§ 110. Rueben Returns (1)
12 million gold.
That number was so beautiful it was mesmerizing.
‘Ahhhh…!’
Cyan could feel a thrill coursing through his entire body.
At the same time, he felt dizzy, and his whole body began to tremble as if he were receiving a divine revelation.
And then.
*Ding!*
《Kuaaaaaah…!!!》
The Mobile Lord system also trembled.
Thus, Cyan and the Mobile Lord.
‘Ahhhhh…!!!’
*Ding! Ding!*
Both trembled with different feelings.
Aria and Laura watched Cyan.
“……”
“……”
Aria and Laura were speechless.
“Ahhh…!!”
What could they say after seeing that?
Aria and Laura blankly stared at Cyan, who was trembling.
They were also a little amazed.
More precisely, they wondered how he could shake his body like that.
It was an impossible movement unless he was possessed.
The Saint of the South.
Could it be that a god had really descended upon Cyan’s body…?
Aria and Laura seriously considered the possibility.
After some time, Cyan regained his senses.
He saw Aria and Laura looking at him strangely.
Cyan cleared his throat awkwardly and said.
“Ahem. The, the wounds from fighting Rushuria suddenly…”
“Ah.”
“Ah.”
Aria and Laura exclaimed at Cyan’s words.
They nodded as if they understood.
‘Whew.’
Cyan sighed in relief at their reaction.
Aria stared intently at Cyan.
The Cyan she saw now.
He had changed his clothes, so his appearance was quite neat.
However, the countless scars visible between his clothes could not be hidden.
Wounds that looked as if his entire body had been torn apart.
All of them were wounds he had sustained in the battle against the demon of lust, Rushuria.
And among those numerous scars were some he had sustained while protecting Aria.
She thought he was doing better since he didn’t show it.
But Cyan’s trembling movements just now.
Perhaps… it was due to the terrible pain.
Aria looked at Cyan with a complex expression.
Cyan saw Aria’s expression.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Are you… okay?”
Aria asked worriedly.
“If it hurts too much, I can use divine power…”
“No! I’m fine!”
Cyan shouted in alarm.
He took a step back, frowning.
Aria paused at his reaction.
At first, Aria had tried to heal Cyan with divine power.
However, Cyan had strongly opposed it.
He didn’t just oppose it; he looked terrified.
He told her never to do it, even if he fainted.
He said that if she did, he would never see her again.
He threw a fit.
Aria wouldn’t have cared normally.
She would have thought, ‘So what? You’re the one in pain, not me,’ and wouldn’t have paid any attention.
But why was it different this time?
“……”
Aria felt inexplicably hurt and upset.
She was filled with worry.
But he didn’t even acknowledge her feelings.
Did he hate her that much?
So much that he didn’t even want to receive her divine power?
Aria opened her mouth without realizing it.
“…Do you hate me that much?”
“……?”
Cyan tilted his head at Aria’s sudden question.
What was she talking about?
The atmosphere suddenly became strange.
“Oh, look at me.”
At that moment, Laura exclaimed in surprise.
Laura continued, as if she had forgotten something.
“I… I forgot that I had something urgent to do. I’ll be right back, so you two can talk.”
Then Laura quickly left the room.
Thus, only Cyan and Aria remained in the room.
For some reason, the atmosphere felt even stranger.
Cyan asked Aria.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“It’s always like this. Every time I try to get close, you frown and get annoyed, and you even freak out when I try to use my divine power. Do you hate me that much?”
Aria’s gaze fell.
Aria asked Cyan with an unusual expression and tone.
“Uh…”
Cyan was a little taken aback by Aria’s reaction.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t that he hated Aria, but that he hated divine power.
However, Aria, as a saintess, was a vessel of divine power.
‘I like you, but I hate your existence.’
‘Or, I don’t care about you, but I hate your body?’
What the.
“Uh…”
What should he say?
Cyan had to think for a while.
But perhaps that time took too long.
“…You’re mean.”
Aria muttered quietly.
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
“Forget it!”
Aria turned away.
Her heavy breathing suggested she was very angry.
‘Why is she like this?’
Cyan really wondered why she was like this.
He hadn’t even said anything yet.
But Aria muttered to herself and then sulked.
So what was he supposed to do?
