Chapter 570: A Wife's Support
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 570: A Wife's Support
The moment I broke through the wall that had been holding me back and stepped into a new realm, I was filled with a sense of liberation and omnipotence.
I felt like I could do anything, that I could defeat any opponent who stood before me.
But in the face of the scene before my eyes, all that confidence vanished like a mirage.
‘...So this is 8th Circle, continent-level magic.’
Magic that could affect an entire continent.
I looked at the demon, pelted by the pure white snow that poured down as if a hole had been punched in the sky.
No, it would be more accurate to call it a former demon.
“That’s one dynamic pose.”
It was now nothing more than a giant ice sculpture, standing perfectly still.
The being that had, just moments ago, radiated a powerful aura and a seething will to fight, now showed no signs of life.
It wasn't simply frozen.
Every single cell in its body had necrotized in an instant, damaged so thoroughly that not even a transcendent being like a demon could regenerate.
Even my Absolute Domain skill would have been useless against it.
‘...Does this mean that anything Valentina perceives as an enemy freezes to death just by standing in this snowfield?’
A shiver ran down my spine.
Goosebumps prickled my skin at the thought of Valentina’s power, which so vastly exceeded my expectations.
At the same time, I grew curious about just how wide an area she could affect with such might.
The moment I habitually tried to use mana detection—
‘?!’
Sensing the alien magic power that permeated the area, I immediately canceled the spell.
I had nearly frozen my magic circuits solid.
The air wasn't filled with pure, natural mana.
A frozen magic power, cold enough to be called absolute zero, was dominating all the mana in the vicinity.
It was likely an aftereffect of the 8th Circle spell.
And that frozen magic power was restricting the use of magic itself.
As I’d just realized, if I had recklessly tried to cast a spell, my magic circuits—and in the worst-case scenario, even my mana circle—might have frozen over.
Left with no other choice, I extended my ki sense to survey my surroundings.
Normally, ki sense was a tool for precise, detailed scanning.
But now that I had reached the Flower Realm, its detection range was incomparably wider than before.
‘This is...’
The moment I spread my senses, I couldn't help but be stunned.
A vast snowfield had formed, stretching for tens of kilometers in every direction.
Even if there had been dozens of demons like Andras, they all would have been frozen solid together.
‘...And to think she minimized the spell’s power as much as possible to avoid affecting the city.’
If Valentina had unleashed her magic at full strength, winter would have descended upon roughly seventy percent of Russia.
And on top of that was the absurd ripple effect of restricting others from using their own magic.
It was a display of power that lived up to the name “continent-level magic” in every respect.
I let out a hollow laugh as I gazed at the snow-covered plains before me.
At the same time, my heart began to pound, wild and uncontrollable.
‘...Someday, I’ll reach that realm, too.’
I wasn’t discouraged in the slightest.
It was quite the opposite.
As a martial artist and a mage, my chest was filled with nothing but the drive to improve, to yearn for a higher realm.
The path may be long, but there was no need to be impatient.
As long as I never gave up, I knew I would reach that state someday.
Swoosh.
“That’s a good mindset to have.”
Valentina, who had approached me at some point, naturally wrapped her arm in mine and rested her head on my shoulder.
“The drive to improve is an important virtue for a mage. Always aim higher. Constantly yearn for more. Only an insatiable desire will carry you to the top.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Hehe.”
Pleased with my confident answer, Valentina gently stroked my hair.
“It was surprising enough that you reached the 6th Circle through enlightenment, but to not grow complacent... You truly are my disciple.”
“And your husband.”
“Correct.”
The corners of Valentina’s eyes curved into a beautiful smile.
She caressed my face, then slowly pressed her lips against mine.
After the brief kiss, Valentina took a step back.
“Did you stall for time against them to force the demon’s descent?”
“...You knew?”
It was true. Just as a cornered rat will bite a cat, I had intentionally driven the two of them into a corner to induce them to summon a demon.
‘I was also curious to see what I was capable of at my current level.’
But I never imagined Andras would be the one to appear.
Frankly, my goal was simply to summon any demon, hoping it would be enough to satisfy Valentina. It was a matter of settling for the next best thing.
In other words, any demon would have done.
‘...Considering Dmitri mentioned a breach of contract, Glasya-Labolas must have been the one who was supposed to appear.’
I had no way of knowing why Andras had descended instead.
But I wasn't curious enough to spend time investigating it.
All that mattered now was that Valentina had achieved her revenge.
“So, how does it feel? To finally get the revenge you’ve waited twenty-three years for?”
“How it feels...”
Valentina smiled meaningfully, took my hand, and placed it over her heart.
Her heart was beating faster than it ever had before.
“Can you hear it? That is the sound of a woman’s heart, falling for you all over again. I feel as if I could get pregnant with your child this very instant.”
“Uh...”
