Chapter 545
Chapter 545
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 545
Chapter Title: Leryue Nukelavi (3)
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Another week had passed.
Finding a new path is never easy.
It involves repeating countless experiments, enduring trial and error within them, and only then managing to take a single step forward—that's what the path of magic is all about.
In that sense, the "trial" prepared by the previous Nukelavi was an excellent precursor.
He could clash with an opponent whose potential was maximized, engaging in a no-holds-barred fight to the death without any burden.
For Siwoo, who could recharge his magic power countless times, it was the ultimate power-up event.
To seize every opportunity, he'd tackled it five times a day without fail for a week—thirty-five trials already.
"Hoo..."
After finishing the final trial of the day, he rose, his body slick with cold sweat.
The familiar sense of exhaustion and fatigue now enveloped his entire body.
But there was no time to rest.
A flash of inspiration is like a volatile liquid.
It feels like you could write endlessly while it's there, but the moment you pick up the pen, it evaporates like a mirage.
So he roughly wiped the sweat with a towel and grabbed his pen and paper.
"...What was it again...?"
The pen, which had been flying across the page without pause, suddenly stopped, and fatigue crashed over him once more.
"Let's call it a day."
When he came to, dozens of sheets were scattered across the table.
Just from today, so many that they could fill a thick book—and the magic formulas were piling up accordingly.
Of course, simply observing didn't mean he could replicate everything the Black Knight did.
It's like watching a pianist perform and expecting to play it perfectly right away.
Besides, the Black Knight's magic wasn't something human computational ability could keep up with in the first place.
It was more comforting to think of it as magic created for a supercomputer.
Even so, clashing with his own subconscious.
Reconstructing magic based on the data extracted from those battles.
Then taking that reconstructed magic back into the trial for verification.
This three-step routine had rewarded him with astonishing growth.
It felt like pouring a corporate executive's salary into a game he'd played for a lifetime without spending a dime.
The results from mimicking, dissecting, and optimizing the Black Knight's magic showed efficiency incomparable to his previous solo training struggles.
The average time he lasted in battles against the Black Knight had skyrocketed to between 10 and 15 minutes.
With his already overflowing motivation fueled by these soaring results, he'd practically been living on this sunken passenger ship for the past few days.
That was why he'd furnished it with all sorts of furniture and even a sofa for lounging.
"Hmm, having fun?"
The moment he set down the pen after scribbling for an hour or two, Leryue, who'd been lounging idly on the sofa, spoke up as if she'd been waiting.
A week ago, they'd unexpectedly shared their bodies, but there hadn't been any dramatic changes since.
Apart from Leryue hanging around more, their relationship was astonishingly back to normal.
True to form, she showed no sign of dwelling on last night's events, so Siwoo could treat her as usual.
"Yes, thank you so much for this opportunity."
"It's boring for us."
As Siwoo threw himself into the trials, Leryue grew bored, rolling around on the sofa with lips pursed like a sulking child.
It was miraculous how she could strike so many different poses on that narrow sofa.
If she was that bored, she could just watch a movie—there were plenty left.
Yet she insisted on following him into the trials and whining like this.
And yet she never actually interfered, making her intentions baffling.
"Will Your Majesty not challenge the trial yourself?"
"We are busy devising strategies."
"..."
"The art of war states that a true master only fights battles already won."
Leryue declared proudly, fanning a sheet of paper that hadn't progressed since morning.
Her magic power was already sufficient, so her avoidance was purely because she lacked the motivation.
He wasn't her protector, and if she didn't want to do it, he had no intention of forcing her...
But enjoying her resources all to himself made him feel guilty enough to want to share the benefits with the owner.
"Shall I help?"
"Help? Us?"
"Since we're doing it anyway, it might be better together."
Leryue's reaction was...
Indifferent, as if she hadn't given it much thought.
She'd seemed so determined to try hard before.
Leryue's whims changed on a dime, so he let it go.
Still, he pressed a bit more.
"Of course, in terms of hierarchy, Your Majesty is on a far higher level... But combat is fundamentally a numbers game. Preparing multiple plans for various scenarios ahead of time. That's how I've been approaching it lately."
In truth, when he'd first heard she'd repeatedly failed the trial, his initial thought was that her approach was wrong.
They hadn't been that close back then, and carelessly teasing her might earn her ire, so he'd stayed quiet.
Practical advice often stings a bit, doesn't it?
But Leryue had generously forgiven even their forceful first encounter, so she probably wouldn't get mad over this—and offering some constructive consulting seemed like a good idea.
"I've realized something from my trials."
"What?"
"You said the trial draws out that person's potential to its limit, right?"
"Indeed."
