Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Serena Pov.
I grimaced as I pushed Freya out of my Reality Marble before placing the defenses where they belonged to prevent her from watching me any longer. Honestly, that conversation had been incredibly annoying. I just hoped she wouldn't screw me over again, like most of the things she did. At this point, I didn't know if I was lucky or unlucky.
And damn Freya, I knew she was a goddess of beauty, but I hadn't considered the full extent of that. I thought I'd grown accustomed to seeing beauty in the underworld; the supernatural beauty of demons, especially succubi, is literally in a different league than the beauty of mortals.
Even those who reincarnated as demons had their body imperfections magically corrected slightly when they became demons.
But even so, nothing had prepared me for Freya's beauty, especially when she smiled. I could see how she could start a war even without her charm. I just hoped she would go on with her life and leave me alone for as long as I was in Orario.
Luckily, I had some consolation prizes for the whole ordeal. I was able to steal Freya's Discerning Eye. Her ability to see souls was an innate skill; it didn't seem to be tied to her divinity like her Charm or Arcanum, and her Divine Mirror, so my Reality Marble had been able to replicate it with ease.
And… it was a very good ability. Discerning Eye allowed me to see souls, but it was more than that; it almost seemed to give me a superficial view of the Spirit Realm, something I needed to use many shortcuts and tricks to see, but even so, at this point, I was quite in tune with the Spirit Realm.
Now, with Discerning Eye, I can see the spiritual realm at any time. I can see souls so easily; I can also see the connections between them and everything related to them. It was truly wonderful.
"Is everything alright?" Riveria asked, turning around. I nodded with a satisfied smile.
"Yes," I said plainly. Riveria looked at me curiously, but nodded.
"Very well, it's getting late, so I'll have to return to Twilight Manor to speak with Loki and the family," Riveria said simply. I nodded in her direction.
"Very well, I'll go meet Miach and Naaza with Bella, you two will manage on your own?" I asked in the direction of Lucy and Rebecca; both nodded.
"Yes, do what you have to do, we'll just take a walk. If we need to go back, we'll ask GLaDOS to take us back to the store. We're not going back to Night City yet, are we?" Rebecca asked casually. I hummed softly.
"Not really, there are a few things to sort out, and I felt like visiting some places. I'm really curious to run into someone with the Mystery skill or some blacksmithing skill," I said honestly. "Actually, maybe I'll visit a brothel too." Rebecca snorted amusedly.
"Enjoying the new world or studying the competition?" Rebecca asked mockingly. I rolled my eyes.
"Neither one nor the other, I want to meet Sanjouno Haruhime. Now that I know I'm capable of replicating the magic of this world, I'm very curious to know if I can replicate her 'level-up' magic and how it translates if I use it on someone without Falna." I said curiously as my eyes sparkled slightly.
"You're the only one I know who goes to a brothel for academic purposes," Lucy said so dryly that it made me smile.
"As if I'd hire someone for sex when I have you two," I said hoarsely while looking them both up and down.
"Sit, Gonk, I've been suppressing my urge to jump on you ever since we left the dungeon, don't make it harder." Rebecca growled, blushing. I burst out laughing.
"Very well, by the way, Riveria," I said, looking at her. "Do you think Bete would let me copy his Hati? Fire capable of consuming magic to keep growing indefinitely is something I want." I said honestly. Riveria hummed thoughtfully.
"Bete doesn't like Hati; in fact, he dislikes it so much that he wouldn't use it even in a life-or-death situation. But... I could convince him to just use it for a few seconds to show it to you if you get him something that will help him become stronger, so he doesn't have to use it."
"Twice Critical is a good example; in fact, giving him several might be enough," Riveria said easily. I hummed softly.
"Hmm, with The Light to complete the missing parts of my replicas, I might be able to create a perfect projection of Twice Critical, or even something like Boosted Gear."
"I definitely can't make it grow indefinitely like the Boosted Gear, since without Draig's soul, it's very difficult, but achieving a Lite version that can achieve multiple duplications should be feasible." I said, thinking quickly, I would have to test it. And if that didn't work, I still had another option to offer him.
