It was obvious that Arianna's strength was nowhere near Saint Raphael's.
Not only was she weaker, but her mental toughness and resilience were also separated by quite a large gap.
So the amount of time Arianna could hold out was far shorter than Saint Raphael's.
After only half an hour, two heart-shapes surfaced in Arianna's eyes. Her purple-stockinged feet drew together behind Akuto, and she fainted on the spot.
Thankfully, just as Arianna was "defeated," Saint Raphael gradually came back to her senses as well.
"Mm… while I was asleep… Akuto-kun has already taken things this far?"
Looking at the petite maid with deep indigo hair lying against Akuto, Saint Raphael let out a helpless sigh.
She did not particularly care whether Akuto had only her as a woman, but when she truly saw this scene with her own eyes, she could not help but have complicated thoughts.
[So this is what they call a woman's heart? How strange…] Saint Raphael had never imagined that one day she would feel this sort of "female rivalry" toward a girl far younger than herself.
But since things had come to this, Saint Raphael was willing to accept reality.
According to what Akuto had said, the more girls who formed a relationship with him, the more abilities he would awaken within himself.
If it were only her, she also felt it was not entirely reliable.
Originally, Saint Raphael had wanted to persuade Erica, to bring Erica into this together as well.
But since Akuto had already taken the initiative to approach Arianna, Saint Raphael temporarily set aside the idea of going to Erica.
In truth, Saint Raphael's stamina had already recovered more than ten minutes ago.
The reason she had not spoken after recovering was mainly because her mind was still in a haze.
Just as Akuto had described earlier, it was not only her abs that felt as if they had been utterly "flattened," even her thoughts seemed to have been pressed smooth, leaving her body and spirit in a state that was difficult to put into words.
Of course, aside from the intense sensations of intimacy, there was another matter that concerned her deeply.
Bracing herself slightly, Saint Raphael looked down at her lower abdomen, her expression dazed.
The solid slab of definition that had appeared there earlier was gone. In its place were three crests that contained an extraordinary power.
"White horse, goat, camel… Akuto-kun succeeded? He managed to graft the Incarnation of God onto me?"
The moment the thought surfaced, Saint Raphael reached her conclusion.
"No. He didn't. Akuto-kun did not succeed."
Saint Raphael could feel it. Although the three crests were currently within her, their power was continuously draining away, flowing back into the "Prometheus Tablet" that originally housed the Incarnation of God.
"Saint Raphael, this experiment indeed wasn't a complete success, but it also wasn't a failure." Noticing her gaze, Akuto said unhurriedly. "You could say it simply achieved the result I expected."
"Hm?" Saint Raphael frowned slightly. "Akuto-kun, didn't you just… fuse with her?"
Saint Raphael only knew that Akuto intended to achieve the result of "letting her obtain the Incarnation of God's power" by "grafting the Incarnation of God's fate onto her." As for what this present outcome truly meant, she did not understand.
"Saint Raphael, the fact that the Incarnation of God's power would, with the flow of time, return to its original position was already within my expectations."
"For this experiment, as long as we achieved 'transplanting the Incarnation of God,' it counted as a success."
"After all, your compatibility with the Incarnation of God isn't good. The fact we could temporarily graft fate and ability already proves feasibility."
"If we wanted the experiment to fully succeed, we'd need to find an existence with a deeper connection to you." Akuto delivered his conclusion.
"I see…" Saint Raphael's brows knit together. "But I don't have any particularly deep connection with any existence stronger than me."
If possible, she naturally wanted to obtain the Incarnation of God's power. That way she could become stronger and help Akuto better. But reality was not so convenient.
"No, you're mistaken, Saint Raphael." Akuto smiled. "There is someone. He's powerful, and he has a very deep connection with you. Perhaps we can start from him."
As Saint Raphael had said, if she wanted to become stronger, she should, through Fate Grafting, seize something from existences stronger than herself, like Heretic Gods.
What she did not know was that Akuto's "Fate Grafting" had never been meant to prepare his harem to acquire divine power.
If he wanted divine power, using the "Usurpation Disk" was enough. There was no need to rely on Fate Grafting.
What Akuto truly wanted Fate Grafting for was to reclaim the providence and fortune of those male roles that had previously been wasted.
And on Saint Raphael's side, there just so happened to be a male role with an extremely deep connection to her.