"From what I've confirmed, the 'potential' benchmark seems fixed based on the initial magic infusion at the start."
"What?"
At what point is the potential measured?
This was crucial information.
And it was thanks to Leryue that he'd obtained it.
If the Cradle of Dreams updated the reproduced potential each time, the Black Knight should have utilized Leryue's autonomic magic.
Siwoo's ejaculation would inevitably copy part of her stigma.
But the Black Knight hadn't used even a shred of the Deep Sea Witch's magic.
On the other hand, Siwoo had begun incorporating bits of her magic into his spear techniques.
"In other words, if Your Majesty establishes new magic or analyzes the trial patterns and prepares fitting strategies, the trial shouldn't be difficult."
No matter how over-specced a boss is at launch, once its patterns are analyzed, it falls easily.
In Siwoo's case, the Black Knight was an outlier subconscious, so he was still struggling—but for Leryue, it was a trial solvable with a proper direction.
She'd just gotten cold feet prematurely.
He hadn't delved into her failures, but she'd get the hint from this much.
"..."
Leryue stared blankly at Siwoo.
Unlike his expectation of awe, praise, or at least feigned surprise, she looked somehow uncomfortable.
As if to prove it, her uneasy voice followed.
"You finish the trial and come out talking about the trial again?"
"Pardon...?"
"Enough. Challenge it alone to your heart's content."
Leryue turned her back on the bewildered Siwoo.
She suppressed the urge to glance over her shoulder and see his expression.
But Siwoo didn't pursue her until they returned to the Aquila.
Her lips pursed even more—it was only natural.
"He doesn't even chase after me. Insolent fool!"
Siwoo, buried in trials and neglecting his duties.
Seeing him irked her for no reason.
It wasn't causing her direct harm or stirring old feelings of inferiority.
"He wasn't like this before... He's changed."
But the Shin Siwoo who praised her over trifles, marveled endlessly, and showered her with questions was gone.
All that remained was the Shin Siwoo addicted to trials, plunging in madly.
Even their conversation time was scarce, as she'd restricted his meals punitively.
Leryue had thought it'd pass in a day or two, but in the end, she couldn't hide her displeasure.
"Sea cucumber, anemone, sea slug...!"
He's no idiot—why couldn't he figure out why the ever-busy Empress Leryue Nukelavi stuck by his side all day?
She'd dropped hints all week; he should've caught on.
She couldn't very well tell her subject to make time to play like a queen begging her vassal!
Leryue still wanted to do so much with him.
Watch movies together, play two-player arcade games.
Finish that pocket billiards game they'd abandoned, discuss national affairs over drinks.
"And... that again..."
And honestly, this was her biggest worry.
Curiosity was creeping back toward bedroom games, scorched by their scorching first time.
Back then, she'd been lost in a frenzy of pounding, half out of her mind with fainting or climaxing—but she vividly remembered the sweet pleasure of him burrowing deep, folding her in two.
How much greater the joy if she took the reins next time? She couldn't even imagine.
"...Hmm."
With anyone else, she wouldn't dream of offering her body so readily again.
But Shin Siwoo listened well, was handsome, had a great body, and was a loyal subject.
Above all, his fervent love confession.
His sincere words that meeting her had changed his entire worldview were enough to open her heart wide.
She'd played tough in front of him, but if he knelt, bowed his head, and begged for one night, she'd pretend to relent and go along.
Though he showed no such intent or desire...
"Living off grass like some beast."
That night, he'd pounced like a starving predator—what had spooked him into tucking tail now?
Leryue couldn't comprehend it.
"Hmm?"
As she grumbled alone, Leryue noticed something odd.
A contradiction in her own behavior.
Shin Siwoo was undeniably her subject.
Summarizing their first night: she'd barged into his quarters and jumped him on a whim.
Nothing had really changed since then.
If she wanted night play, she could just command him boldly, like before.
But she hadn't.
She just hovered around him pathetically, unable to broach it properly—as if that option had vanished.
Why?
Had it simply not occurred to her?
Because he was busy with trials?
"Your Majesty."
Then Siwoo called from behind, arriving late on the submersible.
There's a saying: pull the iron horns off in one go.
Having spotted her odd self-contradiction, she could correct course immediately.
Leryue turned resolutely, hands on hips.
"Shin Siwoo, tonight with us..."
But the moment she saw his face and tried to voice her prepared words, "sex" crawled back down her throat.
"Wi... With us... With us..."
Leryue fumbled, flustered by the sudden phenomenon.
Why? Why did it suddenly feel so embarrassing?
"Your Majesty?"
Feeling Siwoo's puzzled gaze, Leryue's face finally flushed bright red.