The interior of the apothecary was humble, smelling of dried sage, rubbing alcohol, and poverty. A single cot sat in the corner, and shelves were lined with jars of half-processed herbs. It was clean, but it was the cleanliness of someone who had nothing else to hold onto.
Seraphina locked the door behind them, her hands trembling.
"You are crazy," she whispered, turning to Lux. "The Black-Tooth Gang... they aren't just thugs. They are the Baron's unofficial enforcers. They have a mage."
"Let them come," Lux said, casually leaning his scythe against a wall. "But first, we need to solve your problem."
He pointed to her neck.
The black iron collar seemed to pulse with a dull, malevolent red light, biting into her pale skin.
Seraphina flinched, her hand going up to cover it.
"You can't. It's a Mage-Lock Collar. It draws on my own mana to fuel its durability. The more I struggle, the tighter it gets. The only key is with the Baron."
"Keys are for people who follow rules," Lux said, walking closer. "Sit down, Seraphina."
The command was soft, but it carried the weight of his high Charisma. Seraphina found herself obeying before she even processed the thought, sitting on the edge of the cot.
Lux stood over her. Up close, he could see the intricate runes etched into the iron.
[System Analysis]
[Item: Collar of the False Saint]
[Rank: C (Cursed)]
[Effect: Suppresses Holy Mana. Converts target's mana into pain if they disobey. Locks all Active Skills.]
[Durability: 500/500]
[Weakness: The enchantment is rigid. It relies on "Order." Introducing "Chaos" or "Overwhelming Heat" can destabilize the rune matrix.]
"Elara," Lux called out without looking back. "Watch the door. If anyone gets close, freeze them."
"Understood," Elara said from the window, her back to them. But Lux could feel her amusement. She knows exactly what I'm about to do.
Lux knelt in front of Seraphina. He reached out.
"This is going to feel... weird. Trust me."
Seraphina swallowed hard, her golden eyes wide. "What are you—"
Lux placed both hands around her neck.
His thumbs rested against her throat, right over her pulse. His fingers wrapped around the back of her neck, touching the cold iron and the warm skin beneath it.
"System," Lux commanded mentally. [Aphrodisiac Hands: Maximum Output].
[Targeting: The Collar's Mana Circuit.]
VWOOM.
His hands instantly flared with pink-red energy.
To Seraphina, it didn't feel like burning. It felt like a sudden, electric jolt of liquid heat pouring directly into her spine.
"Ah!" She gasped, her back arching involuntarily. Her hands flew up to grab Lux's wrists, but she didn't push him away. She gripped him for support.
"Focus on me," Lux ordered, his voice dropping to a rough whisper. "Don't fight the heat. Let it in."
The skill wasn't just heating the metal. It was flooding the collar's delicate mana circuits with raw, lust-aspected energy. The collar was designed to suppress Holy magic—cold, rigid, orderly magic.
It had no defense against the chaotic, throbbing heat of Eros.
"Nngh... Lux...!" Seraphina squeezed her eyes shut. A flush spread rapidly from her neck to her cheeks, turning her pale skin a vivid crimson. "It... it feels like... I'm melting..."
The sensation was overwhelming. The nerves in her neck—usually sensitive—were being bombarded. The heat traveled down her spine, pooling in her stomach, making her toes curl in her worn-out boots.
CRACK.
A hairline fracture appeared on the iron collar.
Smoke began to hiss from the metal.
[Durability: 350/500]
[Target Status: Heavily Aroused. Mana flow increasing.]
"It's working," Lux gritted his teeth, pouring more mana into his hands. "Just a little more. Bear with it, Saintess."
He shifted his grip. His thumbs began to rub circles against the front of her throat, right over her windpipe, while his palms squeezed the back of her neck. It was a dominant, possessive hold.
Seraphina let out a high-pitched whimper, her mouth falling open. "I can't... it's too much... my legs..."
She slumped forward, her forehead resting against Lux's chest. She was panting, her breath hot against his shirt.
The suppression was failing. Her dormant mana—Golden Light—began to leak out, fighting the red light of the collar.
The room began to vibrate. Bottles rattled on the shelves.
[Durability: 50/500]
[Critical Overload Imminent.]
"Now, Elara! Shield!" Lux shouted.
Elara spun around, throwing up a wall of transparent ice between them and the rest of the room.
Lux squeezed one last time, dumping his remaining stamina into the skill.
"BREAK!"
PING!
The sound was like a tuning fork shattering.
The iron collar exploded. Shards of metal flew outward, embedding themselves in the walls (and bouncing harmlessly off Elara's ice shield).
A shockwave of pure, blinding golden light erupted from Seraphina.
Lux was thrown back, landing on his ass.
"Oof."
The light swirled around the room, warm and smelling of summer rain. It washed over Lux, instantly refilling his stamina bar. It washed over the cot, repairing the torn fabric.
In the center of the light stood Seraphina.
She wasn't the tired apothecary girl anymore.
Her messy braid had unraveled, her platinum hair floating around her like a halo. Her grey dress was glowing. Her eyes were no longer just golden—they were miniature suns.
[System Alert]
[Target Awakening Complete.]
[Name: Seraphina Lightsworn]
[Class: Saintess of the Morning Star]
[Rank: Restored to B-]
The light faded slowly. Seraphina blinked, the glow leaving her eyes, returning them to a gentle honey-gold. She looked at her hands. She touched her neck—smooth, unmarked, free.
She looked at Lux.
Tears streamed down her face.
"It's gone," she sobbed. "The silence... it's gone. I can hear the Light again."
She didn't hesitate. She threw herself at Lux, tackling him into a hug.
"Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
She buried her face in his neck, sobbing uncontrollably.
Lux patted her back, feeling the incredible warmth radiating from her.
[Affection Level: +40]
[Current Status: Adoring / Indebted]
Elara dissolved the ice wall and walked over. She looked at the crying Saintess clinging to her Master.
She didn't look jealous. She looked... appraising.
"Master," Elara said coolly. "She has powerful mana. She will be a useful battery."
Seraphina pulled back, wiping her eyes. She looked at Lux, realizing she was straddling him on the floor. She blushed furiously and scrambled off.
"I... I'm sorry! I got carried away." She stood up, smoothing her dress. Then, she curtsied—a perfect, noble curtsy.
"Sir Lux. You saved my life and my soul. I have nothing to offer you but this shop and my skills. But if you will have me... I will serve you."
Lux stood up and dusted himself off.
"I don't need the shop, Seraphina. But I do need you."
He stepped closer, tilting her chin up. The lingering heat of the [Aphrodisiac Hands] still made her tremble slightly at his touch.
"The Baron is coming," Lux said. "And I need someone to keep us alive while we burn his empire down. Are you in?"
Seraphina's expression hardened. The shy girl was gone.
"Baron K... he was the one who put the collar on me. He tried to sell me to the dark cults."
She summoned a staff of woven light into her hand.
"When do we leave?"