Chapter 536 – Yet, You Remain Silent?

“No… it’s not possible.”

The face of the sage contorted.

“Why?”

“Please, do not lend any aid to that child.”

I reiterated.

“Why?”

“Well…”

“So, why?”

Sephirot had once enticed me to abandon Alba and come to her, promising to care for my lovers—an offer nearly impossible to refuse. Accepting it would have simply solved my quandaries. I would have been able to reunite with Se-Young and Dal-rae, whom I hadn’t seen in three years.

But now to discard that opportunity?

“That’s…”

Alba started to explain, her face a mixture of hesitation and resolve.

“Sephirot commits to any object of her interest without a second thought, regardless of any agreement. I’m not sure what she enticed you with, but—”

“She promised to save everyone dear to me.”

“—then all the more reason not to accept. Sephirot is intensely curious about you. It might seem fine at first… but later—”

The implication was clear: Sephirot might be demanding me. Considering her previous desire for the King of Trees’ body, it was possible that my body could be offered to Sephirot as well.

“You… could get hurt.”

“I don’t think that’s something you should say, considering you broke your promise and allowed the King of Stars and King of Trees to fight.”

“That… that was—”

“Can’t you just accept what you’ve done?”

I extended my hand and cast a spell to block out the surrounding noise. A thin, curtain-like barrier formed, creating an isolated space where the sage and I stood, separated from Wiki and my teacher.

Alba had been waiting, her face audacious, for the room to take on this form.

“You sure know how to talk. I guess there’s no issue in speaking out.”

Brushing off Alba’s hand that had clung to my elbow, I mocked her with all the force I could muster. Alba kept her mouth tightly shut, her face gloomy.

“Sister.”

“…”

“Did I really come here not knowing the depths of his duplicity? I want to trust you, so why won’t you talk? Shouldn’t I know the reasons?”

I quietly voiced the words I had been suppressing. Each statement transformed into a dagger, stabbing into Alba’s heart.

A stricken Alba stepped closer. I retreated a step, maintaining the distance between us. Sadness was visible in Alba’s eyes.

“Exactly what are you assuming?”

“I… I can save everyone. Please believe me.”

The Star had nearly died—is this really the time for such utterances? Was it not included in my calculations when I overheard information from Melia, the Queen of ATU, and set out to save the Star? Of course, it was. The pact with Melia was carried out in a dimensional gap unseen by anyone else. Had I received the information even a fraction later, the Star would have met its end.

“And how am I supposed to believe that?”

“Many things twist and turn the moment you become aware. It’s something you wouldn’t allow.”

“I know that better than anyone else. I’ve been through it once before.”

An unfathomable circumstance. A predicament where my plans would crumble should my lover learn of them.

Had Azalea or Lee Se-Young known about the scheme I crafted three years ago, what would the present look like? Certainly, they would have been on the verge of collapse in their attempts to aid me.

“Nevertheless…”
“…At the very least, I did not wager anyone’s life.”

Alba would likely have a lot to say about this point. After all, when viewed solely by the outcome, the star didn’t perish. She survived, albeit by a thread – a tightrope walk of the thinnest kind.

“What I fail to comprehend is, in your plans…are you implying they might suffer harm?”

“The people” here refers to everyone who was once my lover, my daughter Shiba included.

The sage maintained a stoic facade. Whether that was to conceal the truth or a calculated move to withhold any information, I could not discern.

The only thing I know about Alba is that this wise fool harbors a profound attachment to our family, and she intends to use her daughter, Wiki, to cause some significant upheaval.

“I can’t make sense of your scheme. What are you planning to do if even the slightest thing goes awry?”
“…I will assume responsibility.”
“What kind of responsibility? How? What if someone dies?”

Alba undeniably perceives a world far vaster than mine. Even though I’m insightful about the ebb and flow of power and economics, my vision is undoubtedly myopic compared to the sage’s.

Yet, no one in this world is perfect. I am not so foolish as to entrust my fate entirely to another.

“Can’t you disclose it to me?”

A nod.

Alba, nodding with apparent difficulty. Her beautiful white hair, clear skin, and large eyes are enchanting just by looking at them, but it would be unwise to overlook this situation, bewitched by her appearance.

Am I not trustworthy? As much as I try to identify the issue with me, it eludes my grasp.

“I understand you might find it hard to believe, but I am always… working in your interests.”

The relationship that until recently had been filled with bickering and shared passion.

“I am aware.”

I have not forgotten the many things Alba has done for me. The memories locked within my mind are still clamoring for me to lean on Alba. There are many recollections to sort through: memories in bed, embracing the sage, the first time I encountered Wiki and questioned what this was all about.

I’ve always thought of the sage as a rational entity, devoid of emotion. Yet, this person who once held me so close overflowed with love.

“Everything will be alright. So, you mustn’t fall apart.”

The feelings Alba has for me are extraordinary. But they are exclusively directed towards me.

“For others, I don’t harbor any particular emotions.”

Whether it’s Shiba or anyone else, they don’t matter. This woman is prepared to forsake anything to save Wiki and me.

“…That’s why it’s terrifying.”

I stated, in all sincerity.

From Alba’s actions, I could discern what instilled fear in me, what caused me heartache.

“Right now, I can say that. I can save everyone I hold dear.”
“…”
“But what if things go awry? Are you sure you can save everyone then?”

Confident.

Alba could not bring herself to utter those words.

