After taking a long bath, Elias finally felt like a human being again.
After wearing a fresh set of clothes, he left his room and made his way toward the training grounds behind the manor.
He grabbed a wooden sword from the weapon rack and walked toward one of the practice posts.
He stared at it for a few seconds, then he swung.
Whoosh!
The wooden sword cut through the air, and Elias’s eyes widened as he swung again.
Whoosh!
The second strike was even smoother.
His wrists moved naturally, his shoulders remained relaxed, and his feet shifted into the perfect position without conscious thought.
Elias stared at the wooden sword in his hands.
Previously, every swing had required tremendous effort. He had needed to consciously control his stance, his breathing, the position of his arms, and the angle of his sword.
Now, everything felt natural. His body simply knew what to do.
He stepped forward and swung again.
Thud!
The wooden sword struck the practice post with significantly more force than before.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Is that how everyone feels?" he mumbled. "No wonder they’re so arrogant."
He tightened his grip and swung again.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
His strikes became increasingly fluid as he experimented with his newfound strength.
He was so focused on training that he failed to notice someone approaching behind him.
"There you are!"
Elias suddenly heard a familiar voice.
He stopped and turned around.
Stella was standing several meters away, with both hands on Natasha’s shoulders, guiding her toward the training grounds.
Elias frowned and asked, "What are you two doing here?"
Stella immediately pouted, and her crimson eyes became slightly misty as she looked at him.
"You want us to leave?" She lowered her head and mumbled, "We’ll leave if that’s what you want. Just tell us."
Elias stared at her for a moment before raising a hand to his forehead and letting out a sigh.
"Never mind."
Stella immediately brightened. She helped Natasha toward one of the nearby seats and carefully assisted her into sitting down.
Natasha remained completely expressionless throughout the entire process, her golden eyes quietly following Elias.
Once Stella was certain Natasha was comfortable, she turned toward Elias.
He had already returned to his training.
Whoosh!
Thud!
Whoosh!
Thud!
Stella watched him for several minutes. Her crimson eyes followed every movement of his wooden sword.
Eventually, she glanced toward the weapon racks.
"I also want to train!" she announced.
Elias wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at her.
"Train?"
Stella nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes!"
She walked toward the weapon racks and reached for one of the swords. But the moment her fingers wrapped around the hilt, she froze.
Elias noticed immediately. He frowned and lowered his sword.
What’s wrong with her?
"Stella?" he called. "Is something wrong?"
She slowly turned her head and locked eyes with him.
His heart sank. The innocent glimmer that had been present in her crimson eyes was gone. What remained was something cold and frightening.
He instinctively raised one hand toward her and said carefully, "Give the sword to me."
She glanced down at the sword in her hand. For several seconds, she stared at it, then her lips slowly curled upward.
A wide grin split across her face, and then a terrifying killing intent suddenly erupted from her body.
The entire training ground seemed to grow colder.
Elias’s pupils contracted, and his knees buckled.
"What..."
The pressure was suffocating.
Behind him, Natasha’s expression finally changed, her body became tense, and her golden eyes narrowed as she stared at Stella.
Stella slowly raised the sword.
"So you’re that old bastard’s bastard son," she mumbled.
Elias’s heart pounded.
Old bastard?
Who was she talking about?
Wait... the duke?
Before he could think any further, the familiar orange screen appeared before his eyes.
[The host is drastically losing Affection Rate of Stella Crimson.]
Elias’s expression darkened.
What?!
He didn’t have time to process the message because Stella vanished from her spot and shot toward him.
She appeared directly in front of him, and her wooden sword came crashing toward his head.
Elias’s instincts screamed; he immediately invested five of his Stat Points into Speed/Agility.
[Speed/Agility: 12 → 17]
His body reacted before his mind could fully process what was happening.
He twisted his torso.
Whoosh!
The sword passed dangerously close to his face.
Elias felt the wind generated by the strike brush against his cheek.
His heart nearly jumped out of his chest.
Stella landed several meters away and looked at him with amusement.
"Not bad for a trash," she commented.
Then she attacked again.
Elias barely managed to raise his sword.
Bang!
The impact nearly tore the weapon from his hands. Pain exploded through his palm. His feet slid backward several meters.
