Chapter 19

Her unnie, Lucelle, and her adoptive mother, Alica, came to visit.

It was quite evident to Arisella now that Alica told Lucelle everything that happened in the carriage, and she came to express her concerns about her decision while being escorted along with a nervous Alica who stiffened at her little girl's emotionless face when she saw her.

That said, given how worried she seemed, I couldn't tell if Alica had told her about her breakup with John, or if she just didn't care that much... knowing her, there's a good chance it was the latter. However, that didn't change Arisella's feeling of nervousness inside.

They all gathered on the terrace of Arisella's room to have tea and snacks, and the only maid present was Amelia, who was someone she trusted enough to discuss these matters in front of her, and as she was a maid she had every intention of taking with her on her long journey, she should naturally be there.

By the way, Emma and Natha were in Arisella's bed at this moment, with the latter enjoying the stuffed animals while the former made sure she didn't do anything stupid.

Anyway, upon meeting up, Lucelle quickly addressed the issue that was bothering her; although she didn't refuse to eat the delicious snacks at all when they were brought to her.

“Are you really planning on going to the capital of all places? You know that’s where the scum hangs out, right? It’s simply insane that you would want to enter that place with your appearance, let alone try to contact its leader. Did your unleashed potential damage your mind?” the alchemist asked, looking disapprovingly at her ‘younger sister’.

Obviously, she didn't agree with what she was planning. Alica, who had the same stance as her from the beginning, nodded subtly while eating a cookie like a squirrel.

Without flinching in the slightest, Arisella looked at Lucelle's seductive friends with her pretty eyes and calmly replied, "Unnie, I don't have any mental problems, nor do I plan on going there just to be raped or killed by horny nobles. On the contrary, I have to go to the Capital so that neither you nor I suffer... That's the only thing I can tell you, truly. And don't worry, not only will I make sure I have the mighty 'Iron Fist' on my side, but I'm not so reckless as to go there without a plan."

“...Did you really have a prophetic dream in which a calamity befell us?”

"Of course, why would I lie about something so serious?" Arisella lied shamelessly, for the calamity is real. "Besides, you know, I'd rather spend the rest of my life here than go out looking for a rich husband or exploring the empire, if that's what you were imagining."

"...Was it necessary for you to separate from John just because of that?"

Arisella froze, before her gaze shifted to Alica, who shifted her eyes to the sky, then sighed. “No, that’s not the reason I broke up with John…and if you want to know why, ask Aunt Alica. She didn’t tell you that a while ago, though.”

“Yes, I've heard about the long-distance relationship problem. And while I admit it's not hard to imagine that a man filled with desire wouldn't think of cheating after his lover has been separated from him for a long time, it still sounds like a terrible excuse to me.”

Lucelle shook her head and Arisella grimaced.

"Well, that's what it is. If you don't believe me, I can't do anything about it. It's not like I can back out now after that drama, especially with what I have to do."

"Even so…"

"Anyway!" Arisella said suddenly, interrupting her. "What I have to do is very important for the future of all of us... so I have no plans to back down in the slightest. As for John... we'll find out later..."

Arisella just made another face at the end.

He felt guilty about John, but he couldn't help it. Just imagining the two of them flirting like they had in the past made Amael's anti-gay feelings rise from the depths of his soul—even though he's now a woman—and he was still particularly annoyed when he remembered that poor excuse for a kiss.

She still needed time to regain her full memories as Arisella Bluen and overcome Amael Parker's influence. Until then, coming into close contact with John now might only make her dislike him for no reason she could explain.

That being said, his muscles were still a delight to the eyes…and yes, he knew he was contradicting himself, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Lucelle, who had a particularly vague idea of ​​why Arisella was actually parting ways with her brother, simply sighed at the look on her face and said pitifully, “Well… your ex-lover kissing you like that could certainly be a reason for parting ways for some people. After all, it must have felt like he was trying to rape you. Compared to simply disowning him or showing disgust at him, parting ways is the best. I really feel sorry for that older brother of mine… Of course, for you as well.”

"Why?" Arisella looked at her, very annoyed. "Is that Merion a good kisser? And he didn't send me away because of the kiss!"

Lucelle's cheeks reddened slightly, but she still said with a smile, "He's more than just kisses..."

“Hoho…” Alica laughed awkwardly when she heard what Lucelle said, forgetting her worries for a moment. “I guess Lucelle has a full sex life. As Aphrodite’s servant, I’m happy.”

Lucelle only blushed more at his words.

Alica then sighed. “It’s a shame Arisella still refused to experience the pleasure of a woman before marriage. I really don’t understand where those ideas of yours come from, since I’m sure I taught you the importance of sex.”

"I don't know. I've never liked to express myself so casually about it." Arisella shrugged.

