"What… what exactly did you do to me…?"
"And those filthy memories…!"
After a brief spell of disorientation, Princess Vivian gradually regained consciousness.
Her golden eyes flickered faintly, her gaze unfocused and hazy, as though caught in a whirlpool of countless emotions. For a fleeting instant, there was even a trace of fear—and submission—directed at Kurose Akira. Of course, that expression vanished almost as soon as it appeared.
"Memories?" Akira's eyes narrowed slightly.
What memories?
What kind of memories could force Vivian into such a depraved, corrupted state?
What exactly had the Night Witch's fragment of origin magic done to her?
Had it… reversed the intrusion and forcibly injected his memories into her consciousness?
Did it make her watch some kind of R18 livestream replay?
Cough, cough.
Akira straightened his posture and said coldly, "That was simply retribution. I never expected the princess of the Starfall Kingdom to be a witch. That's quite the surprise."
"A witch?" Princess Vivian's legs trembled as she struggled to stand, bracing herself against the nearby table. Her voice was icy as she spoke. "Does being a witch automatically make someone the embodiment of evil? Go ahead—tell Roxia. Tell the whole world that I'm a witch. Let's see whether they believe your one-sided accusation… or believe me, a princess beloved by countless citizens of this kingdom."
Her words made Akira squint, his brows knitting tightly together.
She was right.
Even if he told others that Princess Vivian was a witch, no one would believe him.
And Baron Noda's witch's brand was carved directly into his heart.
How could he not know that his master was a witch? He absolutely knew. And yet he still chose to swear loyalty to her. That alone proved that within the political structure of the Starfall Kingdom, people like him were far from rare.
So what if Vivian was a witch?
No one would believe Akira's words.
Moreover, he couldn't simply eliminate her. A princess would certainly possess countless protective artifacts. And more importantly—this was the Yerman Family's castle. If a princess died here, it would spell absolute disaster for Roxia and her people.
Of course, the most critical point was—
He didn't have the strength to defeat Princess Vivian.
If he wanted to deal with her, there was only one path forward.
Join Idis's camp.
He had to invest.
All in on Idis.
"I believe there are witches with kind hearts," Akira said expressionlessly. "But such a witch would never be a politician who casually manipulates others. Princess Vivian—your commission is one I cannot accept. Farewell."
With that, Akira turned and left.
As the door opened, the people waiting outside immediately surrounded him.
Although they hadn't heard what transpired inside, Vivian's pained expression instantly alerted the female knight clad in golden armor that something was wrong.
"What did you do to Her Highness?" the knight demanded, drawing the sword at her waist and stepping forward to block Akira's path.
"It's fine! It has nothing to do with him. Let him go," Vivian said quickly, calming the knight and ordering her to stand down.
Akira said nothing. He simply departed quietly with Ivsha and Loserine.
Vivian remained standing there, her golden pupils fixed on Akira's retreating figure. Only after he had completely vanished from her sight did her rapidly pounding heart—driven by lingering fear—slowly return to normal.
"Your Highness, are you all right?" the knight asked with concern.
"I'm fine."
Vivian shook her head. An unusual light flickered deep within her golden eyes.
She recalled Akira's words—
A kind-hearted witch would never be a politician who casually manipulates others.
If kindness alone were enough to save this nation on the brink of destruction, she wouldn't have needed to shoulder the risk of being reviled by the entire world and inherit that witch's Magic Eyes.
"Once Roxia's coming-of-age ceremony ends tomorrow, we return to the royal capital immediately," Vivian said softly.
"Yes!"
"You may withdraw."
After the knight left, Vivian weakly sank down onto the jade bed.
"…It hurts…"
She bit her lip, clutching her head in pain as she murmured, "Is this the side effect of the Magic Eyes? Damn it… there's no time left. I have to fully master this power as soon as possible."
Far away, thousands of miles distant in Silvermoon Town, Idis sat in the courtyard of a church, savoring a cup of fragrant black tea.
"Oh~? They've met already?"
A glimmer of light flashed across her crimson eyes, her lips curling into a smile. "Looks like our princess still can't fully control the power of the Magic Eyes. Whether against me or against that little one, she ended in failure both times. She even suffered a reverse intrusion into her own consciousness."
"But~"
Idis's beautiful eyes shifted slightly, her thoughts intertwining as faint traces of magic flowed within her gaze.
"My child really did inherit the succubus bloodline's thirst for life magic completely. I only hope the little one's body can hold up. A succubus's needs only grow stronger as their power increases—even unsealing all the magic crests won't free one from the lust buried deep in the heart."
She spoke softly to herself. Having inherited all of Ivsha's memories, she understood everything that had occurred—and everything Ivsha felt—perfectly. Of course, with Idis's power, suppressing the surging impulses of lust was as easy as lifting a finger.
"The time is almost here."
Idis slowly raised her head, gazing toward the sky. The evening clouds were like freshly spilled blood, gradually dyeing the heavens crimson.
She murmured, "The sky is truly beautiful… the Abyss has no such colors."
"Phew—finally back!"
A flash of white light shimmered as Akira stepped out of the teleportation array.
After confirming the details of the coming-of-age ceremony with Roxia, he had immediately returned to the guild.
He needed to think carefully about how to handle the looming troubles ahead. After all, he had just offended a princess—no, more precisely, a witch princess who possessed Magic Eyes.
What a headache.
"Oh—right. The agreed time is almost here."
Akira suddenly realized there were only thirty minutes left until his appointment with Idis. He needed to prepare and head out immediately.
Before leaving, there was one more thing he had to take care of.
Akira opened the quest panel and submitted the special commission he had just completed.
[Special Quest: Witch's Whisper (Completed)]
[Silver Coins +20, EXP +2000]
[You have obtained one free trait refresh opportunity.]
[Congratulations on completing a Special Quest!]
[Your Player Evaluation has increased to E, and you have obtained an Adventurer Recruitment Scroll (Green)!]
[Due to your Player Evaluation advancing to E-rank, all attributes +20! Player Skill acquired…!]
[Warning! Unknown error detected!]
[Player Skill has been altered!]
[Please choose two of the following five traits to add to yourself!]
[NTL Enthusiast][Purifier][Basketball Lover][Sunny and Cheerful][Mother-in-Law Killer]
"..."