Chapter 242 - 241 : The curse of beauty

Chapter 242: Chapter 241 : The curse of beauty

Arthur and Arina walked quietly through the long hallway of Celestias Academy.

The academy corridors were usually filled with students rushing between classrooms, casual conversations, laughter, and the sounds of training echoing from distant halls.

But the path they walked through now was strangely empty.

Perhaps it was because most students had already gathered at the training grounds.

Or perhaps the atmosphere around Arthur and Arina was too tense for anyone to approach them.

Arthur walked with both hands in his pockets, his expression calm and unreadable.

Arina walked beside him in silence.

But her mind was anything but quiet.

The image of her father remained burned into her thoughts.

Adrian Evan Imperius.

The man she had always believed was invincible.

The man who had stood at the top of the Imperius Family.

The man who had never bowed his head before anyone.

Chained.

Broken.

Trapped in a world of endless darkness.

And Arthur had stood before him with a smile.

He had demanded that Adrian become his slave.

That he accept Arthur as his master and obey him like a loyal dog.

Arina could not hold herself back any longer.

She suddenly stepped in front of Arthur, blocking his path.

Arthur stopped.

His crimson eyes shifted toward her.

Arina clenched her fists.

"Did you really have to demand something like that from Father?"

Her golden eyes trembled with anger and pain.

"What made you think he would ever agree to a proposal like that, Arthur?"

Arthur sighed.

He looked tired.

Not guilty.

Not regretful.

Just tired.

"First of all, listen carefully, Miss Arina," Arthur said. "He is your father, not mine."

Arina’s expression stiffened.

Arthur continued walking, forcing her to move aside if she wanted to keep up with him.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" he asked. "You were the ones who disowned me."

His voice was calm.

But beneath it was a sharpness that Arina could not ignore.

"And second, I already knew he would not agree to it."

Arthur smiled faintly.

"I just wanted to see him in despair. That is all."

His smile became colder.

"I wanted to enjoy seeing him powerless."

Arina stopped walking again.

Her voice rose.

"Of course he would not agree to something like that! You asked him to become your slave and obey you like a loyal dog!"

Arthur suddenly burst out laughing.

His laughter echoed through the corridor.

"Hilarious, right?" he said. "The look on his face was something else."

Arthur wiped an imaginary tear from his eye.

"I wish I had a camera at that time."

[ You were genuinely trying to use the Slave Seal on him, were you not, Host? ]

The System’s voice echoed inside Arthur’s mind.

Arthur’s smile faded slightly.

’Of course I was.’

His crimson eyes narrowed as he continued walking.

’But the Slave Seal will never work on him unless he accepts me as his master on his own.’

Arthur’s thoughts became colder.

’And considering his personality, he would rather rot inside the Containment Ring forever than serve his own son like a loyal dog.’

He remembered the sealed bloodlines.

The unknown force that had prevented the System from accessing Adrian’s other bloodlines.

’Besides, Adrian is more mysterious than I thought.’

Arthur’s expression darkened.

’Whatever that entity was that stopped you from accessing his other bloodlines, we need to be careful.’

Arina’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

This time, her tone was much softer.

"Do you really have to be like this?"

Arthur did not look at her.

"Have you not seen the condition he is in?" Arina continued. "He looked miserable. He has been trapped there for so long. He is still our father, Arthur."

Arthur stopped.

His crimson eyes turned toward her.

"Will you shut your mouth already?"

Arina flinched.

Arthur’s voice was cold.

"Do not worry. After I make my demands to Miss Sylvia tomorrow, I will release him."

His expression became indifferent.

"Until then, let him rot."

Arina’s eyes widened.

Then she released a long breath of relief.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "I am really glad."

Her shoulders relaxed slightly.

"I will tell Mother to come meet you tomorrow."

Arthur turned his face away.

"Yeah," he said. "Just tell her to stay away from me after this."

His voice became colder.

"And you stay away from me too."

Arina looked at him.

"You really have changed, have you not?"

Arthur did not respond.

"You are calling our mother Miss Sylvia now instead of Mother."

Arthur suddenly stopped.

The warmth in his expression disappeared.

His eyes became serious.

"You should go join the training now," he said. "And do not talk to me unless it is something important from now on."

Arina’s lips parted.

"Wait—"

But Arthur had already turned around.

"This is where we part ways for today."

Without giving her another glance, Arthur walked in the opposite direction.

Arina remained standing in the hallway for a moment.

Her golden eyes followed Arthur’s retreating back.

Then she looked down.

After several seconds, she took a deep breath and headed toward the training grounds.

───────────────

Arthur stood in front of Athena’s office.

The familiar door stood at the end of the academy’s administrative hall.

Arthur looked at it for a moment.

Then he lightly kicked it.

Before his foot could fully touch the door, Athena’s voice echoed from inside.

"Come in."

The doors opened on their own.

