Novel Full Chapter 679: Authority Of Gluttony
Chapter 679: Authority Of Gluttony
Moraine had always thought the hole in her heart was something she’d just have to live with.
But now, not only was that hole filled, it was overflowing.
She didn’t even realize it at first.
It wasn’t some grand realization, or epiphany.
It was just… him.
They shared laughs over burnt cookies.
Held hands during evening walks.
The happiness she felt while being with him had suddenly increased by several folds.
His presence alone was enough to make her smile without reason.
And when he smiled back?
Her heart would flutter like it was the first time all over again.
No matter how many days, weeks, or years passed, that feeling never went away.
It never faded.
If anything, it only grew stronger.
But of course, life didn’t leave them in perfect harmony forever.
Moraine hated reincarnating into the past.
She never asked him how he could travel to the past.
Because she had a good guess of how he did that.
’He’s completing older sister Vivienne’s Trials, and he must’ve asked her to send him back in time as a reward.’
The idea grated at her.
No, it didn’t just grate her.
It drove her absolutely mad.
Just imagining him meeting another one of her sisters made her want to tear something apart.
Moraine had always believed herself to be above the typical possessiveness that plagued other witches.
She wasn’t someone who got jealous just because her lover talked to another woman.
But if he talked to other witches?
That was another matter.
Vivienne herself had warned her: The other sisters will try to steal him from you.
And now he was meeting Vivienne?
Her chest burned with the thought.
But then again… maybe he used some other method to return to the past.
Something that didn’t involve her sister.
’He’s a devil. So maybe he can find a different way. That’s possible.’
She clung to that possibility.
As long as she didn’t ’know’ he met Vivienne, as long as the method stayed ambiguous, she could pretend otherwise.
The uncertainty was her shield.
Still, she didn’t just sit back and let things be.
She made sure to drop stories about witches into their conversations.
All of them were, of course, bad stories.
He would just chuckle.
It was infuriating, since he knew why she was acting this was.
So she decided to get her petty revenge in small ways.
Like the pastries.
“Moraine?” he called from the kitchen one morning.
“Yes?” she answered, casually flipping through a magazine.
“Where did the pastries I baked go?”
“Oh, those?” She gave him an innocent look. “They were tasty.”
“They were for the shop.”
“Mhm. Then maybe you shouldn’t have made them so good.”
She stuck out her tongue at him.
He stared at her, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and sighed deeply before sitting across from her.
“You know what? You should start baking for the bakery. I know for a fact you can now.”
“But yours are better,” she replied sweetly, tilting her head. “Why would I make them when yours taste perfect?”
She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands, acting every bit like a spoiled girlfriend.
Not that he really minded.
With his strength and stamina, he could bake all life and never get tired.
And he always made the first batch just for her anyway.
She knew that because he adjusted the sweetness and the flavor to her preferences every time.
In other words, he was just pretending to be annoyed.
Time continued to pass.
He never stopped surprising her.
One evening, he handed her a sealed scroll wrapped in enchanted twine.
“What’s this?”
“A technique. It’s something I’ve been working on for you.”
“For me?”
“Yes, it’s a latent talent awakening technique. With it, you might be able to awaken.”
“….What?”
“You can awaken with this. I’m sure of it.”
“Thank you,” she said, giving him a warm smile.
He didn’t smile back.
Instead, he looked at her for a moment and said, “You don’t believe me.”
“I do.”
“Your face says otherwise,” he muttered. “Moraine… it doesn’t make sense that you can’t awaken. You’re a witch.
“You’re one of the thirty-three Pillars of the Cosmos.
“I think your Authority is not weak.
“Instead, it’s so overwhelmingly powerful that your body and soul just can’t handle it yet.
“It’s like someone trying to train their strength by squatting with a giant boulder. They won’t grow stronger. They’ll just get crushed,” he explained.
“…Witches have different levels of talent,” she said quietly. “Some of us are born strong. Others, like me, just… drew the short straw.”
He stared at her, and spoke after a pause,
“Alright then. Let’s do the technique anyway. Even if it doesn’t work right away, let’s try. Just do it for my peace of mind.”
“…Okay.”
They sat cross-legged on the bed.
His back was straight and his hands were placed carefully on her shoulder blades.
She sat in front of him, spine aligned, palms resting on her knees.
The technique required him to stir the deepest recesses of her potential.
It could take decades—maybe even centuries—before anything happened.
But he didn’t seem to care.
They were both Immortals and had infinite time.
She heard him let out a subdued groan when he used the technique.
She turned her head.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. I was just surprised at how your mana is reacting.”
“Alright.”
She turned back.
He kept working, and after a few minutes of silence, he spoke again.
“Moraine?”
“Mhm?”
“If this works, your Authority might get stronger too.”
“Why?”
“Because if I’m right, your Authority of Gluttony is too powerful for your body right now. If we can awaken your talent, your body and soul will get stronger. That’ll let you use more power of your Authority.”
She chuckled.
“It’d be nice if that were true.”
Currently, her Authority allowed her to gain bits and pieces of knowledge from the beings she killed.
Days passed while they trained together, looked after their shop, and spent time together.
Not every day was so serious though.
There were funny days. Embarrassing ones too.
“Moraine?”
He opened the door in the morning and froze.
Moraine was standing near his bed, clutching his shirt, holding it up to her face and breathing in deeply.
She froze the moment their eyes met.
“I-It’s not what it looks like,” she stammered.
He smiled slowly. “You don’t have to be embarrassed, Moraine.”
He walked in, sat on the edge of the bed, and ruffled her hair as she tried to hide her face behind the shirt.
“Didn’t you say last night that you hated how I smelled after training?” he teased. “Was that a lie? I told you, you don’t have to act so dignified around me.”
“Ugh…”
She groaned, pulling the shirt further over her face.
He had always taken the lead in their relationship.
He was always mature, and always more composed than her.
She felt like she had to be the one who did that. She couldn’t act like a childish girlfriend after being much, much older than him.
So she tried to act like a mature person, especially finding out about his preferences.
’You don’t know how to wash your clothes? I’ll teach you.’
’Here, take this money. You can buy whatever you want.’
’Let’s wash up before anything else. Sweat doesn’t smell great.’
She gave him advices, and acted like a mature person.
But it was all an act.
And now, it had crumbled.
“Moraine, if you like how I smell, just say it.”
His voice carried a lazy amusement, half teasing, half fond.