Cyan simply shrugged.
Aria turned her back to Cyan.
Aria felt truly, truly hurt.
What was so wrong with her that he hated her so much?
Other men were desperate to exchange a few words with her.
Why did he hate her so much?
And if he hated her so much, why did he save her?
He should have just let Rushuria consume her.
Then she wouldn’t have had to see his annoying face.
Yes, that would have been much better!
Then why did he bother saving her?
So why did he have to face her hateful face like this—.
“Hey.”
At that moment, Cyan’s voice was heard.
“What!”
Aria turned her head and shouted.
At the same time, she saw Cyan’s hand in front of her.
And on Cyan’s hand were shimmering accessories.
“What… is this?”
“A gift.”
“A… gift?”
Aria’s mind went blank, and her gaze returned to Cyan’s hand.
A pair of earrings and a necklace.
And a ring were placed on Cyan’s hand.
“I don’t really need them. You can have them if you want.”
Cyan shrugged.
The accessories Cyan was holding.
This was none other than one of the three legacies left by Muriel.
The bracelet containing Kendrick.
Slightly over 2 million gold.
And now, the accessories Muriel used during her lifetime, placed on Cyan’s hand.
At first, he thought they were just treasures.
Like the royal treasures left by Charlotte, meant to be sold for gold.
But.
‘I can feel a strong divine power from the accessories.’
Perhaps that was why.
‘I feel uncomfortable holding onto them.’
Of course, there would be no problem if he put them in his inventory.
But what was the point of keeping them if he was just going to leave them there?
More than anything, it wasn’t just divine power that he felt.
He needed to check to be sure, but…
It seemed to have the function of amplifying the user’s divine power.
In other words, it was useless to Cyan.
So, since it was useless to Cyan anyway.
It would be good for Aria to use.
“H, how much are they…?”
Aria asked in a trembling voice.
Cyan chuckled for a moment.
He never thought he would say these words.
“How much? It’s a gift.”
Then Aria’s eyes widened.
“Y, you’re not… taking… money?”
“Nope. Just take them.”
Then Aria’s body froze.
She seemed quite… shocked.
Well, Cyan had thought about selling them to Aria for money.
No, that was his intention from the start.
‘But, well…’
Aria had suffered a lot this time too.
Aria was the one who told him about Muriel’s ruins.
And perhaps…
Aria might face another demon because of this incident.
She seemed to be planning a major investigation into the Twilight Cult.
She might encounter some demon in the process.
It would be good to increase her power with Muriel’s accessories.
Of course… it would be nice to sell them for money, but still.
‘She earned me 12 million gold.’
She had brought him 12 million gold.
More than anything, Muriel’s accessories had the function of amplifying divine power.
If they were just simple accessories, it might be different.
He didn’t want them to go to the wrong person.
“What are you doing? Take them.”
Aria didn’t respond to Cyan’s urging.
Instead, she was blank and didn’t show any action.
Cyan was starting to get frustrated.
He could feel the powerful divine energy emanating from the accessories in his palm.
So he wanted Aria to take them quickly.
But she just kept staring blankly, as if she had broken down.
Cyan couldn’t stand it any longer and grabbed Aria’s hand.
“Ah!”
Only then did Aria startle and regain her senses.
At the same time, Aria’s face turned slightly red.
Cyan placed the accessories on Aria’s hand.
Aria stared blankly at the accessories in her hand.
“Can I… wear them now?”
“Why are you asking me for permission?”
Aria made a pouty face for a moment.
But that was only for a moment.
Aria immediately put on the accessories.
Well, there wouldn’t be anything special about wearing accessories.
The earrings were a bit tricky.
It was because she had to get her ears pierced.
Piercing her ears wasn’t a big deal in itself.
The problem was that even if she did pierce them, Aria’s overflowing divine power would immediately heal them.
In a way, Aria’s body wasn’t suited for wearing earrings.
He was a little worried about that, but… as expected.
Were these accessories Muriel used to wear when she was alive?
Without needing to pierce her ears, they automatically adhered perfectly to her ears.
“How is it?”
Aria, wearing all the accessories, showed herself.
Cyan stared at Aria.
‘Indeed….’
In fact, Aria didn’t really need accessories.
More accurately, it was right to say she couldn’t wear them.