Arthur stepped inside.

Then his eyes widened.

This was not Athena’s office.

At least, not the office he had visited before.

Instead of a quiet room filled with books, papers, and official documents, Arthur found himself standing within a massive training facility.

The space was enormous.

The ceiling stretched high above him, lined with glowing mana lights. Reinforced black-metal walls surrounded the chamber, each covered with strange runic patterns and advanced technology.

Training machines stood throughout the room.

Some were designed for mana control.

Some measured combat strength.

Others created shifting gravity fields, elemental environments, illusionary battlefields, and moving targets that could react to a person’s attacks.

A few pieces of equipment looked so advanced that Arthur could not even guess their purpose.

Large screens floated in the air, displaying mana readings and combat simulations.

At the center of the facility was a wide training platform, surrounded by thick barriers designed to contain enormous amounts of destructive power.

Arthur looked around in amazement.

"First, it was an office in the middle of the sky," he muttered. "Now it is this amazing facility."

His crimson eyes moved across the unfamiliar technology.

"She never ceases to amaze me."

He gave a faint smile.

"I wish I could manipulate space at this level too."

"You can only dream of controlling space on my level."

Athena’s voice came from behind him.

Arthur turned around.

Athena stood a few steps away.

Her long golden hair flowed down her back, beautiful as always. Her face remained hidden behind the familiar veil, yet her presence filled the room so completely that Arthur could not ignore her.

She wore a fitted black training suit.

The material clung to her athletic figure while still looking practical enough for battle. The suit had a high collar and long sleeves, but its close fit emphasized her curves and confident posture. It revealed nothing improper, yet it carried an unmistakable elegance that made her look more striking than usual.

Even with her face concealed, Athena looked dangerously beautiful.

Arthur stared at her for a moment.

Then he nodded thoughtfully.

"Alright, alright. I will give you a three out of ten."

Athena’s mouth twitched beneath her veil.

"Excuse me?" she asked. "What do you mean, three out of ten?"

Arthur looked at her as though she had asked the stupidest question imaginable.

"Are you dumb? I was rating your beauty, of course."

A vein twitched on Athena’s forehead.

"Then it seems you misheard yourself," she said. "Did you not mean one hundred out of ten?"

Arthur raised a brow.

Athena crossed her arms.

"An average person like you may not know it, but there is a reason I hide my beauty."

Arthur gave a small smile.

"That is what every ugly person says."

Athena took a slow breath.

’Relax, Athena,’ she thought. ’He is just a child.’

Arthur tilted his head.

"Although, I have to say, the other assets besides your face are a good sight."

Crack.

Athena suddenly grabbed Arthur’s shoulder.

She did not look angry.

Which made it worse.

Arthur’s body stiffened as unbearable pressure crushed down on his shoulder.

His bones creaked.

Arthur’s face turned pale.

Athena leaned closer.

"Did you not come here to learn how to transfer your lifespan?"

Arthur swallowed hard.

He nodded immediately.

"Yes, ma’am. I did."

Athena released his shoulder.

"Good. Then let us focus on that."

Her voice was pleasant.

Far too pleasant.

"Because if you continue to run your mouth, I am afraid I may kill you accidentally."

A chill ran down Arthur’s spine.

"Of course," he said quickly. "I will keep my mouth shut."

He stood straight.

"Let us learn a lot today, ma’am. I will be in your care."

Athena nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. That is how a proper student should behave."

Arthur remained silent for several seconds.

But his gaze drifted once more toward her veil.

Finally, he could not hold himself back.

"One last question before we begin."

Athena sighed.

"What is it now?"

"Why do you wear that veil?" Arthur asked. "If you are as beautiful as you claim, why hide your face?"

Athena was silent for a moment.

Then she sighed again.

"It seems you are really fixated on my veil."

She tilted her head.

"Well, I suppose striking you will not hurt."

Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

Athena’s voice grew quieter.

"Let us just say that I was born with the curse of beauty."

Arthur blinked.

"Curse of beauty?"

Athena smiled behind the veil.

"Do you know that humans are born with limitations?"

Arthur remained silent.

"You could say I was not born with those limitations," Athena said.

Her aura stirred faintly.

"And my beauty surpasses mortal bounds."

Arthur’s eyes widened slightly.

"Because whoever sees my true face loses their sanity."

Arthur stared at her.

"Are you talking about the Charm stat?"

Athena nodded.

"Yes. Precisely."

Her fingers lightly touched the edge of her veil.

"Even System users cannot surpass the natural limitations placed upon their Charm stat. But I am not bound by those limitations."

Athena looked directly at Arthur.

"So yes, even you can lose your sanity if you see my face."

Arthur’s expression became thoughtful.

’System.’

[ Yes, Host. ]

’Does that mean—’

[ I know what you are trying to ask. ]

The System’s voice carried an amused tone.

[ Why don’t you try it? ]