In fact, now that she had her memories as Amael, Arisella was sure that the reason she was so sexually reserved must be because the latent memories of Amael within her influenced her behavior as well as her emotional and intellectual development.

She remembered her diary, where the Arisella of the past only described her own peculiarities instead of particularly more intimate things, as if she were trying to analyze herself.

There, she said that since she was little, she was always able to easily learn many of the things the orphanage caretakers taught the orphans. She learned all the subjects that her peers of a similar age struggled with easily, and at just 8 years old, she was already beginning to use mana in some way.

And yet, somehow Arisella always felt that it wasn't because she was a genius of some kind that she could do all those things.

Plus, sometimes she would blurt out words only she understood or say something she wasn't supposed to know, like the time she asked Alica and Selena why they looked like prostitutes, when she'd never seen one.

Now she was sure that those memories were the cause.

However, the reason why she may have been so conservative about intimacy with a man could be due to two things: Amael Parker's feelings on the matter and her conservative opinion of what a woman should be like.

Leaving aside the first point, not only Amael Parker, but also his father, didn't find it attractive for a woman to talk about sex and such things like whores, wearing skimpy clothes and showing too much skin. They preferred decent, well-educated, and delicate women, particularly obedient and good at housework and childcare. That was the kind of wife they wanted.

Well... like Amael, I was somewhat sexist in that sense, although Dad's guilt is clear... I'd like to know how you're feeling, uncle... I hope my death doesn't plunge you into depression...

I'd like to know how you're doing, Dad... I hope my death doesn't plunge you into depression...

Just as Arisella remembered the figure of her father who raised her most of her life on earth with nostalgia and sadness… The tender but monotonous voice of the girl who until now had been silent was heard.

“My lady, I’m sorry to interrupt your thoughts, but I’m curious about something…”

“What is it, Ameria? Speak comfortably,” Arisella gave permission to the maid behind her, her eyes looking at her with uncertainty since learning she would be following her through this whole mess. In reality, they were suppressing a certain joy over their mistress’s breakup with John that they barely avoided showing, but even Lucelle didn’t notice.

“I would like to know, if possible, why you are taking me with you.”

"That?"

"Yeah"

Arisella looked at her awkwardly and asked, "Do you really want to know?"

“No need to say it if it makes you uncomfortable,” Amelia replied, but anyone could see that she genuinely wanted to know the answer to this question. The two women, Alica and Lucelle, were also watching curiously to see how she would respond to her maid’s curiosity.

"Well, first of all, it's obvious I needed a maid who was adept at doing my hair and makeup. You're good enough for that."

“That’s true… But do you think there’s anyone better than me?”

“I won’t deny that, and that’s why I must say that there’s another reason why I chose you, that is…” Arisella took a deep breath, and said seriously “That your Sex Appeal isn’t very high, unlike her.”

"...Huh?" (Ameria)

"Ah...? (Alica)

"..." (Lucela)

Arisella shrugged, a little more relaxed after saying it at the end and looked at the three women in confusion as she said with slight discomfort, “Don’t look at me like that, it’s already troublesome enough with me… and if either of you two, with those provocative figures, get in the way of my mission, it would be impossible to complete, you know? I know it’s ridiculous, but it’s the truth. That’s why I brought Ameria, since the other maid who is more skilled than her… isn’t a good choice at all.”

It's already troublesome enough to want to approach the Venustraphobic Duke with my own body and only expect my face to solve everything... I'd be much less successful if I brought along an extremely sexy maid like Ariadne! Arisella exclaimed in her heart.

Ariadna was one of the maids who cared for Arisella's beauty, along with Amelia. She was a beastly woman whose erotic figure reminded me of a certain blonde, airheaded teacher from a zombie anime that Amael abandoned in the first episode. The only difference is that she isn't Japanese and has fox ears and a tail.

Astrian would undoubtedly be "excited" to see her. So much so, that he'd definitely scream with joy.

On the other hand, we have her personal maid, Amelia, who was a lovely girl with turquoise hair, but whose face was expressionless most of the time. She was as pretty as a porcelain doll and had enchanting eyes with blood-red irises.

Her facial features gave a soft and serene impression, with luscious lips. They were thin, but not too thin; just the right amount of softness. The color of her lips was light, but with a slight pink tinge.

She was simply charming, like a loli. She wore the same uniform most of the mansion's maids wore, which, unlike Leonora's, was blue. And it suited her petite body perfectly. However you looked at it, she stood out more for her cuteness than for any sex appeal she might have. Of course, lolicons might think differently…

"The only way to end all this is with just me."

“…So you only chose her for the sake of your ‘mission,’ huh? And if we accompany you, we’ll only cause trouble, you say?” Lucelle looked at her suspiciously. “That’s very convincing, my dear ex-sister-in-law, very believable.”

He emphasized 'ex-sister-in-law' in a cold tone, as if reminding her of her suspicions about why she separated from her older brother.