Divine Dividing.
I still had the orb I had obtained from Vali's Scale Mail after hitting them with several Balmung and Excalibur. I had tried to replicate it, but the same problem existed as with the Boosted Gear: without Albion's soul, Divine Dividing could not function properly.
But taking Twice Critical as a base, replacing the base materials it was made of to replicate Boosted Gear and changing them for fragments of Divine Dividing, could create something similar to Twice Critical. Still, instead of doubling the stats, it would be dividing them.
Although I'd have to adjust it so it splits the enemy's magic and not the wearer's, I could give both to Bete in the form of boots. I could use his own Flosvirt boots as a base, his mithril boots that could absorb magic and increase his power, and have Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing Lite versions; that would surely be much better.
"I'll find something," I told Riveria, finally snapping out of my thoughts. She nodded.
"I'll ask him as soon as I arrive," Riveria said easily. "There are some other skills and magic within the family that you might want to replicate. I'll see if I can convince Loki to let me bring them," she added. I looked at her in surprise.
"Would you do it?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Selling out your family?" Bella asked with an amused smile. Riveria shrugged.
"Not really, I won't be asking you to give up anything. Serena doesn't have any plans for Orario, so there's no problem with helping her replicate the family's skills and magic, especially since she'll be supplying large amounts of resources and letting me teach her magic to the rest of the family." Riveria said simply.
"You know that's not necessary, right? I'd help you anyway." I told Riveria honestly; she just smiled and nodded.
"I know, that's why I want to help you with this, think of it as... I want to do something for you." Riveria said shyly, I just smiled more gently as I nodded.
"Very well, if you have no problem with it, I'll accept it; it would be foolish not to." I said gently, and Riveria nodded.
"Then I'll leave for now. When I finish, or tomorrow, we can arrange a schedule. I... won't be able to join you very often; I'll be busy teaching about magic and my responsibilities to the Family." Riveria said apologetically, and I just shook my head.
"Don't worry, we'll be here in Orario for a couple of days, and then we'll head back to Night City to finish the mission. It might take us a few weeks to lure Smasher. We can travel back and forth between worlds to visit each other whenever you have time. It doesn't have to be a dungeon raid. When everything's over, we can discuss it more thoroughly." I said with a gentle smile. Riveria sighed in relief as she nodded.
"Well, I'll have to start studying all the magic books so I can teach them, and if it's not too much trouble, I'll contact you later to ask for help with the order of priority and then prepare the essentials for teaching the Family members."
"As entertaining as everyday magic is, most of it will only focus on combat magic, and I don't have enough time to teach all the books," Riveria said, sounding almost disappointed. I raised an eyebrow at her.
"We have plenty of time. You can grab a time bubble from the inventory and use it in your lessons if you think it's necessary. You can teach for hours, and it will only take a few seconds."
"Also, if you'd like, I think there was a Talent at The Company who helps with teaching. I believe it significantly reduced the learning process, the time, and the effort required for your students." I hummed, and Riveria's eyes widened slightly.
"Was there something like that?" Riveria asked, surprised. I nodded.
"Interestingly, yes, it's quite helpful, honestly. We have a contracted teacher, Koro-sensei, with whom we have a contract. He's able to teach us anything we would naturally have access to in our worlds. He definitely has that talent, and he's truly amazing—the best teacher you could get, even better than any teacher you'd find in those worlds." I told her honestly. Riveria paused for a few seconds before nodding.
"I... I would be grateful if you could buy it." Riveria sighed, sounding almost relieved. "I enjoy teaching, don't get me wrong, I've been doing it for decades, but it's so... difficult to get many of the family members to read all the dense magic books and try to memorize and understand them. No matter how hard I try, unfortunately, it's not easy."
"Most of them just want to go out, recite the chants, and start casting magic like crazy. Not everyone has the patience to keep reading book after book to understand a simple matrix or magic circle. If I can teach magically and they can understand much more easily, it would make my life so much easier." I practically begged Riveria, chuckling as I pulled out my phone.
