Thank you [MonsterGirlHarem] for your gift – A Car
Thank you [UpUpDowndown] for your gift – A Car
Thank you [DistortedInk] for your gift – A Car
Thank you [Even_Gods_Can_Die] for your gift – A capsule
Thank you [DrakeBlackStorm] for your gift – A capsule
I am truly grateful for your gifts—truly, truly grateful. Thank you! (^_^)
---------
"No."
Carmilla continued shaking her head. Although her breathing was already unsteady, she still tried to keep her voice calm. "I can endure it myself."
Erik looked at the woman lying in the hospital bed. "How are you going to endure it? By continuing to burn away your rank?"
Carmilla’s expression immediately changed. Erik knew he had guessed correctly, while the nurse standing beside them could only sigh. "If Madam continues forcing herself like this, she may fall another stage."
"It doesn’t matter." Carmilla pursed her lips, her fingers slowly tightening around the blanket.
Erik frowned. "You fell all the way from Diamond to Silver, and you still say it doesn’t matter?"
Carmilla lowered her head. To her, rank seemed to have become nothing more than a number she could discard at any moment. A woman once known as the Succubus War Goddess, who had fought outside the safe zone and used her power to protect an entire battlefront, could now say the words "it doesn’t matter" so casually.
Because she had burned herself too many times.
She had done it until she became accustomed to it, until she no longer considered her strength, lifespan, or future to be things worth cherishing.
Erik did not like that.
"I won’t allow it."
Carmilla immediately raised her head. "Erik..."
"You said you would work for me." Erik looked directly into her dark red eyes. "I don’t need a subordinate who burns through her cultivation every few days."
Carmilla parted her lips slightly but did not know how to answer. In the end, she could only say quietly, "But a kiss from you..."
"I already told you. It’s your wages."
"But..."
"Carmilla."
Erik’s voice grew slightly heavier. Carmilla immediately fell silent, no longer daring to object.
He turned toward the nurse. "Prepare the medicine."
"Yes." The nurse quickly took out a vial of pale blue medicine. Carmilla still wanted to say something, but when she saw Erik’s expression, she could only turn her face away.
The needle pierced her arm, and the solution was slowly injected into her body. After a while, Carmilla’s breathing became somewhat steadier, but the heat inside her had not diminished by much. The nurse withdrew the needle and said, "The medicine will take approximately ten minutes to take effect. If there is a small amount of life-energy contact during that time, it will be much more effective."
Erik nodded. The nurse gathered her equipment and left the room, with Runi standing to follow her. After taking a few steps, Runi turned back to look at Carmilla, her expression still filled with concern.
"Madam..."
"Get out." Carmilla’s face immediately turned red.
Runi pursed her lips and tried to suppress her laughter. "Yes."
The door closed, and the room immediately fell silent. Only the monitoring device beside the bed continued producing steady beeps.
Carmilla lay there while Erik sat beside her. For several seconds, neither of them spoke. She looked down at her hands—hands that had once wielded a sword, signed contracts worth hundreds of millions, and managed an entire family alone.
Now, they were trembling simply because a man was sitting less than half a meter away from her.
"Erik."
"Hmm?"
"I’m sorry."
Erik immediately felt another headache coming on. "What are you apologizing for this time?"
"For making you do this."
"Carmilla." Erik sighed, his voice softening. "I’m not doing this against my will."
Her dark red eyes trembled slightly. "Really?"
"Yes." Erik extended a hand toward her. "Come here."
Carmilla stared at his hand for a long time. Only then did she slowly move closer, her movements so cautious that she looked nothing like the woman who had once stood on the battlefield.
Erik did not wait for her to continue hesitating. He wrapped an arm around her back and pulled Carmilla into his embrace.
Her entire body immediately stiffened.
For a moment, Carmilla did not know what to do. His firm chest was right in front of her, one arm wrapped around her waist while his other hand rested gently against her back. Erik’s warmth passed through the thin hospital gown, enveloping her body, which had always been cold from weakness.
The masculine scent on his body was very faint and not overwhelming, but the distance between them was so small that Carmilla could not pretend she did not notice it.
