Vol 3. Chapter 52: Shocking News
On a rather secluded commercial street in the eastern district of Skyvault,
there stood an extremely inconspicuous magic bookstore.
Today,
it welcomed its very first customer.
As the bell above the door rang,
a man dressed in a black robe, his face completely concealed beneath a hood, slowly pushed open the bookstore's door and stepped inside.
The next moment,
an enormous interior space unfolded before him.
Ancient yet mysterious decor.
Countless books lining every wall.
An endless assortment of magical artifacts and alchemical ingredients.
Judging solely from the bookstore's modest exterior, no one could ever have imagined that such a "small shop" concealed such a magnificent interior.
Even though this wasn't the man's first visit, a trace of astonishment still appeared on his face.
The vast independent space.
The towering spiral bookshelves.
The countless grimoires, many containing long-lost spells...
This place was practically a gigantic treasure vault.
Every visit left the man filled with admiration.
It also made his desire to recruit the shop's owner grow even stronger.
A faint smile appeared beneath his hood.
Ahead of him,
a little girl with water-blue twin tails tied by an enormous blue ribbon was quietly organizing the account books.
She paid absolutely no attention to his arrival.
However, being completely ignored didn't bother him in the slightest.
After all,
he was already used to it.
Besides,
he hadn't come here to see the little girl in the first place...
Although she ignored him, the mysterious man still politely nodded toward her in greeting.
Afterward,
he slowly raised his head,
looking upward toward the person he had specifically come here to meet.
At that moment,
an elegant woman surrounded by five or six floating grimoires sat upon a flying carpet beside one of the towering bookshelves, carefully organizing the collection.
Although she appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen years old,
her figure was graceful and mature.
Every smile and gesture radiated dignity and elegance.
Her platinum-blonde hair was silky and beautiful.
Her jade-like skin was flawless.
Her lovely eyes shimmered with charm.
Every movement carried an indescribable grace, maturity...
and an almost imperceptible aura of danger.
This woman,
dressed in a simple brown checkered dress with two fluffy fox ears atop her head,
was precisely the person the mysterious man had come to find.
After offering her a courteous bow,
he politely greeted her.
"It's been a long time, Miss Noya."
Hearing his voice,
the woman called Noya slowly closed the grimoire in her hands before turning her head with a teasing smile.
Using her seductive eyes, she looked toward the cloaked man in exaggerated surprise.
"Oh? Isn't this His Majesty Xue Tianao? Shouldn't someone as important as you be entertaining distinguished guests from various nations inside the palace? Or preparing for your coronation ceremony? What brings you to my humble little shop all of a sudden?"
"..."
Seeing his disguise and altered voice exposed so effortlessly,
the man smiled helplessly.
He removed the hood concealing his identity, revealing brilliant golden hair, sharply handsome features, and a pair of confident sapphire-blue eyes.
"A little shop? Calling a place this size a little shop doesn't seem very appropriate."
Looking around at the endless collection of magical books, Xue Tianao smiled knowingly.
"A deserted shop that nobody visits is still a little shop."
"Isn't that only because you don't want anyone else finding this place, Miss Noya?"
Xue Tianao replied with a smile.
Finding this magic bookstore required considerable strength.
Without it,
breaking through the illusion surrounding the area was impossible.
As he observed the fox-eared woman,
a trace of greed quietly surfaced within his eyes.
According to the System's evaluation,
she possessed an "S+" value.
Naturally,
she was someone Xue Tianao desperately wanted to recruit.
Unfortunately,
that process had not gone very smoothly.
However,
for now,
Xue Tianao wasn't particularly interested in pursuing this already married lady.
At present,
there were two targets within Skyvault whose priority was even higher.
In any case,
the shop owner always remained in Skyvault.
Finding her later wouldn't be difficult.
There was no need to rush.
After hearing his words,
Noya merely smiled elegantly.
"True enough. But then... what brings Your Majesty to my shop today? Is there something you'd like to purchase again?"
As she spoke,
Noya's eyes sparkled with the unmistakable look of a money lover as she carefully examined Xue Tianao.
"Just tell me. No need to keep exchanging pleasantries."
Xue Tianao nodded.
"There is indeed something I'd like to buy. Since Miss Noya insists, I'll get straight to the point. I need a Frost Dragon Horn, Tear of Nature, Black Coral Root, buds of the Bewildering Flower, leaves of the Heartbreak Ghost Flower, Summer..."
...
Listening as Xue Tianao listed one rare material after another,
the amusement in Noya's eyes only deepened.
"My~ Looks like Your Majesty is planning quite the shopping spree."