She was already a being of transcendent beauty.
Her beauty was perfect in itself.
There were no accessories in the world that could enhance that beauty.
Cyan had heard that there had been many challengers.
Numerous artisans who prided themselves as the best on the continent.
And heavenly jewels said to be the rarest in the world.
But before Aria’s beauty, they all lost their light and faded.
But now.
“Does it suit me?”
Were these also accessories Muriel used to wear when she was alive?
The accessories made Aria’s beauty even more radiant.
It was hard to imagine how that beauty could be made even more striking.
‘Did Morcru make them?’
That was highly likely.
Well, whatever.
“It’s pretty.”
It was indeed pretty.
No, the word ‘pretty’ wasn’t enough to describe it.
And even the divine power emanating from Aria.
It was just a guess, but it seemed about twice as strong.
But even though it was only twice as strong.
Considering Aria’s existing divine power, it was truly an enormous level.
Aria, who possessed the most powerful divine power in the history of the Holy Empire.
It was as if there were now two of her.
“Really?”
But Aria didn’t seem to feel it much.
Or maybe she was too engrossed in the accessories to notice.
Aria smiled brightly.
Cyan simply shrugged.
He couldn’t understand what was so great about those kinds of accessories.
Anyway, he couldn’t understand women.
Soon, Aria spun around once.
Her platinum blonde hair fluttered, and a subtle fragrance spread throughout the room.
When he looked at Aria, he realized that beauty definitely had a scent.
And at the same time, divine power scattered in all directions.
The problem was that it was divine power amplified by Muriel’s accessories.
‘Ugh…!’
Suddenly, his stomach started to feel bloated.
The boiling demonic energy went beyond dizziness and completely turned his stomach upside down.
He had raised the progress rate of the Demon Soul Art [a technique to cultivate demonic energy] a lot during this plague, but.
Somehow, Aria’s divine power, amplified by the accessories, seemed to have risen even more than that.
‘Muriel’s divinity wasn’t like this… Ugh!’
Just as Cyan couldn’t perfectly control Kyle’s Demon Soul Art.
Aria also seemed unable to perfectly control Muriel’s divinity.
‘I need to leave quickly.’
Cyan calmed his boiling stomach and said to Aria.
“So… Ugh…! There’s nothing else I need to do, right?”
“Huh?”
Aria shouted in surprise.
She seemed to have noticed Cyan’s intention to leave.
“Are you leaving already…?”
“Yeah. There’s nothing left to do here now.”
He had finished all the quests he could do in this place.
He had obtained satisfactory rewards.
Well, there was a little bit of cleanup left…
If he left it to Aria, she would take care of it on her own.
So now it was time.
‘12 million gold!’
It was time to cash in… no, to return to Ruben.
“Do you… really have to go?”
“Of course. Should I live here?”
“Really?”
Aria shouted, her face brightening.
What was she even saying?
“What do you mean, ‘really’? Forget it. I’m leaving.”
Cyan immediately moved his feet without hesitation.
His stomach had been boiling since earlier, and he felt like he was really going to throw up if he stayed any longer.
Somehow, it felt like it had become 2.5 times stronger, not just twice as strong.
‘Why don’t I have something like that?’
Like a magical tool that instantly amplifies demonic energy.
At this point, Cyan felt inexplicably resentful.
Muriel had left behind things that could instantly make her 2.5 times stronger.
Kyle didn’t have anything particularly special.
Of course… that didn’t mean the Demon Soul Shadow Step [a powerful movement technique] was bad.
“Cyan.”
At that moment, Aria’s voice was heard.
And this time, it wasn’t ‘Hey,’ but her calling his name, ‘Cyan.’
Cyan stopped walking, wondering what it was, and looked at Aria.
Aria was fidgeting, looking hesitant.
She seemed to be about to ask for a rather difficult favor.
“What is it?”
“Um….”
When Cyan asked, Aria said with a look of great courage.
“Can I… contact you and act like I know you…?”
Cyan made a dumbfounded expression.
He thought she was going to ask for some great favor.
She was going to do it anyway, even if he told her not to.
“Do as you please.”
Cyan then left the room.
#
After Cyan left.
“Oh, has Sir Cyan already left?”
