The once-quiet village was now in chaos.
First, a swath of forest had vanished in a roaring blast. Then a miniature sun had risen into the sky, blazing across the horizon.
The strange phenomena had even caught the attention of the Kingdom of Gioral.
"Adrian!" a familiar voice called out, full of worry.
Anna rushed to his side, her face pale. She tugged him discreetly away from the gathering crowd.
With hushed urgency, she whispered, "Something terrible just happened in the forest!"
Adrian, the very cause of the calamity, found the whole scene rather amusing.
As he listened to Anna recount the village gossip—secondhand interpretations of his own handiwork—he couldn't help but smirk.
He leaned closer to her, eyes gleaming.
"What if I told you I was the one behind all of it?" he asked casually.
Anna blinked. "You?"
She stared at him for a moment—then shook her head with a faint laugh. "No way."
The Adrian she remembered had been a shy boy she'd once nursed back to health, hardly someone who could summon suns or flatten forests.
Even if she trusted him, this was just too much to believe.
Without another word, Adrian took her hand and led her into the house, ignoring the curious eyes around them.
"Anna," he said softly, "I've awakened early. I've become a Hero."
He paused, then continued with solemn weight. "The power I now possess... it's far beyond what you could ever imagine. But there are secrets I can only share once we've formed a contract."
"Will you offer me everything, Anna?"
A summoning circle flared beneath his feet—a dazzling, intricate sigil of power, resonating with the ancient magic of master and servant.
Anna stared up at him. He stood before her with such gravity and presence—so unlike the boy she had once known.
Her heart trembled.
He had grown. In more ways than she could understand.
"I... I do, Adrian," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.
The contract was sealed.
A soft pink collar-like mark formed around her slender neck, glowing against her pale skin.
Without hesitation, Adrian leaned down and kissed her again—fiercer this time.
He drew closer, claiming her fully, his presence overwhelming and intoxicating.
Anna melted beneath his touch, her resistance vanishing like mist in the morning sun.
She could feel everything.
Heat. Strength. Pressure.
He was no longer a boy.
As the sensations overwhelmed her, her mind began to blur. Her body responded instinctively, surrendering.
She forgot where she was. Forgot who she had been.
Now, she knew only one thing:
She belonged to Adrian. Her master. Her brother.
---
Adrian had long since activated a barrier of repulsion—no one could interrupt them now.
There was only one purpose burning in his mind:
Push Anna past her level cap.
---
"I feel it, Adrian! My level cap—it's lifted!"
Anna, older by a few years, had reached her limit long ago. No matter how hard she trained or how many monsters she slew, she hadn't been able to grow stronger.
Until now.
She gasped, eyes wide. Power surged through her, unfamiliar and exhilarating.
Even though she'd been nothing more than a village woman, now she could feel the touch of a Hero's strength.
"If you want to keep rising," Adrian murmured, "you know what to do."
"You're terrible," she giggled, batting his shoulder with a flushed, glowing smile.
Even as she teased him, she moved with swift purpose—cleaning, preparing a special elixir that could push her growth further.
She drank.
Light burst from within her.
Her level rose again.
Again.
And again.
The cycle became addictive.
Anna, once content with a simple life of tending crops, now vanished for days at a time—never leaving Adrian's side.
---
Name: Anna
Class: Farmer
Level: 25 (Lower Rank)
Traits: [Cultivator (White)], [Sturdy Constitution (White)], [Supple as Water (White)]
"Tch. Anna's foundation is too weak," Adrian muttered. "Even with all this effort, her growth's too slow."
Her strength had grown tenfold, but it still wasn't enough.
When he'd first contracted her, she had only the [Cultivator] trait.
The other two had been earned—painstakingly—through days and nights of exhaustive effort.
Still, it wasn't enough.
"I need something stronger," he murmured. "Like... a Devil's Pawn."
The emerald gleam of his left eye flickered and faded. His fingertips brushed along Anna's bare back—smooth as polished marble.
She shivered at his touch, letting out a catlike murmur.
"Adrian... have mercy."
Smack.
He slapped her lightly on the rear, leaving behind a red print.
It joined a collection of marks already fading on her skin.
"Get up, Anna," he said calmly. "Princess Flare will be here soon."
"Wh-What!?"
She gasped, recalling what Adrian had told her. Despite the aching in her limbs, she forced herself upright and stretched languidly.
Her silhouette curved with graceful sensuality.
In just a few short days, she had transformed.
When she finished dressing, the woman who emerged looked nothing like a village girl. She radiated the soft allure of a noblewife.
"Anna," Adrian said firmly, "Stick to the plan."
"I will, Adrian," she replied, nodding with newfound seriousness.
She packed her things quickly and headed toward the town of Lanaritta.
Adrian would join her there soon—but for now, he had one last meeting to attend.
Princess Flare was coming.
And his true target... was Kureha Clyret.
---
Though he had indulged in pleasure these past few days, Adrian had not abandoned his research.
He had been refining the healing magic at the core of his power.
From it, he had developed [Mimicry]—a technique that could copy the combat skills and memories of anyone he healed.
And Kureha Clyret...
Her swordsmanship and skills were exactly what he needed.
When Adrian arrived at the village gates, the royal escort had already arrived.
A noble figure clad in pink stood at the center of the crowd.
Princess Flare had arrived.