Chapter 529: One Week From Now
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 529: One Week From Now
The moment her eyes met Kang Hyun-woo's, Valentina realized her mistake.
Common sense, as she knew it, dictated that a man couldn't maintain an erection after ejaculating once or twice.
There were even research papers stating that high-rank Hunters were no different from ordinary men when it came to stamina.
But what he had shown her last night was different.
As if his virility knew no bounds, his large member remained swollen all night. Even after Valentina had passed out, he continued to pour his seed into her, ravishing her until the break of dawn.
A virility and libido that were anything but normal.
From the moment she'd boasted that she would do anything for such a man, Valentina's fate had been all but sealed.
Was it because she hadn't been thinking rationally, overwhelmed by the fact that he had saved her precious daughter's life?
Or was it her own instincts, trying to soothe the ache in her lower belly that throbbed whenever she saw his face, that had made her speak so recklessly?
“Tower Lord.”
“Hnngh...”
Just his approach was enough to make her body slowly heat up.
Her face was burning.
Even the mages who had served in the White Magic Tower for nearly fifty years had rarely seen Valentina show any emotion.
Yet here she was, blushing like a shy girl, turning away to avoid Kang Hyun-woo's gaze.
If anyone else had witnessed this, they would have surely suspected they were under a hallucination spell.
“St-Stay back!”
Smack!
Ultimately, unable to suppress or even understand her own emotions, Valentina pushed Kang Hyun-woo away forcefully.
But he didn't budge an inch.
It wasn't that he was bracing himself. Valentina's push was simply too weak.
Kang Hyun-woo chuckled at her cute rebellion, performed without even the simplest physical enhancement. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her close.
Their breaths mingled.
“I want you, Tower Lord.”
At the blatant demand that finally left his lips, Valentina forced a scowl and bit her lip hard.
Vrrrr-!
A murderous aura rose around her as mana took tangible form.
Under the archmage's pressure, Kang Hyun-woo's face paled slightly.
“...It is true that I am indebted to you. That is why I was willing to grant any of your requests.”
She was sincere.
Whether it was money, elixirs, artifacts, or any other favor, she would have gladly granted it.
Even if he had demanded she arrange for his naturalization in the Republic of Korea, she would have accepted without hesitation.
“But what did you just say? That you want me?”
Valentina glared at Kang Hyun-woo with a fierce expression, trying to suppress the emotions surging within her.
“Just because circumstances forced us to spend one night together, do you see me as a whore?”
Within the storm of immense magic power that now filled the corridor, Valentina's killing intent was directed solely at Kang Hyun-woo.
Of course, she had no intention of actually harming him.
On the contrary, she desperately wished he would just back down.
But her wishes, then as now, were not to be granted.
“What man in this world would sincerely court a whore? Perhaps if he were trying to win her over with money, jewels, and pathetic sweet talk, but not like this.”
Whoosh-!
Far from backing away, Kang Hyun-woo wrapped an arm around Valentina's slender waist and pulled her in.
“I am well aware of what a great opportunity the reward you promised is for a mage. The fact that I would willingly kick that opportunity away—doesn't that prove how sincere I am about you, Tower Lord?”
“...”
Valentina couldn't deny his words.
She knew it as well.
No matter how much men were like monkeys swayed by instinct, she knew that in this situation, ten out of ten mages would have asked to become her disciple.
Because for a mage, the thirst for magic is stronger than any innate desire.
Above all, the look in Kang Hyun-woo's eyes was more sincere than she had ever seen.
“Besides, while Lady Ana's condition may seem to have improved for now, it's merely a temporary fix.”
I've temporarily slowed the curse's erosion, but the moment the effect wears off, the curse will rampage more violently than before.
Unless the source of the curse is eliminated, Anastasia cannot escape the reality that she is still living on borrowed time.
“Starting as early as tomorrow, her waking hours will likely decrease even further. Her physical condition will deteriorate again, too.”
“...What?”
In that instant, the color drained from Valentina's face.
As if to reassure her, Kang Hyun-woo continued with a gentle smile.
“You don't need to worry too much. As long as I take periodic measures until the curse removal is ready, there won't be any major issues. In fact, she might even regain the health of a normal person within the week.”
Of course, it wasn't an ideal method.
It meant cutting off the curse's limbs and trapping it within the confines of the womb.
Like a snake preserved in a jar of alcohol for decades that lunges out to bite someone's neck the moment the lid is opened, the curse, too, would be thoroughly provoked.
In other words, if the curse removal fails, Anastasia will die in an instant, with no time to do anything.
Nevertheless, there was no other choice.
This measure was necessary to get Anastasia's condition to its peak right before the removal, while also ensuring the curse could be eliminated in one fell swoop.
Truthfully, if Anastasia's condition had been even slightly better, he might have considered other methods.
But she truly didn't have much time left.
If no action had been taken, she certainly wouldn't have survived the month.
