Chapter 238: Chapter 238: Empowerment
"Yona!"
Aria took out her dagger and glared at Yona like a fierce lioness.
"Ahem!"
Aengus cleared his throat, reminding Aria to avoid any strenuous movements.
He felt a little guilty for being so rough in excitement.
He could heal her using light element but she had refused his offer, insisting on leaving it as it was, which surprised him.
He understood her reasoning, which only made his affection for her grow more.
Aria touched belly time to time, but her movements only caught by Aengus.
Yona, startled by Aengus's voice, quickly straightened up.
"Oh, sorry! I forgot our Emperor is present here," she said in a teasing tone, though the respect and hint of distance in her eyes were clear.
Aengus wasn't just a friend now; he was an Emperor with an ambition to liberate the world from the oppressors.
Aengus ignored Yona's teasing and continued,
"Yona, Drake, and you as well, Princess Delilah. I have a gift for each of you, though you haven't given me one yet."
Yona and Drake looked intrigued.
"Hey, we are planning something for you.." Yona retorted.
"Forget about her, Brother-in-law...What is the gift?" Drake asked excitedly, finally acknowledging Aengus as his brother-in-law.
Aengus found it a little awkward, but his face remained casual.
Aria smiled at the term of address, pleased with Drake's thoughtfulness.
Delilah's expression faltered suddenly.
"Etha—no, Your Imperial Highness, please just call me by my name. Don't call me a princess. Aren't we friends?" she asked, her face falling slightly as a pang of hurt surfaced.
"Of course, you're not… We barely know each other
," Aengus nearly replied, but catching sight of her expression—and Aria's—he changed his words.
"Of course, a friend of Aria is my friend too. We're grateful you cared for Aria when she needed it. It just feels a bit improper to address a royal maiden by her name so casually."
He genuinely meant the last part, though most of the credit went to General Leon. It didn't hurt to offer courtesy.
"Great… I don't mind," Delilah answered, her expression brightening as a soft happiness surfaced in her eyes.
Aengus could sense what might be on the princess's mind, but he had no intention of engaging with another woman right now.
It would only create tension in his healthy relationship with Aria. It was already a generous gesture on her part to accept Bella's relationship with him.
Aengus created a small, square-shaped room with Chaos Energy with just a single stomp, casting an isolation barrier around them.
While they were still startled, Aengus swiftly took out the remaining three SS-Rank corpses from his pocket space.
The corpses looked fresh, and the trio watched with apprehension, wondering what he was going to do with them.
Aria, however, knew and so she smiled. She herself had been synthesized with two SS-Rank corpses before they were intimately engaged. She was now an S+ Rank powerhouse with SS-Rank skills, and her control over nature's power had also increased significantly.
"What are you going to do with them, Ethan?" Yona asked, looking confused.
Drake and Delilah also wore expressions of curiosity.
Aengus answered calmly,
"I'm going to make you three S-Rank powerhouses, but you'll need to endure pain a bit."
The trio looked stunned.
"Is that even possible? Wouldn't that shatter the common understanding of the world?"
"Yes, it's possible—but only through me. And I trust that you won't share this information with anyone without my permission. Remember, no secret can remain hidden from us. Be mindful of that," he said seriously, making the consequences of betrayal clear.
They nodded mechanically, feeling a twinge of fear as they looked into Aengus's calm yet dangerous dark eyes.
"Excellent. Let's start with you, Drake."
Aengus gestured for Drake to lie down beside a corpse with skills suited for him.
Drake excitedly followed his instructions and lay beside the corpse bravely, though the faint scent of decay drifted into his nostrils.
"Argh!"
Yona and Delilah's faces turned pale as they witnessed Drake's painful reaction, screaming as the otherworldly process began under Aengus's command.
Aria stood beside Aengus, watching with slight worry as the reflection of a sky-blue light shone in her eyes. But she had confidence in Aengus and trusted he wouldn't let any harm come to Drake.
When the process was over, she sighed in relief.
Drake was unharmed and far more powerful than before. He took a single step forward, and the grassy ground sank under his sheer strength.
"Uh... sorry."
Embarrassed, Drake quickly controlled his strength and approached them cautiously.
"Now, you two," Aengus said to the ladies after confirming everything was fine with Drake.
As Drake shared the details of his new S-ranked skills with Aria, Aengus began the process with the two ladies.
As for why Drake gained S-Rank skills but not SS-Rank ones, it was because his soul was significantly weaker than Aria's.
The other two ladies also quickly became S-Rank powerhouses and thanked Aengus from the bottom of their hearts.
With that done, Aengus removed the barrier and walls.
"Aria, come with me. We need to set the ancient Dwarves free to join our Empire."
Aria gave a small nod.
"Alright. Drake, Yona, Delilah, you should manage the soldiers with the generals. We'll be back soon."
They agreed without any fuss, though they were curious about meeting the ancient Dwarves.
Aengus held Aria's hand, and with a whoosh, he flapped his wings with incredible speed, holding Aria gently in his arms, princess-style.
Flying under the bright red sun, they found themselves in their own little world.
"Are you still feeling pain there, Aria? I told you to let me heal you so this wouldn't have happened," Aengus said with a frown as he noticed her pained expression.
"Tsk, you don't have to. I wanted it this way. Besides,The pain has already lessened a lot… But someone was too excited," Aria replied, glaring at him, huffing angrily.
Aengus felt guilty and looked away, avoiding her piercing gaze.
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