That wasn’t exactly the kind of sentiment I was asking about...
But once Valentina got started, there was no stopping her.
“Are you aware that since ancient times, the number three has been considered a symbol of luck? In that spirit, I think triplets would be nice... What does my husband think?”
“...I know I’m the one who brought this up, but don’t you think triplets might be a bit much?”
“...You don’t like the idea?”
In an instant, Valentina’s eyes grew cold.
Simultaneously, her magic power, which filled the entire area, began to fluctuate precariously.
I frantically shook my head.
“No, no, no! It’s not that I don’t like it, I’m just worried it would be too much of a strain on your body, Tower Lord.”
“...”
After a brief silence, a blush crept across Valentina’s pale cheeks.
“...So this is the feeling.”
“...What is?”
Seeing an expression on Valentina’s face I had never seen before, I began to feel inexplicably anxious.
“The mages at the Tower used to say that whenever they saw their lovers acting manly, they felt like they were about to ovulate. At first, I couldn't understand what on earth they meant... but I think I get it now.”
“...Tower Lord? Why are you suddenly grabbing my wrist... W-wait? Why are you unbuckling my belt—?”
Thud.
In an instant, I was overpowered by Valentina and thrown onto the snow.
It was then I realized that even after reaching the Flower Realm, it was impossible to win a contest of strength against an Archmage.
“...Stay still. I’ll be gentle.”
Lick.
Seeing the bewitching smile on Valentina’s face, I was suddenly reminded of the saying that while a victim of rape might resist with three times their normal strength, the rapist is said to summon seven times their own.
I quietly closed my eyes.
*
It was around eight in the morning.
After a frenzied dawn, I lay sprawled on my back in the snow, gazing up at the blue sky.
If Valentina hadn’t withdrawn her magic, the sky would have remained a dreary gray for at least a week.
“Hyun-woo, what are you thinking about?”
Valentina, lying naked in my arms, traced circles on my chest with her fingertip as she spoke.
‘It hasn’t been that long since she lost her virginity, and now she’s initiating outdoor sex...’
It was hard to believe this was the same woman who, just a week ago, had tried to kill me simply for getting an erection.
“...Just wondering what to do with that monstrosity over there.”
“Monstrosity?”
I pointed at the frozen Andras.
It was a bit grotesque, but I figured if we gave it a name like “The Demon Sculpture” and promoted it, it might attract a fair number of tourists.
I wouldn’t even care if demon worshippers tried to reclaim the statue.
Andras had merely descended into Dmitri’s body, so the corpse itself held no real value.
“Is there a need to dispose of it? I left it for you, thinking you might need it.”
“For me?”
“Aren’t you planning to absorb things from the corpse? Like memories, or demonic energy.”
“?!”
The moment Valentina said that, I was stunned.
I had told her before that I could absorb memories from corpses, but I had never once mentioned anything about demonic energy.
Valentina stared at my face and let out a faint laugh.
“Hehe, I thought you were acting all mature for your age, but seeing you like this, you really do seem like a man your age.”
“...I’ve never pretended to be mature.”
“Even if you don’t intend to, people are sometimes forced into situations where they have to act mature. It’s usually children who’ve had a difficult childhood.”
“...”
Swoosh.
Without a word, Valentina cradled my face in her hands.
Being enveloped by her large breasts brought an indescribable sense of comfort.
“Don’t be alarmed. I’ve known for a while that you can handle demonic energy. I have no intention of reporting you to the inquisitors, so rest assured.”
“...That’s not what I was worried about.”
I had been startled for a moment, it was true, but not once had I ever thought Valentina would turn me over to the church.
“Hehe, being trusted by my husband brings a different kind of satisfaction from physical pleasure.”
Valentina’s white hair tickled the tip of my nose as she straddled me.
She played with me for a moment, tracing my lips with her fingertips and giving me light kisses, before slowly leaning down to whisper in my ear.
“For the record, Andras isn’t dead yet.”
“......??”
“Just as fresher fish makes for better sashimi, I figured this would be better than pulling things from a corpse, so I put him in a state of suspended animation. Well, he’ll die on his own in about five minutes in this state, anyway.”
Hearing her words, I scrambled to my feet and approached the ice statue.
Placing a hand on it, I closed my eyes and concentrated. A faint life force, which I hadn’t been able to sense before, was now perceptible.
“Well, I’ll be damned...”
A hollow laugh escaped my lips.
Even if the opponent was a mere clone like Gremory and had descended into a human body, it was still a demon—a being considered transcendent.
And she was treating such a monster like a toy she could kill at any time.
‘...I still have a long way to go.’
Screech.
I drew my sword with a bitter smile.
Ting.
[You have defeated Andras, the Marquis of Discord.]
[You have earned the achievement ‘Veteran Demon Hunter’.]
[You have been rewarded with ‘Essence of the Demon’.]