She had once had a Partner, but there had been almost nothing that could be called tenderness between them in her memories. Naron needed someone to care for him, so Carmilla cared for him. Whatever he wanted, she prepared it. After Nathan was born, that man had not even wanted to touch her anymore.
Twenty-five years.
Carmilla had almost forgotten what it felt like for a man to approach her of his own accord. Much less what it felt like to be held like this—not because the other person wanted to take something from her, nor because of some obligation.
Erik simply held her in his arms.
’So warm.’
The moment that thought appeared, Carmilla’s nose began to sting. Her hands, which had been resting between them, slowly grasped Erik’s shirt. Her grip was extremely light, as though she feared that if she used too much strength, he would immediately push her away.
Erik noticed, but he said nothing. He merely stroked her back gently, once and then again. Every movement was slow, gradually causing Carmilla to close her eyes.
The thirst within her body still remained, but another feeling began to grow stronger.
It was not desire.
It was a sense of security.
Something Carmilla had lacked for far too long.
Naron had never given it to her. Nathan had never given it to her either. In that enormous house, Carmilla had always been the one who needed to remain standing so everyone else could lean on her.
No one ever asked whether she was tired or in pain. Even less had anyone ever told her:
You can lean on me.
Until now.
A tear rolled down her cheek and soaked into the chest of Erik’s shirt. He lowered his head to look at her. "Does it hurt?"
Carmilla hurriedly shook her head. "No."
"Then why are you crying?"
She did not answer immediately. She merely tightened her grip on his shirt a little. Her voice was already choked when she finally spoke.
"I just feel... I never knew being held could be this warm."
Erik paused.
It was an extremely simple sentence, but he understood far more from it than he could have from any lengthy explanation. He tightened his arms around her. Carmilla immediately trembled before completely relaxing in his embrace.
She no longer forced herself to keep her back straight or tried to appear calm. She buried her face against Erik’s chest and wrapped both arms around him.
For the first time, Carmilla truly allowed herself to lean on someone else.
"Can I..." she asked very quietly. "Can I stay like this a little longer?"
"Yes."
That single word made Carmilla cry even harder. This time, however, her tears no longer carried despair. Her shoulders trembled as she tried not to make a sound, merely holding Erik as though she wanted to make up for twenty-five years of emptiness in those few short minutes.
Erik did not rush her.
He let her cry.
A long time passed before Carmilla’s breathing gradually stabilized. Her body was still hot, but the trembling caused by desire had noticeably subsided. Erik gently moved her away from him. Carmilla immediately felt a trace of loss, but his hand had already lifted her chin.
Her dark red eyes were still wet, and her cheeks were deeply flushed. At such a close distance, Carmilla hardly dared to look directly at him.
"Close your eyes."
She immediately obeyed. Her eyelashes trembled violently.
Erik lowered his head and gently pressed his lips against hers.
It was only a very brief touch, yet Carmilla immediately opened her eyes, her expression completely blank as though she did not understand what had just happened.
Erik chuckled softly. "That was a kiss."
Carmilla’s face immediately turned red all the way to her ears. "I... I know."
"You don’t look like you know."
"I..." Carmilla could not continue.
Erik lowered his head again.
The second kiss lasted longer, but it remained very gentle. Carmilla’s lips were soft, but she was completely inexperienced. She did not know how to respond or where to place her hands. In the end, she could only clutch Erik’s shirt.
Erik did not rush her.
He guided her little by little.
After a while, Carmilla finally tried to respond. Her movements were very light and cautious, but when she realized Erik was not pushing her away, all the emotions she had suppressed in her heart began to break free.
Carmilla’s arms slowly wrapped around his neck, and her soft body pressed closer against him. The kiss, awkward at first, gradually became more passionate, but it was not merely because of a Succubus’s instincts.
Carmilla desperately wanted to hold on to this feeling.
Warmth.
Being chosen.
Being needed.
Being held in the arms of the man she liked.
’Just a little longer.’
Carmilla had told herself those words countless times over the past twenty-five years. Whenever she burned away her rank, she told herself, Just a little longer. Whenever she drank blood to suppress her hunger, she told herself the same thing.
When Naron treated her coldly, she could only grit her teeth and think, Endure a little longer.
