Asmodeus System: Stealing My Bully's Mother

​The transparent magical ripple sliced through the freezing air, rocketing straight toward the balcony where Ethan Valen was hiding.

​Swallowed by the tower’s shadows, Ethan’s breathing practically ground to a halt.

​If that ripple so much as grazed his Sin Concealment layer, Sage Cornelius would instantly detect the anomaly of his demonic energy. Attempting to deploy a defensive ward or physically dodging it would only confirm the blind old man’s suspicions.

​In the presence of a Sage, the slightest unnatural movement was an admission of guilt.

​Ethan’s brain fired at breakneck speed.

​[Critical Alert! Spatial Tracking Ripple arriving in 1.2 seconds!]

​Shut down Sin Mana. Use my original circuit! Ethan commanded internally.

​He forcibly suppressed the flow of his Rank B Sin Mana, burying it deep into the very core of his being. He locked it tightly beneath the superficial layer of his original, defective mana circuit.

​In a fraction of a second, Ethan called upon his innate magic. Aroma Magic. The trash energy that had branded him an F-Caste failure for over a decade.

​Ethan condensed a completely neutral pheromone—the scent of wild pine and wet fur—and shot it directly at a magical messenger owl that happened to be perched on the balcony’s roof, just a few meters above his head.

​Ping!

​Cornelius’s spatial ripple struck the owl. The air vibrated faintly.

​Hoot! Startled by the sudden disturbance, the owl flapped its wings wildly and flew off into the night.

​Down in the courtyard, Sage Cornelius furrowed his wrinkled brow. The old man in the dull gray robe pulled his oak staff back. His blind left eye remained fixed on the balcony, which now felt completely devoid of human presence.

​"A wild owl?" Cornelius murmured softly, a hint of doubt lacing his voice.

​His god-like senses had picked up an inconsistency. The spatial refraction felt entirely too smooth, too deliberate to be caused by a mere animal. Something, or someone, had just brilliantly deceived his perception.

​"Sage Cornelius?"

​Prince Edward’s arrogant voice shattered the Headmaster’s focus. The blonde prince glared at Cornelius with a demanding stare.

​"Is there a problem? Ugh... this freezing Northern weather makes me sick. I want to get to the banquet hall immediately."

​Cornelius lowered his gaze, seamlessly hiding his suspicion behind a mask of serene indifference.

​"It is nothing, Your Highness," Cornelius replied, his hoarse voice perfectly polite. "Just a small rat scurrying on the tower roof. Please, follow me. The Golden Hall has been prepared to welcome you."

​Up on the balcony, Ethan finally let out a long, heavy exhale.

​Cold sweat dripped from his temples. His heart hammered brutally against his ribs. That was the closest brush with death he had experienced since awakening the Asmodeus System.

​A Sovereign Mage might rely on pure, destructive power. But a Sage... they are truly one with the laws of nature, Ethan thought, wiping his brow.

​A demonic smirk slowly crept back onto his lips. This game was getting infinitely more interesting.

​That night, Zenithar Academy’s Golden Hall shone with blinding brilliance.

​Hundreds of crystal lanterns floated gracefully near the ceiling, illuminating long tables laden with lavish feasts. An orchestral symphony accompanied the chatter of nobles, instructors, and VIP students who had gathered to curry favor with the Heir to the Throne.

​At the table of honor, situated on a slightly elevated dais, Prince Edward sat like a tyrannical king inspecting his conquered territory.

​To his left sat Kaelia von Ashford.

​The Fire Queen looked breathtakingly gorgeous in a maroon evening gown that accentuated her curves. Her back was perfectly straight, a rigid, polite smile plastered flawlessly on her lips.

​In a dimly lit corner of the hall, Duke Alaric von Rosenberg sat alone. He downed a goblet of wine with a furious scowl, utterly disgusted by the Valois and Ashford factions flaunting their power while his son lay comatose in the medical wing.

​Meanwhile, Ethan Valen sat quietly at the furthest VIP table. One hand lazily swirled a glass of wine, while his crimson eyes stared straight through the crowd, locking onto Kaelia.

​"The future union between the Valois and Ashford factions will bring eternal prosperity to the Kingdom," Edward announced loudly, deliberately ensuring his voice reached Duke Alaric’s ears.

​The Prince laughed in immense satisfaction. Then, with a movement dripping in overconfidence, he placed his hand squarely on Kaelia’s gown-covered thigh. "Isn’t that right, my future bride?"

​THUMP!

​Prince Edward’s touch—radiating with a pure Light element affinity and overbearing pride—instantly triggered an extreme, violent rejection from the Sin Mana resting inside Kaelia’s womb.

​The black fire-rose Lust Brand on her lower stomach flared to life.

​An unbelievably dense, scorching heat burned her chakra. The sensation hijacked Kaelia’s nervous system, loudly screaming that the touch of any man other than Ethan was unclean, filthy, and repulsive.

