In the Black Palace’s veranda,
Gulp…
“Hmmm…”
Aether was slightly taken aback, watching the old man, Drakhairs, down an entire massive jug of wine in a single gulp.
It wasn’t just a cup—it looked like at least 10 litres vanishing in an instant!
“You don’t like to drink, Sir?” Drakhairs asked, wiping his lower lip, catching the last few drops of wine before turning his sharp gaze toward Aether.
His tone was casual, but there was respect behind his words.
Aether hadn’t touched his own wine, which in many ways was considered discourteous. It was as if he, an Emperor, was refusing to drink alongside someone of lower status or something like that.
But only Aether knew why he wasn’t drinking that shit!
“Well…” Aether’s eyes flickered toward the deep red, mesmerizing wine.
He swallowed dryly as if some part of him wanted to taste it. Just to be absolutely sure, he asked inwardly, ‘Hey Log, since I’m immune to any kind of poison, doesn’t that mean I should be immune to alcohol too?’
[…]
‘Come on, Log! Say something!’
[… Is alcohol really considered a poison?]
‘Well, duh! It gets absorbed into the bloodstream, travels through the stomach, and directly affects the neuro—’
[I didn’t ask for a damn explanation!! 😒]
‘Then what the hell are you asking?!’ Aether frowned inwardly.
[Sigh… Simply put, alcohol is not poison—]
‘What? Are you kidding me? Alcohol is definitely a poison!’
[Sigh… Let me finish. I don’t get why you’re still stuck on this belief when you’re in a world where unbelievable things happen on a daily basis.
Can’t you see? This world is filled with magic, creatures beyond human understanding, and yet you think alcohol, something widely consumed by millions, is a poison? Even the Archpriestess drinks it!! 🤨]
Aether blinked. ‘Yeah…’ he muttered inwardly, realizing Log had a point.
He was in a world where the impossible happened at every turn, yet here he was, clinging to some scientific explanation from his past knowledge, ‘Tsk, it’s all because of that damn slime! I was almost happy when I got the poison immunity skill, damn it!’ he cursed in his thoughts.
“Sir?” Drakhairs frowned, noticing that Aether had been silent for a few seconds, lost in thought.
Aether inhaled deeply before letting out a soft sigh. Then, with a polite smile, he finally spoke, “You know… I’m just not really into this kind of stuff… so I’ll pass.”
Drakhairs raised an eyebrow but nodded in understanding. “I see… You’re still young. In some races, they aren’t allowed to drink because it can be harmful to their bodies.”
Aether’s lips twitched at that. ‘Oi! Log! What the hell does he mean now? Harmful? Then isn’t that technically poison?!’
[… Look, if you don’t believe me, just test it out yourself… 🤷]
Aether was still sceptical about Log’s words. He felt like the damn thing was messing with him on purpose.
He glanced at the wine again before sighing… He couldn’t afford to test this right now!
He had way too much on his plate, and the last thing he needed was to screw something up.
“Anyway… Sir, I must say, I didn’t expect you to be this young… and yet, you carry an aura of power that few can even dream of attaining at such an age,” Drakhairs remarked, his eyes studying Aether’s features as if memorizing every detail.
Aether let out a small chuckle. He wasn’t the type to get all giddy over compliments… Believe him!
“You can drink as much as you want, Drakhairs,” Aether said with a knowing smile.
… Believe him!
Drakhairs chuckled in amusement. “So, this is the real you…” His tone carried a trace of intrigue, as if he had just uncovered something interesting… Aaaannnddddd just like that, he launched into a long-winded story about his past.
‘Wait… I didn’t come here to listen to this old man ramble about his life!’ Aether internally groaned as Drakhairs dove into what seemed like an entire autobiography.
All Aether wanted to know was why Drakhairs hadn’t tried to steal the throne.
Yet—
“You see… Back in my youth, I soared through the skies, fought every kind of monster imaginable, and proved my worth to my family. Those fools blindly followed the Emperor without question, but not me… No, I followed my heart, my own path…” Drakhairs continued, his voice carrying the weight of years of experience.
Aether’s eyelids grew heavy.
He hadn’t gotten a proper rest since returning to this timeline, and now, listening to this long-winded tale… exhaustion was starting to take over.
‘Fuck… this is going to take a while… This is why people say old men are dangerous,’ Aether thought as he struggled to hold back a yawn.
…
While the veranda was filled with the sound of murmurs and occasional snores? another scene was unfolding elsewhere in the same palace…
“So… you’re saying she’s the next one?”
“Hmm…”
“Really?!!”
“Hmm… Hmm…”
“Tsk, I still can’t believe that perverted bastard actually managed to seduce this woman!”
“Hmph! That’s my husband!”
“… I’m not sure if you should be proud of that, big sis!!”
“Hmph! I’m proud of whatever my husband does! He’s mine, and that’s all that matters!”
“Arghhh! Mom! You really need to teach her some sense… she’s thinking like a total fool, only blindly believing in her husband!”
And yet—
“Oh… so, my son-in-law managed to not only get a woman but an Empress from another empire who possesses a blank Arcane Card, and she killed two Chosen Ones!… Aren’t my son-in-law just the absolute best?”
