Charlotte’s eyes slowly opened, all fatigue washing away from his body.
He knew at once that he had come to a familiar place—his Spirit World.
His spiritual power was like that of a great existence; even when his body was utterly exhausted, his consciousness would never sink into confusion.
Just like now, he had naturally entered this realm that belonged to him alone.
A pair of little feet in black stockings stepped into his view.
He looked up, and a young girl was already standing quietly before him.
“You’re here, Charlotte.”
At this moment, Aifel was dressed in a black Lolita dress that didn’t quite match her temperament, and she was barefoot, so through the stockings her tender pink toes could be seen.
Charlotte looked at her and asked, “Aifel, why did you change your clothes after taking a nap?”
Aifel seemed a bit dazed. “That’s your first reaction?”
Charlotte didn’t care at all. “What reaction should I have had?”
Aifel smoothed her light blue hair and said, “Shouldn’t you be praising me for how pretty I look right now? I changed into a new outfit just for this!”
Charlotte was helpless. “You’ve lived for so long—how do you still act like a little girl?”
“I’ve lived that long, but ninety-nine percent of the time I was sleeping, okay! That doesn’t count toward my age! If you add up all the time I’ve actually been awake, it’s just over thirty years! And I’ve spent eleven years with you!”
“Over thirty and still acting cute…”
“You little rascal, Charlotte. With other girls, you’re all sweet words, but with me, nothing good comes out of your mouth! I ought to clobber you!”
Aifel didn’t care about her image anymore and landed a punch on Charlotte with a horse stance.
Charlotte didn’t pay her much mind; instead, he looked around at the scenery.
Within his Spirit World, everything was filled with thick, white mist, and the only visible thing was the Lake beneath his feet.
At the center of the Lake, an Ancient Giant Tree towered like a primordial colossus.
Its gnarled roots pierced the surface, weaving a dark blue net beneath the water—every vein seeming to pulse with life.
The massive trunk bore the marks of millennia, where emerald green and amber gold flowed in turns, pure natural force and holy aura swirling beneath the tree, casting a hazy glow.
Among the branches, countless colorless crystals floated and spun.
“Aifel, did you sense anything strange in my body?” Charlotte hovered over the boundless jade-green waves.
Aifel shook her head. “No, aside from your magic power increasing a lot… Wait, why did your magic suddenly increase?”
“Yeah… I’m wondering about that too.”
Charlotte made a fist in the air. Since getting up this morning, he had sensed something different about himself.
His mind was incredibly clear, and his affinity with the dark element had risen by more than just a little.
“I can feel it. Using Dark Magic has become much more natural for me.”
Just earlier, during the match, Charlotte kept using Dark Magic precisely because of this—he wanted to test himself.
Aifel spoke slowly. “I think I know why… look at that crystal.”
Following Aifel’s gaze, Charlotte looked up at the Ancient Giant Tree.
Among its branches, one of the colorless crystals had been stained a deep purple and was shining with a powerful light.
Aifel moved closer to Charlotte. “So, what did you do while I was sleeping these past few days?”
Charlotte stroked his chin, trying to recall what he’d done while Aifel slept. In the end, he reached a frightening conclusion.
The only memorable thing he’d done recently—apart from thinking and reading—was that fight last night with Floleen… And the Weiss Family’s specialty was Dark Magic.
“No way…” Charlotte clearly found his suspicion hard to believe.
Aifel was curious now; Charlotte’s reaction meant he’d thought of something.
“Tell me, what came to mind?”
“Just an unlikely guess… Let me confirm it before I say more.”
Aifel grinned. “Don’t think I don’t know what trouble you get up to while I’m asleep.”
Charlotte looked at Aifel calmly. “What trouble?”
Aifel smirked. “Still pretending? What happened between you and Floleen to get you so riled up? Don’t tell me you already took her purity?”
Only now did Charlotte remember that Aifel, though asleep in his Spirit World, could sense whenever his emotions surged.
“I’ve already coaxed her.” Charlotte replied vaguely, but it wasn’t a lie.
