Isadora, while she had her own mess to deal with—repairing the Academy, which was going to cost a ridiculous amount—suddenly felt something.
A presence… an unfamiliar one.
No, a strong one. Something completely foreign yet overwhelmingly powerful within the Empire.
A presence unlike anything she had ever encountered before.
Dora frowned, wondering if she was just being paranoid. Maybe it was Master’s death weighing on her mind, making her overly cautious. But then, another eerie sensation washed over her… a second disturbance. It felt wrong—no, as if something was fundamentally broken in the Empire itself.
Her instincts screamed at her, and without a second thought, she immediately set off to track down the source of the anomaly. When she finally arrived… her breath hitched.
Reality itself was fractured, split open like shattered glass, and from within those cracks, massive metallic chains slithered out like living creatures.
But what truly made her blood run cold wasn’t just the chains—it was the fact that they weren’t moving.
No, they were frozen. As if time itself had halted them mid-motion. They writhed in midair like serpents locked in a twisted, still frame, all pointing toward a single focal point before being forcibly frozen.
At the center of it all, standing amidst the chaos, were two figures.
“Maelona?” Dora whispered, her eyes widening in disbelief.
The butterfly-like woman writhed, her delicate one wing fluttering frantically as she let out ear-piercing screeches, struggling to free herself from the chains constricting her.
But Maelona wasn’t the only one caught.
“Aether?” Dora’s voice was laced with confusion as her gaze flickered to him. He, too, was unmoving.
Completely still. His expression frozen mid-thought, as if caught in the middle of a reaction before everything had stopped.
Her frown deepened. Something wasn’t right. Just then—
“Hmmfff!!”
A muffled cry snapped her out of her thoughts.
Dora whipped around, and her stomach twisted at what she saw next.
Aria.
And the others.
All of them were bound in chains, completely immobilized. The metallic bindings coiled around their bodies like vines, wrapping them up so tightly they looked like human-sized gifts, their limbs locked in place.
Only Aria’s eyes, barely visible through a tiny gap in the chains, flickered with urgency.
“What the hell happened here?” Dora demanded, stepping forward as she instinctively reached for the chains wrapping around Aria. With a grunt, she tried to rip them apart—
“Hmm?” Dora’s brow furrowed as she tried again, this time applying more strength. But the chains didn’t even budge. No matter how much force she used, they wouldn’t break. It was as if they didn’t exist within the same reality as her.
Her frustration grew as she glared at them, then shifted her gaze to Aria, who was still watching her.
That was when Dora noticed something.
Aria’s eyes moved—not wildly, not panicked, but with intent.
She was signaling.
Her gaze flicked towards Maelona.
“Hmmm…ffff…..”
Dora narrowed her eyes. “What? What are you trying to tell me?” She followed Aria’s gaze. “Maelona? What about her?”
“Hmmff!”
Dora blinked, feeling more confused. “I don’t get it… You want me to do something about Maelona?”
“Hmmmmffffff!!!!”
Dora sighed, rubbing her temple. “What? Cut the chains? I already tried that. It’s not working.”
“Hmmfff!!!”
Aria’s eyes sharpened, urging her to look closer.
Dora exhaled through her nose, folding her arms. “Sigh, wha—” Just then, something drifted down from above, catching her eye.
Thud!
A delicate, feathered wing fell softly to the ground.
Dora’s head snapped up.
Maelona…
She only had one wing left.
Dora’s gaze flickered back to Aria, her expression sharpening as if she understood something!
“Cut that?” she asked, her tone shifting into one of realization.
“Hmm!!” Aria’s pupils moved up and down rapidly, her way of nodding.
Dora exhaled sharply, flexing her fingers.
“Alright… let’s see if this works.”
In a mere second—
Slcccckkkkk!
A razor-sharp wave of pressurized air sliced through Maelona’s remaining wing.
The reaction was instant.
The chains that had bound everyone immediately unraveled, dissolving into black smoke as if they had never existed.
Dora instinctively caught Maelona as the woman’s body went limp, completely unconscious.
She barely had time to process what had just happened before turning around and seeing the others were to removed from the chains, gasping for air. Their bodies trembled as they sucked in deep breaths, as if they had been suffocating the entire time.
Even Aether turned normal as he looked disoriented, his movements sluggish as he blinked at the now-mended cracks in reality.
Dora let out a heavy breath, her mind still reeling from the sheer absurdity of the situation.
“What the fuck just happened here?” she muttered under her breath.
Aether, still catching his breath, glanced over before stepping toward Maelona, concern flashing across his face. “She alright?” he asked, kneeling beside her as he checked her pulse.
Aria wasted no time rushing over, scooping Maelona into her arms. “Mom? Mom!” Her voice was soft yet laced with urgency as she gently patted her mother’s pale cheeks.
But Maelona remained unresponsive, her face devoid of color.
Aria’s breath hitched. “A-Aether… she’s not waking up,” she murmured, a sliver of fear creeping into her voice.
Aether ran a hand through his hair, his exhaustion settling in. Too much had happened in too short a time. His mind was struggling to catch up. “Just… wait,” he finally muttered. “She might have pushed herself too far. She just needs a little rest.”
With a sigh, he pulled out a towel from storage, spreading it on the ground before he, too, sank down, his body feeling unnaturally heavy. His chest rose and fell with deep breaths. He was tired—no, beyond tired.
Even when he fought Master, he hadn’t been this drained.
But this…
This was something else entirely.
Aria swallowed hard, then nodded. She carefully laid Maelona down, grabbing a healing potion and pouring a few drops onto her mother’s bleeding wrist before shifting her attention back to Aether.
