The familiar fragrance made Kurose Akira's hand pause mid-air as he held the teacup. He searched his memory for where he had smelled it before, but for a moment, nothing came to mind…
Ah, forget it. Why overthink it?
How could a kind and beautiful lady like Natasha possibly mean him harm?
Kurose Akira took a light sip, savoring the lingering aftertaste of the tea. As he did, he casually asked,"What kind of tea is this? The aroma is quite unusual."
"It's very good, isn't it?" Natasha said with a smile. "That's because I added a bit of special honeydew—this one here~"
As she spoke, she took out an exquisitely crafted little bottle. Inside it flowed a crystal-clear, shimmering liquid.
"Special honeydew?" Kurose Akira asked curiously.
"Shh~"Natasha gently pressed a finger to the corner of his lips and laughed softly. "It's a secret~"
"..."
Kurose Akira was at a loss for words. Did this really need to be a secret? Was it some kind of classified formula?
Still, he didn't think too much of it. The tea really did taste excellent—rich, smooth, and oddly intoxicating. After a few sips, it felt as though the aroma had seeped into his entire body.
Just then, Roxia walked in.
"About that matter—has Aunt Natasha already told you?" Roxia said earnestly. "The day after tomorrow is my birthday. I sincerely hope you'll all attend."
"The day after tomorrow is your birthday?"Kurose Akira replied while enjoying the tea. "Alright. We'll be there."
"The day after tomorrow is Roxia's coming-of-age ceremony," Natasha added with a gentle smile. "But for certain special reasons, she doesn't plan to make it a grand affair—only a small gathering with close friends." As she spoke, she refilled Kurose Akira's teacup.
"Just close friends? That's nice. I don't really like lively crowds either," Kurose Akira said, draining one cup as Natasha promptly topped it up again.
The black tea mixed with that special honeydew was making him feel oddly lightheaded. He couldn't seem to stop drinking it.
"They're mostly friends from the Knight Academy. Roxia once studied at the Royal Capital's Knight Academy," Natasha continued.
"The Royal Capital's Knight Academy?"Kurose Akira glanced at Roxia, who was sitting across from him, lifting a cream puff to her lips.
"Yes~" Natasha sat elegantly beside him and handed over a slice of cream cake. "Back then, Roxia ranked in the top three among the academy's law-enforcement knights. I even heard that a certain princess invited her to become a royal knight~"
"A princess?"
"Mmm~ Not just that princess, there was also—"
"That's enough, Aunt Natasha!" Roxia hurriedly interrupted, afraid that Natasha would start recounting every embarrassing story from her childhood to Kurose Akira.
"Alright, alright~ Let's change the subject~" Natasha said smoothly, shifting her gentle gaze toward Ivsha. "Miss Ivsha, how do you take care of your skin~?"
"..."
At this tea party dominated by women, Kurose Akira felt completely out of place. He was little more than a silent listener, quietly taking in their conversation.
In this regard, Roxia seemed to have inherited the Yerman family's traits—like her aunt, she wasn't very talkative and rarely took the initiative to speak.
Ivsha and Natasha's conversation lightened the mood considerably. Kurose Akira poured himself another cup of tea and savored it slowly.
Then he asked curiously, "Roxia, how many years did you spend in the Royal Capital?"
Roxia paused briefly before answering, "About three years."
"Then you must be quite familiar with the Royal Capital?"
"Yes. The scale of the Royal Capital is nothing like a remote city such as Sunset City." A glimmer appeared in Roxia's eyes, clearly betraying her lingering admiration. "The Royal Capital covers hundreds of times the area of Sunset City, with an uncountable population. Outstanding law-enforcement knights are everywhere. I was even fortunate enough to meet a Stellar Knight once!"
"A Stellar Knight?"Kurose Akira narrowed his eyes, pondering the term.
Roxia nodded firmly, a hint of regret flickering in her gaze. "Yes. They represent the strongest combat power of our Stellar Kingdom. If my aunt were still alive, she might have had a chance to become one herself…"
Kurose Akira nodded in agreement.
Loserine was of Legendary quality. If she were still alive, becoming a Stellar Knight would indeed have been possible.
Suddenly, Roxia frowned slightly and looked at him. "Mr. Kurose Akira, your complexion…"
At the same time, Ivsha and Natasha also turned their attention toward him.
"Hm?"
Kurose Akira glanced at the mirror placed on the table and discovered that his face had suddenly turned bright red. White mist was even rising faintly from the top of his head.
"What's going on?" He frowned deeply and immediately checked his status panel.
Status: Bestial Excitation(Cause: Do not casually consume food given by strangers! Can be cured by drinking salt water!)
Bestial… excitation?
Kurose Akira's eyes widened. Recalling what he had consumed the most just now…
He stared at the red tea in his cup, sinking into thought.
Then, with a suspicious look, he turned to Natasha and asked,"Ms. Natasha… what exactly did you add to this tea?"
"How could that be? There's never been any problem before," Natasha said, taking out the same delicate bottle, her face full of confusion.
She and Ivsha had also drunk the tea—why were they completely fine?
"W-water…"Unable to endure the effects of the excitation, Kurose Akira's muscles began to tremble slightly. He lost his balance for a moment, his hand slipping forward and grabbing Natasha's wrist.
"Ah~"Natasha let out a soft moan and said weakly, "Mr. Kurose Akira~ please don't do this here~ at least not in front of Roxia…"
Kurose Akira: "..."
Roxia: "?"
After drinking copious amounts of salt water, Kurose Akira finally cleared the Bestial Excitation status. Even so, by the time the tea party ended, he still hadn't received a clear answer from Natasha.
What exactly had been added to that cup of red tea remained a mystery.
After Kurose Akira left, Roxia couldn't contain her curiosity and asked,"Aunt Natasha… what did you really add to the tea?"
Natasha's beautiful eyes shimmered faintly as she thought for a moment, then answered softly,"The night before last, I went to your study and saw you asleep. I wanted to cover you with a blanket. Suddenly, I smelled a very peculiar fragrance, so I…"
Roxia's face instantly flushed red. "Y-you mean… something I secreted while sleeping…?"
"T-tears! It was tears!" Natasha hurriedly explained, afraid Roxia would misunderstand.
However, that explanation only made Roxia's face grow even redder.
So she'd been overthinking it.
But at that moment, an even bigger question surfaced in Roxia's mind.
She had learned from Melo that the curse within their bloodline secreted a special bodily fluid—one that only affected magical beasts.
Then why had the curse affected Kurose Akira?
Could it be…That he's a magical beast?!
...
"Ah-choo!"
Back in the dungeon, Kurose Akira sneezed, rubbing his nose.
Who's thinking about me?
He raised his head, his gaze piercing through the white mist ahead.
The sea of fire once caused by the Flame Chrysalis had vanished, replaced by billowing steam that now shrouded the entire dungeon. Amid this fog, Loserine stood quietly.
After absorbing the third memory fragment, subtle changes had occurred in her soul body. It was as if starlight flickered within her, and paired with her diamond-crystal-constructed bones, her form resembled a dazzling constellation—brilliant beyond words.
The small serpent formed from soul magic had also changed. Once only a dozen centimeters long, it had grown to about half a meter. Its aqua-blue body shimmered with faint starlight, mirroring Loserine herself. Cute as it looked, it carried an unmistakable sense of danger.
[Water Sprite mana purity increased to 50%][Water-element magic power increased by 50%][Loserine has absorbed the third memory fragment!][All attributes +20!][Fragments of her past surface in her memories, involving a witch hidden within the Stellar Kingdom…]