Chapter 115: A Dangerous Garden (Magic Castle Bonus)

Chapter 115. A Dangerous Garden (Magic Castle Bonus)

Half an hour had passed. I stared at the notification.

[Evolution Progress: 98%]

Seriously? After everything I’d just gone through? And this was my reward?

Oh, come on! Just give me the damn hundred already!

I narrowed my eyes at the floating notification.

Whatever.

I dismissed the notification and reached for my fox-eared mug, drinking the remaining honey milk in several satisfying gulps. At least Nia’s milk didn’t come with a progress bar. I set the empty mug aside and examined the two bracelets lying on my desk.

They were my final creations of the morning.

I’d taken the last unenchanted accessory, carefully separated its metal into two portions, and reshaped both into delicate wire bracelets. Each featured a small A-rank crystal filled with concentrated Light Mana.

The designs were simple.

The thin golden wires wrapped around the crystals in overlapping patterns, creating a structure that allowed Light Mana to circulate continuously without unnecessary leakage. Nothing too extravagant. Nothing that would immediately attract attention.

I picked up the first bracelet and slipped it around my wrist.

Then the second.

Both crystals shimmered softly as they adjusted to my mana signature. A faint warmth spread across my skin.

The bracelets weren’t intended to overpower the Holy Relic. That would be ridiculous. Their purpose was considerably more modest. They provided a legitimate source of Light Mana around my hands. A useful precaution when dealing with an artifact sensitive enough to detect the slightest corruption.

Whether that would be sufficient remained to be seen.

But at least I wasn’t approaching the situation completely unprepared.

I rotated my wrists, examining the bracelets from several angles. Actually, they looked rather nice. My wives might even approve. Well, until they discovered what I intended to use them for.

Next came the gloves.

I stared at a pair of white gloves on my desk. Then I grimaced.

Ugh! Seriously, who designed these things?

They were immaculate, made from fine white fabric with decorative stitching around the wrists. Unfortunately, each glove also featured a small crystal ornament on the back of the hand. Not an enchanted crystal. Nor a mana-storage crystal. Just decoration. Completely useless and rather tacky.

I slipped one glove on experimentally and examined my hand. I looked like a groom preparing to attend his own wedding. Worse, I looked like the sort of groom who would arrive riding a white horse while throwing flower petals into the air. Absolutely horrifying.

But I needed them.

I removed the glove and stored the pair inside my Dimensional Storage Ring.

Tacky or not, they were necessary.

With everything prepared, I examined the study one final time. I raised my hand and dismissed the twelve-layer containment formation surrounding the room.

The dark violet runes faded one after another, disappearing into the air until the study returned to its ordinary appearance. I unlocked the door and stepped into the corridor with a satisfied smile.

Honestly, I was in an excellent mood.

My experiment had succeeded, my preparations were progressing nicely, and the Light Temple remained blissfully unaware that its future headache was currently walking through his mansion thinking about breakfast.

What a wonderful morning.

I returned to my bedroom, took a refreshing bath, and changed into clean clothes. Afterward, I headed toward the dining room. Empty.

Huh?

I glanced toward the windows. It was still early.

Apparently, waking up at my desk had disrupted my usual sense of time. The servants were already moving through the mansion, but the household hadn’t gathered for breakfast yet.

Well, that was fine. I had a few things to arrange. I summoned Mira and gave her instructions concerning my departure for Lumenford.

The message was straightforward.

Lord Rey Valen would be departing for Lumenford today to investigate the disappearance of twelve young women.

However, I specifically instructed her not to dispatch the formal notice until noon. By my calculations, the message would arrive sometime in the evening.

There was no reason to give everyone an unnecessarily generous amount of time to prepare for my arrival. Especially when I wasn’t entirely convinced that the disappearances were the work of an ordinary Dark Lord cult.

Mira accepted my instructions with her usual professional composure and left.

I watched her disappear down the corridor before turning toward the garden. I had absolutely no intention of starting another experiment before eating. So why not take a walk through Lily’s garden?

The morning air was cool when I stepped outside, carrying the pleasant fragrance of damp earth and blooming flowers.

Sunlight filtered through the trees, illuminating the pathways with shifting patches of gold. Small birds chirped from the branches, while delicate magical butterflies drifted lazily between clusters of colorful blossoms.

Lily’s garden was beautiful. Every section had been arranged with remarkable care, combining ornamental flowers with medicinal plants and rare magical herbs.

And the more I looked around, the more difficult it became to suppress my grin.

This wonderful, ridiculous place...

There were plants here that I’d only ever encountered in ancient research records. Some were exceptionally rare even in this era. Others? Completely extinct in my previous life.

I crouched beside a cluster of silver-leafed herbs and examined their delicate stems.

Moonveil Sage.

The genuine article.

In the modern era, researchers had spent decades attempting to recreate its medicinal properties through artificial cultivation. And here it was. Growing peacefully beside a stone pathway like an ordinary garden herb.

I almost laughed.

Lily was casually cultivating plants that future magical researchers would probably sacrifice their entire research budgets to obtain. If she ever discovered how valuable her garden would become thousands of years later, she might faint.

I continued walking, examining several more fascinating specimens. Then I stopped. Because something had caught my attention. Something considerably larger than the surrounding plants.

