Chapter 429: A Forbidden Immortality [Bonus - ]

Chapter 429: A Forbidden Immortality [Bonus Chapter]

Through her mana sense, she felt the handsome man before her relax as a soft and incredibly gentle smile returned to his face.

GRRRRRR!

A loud undisciplined rumble erupted directly from the center of Aurelia’s sunken stomach, echoing loudly across the quiet bedchamber.

Aurelia’s face instantly flushed a brilliant burning shade of crimson as she shrank back into the mantle, ducking her head in pure mortification.

"I... I apologize," she stammered, her voice shrinking to a squeak. "I haven’t eaten solid food in... in a very, very long time."

In truth, Aurelia couldn’t even remember the taste of food. In the Great Void, there had been only dry ether and toxic dust.

The memory of bread was a distant dream from a previous life.

Silas chuckled warmly, the sound rich and utterly devoid of mockery. "Don’t apologize for being hungry. The food is on its way right now."

Kadi stepped toward the adjoining doorway, offering a polite bow.

"I will go draw hot water in the copper tub and infuse it with soothing lavender salts so the Saintess can bathe. Afterward, I’ll run down to the tailoring workshop to fetch a set of enchanted robes."

"Thank you, Kadi," Aurelia whispered, still overwhelmed by the secretary’s polite demeanor.

Kadi slipped into the bathhouse, the sound of rushing steaming water soon echoing softly from the tiles.

Before Silas could ask any further questions about her past, the heavy bedroom door was kicked open with an unsubtle thud.

"Out of the way, plant-bitch!" Morwenna’s voice boomed as she strode into the room, expertly maneuvering a multi-tiered brass serving cart loaded with steaming silver platters.

"Mind your uncouth tongue, sea-rat, you nearly spilled the divine spirit-consommé," Eluned snapped right behind her, gliding gracefully into the chamber with a pitcher of fresh berry nectar floating beside her hand.

The two powerhouses wheeled the cart right up to the side of the bed, presenting a feast.

The air in the room exploded with the rich mouth-watering aromas of slow-roasted drake ribs glazed in honey-wine, steaming bowls of golden root-vegetable stew packed with shredded mana-beast tenderloin, freshly baked loaves of crusty white bread glistening with herb butter, and platters of sliced sweet melons.

Aurelia expanded her spiritual sense to perceive the newcomers and instantly flinched with her breath freezing in her throat.

’G-Gods above...’

The magnitude of the mana radiating from the two women hit her like a physical gale.

The dark-haired woman carrying the saber felt like an endless crushing abyssal ocean trench capable of swallowing continents, while the emerald-haired woman carried the boundless primordial life-force of an ancient realm-core.

’These two... they are mythic entities!’ Aurelia realized in sheer shock. ’They could obliterate entire armies with a flick of their fingers... and they are personally pushing a room-service cart for me?!’

"T-Thank you both..." Aurelia stammered, her voice shaking with instinctual reverence.

Silas looked up at Eluned, gesturing toward Aurelia’s vacant face.

"Elu, she’s completely blind. The optical nerves were severed and burned by a divine fire years ago I assume. Can your magic do anything for her?"

Eluned’s sharp gaze softened as she stepped closer to the edge of the bed.

"Let me see, Hubby."

The World-Tree Goddess reached out, her delicate pale hands cupping both sides of Aurelia’s face.

Aurelia instinctively tensed, her shoulders locking as she prepared to pull away from the foreign touch which was a reflex born from years of having her head seized by executioners and dungeon guards.

"Stay still, little one," Eluned commanded softly, her melodic voice carrying an ancient motherly tone that bypassed Aurelia’s defenses.

Eluned leaned in close, examining the milky-white film covering Aurelia’s eyes. A look of deep understanding crossed the Goddess’s face.

"The optical meridians are entirely fused with chaotic transmutation scars," Eluned diagnosed aloud. "The fire tried to regenerate the tissue while toxic rot was still circulating, welding the nerves into dead calcified stone. A standard healing spell would only shatter the sockets... but to a bit of authority of life itself, it is merely tangled vine."

VUUUUUUM!

Eluned’s hands flared with a radiant emerald-green brilliance.

A cool soothing wave of pure primeval life-force flowed from her palms, sinking directly through Aurelia’s temples and into her skull. It felt like a freezing spring washing over a burning desert.

The calcified scars inside her eye sockets began to unravel, the dead tissue dissolving into harmless light as thousands of microscopic nerve endings sprouted, connected, and flared to life.

