Charlotte now needed to learn even stronger magic.
After last night’s battle, he realized that he couldn’t completely overwhelm opponents of the same rank, which shook his confidence a little.
Yes… Charlotte was the type to think: If I can’t defeat my opponent in a single move, then I’m too weak!
In truth, it wasn’t that Charlotte was too weak, but that his opponent was too strong.
Vivian Arlene.
The current Holy Maiden of the Aetherland Theocracy, a Third Tier Mage, the same age as himself, recognized from childhood by the legacy of Aetherland—the Holy Sword Ophelia, personally appointed as successor by the current Grand Archbishop, with extraordinary talent in both magic and swordsmanship from an early age.
She was someone Charlotte absolutely had to defeat—one of his greatest threats in the future.
Charlotte was able to defeat her only because of his abundant combat experience, and yet his opponent could still wield power comparable to that of a deity.
Though she was only at the Third Tier, she undoubtedly confronted Charlotte with the strength of a Transcendent.
Now, Charlotte was starting to regret not killing Vivian Arlene sooner.
He really should have ended her life in that place, even if chaos were to follow.
He couldn’t allow Vivian Arlene to keep growing stronger.
If she gained combat experience equal to his own, and with the protection of Aetherland, Charlotte might not be able to defeat her again.
He had to become stronger…
He took out a magic book from the library containing records of Fourth Tier Magic.
After reading through it once, the spells were already imprinted deeply in his mind.
Other mages might take a month to learn a Fourth Tier Magic, but for Charlotte, it was just a matter of a glance.
Charlotte’s spiritual power was as vast as a great existence, but he himself could not fully control his boundless mind.
Now that his control over his body had improved, these magics, to him, were nothing more than assembling basic Runes into new spells.
But this still wasn’t the limit of a Fourth Tier Mage.
At this stage, one could slightly touch the boundary of a Transcendent.
A Transcendent could combine several Magic Circles into a massive magic formation.
Charlotte, at present, could only manage two.
Compared to other Fourth Tier Mages, Charlotte was already an unattainable existence.
Yet, for himself, it wasn’t enough. In his world, only absolute strength could bring a sense of security.
“Charlotte, at least eat a little dinner.” Floleen knocked on the door, then pushed it open.
A gentle knocking sounded, but without waiting for a response, Floleen entered. Charlotte looked up; the coldness in his eyes softened noticeably when he saw her, and he couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned.
“Mm…”
Charlotte replied, “But, Floleen, what are you wearing?”
Floleen was now dressed in a black and white maid outfit.
Her platinum blonde hair was adorned with a headband, and she had styled her hair into twin tails with pretty red ribbons.
The off-shoulder maid dress exposed her smooth, fragrant shoulders.
Her ample chest was barely contained by the slightly tight dress, threatening to burst free at any moment.
Her slender long legs were wrapped in a layer of sheer, flesh-toned black stockings. Floleen also wore a pair of high heels.
Noticing Charlotte’s gaze, she deliberately struck a pose while holding the dinner tray, showing off her beauty.
Charlotte’s eyes moved upward from her legs, finally settling on Floleen’s crimson eyes.
“What, don’t you like it?” Floleen walked over with great confidence and sat down on Charlotte’s lap.
“I like it. No matter how you look, I like you.” Charlotte’s voice was low and gentle as he placed a hand on her waist.
Floleen pouted, poking his cheek with her finger. “You’re being too perfunctory. Come on, give me a smile!” With that, she pinched the corners of Charlotte’s mouth, forcing out an awkward smile. Charlotte turned his head away helplessly, dodging her “teasing”.
“Why are you suddenly like this?”
“More like, why are you the one acting cold all of a sudden? Did something happen? Tell me.”
“Aren’t I always like this?”
“No way! I’m your wife, I definitely know when you’re not in a good mood. Even if you keep a straight face and sound the same every day, I can still tell!”
She started counting on her fingers as she spoke: “Before, you visited Weis Domain every week—that was ‘Normal Charlotte’. Then, once a month—that was ‘Aloof Charlotte’. When you stopped seeing me at thirteen, that was ‘First-Degree Ice Charlotte’. At fifteen, you didn’t even reply to my letters—upgraded to ‘Second-Degree Ice Charlotte’… Then when we met at sixteen, your attitude was cold the entire time. If you hadn’t later gone to the Emperor to request our marriage, I’d have thought you didn’t like me at all. Seventeen was the same. If I hadn’t gotten into Kalishi Academy of Magic, I probably wouldn’t even get to see you.”
She paused, fingertip lightly pressing Charlotte’s lips. “Today, you’re ‘Third-Degree Ice Charlotte’. The moment you opened your mouth, I could tell you weren’t in a good mood.”
