed my friends and now… you even went for Aqualina?” Aether demanded as he pulled off the hood, revealing the face beneath. Aether’s eyes widened in shock as he mumbled, “Jack… Sparrow?”
Jack Sparrow’s puppet chuckled before saying, “Yes, yours truly, Jac—PUFFFF!”
“Fuck off!” Aether, even more enraged, punched Jack with all his might.
He wasn’t sure how this man was even alive, but now was not the time for chit-chat. He needed to settle the old score.
Jack was flabbergasted by Aether’s relentless attack. ‘H-he has grown a lot…’ he thought as he tried to shield his face. However, Aether continued to focus his attacks on Jack’s face, which was irritating him immensely.
Grabbing Jack’s hair, Aether demanded, “Why did you come after Selene and Lia?”
Aether knew Jack was involved in some cult called Arcane Hunter, so coming after Aqualina made sense.
But why target Selene and Lia, who had no connection to the Arcane?
Jack, his face bloodied, smiled. “You really are amusing, slave… You could ask me anything you want but… ” Then his expression turned haughty as he said, “…. I didn’t come here alone.”
…..ssssssss.
Cchkkkkk.