Valentina was overjoyed to see Anastasia standing on her own two feet, but to Kang Hyun-woo, it looked like nothing more than a final burst of life before death.
“However, to continue with this treatment, I absolutely need your cooperation, Tower Lord.”
“...What do you mean by that?”
“Just as you used the Millennium Hwari's core, I used my yang energy to suppress the curse and replenish Lady Ana's.”
That part was easy enough, but a problem arose after.
“But with simple contact, an unavoidable loss of yang energy occurs during the transfer.”
Kang Hyun-woo subtly grasped Valentina's hand as he continued his explanation.
“As you can probably feel, Tower Lord, I don't have much yang energy left in my body.”
At first, she thought he had grabbed her hand on purpose as a ploy to make a move on her.
However, when she felt none of the sun-like yang energy she had felt from him last night, Valentina finally realized just how much power he had poured into treating Anastasia.
Valentina's expression darkened slightly with a mixture of gratitude and guilt toward him.
“As I just said, to replenish the yang energy needed for Lady Ana's treatment, your help is essential.”
“...What do I have to do?”
“You don't have to do anything special, Tower Lord.”
Kang Hyun-woo caressed Valentina's slender waist with one hand while gently stroking her pale cheek with the other.
The gesture was enough to give the impression that he was treating her not as the noble archmage of the White Magic Tower, but simply as a woman.
Valentina's eyes trembled faintly.
“To be honest, I'm shamelessly taking advantage of this situation. In a way, I'm forcing you into a position where you have no other choice.”
He was right. As long as it concerned Anastasia, Valentina could never refuse Kang Hyun-woo's proposal.
Of course, that didn't mean he was intentionally hiding other viable methods just to satisfy his own selfish desires.
‘That would be... too scummy.’
In reality, to replenish the necessary yang energy by noon tomorrow, simply circulating his energy wouldn't be nearly enough.
He would need at least a mid-to-high-grade elixir.
The problem was that Valentina had practically swept Russia and all of Europe clean of elixirs in recent years, making them difficult to obtain even with money.
That left only one method.
“...Come to my room when the sun sets.”
Unable to bear his gaze any longer, Valentina looked away and muttered in a barely audible whisper.
Her face, like a red rose in full bloom, was flushed deeper than ever before.
*
CRASH!!
“Aaaaargh!!!”
With a furious roar, an expensive wine bottle shattered against the wall, sending sharp fragments flying in every direction.
Still, his anger unsated, the old man fumbled across his desk, searching for the next thing to throw.
But there was nothing left on it to grab.
He had already smashed everything with his own hands.
His name was Igor Vladimirovich Krasov (Игорь Владимирович Красов).
A dictator who had staged a rebellion a hundred years ago, taking advantage of the chaos when the country's system collapsed due to a large-scale Gate Break.
He was a man infamous in the international community for ruthlessly purging his political enemies for the sake of his own power, even sending their families to the gulags.
The reason such a dictator was fuming was simple.
“Valentina!!! How dare you, you bitch!!!”
A few days ago, Krasov had invited Valentina to be his partner for the National Security Medal of Merit ceremony.
However, not only did Valentina not accept the invitation, she didn't even bother to reply.
That wasn't all.
It wasn't the first or second time Valentina had refused Krasov's handshake or blatantly ignored him at official events.
Of course, this didn't tarnish the prestige of Krasov, who was practically the Tsar of Russia, but his pride was another matter entirely.
It was a love-hate relationship.
An emotion he had harbored ever since a young Krasov had fallen for Valentina at first sight and proposed, only to be coldly rejected.
“You're still as vigorous as ever.”
“?!”
Krasov's head whipped around at the voice that sounded by his ear.
A man was standing by the office window.
“Still, if an elderly man like yourself gets so worked up, you might collapse from high blood pressure, you know?”
“...Dmitri.”
The moment he confirmed it was the face of Dmitri, the vice-lord of the White Magic Tower, Krasov's expression twisted.
His vertically slit pupils, characteristic of the Snake-kin, glinted menacingly as they watched him.
“I don't recall giving you permission to come and go from my office as you please.”
“Haha, aren't you being a bit harsh for people in the same boat?”
Even before the most powerful man in Russia, Dmitri was at ease.
“You must have a death wish.”
One of the reasons Krasov was classified as a dangerous figure by the international community was that he was already showing signs of senility.
Normally, he seemed relatively sane, but the moment his emotions flared, he became cruel enough to kill even his closest confidants.
Catching a glimpse of the madness flickering in his eyes, Dmitri raised both hands and stepped back.
“It seems Comrade President is in a foul mood, so I suppose I should get straight to the point.”
Ssshhh-
At that moment, black ripples spread out from Dmitri like waves.
Immediately after, his eyes turned black.
In the blink of an eye, the atmosphere had completely changed. He spoke in a low, calm voice.
“Listen, Igor Vladimirovich Krasov. All preparations are complete. In one week, mobilize the army and lock down the city.”