“My lady… that can’t be it…” Amelia looked at her with a look of surprise on her normally expressionless face, and for some reason, a strange smile appeared on her face as she began to mutter something excitedly “I see… how ambitious…”

“Uwaaa!” Alica cried, seemingly distressed. “My Arisella is a green tea dog! Selena... What did we do wrong?! She’ll steal someone else’s future husband!”

"Wait just a second! What kind of misunderstanding are you all having!?"

Arisella's indignant cry echoed throughout the Bluen mansion, catching the attention of Amelia's sisters, and they looked in her direction with curiosity.

As she ultimately remained unwilling to reveal the Duke's important secret, Lucelle and Alica were expelled after continuing to express doubts about the purity of his intentions with Astrian, with Lucelle telling her to contact the aforementioned "Iron Fist" upon learning that she could not prevent him from leaving.

As for Amelia, the Handmaiden only smiled meaningfully at her mistress as she politely guided the two out of the mansion before deciding to take her sisters back to her Farm herself. During the cute, yet somewhat sad, farewell between Natha and Arisella, Amelia had that uneasy smile on her face the entire time.

It was pretty obvious that he believed Arisella dreamed big and supported her wholeheartedly, something she didn't want at all.

What nonsense, now they see me as a green tea bitch...

She couldn't help but regret having been so honest with her maid and the others.

♦♦♦♦

Bluen's Mansion, in the middle of the night.

Within Arisella's personal jewelry room in the mansion, the Prophetess sat in a lotus-like position while holding a relatively bright crystal with red light in her hands; she was surrounded by a bunch of similar crystalline orbs, while the air around her seemed slightly distorted.

Her breathing was slow and rhythmic, and a faint light fluctuated near her from the crystal orb. If a mage or someone with magical senses were present, they would be able to vaguely sense Arisella's mana flowing from her body into the orb and then being reabsorbed after going through a cycle.

Each time he did this, the orb in his hands grew smaller and smaller, and its red glow diminished to be replaced by a faint white glow.

I've already erased the power of 'Fire' within you. Arisella smiled, looking at the glowing orb.

What Arisella was doing was a technique to purify a magical beast's spiritual cores of their "internal impurities." It involved absorbing them into herself and letting her soul eliminate them for her.

These 'impurities' were the [Element] that magical beasts naturally engrave within their Spiritual Cores when they were born, unlike Magi who engrave more artificial ideas compared to their own.

One element here is itself the imprint of an aspect of reality engraved into the very essence of a nature spirit, acting as a kind of "software" with which these beings were able to cause great force but, at the same time, making it impossible to use other forms of spiritual abilities related to any other element.

As for magical beasts, similar to incorporeal nature spirits, they have the [Element] that best suits their biology, usually elements such as Fire, Water, Earth, or Wind; although there are also things like Tetran Spider's 'Venom' and Trolls' 'Toughness'.

And unlike spirits, magical beasts didn't need humans to continuously cast magic, making them more dangerous in combat.

Anyway, the reason Arisella was doing this is to create batteries that could power many of the magic accessories she made without needing to use a spirit core with a specific [Element] inside, as otherwise the enchantments would start to fail if a mage with a contract with a spirit of a different element uses it.

A special bracelet Arisella had made for her housekeeper, Leonora, wouldn't cause any problems in use since she didn't have a contract with a spirit, but for others like Lucelle it was necessary for their accessories to not have those limitations so that they could put a new 'battery' in it each time. that will drain it.

The size was not a problem since I could compress it with Magic.

By the way, this technique shouldn't currently exist, as it was accidentally discovered by the protagonist Jayden, who wanted to use the mana within the orbs as a way to strengthen his internal magical energy to cheat; only to discover that this only served to destroy the [item] within an orb.

Arisella felt no shame in using her technique since she, as the author, shaped everything in this world and, by extension, any theory or skill that doesn't currently exist can be claimed as her own.

It's for the sake of the future anyway, Leonardo, so forgive me.

After apologizing perfunctorily to the boy she had yet to meet, Arisella continued to "purify" more and more spirit cores until she was satisfied. Then, she went to her trunk and began placing them in accessories whose enchantments could be damaged if someone with an incompatible spirit used them.

She planned to use those cores to make various accessories for her beloved friends. She especially planned to make a beautiful necklace for Natha, that sweet little girl, with an enchantment that would protect her from any danger. Not just because she was the hero, but because she genuinely liked the girl.

He had developed a certain fondness for her, which is why he had given her one of his plush toys.

Finally finishing her work, Arisella put everything back inside the Chest and left the room, heading to her own bedroom with the goal of using her prophetic abilities once and for all.

I could no longer avoid the desire to look to the future.

