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Chapter 353
“Wow… it’s so pretty…”
Grivy was the eldest and most influential among the spirits, the one others often followed.
“Right? Super pretty.”
Bweeek!
Her loyal subordinate, Sur, flapped its wings proudly.
“Sur, Serqet. I know what this is. It’s an egg! A beautiful person’s going to hatch from it, I just know it.”
Creaaak…
Serqet’s expression remained indifferent, but Grivy was determined.
“We have to take it sowhere warm and safe. It’s noisy and cold and dangerous here.”
To her, that ant one place—her secret base.
“Let’s go! Let’s move it!”
The crystal holding the dead goddess was several tis larger than Grivy, but to an earth spirit, that was no obstacle.
The three mischievous spirits moved quickly, hauling the crystal into a secret underground hideout.
There, they laid thick blankets around it and set up a magic artifact that blew warm air.
Then—strangely—the crystal seed to shimr faintly for a mont, as though glowing with life.
“The egg’s happy!”
Grivy jumped for joy, then dragged over even more blankets, covering nearly the entire crystal.
“It has to breathe though!”
She left only a small opening, then crouched nearby, watching with delight—until her attention drifted elsewhere and she scampered off.
* * *
“If what you’re saying is true, that’s quite a discovery,”
Gabriel replied, sounding pleased.
“But… from what you’ve said, it’s unlikely we’ll be able to draw out much of the Sephiroth’s power from her… oh dear.”
He suddenly frowned.
“I’ll have to go. Excuse .”
“Stopping mid-sentence is surprisingly irritating.”
“My apologies. There’s a woman who wants to tear apart on sight.”
“Lispa Elde?”
Indeed.
The fact that she hadn’t attacked yet was a miracle in itself.
“Not my problem, huh?”
The only reason she had held back during the wedding was likely pure restraint.
* * *
Gabriel appeared in a quiet forest, stretching casually.
“What a ridiculous world.”
“What’s so funny?”
“No one truly realizes how close this world is to collapse.”
“You foul-tempered bastard.”
“That makes two of us.”
He shrugged lightly as a woman appeared before him—Lispa, holding a lyre as the power of the Sephiroth flowed around her.
“Sephiroth? Why do you have that power?”
“I don’t owe you an explanation.”
With a wave of her hand, shimring blades of music surged toward him.
Gabriel evaded them effortlessly.
“To be honest, I understand you, Lispa Elde Remielia.”
“Shut your mouth before I rip it open.”
“But you’ve changed a lot. I honestly thought you’d cause trouble starting from that wedding.”
“He worked hard on it. I wasn’t about to ruin it for him.”
Gabriel’s eyes widened slightly.
“How curious. Luna Basilin had ties to Adam, but you—falling for a human?”
“Well, I’m not an archangel anymore. What does it matter?”
“Being stripped of the title is only temporary. An archangel never truly leaves their post.”
His tone hardened.
“The others don’t fulfill their duties because they’re heartless monsters, Lispa. They do it to protect this flawed world. You may not like their ways, but Michael isn’t as depraved as you think.”
Four pairs of wings unfurled behind him—yet no divine pressure emanated from him.
“Lispa Elde. The outer god Yog-Sothoth is a gluttonous devourer. The worlds it has consud can no longer be counted.”
“…”
“Guard him well. Even I don’t understand why, but it feels as if I was always ant to protect the two of them.”
“Leon and Raphael?”
“No. Not her.”
“Don’t you dare move, you bastard.”
“Ah, my apologies. But rage aside, I’m very busy.”
“You talk a lot for soone about to die. You’re not the only busy one. I’ve got to smash all of you.”
Gabriel chuckled softly as her killing intent surged.
“Lispa Elde.”
He raised his hand.
Thoom!
Invisible chains bound her limbs.
“Foolish sister. Don’t be arrogant. You’re not strong enough.”
“You son of a—!”
“I say this for your sake. The others won’t be as forgiving as I am.”
“Let go!”
“You know I’m the weakest of the Three Great Archangels, right?”
“…”
“If you can’t even overco , you’ll never achieve what you want. Hide your claws, mask your fangs, and bide your ti. Only when your bite can truly wound them—then strike.”
“You think I’ll take advice from you?”
“I’m sorry, Lispa. Unlike the others, I’ve always understood your pain.”
He gently placed his hand on her head.
“So for now—just protect yourself. Even if they call you a traitor, I never will.”
“You hypocrite. Only show up when it suits you.”
“One thing, though—let’s make this clear.”
“…”
“From the very beginning, there has never been a single mont I didn’t care about you all.”
With that, Gabriel vanished.
Lispa stood trembling, glaring at the empty air before screaming and stomping the ground.
“You bastard!! What the hell am I supposed to do!?”
Her rage echoed uselessly in the silent forest.
* * *
By noon, Luna stirred and opened her eyes.
My lap was her pillow; I’d been reading quietly.
“Leon.”
“Sleep well?”
She blinked sleepily—then suddenly rembered the previous night.
Her face turned crimson as she covered it with both hands, trembling.
Though hidden by a blanket, she wasn’t wearing a thing beneath.
When we’d first t, she’d worn revealing outfits without a second thought.
Now she was shy—like a bashful, innocent girl.