Aifel’s eyes suddenly sparkled. With Charlotte acting like this, it must be true!
“So that’s it… Your body really is unusual. I never thought you could increase your magic power and elemental affinity this way. How about you try a few more women? With your status, snatching a few maids’ first nights would be easy, right?”
Aifel eyed Charlotte with a mischievous grin.
Charlotte waved her off. “Don’t look at me like that—I’m not some playboy…”
“Come on, what’s the harm? You confessed to the Duke’s daughter in front of everyone, and even Floleen forgave you. If you sleep with a few more women, what’s the big deal? Are you afraid of her?”
Charlotte was speechless.
“Is that the same thing?! Besides, I’m not afraid of her. There are just too many things I still don’t understand. And just because sleeping with her increased my magic doesn’t mean it would work with others. Maybe she’s the one with a special constitution.”
“I feel like it’s your body that’s the problem…” Aifel mused, rubbing her chin and looking at Charlotte.
Charlotte certainly had many mysteries about him—like the Ancient Giant Tree in his Spirit World.
When Aifel first saw it, she was shocked.
This ancient, sacred tree was like a mighty being, but in Aifel’s memory, no such god existed in the world.
Looking at the tall Charlotte before her, Aifel suddenly remembered eleven years ago, when that little boy barely up to her waist suddenly appeared before her…
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Charlotte Mistmoon, the future Wuyue Family Heir! Who are you?”
That childish voice rang out. Back then, Charlotte was still full of emotion—not the wooden person he was now.
Aifel brushed a blue strand of hair from her temple and smiled, her eyes crinkling.
“I’m Aifel, a Divine Artifact personally forged by the Main God.”
“Main God?” Charlotte’s pupils widened.
“That’s the God of Memory and Mist your people worship.”
She bent down until her nose almost touched the top of his soft hair.
“Little Charlotte has the aura of the Main God. For a second, I almost thought She’d returned.”
“I’m the God of Memory and Mist? But isn’t the Mist God a girl? I’m a man!”
Charlotte puffed out his chest in pride.
Aifel was so amused she knocked him on the forehead with a fingertip.
“I made a mistake, that’s all. But you are definitely a Divine Power, that’s for sure.”
She opened her palm, and a gentle ray of light flowed in her hand.
“So, will you make a contract with us? Become our true master, after the Mist God?”
………..
Charlotte back then really was adorable.
But there was no helping it; every head of the Mistmoon Family died young—killed in battle, assassinated by the Holy Church for having their identity exposed, or perishing by accident while seeking Divine Artifacts.
Charlotte’s own father had been killed by the Holy Church while seeking Divine Artifacts when Charlotte was thirteen.
From that day on, little Charlotte became like a different person.
Even though he still had three elder sisters to share his burdens, he was ultimately the Mistmoon Family’s only remaining male—he had to shoulder the duty of being the family head.
But Charlotte also lived up to expectations.
Not only did he successfully collect three Divine Artifacts to prolong the power of the Initial Mist, he even managed to bring in the Weiss Family as a golden patron.
This improved the Mistmoon Family’s situation a lot, and the eldest sister who handled their finances beamed from ear to ear, wishing Charlotte would marry Floleen on the spot so the Mistmoon Family would never have to worry about money again.
Charlotte’s voice suddenly interrupted Aifel’s memories. “About how much longer until I wake up?”
“Hmm… Judging by your body’s state, about three hours. Don’t drain your magic dry next time—it recovers slowly…”
“I just wanted to show my strength. After all, I don’t want Duke Ryan to keep looking down on me.”
“Hmph, always showing off…”
Of course, Aifel knew this was all part of Charlotte’s plan: to display overwhelming magical skill and power, then collapse in front of Miss Lilia.
She could already predict how things would play out.
Charlotte had won the match—and won at life.
No doubt, Duke Ryan, acting unconcerned, would get a scolding from his daughter, while Miss Lilia would be left with Charlotte on her mind as he lay unconscious.
Tsk tsk tsk, the man before her was truly extraordinary.