Eluned slowly withdrew her hands and Aurelia blinked.

A sharp, blinding prickle of golden light pierced the darkness.

The milky-white film dissolved completely, and for the first time in centuries, the physical world rushed into her retinas in a breathtaking explosion of vibrant color.

Aurelia saw the warm orange glow of the roaring fireplace... She saw the rich crimson grain of the woolen rug... She saw the emerald silk robes and breathtaking ethereal beauty of Eluned standing before her... She saw the rough sun-kissed perfection of Morwenna leaning against the wall with an amused smirk...

And sitting right before her, looking at her with gentle golden ringed blue eyes, was Silas.

"I... I can see..." Aurelia breathed, her hands flying to her face, touching her eyelids in pure disbelieving awe.

Hot tears poured down her cheeks in rivers. Her chest heaved with violent, ragged sobs as the weight of having her sight restored shattered whatever emotional restraint she had left.

Morwenna let out a soft grunt, stepping forward and roughly, yet surprisingly gently, patting Aurelia’s trembling shoulder with a heavy leather gauntlet.

"Alright, alright, don’t drown the room, blondie. You’re in one piece now."

Eluned sat down on the edge of the mattress beside her.

With infinite tenderness, the Goddess wrapped her slender arms around Aurelia’s shoulders, pulling the sobbing Saintess’s face gently against her chest, stroking her platinum hair like a mother comforting a broken child.

"You are safe now, Aurelia," Eluned whispered into her hair, feeling the immense centuries-old agony trapped within the girl’s soul. "No one will ever harm you in this house."

The warmth radiating from Eluned was intoxicating.

Aurelia buried her face into the Goddess’s silk robes, crying until her throat was raw, finally letting centuries of suppressed grief, betrayal, and terror bleed out into the room.

After several minutes, the sobs subsided into quiet hiccups.

Silas pulled the serving cart closer, picking up a bowl of steaming vegetable-and-meat stew along with a wooden spoon, placing it gently into her trembling hands.

"Eat," Silas said with a warm smile. "You need your strength."

Aurelia looked down at the bowl. With trembling fingers, she scooped up a spoonful of the golden broth and brought it to her lips.

The moment the savory liquid touched her tongue, an explosion of rich savory flavor washed over her palate.

The meat was impossibly tender, melting like butter, infused with sweet herbs and pure mana that instantly sent waves of nourishing heat directly into her depleted core.

’It’s... it’s so delicious...’ Aurelia thought, her eyes widening as she took another bite, then another, eating with hurried desperate hunger.

"This is... the most incredible thing I have ever tasted in my life," she mumbled between mouthfuls, tears still glistening on her eyelashes.

Silas watched her eat with quiet satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Kadi emerged from the bathroom, wiping her damp hands on a towel.

Seeing that the Saintess was being fed and tended to, the secretary offered a quiet bow to Silas and slipped out the bedroom door to fetch the tailored clothes from the workshop.

Aurelia swallowed a large piece of roasted meat, took a long gulp of fresh berry nectar from the goblet, and gently set the empty bowl on the cart.

She took a deep steadying breath, wiping her mouth with a linen napkin. The time had come to address the core reason she was here.

Silas leaned back in his chair, his blue eyes meeting hers. "Earlier on the Archway, you mentioned something about being able to grant me immortality... right?"

Aurelia stiffened slightly, but her gaze remained firm. She folded her hands over the fur mantle in her lap, looking directly at her new Lord.

"Yes, my Lord," Aurelia began, her voice steadying as she explained the reality of her abilities. "I possess the Argent Flame of Transmutation. It is a unique conceptual miracle. When its secondary phase is bound to another soul, I become their living anchor. If you suffer a fatal strike, if your limbs are severed, if you are infected with demonic rot or cursed by higher gods... the flame will instantly purge the injury from your flesh and reflect the physical wound entirely onto my own body."

She looked at Silas with her golden-amber eyes turning dead serious.

"Because the Argent Flame ensures my own core cannot truly perish from trauma, you will be, in all practical terms, completely immortal on the battlefield. I am willing to bind this soul-link to you, and to every single warrior in the Blessed Land."

Aurelia’s fingers subtly tightened against the fabric of the mantle as she laid out her terms.

"In exchange for this power... I ask for only two things, Lord Graves. First... I ask that you allow me to walk freely under the sky of this territory, so that I may see the world with my own eyes. You may place me on a strict curfew. You may even bind my wrists in iron chains if you believe I cannot be trusted to roam alone... I will accept it."

