To Illyna, Perserque was familiar, yet odd in some ways. Due to her injuries, Perserque had spent the last few days either sitting on a bed or moving around in a wheelchair crafted by Davey.
"A human... No, a demon can be that beautiful…? No wonder there are legends about succubuses."
Illyna was well aware of her own beauty. Not out of vanity, but rather she accurately gauged others' perceptions of her. Illyna was one of the six continental beauties. With the youngest princess of the Lyndis Empire quickly rising to the status of a continental beauty, the count had increased to six. So there were quite a few so-called 'national treasures' on the continent, to borrow Davey's words. Rumors even circulated that Illyna herself occupied one of these six spots, so she had quite a bit of confidence in her appearance.
"She is genuinely beautiful...."
In all her life, Illyna had never felt inferior in terms of her physical appearance, but the beauty of the demon named Perserque was so intense that it led to an unexpected bout of petulance. Whether adorned with horns or not, Perserque's appearance had an allure that seemed to draw people in. She was the Demon Lord who had fought against the Sword God three thousand years ago, a close friend of her sword Caldeiras, and then, it seemed, a woman Davey was interested in.
Her elegant demeanor was lightly tinged with mischief, her faint smile irresistible, and on top of that, her captivating silver hair and red eyes. She seemed like an artwork sculpted with divine dedication. Illyna knew well that this was not just an image born out of Davey's imagination; she had once seen Perserque's spirit in a vampire's hideout. That spirit closely resembled her current form.
Illyna had been aware of Perserque's existence for some time. She knew that Perserque was growing fond of Davey as they spent time together. However, upon finally seeing Perserque in person, it was almost startling how hard it was to look away. Illyna had heard about the struggles Perserque had been through. She had also heard that before becoming the Demon Lord, Perserque had been the most cherished person to the Sword God, Ares. So, Illyna should have been glad that Perserque was doing well.
But why was she feeling slightly conflicted about Davey getting along with Perserque? She should have been happy for the good news, but strangely enough, she felt as though she was losing her friend, Davey, to Perserque.
"Friendship is about empathy, not possession...."
Illyna left a note for Davey stating that she would be returning to the Pallan Empire. Dismissing her feelings as a product of fatigue, she took her leave. She then reached out to the person who had helped her the most when she was full of worries.
"Sage Hellison... It's Illyna."
"Ah, the Princess has come to this old man again."
"Please, just like usual... Sage." At her weak mumbling, the elderly man across the crystal ball looked at her, surprised.
"Hm, you seem troubled. What's wrong?"
"Just... nothing really. I'm just feeling a bit confused." With a calm smile, she asked a question, "You helped directly in the war?"
"Ha, what's the use of an old man cooped up in his room? I should help whenever I can."
"I see."
"Tell me what's going on," Helison asked with the kind smile of a grandfather.
Illyna sighed before finally opening her mouth.
"It's about someone else's story. Not mine, really. It's just something I heard, seriously." She then explained the situation, insisting that it was not about her several times.
Listening to her story silently was the prestigious great sage of the continent, Hellison Valestia, who looked at her like a grandparent watching a grandchild's cute behaviors.
"You've grown so much since you were a child."
Listening to his calm words, Illyna was confused and shook her head. She asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"It means you've fallen for the prince. And what you're feeling toward the lady, is a feeling anyone would naturally have. It's called jealousy."
"No, I said the story is not about me!"
Hellison Valestia only chuckled at Illyna's blushing and her flustered denial.
"Okay, okay. Let's say it's not about you. Yes,"
"Really... Are you going to keep going on like this, Sage?"
"So, what do you want to do?"
"I... I don't know."
"The emotions and desires are natural. It's normal to feel jealous when you like someone. I was even worried because you seemed to have no interest in men at all. Haha!" With a laugh, Helison casually implied that the story was about Illyina herself. At this, Illyina could only sigh, having lost the energy to respond.
"Jealousy... What a ridiculous thing to say."
It was unthinkable. What could she possibly be lacking to make her like that psychopath? She had wanted to protect him because he seemed vulnerable in her eyes, and because he was an important friend. It also angered her that while he protected many people, no one was there to protect him. It made her wonder why no one understood him, even though he invested so much effort in others. These were the thoughts she was trying to rationalize.
"Now, let me ask you something. If, as you say, it's truly good that Davey and Perserque like each other, why can't you even relay a single word of congratulations to Prince Davey?"
"That's because..."
"You couldn't do it, could you? You felt that if you congratulated him, he would drift further away. Isn't that right?"
Illyna stiffened at his words.
* * *
"Josiah Frances, stop drinking!"
Josiah Frances, sipping Davey's blood from a leather pouch, shrugged nonchalantly.
"Stop drinking, you crazy bloodsucker. Are you not going to save precious blood? Are you going to drain it all?"
"Gurgle, gurgle! Gurgle!" Josiah expressed her dissatisfaction while drinking blood.
All Josiah had to do was remove the leather pouch from her mouth to speak, but she seemed too reluctant to do so. After sucking the last drop, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and smirked.
"Hehe, it's delicious! Sir, could you stay like this forever?"
"Do you want to experience extreme survival in a cave again?"
"No... I mean it tastes better now!"