Elias gritted his teeth.
Damn.
Her strength and speed were ridiculous.
Stella didn’t give him time to recover.
She swung again, and he blocked.
Bang!
His wrists screamed.
I have to get that sword out of her hand somehow.
Another strike came, and he immediately invested five more Stat Points into Strength/Constitution.
[Strength/Constitution: 15 → 20]
Stella’s sword crashed against his.
Bang!
This time, Elias remained standing. The impact still hurt, but it was considerably more bearable.
Stella’s grin widened.
"Hahaha!" She laughed. "Good, good!"
Her crimson eyes became increasingly excited.
"Let’s see you hold against my aura!"
Elias’s expression changed.
Aura?
Before he could do anything, a violent red energy suddenly erupted from Stella’s body.
The pressure intensified. The wooden sword in her hand trembled beneath the force surrounding it.
Elias’s instincts screamed at him to run.
But just like before, Stella disappeared.
Boom!
She shot forward like a bullet, and her sword slammed toward his abdomen.
Elias’s eyes widened.
Too fast!
He instinctively circulated mana through his body.
[Mana Body Enhancement activated.]
[Skill evolution condition fulfilled.]
[Ding!]
[Mana Body Enhancement has evolved.]
[Enhanced Mana Enhancement (B)]
A surge of mana exploded through Elias’s body, and the next instant, Stella’s sword struck his abdomen.
BANG!
Elias flew backward. His body crashed through the air before slamming into the stone wall behind him.
BOOM!
Dust exploded outward. He slid down the wall and collapsed onto the ground.
Blood flooded from his mouth.
"Ugh..."
He wiped the blood away with the back of his hand.
His entire body hurt. Yet the pain was nowhere near as severe as it should have been.
The Enhanced Mana Enhancement had absorbed a significant portion of the impact, and Stella herself hadn’t used most of her strength.
He slowly pushed himself upright and looked toward Stella.
She was walking toward him with a smile, her sword resting casually against her shoulder.
"Dammit..." Elias mumbled. "What a monster..."
Stella stopped several meters away and mumbled in slight surprise, "Oh? You’re a good toy."
She raised her sword and swung.
Elias immediately raised his own weapon.
Thuk!
The two wooden swords collided. For a moment, nothing happened, and then a crack resounded throughout the training ground as her sword broke.
The weapon had been unable to withstand the immense aura she had poured into it.
The shattered pieces fell to the ground.
She stared at the broken sword, and he stared at her.
Neither moved, then the orange screen appeared before Elias.
[Ding!]
[The Affection Rate of Stella Crimson is increasing sharply.]
Elias blinked.
What’s happening?
The terrifying aura surrounding Stella suddenly disappeared. Her crimson eyes softened, the murderous grin vanished, and her innocent expression returned as though the previous few minutes had never happened.
She immediately rushed toward Elias.
"Husband!"
Her voice was filled with worry.
"What happened to you?"
She frowned deeply and carefully examined his body.
"Why are you bleeding?"
Elias stared at her.
Just moments ago, this woman had been trying to beat him to death. Now she looked as though she genuinely had no idea what had happened.
He sighed. Apparently, Stella’s mental state was even more complicated than he had imagined.
"I’m fine," he said.
"But you’re hurt!"
"It’s nothing."
Stella continued looking at him suspiciously.
Elias raised his hand and gently patted her head.
"Don’t worry about me."
Stella froze, then she smiled.
"Okay."
She leaned slightly into his hand.
Elias couldn’t help smiling.
This woman was dangerous, extremely dangerous, but at the same time... she was strangely adorable.
The orange screen suddenly appeared before him again.
[Affection Rate for Stella Crimson has reached 10.]
Elias’s raised an eyebrow, and the screen changed.
[The host can now inspect Stella Crimson’s Status.]
His eyes widened slightly, and he thought, ’I can see Stella’s status?’
His gaze slowly shifted toward Stella. The innocent-looking woman was still smiling while enjoying his gentle pats.
He smiled faintly.
Maybe I can find a way to cure all three of them using the system...
’Status.’
The orange screen flickered, and Stella Crimson’s true information appeared before his eyes.