Educational Talent ᵈ ˡ ᶜ -5
Talent Sharing x1 [Educational Talent] -10
[335]
"And that's it." I said easily as I looked at Riveria. She just smiled slightly, blushed nervously, then took a step forward, stood on her tiptoes, and planted a light kiss on my lips before turning and running off. I could hear Rebecca snort as she grinned widely.
"Alright, choom, let's go for a walk," Rebecca said as she started walking casually. Lucy just shook her head as she followed. Bella just sneered amusedly before linking her arm with mine, and we started walking towards Miach's house.
"I'm back." Bella said as we walked into Blue Pharmacy.
"Bella? You're back so early?" I heard a lazy voice say. Bella just smiled and nodded as she went inside; I followed her in.
"Naaza, is Miach there?" Bella asked. Naaza's gaze focused on me, and she lost all the laziness she'd been feeling as her eyes opened slightly. I looked at Naaza closely and could feel the new constellation joining my Reality Marble.
Well, I guess I could now become a Chienthrope, a dog woman, that… was interesting.
"Miach! We have visitors!" Naaza exclaimed immediately.
"Visitors?" I heard Miach's voice from one of the back rooms. I could hear a little noise before he appeared with a smile. His gaze went to Bella and then to me before freezing slightly.
To my surprise, my Reality Marble attempted to replicate Miach's biology, that of a god, but failed miserably. It seems that even for The Light, replicating a god was impossible.
"Miach, Naaza, this is my wife, Baroness Lady Serena Eileen Prince, Head of the Prince Family, King of Pentagram City." Bella formally introduced me. I merely raised an eyebrow, but nodded. I bowed respectfully, as manners dictated.
"Greetings, Lord Miach, Miss Naaza, it's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for looking after my wife while she was in Orario." I said respectfully.
"There's no need to bow!" Miach said quickly as he approached. "Nor a need for so many formalities, or even thanking us. Bellatrix is my daughter, it's a pleasure to look after her!" Miach said, completely sincere, smiling. I nodded as I straightened up.
"Even so, thank you for helping her," I said with a smile. We all remained silent for a few moments.
"Did you bring food?" Naaza suddenly asked. I turned to look at her. Naaza opened her eyes slightly as she began to blush.
"Naaza! We said we'd try it more subtly!" Miach exclaimed in horror.
"It's not my fault! I got nervous! She's introducing her as a King! I thought Bellatrix was joking all this time!" Naaza shrieked in a panic.
"Even so! We have to secure our food supply, don't panic!" Miach said quickly. I watched the discussion with amusement and could see Bella with a huge smile.
"Are you done, you pair of idiots?" Bella asked playfully. They both froze and paled as they turned to look at me. I chuckled before turning to face them.
"Don't worry, I'm glad you like my cooking so much. I enjoy cooking for my wives and the rest of my family, and I'll make sure Bella has enough to share with you," I said playfully. I could see them both sigh with relief.
"Oh, thank the gods, that food really ruined me. I can't buy food anywhere without finding it substandard! Even the Hostess of Fertility now tastes bland in comparison!" Naaza groaned, and Miach nodded several times.
"That food is divine, I say that like a god, there's no food in heaven that can compare to it, maybe only Soma wine can surpass it," Miach said seriously. I smiled slightly.
"Thanks for the compliment, it's... funny that my cooking skills stand out so much more than everything else," I said playfully. Naaza snorted.
"Bellatrix doesn't talk much about what you do besides your cooking and your... interest in potions and magic, and I don't really know what 'King of Pentagram City' means, so..." Naaza said, shrugging without finishing the sentence. I chuckled softly and nodded.
"It's good, and it doesn't really mean much around here, so just ignore it." I said easily, and they both nodded.
"Will you be staying long, Lady Serena? Were you planning to share a room with Bellatrix? We wouldn't mind if you stayed here," Miach said with a smile. I hummed softly.
