Strongest Mage with the Lust system

Chapter 917: Guilt and Reflection

The Medical Elder nodded, "We have healed all her physical wounds, but she is getting more and more depressed with each passing day. She isn’t eating or drinking properly either."

"Why didn’t you inform me about this earlier?" Max asked, a chill seeping in his voice.

"When she woke up, she asked about you and we told her you were alright and were in secluded cultivation so she wouldn’t worry. Then, as her mental health began to deteriorate, she asked us not to tell you anything. Moreover, Elder Milo told me you weren’t ready to see her yet." responded the Medical Elder calmly.

"Is she awake?" asked Max, not in the mood to care whether his tone had been rude let alone apologize for it.

"Yes, she is." nodded the Medical Elder.

Swoosh!

Max rushed in as soon as he saw her nod.

After the doors closed after him, the female disciple standing beside the Medical Elder muttered under her breath, but loud enough for her master to hear, "What an ill-mannered person."

The Medical Elder smiled, "He is young still, and too concerned for his loved one. Don’t mind him."

"Yes, Master." The female disciple nodded, recalling the moment Max had walked out of the room, looking like an empty husk and much of her displeasure vanished.

Still, she inwardly thought, ’If Master was as strong as Grand Elder Rowan, no matter what was happening to him, he wouldn’t have dared disrespect her like that. Strength... is ultimately most important of all.’

She silently clenched her fists, then glanced at her master before lowering her head.

"You want to go and cultivate, don’t you?" asked the Medical Elder suddenly.

"I... yes, Master." she wanted to deny instinctively, but admitted the truth after composing herself.

The Medical Elder reached out and gently ruffled her hair, "Little Kae, just listen to me and wait for another two months, okay?"

Kaelin, took a deep breath, "I can master the Medicinal Codex in one month, Master."

"Ha, then wait just one month." chuckled the Medical Elder, patting her head.

Kaelin nodded. ’Just one month.’

...

The moment Max entered the room, he was hit with stuffy, depressing air. Then, he saw her, sitting on the bed, dazedly staring in front of her. She hadn’t even noticed him.

As he took in her appearance, which was no better than his before he consumed the drop of refined Devil Energy, he felt his heart clench.

Taking a deep breath, he composed himself, put a smile on his face and walked over to her and sat on the bed beside her.

It was only when Rima felt the movement near her that she came back to her senses, her eyes focused, and woodenly turned her head toward Max.

From how the look in her eyes changed to pleasant surprise, she clearly hadn’t expected to see him, but then she seemed to have thought of something and panic flashed in her eyes and her already colorless face paled even more.

She lowered her head and clenched the bedsheet tightly, not uttering a word.

Max opened his mouth to say something, but then leaned forward and gently pulled her into a hug.

He hadn’t used his Bloodline Sense, but he could tell how deeply insecure and afraid she was. He also realized the reason she had told the Medical Elder not to call him was because she was afraid that he would no longer love her like before if he found out... she had become a cripple.

"I love you, Rima." He softly said, his one hand caressing her back and the other her hair. Then, he pulled away, lifted her chin and made her look at him before he said, "Do you want to marry me?"

Ba-Dum!

Rima’s heart skipped a beat when she heard this and saw the sincere look in his eyes.

"I do. I... do." She muttered, a smile appearing on her lips even as tears streamed down her cheeks.

How much did she long to hear him say this one day? How could she not want to marry him?

However...

She cupped his face in her hands, "But I can’t. I’m..." She bit her lip, drawing blood, "...No longer worthy of you... your love. I’m sorry, I ca—"

Before she could continue, Max gently removed her hands from his face, cupped hers in his hands and placed his lips on hers, tasting her blood and tears and through them, her emotions.

He continued kissing her very gently, trying to convey his feelings to hers. And perhaps he was successful in doing so because he felt Rima’s taut body slowly relax.

After a while, he pulled away, wiped her tears and said gently but sternly, "I know your condition, and never again think that I won’t love you the same as before because of it."

Rima didn’t respond and just stared at him through her teary eyes. In the end, a soft, satisfied smile appeared on her face and her eyes blinked close—she fainted in his arms.

Max gently lay her down on the bed, pulled up the quilt and sat beside her, stroking her head.

He was feeling extremely guilty and bad at the moment.

Just how much of a beast he was that she thought he would no longer love her after finding out about her condition?

He always thought, especially in the last few months, that he had expressed his love and feelings to her, Esme and others properly and they would never feel insecure about it.

But...

’I was wrong. How could they trust me wholeheartedly when they know the main reason I started the relationship with them was for Nascent Energy... to get stronger?’ he thought, he sighed, ’How truly foolish of me!’

He sat there for a long while, lost in thought, reflecting.

Finally, he snapped back to his senses.

’There is no use regretting the past.’ he thought, ’I’ll just have to show her and others that what I truly value isn’t what they give me, but them.’

This was the truth.

While at the start, he only wanted to use them to get stronger and felt no guilt doing so. After all, weren’t they also benefitting from him? Moreover, he wasn’t going to throw them away after they were no longer of any use to him, so it was all alright.

But over time, his lust turned into real love and at this moment, he was willing to give up all his power, his everything if it could keep his wives safe and happy.