​"Ah... I-I apologize..." Kaelia gasped in sudden shock.

​Her breathing turned ragged. She hurriedly pulled her leg away, distancing herself from Edward’s hand under the guise of adjusting the folds of her gown.

​Beneath the table, Kaelia’s hands wrung together so tightly her knuckles turned bone-white. Cold sweat poured down her back.

​Disgusting... his touch makes me nauseous, Kaelia’s mind shrieked in absolute despair. Her jaw clenched tight to endure the searing flutter in her stomach.

​She discreetly glanced toward the far table. Her eyes instantly collided with Ethan’s crimson gaze.

​Just by looking at Ethan’s face, the agonizing burn in her stomach slowly melted into an intoxicating, overwhelming arousal. Her body reacted purely on instinct, desperately craving the rough touch and demonic pheromones of the young man to extinguish the torture inside her. Kaelia had to bite her lower lip bloody just to keep from moaning out loud in the middle of the banquet hall.

​Edward, completely oblivious to Kaelia’s true condition, only smirked as he watched the girl sweat and avert her gaze.

​Heh. What an innocent virgin. Just a little touch on the thigh and she’s already trembling with excitement and blushing furiously, the Prince thought, his ego inflating to mountainous heights.

​However, amidst Ethan’s silent amusement at watching Kaelia suffer, a gray-robed Royal Guard Knight approached his table.

​"Student Ethan Valen," the knight stated in a flat, emotionless tone. "Sage Cornelius summons you. He is waiting in the Star Meditation Room. Immediately."

​The faint smile on Ethan’s face slowly vanished. The true trial had just begun.

​The Star Meditation Room was located at the highest peak of the Main Tower, directly beneath a glass observatory dome.

​There were no lamps in the room. The only light came from the pure glow of the night stars above and ancient mana crystals randomly embedded in the obsidian floor.

​The moment Ethan stepped inside and the door closed behind him, it felt as though all the oxygen had been sucked out.

​Absolute vacuum.

​In the center of the room, Sage Cornelius sat cross-legged on a woven rug. The old man had his back to Ethan, facing the boundless night sky.

​"Sit," Cornelius commanded without bothering to turn around.

​Ethan walked slowly, forcibly maintaining the most natural heartbeat possible, before sitting cross-legged directly opposite the old man.

​"It is an honor to meet you in person, Sage Cornelius," Ethan greeted. His tone was perfectly measured and respectful.

​Cornelius finally turned his head. His blind, milky-white left eye stared directly at Ethan. The gaze felt as though it pierced through physical matter, peeling back layers of flesh to stab directly into the dimension of his soul.

​"I read the council’s report, boy," Cornelius’s hoarse voice echoed heavily in the vacuum. "They say you experienced a Late Awakening. They claim Isolde’s Ice Rose Ring resonated with your circuit, allowing you to cast high-tier ice magic and shatter the Rosenberg heir’s circuit."

​Cornelius leaned forward. "A very neat report. Highly bureaucratic. More than enough to shut the mouth of a foolish, muscle-brained Master Knight like Alaric."

​The air in the room suddenly grew exponentially heavier. Ethan’s heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a giant, invisible hand.

​[WARNING! Sage-Tier (Rank SS) Soul Scan detected!]

[Asmodeus System engaging Core Quarantine Protocol. Plunging Sin Mana into the deepest abysses of the Host’s Circuit!]

​"But I am not Alaric," Cornelius continued.

​His elderly voice morphed into a low growl that inexplicably caused the stone pillars in the room to vibrate violently. "My eyes may be blind, Ethan Valen, but I see the flow of mana in this world far clearer than anyone else. And your mana circuit... feels incredibly anomalous to me."

​Cornelius raised one hand. "There is a depth obscured by fog. Allow me to look into it."

​ZRAAAASH!

​A blinding gray light erupted from Cornelius’s blind eye. It shot forward like a spiritual spear, striking Ethan right in the forehead with a force that tore at his sanity.

​ARGH! Ethan gritted his teeth with everything he had. An excruciating, stabbing pain pierced his skull. Cornelius was forcefully dissecting his layers of mana!

​If this old man succeeded in breaking through the outer shell and discovered the Rank B Sin Mana hiding at his core, Ethan was absolutely dead tonight.

​Ethan concentrated the entirety of his consciousness. He ordered the Asmodeus System to pump as much of his neutral aroma magic to the surface as possible, weaving layers upon layers of fake ’fog’ to confuse the tip of the Sage’s spiritual spear. He had to hold on. Just a few more seconds.

​Just as Ethan’s second layer of defense was on the verge of fracturing under the Rank SS pressure...

​BANG!

​The heavy wooden doors of the Star Meditation Room were violently thrown open from the outside.