"I'll be in Orario for a couple of days. I had some errands to run in person, and I have a tent near Orario, so don't worry. Although I'd like to visit you from time to time to get to know you, so I might accept your offer sometime, if it's not too much trouble," I told them both with a smile. They both smiled slightly.
"It's no problem at all! You can come whenever you want, I insist!" Miach said without hesitation, and I nodded.
"By the way, did the potion recipes Bellatrix gave you work?" Naaza asked curiously, and I nodded happily.
"Yes! Very much so! Especially Magic Potions. I'm able to create hundreds of different potions to repair a person's body, but I would say, magic is something truly impressive." I said happily.
"Is it really that impressive?" Naaza asked, raising an eyebrow before stopping. "Wait, hundreds?" she asked, almost horrified. I nodded.
"I have potions to replenish blood, to regrow bones, to heal burns, heal scars, to purge poison, to cure various diseases, and much more," I said easily. Naaza seemed surprised.
"So varied? Wouldn't it be better to make a single potion that cures everything? Like normal potions or the Elixir?" Naaza asked, surprised. I hummed softly.
"First of all, the elixir is terribly expensive, second, those potions are created with dungeon items, something very difficult to obtain outside of Orario, and third, they are specialization potions, and elixirs can't treat diseases, and none of them replenish lost blood despite their powerful regeneration." I said easily. Naaza opened her mouth, but then closed it.
"Good point," she said easily. Then I saw Naaza think for a few seconds. "I've been trying to brew a new potion, a dual potion that should heal both health and mind, but I've run into... some problems." Naaza said as she took a small book from her pocket, opened it, and spread it across the shop counter. I approached curiously, leaned over the counter, and began to skim through it quickly.
"Are the ingredients more potent than you expected?" I asked curiously while pointing to one of the notes. Naaza nodded.
"Yes, I was planning to use Bloodsaurus eggs from the forest east of Orario. There should be Bloodsauruses there that reproduced outside the dungeon, and their offspring are in that place. They are much weaker than their dungeon versions, so their eggs would be weaker, of much lower quality."
"But Bellatrix can collect Bloodsaurus eggs directly from the dungeon on the 30th floor, since they're part of the monster drops for some reason, so I didn't see any need to go all the way into the forest. But I ran into more trouble than I expected preparing my potion," Naaza said honestly. I hummed along as I read lightly.
"I have... a few ideas." I murmured as I pulled out a pencil, leaned across the counter, and began scribbling over the notes. "No, this is out, it would be better to replace it with this... pulverize into smaller fragments, reduce the cooking time, slightly increase the quantity... 3 turns, no, 5 counterclockwise turns... simmer for the first half, increase the heat at the end."
"Yeah... that might work." I murmured as I snapped out of my trance, blinking slightly as I glanced around. I only saw Naaza leaning in front of me, frowning.
"Control the fire? It can't be done without magic, take it away, increase the cooking time by another half hour, the powder reacts with this other ingredient, it's not possible." Naaza pointed this out immediately. I looked at the recipe.
"It only reacts without an anti-caking agent, that's why there's another ingredient." I pointed without hesitation, and Naaza frowned even more deeply.
"Anti-... caking? Is it to prevent the powder from forming those annoying clumps in the potions?" Naaza asked offendedly, and I nodded.
"Exactly, you keep the potion stirring over low heat and add the anti-caking agent so it can take effect. This material is completely inert and has no properties; it won't affect the potion in any way. It will only serve to keep the potion completely liquid, thick, and well-formed." I said quickly, and Naaza's eyes sparkled.
"Then the next ingredient will dissolve in the potion without any problem, yes, I see it, brilliant." Naaza said excitedly. I didn't even realize how long we kept brainstorming. At some point, we even started preparing the potion.
What we did manage to do was successfully complete the dual potion. By the time we finished, it was already dinnertime. Miach and Bella were smiling at us when we finally noticed, the former with a happy grin, while the latter wore a mocking one.
I offered to prepare the food, and we spent the rest of the evening getting to know each other. I was really happy to finally meet Miach and Naaza; it was a good night.
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