“It’s been so long since I came back.”

Lower City.

A certain hidden room.

Anna looked at the dust-covered instruments in the dim space and let out a soft sigh.

“Let’s hope they still work.”

With a wave of her hand, a faint magical current stirred.

A breeze drifted in from the doorway, lifting the heavy dust, which was then drawn out through the now-operating ventilation fans.

Soon, the long-abandoned instruments were spotless once again.

Without lingering sentiment, Anna immediately got to work.

She pulled out a variety of strange materials—including the odd black branch she had bought while shopping with Muen earlier that day.

She activated the intricate equipment and began operating it skillfully.

Deconstruct. Smelt. Extract. Mix.

As though she ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) had practiced it thousands of times, Anna’s every motion was fluid and efficient. In almost no time at all, a fresh bottle of potion appeared in her hand.

Finally, she took out a tiny fingertip-sized vial and dropped a clear, glimmering liquid into the potion.

Ripples shimmered across the surface. The ice-blue liquid swirled slowly inside the transparent vessel.

Anna stared at it, as if confirming something.

“There’s still no reaction like a proper potion should have. It’s more like I added something completely unrelated.”

She sighed lightly—but didn’t seem too disappointed.

She had expected this result. Or rather, she had already gone through this many times before.

In truth, the potion crafted through this complex process wasn’t important. It was merely a medium meant to maximize a certain effect.

What truly mattered was that single drop of crystalline liquid.

“But I still have to try, don’t I?”

Clinging to that faint shred of hope, Anna drank the potion in one gulp.

Then she rolled up her sleeve, watching silently as the black scales once again spread across her arm.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Half an hour.

Two hours.

Anna sat like a statue, silent—waiting for the light of dawn.

But as the chimes of midnight rang out, all she saw was the deepening of night’s gloom.

“So it’s no use after all?”

Touching the cold scales with her fingertips, Anna’s lips curled into what seemed like a bitter, mocking smile.

“What exactly was I expecting? Didn’t I already know?”

“‘True love’... it’s just a lie told to naive children.”

“I should’ve pinned my hopes on something tangible from the start.”

She casually tossed the vial with the remaining droplet of liquid into the trash, as though cutting off all further thoughts.

Then she turned and left, arriving at a small, worn-down shop.

Inside, the shop sold all sorts of bizarre items. Most prominently displayed were life-sized sculpted figures of beautiful girls, realistic mannequins, and Saintess Gravure Vol. 3.0.

There were no other customers.

Behind the counter, on a rocking chair, an elderly man dozed.

He was extremely old. By the faint starlight outside, one could just make out the age spots on his skin.

He, like the shop, exuded a pervasive air of decay.

Anna gave him a glance, pulled out a thick stack of bills, and set them on the counter. After a long silence, she finally spoke:

“The usual. Please transfer this to the orphanage.”

There was no reply.

The old man seemed to still be asleep.

Anna said no more. She left the money and prepared to go.

“You went to see them secretly yesterday, didn’t you? Why not give it to them yourself?”

Just as she was about to step out the door, a raspy voice rang out.

Anna paused mid-step—but didn’t turn around.

“Someone like me... it’s better if I don’t get involved with them anymore.”

“...Is that so?”

The old man opened his clouded eyes and gazed at her figure, silhouetted in the moonlight—so lonely.

So full of pity.

“Anna, if you keep closing off your heart, you’ll never find redemption.”

“Redemption?”

Anna let out a self-deprecating laugh, then stepped once more into the depth of night.

“Who would ever grant redemption to a monster like me?”

...

...

Noon.

Muen was woken by the blinding sunlight cutting through the curtains.

“It’s this late already?”

He glanced at the clock instinctively, and all remaining drowsiness vanished.

Truthfully, after their intense battle last night, he hadn’t fallen asleep until morning—and only slept for a few hours.

In terms of rest, it was nowhere near enough. After all, the exhaustion from last night far surpassed fighting through hundreds of rounds with an enemy.

But—he still had things to do today. A real man couldn’t just bury himself forever in warmth and softness.

Muen shifted slightly—and felt the entire left half of his body tingling. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

He looked down and saw that even in sleep, Anne was wrapped tightly around him like an octopus.

“So clingy.”

He gave a helpless smile and gently peeled off her delicate, entangled body.

Though, as he moved, the exquisite feel of skin against skin—combined with the lingering heat trapped under the blanket—almost got him going again.

Thankfully, Muen quickly recited a few calming mantras and managed to suppress the rising fire of lust.

No kidding—if they went another round now, he really might not leave the bed for three days and three nights.

Fortunately, Anne was sleeping unusually deeply. It seemed even for her—his personal little Juicing Queen—last night had pushed her to the limit.

After all, in terms of physical strength, Anne still couldn’t match someone like Muen, who had trained rigorously for over two months and undergone tempering in the Mercury Well.

“Getting stronger really is a matter of urgency. If I don’t die from Evil Gods, I’ll be drained dry by this little succubus first.”

Muen sighed and quickly got up to dress.

Now that Anne’s yandere tendencies had been “cured,” he no longer had any major concerns. The Campbell Estate was always open to him—there was no reason to cling to this temporary tenderness.

Thinking this, he couldn’t help but take a long look at Anne’s sleeping face.

Now that the sickly obsession had faded, her face was clean, soft, and truly beautiful.

It was... captivating.

“Be a good girl, alright? I’ll come visit often.”

Gently brushing a hand across her cheek, Muen smiled warmly, then tiptoed out of the room.

...

Anne suddenly opened her eyes, staring at the just-closed door.

“Young Master.”

She smiled happily, touching her cheek as if savoring Muen’s lingering warmth—reluctant to let it go.

But sweet memories don’t last forever. She, too, had things to deal with.

She rose and stood before the mirror.

In the reflection, her delicate body still bore the marks of their night together—like some kind of imprint that made her feel deeply satisfied.

But then... her face grew cold.

Like slowly forming ice.

She recalled yesterday.

The reason she hadn’t made a move at the time wasn’t because she didn’t want to.

It was because she had sensed a dangerous presence. Though she couldn’t pinpoint its source, she couldn’t guarantee that if she acted, she wouldn’t end up harming the Young Master.

So she chose—for now—to retreat.

But that didn’t mean she was indifferent about other women appearing around him.

“Looks like... I need to become stronger, too.”

Anne looked down at her hand.

The power of Divine Favor was strong—but not invincible.

Take, for instance, that white dagger the Young Master had used last night—she couldn’t control it at all.

Yet as he grew more and more brilliant, it was inevitable that seductive little sluts would be drawn to him like moths to a flame.

That could not be allowed.

The Campbell Family Maid’s Rule #2: Always ensure your master’s surroundings are clean and orderly!

So—

“Just you wait, Young Master.”

A feverish, fanatical gleam once again lit up Anne’s refined features.

All the metal in the room let out a synchronized metallic chirring, as if echoing the unshakable will in her heart.

“I’ll definitely purge every last slut who tries to bat her lashes at you!”