[Humans really are interesting. They're always obsessed with ranking strength and weakness, as if doing so will give them eternal peace of mind. But under fate's wheel, without the courage and resolve to resist destiny, even the mightiest power ultimately becomes nothing but a prisoner and pawn]
Mephisto was indifferent to mortals' endless debates about power rankings. From the Fae's perspective, all beings truly were equal.
But even Faust thought Mephisto was being a bit high-handed about this.
"Most people aren't trying to resist fate. Being fate's wheel's dog is a blessing you couldn't earn if you tried!"
How could the Fae, born sacred and noble, understand the joy of mortal life breaking through its limits bit by bit?
Anyway, Faust was quite satisfied.
Reaching [Elite] on the [Martial Saint] path made Faust very happy. Even though he'd already climbed to [Elite] and was pushing toward [Master], this was completely different!
[Sovereign Ruler] was essentially a development-focused path. Almost all its traits accelerated growth speed, with very limited boosts to actual combat power. Most of the time, [Sovereign Ruler] provided buffs to your territory.
If you could reach [Hero] or even higher tiers of [Sovereign Ruler], you wouldn't have to do anything and your domain would still enjoy favorable weather, good governance, and harmony among the people.
That was truly ruling by doing nothing.
[Martial Saint], on the other hand, was a completely pure combat-focused path. Most human kingdoms didn't have the credentials to pass it down; only sufficiently ancient kingdoms could birth schools of it.
With just part of [Martial Saint]'s strength, Faust figured he could easily take on seven or eight of his former self.
Faust looked at the Fae lady carefully grooming the hair by his shoulder and asked:
"Teacher Mistoria, are you still planning to stay in Aurum?"
Mistoria twisted a highlighted strand from her forehead. "I don't have much left to teach you. By rights, I really should continue my exile..."
"That's not true at all!"
Faust immediately interrupted.
"Please stay in Aurum. I haven't properly thanked you for teaching me yet."
The Fae Martial Saint lowered her eyelids slightly and shook her head gently.
"There's nothing to be grateful for. If I had to say, I'm the one asking something of you. As long as you come to the Kingdom of Darkfold later, that's enough."
"Whoa..."
Though Faust didn't know what fate Mephisto had loaned him into, and those in the know weren't talking, it was obvious that Mistoria took this very seriously.
So he latched onto this point and started playing dirty:
"Teacher Mistoria, the reason you wander everywhere seems to be looking for someone, right? If I'm the person you're looking for, you should stay. You expect me to go all the way to distant Darkfold alone? If you won't take me there, then forget it."
The Fae lady's golden eyes immediately widened at this, showing an expression that said, "Hey, that's not fair."
Faust waved his hand.
"Why can't I do this? Since you won't acknowledge us as teacher and student, we have no relationship then, do we?"
Mistoria finally understood. She stared at the Prince of Aurum with very serious eyes. After a long moment, she finally said:
"In that case, I'll... temporarily stay for now, until you're ready to go to the Kingdom of Darkfold."
The moment she finished speaking, Faust immediately changed his tune and, without taking no for an answer, thrust upon the Fae lady the position of guest elder.
On the way back to his bedchamber, His Highness's steps were much lighter.
Great! Successfully kept the Fae Martial Saint in Aurum!
Though Mistoria said she wouldn't get involved in human conflicts, people aren't unfeeling plants, and even the Fae develop emotions. How much more so for a Fae lady who seemed so innocent?
Over these past days, Faust had pretty much figured out his teacher's personality. Though her bones carried that inescapable Fae sense of superiority, her nature was definitely kind.
If the people around her really faced danger, could she really hold back from helping?
[You went to great lengths to recruit this Fae. Honestly, it's not necessary. Her usefulness is really limited... But if you're trying to get her into bed, then I'd say it's very necessary. Fully support it]
"Mephisto, that's outrageous! Even I understand respecting my teachers!"
Faust sternly rebutted the Fae's malicious assumptions about him. Heaven and earth as witness, he harbored no such shameful intentions... at least not right now.
Setting that aside, just the feeling of collecting them all really fascinated Faust.
Returning to his bedchamber, Faust prepared to wash up first. In the large bathroom filled with warm jade and rising steam, the maids who'd been following behind eagerly came forward to remove the Prince of Aurum's clothing.
Faust stood before the full-length mirror, observing his increasingly perfect, muscular physique honed through [Martial Saint] training, quite satisfied.
He spread his arms, letting the maids serve him.
"Crack, crack..."
Just from moving his arms a bit, slight crisp popping sounds came out, as if his bones were stretching themselves, his muscles and blood roaring in celebration.
This abundant sense of power was something he'd never possessed before. Only the purest body-training path could provide it.
Just absorbing a bit of the surface of the [Sanctified Flesh] trait could do this; who knew how incredible the complete [Sanctified Flesh] would feel.
In the hazy mist, Faust couldn't help but let out a long breath, intoxicated.
"Your Highness, congratulations."
Faust's chief palace maid was a mature, gentle big sister with emerald hair. She extended her delicate jade hand to wash the prince's back, saying softly:
"You've easily captured a Fae."
Faust laughed. "Don't judge others by yourself. Mistoria is my teacher. Besides, Teacher Mistoria has no such worldly desires."
Mistoria's [Sanctified Flesh] trait let her completely control her own hormone secretion, allowing the Fae lady to purely devote herself to martial arts. Aside from her love of sweets and loyalty to her homeland, Faust couldn't detect any other emotions from Mistoria.
"It's only a matter of time, though."
The emerald-haired chief maid greedily absorbed the rich, mellow hormonal scent from the prince's body and laughed mockingly.
"Even if she's a Fae, she's still just a woman. No female can escape your masculine charm. Absolutely none."
Not just the chief maid; the other maids present all nodded in deep agreement. The looks they directed at Faust were filled with the purest fervor and worship.
Faust quite enjoyed this gaze that treated him as master, so he didn't bother correcting the chief maid's presumptuous mistake.
[I mention it once and you scold me, but when others say it, it's fine? Aren't we contractors bound by life and death? This unfair treatment really hurts my feelings]
Hey, Mephisto, shut up! Don't ruin my mood!
[But this maid did remind me, you really could develop more in this direction. Maybe it'll awaken your Primal path]