Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Pain & Taboo Chapter 98: Those Who Love You, and the One Who Will Never Let Go Meanwhile— In the inn OpenYourPussy, in a quiet chamber, Zara and Neko sat together, engaged in light conversation. But Neko wasn’t truly present. Her body was there, but her mind drifted far away. Zara noticed. "What’s wrong?" she asked gently, voice soft like silk. "You’re barely listening to me. What’s going on in that head of yours?" To Neko, Zara was the most caring person she knew. Yes... even more than— "I wish Noah treated me the way you do," Neko said wistfully. Zara’s heart tightened at the words. It hurt—because it was true. Zara, a stranger by comparison, had shown Neko more comfort than her own master. What a cruel truth. Zara’s smile faltered. She wished, even if secretly, that she could be the one to receive the kind of love Neko held for Noah. But this moment wasn’t about her desires. She moved closer. Neko, in her human form, sat quietly, eyes distant. Zara gently took her hands. "You can talk to me," she said, her voice full of patience. "You know that, right?" Neko looked up, her violet eyes meeting Zara’s black ones. She sighed. "I just feel... distant from him. It wasn’t like this back at the Weaverheart estate. We were always together. We trained, we played. I was always by his side." She smiled faintly, but it was a broken kind of smile. "I remember the first time we touched... he looked so happy. I didn’t know why, but it filled me with so much joy." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "But ever since we came to the academy... he barely has time for me. He left me with you and just disappeared." She swallowed hard. "And now... there are other girls. The sword freak. The Saintess. That little green one. Sophie. Ester..." Her eyes began to glisten. "I... I’m scared." Tears rolled down her cheeks, falling one after another. Zara’s heart clenched. Without hesitation, she pulled Neko into an embrace, holding her tightly. But Neko only cried harder, as if something inside her had finally broken loose after being held back for far too long. "I’m afraid, Zara." Hic. Hic. "I’m afraid he doesn’t need me anymore. I’m afraid he doesn’t love me anymore. I’m afraid... that I’m useless to him. That he’ll abandon me." Her sobs were desperate now. "I couldn’t take that. I’ve known him my entire life. I was there when he was born. I’ve watched him grow. I love him. I really do. Deeply." She cried again. And again. And again. Her grief was so raw, so deep, that even Zara—who had mastery over emotions—found herself overwhelmed. She felt something she had never truly experienced before: Empathy. A deep, aching empathy for Neko. "I’ve searched for anything—anything I could do for him," Neko said between hiccups. "Some role that only I could fill. But..." She laughed bitterly. "Noah’s a monster. He doesn’t need anyone. He already has the people he wants." "I’m just... an A-rank beast. Nothing special. Any of his teammates could probably kill me with one hand." Another laugh—hollow and self-deprecating. And then silence. The kind that feels too heavy for words. Neko had cried herself to sleep, her body finally giving out under the weight of her emotions. She had tried so hard to act normal in front of Noah. To not bother him. But Noah... He hadn’t even noticed. So entangled in matters with higher beings, divine realms, and celestial pacts, he had begun to forget the ones who had been there from the start. Especially Neko—the one who had helped him take his first steps into this world. Without her, Noah wouldn’t even be standing before a goddess right now. A tragic truth. Zara looked at Neko’s tear-stained face. She wasn’t good at comforting others. So she said nothing. She simply stayed beside her, offering warmth and quiet companionship. She smiled, sadly. "When..." she whispered to herself. "When will I have someone who loves me the way you love Noah?" She looked up at the ceiling, trying not to cry herself. Because it was painful. Painful to carry only the most negative emotions inside. Painful to always be the one giving—never receiving. She chuckled bitterly. "You said you’d teach me love..." "But how can you do that, if you can’t even care for someone who loves you this much?" At that moment— [Zara’s feelings have decreased to 30%.] Noah had made his first true mistake. And truly...what a shame. ... While Zara and Neko wrestled with their pain— There was one woman who would never curse Noah. Never resent him. Never doubt him. A woman who would gladly destroy the world, or herself, a thousand times over—if it meant saving him. Selene Weaverheart. Noah’s mother. At that moment, in the Weaverheart estate, Selene sat in Noah’s old room. A room immaculately cleaned. She sat on the edge of his bed, clutching a letter in her trembling hands. No ordinary letter. A letter from her son. She had read it millions of times with her SS-rank mind—memorizing every word, every stroke of his handwriting. A smile touched her lips, but her eyes shimmered with sadness. "My sweet baby... I miss you so much," she whispered. The ache in her heart was unbearable. Not seeing Noah for so long—it was driving her insane. And at last, she realized something terrifying. She couldn’t live without him. Not truly. She had stayed away from the academy so as not to burden him. To give him space. To avoid being seen as controlling. But now? She was unraveling. Only the arrival of his letter had stopped her from flying to his side immediately. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞 But even that small comfort was not enough anymore. She pressed the paper against her chest. "I know you’re not telling me everything... only mundane details," she said quietly. "I know you too well for that." Still, she forced herself to trust him. To not invade his privacy. But... "I can’t hold on anymore, my baby." Her voice broke. Her body trembled. She needed him. His warmth. His voice. His presence. Her son. Her dear baby. Her...love— And just like that, something shattered within her. A wall she had built. A barrier she had fought so hard to maintain. A line that should never be crossed. But it had crumbled. And now... She couldn’t deny it anymore. She loved her son— Not just as a mother. But as a woman. "Are you sure, Selene?" a voice asked. Luminara appeared in front of her, her purple eyes locked onto Selene’s. Solemn. Knowing. "If you accept this feeling, there’s no turning back." "You’ll bear a taboo," she said. "The world will scorn you. Him too. What will they think of this...?" Selene smiled. A crazed, broken smile. "If the world dares stop me... then let it be frozen for all eternity," she said, voice sharp with pain and defiance. "I’m tired, Luminara. Tired of suppressing myself. It’s suffocating." She looked to her guardian beast. The one who had always known. The one who had been with her since childhood. Tears welled in Selene’s eyes as she whispered: "Do I not deserve happiness? Do I not deserve to love and be loved in return?" "All I want is him. I don’t care about anything else." Luminara looked back at her. She sighed. Then, she transformed—taking her human form. A breathtaking woman with white hair, purple eyes, feline ears, and a long, elegant tail. She walked over and embraced Selene tightly. "You deserve it, Selene," she whispered. "You deserve to be loved. And you deserve to be happy." They looked at each other. Eyes the same shade of violet. They smiled— A mad, obsessive smile. "If the world objects..." "Then let it freeze forever." At that moment— [Selene’s feelings for you have increased to 100%.] —End of Chapter 98—