“Get dressed first.”
“…Go away.”
She pulled the blanket over her head.
I couldn’t help but laugh softly.
“Take your ti. I’ll tell them to prepare lunch.”
She said nothing.
Of course, I was doing my best to act calm, but my face was burning too.
“Lovebirds, huh. So sweet it’s sickening.”
“What’s your problem now?”
“So of us were up all night doing paperwork.”
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“If you’re jealous, find soone decent and get married too.”
“Maybe I will.”
“At least et my condition first. He’ll marrying into the Duke’s family, after all.”
“What condition?”
“He has to be stronger than .”
“You’re insane.”
lissa muttered as she stord past.
“For now, I’ll handle the paperwork. You just focus on Luna.”
“Will do. Thanks.”
“Ugh.”
As she stomped off, I headed for my underground lab.
And—
“Huh? Where did it go?”
The crystal containing the goddess Eve’s body was gone.
That was not good.
There were no signs of intrusion—yet it had vanished without a trace.
I’d kept it after retrieving it from the space with Lispa, where the false Eve used the power of the Sephiroth tree.
I knew firsthand how dangerous that potential was.
I hadn’t dared tamper with it, but leaving it unattended risked interference from the Red Moon faction.
So I’d stored it here.
Now it was gone.
I snapped my fingers, summoning Muyeong from the shadows.
“Muyeong. Find it.”
Grrr…
He sniffed the ground, prowling in circles before darting off.
Whoever took it would regret it.
But then, he stopped—sniffing an empty patch of ground.
“What? Here?”
Nothing was visible.
No clue how they pulled it off, but once I caught the thief, I’d find answers.
Just then, I saw Luna holding Grivy’s hand, walking sowhere.
“Where are you going?”
“Grivy said she’s gonna show sothing cool.”
“Sothing cool?”
“Father, co too!”
Her eyes sparkled as she tugged at my sleeve.
I told Muyeong to continue the search and followed them.
They led to Grivy’s underground secret base.
And—
“What the hell…”
Inside, the warm little room was piled high with blankets.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Grivy. You brought this here?”
“Mm! It was cold there, Daddy. Eggs need warmth to hatch!”
It wasn’t an egg, of course.
But how could I scold her for sothing so innocent?
I lifted a blanket to check the crystal’s condition.
It looked unchanged—until Luna stepped closer.
“Wait.”
“What is it?”
“The crystal’s energy—it’s stronger now.”
“What?”
“I don’t know why, but it’s… changing.”
Really?
Gabriel’s earlier words echoed in my head—he’d said Eve’s condition was deteriorating.
But now… it was recovering?
Just from warmth, blankets, and a spirit’s aura?
The crystal was dangerous to handle, but if we could harness its Sephiroth power safely, it might greatly benefit Luna.
And all thanks to Grivy’s childish whim.
I patted her head.
“Grivy, is there sothing you want?”
“A dirt-play toy! A tiny shovel!”
“I’ll make one right now.”
She jumped with joy.
* * *
Since the Seal Master incident, the succubi had been more devoted than ever to artifact crafting.
Still, the work was ntally draining, and exhaustion was inevitable.
When Luna and I entered the workshop, the succubi perked up imdiately.
“Welco back, young master.”
The one to greet first was the elder succubus.
Normally Princess Marian would be present, but she was busy reorganizing their underground city.
“Everything going well, Elder?”
“Thanks to you, yes. Everyone’s motivated.”
“I’m not forcing you, rember. Take breaks when you need them.”
Their pay was purely performance-based; they could rest whenever they liked.
“Oh, we’re fine. It’s fun, honestly. Keeps us busy.”
And since we didn’t demand mass production, it wasn’t too burdenso.
Then, a thought struck .
The last ability I inherited—from the Hall of Communion.
What if I tried it now?
“Be honest with . Anyone feeling sore or tired?”
“Uh… I-I’m… fine…”
“No bonuses for lying. Be honest.”
A few succubi hesitantly raised their hands.
“S-sorry… crafting’s fun, but we’re not used to this much physical work…”
“M- too… the mana infusion step’s kind of tiring…”
I nodded thoughtfully.
“Alright then. I’d like to test sothing.”
“What kind of test?”
“A buff. Just tell how it feels after.”
I pulled a small instrunt from my subspace—a round ocarina-like flute.
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and channeled spiritual energy.
Then—
Slowly, I began to play.
Work song: ON.
My lody rged with spiritual energy, spreading like ripples through the air, washing over everyone—Luna, the succubi, even myself.
At first, they simply listened.
Then their eyes widened as vitality coursed through their bodies.
By the ti the tune ended—
“I feel… amazing! Like energy’s pouring out of !”
“Want to test it?”
The buff I’d cast granted vitality and precision.
And the succubi, unwilling to waste that surge, scattered back to work at once.
Hours later, they returned—with mountains of completed artifacts.
“What—how did you make so many!?”
“I don’t know! We just… couldn’t stop!”
“I feel incredible! Can I make a few more? My hands are itching!”
Their productivity had doubled—at least—and they still looked lively, glowing with energy.
Frankly, the results were absurd.
It was almost too effective; when the buff wore off, burnout might follow.
Still… it worked.
And soon enough, an opportunity arose to put this new power to use.
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