“Hmm… Hmm… No, Mom…”
“??”
“He’s the best among the best!! HMPH!”
“…..”
“Arrghhh…”
Sandra, who had been lying peacefully on the bed, let out a soft groan, irritated by the constant murmuring that disturbed her sleep. Her eyelids fluttered before slowly opening, and the first thing her eyes fell on were three figures sitting beside her, all of them staring at her with such intense curiosity.
“She’s waking up,” Thalia said, her voice filled with excitement, and her eyes practically sparkling with fangirl-like admiration.
“Yeah,” Raven muttered, though her expression was a mixture of annoyance and indifference.
“H-Hello?” Emberlyn awkwardly waved her hand, unsure how to react to the woman Aether had brought here.
“Where… am I?” Sandra asked, her voice still groggy. She slowly lifted her body up, but Thalia was there instantly, helping her with the utmost care, which made Emberlyn and Raven’s lips twitch!
“You’re in the palace…” Thalia said with a playful, teasing smirk. “The Dragon Emperor’s Palace.”
“Dragon Emperor?” Sandra frowned, trying to collect her scattered thoughts as the memories began to resurface.
“Yes, Victor,” Thalia confirmed, nodding.
Sandra’s face immediately turned grim as the weight of the situation hit her all at once. ‘My daughter!!’ she thought urgently, before quickly trying to move and get up.
But—
“Are you planning to run away again?” Raven’s calm voice stopped her in her tracks, and when Sandra looked over, she met Raven’s unwavering gaze, “How long do you plan on running? Even after everything he’s done for you?”
“I never asked anyone to do anything for me!” Sandra snapped, her tone sharp with irritation. She scoffed, her voice dripping with contempt. “And certainly not from a rotten bastard who betrayed me!”
“…”
Raven remained silent for a moment, her eyes cold as they locked onto Sandra’s. Then, in a soft but lethal whisper, she finally spoke again.
“Aren’t you the one who betrayed him, though?”
“Huh?”
Raven leaned in closer, almost to the point where their faces were inches apart. Her eyes glinted with intensity as she spoke,
“If he betrayed you… then what do you call what you did to him? Because as far as I can see, you’ve betrayed him not once, but many times.”
Thalia, who had been pacing nervously, her hands wringing in an attempt to calm the growing hostility, wanted to say something, to make things right, but the words refused to leave her lips.
Sandra’s brows furrowed in confusion and anger. “What the hell are you talking about, woman? You don’t know anything! Nothing about—”
“Yeah, I know nothing about your past relationship,” Raven interrupted, her voice icy,
“But I do know one thing—he loves you.
He’s risked his life more times than you can count for you…. And he never betrayed you, not once. You’re just trying to justify your own actions, trying to make excuses for yourself, bitch!”
“OH MY GOD! What the hell are you saying, Raven?!!” Thalia gasped, her face pale with horror. She couldn’t believe that Raven was speaking like this to Sandra, her idol, the woman she admired!
Emberlyn, standing quietly to the side, kept her thoughts to herself. She knew better than to interfere. After all, this was a battle between two women who loved the same man.
Sandra’s face hardened, her expression turning colder with every passing second. The temperature in the room seemed to drop as her entire body stiffened with barely contained fury. Yet, Raven didn’t back away. She leaned in even closer, her indifferent gaze never leaving Sandra’s face.
“What was it you said before?” Raven asked, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.
“That you would make him forget about us with your pussy?
Hah… Bitch, if that’s all he wanted, there are countless women out there who are better than us… with better pussy? I suppose.. haha…. He could have any woman he wanted, hell, he could’ve had an entire Empire, The women here wouldn’t mind sleeping with him!!
Yet… instead, he risked his life for you…. One pussy?
If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was the dumbest deal I’ve ever seen, even as a woman myself.”
Sandra’s jaw clenched tightly, her body trembling with rage, veins bulging on her neck. It was as if she was mere moments away from snapping Raven’s neck right there.
The tension in the room escalates like a storm.
Meanwhile, at the veranda…
“And that’s how it all went, Sir,” Drakhairs said with a nostalgic smile, his tone soft, as if reminiscing about old memories. But then, he suddenly noticed something that made his smile falter.
“…Sir?”
Drakhairs stared, noticing that Aether was still sitting there, completely blank, eyes wide open yet utterly lifeless.
“SIR?!”
Snap!
Aether blinked, his expression quickly shifting to one of shock, but only for a second. “O-Oh? Yeah… That was… really good… I-I don’t even know what to say… It’s just… too much,” he stammered, his voice almost breaking. His eyes turned teary, but internally, he was already screaming, ‘Fuck, I slept!’
He knew that no matter how tired he was, he could always keep his eyes open and pretend to listen.
Practice truly made perfect!
“Anyway, let’s mov—”
“Haha! Where are you going?” Drakhairs suddenly burst out with laughter, eyes twinkling with mischief. “I haven’t even told you the remaining 4000 years of my adventures!”
“….”
Aether’s face turned a shade paler.
His internal scream echoed louder than ever. ‘NNNOOOOOOO!!!!’
It was on this very day… that Aether learned a valuable lesson—
No matter what…
Never…. Ever!!!
Ask an old man about his life.
Because everything comes at a price!