Aile’s Pursuit and the Genesis of a Plan

This is the first time that Aile goes out alone.

The bustling crowd and the gazes fixed on her made her a little panicked.

She was still clad in her maid outfit, but now, a beautiful black gem adorned her chest.

While she knew her appearance was pleasing, she had never imagined herself to be quite so striking.

Previously, she had always preferred to remain unseen, whether hidden behind her teacher or the Duke.

“What an adorable child…”

“A maid? Whose is she?”

Her keen hearing allowed the murmurs of the crowd to instantly envelop her.

Every voice was filled with praise: “So beautiful,” “So cute,” “I wish I could take her home.”

Yet, at this moment, she had no mind for such things.

Aile’s current panic far outweighed any shyness she might feel from being stared at.

‘I must find him as quickly as possible…’

However, the Duke had explicitly forbidden her from using magic outside the estate.

She was acutely aware that women who wielded magic were viewed with deep apprehension throughout the Empire.

She also knew that once discovered, their fates were invariably tragic.

After all, she was one such person.

Even those who now praised her would turn against her in an instant.

Still, there was no time to dwell on such concerns.

‘I cannot hesitate any longer.’

‘I must find him quickly.’

She closed her eyes, feeling the wind gently caress her cheek.

Within wind magic existed a third-tier spell known as ‘Tracking.’

By now, she could master most elemental spells below the fifth tier.

Only with dark elements could she even cast seventh-tier magic.

Spells of the eighth tier and above, however, were only accessible after reaching level 90.

This particular spell was inconspicuous, and its effect would suffice.

The magic activated instantly, and in that very moment, she pinpointed Mingqian’s location.

Aile disregarded the gazes of the crowd, breaking into a light run in the direction of the faint breeze.

She recalled Eliza’s recent anxious expression; Eliza had said:

“He… was taken.”

That frantic look seemed far from a pretense, meaning an enemy was intent on taking his life.

And coincidentally, Chris was currently teaching her, a lesson Aile herself had specifically requested.

Was something else about to be snatched from her?

‘How could you die at someone else’s hands? I won’t allow you to die…’

‘He’s supposed to be my enemy… so why does my chest ache so fiercely?’

She didn’t understand, not in the slightest, yet her light run gradually escalated into a frantic sprint.

‘No… I can’t allow it… Absolutely not!’

Her burgeoning anxiety was steadily crushing her.

[She tracked your aura the entire way.]

[Your aura abruptly ceased within a certain mansion.]

[She was certain you were inside, and as she pondered how to gain entry, the door swung open.]

[A servant then guided her into a room.]

Why was she being led inside? Why had no one questioned her identity? None of these thoughts crossed her mind.

She simply felt Mingqian’s presence just beyond the door.

“Teacher!”

“Don’t die!”

Aile burst through the door, only to freeze in her tracks.

****

Inside the room, a scene of utter disarray greeted her.

Only the tangled bedsheets and the damp stains on the floor bore witness to the fierce struggle that had transpired.

While Mingqian had initially gained the upper hand, bolstered by the effects of the medicine, such enhancements were ultimately external; he gradually succumbed.

The outcome was that he had been thoroughly ‘bullied.’

After the storm had passed, Noyu’s demeanor appeared far more composed.

She had never felt so utterly sated.

Mingqian clutched his lower back, his eyes hollow.

‘Form is emptiness, emptiness is form’… perhaps this was the very circumstance under which sages achieved enlightenment.

Noyu’s voice, tinged with a hint of languor, playfully teased Mingqian’s ear:

“Ah, the little princess has arrived. Can she really not bear to be without you?”

“She has never been apart from me for more than a day until now; today marks the longest.”

Mingqian was somewhat surprised, having assumed Aile wouldn’t come.

Yet she had arrived too late, and if only she had come a little earlier…

“Hmph, such devotion makes me a little envious of her. Not bad, a good daughter indeed. I like her.”

Noticing Mingqian’s astonished expression, Noyu furrowed her brow.

“What kind of face is that? Haven’t I told you? Your daughter is my daughter.”

“Alright, take her home. After all, I’m not some kind of monster.”

She chuckled softly, then poked Mingqian’s back.

