Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 189. Choosing Solitude Over Help

The Leviathan roared again, and another crack appeared in Nerissa’s seal. The Empress reinforced it with additional magic, but Rick could see the strain increasing. Holding a two-hundred-meter corrupted Guardian required constant power expenditure.

Rick said, "We really need to find that trident."

"Two hundred years ago, where would Typhon have taken it?"

There was something dark in Nerissa’s empty eyes. "He brought it to the Abyssal Trenches... especially to that bitch Seris."

"It was probably a gift to his secret lover, proof of his love by stealing one of my most powerful items."

"The trident would have gone down with the kingdom when I sank it... and it’s eight thousand meters down, buried under tectonic rubble."

Rick simply said, "Then we go down there and get it."

"No." Nerissa’s voice was very firm. "Eight thousand meters is too much for even your Thalassic Crystals to handle."

"No matter what kind of magic protection you have, the depth would kill you in minutes. Only ocean dwellers with royal blood can naturally handle such pressure."

She turned to face Rick and his partners completely. Even though they had broken her mask, her face went back to being emotionless.

"Your part in this ends here, Demon King."

"You and your friends have done more than enough. You saved my kingdom, cleaned up my Guardian, and made me feel again after fifty years of being numb."

"But I need to inform you that Meridia has to deal with the problems of getting the Tidecaller Trident back and keeping the Leviathan in one place for good..."

"W-What? I—" Rick was going to talk, but Nerissa snapped her fingers until all of them got washed up by the whirlpool she created.

...

They are back to Meridia Citadel in a tense silence. Nerissa kept the Leviathan’s seal from a distance, splitting her time between swimming and magical maintenance. Rick could see that it was getting to her, with sweat and water mixing around her face, but she stayed calm.

When they arrived there, the city was in recovery mode. The ocean dwellers worked to fix broken buildings and recover the injured.

The Kraken lay peacefully in the middle plaza, Myrissa’s bond fully restored, and the Guardian was happy to stay still after what had happened to her.

Nerissa took them to a conference room in the palace with crystal walls that showed the ocean outside. She finally let go of the stress of keeping the seal in place from a distance, trusting that it would stay in place for a few hours without any extra support.

Nerissa said, "This is what will happen," and her voice went back to being flat and diplomatic.

"Rick Rolland and his companions will return back to the surface right away."

"Scylla will take you to Tidebreak Port, where Grand Sorceress Zephyra will be waiting for you."

"You will tell your surface allies that Ocean Empress Nerissa has agreed to the alliance and will send troops to help fight the corruption crisis."

"But..." Rick said, "We can help with the Leviathan!"

"We have skills that—"

"No," Nerissa said, cutting him off with royal finality. "You’ve done enough to help."

"And it’s more than enough for me... and for my king."

"You’re injured, tired, and not in your natural environment..."

"To get the Tidecaller Trident, you have to go down to depths that would kill you, and that’s my job only as the ocean empress."

"This is not up for discussion, so I will only accept agreement from you."

Carmilla moved forward. "Your Majesty, I mean no disrespect, but you can’t deal with a corrupted Guardian and a corrupted control artifact on your own."

"Even with your power, trying to do both at the same time is—"

Natasha continued, "Tactically unsound."

"The chance of success working alone is too low to be acceptable."

"I don’t care about statistics," Nerissa said.

For the first time, her voice sounded real with anger. "I care for the ocean dwellers that are dying because of mistakes I made fifty years ago."

"I care that my genocide is being used as a weapon against my kingdom, and if any of you die trying to fix my mistakes..."

"...I will feel even worse knowing there’s no hope left for me to come back."

She looked Rick in the eye. "You made me feel many things today..."

"When you grabbed me, I was angry... and I felt guilty when I saw my victims come to life."

"You gave me hope when you wouldn’t let me shut down."

"Honestly... I feel grateful, even though I can’t say thank you properly yet... but I will keep my conscience clear of your deaths."

"I refuse to let any of that happen again!"

Rick said quietly, "Then come with us..."

"To the surface, where we can properly unite the seven major powers and create the Spirit Bond that the prophecy requires."

"Let us help you with this burden instead of you doing it all yourself."

For a brief moment, Nerissa’s facade cracked. Rick noticed her struggle with the temptation to accept help and the desire to escape her loneliness.

But then her walls reemerged, and the weight of fifty years of emotional conditioning took hold once more.

"I... I can’t," she said softly. "Not yet..."

"You made me feel today, but after so long, feeling it again is scary... I need some time... and I don’t even know when that time will come..."

