The Noble Lady of Lust

Chapter 441: Limit

"This whole thing is bullshit!. And what's with that 'May your path to the summit be pure'? What a load of nonsense!... And seriously, what the hell is going on?!"

Things just kept happening nonstop, and I didn't even know what to complain about. I was barely recovering from that battle, and already there was a bounty on my head—And a freaking Epic activated in this place

And as if that weren't enough, Aeloria called me out, and, completely unprepared, I had to face her. Luckily, even though I winged it, everything mostly went well, just like last time.

In fact, I managed to get a lot of good things out of it, and it's because of things like that that I don't break our connection—but the sudden issue with Evangelin almost made me step out of character.

There were certainly other things to think about, like my responsibility for the disaster that ensued after I destroyed the seedlings and what that did to so many continents and lives… but I left that to Number One.

He'll handle that; as for me, I had to figure out how to deal with the girls and tell them the truth about what happened.

But now I also had to deal with what I had heard from Aeloria and with Evangelin's situation…

"Damn shitty goddess. Why the hell did you make her your agent? That shouldn't have happened."

I hadn't gone back to my room; I'd just come to a secluded spot in the mansion… I didn't want to face the girls without first processing or understanding a little bit why things are happening this way.

I really didn't expect this, since in the alternate timeline, Aeloria was very indifferent toward Evangelin.

When my alternate self had the chance to ask her why, Aeloria said that Evangelin's destiny wasn't to be her agent.

So, on her orders, my alternate self focused solely on learning to use Evangelin's blessing and nothing else.

In the memories, Evangelin had always been devout, and her greatest dream was to receive Aeloria's blessing. That's why she stayed close to my alternate self, and over time they developed a good friendship.

But the point is that Aeloria never paid any attention to Evangelin.

So I don't understand why it's different now—why she even made her her agent.

Although I've noticed for a while now that the gods have been acting differently from what's in my memories, I didn't think much of it... At most, I thought it was because those close to me are more powerful and stand out more to the gods.

That's why Silvia caught the sun god's attention instead of the lava god's, and the same goes for Lys and the others who, in my memories, wouldn't even have received blessings—like Mike and Ban.

But with Evangelin, it's different. I haven't intervened enough for anything to change…

I could also imagine that it was because, unlike before, I faithfully follow Aeloria, and she's in such a good mood that she made me her agent to support me more.

But I don't really think that's the case, since the conclusion my alternate self and I reached was that Aeloria, from the very beginning, saw that Evangelin's fate wasn't a good one and wasn't worth investing in… and she was certainly right not to.

That's why I thought it would be the same this time, but it wasn't.

"It's as if Aeloria… no, all the gods can't see fate clearly right now."

That was the conclusion I reached when I thought not only about what I'd just heard regarding the goddess of fate,

But also what Silvia said she heard from her god when she was made an agent.

All of that led me to conclude that something happened with the gods and fate… it feels as if everyone is winging it.

I really wanted to change a lot of things, but even so, I don't think I could make such a huge change.

At most, I think my actions would be almost the same as those of a seer who glimpsed the future to improve things in his favor.

And the only reason I was able to keep changing it is because no god can notice it thanks to my protection.

If any of them noticed me and didn't like what I'm doing and directly opposed me, I'd be completely at a disadvantage.

Besides, I know that, the gods' plans span a very long time and are always very flexible in case other gods intervene… so, no matter how many changes I make, they wouldn't actually affect their plans.

At least not yet—I haven't done anything big enough to do so; even destroying the seedlings isn't enough.

To them, it might just be a small surprise event, a bonus, or something like that.

So something really big must have happened, and maybe it has to do with what I heard about the goddess of fate… about whom even my alternate self knew very little, though her death was never actually mentioned.

Or maybe the problem is what caused her death itself…

In the end, I really don't know what's going on, but I definitely had to keep in mind that the gods aren't acting the same way they do in the alternate timeline.

And I had to keep that very much in mind if I didn't want everything to go to hell.

"Anyway, it doesn't really seem to be worth thinking about it with the limited information I have. Maybe in the future I'll unlock new memories that can answer this… but damn it!, do I really have to get involved with Evangelin?… No, to hell with it—even if that bitch Aeloria sends her after me, I won't do it."

Yeah, even if she comes, I'll tell her I'm an elfphobe… no, not that—that would affect Alice too. Let's see… that I'm a pinkophobe… no, not that either. Hmm… big breasts?… No, not that either, hmm…

"Whatever. I'll just tell her I have a phobia of anyone named Evangelin… yeah, that'll work."

'Hey, I'm done gathering our stuff and I closed the portal… tsk, looks like Aeloria couldn't give us anything useful. Damn it, I'm going to have to stick with this weak doppelganger for a while. Anyway, I'm going to sort through what we got.' -

'Yeah, that's bullshit, too.'

I heard Number Two, who had been taking care of some things while Number One and I were busy with Aeloria.

My body really is in such bad shape that creating a doppelganger in my current condition doesn't seem possible.

Using demonization with a tenth-metamorphosis beast core wasn't good, and then using another strange form of demonization was the limit for me.

I may be alive, but my body—or rather, my magic circuit—is a mess.

Although it's not as bad as I made it seem to Aeloria, using magic and abilities that require a lot of mana is certainly out of the question—but at least I can use ten percent without suffering any negative effects.

Still, it's true that I'm in very poor shape, and pushing beyond that could leave me even worse off, and the magical circuit doesn't have a natural recovery process like the physical body does.

I was barely able to use Morphogenesis to temporarily recreate the arm I'd severed. It was just an arm with no metamorphosis—and, more importantly, without any magical circuit.

Earlier, when I'd lost it while rescuing Ciel, although I was able to quickly restore my arm using Morphogenesis and healing spells, the magical circuit in that arm didn't actually recover.

A magic circuit isn't a physical entity and can't be recreated with Morphogenesis, so normally I would have been permanently magically crippled in that arm.

But I had a healing spell in head that would allow me to restore it—though it was a taboo spell that required specific catalysts and, most importantly, sacrifices.

I knew that eventually I'd find those sacrifices and materials and could restore the magical circuit in my arm; besides, even though it was magically crippled, that arm was still very strong physically.

Plus, at that time, there was still a long way to go before the academy year ended, so I didn't think much of it.

But just a few days later, I realized it really wasn't necessary. The magical nervous system in my hand began to recover on its own, and I deduced that it was due to the skill I'd obtained from Akihara, Regeneration (B).

It worked not only physically but also within my magical circuit, and best of all, it was an ability that didn't use mana—it used my vitality instead.

And although it took half a month, my arm eventually regained its full function, and I think the same thing will happen now.

Over time, I recovered my magical circuit, though now that it affects my entire body, it doesn't seem like it will take just half a month.

It might last for months, and until then, it's best not to use anything that consumes mana—like doppelgangers, demonization, of course, and, unfortunately, a complete morphogenesis and dual synchronization are included.

Using the latter, in particular, would actually be counterproductive. It would cause me to gain mana, and given the current state of my magical circuit, that would be worse than poison.

Not only would it be like pouring water into a bucket with holes, but it could actually make those holes bigger.

And it's not just synchronization—I can't rank up either. In fact, I was already at the peak of the seventh rank, and that extremely demanding battle, which pushed me to my limits in so many ways, was enough to trigger another metamorphosis.

______________________

Name: Seraphina Silvercrest

Race: Human

Rank: Superior Evolution

Gender: Female

Stats:

Strength: 450

Mana: 450

Agility: 428

Defense: 355

Vitality: 450

Skill:

Purification (Ω)

Eyes of Lust (S)

Protection of Lust (S)

Affinity for Plants (S)

Affinity for Darkness (S)

Flexibility (+A)

Affinity for Light (+ A)

Morphogenesis (A)

Dual Synchronization (A)

Heir (A)

Space Movement (A)

Primal Regression (A)

Shadow Assimilation (A)

Doppelgänger (A)

Parallel Thinking (A)

Affinity for Lightning (A)

Affinity for Spears (A)

Berserk (A)

Affinity for Runes (A)

Pheromones (B)

Fertility Control (B)

Regeneration (B)

Resonance (B)

Affinity for Hellfire (B)

Affinity for Ice (B)

Demonization (B)

Affinity for guns (C)

Affinity for heavy weapons. (C)

Enchantment (D)

Corruption (E)

Affinity for Light (EX) – Sealing

______________________

"w(ﾟДﾟ)w hell! This is more than I thought."

Originally, I was just going to check my stats, but ignoring that corruption I don't want to see—and the protection that's gone up now that the gods are more active—I realized that many of my combat skills had improved during that fight.

It's no wonder—in the memories, my alternate self keeps telling me that real battles are what truly help you grow.

I think this battle alone boosted my stats by the equivalent of a month or two of intense dual synchronization and training, but that's beside the point now.

Many of my skills have gone up a rank, and, to my surprise, one of them is Eyes of Lust."

I really want to know what improvements it has, but many of its functions require mana, so I'll have to put that aside for now. I can't test the affinities either.

But, getting back to my stats, three of them were already at their limit, which is why the feeling of moving up a rank feels more intense than ever—but one of them was mana.

If I actually advanced in rank, instead of being beneficial, it could deal a blow to my mana circuit that could really cripple me. Maybe Regeneration could heal me, but it would definitely take even longer.

So for now, I'll have to suppress this itch and recover, which will take some time.

That's why I was hoping Aeloria would help me, but that damn bitch was useless—even though she likes to talk a big game—and I had to grovel at her feet.

At least she promised to try to get it, so until she finds something to heal me—or I do it myself…

Furthermore, if the opportunity arises and someone decides to self-identify as a sacrifice, and I find the materials I need, I can cast the taboo ritual spell and recove.

It really is uncomfortable not being at my best right now, given the situation, but I have to keep going.

Even without mana, I'm still very strong, and there's still Number One—which I created when I wasn't as strong as I am now—but precisely because of that, it doesn't share my crippled state and can use Morphogenesis freely, so it's not such a bad situation.

"Alright! I've finally got my head straight regarding my injuries and Evangelin. Now, about the girls… hmm, what should I do?… Hmm, I guess there-."

"I see you're finally done. I also see that writhing back and forth, pulling your hair, and saying nonsense is how you get your head straight… I wonder just how messed up your head really is for that to happen (ㆆ_ㆆ)."

"Kyaa!... E-Elena, how long have you been there?"

Unfortunately for me, it seems I couldn't even prepare for my confession, since Elena was already here.