She swallowed hard, looking down at the empty plates on the cart.

"And second... I wish to be allowed to eat meals like this every day. That is all I ask."

Silas stared at her in complete stunned silence.

Beside her, Eluned and Morwenna both went dead quiet, their eyes locked onto the frail, platinum-haired woman.

The heartbreaking tragedy of her request hung heavy in the air... she was offering to endure infinite decapitations, dismemberments, and fatal butcheries, and all she wanted in return was the permission to look at the trees and eat a warm meal without being starved in a hole.

Silas slowly leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees.

He reached out, his warm broad hand coming to rest gently atop Aurelia’s head, his fingers threading softly through her platinum locks in a slow comforting headpat.

"Aurelia, look at me," Silas commanded softly.

Aurelia looked up, meeting his clear blue eyes.

"From this moment forward," Silas spoke with unwavering authority, "you are free to use your Argent Flame to heal our wounded soldiers, to cleanse poisons, to purify curses, or to cast any other divine miracle you desire but the secondary link... the immortality is permanently, completely off the table. I forbid it."

Aurelia’s jaw dropped in pure, staggering disbelief.

"B-But... why?! That is the greatest power I have to offer! With that link, you could conquer entire empires without ever fearing death!"

"I don’t need to conquer empires on the back of your torture," Silas interrupted firmly, his voice ringing with conviction. "You have so much more potential, so much more value as a human being, than simply acting as a trash bin for other people’s pain. You were not summoned here to be butchered in our place, Aurelia. You deserve peace, you deserve safety, and you deserve joy and as the Lord of this domain, I promise you that your days here will be happy."

Aurelia’s breath completely hitched in her chest.

She stared at the earnest protective fire burning in his blue eyes, feeling an overwhelming warmth expand inside her heart that threatened to swallow her whole.

Silas stood up from his chair, brushing down his combat robes with an easy, relaxed smile.

"Now then... finish up whatever food you have left, take a long, warm bath, and get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow morning, you’ll be receiving a full tour of the territory."

Silas turned toward the door, nodding to the other two women.

Morwenna stepped up to the bed, giving Aurelia a firm encouraging slap on the shoulder that nearly knocked the wind out of her.

"Stay strong, blondie. The Captain’s an idiot sometimes, but he doesn’t lie about his people."

With a wicked smirk, the Pirate Queen turned and swaggered out the door after Silas.

"Wait for meeeee, Hubby!" Eluned squealed, instantly dropping her regal demeanor as she floated off the mattress.

She turned back to Aurelia with a sweet bright smile. "Rest well, sister. Take care of yourself!"

The Goddess zipped out the door, leaving Aurelia sitting alone in the quiet, firelit bedchamber.

Aurelia sat in the silence for a long moment, staring at the closed doorway.

’What kind of man is he...?’ she thought, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs.

She let out a soft breath, picked up the remaining crust of warm bread, ate it, and let out a soft satisfied burp. Just then, Kadi returned, carrying a neatly folded stack of fine white silk robes trimmed with golden thread.

"These are enchanted garments tailored with auto-sizing threading," Kadi explained, setting them on the dresser and wheeling the empty food cart toward the door. "The bath is hot and ready for you, Lady Aurelia. Please take your time."

"Thank you, Kadi," Aurelia replied softly.

Once the door clicked shut again, Aurelia stood up from the bed, letting the heavy fur mantle fall away. She walked into the private bathing chamber, stepping onto the warm marble tiles.

’So strange...’

Steam rose in thick fragrant clouds from the massive copper tub, carrying the soothing scent of lavender and floral salts.

Aurelia stepped into the water, sinking slowly into the scalding luxurious heat until the water reached her collarbones.

"Haaaa... Amazing~"

She closed her eyes, letting out a long shuddering sigh of pure bliss as the mineral-rich waters soaked into her aching muscles and scarred skin.

She sat in the tub, reminiscing about everything that had transpired over the last hour.

The cold void... The golden light of the Archway... Silas’s warm hands catching her before she fell... The delicious taste of roasted meat... The feeling of sight returning to her dead eyes...

And the unconditional rejection of her sacrificial curse.

THUMP-THUMP!

Her heart beat with a rhythm she had not felt in centuries.

’I will leave it all behind,’ Aurelia resolved, her fingers tracing the surface of the water. ’The Meolion Kingdom... Cassian’s betrayal... The six years in the dark. It is all dead and turned to ash. From this night forward, my life, my flame, and my soul belong entirely to the Blessed Land.’