“I have coldness levels in your mind?”
Charlotte stared at Floleen’s face in his arms, as if trying to read her thoughts.
Floleen felt a bit embarrassed under his gaze, so she leaned in and gently kissed his cheek, her lips soft and fragrant.
Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly asked, “What did Aifel say to you?”
“Huh? How did you know…” Floleen’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting Charlotte to be so perceptive.
“Don’t listen to her nonsense. She’s just trying to mess with you. I’m fine.”
Charlotte reached out to tousle her hair, his tone calm, but the flash of avoidance in his eyes didn’t escape Floleen.
He’d already guessed that after handing Dream of the Dark Moon to Floleen, Aifel would definitely mention something to her—perhaps about his recent movements.
But Charlotte didn’t want Aifel and Floleen talking too much; he simply didn’t want Floleen to worry.
“You clearly said before that you didn’t want to hide anything from me.”
Floleen’s voice held a trace of reproach, but more than that, it was full of concern.
“So why are you still acting like this?”
Charlotte grew a bit irritable, hearing the reproach in her tone.
“Floleen, I just don’t want you to worry about me.”
Floleen didn’t press further. She simply rested her head on his shoulder, fingers idly playing with the buttons of his collar, her warm breath falling on his neck.
Charlotte was silent for a moment before sighing, “Sorry, Floleen, I shouldn’t have acted on my own like that.”
“That’s more like it!” Floleen instantly brightened up, scooping a spoonful of food and holding it to Charlotte’s lips. “Eat!”
Charlotte opened his mouth, allowing Floleen to continue feeding him.
Once she’d finished, Floleen got off his lap and started gathering the dishes to clean up.
As she turned to leave, Charlotte called out to her.
“Floleen…”
She looked back, platinum hair swaying gently with the motion, crimson eyes filled with curiosity. “What is it, Charlotte?”
“If it weren’t for you, I might have died a long time ago.”
Charlotte’s voice was soft, but it landed on Floleen’s heart like a heavy hammer.
She immediately set down the tray, rushed to his side, and hugged him tightly, pressing his head to her chest.
Her voice trembled slightly, “What’s wrong? Why are you saying something like that all of a sudden?”
“I mean it.” Charlotte’s muffled voice came through the fabric.
“Do you know what being Home Owner meant for me at thirteen? The whole burden of the family was on my shoulders. Everyone around me was watching like wolves. I was exhausted, felt like the sky was collapsing, like the whole world had turned gray.”
“Mmm… I know.” Floleen gently patted his back, as if soothing a wounded animal. “Charlotte has already worked so hard, really.”
“Do you know why I asked the Emperor to let us marry?” Charlotte lifted his head, his gaze burning.
Floleen shook her head, curiosity shining in her eyes.
“Because in that gray world, only you still had color.”
Charlotte’s fingertips gently brushed her cheek, his voice softer and more serious than ever.
“It was you who made me feel like there was something left in this world worth holding on to.”
But Charlotte’s next words, as always, missed the mood.
Just as he finished, he curled his lips into a sly grin, his eyes teasing, “But honestly, back then you hadn’t grown up yet. I took a gamble—who’d have thought that even a little board could grow into such a proud figure now? Looks like I won my bet.”
“Pervert!”
Floleen’s cheeks flushed as she lightly punched him, but there wasn’t a trace of real anger in her tone.
Instead, laughter sparkled in her eyes.
She knew Charlotte too well—whether she was a shy girl or now a graceful young woman, Charlotte’s feelings had never been false.
For Charlotte and Floleen, their meeting was destiny.
He loosened his embrace a little, his fingertips trailing gently over Floleen’s hand, his tone earnest and warm, “Floleen, let me teach you magic.”
“Mm, will I be disturbing you?”
“It’s just reviewing the basics for me. Besides, I can feel my affinity for the Dark Element has improved lately. Teaching you gives me a chance to reorganize the logic of the Runes—consider it practice.”
Looking at his serious eyes, Floleen felt warmth well up in her heart.
She nodded firmly, her platinum twin tails swaying.
“Alright! Then I’ll be relying on Teacher Charlotte from now on!” She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips, her smile as bright as sunlight chasing away the gloom. “But if I’m slow to learn, you can’t get mad at me!”
“I won’t.” Charlotte’s lips finally curved into a genuine smile, and he gently flicked her nose. “My Floleen, no matter what you’re learning, I’ll always teach you patiently.”
But Floleen wasn’t about to let Charlotte off that easy—she bit him playfully and began to drink Charlotte’s blood.
Her crimson eyes grew brighter, shining like a beast eyeing its prey. “Then… why don’t we go teach somewhere else…”
It seemed the hero and the demon king were about to clash again.