The carriage rattled, but inside, the world was still.
Elara sat frozen in Lux's lap, her breathing shallow and ragged. For five years, ever since the failed assassination mission that shattered her mana core, she had lived in constant, freezing agony. It felt like shards of ice were circulating through her veins.
But now?
Where Lux's chest pressed against her back, and where his thighs supported her heavy bottom, there was... silence.
The pain was gone. Replaced by a simmering, golden warmth that made her toes curl.
"Master..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "I need to... get up."
"Do you?" Lux whispered back, his lips brushing the shell of her ear. "You stopped shaking, Elara. You're comfortable."
[System Notification]
[Passive Effect 'Yang Aura' is active.]
[Target 'Elara' is experiencing 80% Curse Suppression.]
[Target Loyalty: +2 (Current: 85/100)]
Lux tightened his grip around her waist. He could feel the raw power dormant inside her. This soft, motherly woman could kill everyone in the capital if she were healthy. But right now, she was weak, and she belonged entirely to him.
"We are almost there," Lux said, not letting go. "Stay. That is an order."
Elara's body shuddered. It was a flimsy excuse, an "order," but she clung to it like a lifeline. She leaned back, surrendering to the warmth, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Yes... Master."
"WHOA!"
The carriage jerked to a violent halt.
The spell was broken.
"We're here, you useless scraps!" the coachman shouted from the outside.
Elara scrambled off Lux's lap, her face flushing a deep crimson. She smoothed her skirt, trying to regain her composure as the Head Maid, but her legs wobbled.
[Contact Broken.]
[Curse Suppression Deactivated.]
"Ah..." Elara winced, clutching her chest. The ice was back.
Lux stood up, feeling the loss of warmth immediately.
[XP Gained: +120]
[Level Up! Level 2 Reached.]
[Attribute Points: +5]
He quickly dumped all 5 points into Vitality. If he was going to "cultivate" with an A-Rank warrior, he needed the stamina to survive it.
He kicked the carriage door open and stepped out.
The Blackwood Estate lived up to its name. It was a rotting carcass of a mansion. The stone walls were covered in black moss, the windows were boarded up like blind eyes, and the surrounding forest was silent—too silent.
The coachman, a burly man hired by his father, tossed their luggage into the mud.
"This is as far as I go," the man sneered, spitting on the ground near Lux's boots. "Good luck surviving the night, Young Master. They say the wolves here eat mana-less trash first."
The old Lux would have cowered.
The new Lux stared at the spit, then up at the man.
"Pick it up," Lux said. His voice wasn't loud, but it was flat. Cold.
The coachman blinked. "What?"
"My bag. You threw it in the mud. Pick it up, clean it, and hand it to me."
The coachman laughed, reaching for the whip at his belt. "Or what? You gonna cry to your daddy? You have no magic, boy. I could break your—"
Shink.
A sound purely of metal sliding against metal.
The coachman froze.
A silver butter knife—pulled from the carriage's lunch set—was pressed against his jugular.
It wasn't Lux holding it.
It was Elara.
She had moved so fast she was a blur. Her eyes, usually so warm and motherly, were now void of all emotion. Dark. Predatory.
"The Young Master gave you an order," Elara said softly. "Comply. Or I will sever your tendons one by one."
The coachman turned pale. He looked at the woman he thought was just a servant. He saw death.
"I... I'm sorry!" He scrambled down, wiped the bag with his own sleeve, and handed it to Lux with shaking hands.
"Get lost," Lux dismissed him.
As the carriage fled into the night, Lux looked at Elara. She was panting heavily, sweat beading on her forehead. The burst of speed had cost her.
She swayed.
"Elara!"
Lux caught her before she hit the mud. She was burning up, yet her skin felt like ice.
[Warning!]
[Target 'Elara' has overexerted.]
[Curse Backlash Imminent. Her mana channels are freezing.]
[Time until heart failure: 2 Hours.]
"M-Master..." Elara gasped, her eyes unfocused. "I'm cold... so cold."
Lux scooped her up in his arms—thank you, Level 2 Vitality—and kicked the front door of the mansion open.
The inside was dusty and dark, smelling of mildew. He didn't care. He found a dusty sofa in the main hall and laid her down.
She curled into a ball, her teeth chattering violently. Frost began to form on her eyelashes.
[System Solution Proposed]
[Method 1: High-Grade Fire Potion (Cost: 5000 EP) - UNAVAILABLE]
[Method 2: Body Heat Transfer / Dual Cultivation (Cost: 0 EP)]
Lux took a deep breath. He looked down at the woman who had just threatened to kill a man for him.
"Elara," he said, kneeling beside the sofa. "I can save you. But you have to trust me."
"Cold..." she whimpered, blind to the world.
Lux stood up and began to unbutton his shirt.
"System," he commanded mentally. "Activate [Touch of Lust] or whatever starter skill I have."
[Skill Unlocked: Aphrodisiac Hands (Level 1)]
[Effect: Your hands generate a soothing heat that stimulates blood flow and arouses the target, melting magical blockages.]
Lux cracked his neck.
"Sorry, Elara. This treatment is going to be intense."
He reached out, his hands glowing with a faint, pink hue, and began to undo the buttons of her maid uniform.
Status Update:
Name: Lux von Greylock
Level: 2
EP: 0
Current Goal: Save Elara (and claim her as the first Harem Member).