To Josiah Frances, Davey was nothing more than a mentor with delicious blood and an advisor. Since the Paladins came to the territory, Davey had sent all the students of Class F back to Shakuntala. But Josiah Frances decided to stay. Josiah decided that this place was safer for her than Shakuntala, given the social atmosphere. She was a vampire, specifically the head of the vampires. To outsiders, she might have seemed like a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment, as all the moderate and radical vampires were viewed as despicable mosquitoes.
Josiah was different from the other students. Upon seeing Davey, she had noticed something. The way she recognized Davey was simple: it was the scent of his blood. After awakening as the Vampire Lord, she often distinguished people by their unique scent, which only vampires could perceive. Naturally, even if Davey’s physical appearance changed, his genes and aura did not change, so to her, he was still her mentor.
"By the way, have you heard the news about the vampires?"
"Yes. To be honest... I'm not sure if I should be here," she said with a bitter smile, "To be honest... even though they are my kin... I don't really feel like they are. I'm a vampire, but besides sucking blood, I feel more like a human."
At her words, I quietly nodded. As she had not fully awakened yet, she was closer to being human, possessing only the traits of the Vampire Lord.
"So, sir."
"What is it?"
"In two weeks, you'll change into a different form, right?"
"That's right."
"Will the taste of your blood change then?"
"What if I become a grotesque monster?"
Davey could not be sure how his body would change, so he threw that question out there. At his words, she seemed to ponder for a moment before smiling faintly and saying, "Regardless, I'm not sucking it directly. Well, even if you become a monster, you're still you."
All she cared about was drinking delicious blood.
"You haven't been drinking anyone else's blood, have you?"
"The scent of blood from anyone other than you is bitter and unpleasant. Yours is mild and clean. Hmm… What are you doing?"
"Designing."
At his words, she looked curiously at the blueprints on the desk and asked, "What is it for?"
In response to her question, Davey silently tapped his finger on the desk. Then, after organizing his thoughts, he slowly said, "Physically mutated golem."
He had even prepared a name. "The name is Dirro."
"What... Why are you so bad at naming?"
"What's wrong with it?"
"No, there are so many other cool names..."
"Just wait and see. You'll end up saying it's amazing."
What he was designing was indeed a metal doll. He was considering making it the second version of Annabelle, the prototype of the Avengers Squadron. However, he made up his mind after seeing the fragment dropped by the giant creature that emerged from the abyss. It could be a dangerous and uncontrollable creature, but if he could extract only the purified characteristics from the fragment, he could manipulate it however he wanted.
"There's already something similar, but it was actually very dangerous and uncontrollable. So, I toned it down a bit, purified it, and extracted only what was necessary."
"What exactly are you, Teacher? You're treating alchemy as if it's nothing."
Magic, swordsmanship, sainthood. Now, Davey was even creating a golem that had never been seen in the alchemy school.
"You just have to do anything. Alchemy and magic are similar in a way. Consider the difference between the two at some point. It's homework."
"If you had utilized that talent elsewhere, you would have been truly amazing..."
"Just wait and see, and you'll say it's amazing."
Whatever crossed his mind, Davey was resolute in bringing it to life. That was his mindset as an alchemist.
"By the way, the dwarves are diligently constructing the academy."
The construction of the academy in the Heins territory was steadily advancing. Davey was aware of the considerable time it would take to erect such a massive structure, but he desired its completion at a faster pace.
'If it can't be done, make it possible,' Davey thought.
The power of spirits and magic artifacts, the technical skill of the dwarves, and the relentless labor power of skeletons—moreover, even the physical abilities of those enhanced by the holy buff. The construction that would take a month could end in just four days.
In other words, construction had just started, but the building was already starting to take shape. The Red Rock Tribe of dwarves, who were great architects, were suspicious enough to question whether the construction was subpar because of the substantial progress.
"Um... Teacher," Josiah, who had been deep in thought, looked at Davey. "When the academy is established, there will be a magic department too, right?"
Davey quietly nodded. "That's right."
"Did you find a teacher to teach magic?"
"I've already found one."
He had already spoken with a potential teacher, a skilled 6th-Circle Elder Mage who had been dedicated to training Winley O’Rowane.
"Then... I want to transfer. I want to learn at the school you've created, Teacher. And I will teach the juniors what I've learned from you too." The genuine emotion in Josiah Frances' determined eyes shone through.
"So you're going to give back to the students because you were fooled?"
"Hehe." Josiah stuck out her tongue and slipped something small from her pocket into Davey’s mouth.
"This is a bribe! You must hire me without rejecting me when I pass the test!"
As she said this and ran away, Davey used his finger to remove what had entered his mouth. It was a small fruit seed. Davey realized that Josiah Frances enjoyed such sweet food.
While Davey was smiling, he encountered Bernil, the chief steward who had entered the room when Josiah exited.
"Bernil? What's the matter?"
"Your Highness... A serious problem. The matter you were concerned about..."
At these words, Davey’s face, which had been relaxed in the long-awaited peace, slowly hardened. He immediately asked, "What about the medicine stocks that were supposed to be reserved in the territory?"
"They are all prepared."
"Contact the Coalition for Disease Control. I'll go treat them myself."
The war left not only casualties. A dreadful disease spread due to the remnants left behind when certain entities died and were destroyed. In a situation like this, the disease was the biggest enemy.
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