Chapter 65
“Damn it! Is that Aura Lord bastard impotent or something?!”
Back in her own room, Lillia vented her frustration as she replayed what had just happened. When she heard that the three most noble women in the empire had come to this mansion, she thought it was a golden opportunity—she could send them off as test subjects and rack up some achievements. But then that infamous Aura Lord showed up right after, and a chill ran down her spine.
Luckily, her disguise seemed to be working better than expected; no one appeared to suspect her as the culprit. Still, she couldn't let her guard down around a man who had already taken down one of her fellow executives.
...No, wait. What if I just seduce him and take him out?
Lillia possessed an innate ability to enchant the minds of men. Born in the slums, she had endured all sorts of hardships from a young age due to her stunning beauty and this peculiar power that bewitched males. One day, filled with rage and contempt toward the hordes of men who preyed on her, she encountered the Sub-Cult Leader of the Heaven God Cult. Intrigued by her ability, he granted her the power of Madness and took her under his wing.
Empowered by Madness, her abilities grew even stronger, allowing her to siphon off essence—a form of life force—from the very men who had lusted after her and treated her like a plaything. Watching those she feared and despised turn into obedient beasts under her spell, reduced to their vulgar, pathetic states, filled Lillia with pleasure and ecstasy.
However, because her power—like Jelros's—manipulated human minds, she was assigned to tasks like recruiting manpower or handling rear-guard operations. She rarely took the front lines, which left her low in the pecking order among the executives. Even Jelros, whom she secretly looked down on, had died during a mission, narrowing her position even further. She was determined to make this mission a success when this unexpected situation arose.
If I eliminate this future threat of an Aura Lord right here, I could monopolize the Cult Leader's favor, right?
Her thinking was a bit simplistic, but she convinced herself that seducing Mars with her ability, then disposing of him, would earn her a huge reward for removing the Heaven God Cult's biggest headache. She put her plan into action immediately.
But during their first meeting, even after secretly deploying her enchantment on him, and during dinner when she slyly closed in with body contact or tried feeding him—all her overt seductions—his gaze never wavered from the start. If anything, he eyed her warily for getting too close, which drove Lillia to the brink of madness.
“That damn viscountess bitch—I want to kill her quick too! Tch... But with all these eyes around, I can't just take her out!”
She had planned to drain the viscount of his benefits and ship him off as a test subject, but if he suddenly vanished, the visitors would get suspicious. For now, she had no choice but to play the part of nursing him in his room.
“Does he think I'm uglier than those girls, so he won't fall for my seduction?! No, no way... I'm not inferior to those milk-scented brats?!”
Lillia's beauty differed in flavor from that of the female subordinates. Hers was specialized in sexiness and sultriness, while theirs leaned toward innocence and purity. But Mars's resistance had nothing to do with taste—she was just pissed.
It wasn't as if her enchantment had never failed before. It didn't work on their actual superior, the Sub-Cult Leader, or other executives. But they were all either deranged maniacs or mentally unhinged freaks, so that was why. Lillia knew better than anyone that her power wasn't so middling it would fail on some kid barely out of adolescence.
“Fine, then... I'll just wither him away myself...”
Deep into the night.
Mars's room was utterly silent as he slept. Whoosh—
A mysterious visitor slipped in.
“Hehe, sleeping soundly~ Guess the herbs I mixed into the food worked better than expected.”
Among the vegetables in the group's meal was a herb that induced deep sleep. In moderate doses, it promoted restful slumber, but in excess, it could cause sudden cardiac arrest—a potent poison. Lillia had ordered the enchanted head chef to load it up to the limit, and now she gazed down at Mars, lost in such profound sleep he wouldn't notice her approach, savoring the thrill.
Right. Even an Aura Lord is human—if I drain his essence dry, he'll die!
She considered stabbing his nape right then, but a man attuned to killing intent like him might wake in an instant and overpower her. Instead, she decided to weaken him by absorbing his essence.
Absorbing essence was a technique only she could perform—it was invisible to the naked eye and undetectable without special senses. Victims just withered away, growing frail, but she'd never met anyone sharp enough to notice before she took them.
She tiptoed to Mars's side, confirming his sleeping face.
Hehe. I'll take your essence now~
Placing her hand near his body, Lillia focused her mind and began drawing out his essence. After feeding on the poor-quality stuff for so long, Mars's poured in like crisp forest air—she twitched between her legs.
Oh, oho... What luck~ If I suck it all at once, he might die, so I need to weaken him gradually!
If a healthy man shriveled up and died overnight, this mansion would come under scrutiny. To avoid easy detection, she resolved to drain him as much as possible without altering his outward appearance, flashing a wicked grin as she continued.
A little time passed.
Ugh... Huh?!
Thirty minutes in, and Mars's face remained serenely peaceful in her eyes. Draining essence was tantamount to stealing life force—even five minutes left ordinary men withered like the gravely ill, bodies gaunt. Knights or the naturally robust lasted longer, maybe fifteen minutes tops. Beyond that, they lost all vitality and dropped dead.
But what was with this guy? Thirty minutes of endless draining, and his vibrant face showed no change. If anything, Lillia, gorged on the excess, felt bloated like she'd overeaten.
Shocked that a single human could hold this much energy, she yanked her hand back and retreated.
“...Is being an Aura Lord just that special?”
Even she had never absorbed an Aura Lord's essence. There were hardly any on the continent, and before this one appeared, entertaining the idea of targeting the only existing Aura Lord, Helios Count, was pure suicide.
She hadn't taken all his power, but it was near her limit—and instinctively, she felt stronger than ever. The purity was clearer and cleaner than any man's, without the burden, carrying a sweet aroma. Realizing Mars's essence outstripped the vast quantities she'd stolen from countless men in volume and quality, her eyes began to cloud with desire.
If I could make this man completely mine...!
Gulp!
To her, men had always been repulsive, lowly beasts. Even now in the Heaven God Cult, she felt the same—except for the Sub-Cult Leader, her benefactor, whom she respected. Everyone else got the same disdain.
But learning of Mars sparked a fantasy within her.
If I tame this one right... Could I become the master of the Heaven God Cult?
It was absurd delusion, but blinded by greed, Lillia saw Mars shining like a dazzling gem.
“Ahh, slept well—Huh? Why does my body feel kinda heavy?”
Maybe because it was an unfamiliar place, but upon waking, my condition was worse than usual. Not low energy, exactly—more like my body literally weighed me down? I hadn't felt this since that one day of full-throttle sparring with my master, Helios Count....
“Is something bothering you?”
“Oh, no. Just... the unfamiliar bed means the fatigue isn't quite gone... or...?”
Huh? Why's there someone else's voice in my room? Bad vibes rising, I turned my head slightly—
“Sorry about that. I should tell the servants to bring better bedding. Hehe.”
“Uh... um...”
“You look so cute just waking up~”
There sat the lady of the house, Lillia, demurely kneeling by my bedside in this bizarre scene. My brain flatlined so hard I questioned if human minds could truly freeze—until a knock jolted me awake.
Knock knock.
Slam.
“Mars. The Princess—er, Lady—is asking when you're getting up... or... uh...”
Polo, opening the door, froze at the sight in my room, then rewound like a tape—slamming it shut and leaving just like that.