Chapter 117
Translator: penny
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: First Wedding Night(?) (11)
Chiiiiiisss─!
In an instant, steam blanketed the interior of the mansion.
The unrelenting heat of the Sunweed still coursing through Ether's body clashed head-on with Zekiel's chill. It was a truly fierce battle of forces.
'At least it's just steam. It's quiet enough that the warriors outside won't notice.'
The witnesses—Ether and Zekiel themselves, plus the herald—were sufficient. The warriors mustn't find out.
Kwaang─! Kwoong─!
Now the explosions were sounding dangerously close.
It meant the front line had been pushed back that much, but it was only natural. For warriors engaging in close combat, suicide bombings were the most terrifying threat imaginable.
Zekiel glanced through the window slit to gauge the situation outside. He paid close attention to the warriors' expressions.
Sure enough, the leisure had vanished from their faces. It must be hard for them to fight while worrying about the First Princess.
'I can't let their suspicions turn into certainty.'
If the First Princess—the cornerstone of the warriors—faltered, the battle would collapse in an instant, leading straight to defeat.
And beyond that, there was an even greater problem.
How many would throw their lives away to claim the title of "strongest"? The moment her weakness became known, challengers would never stop coming.
Utter chaos—that must be avoided at all costs.
Zekiel had to make it happen.
The herald's eyes widened in shock as he asked,
"Inspector! Doing something like this…!"
And it wasn't just him. Ether looked fairly surprised too.
"Teacher, I warned you it was dangerous."
"Both Your Highness and the Inspector are irreplaceable assets. With the demon realm's situation so unstable lately, if anything were to happen to either of you…!"
Given the circumstances, the herald's cry was desperate.
Such urgency was rare for him. But there was no turning back now. The Sunweed's heat wouldn't release Zekiel's hand.
Suddenly, Ether asked,
"Teacher."
"Yes."
Zekiel replied calmly. The Sunweed's heat was immense, but he tried not to show it.
"You said my life matters more than your own. Do you truly mean that?"
Ether's question cut sharp. Zekiel was human too—how could he lack the desire to live?
Yet Zekiel didn't waver from his conclusion.
"…Yes."
There was nothing he hated more than his own death, but watching Ether die before his eyes? He'd spend the rest of his life in regret.
That was even worse.
"…."
Ether blinked silently for a moment. She seemed touched by his sincerity, yet surprised as well.
A beat later, Ether spoke.
"The Sunweed's heat is hotter than I imagined. It's tangled messily with my qi, scattered everywhere. It won't be easy to infuse your chill."
"I've never done anything easy anyway."
Zekiel replied evenly.
"I just gritted my teeth until it became easy."
"Is that truly so…."
How much time passed?
In the end, First Princess Ether nodded.
"Teacher, I permit you to touch this jade body."
Permission granted to do as he pleased.
The herald's eyes bulged in disbelief.
"Touching the qi inside her body? One mistake, and lives are lost. Not just Her Highness, but the Inspector's safety would be in utmost peril…."
"My hand has already touched her once—there's no separating now. Herald, as my retainer, mind your dignity."
Once decided, she never reversed course.
Ether cut him off firmly and bent her waist further, yielding her back completely to Zekiel.
It was astonishing.
The First Princess baring her skin, a warrior exposing her back. Both implied immense trust.
Ether slowly closed her eyelids.
"Teacher, what you just said was as good as a confession. You're prepared to take responsibility for me, aren't you?"
"I've always been prepared for that."
"Your control of chill is exquisitely precise…. Very well, who else could I trust but you? From now on, hesitate not—try whatever you wish."
Her attitude was casual, like entrusting a mere object.
But Zekiel knew. Ether cherished her body above all. She simply trusted him even more.
He was truly grateful.
"Ah…. Ugh…."
As the herald fidgeted anxiously, Ether's gaze turned to him.
"What is the problem?"
"It's no different from placing both your lives on the execution block. I'm deeply worried…."
"In other words, sharing life and death together."
Ether merely chuckled.
"Isn't that the height of romance?"
She spoke boldly of romance, but her ragged breathing betrayed her worsening condition.
At the same time, urgent voices flooded in from outside the mansion.
