'Now that my blood has turned gold, I have become so much stronger. Is this the source of the power Lady Cerydra and Lady Hysilens possess?'
Though the army sent by the Empire was vast, the current Esdeath was no longer the ordinary young girl of the past. She was now a Chrysos Heir capable of commanding frost. An army of fifty thousand had been met with a single glance; over forty thousand were frozen solid before they could even offer a hint of resistance.
Recalling the memory of Hysilens slaughtering sixty thousand with her sword techniques, Esdeath felt that Hysilens must have held back.
What Esdeath achieved only through conjuring ice pillars, Hysilens could accomplish with mere blades. The gap remained far too wide.
'I must grow quickly. I must become an existence like Hysilens, so I can always remain by the Imperator's side!'
While Esdeath did not fully understand the origin of this power, she could infer from the casual conversations between Cerydra and Hysilens that this was perhaps the power of a God. Since Cerydra had inadvertently mentioned the word Demigod, Esdeath's thoughts naturally drifted in that direction, and she suspected her guess was not far from the mark.
Esdeath lowered her gaze, looking at the dozen or so men huddled together. They were the ones who had just attempted the ambush. Judging by their attire... they were likely officers.
Normally, Esdeath would have devised ways to interrogate them thoroughly, prying useful intelligence from their mouths. But right now, more important matters awaited her within the castle. She could not afford to waste time on these pieces of trash. After confirming they were sent by the Empire to eliminate Cerydra, Esdeath simply had them thrown into the dungeon and returned in triumph.
'The Imperator should praise me for this, right?'
Esdeath instinctively scratched the back of her neck. Though it felt itchy, it was a trivial matter to her anxious heart. Her only focus was reaching Cerydra's side as quickly as possible.
She was unaware that in a place hidden from sight, the area she just scratched was quietly undergoing a mutation.
The skin, originally as white as snow, first showed faint red marks under the pressure of her nails. However, these marks lasted only seconds before gradually turning a deep sea-blue, eventually forming unique patterns resembling scales.
★ ★ ★
"Mmm, quite nice."
Inside the bath, Cerydra wore an expression of pure enjoyment, her usual majestic posture relaxing significantly. There was no need for a facade here with only her other self, Hysilens, present. Savoring the comfort of the hot water was the ultimate priority.
However...
Cerydra instinctively glanced at Hysilens' stomach. They had been soaking for nearly ten minutes. To her surprise, the seawater within Hysilens' belly was beginning to bubble under the influence of the surrounding heat.
What was this? A human water boiler?
An ordinary person certainly couldn't withstand such high temperatures, but a Chrysos Heir was different. At the very least, when Mydei and Phainon competed in the hot springs, they had endured terrifyingly high temperatures.
Knock, knock!
Before Cerydra could relax further, a knock sounded from the door. No one but Esdeath would dare interrupt at a time like this.
"About twelve minutes? Come in, Dux Alptraum!"
Cerydra calculated the time in her head. Roughly that much time had passed since they parted. Esdeath had moved faster than expected, wiping out the invaders in a negligible window of time.
It seemed the Golden Blood provided a significant boost. Yet, this was only the initial stage. While Esdeath had become a Chrysos Heir, the blood within her body remained unstable.
As Cerydra previously noted, Esdeath would need to consume a liter of Hysilens' seawater every day for the next month, supplemented by a small portion of Cerydra's own Golden Blood. Only after that month concluded would Esdeath become a truly complete Chrysos Heir.
Click.
The door pushed open. Esdeath, wrapped only in a bath towel, entered the room with an excited flush.
"So warm..."
This was the North, and Esdeath had just finished a battle in the snow. Though the fight was brief, her body had inevitably been chilled by the outside air. Entering the steam-filled room brought an unprecedented sense of comfort.
Through the shifting mist, Esdeath's eyes accurately locked onto those two pale figures.
'Wait, they aren't using towels?'
"You've finally arrived, Dux Alptraum." Ignoring the slightly stunned Esdeath, Cerydra rose from the pool and walked toward a nearby stool. "Come here."
Cerydra was entirely unconcerned about her body being seen. She was a monarch; she would never feel shame over something so trivial. Besides, Esdeath was a young woman and far weaker than her. There was no fear of being pinned against a wall.
"By your command!"
"There is no need for such flattery at all times, especially while relaxing in the bath." Seeing Esdeath's rigid posture, Cerydra frowned slightly. "You should remember that I despise tedious etiquette."
"There is even less need to force a loyal subject to maintain a respectful facade at every waking moment."
"Imperator!"
Upon hearing those words, the respect on Esdeath's face deepened, yet her body instinctively followed the order and relaxed.
While it might not have been true relaxation—much like the paradox where freedom granted by a god's command is not true freedom—things seemed to be moving in a positive direction.
The Imperator sat on the small stool and unfastened her hair tie. She gently pulled her hair to the side with her right hand, fully exposing her back to Esdeath.
"Imperator?"
Staring at that back, smooth and white as snow, Esdeath was clearly at a loss. She could guess what Cerydra wanted her to do, but she felt it was almost sacrilegious to comply.
"I am leaving my back to you, Dux Alptraum."
Cerydra did not turn around, but her words, filled with absolute trust, echoed in Esdeath's ears.
"Whether now or in the future, inside the city or on the battlefield, I leave my back to you. Is that a problem?"
"Of course not!"
Esdeath suddenly covered her nose. She felt something was wrong; it felt as if something within her body was about to surge forth.
"While we are at it, tell me. What reward do you desire?"
Cerydra started to turn her head, but Esdeath answered before she could.
"The reward I wanted... I have already received it. Thank you truly, Imperator..."
"Huh?"
A trace of Golden Blood trickled from between Esdeath's fingers as she clutched her nose. It quickly stained her towel with golden patterns. Even Cerydra looked on in shock.
A nosebleed?
No, this wasn't just a nosebleed.
This was loyalty!
Loyalty was literally gushing from her body!