The adversaries are by no means easy. Even with just the time she’s been alive and the knowledge she’s accumulated, The World Tree of Knowledge far surpasses Alba. And the World Tree’s King, needless to say. The Flower? It may seem harmless now, but its potential is enough to pose a threat to the World Tree. Can Alba truly control all these possible outcomes?

“…”

I paused. Time stretched out before us. The edge of the curtain fluttered. The warm air within the room turned ice cold.

In the end, Alba did not reveal the truth.

“Do you know what this is?”

I retrieved something hidden in my pocket and extended it towards her.

“A fragment of the crown…?”
“Correct.”

The crimson object in my hand hummed in response to my magic. A crown is still a crown, there was no reason I couldn’t wield its power.

“I can tap into some of the power that the challenger wielded. Including the ‘Subjugation’ ability—King Mokryeong’s power.”
“Surely not…”
“It’s the most guaranteed method.”

-Snap!

I pulled Alba towards me and pushed her onto the bed.

“You… Ah!”

As I gently lowered her disheveled clothes, her undergarments came into view.

Blackmail.

There were so many people I had to protect, no matter the means.

Holding Alba’s slackened jaw, I plunged into a deep, merciless kiss.

“Please, you…! Stop… Hng-“

I parted her lips and slipped my tongue inside. She resisted, but her physical strength was far from formidable.

My hand reached out and fondled her exposed breasts. Her breath came out in sporadic gasps, and I exploited her arousal to the maximum. I knew her sensitive points well.

After all, I had been with her countless times.

“Sister.”
“Hng… Uh, ah… Ahhh…!”

I nipped at her neck and squeezed her breasts. Her chest, unencumbered by a bra, jiggled. She always enjoyed when I massaged her breasts over her clothes. The strain in her body escalated swiftly. The heat filling her lower abdomen produced arousal, and her underwear began to moisten.

“You… Hng-“
“There’s no turning back.”

Alba could not resist me. In a battle, maybe, but overwhelmed like this, she was powerless.

Worry flickered in Alba’s troubled eyes.

“Still not talking?”
“…Haa, huff.”

Having paused my caresses, I licked Alba’s collarbone and inquired again. Alba said nothing, and I stole another kiss.

-Hng.

She tried to push me away, but soon she would be conquered by pleasure. Her body’s complete surrender appeared painfully evident to me.

Clutching at the bedsheet, I strain to prevent my body from reaching out to her.

– Thud.

However, in the end, my hands find their way around her, a sage. I have yet to employ my power of subjugation, but I am certain that she will soon capitulate. I understand the depth of Alba’s affection towards me, even though I am an outsider to her emotions.

I lightly trace her moistened womanhood before speaking.

“I am going to enter you.”

“No. Please, no. Reconsider this, I beg of you. Everything you’ve worked for will crumble.”

“I need to know your thoughts, my dear.”

Alba resists, swaying her hips from side to side in an attempt to keep my manhood at bay. She clings to me with a surprising strength, a testament to her body’s loss of control due to overwhelming pleasure.

“Ah… Ah!”

Her excited breaths draw me in. The sweet melody of her moans would usually be a source of pleasure, but it is not the reason I am moving to claim her.

– Snap.

Finally, I find her entrance. I gently press the tip of my manhood against it and slowly push in. Alba is breathless at the sensation of being filled.

‘If it comes to subjugation…’

Her love for me will turn into a falsehood in a trice. It will not be the pure affection we’ve shared so far, but a love marred by my dominance.

Neither of us wishes for this.

Her eyes, bereft of hope’s light, darken. We are on the brink of the subjugation, and Alba’s last resort is glowing ominously behind me.

– Hum!

A surge of magical energy vibrates from the rear.

“Please.”

Her magic, a destructive force capable of tearing me asunder, even with my advanced physical prowess.

“…I don’t want this.”

A fitting response, considering the gravity of my actions. The power of King Mokryeong is akin to losing one’s self, the ‘Subjugation’. Once caught, Alba will be bound to obey my every command.

Perhaps… she will cast her spell at me… I refrain from using my strength until the very last moment. Prepared for the worst, I draw Alba into a tight embrace.

“I’m sorry, my dear.”

“…!”

At my words, Alba’s pupils oscillate wildly. Her eyes are filled with a void of despair. I embrace her lifeless body, her lips absent of their usual warmth, and tenderly press my lips to hers.

…At that moment.

Her magic, which was on the verge of being cast, halts.

She doesn’t cast her spell. Whatever her thoughts, Alba has withdrawn her magic from me.

“……”

Alba, silent and unresponsive, merely holds me closer.

“I’m sorry.”

I apologize, and she accepts. Alba responds with an awkward smile, stating that she respects my decision. A single tear traces its path from the eyes of the sage, who has nestled her face into my chest.

A tear, the first from this rational woman.

“I hope you only make good choices… I love you.”

Just before embarking on our masquerade of love, the affection Alba displayed, which she herself had unveiled for me, was incredibly intense and passionate.

Was she intending to convey her genuineness before becoming enslaved to the illusion of love? I halted, delaying my actions, and waited a long while for Alba’s confession.

“Uhmm.”

Her eyes tightly closed, Alba waited to become ensnared in the love deception.

Could this possibly be the image of the most enlightened sage? Bothered by the discomfort swirling in my mouth, I pondered for a considerable amount of time before I finally thrust my hips.

“Uh… Ahh…!”

The dam broke and Alba’s legs coiled around my waist. Despite the continuing connection, despite my lower body swelling stiffly and releasing my seed.

In the end, I couldn’t make her submit to me.