At the far end of the garden stood an enormous carnivorous plant. And by enormous, I meant enormous. Its thick central stalk rose above the nearby bushes, supporting several massive flowers whose petals formed structures resembling grotesque heads. Each flower possessed rows of sharp teeth. Actual teeth. Not decorative thorns. Several long tendrils extended from the main stalk, curling lazily through the air as though searching for something to grab. And beneath one of the flower heads... A dark red droplet fell onto the soil.

I blinked.

Blood?

Another droplet followed.

Then another.

Now I understood.

The monster blood.

Lily had requested a significant amount of blood from the S-rank monsters we’d butchered yesterday. At the time, I’d assumed she intended to use it for medicinal research or perhaps some particularly aggressive fertilizer.

But this? This explained quite a lot.

I approached the plant slowly, studying its structure with growing fascination.

The mana concentration within its stalk was unusually dense, and its tendrils appeared capable of channeling Nature Mana with surprising efficiency. Even the flower heads possessed individual mana pathways. Almost like separate organisms connected to a shared root system.

My grin widened.

Now, what would happen if I introduced a monster core into this thing?

Not an ordinary one. An S-rank core. Perhaps the Dreadhorn Abyssal Lynx’s core.

Would the plant develop enhanced sensory abilities? Could its tendrils inherit predatory characteristics? Or perhaps... What if I could mutate it into an entirely new species?

A carnivorous magical plant capable of evolving through monster cores and absorbing the properties of its prey?

That would be incredible.

A biological magical weapon.

And the best part? It would look like a garden decoration.

I could already imagine some arrogant assassin sneaking through the estate at night, only to discover that the pretty flowers had decided he looked delicious.

I took another step toward the plant. One of its tendrils slowly turned in my direction. "Oh? Hello there." I smiled.

The nearest flower head tilted slightly, exposing several rows of glistening teeth.

Was it responding to my mana? Or perhaps my body heat?

I leaned forward, intending to examine the movement more closely.

"REY!"

I froze and turned.

Lily was hurrying down the garden pathway, her golden-green hair swaying behind her and her delicate fairy wings fluttering rapidly.

She looked considerably less cheerful than usual. Actually, she looked alarmed. "Don’t go near that!"

"Good morning, Lily."

"Rey!" She reached me and immediately caught my arm, pulling me several steps away from the enormous carnivorous monstrosity.

I allowed myself to be dragged. Mostly because the sight of my adorable fairy wife desperately protecting me from a flower was rather entertaining.

"That thing is still dangerous!" she exclaimed.

I glanced over my shoulder. One of the flower heads had opened wider. Its teeth were now fully visible.

Ah... Such a charming little creature.

Lily tightened her grip on my sleeve. "I just fed it fresh monster blood, so it might still be hungry for something else!"

I looked at her. "Like my flesh?"

Lily nodded immediately. "Yes!"

I blinked. That was considerably more aggressive than I’d expected.

Behind us, the nearest flower head slowly closed its jaws with a wet clicking sound. I stared at it. Then smiled.

What a magnificent plant.

I was definitely going to study that thing later. Preferably with Lily’s permission, because judging by her expression, she was already dangerously close to banning me from her garden.

She continued holding my arm as she guided me away from the carnivorous plant, occasionally glancing over her shoulder to make sure its tendrils weren’t following us. I couldn’t help noticing how naturally she pressed herself against my side. Her hair carried the scent of fresh flowers, while her fingers remained firmly wrapped around my arm. My sweet fairy wife could cultivate flowers capable of devouring grown men, yet she still looked adorable while worrying about her husband’s safety.

I was beginning to think Lily’s garden was a perfect reflection of its owner. Beautiful. Sweet. And potentially lethal.

"Breakfast is almost ready," Lily said as she walked beside me. "Oh, and I’ve already prepared everything for your trip. Medicine, restorative potions, and some snacks. Just in case you get hungry on the way."

I smiled and gently squeezed her hand. "Thank you, Lily. You’re always taking such good care of me."

She beamed, her wings fluttering happily. "Of course! You’re my husband."

Then she glanced at me, and her sweet smile turned suspiciously serious. "Oh, and one more thing. Don’t sleep in the study again, okay? Don’t make it a habit."

"I’ll try, but I can’t promise."

"Rey—"

Before she could launch into another lecture about my terrible sleeping habits, I caught her waist, pulled her closer, and kissed her right on the lips.

Her wings stopped moving.

For a moment, she simply stood there, frozen against me, her eyes wide with surprise. Then her cheeks slowly turned pink. And pink became red.

That was adorable.

I pulled back just enough to admire my handiwork, a wicked grin spreading across my face. "Now, that’s the expression I wanted to see."

Her face turned even redder. "R-Rey!"

I chuckled and brushed my thumb across her warm cheek. "What? Can’t I kiss my beautiful wife?"

"Y-You can! But you can’t just do that when I’m trying to scold you!"

"Hmm. So I should wait until you’re finished?"

"Yes!"

"Got it. Next time, I’ll kiss you twice."

"REY!"

I laughed and slipped my arm around her waist as we continued toward the dining room. Breakfast hadn’t even started, and my morning was already getting better.