Laura questioned Aria’s appearance, who was left alone in the room.
Aria was sitting in one corner, doing something.
Her appearance… somehow looked a little pathetic.
‘Did Sir Cyan treat her coldly again….’
Laura sighed without realizing it.
Honestly, Laura didn’t believe it at first either.
But having been together in the South, she knew.
Cyan really didn’t show Aria any particular interest.
She wondered how he could do that, but it was a clear fact.
And just now.
The situation before Laura left the room and Aria’s pathetic appearance now.
She could roughly guess what had happened.
Laura slowly moved to comfort Aria.
But.
“Oh? Laura, you’re here?”
Aria’s voice sounded quite lively…?
Aria slowly turned around.
And the sight of Aria.
“Wh-wh-wh-what is it?!?”
Laura’s eyes widened in surprise.
That was because… Aria’s appearance was so beautiful.
Aria had always been a being of transcendent beauty.
But now, it was beyond that level.
There was no concept to describe that beauty.
“How is it, Laura?”
“Waaaaah!!!”
Laura shouted without realizing it.
“Saintess, you’re really, really like a goddess!!”
“Really?”
Aria spun around once.
Laura was momentarily mesmerized by her breathtaking beauty.
Only then did she notice the accessories.
“Wh-what are those accessories?”
“Cyan gave them to me as a gift.”
“Sir… Cyan?”
Aria seemed so happy.
Instead of answering, she smiled brightly.
Laura was once again mesmerized by Aria’s appearance.
Her smiling face was so… beautiful.
More than anything, Aria’s current happiness.
There had been no end to the gift offerings to Aria.
Gems, accessories, and various valuables had been sent as gifts.
But in the first place, they didn’t suit Aria at all.
Aria didn’t even have any interest in them.
But now.
“He gave them to me as a gift without taking any money, you know?”
Had Aria ever been this happy before…?
Laura had been with Aria for almost her entire life.
But as far as Laura could remember, there had never been a time.
Aria showed off the ring, spreading her hand.
She was caressing the earrings and necklace as if they were the most precious treasures in the world.
Laura squinted her eyes at the sight.
And pretending not to know, she subtly brought up the topic.
“Saintess, if you add makeup to that, there won’t be a man who won’t fall for you, right?”
“Re-really…?”
Look at her?
Laura narrowed her eyes.
She said no with words. She said she absolutely didn’t have such thoughts.
She told her not to talk nonsense like that.
“How about I teach you how to put on makeup?”
Aria didn’t answer easily.
She fidgeted and seemed quite hesitant.
But only for a moment.
“Th-then just a little…?”
“Pfft!”
Laura burst into laughter without realizing it.
Anyway, she was a really easy-to-read Saintess.
#
Cyan, who left the Papal Palace, headed straight to Ruben.
And perhaps Aria had moved quickly.
Cyan was able to receive the promissory notes for the promised amount on his way to Ruben.
Honestly, he thought it would take some time since it was being given by confiscating Rachel’s assets.
It seemed that Aria had taken care of the matter first.
And perhaps because it was a rather large amount of promissory notes.
A Holy Knight of the Dawn Sect delivered them directly.
The confirmed promissory notes totaled 13.1 million gold.
It was 1.1 million gold more than the initially stated 12 million gold.
“What kind of cardinal has this much money?”
How much did she embezzle?
Or did she hoard it?
But well.
What did it matter?
“Aaaah…!”
Rather, he was grateful that she had this much money!
As Cyan was on his way to Ruben, he exchanged all the promissory notes for gold.
Even then, he couldn’t exchange them all at once, so he had no choice but to stop by several cities to exchange them.
After exchanging all the promissory notes for gold.
Woo Woong…!
At the same time, his smartphone suddenly vibrated greatly.
Wondering what it was, he took out his smartphone.
Flash! Flash!
Suddenly, a dazzling light burst out on the screen.
Green, blue, red, etc.
Quite a variety of colors burst out.
And a notification window appeared above it.
《In very rare cases, exposure to flashing lights or patterns can cause seizures…!》
《This is called ‘Photosensitive Epilepsy,’ and while there are no physical abnormalities… it can cause serious mental illnesses such as mental confusion and temporary loss of reason…!》
Click.
Without even looking, Cyan pressed the X button.