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"Are you two okay?"
Edgar leapt down from the divine bird's head and landed in front of Eve and Akame.
As for the divine bird itself, even without Edgar suppressing it anymore, it remained curled up obediently with its wings tucked in, not daring to move an inch.
"Master!"
When they saw Edgar, both Akame and Eve looked shaken.
"I saw so many enemies I'd killed before," Akame said, her voice low. "They just kept coming at me, one after another."
"I was the same," Eve added. "I don't even know how many times I killed them before I finally broke out of the illusion."
There was lingering fear written all over their faces.
They had been just one step away from dying to those phantoms.
Seeing this, Edgar reached out and gave each of them a gentle pat on the head.
"Good job. You both did great."
A mental illusion created with the power of a demon-king-level divine bird, even if it was only meant as a trial, was no joke. The fact that the two of them had managed to break through it was impressive in its own right.
After comforting them for a bit, Edgar waved at the divine bird.
"So… which of these two am I supposed to recognize as my master?"
The divine bird crept closer, clearly nervous.
Akame and Eve exchanged a glance, both seeing the same subtle expression in the other's eyes.
It was covered in blood.
Looks like Master really gave it a thorough lesson.
Edgar casually pointed at Eve. "From now on, your master is her."
"Yes."
The divine bird nodded, then lowered its gaze to Eve and spoke solemnly.
"In accordance with the ancient covenant, one who passes the trial shall be recognized by me as my master."
The moment its words fell, a vast and mysterious power surged into Eve's body.
In the blink of an eye, a clearly visible magic circle enveloped both Eve and the divine bird.
A strange, intimate connection formed between them.
Then, Eve's smooth black hair slowly transformed into a sacred silver-white.
Sharp horns extended from her forehead.
Even her black dress shifted, becoming a sleek suit of leather armor.
The change added a heroic edge to her previously seductive appearance.
Her aura began to climb rapidly as well.
[EXP +10085]
[EXP +28885]
[EXP +29995]
Seeing the floating system messages, Edgar's eyes lit up.
"I didn't expect this. Contracting with the divine bird boosted Eve up two full levels, straight to top-tier demon status."
Noticing his gaze, Eve ran a hand through her silver hair and asked softly, "Master… I didn't become ugly, did I?"
"No," Edgar replied without hesitation. "If anything, you're even more beautiful."
Her long, straight black hair had turned white.
That was basically an instant buff stacked on top.
"R-really?" Eve looked herself over, sweetness bubbling up inside her.
As long as Master liked it, that was all that mattered.
"Alright, we'll talk about your changes later," Edgar said, giving her a meaningful look. "Let's head back first."
As his words fell, the magic circle flashed.
Edgar, the others, and the divine bird vanished all at once.
—
Black Wing Clan territory.
The moment Edgar and the others appeared, the entire area erupted into commotion.
"Look, Lady Eve is back!"
"Wait, is that the divine bird?"
"It really is. The divine bird Caladrius!"
Amid the cries of astonishment, countless members of the Black Wing Clan dropped to their knees in reverence.
Hearing the noise, the Star Spirit, Setsuna, and Mine rushed over as well.
"Wow, Eve, you look totally different now!"
"Eve, your horns are so cute!"
They immediately noticed her transformation and crowded around her, eyes shining.
"H-hey, it's not that big a deal," Eve said shyly, scratching her head.
"But I really did get a lot stronger."
"And it's all thanks to Master."
As she spoke, Eve looked at Edgar, her eyes filled with undisguised reverence and love.
Without Master, let alone gaining this kind of power, she might not even have survived to this day.
"In that case," Edgar said teasingly, "how are you planning to repay me?"
"Um…"
Eve's face flushed. She leaned closer to Edgar and breathed softly by his ear.
"M-Master… didn't you say before that… later… I could try…"
"Whoa, you're that bold?" Edgar widened his eyes, completely caught off guard by her initiative.
"Tch!"
Even though the voices were low, Akame and the others still heard, instinctively clenching up.
Feeling Eve's burning gaze, Edgar pulled her into his arms, about to take things further.
And then—
The ground began to tremble faintly.
Distant shouts and the clash of battle echoed from afar.
"N-not good! The Demon King's army is attacking!"
Mir came running over in a panic.
Even without the warning, Edgar's senses had already grasped the situation.
In the distance, massive numbers of the Demon King's troops were advancing at high speed.
At this pace, they would reach the Black Wing Clan's territory before long.
"The Demon King's army?!"
Eve snapped out of her embarrassment, her expression turning anxious.
"They must have found out I'm here. Otherwise, there's no way they'd mobilize forces on this scale."
"And here I thought I was standing right next to you," Edgar said calmly.
He pressed a hand to her head, gently rubbing her silver hair.
"Relax. Even if the Demon King himself comes, he won't be leaving alive."
The next instant, the power of the dimensional array activated.
Light flashed.
Edgar and the others appeared outside the clan's territory.
Not far away, clouds of dust rose as the earth shook more violently by the second.
Countless figures of the Demon King's army emerged through the haze.
Boom, boom, boom!
The thunderous sound of synchronized hooves shook the air.
In mere moments, they covered thousands of meters, charging forward with overwhelming force.
At that instant, the world seemed to fall silent.
Only the endless battle cries filled the air, killing intent surging like a collapsing mountain.
"With this kind of presence… these are definitely elite troops of the Demon King," Eve said.
It was her first time facing something like this head-on, and her mind nearly wavered.
The Star Spirit and the others, on the other hand, were unfazed.
They had seen scenes like this far too many times.
Even the Star Spirit and Setsuna had spent plenty of time campaigning with the kingdom recently. They were already fully accustomed to war.
"So?" Edgar asked, rubbing Eve's head. "You good?"
"Haa…"
Eve took a deep breath and nodded firmly. "I'm fine."
Then she froze, her face lighting up.
Right.
The divine bird was still by her side.
This was the Black Wing Clan's sacred beast, a godlike creature said to be capable of destroying an entire nation.
Before she could even give an order, the divine bird had already taken to the sky.
Eve was its master, yes.
But Eve's master was Edgar.
Obeying the true boss was obviously the correct choice.
I've become so much stronger now.
No matter what, I can't let Master down.
That was Eve's most honest thought in that moment.
Edgar smiled. "You don't need to be so nervous."
"Did you forget? You're wielding the divine bird's power now."
"The divine bird?"
"..."
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