Her expression darkened.
“Everything,” Aria finally spoke, her voice firm. She locked eyes with him. “I want to know everything that happened.”
The others remained silent, watching Aether closely. They, too, were just as lost.
Aether exhaled through his nose, running his hand down his face before groaning.
“Well,” he finally said, shaking his head, “what else can I say? She got bitten by the monster and….”
And just like that, the story spilled out.
Since these were his women, and most of them already had an idea of what was going on, he told them everything—well, almost everything.
Some details ‘Teasing, Perverted moments, almost kissing’… were meant to be kept secret.
Some things, after all, were better left unsaid.
Hearing those details…
Everyone looked at him with a weird, almost comically confused expression… as if trying to process something absolutely ridiculous.
“Are you alright?” Dora asked, her voice filled with concern as she studied Aether carefully, unsure whether he was joking or had simply lost his mind.
Aether’s lips twitched.
Of course, no one would believe something as absurd as someone getting pregnant just by drinking another person’s nectar! That was beyond bizarre—even by fantasy world standards!
“Aether… you’re kidding, right?” Aria asked, her tone laced with hesitation, as if she feared hearing the actual answer. Her face twisted with an odd mix of dread and disbelief, like she was genuinely worried about what he might say next.
Aether let out a deep sigh, clearly exhausted with the whole situation. His gaze fell on Aria’s hand, which was still pitch black, “If you don’t believe me… then heal that,” he said, nodding toward her darkened hand.
Aria blinked in confusion before finally noticing the pain still lingering in her fingers. Without hesitation, she grabbed a healing potion and drank it, expecting the usual soothing relief. But—nothing happened. The darkness remained.
Aether smiled knowingly. “Now try this one,” he said, handing her a different potion, this one a pure white.
Dora and Thalia watched the exchange closely, their cheeks turning noticeably red…
Thalia, in particular, looked extremely flustered, her fingers twitching as she hesitated before speaking. “I-I just… I cannot believe you actually store those… things…” Her face scrunched up in embarrassment as she swallowed hard, barely able to get the words out. “Yeack…” She gagged slightly, as if she was about to vomit at the very thought.
Liora, on the other hand, blinked in absolute shock.
‘So all this time… she took more of him than I did?!’ The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Her mouth hung open slightly as she processed the betrayal. ‘Unbelievable… My husband’s precious nectar… taken by Maelona?!’
That was beyond disgraceful! Completely unacceptable!!
Her fingers clenched into fists as a fierce determination burned inside her. There was no way she would let this slide. If Maelona had taken that much of Aether’s essence, then Liora was going to take the same amount—directly! No hesitation!
She absolutely would not lose in terms of quantity!!
Everyone should be treated equally!!
Meanwhile, Thalia hesitated for only a moment before clearing her throat and turning to Aether. “Anyway… Can you give me one bottle? I, uh, need to check something,” she asked, her tone surprisingly casual, as if she hadn’t just requested something utterly shameless.
Everyone in the group turned to stare at her in dead silence, their expressions completely blank.
Thalia felt the weight of their gazes, her face growing even redder as she coughed awkwardly into her hand.
Aria, choosing to ignore the awkwardness, let out a deep sigh before drinking the white potion Aether had given her. Almost immediately, the darkness coating her hand faded away, her skin returning to normal before everyone’s eyes.
They were momentarily stunned and—
“Wait… it actually worked?” Dora muttered, stunned.
“Now give it to her too,” Aether instructed, handing Aria another bottle.
Without hesitation, Aria nodded and carefully poured the liquid into her mother’s mouth. Maelona was still unconscious, her body unmoving, but as the potion slid down her throat…
Something changed.
Her pale complexion started to regain color, her lifeless features softening into something far more peaceful. Then—
“!!!”
Everyone flinched when Maelona’s eyes snapped open, glowing a vivid red.
Instantly, the group tensed, their bodies stiff with alertness.
‘Is she still not fully conscious?’ Aether wondered, his muscles already preparing for another potential fight. His body felt heavy, exhausted… but he wasn’t going to lower his guard just yet.
Then, out of nowhere—
Maelona coughed.
“Cough, Cough!”
Her entire body shuddered as she coughed again—violently this time.
“COUGH, COUGH!”
“Mom?!” Aria gasped, reaching out to help, but before she could—
Maelona’s mouth opened wide, and from between her lips… a small, delicate creature emerged.
A beautiful, tiny butterfly.
The glowing little being flitted into the air, its wings shimmering softly as it hovered curiously around the group.
Maelona gasped deeply, as if something had been stuck in her throat this entire time. Aria immediately reached for her, steadying her weak form.
“Mom, are you alrig—”
“Papa~”
The innocent, childlike voice rang through the silence.
Every single person went rigid.
Slowly, every pair of eyes turned toward Aether, their gazes filled with horror, disbelief, and—more than anything—accusation.
Aether blinked, feeling an intense sense of foreboding. His face twitched slightly as he raised both hands defensively. “I… I swear, I didn’t do anything!”
Even though he had already explained everything before, why was everyone shocked?… Well, that’s a normal response but… why did it feel like every time something this thing, now tiny, appeared and called him “Papa,” his guilt only deepened?!
He didn’t do anything!
And yet, for some reason, everyone was looking at him like he had just committed an unforgivable crime!
Why?!
He wasn’t even sure why he felt that way… especially when he knew he hadn’t done anything!
Yet, everyone was blaming him, even though he truly hadn’t done a single thing!
He hated that!
Maybe he didn’t do it directly… so that’s why he felt guilty?
Maybe… or maybe not!
Who knows~ Hehe~