Chapter 60
“Your body possesses neither divine power nor magic. It’s remarkably pure. Usually, individuals have at least a small aptitude for one or the other, but yours is a completely blank slate. If you were to be healed with divine power, you would likely recover faster than anyone. Am I right?”
Is that so? I was told I had a remarkably low aptitude for divine power. As I nodded, Lumiere chimed in.
“Your body is like pristine snow—a single drop of ink would spread quickly and widely. That’s why the magic-infused herbs affected you so severely.”
“But others have recovered from magic infusion with divine healing.”
“Indeed. You would have too, under normal circumstances. However, there was a complication.”
“A complication? What kind of complication could force me to rely on such a base method to cling to life?”
“Base? The union of a man and a woman is a testament to love… ahem, my apologies. Please don’t look at me with such murderous intent.”
Lumiere coughed, avoiding my death glare, and continued.
“Your pristine body came into contact with an exceptionally potent and pure mass of divine power. With your empty core saturated with this power, a direct descendant of the Golden Dragon imprinted you.”
“What?”
A dragon’s imprint? Isn’t that from the founding myths? The vow etched in blood, where the Golden Dragon swore to its mate that even death would not part them?
Wasn’t that just a legend? There have been countless emperors with more lovers than they had fingers.
As I looked at him skeptically, Lumiere’s gaze intensified, urging me to believe him.
“It’s not something achievable through ordinary will. It’s only possible when one truly embraces the resolve that they would die if their beloved ceased to exist…and you bear that mark.”
“.…”
“Golden Dragons are possessive. They perceive anything other than themselves as harmful to their mate, branding it as an enemy.”
My face crumpled further with every word Lumiere spoke.
“However, divine power, a gift from the gods, isn’t necessarily weaker than a dragon’s.”
“What does that even…?”
“To put it simply! The unrefined magic left by the Demon King, potent divine power, and the Golden Dragon’s imprint have become entangled within you.”
I pressed my hand to my forehead.
Good heavens.
“Miss Adelina, do you know what to do when your hair becomes hopelessly tangled after touching it with oily hands?”
“…No.”
“You saturate it with even more oil to loosen the knots, and then wash it thoroughly with soap.”
“So, what you’re saying is…”
“You need to be overflowing with divine power and the power of the Golden Dragon’s bloodline to flush out the demonic magic.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek.
Being struck by lightning would be a cleaner end, I thought, yet surprisingly, my mind grew calm as I listened.
“That expression…do you not trust my words? I may look like this, but I’ve dedicated more time to the study of magic than you’ve been alive. I wouldn’t spout nonsense with such an enticing reward within reach.”
“Excuse me.”
I raised a hand to stop him.
“That enticing reward is the Crown Prince’s eye, correct? The one you’re supposed to receive in exchange for my treatment?”
“Well, yes… but I cannot administer this treatment myself. We’ll have to amend the agreement to me providing the method.”
“Don’t take it.”
“What? But that’s unacceptable, Miss Adelina. The elders were furious enough to skin me alive for coming here…”
“Your difficulties are not my concern. You said you were to receive the Crown Prince’s eye in exchange for the treatment. I have no intention of being treated.”
“Do you really want to die?”
I nodded firmly, meeting his gaze.
“Make a new agreement with me instead. Keep this a secret—the part about needing to sleep with the men I’ve been with to survive. My body is your reward.”
“What?”
His azure eyes, the same color as his hair, widened.
“Th-th-that! It’s not that you aren’t attractive, Miss Adelina, but I’m an elf, and I don’t feel desire for humans… There are elves who are attracted to humans, but I’m not one of them…”
What is he talking about?
After the discussion about the Crown Prince’s eye, offering my body obviously meant my corpse. Why is he talking about s3xual desire?
“I’m not asking you to sleep with me! I’m offering my body for research after I die! Elves aren’t my type either!”
I yelled, and Lumiere, realizing his mistake, flushed.
He’s an elf who’s lived many times longer than me, yet he acts like a child… Perhaps that age is considered adolescence for elves?
Staring at his youthful face, I decided this wasn’t important. I pointed to my chest.
“My body wouldn’t be bad research material. There aren’t any cases like mine among those afflicted by demonic magic, are there?”
“That…is true.”
“And, actually, there’s another secret about my body I haven’t revealed.”
A being reincarnated from another world would be a tempting subject for someone who studies magic.
“If I die after making an agreement with the Crown Prince, everything becomes meaningless. So, make a new agreement with me. I have no desire to live, so I can’t be the bait you need.”
Lumiere frowned.
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