"Heh, that's right. So, do you have these materials, Miss Noya?"
"Of course I do~ But they're all rare materials~ They're very expensive~"
"No need to worry about that. I'm the ruler of a nation now. Buying these items won't be a problem."
As he spoke,
Xue Tianao casually waved his hand.
A pale golden light flashed.
The spatial ring upon his finger released a powerful surge of spatial energy,
and countless Origin Stone Coins poured out,
forming small mountains before Noya.
"Will this be enough, Shopkeeper?"
Seeing the countless shimmering purple Origin Stone Coins,
Noya's fox ears immediately stood upright.
Even the fluffy tail behind her began wagging excitedly.
"More than enough! In that case, I'll go prepare everything for you."
With that,
she guided her flying carpet toward the storeroom.
Halfway there,
however,
a curious expression appeared on her face.
She glanced toward Xue Tianao.
"By the way, Your Majesty... buying so many precious ingredients all at once... whatever you're planning to make must be something incredible, right? Another new weapon?"
"No. Not a weapon."
"Hm? Oh~ You're right. Those ingredients don't look like they're meant for forging weapons. They should be for making medicine, shouldn't they?"
"Heh... Miss Noya really is clever."
Xue Tianao chuckled.
Within his sapphire-blue eyes,
intense ambition and greed gradually surfaced.
Indeed.
The materials he intended to purchase were for making medicine.
Not ordinary medicine,
but an unparalleled miraculous drug
that would help him conquer that black-haired girl.
—
The previous night,
after the banquet had ended,
Xue Tianao returned to his residence within the Imperial Palace,
where he met an important individual whose value had been evaluated as "A."
He was an utterly ordinary-looking black-haired man.
So ordinary that if he stood within a crowd,
no one would ever notice him.
Yet,
the moment Xue Tianao saw him inside his office,
his eyes immediately lit up.
He enthusiastically stepped forward,
personally helping the black-haired man to his feet before he could finish kneeling in salute.
"It's been a long time, Moxiao."
Ever since the banquet,
Xue Tianao's mind had been filled with nothing but the image of that black-haired beauty.
Everything he thought about revolved around how to conquer that girl whose value had exceeded all limits.
To conquer her,
he first had to understand her.
That was why seeing the black-haired man made him so excited.
After all,
this was the greatest information broker he had ever encountered.
Previously,
he had already entrusted him with investigating the young lady of the Black Rose Family.
Now that Moxiao had appeared inside the palace,
he must have obtained the results.
"So? Moxiao, how have you been?"
"Y-Yes... Your Majesty..."
The man named Moxiao spoke in his usual timid voice.
Immediately afterward,
a look of overwhelming fear spread across his face.
It was as though he had recalled something unimaginably horrifying.
His entire body began trembling violently.
The sight made Xue Tianao frown.
"Moxiao, what's wrong?"
As he asked,
waves of pale golden light flowed from Xue Tianao's palm,
gradually enveloping the black-haired man.
Bathed in that power,
Moxiao's expression slowly stabilized.
The terror within his heart seemed to be temporarily suppressed.
After catching his breath,
Moxiao suddenly grabbed Xue Tianao's hand with trembling fingers.
His face filled with panic as he urgently spoke.
"Your Majesty! Y-You must be careful! The young lady of the Black Rose Family... Miss Yumo... she's the newly born Demon King-class Abyss Demon! She's the Blood Butterfly! She absolutely cannot be allowed to remain in the Imperial Capital! She... she's extremely dangerous! All of Skyvault... the entire city is in danger now! You have to..."
"Wait! Calm down!"
Faced with Moxiao's shocking words,
Xue Tianao couldn't hide his astonishment.
He had indeed suspected before that Miss Yumo and the Blood Butterfly might be the same person.
However,
after sensing her aura during the banquet,
he had dismissed that possibility.
But now...
"Moxiao, are you certain? Her aura was clearly that of a human."
"No! Your Majesty, don't be deceived!"
Moxiao suddenly cried out with great agitation.
"She is an Abyss Demon! The young lady of the Black Rose Family was infected by the Power of Shadow of Silence back when she explored the Northern Frontier! The reason her aura appears completely human now is because she's using a divine artifact called the Veil of Deception to conceal her true presence! The reason the Blood Butterfly came to Skyvault is to use her Demon King-class status to seize control of Flame Prison and claim its power for herself! Your Majesty, you must... you must gather your forces immediately and strike against the Blood Butterfly! Otherwise... the consequences will be unimaginable!"
Xue Tianao: ?!
Upon hearing Moxiao's report,
Xue Tianao froze completely.
One hand slowly rose to his chin
as he sank into deep thought...