Chapter 96

"There's no need to hold back," Princess Aqualina stated calmly yet firmly as she stood gracefully on the ground, her expression serene and composed.

"I am deeply honoured to have the opportunity to spar with you, Princess," a woman in her thirties replied respectfully, bowing with elegance before her royal.

"You may go first," the Princess instructed, her tone carrying a sense of urgency despite her calm demeanour.

"B-But--"

"I don't wish to waste time. Proceed," Princess Aqualina reiterated, her tone now more serious and authoritative.

"Y-Yes, Your Highness," the woman responded, her apprehension evident as she readied her staff and prepared to unleash her magical prowess.

The woman was a mage skilled in the art of magic but lacking in physical combat abilities. With a snap of her fingers, she chanted her incantation.

/Wind Blade/

An arc of wind blades materialized, hurtling towards Princess Aqualina with speed and precision. However, the Princess merely regarded the approaching blades with a hint of disappointment before taking action.

Just before the wind blades could reach her, they dissipated into nothingness, as if brushed aside by a gentle breeze.

"H-Huh?" The woman was left baffled by the unexpected turn of events.

"What level are you?" Princess Aqualina inquired calmly as she flexed her fingers.

"M-My level is 25," the woman responded hesitantly.

"And your aptitude?"

"Sliver"

"I thought as much..." Princess Aqualina nodded knowingly before saying, "I regret to inform you that you lack the power to even scratch my skin."

"W-What?" The woman's confusion was evident, her confidence shaken by the Princess's calm demeanour and effortless defence.

Before the woman could fully comprehend the situation, a small gust of wind brushed against her body, and in an instant, she found herself covered in numerous cuts, a testament to the Princess's formidable abilities. With a weakened stance, the woman slowly fell to the ground..... defeated.

"The winner is Princess Aqualina Naiadia"

"OH!"

"Did you see that?!"

"Princess dispatched her opponent with ease!"

"She's incredibly powerful!"

"Damn It!! I cannot win against her!"

The spectators who had gathered for the tournament wore expressions of disbelief and awe as they witnessed Princess Aqualina's swift and decisive victory, realizing the immense gap in skill and power that separated them from royalty.

Princess Aqualina's gaze shifted towards Kai, who was staring at her with disbelieving eyes, mirroring the astonishment shared by many in the room.

Especially, Aether also wore an expression of disbelief, but his gaze was directed elsewhere.... not at Princess Aqualina's display of power, but at the Archpriestess, whose shoulders he was gently massaging.

The seating arrangement was straightforward: Empress and Archpriestess occupied separate chairs, while others such as Kai and his family, along with other high-ranking officials and nobles, were positioned a short distance away.

Due to certain reasons... No, the Archpriestess had called him over out of the blue, asking for a massage to relieve her stiff shoulders.

Initially hesitant, Aether was on the verge of declining until Velc, sensing the situation, ordered him to comply with her request.

Thus, Aether found himself gently touching the Archpriestess's shoulder, a sight that left many male onlookers envious.

A faint blush tinted the Archpriestess's cheeks, her lips trembling as if on the brink of a moan.... any moment!!

Meanwhile, the Empress observed this interaction with a quizzical expression, noting the peculiar atmosphere.

Then, her gaze shifted to Aether, who was doing his best not to look down, his face flushed with embarrassment as if he was having a hard time.

'FUCK!! Log!! What kind of mental torture is this!!' Aether inwardly cursed as he battled his unruly thoughts and tried to keep his perverted hands not to moving below her shoulder for unknown reasons!!

With all eyes on him rather than the Princess's victory, Aether knew he had to keep himself together; any misstep.... he knew he would be fucked up.

"Y-You are quite skilled at massaging, Ae- Young man," the Archpriestess complimented with a hint of admiration in her voice.

"Thank you for your kind words, Madam," Aether replied, his voice maintaining a professional tone even as his gaze involuntarily flickered downwards for a brief moment (Deep Cleavage), only to quickly avert back to her face..... just like how one sees the anime with subtitles.

Where do we focus? Of course the subtitles!!

