Strax found Mercedes and Vex in one of the inner gardens of the northern castle.
The area had been rebuilt after the events in the Heart Chamber, although part of the blue ice remained thicker than normal around the walls. Mercedes preferred to keep that additional layer for safety. Frieren had already confirmed several times that the connection to the desert had disappeared, but the Ice Monarch did not intend to rely solely on a mage’s word when her daughter had been directly involved in the imprisonment of an ancient entity.
Vex sat on a small formation of ice, watching two white creatures chase a ball made of compacted snow. They resembled foxes, although they had larger ears and three thin tails. Whenever one managed to touch the ball, the other threw itself on top, and the two rolled through the garden, scattering snow over the frozen plants.
Strax stopped beside Mercedes.
"She looks well."
"She is well," Mercedes replied. "She slept through the entire night, ate normally, and spent the whole morning asking whether she could adopt those two things."
Vex raised a hand when she noticed his presence.
"Dad!"
She climbed down from the ice formation and ran toward Strax. He crouched in time to receive her, lifting her with one arm before she collided with his chest. Vex immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and began talking about the foxes, explaining that one of them was intelligent and the other was very stupid, although Strax could not identify which was which.
He listened without interrupting.
Then he discreetly examined her eyes, the mana circulating through her body, and any possible reaction from the crown hidden within her existence. He found nothing abnormal. The cold energy remained stable, without pulses coming from the desert or strange images passing through the child’s consciousness.
"Did you have any dreams?" Strax asked.
Vex thought for several seconds.
"I dreamed I was eating a mountain."
Mercedes raised an eyebrow.
"What was it made of?"
"Candy."
"Then it does not count."
Vex appeared offended by the conclusion but soon returned her attention to the foxes. Strax placed her on the ground, and the child ran toward the animals again, apparently already having forgotten the question.
He watched her with a small smile.
"She really does not remember?"
"Very little," Mercedes replied. "She remembers being afraid, that you appeared, and that she needed to stay hidden for some time. She does not remember the eye, the voice, or the other crowns. Whenever I try to ask, she begins talking about something else."
"Children truly are incredible."
"Or the crown itself is protecting her mind."
Strax considered the possibility. It did not seem impossible. The authority within Vex had already demonstrated that it could react autonomously when the entity tried to reach the other anchors. Perhaps it was also capable of hiding dangerous memories until she was mature enough to understand them.
Even so, as long as the child continued smiling and playing, he had no intention of forcing those memories to return.
Mercedes remained silent for some time before changing the subject.
"When are you going to the tomb?"
Strax looked away from the foxes.
"Which one?"
"The ice dragon’s tomb."
He understood immediately.
The ancient creature remained sealed beneath the northern mountains. Her body had been preserved by the cold, and much of her draconic authority remained intact despite her death. Strax had already examined the remains and claimed that he could bring her back, provided he possessed a core capable of replacing the destroyed heart.
"I can do it at any time," he replied. "I only need Frieren to create a draconic heart. Asgard has the necessary materials. It should take a few days."
Mercedes turned fully toward him.
"Then why have you not revived her yet?"
"Because this is not the right time."
The answer was simple, but Mercedes continued waiting.
Strax released a small sigh.
"We just came out of a war. Asgard is still inspecting the desert, the North is still reorganizing the Heart Chamber, and Vex has finally returned to normal. Reviving an ancient dragon without knowing how she will react would mean adding another problem before we finish dealing with the current ones."
"She belonged to the North."
"That does not mean she will wake up obedient."
Mercedes narrowed her eyes.
"You believe she might attack us?"
"I believe someone who died and wakes centuries later might do anything."
Strax rested his hands on the ice railing surrounding the garden.
"I also do not know how much of her memory will be preserved. Perhaps she will wake knowing exactly who she is. Perhaps she will remember only her death. Perhaps the artificial heart will interfere with her personality. Frieren needs to finish the tests before I place a new core inside a dragon capable of freezing an entire mountain range."
Mercedes did not appear satisfied, but she recognized the logic.
"You still intend to do it."
"Yes."
"When?"
"When I am certain that if something goes wrong, Vex will not be nearby."
The Ice Monarch looked toward her daughter. Vex now carried one of the foxes in her arms while the other tried to climb her clothes.
"She will want to meet the dragon."
"After we confirm that the dragon does not intend to eat her."
"You always imagine the worst."
"That is why I am usually prepared."
Mercedes released a short breath, almost a laugh, and leaned beside him again. The two remained watching Vex for several more minutes, allowing the garden’s tranquility to fill the space left by their conversation.
...
In Asgard, Zi Bai was discovering that assuming a human form involved problems far more confusing than learning to walk on two legs.
She sat in the center of a large room, wearing her white-and-gold hanfu while watching Lithara and Albedo arrange cushions around her. The door had been locked, the windows closed, and Lithara had created a small barrier to prevent anyone in the corridor from listening.
Zi Bai followed everything with increasing attention.
"Why do we need a barrier?"
"Because the subject is intimate," Lithara replied.
Albedo nodded, although she looked far less comfortable than the Succubus Queen.
"Extremely intimate."
Zi Bai continued waiting.
Lithara sat in front of her, crossed her legs, and assumed an expression far too serious for someone about to begin that conversation.
"Now that you possess a human form, there are certain things you need to understand."
"About combat?"
"About sex."
Zi Bai blinked once.
