Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Shadowy Love Chapter 85: Shadowy Love Noah stirred awake after a deep, satisfying sleep. The first thing his eyes met was Leona, standing silently by his bed, watching him. He sighed quietly. Even before being fully awake, he knew — something unfavorable must have happened. He sat up, resting his back against the cold wall, gaze calm but wary. "Leona, how have you been? I hope being with Elijah was... entertaining," he said, his voice still soft with sleep. Leona bowed her head low. "Master, I have been well. As for Elijah..." A smirk played on her lips. "I have good news for you." Noah raised an eyebrow lazily. "Good news? What a delightful surprise." "But first," he added, voice gaining a little edge, "did he manage to kill that beast?" Leona tilted her head slightly, not understanding why he asked that. "No, Master. The beast managed to escape." A simple, pleased smile formed on Noah’s lips. "Good." He stretched his arms slightly, then leaned forward with interest. "Now then — I’m all ears. Tell me the good news." Leona straightened herself, her voice gaining a spark of excitement. "Elijah had a falling out with the royal brothers. He’s alone now — and they no longer have his support for the battle for the throne." Noah’s eyebrow lifted in mild surprise. "Oh? How curious. What happened to cause such a situation?" Leona hesitated for a fraction of a second. But she knew better than to hide it. If he found out from someone else, her life might not be worth much. She bowed her head lower and spoke. "Luke and his lackey attacked Sophie." Silence fell like a hammer. "Come again?" Noah’s voice dropped to a deadly cold tone. The air around him grew heavier. The temperature of the room dropped sharply. Leona visibly shivered. She hurried to explain, tripping over her words in her haste. "Nothing happened to her, Master! They underestimated her. Sophie almost killed them all. They only survived because Teacher Damon intervened!" She rushed the words out, desperate to calm him before he did something drastic. Noah’s gaze narrowed. His voice, low and dangerous, cut through the air. "That’s not the point." He paused, then chuckled coldly. "The point is... what gave them the courage to attack my wife?" Another short silence. Then Noah laughed — a sound without warmth. "Oh, I see now. They must have assumed I was dead. Now they think they can act without fearing my wrath." How very daring. "But still," he said thoughtfully, "why would this cause a separation between them? They should be celebrating." Leona shuffled nervously before answering. "Well... Elijah still sees Sophie and all the other women as his. He said no one should touch them, that he would take care of them himself." Her voice grew smaller. "This made Luke snap... and things happened." "So..." Noah leaned back, laughing louder now. "Elijah still has eyes for my women?" He smirked darkly. "Let him." His silver eyes gleamed with dangerous amusement. "He will face the bitter truth soon enough. That he is nothing. And none of my women care about him." After all... They are all obsessed with me. Noah chuckled softly, satisfied with the thought. "Anything else?" he asked smoothly. Leona swallowed, then finally gathered her courage. "Lucius... the anti-mana guy... is a spy like me," she said in one breath. "He told me my former master wants me to take you to the demon continent as soon as possible. If I fail, both he and I will be killed." She finished, then fell completely silent, head bowed low. Noah blinked once. "Oh? Fine." He said it so simply that Leona looked up in stunned surprise. "You look shocked," Noah teased. "I was already planning to go to the other continent anyway." After all, I need to gain support — and take control of the world — to accomplish what I have in mind. And along the way, search for the other Champions... if they exist. Leona’s eyes lit up in relief. "Thank you, Master. I was... really afraid for my life." Noah laughed lightly. "Afraid of your own Master?" Leona grumbled under her breath. "She’s too scary. You’ll see for yourself. If she told us to bring you there, it means she’s planning to meet you personally." "And, Master..." she added cautiously, "it’s really dangerous. Are you sure you want to go? Your life could truly be at risk." Noah smiled at her — a smile full of terrifying confidence. "Don’t worry. Taking my life isn’t that easy." After all, I have my sugar mommy Elira, my original Shadeva... and my own formidable talents. He smirked. "Yes, killing me is no simple task." Leona said nothing, simply observing the sheer self-assurance radiating off him. Noah stretched lazily. "So, Lucius is a spy? How amusing." He chuckled. "Another one to blackmail, I suppose." He paused, then tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I’m getting really good at blackmailing people... Not good. My reputation will suffer." He mused aloud without any shame. "What will the others think of me? A blackmailing bastard? Damn, that won’t do." "Maybe I should found a Blackmail Association. First rule: never admit you’re a blackmailer." Leona heard everything. Wisely, she chose to exercise her right to remain silent. After all... she already thinks her Master is a blackmailing bastard. Noah abruptly turned his sharp silver gaze on her. "Did you just insult me?" Yelp—! Leona yelped in panic. "No no no, Master! How dare I?!" she said hurriedly, laughing nervously. "I’ll take my leave now, Master! Take care!" She fled. Noah chuckled, watching her scurry away. "How cute," he murmured. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, thinking. Aphasia... He still didn’t have a clear plan for her. Zara and Alice too. But Zara would be easy — Neko would probably sing his praises endlessly, making Zara more open to him. But Aphasia and Alice... He frowned slightly. Alice is a dragon, he thought. Even if, according to Elira, her bloodline isn’t very pure. Still, her talent is evolving toward EX Unique rank... maybe that’s why she’s so quiet lately? Her talent must be unstable. He considered carefully. "What if I help her with that?" Noah muttered. "Maybe by stabilizing her evolution, I can gain more of her affection?" His eyes brightened. It seemed like a feasible plan. "And how?" he mused. "Maybe purifying her bloodline would speed things up." He nodded to himself. "I’ll talk to Elira about it." As for Aphasia... He was still completely in the dark. He scratched his head. "And so..." he said with a smirk, "let’s do it the old-fashioned way." The way of his previous life — Earth. When a man liked a woman, he approached her, stated his intentions. They would talk frequently — the famous ’talking stage’. Then, dates, gifts... and if all went well, a relationship. It was a long game. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮 But Noah didn’t mind. Still, if he was going to start... He would start with a bang. With a flick of his fingers, he summoned the corpse of the Wyvern. As a Creator, Noah could craft anything — as long as he had the right materials. With his Title and his Affinity, even the extraordinary was within his reach. He activated his Title. Rainbow-hued mana whirled around him, condensing into his palm — the power of Creation. The process wasn’t complicated: He needed only a clear image of what he wanted — the structure, the type, the abilities. For Aphasia — a royal elf, sole heir to a continent, master of spirits... "But currently, she’s limited to basic elemental spirits," Noah thought. The rarer spirits — shadows, illusions, death — were harder to control and far more dangerous. But... With the right medium, things could change. "A small bracelet," he decided. "Designed to increase her sensitivity to shadows, and make shadow spirits more receptive to her." "And the name?" He smirked without shame. "Shadowy Love." Cringe? Maybe. But it doesn’t matter. He gave the command silently. Mana drained rapidly from him, engulfing the Wyvern’s corpse in blinding light. shadows swirling, light flickering— Minutes later, the body disappeared completely. In its place was a bracelet — sleek, black, and shaped like a coiled Wyvern. Mystical. Beautiful. ⸻ [Name: Shadowy Love] [Creator: Noah Weaverheart] [Functions:] — Increases sensitivity to shadow elements. — Enhances affinity with shadow spirits. ⸻ Noah smiled, admiring his work. "Well... this will do. Hopefully, you’ll help me win her heart a little faster." —End of Chapter 85—