‘The one who administered thirty bottles of medicine isn’t a monster, but a succubus, wouldn’t you say?’

Noyu’s cheeks, uncharacteristically, flushed faintly.

“W-what? You didn’t enjoy it at all?”

“Absolutely not!”

Mingqian resolved to remain stubborn, for after all, only two parts of his body were currently ‘hard.’

“Then next time, let’s make it fifty bottles.”

“Princess! I enjoyed it immensely, please forgive me.”

No man could possibly endure such a round.

In his original world, Mingqian had read many novels.

Some protagonists in those stories were like stallions… truly formidable.

Some things only become clear after experiencing them; as a man, the feeling of not being in control was truly agonizing.

Noyu glanced at Aile, who remained utterly frozen, then leaned in close to Mingqian’s ear:

“Let me have a hand in that plan as well.”

[The Aile Nurturing Project]

It seemed Chris had already divulged everything to her.

“Alright, but you absolutely cannot lay a hand on your own daughter, understood? Otherwise, I’ll be truly furious.”

“And perhaps then, I won’t be able to resist truly devouring you, hm?”

Mingqian shivered.

He rose from the bed, his clothes already perfectly neat.

Aile’s arrival was too perfectly timed; it was as if she had seen something, yet simultaneously seen nothing at all.

Noyu wrapped herself snugly in the blanket, the bell on her neck chiming softly at just the right moment as she let out a peal of laughter.

“My body is still a bit sore; you should take her back now.”

Aile’s gaze, utterly bewildered, was fixed upon Mingqian.

What was the meaning of this profound sense of disillusionment?

She didn’t know what it was, nor did she wish to.

She merely felt her concern had been utterly wasted.

She had believed this man to be kidnapped, only to find him here, playing house.

‘What a scoundrel.’

A flicker of anger ignited within her, perhaps for the very first time… it had been so long since she had felt an emotion other than ‘hatred.’

Under Mingqian’s astonished gaze, the young girl spoke to him directly for the first time.

“Are you hurt?”

Her voice was a mere whisper, as if it might vanish with the slightest breeze.

Her eyes, beautiful and sharp, locked onto his form, scrutinizing Mingqian as if searching for any injury.

Mingqian shook his head.

Aile seemed utterly unversed in such matters, completely oblivious to what had just transpired in the room.

“Teacher, there’s a lot of water. Be careful, it’s slippery.”

The person beneath the blankets seemed to stir abruptly.

Mingqian offered an awkward smile:

“Let’s go, Aile, home.”

“Mm.”

[A year of education had rendered her almost completely obedient to your commands.]

[She understood that resistance would lead to loss, while compliance would bring reward.]

[In that moment, she finally reclaimed her sense of being human, and concurrently, a perfect plan began to form in her mind.]

[If she truly sought vengeance, she would need to draw even closer to the Duke.]

[To care for you, to treat you as her true teacher, and to earn your trust.]

[Ultimately, to sever your throat the instant you lowered your guard.]

[The nascent form of Aile’s plan had emerged.]

[Over the following year, Aile’s power steadily advanced.]

[She not only absorbed Chris’s knowledge but also received Noyu’s guidance.]

[Under the influence of multiple factors, her strength steadily increased to level 90. Beyond this point, no teacher could offer further assistance.]

[The rest would depend solely on her own comprehension.]

[It was also during this year that she shed her silent demeanor, beginning to actively approach you, even to curry favor.]

[Just as the Aile of old once did.]

[Her objective was to make you drop your guard, a fact you, of course, understood.]

[And you, in turn, feigned a lowering of your own defenses towards her.]

[You granted her greater freedom, allowing her to participate in Chris’s work.]

[And any command you issued, she executed with unwavering loyalty, regardless of its moral implications.]

[Gradually, she began to usurp Chris’s authority within the Shadows.]

[Covertly, she hunted those who committed great sins, absorbing their life force and magic, yet you remained willfully oblivious.]

[She slowly transformed the Shadows into her own organization, and you continued to pretend ignorance.]

[Of your three plans, the first was complete, and the second was nearing completion.]

[Your time was running out, necessitating a swift acceleration of your efforts.]

[This year, Aile was on the cusp of turning nineteen, while you had long since ceased to count your own age.]