Firefly Meringue. A mysterious fruit that permanently improves constitution and mental strength, and reconstructs the body.
The moment she took a bite, Ardein realized she had made a fatal mistake.
‘This wasn’t the time to eat this.’
When her own body had reached its limit.
When a point had come where further training could no longer bring improvement.
When the so-called “wall” stood before her, that was when this treasure was meant to be consumed. It was the fruit’s true value—to transcend one’s limits when they had reached them.
Though she felt a sense of loss for consuming such a precious thing now, the benefits were undeniable. The magical circuits engraved in her body were reconstructed more efficiently, and the speed at which she could draw in surrounding magical power increased. Her body was reshaped closer to a perfected state, her bones grew stronger, and her physical strength increased. Her appearance became more beautiful, and her figure more pronounced.
‘An incredible fruit. Even if its effect is only once, permanently improving constitution and talent… It far surpasses any elixir I know. To think something like this could be mass-produced.’
The princess’s gaze remained fixed on the golden tree. She wanted to uproot it and transplant it to the imperial palace’s backyard.
The possibilities with that fruit were endless, and just thinking about them brought her joy.
Simply selling the qualifications to consume the fruit for money would bring in a fortune. And that was just the simplest way to use it.
As a former power player who knew well the importance of wealth and power, Ardein happily imagined various ways to utilize the Firefly Meringue. She could reward loyalists of the imperial family to strengthen their loyalty, or use it to negotiate with high nobles seeking to enhance their own martial prowess.
Alternatively, she could use it as bait to gather her own forces. If she could mass-produce this fruit, she could instantly create an elite army far stronger than any ordinary force. Just selecting a thousand people to consume the fruit would easily form a special forces unit.
Her soaring imagination soon came to a halt, as Kyle called out to her.
The reason was simple. He didn’t know what awaited them at Layton’s mansion.
If what was there was truly the Death God, then aside from Ardein, there was no one qualified to face it. After all, gods weren’t meant to be fought by humans.
Only a master like Ardein, or heroes of similar caliber, had the qualifications to battle a god. Lesser beings would simply be swept away by the god’s power and perish.
“So, you’re saying what’s there is presumed to be the Death God.”
The princess’s mind raced once more.
She nodded in response to Kyle’s request, though her own calculations were at play.
What was the Death God? It was the greatest enemy of the temple. While the Church Country and the temple wielded immense power, they had a weakness—they always had to prioritize doctrine.
If she could present evidence of the Death God’s appearance before the temple, they wouldn’t have time to meddle in imperial politics. They wouldn’t even have the energy to interfere with Ardein’s plans.
All political claims would be halted, not even reaching the pope or his bishops.
The Death God. The very existence their deity most feared had been born anew. The temple’s internal factions would tear into anyone who dared bring up secular matters now.
Are you out of your mind? The goddess desires the Death God’s subjugation, and you bring up other matters at this time? Are you a heretic?
Thus, if the Death God’s existence was confirmed, the temple’s political offensive against her would be delayed for a long time. At least for the time being, they would have to focus on the Death God’s subjugation.
‘If I can just secure evidence, I can divert the temple’s attention from me… from the empire.’
Of course, even she didn’t truly wish for the Death God to have appeared on this land.
Gods were unpredictable beings. The Death God, twisted from its very origin, was no exception. Whether it would bring fortune or calamity was all too clear. The Death God was a disaster.
While she could reap some benefits from it, the gains would be negligible compared to the losses. The princess didn’t wish for the empire to descend further into chaos.
But if the Death God had truly appeared, she would have to steer the situation in a beneficial direction. Opportunities always arise from crises.
*
The vampires, for the first time in their lives, enjoyed the sunlight. Some even stripped off their shirts to bask in it, which was still relatively modest.
Others stripped completely, reveling in the sunlight. It wasn’t noon, nor summer, and though the spring air was thick, the morning breeze was still chilly.
The sunlight wasn’t strong enough to be enjoyable, yet they spread their arms and soaked it in. Some lay on the ground, limbs spread, shivering from the cold but still enjoying the light.
Roka, who had just woken up, looked at the scene in confusion and shook her head vigorously. She must have thought she was still dreaming.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Ah, Master!”
Seeing me, the child’s tail perked up. Roka looked around in bewilderment, then got up and walked over to me. She hugged me tightly, and I hugged her back.
“I’m glad you’re safe. Really.”
“Master, I won. I defeated the woman who tried to capture me.”
Roka clenched her fist with a confidence far greater than before.
The child’s eyes sparkled as she recounted her tale of valor. But her fist was trembling.
The first kill was like a scar that never fades. You could create countless other wounds to make that one scar seem less significant. But a scar that’s already formed will never heal.
“…That’s how I turned her into ashes. Just by touching the light, that’s what happened.”
There was no point in judging right or wrong. It wasn’t as if Roka being captured by Lady Kamira would have been a better outcome.
In the end, people must live with their wounds. If you don’t want that, you must leave the world and live in seclusion, foraging for herbs. But such people are rare.
Sometimes betrayed, sometimes frustrated, people live on, bumping into each other while carrying their wounds.
It’s also people who can soothe the wounds left by others.
The Lord takes care of me, and He takes away my wounds. That’s the privilege I have as a priest, and the reason I have the duty to erase others’ wounds. But Roka is different.
I just hope I can sufficiently soothe this child’s wounds.
“Roka. You just woke up, so rest here. I’ll go with the princess to Mr. Layton’s mansion for a while. I don’t know what I’ll see there, but it won’t be good.”
“You’re leaving me behind?”
“There might be something very dangerous waiting for us there. I…”
The child stared at me intently.
She didn’t wait for me to finish. Roka firmly replied.
“Master. I learned one thing from fighting.”
Roka didn’t let go of me.
Instead, she wrapped her tail around my leg, blocking my escape.
“If you run away, you’ll just keep falling back. Once you take a step back, you can never return to where you were. I won’t do that anymore.”
So what could I say?
Her eyes already held a resolute determination.
“It hasn’t been long since we met, and you’ve already grown up.”
I just patted her head affectionately.
“Our Roka has grown up. Alright, if that’s your wish, let’s go together.”
Perhaps I had been unconsciously thinking of Roka as a “child.”
The child had grown faster than expected, her spirit already that of an adult.
Though I still needed to stand behind her as her protector, it was time to respect her wishes. Not as a child, but as an independent adult.
‘Even if the Death God is truly waiting there, I can manage once.’
I definitely couldn’t do it twice, but once should be enough.
I still had one chance left to use the Milky Way Blooming Night.
Thinking of the other Death God I had met, Atorize, the Blood God, even if the opponent was a Death God, it should work.
A mortal who surpassed the Death God. A miracle that had dealt a fatal blow to the Primal Demon King.