"Hmph," Archpriestess pouted slightly, noticing his efforts to keep his composure amidst the distraction.

"Ahem" However, the moment was interrupted when the Empress cleared her throat and made a surprising request, "Massage my shoulders too!"

"!!!" Archpriestess's smiling expression came to an abrupt halt as she blankly stared at the Empress, caught off guard by the unexpected words.

!~Ding~!

Survival rate: 3%↑

'It's increasing?' Aether furrowed his brow, perplexed by the continuous increase in his survival rate. Despite his curiosity, he couldn't dwell on it for long. With a quick cessation of the shoulder massage, he prepared to withdraw but...

"You can ask your Maid to massage your shoulder, Lady Marisandra," the Archpriestess suggested with a small smile.

"And you can ask your follower instead of requesting a slave, Archpriestess," the Empress retorted coolly, a spark of tension flaring between them.

!~Ding~!

Survival rate: 3.1%↑

Aether couldn't comprehend why his survival rate was on the rise, but who cares now? After all, as long as it kept going up, he wasn't about to complain.

However, one thing was crystal clear in Aether's mind: he needed to avoid both Empress Marisandra if he wanted to survive, and Archpriestess if he wanted to preserve his innocence!!

"Mother!" Princess suddenly exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention as she landed gracefully before the Empress, "Did you witness my fight?"

Empress snapped out of her frown-like state and turned her gaze to her daughter, "Y-Yes?"

".... You didn't really see it, did you?" Princess frowned, her eyes scanning the room until they landed on Aether, who was dutifully massaging the Archpriestess's shoulders.

A shiver ran down Aether's spine as he caught sight of the cunning expression on Princess's face. 'This girl is up to something!' he thought, feeling a sense of impending doom.

"It seems Archpriestess has taken an interest in our Slave," Princess remarked with a smile as she approached Archpriestess.

"Yes, I would be interested in purchasing him," Archpriestess announced boldly, her words echoing throughout the room, causing Velc and his family to flinch in surprise.

"What?" Aether's horrified expression, 'I-I am going to get raped?'

"Oh, that's perfect!" Princess clapped her hands in delight before turning her attention to Kai, who had already moved on to his next opponent.

"If you're keen on acquiring him, I'll have my future husband arrange the sale," Princess declared confidently, casting a glance at Velc, who was sweating profusely under the unexpected pressure.

"You don't mind.... Father-in-law?" Princess asked with a sly grin, employing a title that caught Velc off guard.

"Well..." Velc scratched his head, unsure how to respond since this was the first time Princess called him Father-in-law. He needed to keep the act but he knew he could not do this so he looked at Empress.

The Empress, sensing her daughter's manipulative tactics.... but she herself didn't want Aether to others so she decided to step in, "Mortimer was the one who brought this boy, dear," she explained calmly but firmly.

"Hmm..." Princess turned her gaze back to Velc, her expression tinged with dissatisfaction. "Velc Frostblade... is truly lacking in usefulness."

Velc's face flushed with embarrassment and anger at his daughter-in-law's blunt assessment.

"I suppose I could ask Kai... after all, he is the Master, isn't he?" Princess mumbled, considering her options.

"What do you want in return?" Archpriestess inquired, her curiosity piqued by the unfolding negotiations.

"Oh, nothing much, just a position in your Temple," Princess replied with a smile, her eyes sparkling with ambition.

"Which position, exactly?" Archpriestess pressed further, her frown deepening.

"The Saintess Position, of course!" Princess declared boldly, sending a ripple of surprise through the gathered crowd.

As soon as the Princess mentioned the coveted position, the Archpriestess's two followers appeared beside her.

One of them couldn't help but mutter softly, "Aren't you asking for too much for a mere slave, Princess?"

"Oh! If isn't... Saintess" Princess retorted with a confident smile, her gaze fixated on the hooded figure.

An unknown tension filled the air, leaving everyone on edge.

All in all,

'No one is going to look at the protagonist?' With pitiful eyes, Aether glanced at Kai, who was still trying to impress with his skills.