"I need to show that I can still protect my kingdom before I trust myself with anything else."

"For how long...?" Liora asked in a soft voice.

She answered. "Forever."

Liora let out a soft breath. "In a few months, the world will end..." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"The corruption gets worse every day, and there’s nothing we can do other than reuniting the major power with Rick’s Spirit Bond."

"I understand..." Nerissa’s voice broke a little. "Of course, I know the schedule well enough!"

"I understand the stakes involved, but I also realize that trying to connect with anyone right now, while I’m weighed down by guilt and trauma, is not feasible."

"The Spirit Bond won’t work to its full potential, and what’s worse is that it could even break!"

"Anyone who comes into contact with me will feel the burden of my guilt, and I won’t let that happen to anyone!"

She stood up straight again, going back to her imperial bearing. "Here is what I have to say..."

"Rick Rolland and his friends will come back to the surface, and I will get the Tidecaller Trident by myself using my royal ocean dweller powers!"

"I will seal the Leviathan for good. Only after I have proven that I can protect my kingdom and overcome enough of my guilt to avoid breaking a Spirit Bond will I consider going to the surface to forge a true alliance."

"Rick said, "That could take weeks," and his voice showed how frustrated he was.

"We don’t have any weeks left!"

"Then I think you should focus on the other major powers," Nerissa said in a flat voice. "Both the Elven Sanctuary and the Witch Covens need to be looked after as well."

"The ocean will take care of its own problems with me as their empress!"

"Look... Hero of Mature Hearts, this is not a mere request!"

"This is an order from an empress to a foreign dignitary, and you will go back to your people now!"

Rick opened his mouth to argue more, but Carmilla’s hand on his shoulder stopped him. The knight looked sad but understood the situation they’re in right now.

"Rick, I think that’s enough for us..."

"We can forcefully help something that can’t be helped by someone other than herself. She’s not ready..."

"You can’t make someone heal emotionally any more than you already have."

Natasha agreed quietly, stating that an adequate assessment had been made and that additional pressure would not be helpful.

Zara just shrugged her shoulders. "Sometimes you have to let people figure their own shit out... at least we tried our best."

Liora and Myrissa were the only ones who really seemed to be conflicted. The priestess’s divine energy pulsed with compassion for both Rick and Nerissa.

Myrissa looked at her mother with a mix of hope and heartbreak. "Mother," Myrissa said softly.

"Please don’t do this by yourself again...! We’re here to help you!"

"Just please let them help, just this once!"

"No." Nerissa’s voice was firm. "I have made up my mind, and there’s no turning back."

"Scylla is waiting at the city gates to take you all to the surface."

"This audience is over."

Rick felt as though he was losing. They had saved the kingdom, cleansed a Guardian, made the Empress experience emotions for the first time in fifty years, and formed an alliance, yet none of it was enough.

Nerissa was still choosing to be alone instead of with other people. She was still going back to safety when she needed to take a risk.

Myrissa grabbed Rick’s arm as they were being led to the city gates. Her blue-white eyes were wet with tears that hadn’t yet fallen.

"I’m sorry... it seems like there’s no hope left for all of us here... she’s too scared to move on."

Rick turned around and looked at the palace, where Nerissa was standing alone at her crystal window, watching them leave. He could see how tense she was from this distance, how tightly she held onto the windowsill.

She wanted to let them do something. She didn’t want to be by herself, but fifty years of emotional conditioning wouldn’t break in a single day, no matter how dramatic the intervention.

Rick said softly, "We’ll be back."

"When she’s ready to accept help..."

"We’ll come back and finish what we started today."

Myrissa nodded and gently squeezed his arm. The affection notification was still in the corner of his eye, reminding him that at least one princess from the ocean had opened her heart completely.

[MYRISSA ABYSSRYN - Affection: 10/10 - MAXIMUM]

[Spirit Bond Available - Awaiting Consent]

Rick’s attention was fixed on the Empress in the window. She had shed tears for the first time in fifty years and was now choosing to confront her greatest fears alone.

Scylla stood at the gates, ready to take them back to the surface on the purified megalodon. They were headed back to their fight, back to saving a world that was running out of time.

Rick took one last look at the Meridia Citadel, the kingdom they had saved, and the Empress they couldn’t quite reach.

Then, he and his friends climbed onto Scylla’s back and left the ocean behind.

He was certain they would return.

The Ocean Empress needed help, even if she was not ready to admit it yet.

Rick Rolland never abandoned those in need simply because they were too afraid to embrace salvation.

"This is the first time I can’t take a milf’s heart..."

"What a fucking joke I truly am."