"Your Highness, the enemies cloaked in demonic energy are closing in fiercely! Just step out once and burn them…!"
"Even after we clear the corpses, they keep coming! They won't stay down—they resurrect in grotesque forms!"
Every voice screamed of dire straits. The situation was truly critical.
Zekiel knew it well, which was why.
He released his chill from his palm onto the nape of Ether's neck, her bare skin. He felt both the softest flesh and the firmly honed back muscles at once.
The tender skin immediately blistered and burned.
Only to heal itself and repeat the cycle.
'If I can end this chain of pain with my own hands.'
That was the thought as he drew his chill to its utmost.
Zekiel, who had desperately craved Sunweed yet never obtained it. First Princess Ether, who hadn't wanted it but was forced to endure agony to harbor it.
Neither had been truly happy.
'Now, I hope we can all be happy.'
The man simply wished it. And for that, he first needed to quell the heat lodged in the First Princess's body.
Sususuususu─!
Chill rising like frost in a cavern.
Zekiel cast aside all stray thoughts.
Yes, he forgot everything but saving the First Princess.
Unbelievable.
The princess, lofty as the heavens, had permitted him to touch her skin.
War God, King of Unconquered Diseases…. She bore only the mightiest titles. What man could ever place his palm on her bare flesh?
The spot Zekiel touched was high on her back—practically her nape.
The neck.
A vital point where blood vessels converged, and where qi surged forth. For Ether, who wielded qi, it was paramount.
Now, it all rested on Zekiel alone.
Chiiiiiik─!
His palm burned like it would melt away.
He, who had never felt heat in his life, found the Sunweed's existence still wondrous. How could such a thing be?
"The Sunweed has taken the form of spirits, blocking my meridians everywhere, tormenting me. You must pierce through with chill."
Ether murmured quietly, entrusting her nape to him.
"I've diligently cleared my qi passages. Just shove your chill in with all your might. Pour it in generously, and it'll flow on its own."
Indeed, the First Princess's qi passages were absurdly vast.
Qi passages were influenced by mental fortitude.
How much cultivation did it take to reach such a realm? Well, enduring the agony of burning flesh every moment proved her mind was no ordinary thing.
Kuwoong─!
At that moment, something massive collided with the mansion's front gate.
"Don't let this gate open, no matter what!"
"Hold it! Hold the line!"
"Push forward as much as you can! If corpses explode here, it's dangerous! This is the First Princess's mansion!"
Every shout proclaimed the crisis. The demon realm's "goddess" desired the First Princess's downfall.
It wasn't hard to understand. Toppling her would make conquering the continent far easier.
Crisis.
Zekiel slowly closed his eyes.
"I can't hold out! I'll join the front line first. Your Highness, Inspector—please stay safe!"
Ignoring the herald dashing out, he sank into concentration. He began infusing chill gradually.
Srururururu─
With eyes closed, a vivid scene emerged. Amid pitch-black vision, something branched out like trees in blue and red.
The First Princess's meridians and qi passages—all laid bare.
Suddenly.
A certain phrase from the Emperor resurfaced.
─The Sunweed seems to fear your chill. Even I've never seen such a thing.
Fear—it meant dominance.
Perhaps he could overcome it.
No, perhaps he could subjugate the Sunweed spirits.
To realize that arrogant thought, he poured every ounce of focus into his chill. Recent battles had honed his chill control even further.
Confidence welled up inexplicably.
Ether's pained coughs echoed a few times, then slowly faded from Zekiel's awareness.
And at some point.
Zekiel sensed a vast world.
Ether's qi passages were so expansive they felt like a realm unto themselves. Her achievement far surpassed others—worthy of the title "strongest."
A profoundly mystical body.
Yet, perhaps due to the Sunweed's side effects, it seemed terribly unstable.
Huwooooouk─!
He blew in his chill with all his power.
He didn't forget Ether's advice. The passages were wide—just pour in the chill freely.
He followed it to the letter.
Backlash filled him with heat. His head spun like in a raging fever, and a burnt smell even tickled his nose.
Yet.
Even so.
Huwooooook─!
Relentlessly pushing forward without surrender.
"…Huh?"
At some point, he heard the First Princess's dazed exclamation.
And the man was certain.
The Sunweed spirits—he could dominate them.