"Powerful, and deeply connected to me…" Saint Raphael's expression shifted. "You mean… that bastard disciple?"
At last, she remembered the bastard disciple of hers who had already become a Godslayer.
Although she had not been Doni's teacher for very long—only a little over a month before his swordsmanship reached maturity—no matter how one calculated it, there was undeniably a bond of master and disciple between them.
"No, Akuto-kun." Saint Raphael refused almost instinctively. "That disciple may be a bastard, but I'm not willing to take advantage of him by grafting my disciple's fate."
Akuto had already anticipated her refusal. He smiled and shook his head.
"Saint Raphael. Don't you think this world is unfair, and frankly ridiculous?"
"In principle, a miracle existence like a Godslayer—someone who slays gods with a mortal body—should never be bound by fate."
"And yet in reality, every Godslayer is born with the destiny of a Godslayer before they can become one afterward."
"A Godslayer breaks the law that 'mortals cannot oppose gods,' yet the Godslayer themself is shackled by fate. Don't you think a world like that, a logic like that, is absurd?"
Saint Raphael was moved, but she still did not wish to commit an unrighteous act.
"This world may indeed be absurd. Even so, I can't graft that bastard disciple's…"
"No, Saint Raphael. You're wrong." Akuto shook his head again.
"Precisely because this world is so ridiculous, you should fight even harder to seize the fate that binds Doni."
"Hah? Why?" Saint Raphael did not understand.
"Because once you do, both of your fate trajectories will change." Akuto's voice remained calm. "Both of you can break away from your original destinies."
"…"
Saint Raphael fell silent.
She felt Akuto's words were reasonable, but her moral code still would not permit her to do such a thing.
Seeing Saint Raphael struggle like this, Akuto produced the trump card he had already prepared.
"Saint Raphael, do you think Godslayers are the kind of people who willingly accept being bound by fate?"
"Of course they aren't willing to be bound by fate…" Saint Raphael's eyes widened. "Wait—Akuto-kun, you mean!"
"I mean your disciple, Salvatore Doni, will most likely agree to this as well."
"If you're still not at ease, we can tell him first, and only then proceed to the next step. How about it?"
"…Alright." Saint Raphael nodded slowly. "That would be more appropriate."
With Akuto putting it that way, Saint Raphael no longer had any reason to refuse.
If Doni himself was willing, then grafting Doni's fate would not be "taking advantage" at all. In that case, she could also view it as taking on the responsibility of helping Doni resist destiny.
"I'm sorry, Akuto-kun. I made you worry for my sake."
As she spoke, Saint Raphael wrapped her arms around Akuto, and offered him a gentle, sincere kiss.
She understood very clearly that Akuto had said and done all of this to take her feelings into account.
He had truly considered her heart and her principles, and had not treated her as a mere tool. So she ought to respond to his intentions.
A heartfelt kiss was only one small way to do so.
"It's nothing." Akuto lightly lifted her chin so he could meet her fully. "Even without you, I would have found someone else for this experiment."
Akuto was pleased to see the valiant Saint Raphael show a shy, tender side in his arms. That contrast was one of the charms he pursued.
And indeed, he did not like the idea of his women abandoning what they had always upheld because of him.
Some things could be discarded, and many things could be compromised.
But if it was a lifelong conviction—like the chivalry Saint Raphael had upheld all her life—Akuto did not want her to abandon it for his sake.
Because that chivalry itself was one of the shining points that made up her personal charm.
Akuto could not bring himself to make a girl casually change her principles for him, or force her to follow his "light," just because he wished it.
As Saint Raphael remained close to him, she spoke in the most intimate posture, her voice low and soft:
"Akuto-kun, I think your crest is a bit faint."
"To avoid any mistakes when we conduct the Fate Grafting experiment later, should we… run another 'experiment'?"
Both Akuto and Saint Raphael understood perfectly that "the experiment" was merely a pretext. Saint Raphael simply wanted to respond to Akuto's consideration for her—sincerely, with her own will.
Akuto's gaze softened.
To him, Saint Raphael's answer was already clear.
…
That night, Saint Raphael finally made up her mind to stand fully at Akuto's side.
Not merely because he "needed her," and not merely because he was the one man who had made her heart flutter, but because she had chosen him with her own conviction.
(End of Chapter)
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