Albedo looked away toward the wall.
Lithara continued before the silence became strange.
"You like Strax."
"Yes."
"Not in the same way you liked him when you were merely his mount."
Zi Bai thought carefully.
"I would still like to carry him."
"That can be part of it," Lithara murmured. "Depending on the position."
Albedo covered part of her face with one hand.
"You promised you would explain this normally."
"I am explaining."
Zi Bai watched the two of them.
"I know what reproduction is."
"Reproduction and sex are not exactly the same thing," Lithara explained. "Sex also involves pleasure, intimacy, desire, and certain very specific ways of making a man completely lose the ability to think."
"And you want to teach me that?"
"We are succubi," Albedo replied, trying to recover some of her dignity. "Understanding desire, seduction, and pleasure is part of our nature."
Lithara leaned slightly forward.
"Besides, Strax is not a simple man. He possesses absurd endurance, far too much energy, and an irritating tendency to keep functioning when anyone else would already have passed out. You cannot simply lie down and wait for everything to happen."
Zi Bai listened as though receiving an explanation about cultivation.
"What should I do?"
Lithara smiled.
"First, you need to learn how to awaken his lust. Strax reacts better when a woman demonstrates confidence. You should touch him, provoke him, and make it clear that you know exactly what you want."
Albedo added, still slightly nervous:
"You also need to control your own body. Breathe correctly, adjust your hips, and do not try to crush him with the same strength you used during the hug."
Zi Bai nodded.
"That sounds similar to riding."
The two succubi fell silent.
Lithara raised one finger.
"In a way."
"Who stays on top?"
"It depends."
"I can stay on top."
"You can."
"Then I control the movement."
"Exactly."
Zi Bai appeared satisfied with the logic.
Lithara began explaining that strength was not everything and that there were different rhythms, ways of touching, positions, and methods of prolonging pleasure. Albedo tried to add explanations about communication, consent, and how to notice when a partner truly enjoyed something.
The conversation continued for several minutes until Zi Bai asked a simple question.
"Have you had sex with Strax?"
Lithara stopped speaking.
Albedo continued staring at the wall.
Zi Bai waited.
Neither of them answered.
"Have you?"
The silence continued.
Zi Bai tilted her head slightly.
"Have either of you had sex with him?"
Lithara looked toward Albedo.
Albedo looked toward Lithara.
No answer.
Zi Bai began to understand.
"Have you ever had sex with anyone?"
The two remained completely still.
Zi Bai’s expression slowly changed. There was no irritation in it, only the genuine confusion of someone noticing a serious flaw in the lesson she was receiving.
"Does this make any sense?"
Lithara lowered her head.
Albedo did the same.
Zi Bai looked from one to the other.
"You have no experience at all, and you want to teach me?"
"We possess theoretical knowledge," Lithara replied quietly.
"Racial instinct," Albedo added.
"But you have never done it."
"We never had the proper opportunity," Lithara said.
Zi Bai frowned.
"You complained for years that Strax did not look at you."
Lithara seemed to shrink on the cushion.
"I was working on it."
"For years?"
"He was busy."
"With other women," Albedo murmured.
Zi Bai turned her eyes toward her.
Albedo’s hands were clenched over her lap. Her face was beginning to turn red, and she appeared to be fighting a mixture of shame, frustration, and accumulated determination.
"When he returns..." Albedo began.
Lithara raised her head.
Zi Bai waited.
Albedo swallowed before finishing, almost in a whisper:
"When he returns, he is going to come inside me until I pass out."
The room became completely silent.
Lithara’s eyes widened.
Zi Bai watched Albedo with a serious expression, trying to decide whether that was a technique, a promise, or some kind of challenge.
Albedo realized what she had just said and covered her face with both hands.
"I cannot believe I said that out loud."
Lithara slowly recovered.
"That was quite good."
"Do not help."
Zi Bai continued analyzing.
"You intend to pass out?"
"That was not the important part."
"Which part was?"
Albedo could not answer.
Lithara placed a hand on her shoulder.
"The important part is that you finally demonstrated confidence."
"I want to die."
"Not before getting what you just promised."
Zi Bai crossed her arms.
"Then neither of you can teach me through experience."
Lithara took a deep breath and tried to regain control of the lesson.
"We can still teach theory."
"I no longer trust your theory."
"That is unfair."
"You are virgin succubi."
The expression struck them both with brutal precision.
Lithara placed a hand against her chest.
"You did not need to say it like that."
"But it is true."
Albedo still hid her face.
Zi Bai rose from the cushion and adjusted her hanfu.
"I will ask Master directly."
Both of them raised their heads at the same time.
"No!" they shouted.
Zi Bai stopped in front of the door.
"Why?"
Lithara stood so quickly that she nearly tripped over her own legs.
"Because there are things a woman needs to learn before asking a man."
"You did not learn them."
"We are learning together."
Zi Bai looked toward Albedo.
The demoness finally removed her hands from her face, although she remained completely red.
"We can do research," Albedo suggested. "Ask someone with experience."
Lithara nodded quickly.
"An expert."
"Who?"
The two fell silent again.
Zi Bai released a small sigh.
She had mastered cultivation techniques, assumed a human form, defeated some of Asgard’s strongest women, and awakened a magical sword hidden inside a horrible weapon.
Even so, she was beginning to suspect that understanding sex alongside two succubi without any experience would be the most difficult challenge she had faced since returning.
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