When Chrys said she would seriously consider the matter of selection, it prompted the guys to suddenly start showcasing their strengths.

They were careful not to let her body get cold, even placing a handkerchief on a wooden barrel for her to sit on. Noticing she had felt nauseous earlier, they even managed to find and offer her some kind of unknown citrus tea.

Observing them calmly, it became clear that Naskan, with his external achievements and inseparable friendships, and Sol Noctis, with his family qualities, were trying to appeal to her.

Compared to Naskan, the dawn of the divine realm, and Sol Noctis, the closest confidant inheriting the power of the Parent Tree, Axen Arc, the devilkin, seemed to have little to boast about. Yet, shamelessly smiling and remaining silent, Axen suddenly spoke up quietly.

“…I can bring you great satisfaction.”

“Ppuphp!”

Chrys couldn’t help but spit out the tea she was barely managing to drink.

Upon this seemingly insignificant comment, the two men turned their heads in surprise. Everyone there knew what a devilkin’s ‘great satisfaction’ meant. Even Naskan, who had been exuding confidence as if it were natural, suddenly frowned.

After a moment of displeasure, chewing the inside of his cheek, Naskan seemed to have made up his mind and spoke.

“…Chrys.”

“Oh, what?”

“I can bring out two c**cks.”

“…What?”

“Vulgar! Naskandeolux!”

If a devilkin had a pleasure-specific, spiked organ, the dragon race could bring out two snake-like organs.

But the fairies…

“How vulgar, trying to score points with such things!”

Sol Noctis, determined not to be outdone, reached towards the ground. Tender sprouts began to emerge through the moist soil of the forest. Soon, they grew rapidly, reaching Sol Noctis’s waist and bloomed into a splendid flower.

It was a privilege only high fairies, set to inherit the divine power of the Parent Tree, could perform.

Sol Noctis picked the flower, and the plant’s stem grew further, coiling around his arm. He coughed a few times as if embarrassed about what he was about to say next.

“Chryselua, if you like…. being tied up, restrained…”

Chrys stood up abruptly.

“Hey! Sol Noctis! Even you, stop this nonsense!”

“Yeah! That’s so boring, you stupid fairy!”

“Boring? How? I can change the type of flower and its sweet scent every day, and even that can bring satisfaction!”

“What, satisfaction?”

At the tip of the plant Sol Noctis had grown, a phallus-like stem suddenly appeared. Chrys screamed.

“Uwack!”

Clap clap.

Axen Arc applauded.

“…Honestly, I feel like I’m losing out here.”

“Can’t you guys just stop!”

Unable to contain her anger, she kicked the ground furiously.

“What’s with this scoring points and all? If you fight in front of me again, I’ll deduct 5 points each!”

Surprisingly, her words had an effect, and they immediately stopped talking and glared at each other. It was Axen Arc who calmly broke the silence.

“Chrys.”

“What!”

“What is the perfect score?”

Chrys clenched her fists tightly and suppressed her anger. Realizing that she was the real cause of the potential rift and that if a rift did occur, it would be because of these guys, she yelled explosively.

“It’s five points out of five, so figure it out yourselves!”

It was a drastic declaration implying that if they fought in front of her again, it would be over.

❖

Chrys excused herself from them for a moment, needing some time alone regardless of what decision the three men made.

There was only one reason for this.

‘Should I contact the Lord?’

Setting aside her inability to understand the Parent Tree’s attitude, it was troubling that the Lord’s name had been mentioned. She honestly didn’t want to contact the Lord. She didn’t want to reveal her incompetence before fixing the mess she made with the task she had entrusted her with.

“I can take care of you much better than a mere Kiscrios.”

‘What did that mean?’

Chrys wondered, swallowing hard. The magic tool, with a limited number of uses, would break after just a couple more uses. She had to decide carefully.

‘No, I should just contact her.’

After waiting a while for the quiet dial tone, she heard a different sound instead of the Lord’s voice.

Rustle.

“Chrys, you were here.”

“Na, Naskan?”

She quickly disconnected the device and put it away.

“Twilight. Can we… talk for a moment?”

“Uh, yeah!”

Naskan seemed a bit hesitant, which was uncharacteristic of him. Thinking about it, he did become noticeably more reserved when discussing the disasters and rifts, except when talking about the selection.

Could he have something to say about that?

Naskan looked around and found a tree of suitable height, then roughly cleaned the dirty bottom of the tree covered in fallen leaves and dust.

Once she sat down, he knelt on one knee in front of her.

“Give me your hand.”

As Chrys extended her hand, he enveloped it completely with his large one. Just holding hands made her heart flutter. She felt Naskan’s heartbeat, which seemed to have raced as if he had been running.

“Does your head hurt? Feeling very unwell?”

“Ung…”

“If it’s okay with you, can I transfer some of my magic to you?”

She hadn’t thought much of it, assuming it was normal during pregnancy. She was only worried about how to supply magic power.

“I need it, but won’t it be hard on you…”

“I told you I’d take care of you.”

As soon as Chrys nodded, a bit of magic began to flow from their touching hands. Naskan’s warm and heavy magic started to warm her body.

“The efficiency is really bad. The magic channels must have been twisted badly since only a quarter of what you give me is getting through. It’s a waste of magic power.”

“Chrys, there’s nothing wasted on you.”

Even though she barely received only a quarter of Naskan’s magic power, since Naskan inherently had high magic power, she began to feel more comfortable.

“But… what if I have another one of those strange dreams while receiving your magic?”

“You think you’ll have another dream?”

“If it’s my ability, more magic might amplify it.”

“It won’t hurt to try.”

“The Parent Tree called it a disaster, didn’t it? Then receiving magic could be dangerous, and I don’t even know how to handle it.”

As these thoughts crossed her mind, Chrys timidly attempted to withdraw her hand, only to be firmly grasped by Naskan. For a moment, his grip was as desperate as that of a drowning person clinging to a lifeline.

Surprised, she looked up to see Naskan with his face slightly flushed as he uttered.

“Chrys, didn’t you say that what happened earlier was just a dream?”

“But the Lord of the Spirit Realm said otherwise. He called me a disaster. He even said the rifts are my fault…”

Haha.

He laughed out loud, seemingly on purpose. His emotions were transparent, showing clear displeasure.

“I always wondered how long that realm would let an old tree monopolize power. Turns out it’s going senile. Right? Just an old tree living long.”

The heat from Naskan’s magic intensified, and a dense, almost scorching magic flowed into her through his fingers.

“So, you’re saying I have to choose between believing that tree’s nonsensical claims and leaving you in danger or trusting you and helping your health?”

“…Is that what it comes down to?”

At her casual response, Naskan sighed.

“Chrys, I told you. You almost died. Your pregnancy can put your life at risk.”

“So, it’s either I die because of my pregnancy, or we all die together in an apocalypse?”

“The latter isn’t certain.”

“But still…”

“That devilkin earlier just got to the point. You need to find a stable source of magic power soon.”

In the end, she faced a bleak choice—either bring about a disaster or die alone.

__