When Arisella entered her room, she immediately went to her bed and sat in the center of it, then closed her eyes to concentrate and spread her magical power in her surroundings to try to feel the flow of destiny and make her spirit travel through it.

An inexplicable feeling spread throughout her body, as if her spirit were escaping from her and being slowly dragged along by an endless current. Already familiar with this, Arisella used her magical power to fully enter the stream of time.

Let's see what will happen to the town a year from now at the Harvest Festival...

There he stood firm against the flow using the energy of his soul, removing any unease and establishing with his will what he had to see, causing the flow to show him fragments of the most probable future.

Prophecies, as they were called, are actually limited interpretations of multiple possible futures. Magical power really only determines how long you can remain within the flow to be able to see and interpret them according to your experience, before their exhaustion begins to affect the stability of your soul.

For example, let's say you want to predict the location of a specific monkey deep in an uncharted forest ten minutes from now. A prophetess might give you a rough estimate of where it will be, but not the exact coordinates.

Depending on your mental strength and understanding, landmarks will be conveyed to you, vague paths the animal might take through the trees, and this will automatically translate into the prophetic vision you perceive.

—Similar to what was happening before Arisella's eyes, only on the scale of an entire town.

In her vision, Arisella saw how the village of Taylan seemed to be in perfect condition. The children looked happy and healthy, having fun during the festival while the adults watched over them. The large statue of the Doran Chicken in the center of the village shone with the color of gold, displaying its grandeur, and everyone proudly displayed their best harvest.

Everything looked very good. Arisella was relieved to see that the village wasn't a pile of ruins, which suggested their chances of success were quite high, though she knew that was only the most likely outcome.

She even saw, to her surprise, how pregnant Lucelle was; her belly was quite plump as Merion, the librarian, happily hugged her behind her. She hadn't expected it to be so likely that her best friend would become a mother, something that made her strangely jealous when she saw how happy she was.

As for Alica, she was enjoying some snacks in a tent made by several children from the orphanage with a Nox girl, obviously the girl they saved today. Her purple hair was very pretty and her face was charming, and Arisella was genuinely surprised that the girl had remained in the village for so long.

As for his other aunt, Selena… was she dating Loyn, one of John's friends?

That left her completely speechless at seeing something so ridiculous, but she decided to put it aside while she continued looking at everything she could.

Klaus and John were drinking nonstop at a bar, seeming to drown their sorrows together like brothers who shared the same pain. I couldn't see why, but strangely, John seemed as if he had lost hope for the future.

Don't tell me breaking up with him really made him feel that bad?

Arisella felt a little anxious at the thought, but decided to think positively. She didn't plan on letting the ego of her old world affect her relationships forever. Especially seeing John so depressed made her heart ache a little, and her guilt grew, wanting to fix everything later.

Anyway, it was just one of many possible futures. So-called 'Destiny' wasn't written in stone in this world…

While thinking this, Arisella suddenly saw the sight of two dazzling five-year-old children on the streets of the village. One was a girl with long, glossy black hair, smiling happily as she ran, and the other was a boy with short, silver hair, chasing after her with a worried expression, though Arisella couldn't see their faces clearly.

Somehow, Arisella couldn't take her eyes off those two little children for some inexplicable reason, and then she saw that, surprisingly, they were being eagerly followed by Amelia, the maid who was supposed to accompany her to the capital of the Duchy of One Word.

Just as she was confused as to why she was babysitting those two children instead of enjoying the festival, the black-haired girl seemed to see something in the distance and shouted happily. Until now, Arisella couldn't hear anything in these visions, but nevertheless, the girl's charming little voice rang loud and clear in her head:

"¡Mommy!"

And after that, Arisella was forcibly expelled from the flow of fate unceremoniously.

"Huh?" She opened her eyes and blinked, completely confused.

What just happened? Don't I have enough spiritual power yet?

Arisella felt she still had enough strength to stay in the river longer, but for some inexplicable reason, she was thrown out of there as if she were about to look at something she had no business looking at.

What was it? Did it have to do with me?

That is the only thing that could explain it, since prophetesses could not have visions of themselves.

Was he with those children's mother? She wondered, but a deep drowsiness overcame her, and she felt her body was very tired. Compared to those times when she spent so much magical power crafting magical accessories, the feeling after seeing the future with her power is significantly more daunting.

It didn't help that her contracted spirit had used a lot of its power to save her earlier today. As a result, her own mana had yet to recover, as Airean continued to eat away at her energy like a starved baby.

What baby!?

Arisella just laughed at that answer.

She quickly put those thoughts aside for the moment, focusing on the reassuring fact that she was very likely to succeed in her mission and be able to return home safely.

That made her feel more secure. Arisella quickly put on her pajamas and went to sleep with a peaceful expression.

She had a peaceful dream with fairies and unicorns while a grumpy cloud watched her like a stalker in the shadows….