​Cornelius’s mana flow was instantly severed. The old man retracted his spiritual spear, clicking his tongue softly in annoyance at the interruption.

​Ethan gasped for air, his body drenched in cold sweat. He slowly turned his head toward the door.

​Isolde von Rosenberg stood there. Her breathing was slightly elevated.

​The Vice Principal wore the cold, highly bureaucratic mask that had always served as her primary shield. In her hands, she carried a stack of parchment scrolls radiating the Kingdom’s official seal.

​"Forgive my insolence for interrupting your meditation, Sage Cornelius," Isolde stated firmly, marching inside without a hint of hesitation.

​"However, Duke Alaric and the royal oversight envoys downstairs are demanding absolute clarity regarding the status of my Ice Rose Ring resonating with student Valen."

​Isolde shoved the parchments toward the Sage.

​"This transfer document requires your signature as Headmaster before midnight, or the Northern Faction will have the legal loophole they need to sue the academy."

​It was a flawlessly constructed political lie. Isolde had arrived at the most critical second possible. The woman used the academy’s administrative laws as an absolute shield to save her Master from execution.

​Cornelius stared at Isolde for a long moment. His gaze seemed to strip the Duchess bare, before finally shifting to the documents in her hand.

​The old man let out a long, weary sigh. His suffocating aura slowly receded.

​"Bureaucracy," Cornelius murmured, his tone freezing cold. "It has always been the dust that clouds the pursuit of truth."

​He grabbed a hovering quill nearby and signed the parchment without bothering to read it. "Take this, Isolde. And take your student out. Our business here is concluded."

​Isolde accepted the documents and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Sage Cornelius. Come, Student Valen."

​Ethan pushed himself up with tremendous effort. His legs felt slightly numb from the shock of the spiritual pressure. He bowed respectfully to the Sage. "Thank you for your guidance, Headmaster."

​Yet, just before Ethan stepped past the threshold, Cornelius’s hoarse voice halted him once more.

​"My eyes may be blind, boy," Cornelius whispered softly. The words successfully froze the blood in Ethan’s veins. "But I can smell your rot. I will be watching you, Ethan Valen."

​Ethan didn’t reply. He merely gave a slight nod and closed the heavy wooden doors tightly behind him.

​The moment they were safely in the corridor, Ethan leaned back against the stone wall. He let out a low chuckle. It sounded dark, laced with relief and the residual adrenaline still pumping through his veins.

​A Sage (Rank SS). The gap in sheer power was incredibly real and utterly terrifying. Yet, Ethan had just managed to fool him and walk out alive, all thanks to the brilliance of his primary pawn. He looked at Isolde standing beside him. He caressed the Duchess’s cheek. Isolde immediately closed her eyes and nuzzled affectionately into his palm in total obedience.

​"Your timing was impeccable, my servant," Ethan whispered.

​"I-I felt the pulse of danger from you through the seal on my back, My Master," Isolde answered weakly, leaning a fraction of her body weight onto his hand.

​"Return to the hall. Make sure your husband and that idiot Prince don’t suspect our absence," Ethan commanded.

​After Isolde departed, Ethan began walking down the dim corridor leading back to the VIP dormitories. The spiritual battle tonight had completely drained his stamina. He needed to rest.

​However, as he walked past a dark alcove hidden behind a marble statue of the academy’s founder... a violently trembling hand suddenly grabbed the edge of his coat.

​Ethan was yanked into the shadows.

​Thud!

​Kaelia von Ashford threw herself at him. She fell to her knees on the floor, right between Ethan’s legs.

​Her beautiful maroon gown was wrinkled and completely disheveled. The small tiara on her head sat crookedly. The Fire Queen’s face was streaked with tears. She panted in extreme, ragged gasps, as if she had just sprinted across a burning desert.

​Kaelia had managed to escape Prince Edward’s side under the guise of visiting the powder room, solely to hunt down the lingering scent of Ethan’s Sin Mana in the corridors.

​"M-My Master..." Kaelia sobbed.

​She hugged Ethan’s waist tightly, burying her face into his stomach. Her body shivered violently, suffering the extreme withdrawal of the Lust Brand violently rejecting Edward’s light magic for hours.

​"Please help me... that man’s touch... his presence... it makes my womb feel like it’s boiling from the inside out..."

​Kaelia looked up. She met Ethan’s crimson eyes with the most pathetic, broken, and desperate gaze ever displayed by a Duke’s heir.

​"Punish me... discipline me, My Master... Give me the cure for this torture..."

​Ethan looked down at the girl writhing brokenly at his feet. The exhaustion from facing Sage Cornelius instantly evaporated into thin air, completely replaced by an incredibly satisfying, demonic smirk.

​"Of course, my Fire Queen," Ethan whispered. He leaned down and grabbed Kaelia’s jaw with absolute possessiveness. "I will extinguish your flames... tonight."