But this time was completely different.
Carmilla no longer wanted to endure.
She wanted to be greedy. She wanted to hold on. She wanted to feel more.
Erik pulled his lips away slightly, but Carmilla instinctively followed him. The moment she realized what she had done, her body immediately stiffened. Her lips had only just parted to say, "Sor—"
Erik placed a finger against her lips.
"You’re forbidden from apologizing."
Carmilla blinked. Then the corners of her lips slowly curved into a small smile.
It was the first time Erik had seen her smile without the slightest trace of exhaustion.
At that moment, the monitoring device beside the bed suddenly released a warning.
Beep!
Carmilla flinched, and Erik also turned toward it. The magical symbols on the screen were changing continuously.
[Body energy rising rapidly.]
[Re-stabilizing energy pathways.]
[Current Level: Silver Stage 8.]
Carmilla’s eyes widened. "What?"
An invisible wave of energy began to emerge around her. Her long black hair lifted slightly, while extremely faint red lines spread beneath her skin.
[Silver Stage 9.]
Carmilla was completely stunned. "I..."
She immediately closed her eyes and focused on what she was feeling.
It was true.
The power that had once been so familiar it had nearly become part of her body was returning.
This was not new energy.
It was something she had once possessed.
The energy pathways that had been drained dry over many years began to reopen, like a riverbed that had long since run dry suddenly being connected to its source again. Carmilla looked at Erik, then at the screen, her voice trembling.
"That’s impossible..."
Erik was also somewhat surprised, but he quickly understood.
Carmilla had never lost her foundation. She was not cultivating upward from Silver. She had merely continued drawing out her old strength and burning it away.
It was like taking firewood from a house to keep warm. The house gradually became smaller, but its foundation remained.
Now, the emotions she had lacked for twenty-five years had suddenly been replenished. Her thirst had been soothed, and her body no longer needed to burn itself. The things that had been forced into a deep sleep were also beginning to awaken.
Beep!
The device sounded again.
[Silver Stage 10.]
A stronger pressure appeared inside the room. Runi and the nurse heard the warning from the hallway and immediately pushed open the door and rushed inside.
"Madam!"
The nurse froze the moment she saw the screen. "Silver... Stage 10?"
Runi’s mouth fell open. Carmilla was still sitting in Erik’s arms, her hands resting on his shoulders and her face flushed bright red.
At that moment, however, she had completely forgotten her embarrassment.
"I’m about to..." Carmilla’s voice trembled. "Am I about to return to Gold?"
The nurse immediately stepped forward to examine her. Several seconds later, she raised her head, unable to conceal her astonishment.
"This isn’t a normal breakthrough. Your old energy pathways are recovering. Your previous rank was too high, so your foundation still remains."
She paused briefly. "It’s just that throughout all these years..."
There was no need for her to finish.
Everyone understood.
Carmilla had burned herself away one stage at a time to survive, preserve her sanity, and continue playing the role of a good Partner.
Erik lowered his head to look at the woman in his arms. Carmilla was also looking at him. Her red eyes became wet again, but this time, she smiled.
"Erik..."
"Hmm?"
"I thought..." Carmilla’s voice became choked. "I thought the things I lost would never return."
Erik placed a hand on her black hair. "Then take them back little by little."
Carmilla immediately bit her lip. Tears fell again, but this time, she did not lower her head to hide them. She wrapped her arms tightly around Erik.
Runi turned her face away and wiped her eyes, while the nurse also remained silent. In that cold, white hospital room, Carmilla felt for the first time in nearly twenty-five years that she was not merely living to endure.
Someone wanted her to recover, to become stronger, and to stand again.
Not so that she could continue serving, but because that person genuinely believed she deserved a better life.
Erik gently patted Carmilla’s back, but his gaze gradually deepened.
Meira.
Healing.
Wood.
Support.
Carmilla.
Former Diamond.
Succubus War Goddess.
Epic Talent.
One person to defend the formation and another to shatter the enemy’s formation. In Erik’s mind, the two positions connected to the Myriad Worlds Mirror finally took clear shape.
’Two people. That’s enough.’
Now, all that remained was for him to reach the Silver Rank.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter