Chapter 51 : That’s Not It
Chapter 51: That’s Not It!
“I’m not leaving.”
Before those words had fully dissipated into the air, Lilia’s body had already rushed forward.
It wasn’t because she was worried about her master’s safety.
It was purely because if she didn’t charge now, that damned System would put those ridiculous bell-wearing cat ears on her head.
Compared to being slapped to death by that woman, social death was far more terrifying.
Hera’s raised hand froze midair.
The destructive black sphere of light at her fingertips continued to crackle, tearing fine cracks into the surrounding space.
She clearly hadn’t expected this timid “mouse” to dare pounce at such a moment.
Only three steps away.
Closer.
That bone-chilling cold surged forward, instantly frosting over her eyebrows and eyelashes.
Hera instinctively tried to fling the magic sphere in her hand.
But in that instant, she saw Lilia’s face—twisted with fear, yet still charging forward with her eyes tightly shut.
Her golden pupils suddenly contracted.
Hera’s wrist forcibly twisted, and the black death light grazed past Lilia’s ear, slamming into the obsidian gate behind them, silently melting a massive hole through the two-meter-thick slab.
The next second—
“Bang!”
Lilia crashed into a cold embrace.
It wasn’t the soft, fragrant touch she had imagined.
Hard.
Cold.
Like hugging a steel plate just pulled out of liquid nitrogen.
Lilia’s arms tightly wrapped around Hera’s waist, her face buried into the silk nightgown already soaked with cold sweat.
Freezing.
This would really kill someone.
The moment they made contact, Lilia felt all the warmth in her body being drained away. Her teeth began chattering uncontrollably, producing clacking sounds.
Hera was knocked backward by the immense force.
She had already been at the end of her strength, holding on by sheer will to suppress the curse within her.
That impact broke that final thread.
The two of them tumbled to the floor, entangled.
The surrounding violent ice instantly lost control, like sharks smelling blood, surging crazily toward them.
“…Let go!”
Hera’s voice exploded right beside her ear.
It carried both anger and a trace of barely noticeable panic.
Let go?
Was that a joke?
Not only did Lilia not let go, she even wrapped her legs around Hera, clinging to her like a koala.
If she let go now, wouldn’t she just be waiting to be skewered by those ice shards?
Besides, the system mission hadn’t shown completion yet.
The countdown had stopped, but if she didn’t calm this female demon down, who knew if it would suddenly count as failure?
“I won’t!”
Lilia buried her face deeper, her muffled voice trembling with a clear sob.
“You are my master, and I am your possession!”
“How can a possession just watch her master suffer and do nothing!”
“I’ll just hug you, just for a moment!”
Hera trembled with anger.
Idiot.
A complete idiot.
Didn’t she feel the overflowing magic corroding life itself?
This was the most ancient curse of the Abyss, a “gift” left behind by that traitor.
Even high-ranking demons would have their souls rot from the slightest contact.
And yet this human, who didn’t even possess magic, dared to press against her directly with her body.
“Get away… you’ll die!”
Hera tried to push away the clingy figure on top of her.
But the moment her palm touched Lilia’s back, that not particularly hot, yet vividly alive warmth traveled through her hand.
Warm.
To Hera, who felt as if she were trapped in a frozen hell, that bit of warmth was like the only spark in darkness.
The pushing hand inexplicably lost its strength.
What had been meant to shove her away turned into a weak grip instead.
Her fingers dug into the rough fabric of the maid outfit.
Black mist began to spread along Lilia’s spine.
Lilia sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.
She felt something burrowing into her body.
Cold, violent, filled with despair and resentment.
【Warning! High concentration Abyssal magic erosion detected.】
【Warning! Host vital signs decreasing.】
【Passive Skill “The Queen’s Mark (Intermediate)” activated.】
【Skill “Magic Synchronization” forcibly activated.】
The system interface flashed wildly in her mind.
Lilia had no time to look.
She only knew she was freezing to death. Instinctively seeking warmth, she pressed herself even closer, as if trying to meld into Hera’s bones.
“Ugh… so cold…”
Lilia whimpered unconsciously.
Her hands rubbed randomly against Hera’s back, trying to generate heat through friction.
This intrusive action made Hera’s stiff body suddenly tremble.
Pain.
Whenever her old wounds flared up, the soul-tearing agony would drive her insane, making her want to destroy everything in sight.
But now—
That warm, soft presence was pressed against her chest.
The pain that should have driven her mad was slowly flowing away through their touching skin… into Lilia.
She was sharing the pain.
No one had ever done this before.
Nor could anyone.
No one would be foolish enough to share another’s curse—that was simply courting death.
“…Idiot.”
Hera cursed softly.
Her hand, which had been gripping Lilia’s back, slowly moved upward, finally resting on the back of her head.
She didn’t push her away.
Instead, she pressed her down slightly.
The violent whirlpool of magic around them began to calm.
The sharp ice lost its support, shattering noisily and dissolving into mist.
The suffocating pressure in the bedchamber finally receded.
Lilia felt like she had just run ten thousand meters, her lungs burning, her limbs weak and powerless.
But the deadly cold had finally vanished.
In its place was the faint, pleasant cold fragrance from Hera.
And the steady heartbeat gradually returning beneath the silk nightgown.
Thump, thump, thump.
Strong and steady.
Intertwined with her own heartbeat, which felt like it was about to leap out of her throat.
Lilia slowly came back to her senses.
Then she realized… their current position was a bit too much.
She was sprawled on top of Hera, her legs still wrapped around her waist in a rather indecent manner.
Her face was pressed against Hera’s chest, and it seemed like she had even gotten saliva on that expensive nightgown.
Worst of all, Hera’s hand was still pressing on her head, their distance so close they could hear each other’s breathing.
This was bad.
Earlier, it had been an emergency—pure adrenaline driven by survival instinct.
Now that the crisis had passed and rationality returned—
Lilia felt a chill creeping up the back of her neck.
Had she just yelled at the Queen?
Had she said “I won’t”?
Had she shamelessly clung on like that?
“Um…”
Lilia tried to lift her head.
But the hand pressing on the back of her head didn’t budge.
The force wasn’t strong, yet it carried an undeniable command.
“Don’t move.”
Hera’s voice came from above.
It no longer held that violent killing intent from before, but it was far from gentle.
Only extreme exhaustion remained, along with a faint trace of hoarseness.
Lilia immediately froze, obedient as a quail.
“Yes, Master.”
She responded softly, maintaining this extremely intimate and awkward posture, not daring to move at all.
Time passed little by little.
The bedchamber was eerily quiet, with only the occasional faint crackling of lingering magical residue in the distance.
Hera didn’t speak.
She simply closed her eyes, feeling the warmth coming from the body in her arms.
That weak life force belonging to a mortal.
And yet, it had forcibly helped her withstand the eruption of the curse.
Why?
To survive?
Or for that so-called “loyalty”?
Or… something else?
Hera opened her eyes.
The golden pupils were no longer a lifeless cold, but churned with something extremely complex.
She lowered her head, looking at the trembling little figure in her arms who still hadn’t let go.
Disheveled hair, and that once-prized maid outfit now torn in several places by the ice shards on the ground—she looked utterly miserable.
Ridiculous.
Yet somehow… pleasing to the eye.