Monster Girl Menagerie - Celestial Archive-Chapter 57 - 56 - Modesty

Pyra stepped past the dead log, calmly assessing the half-wilted flower drooping toward the ground. Its petals were purple, with rings of yellow blooming outward. Despite its near-dead state, she knew the flower was anything but.

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This wasn't the first time she had come across a creature of such nature—near death, yet stubbornly clinging to its fragile existence. Sick, dying, yet tenuously holding onto the thread of life. More than inspiring, she found the display horrifying.

Mana didn't work this way. It wasn't supposed to work this way.

Ignoring the sight of corruption, she tightened her grip on the warm limb and trudged forward. The constant presence of watchful, jealous eyes bore into her head, but she chose to ignore that too.

"Spirit Ascension is much like Spirit Call, except it allows for something called Ascended Form, which grants a flat 50% increase to all attributes. However, it only lasts one minute."

As she listened to his explanation, a thoughtful expression crossed her face. Pyra couldn't help but find this new talent particularly fascinating. A 50% boost to all attributes wasn't just a leap in strength—it was a leap in talent, skill, everything. It was so massive that she found it nearly impossible to believe."And since Amara is already so strong..." Tania trailed off, glancing at the vampire.

Amara caught the cue and said, "I should be able to face even S-Rank hunters in terms of sheer attributes. And given my talents, they aren't even that much of a problem."

There were only twenty or so S-Rank hunters in the entire kingdom. Suffice it to say, their group was already near the top of the food chain after just a dozen or so level-ups. What would happen when Markus reached A-Rank—or even S-Rank? How would their attributes look then? Pyra felt her interest growing by the second.

"Of course, I can't really use the talent at the moment because of my mana deficiency," Markus admitted, earning a frown from Tania. He was quick to console the dwarf, rubbing gentle circles into her palm.

Slick, Pyra thought. Although she often acts clueless and innocent, moments like these make me doubt her.

That said, she didn't truly believe Tania was deceiving them. If anything, the dwarf seemed almost too innocent to be acting shrewd. Except for that time earlier. Even now, the memory of that challenge made Pyra smile.

The duo seemed so put off by her presence that Pyra was beginning to enjoy watching them squirm. One, she knew, was envious. The other seemed almost afraid. It was like taking a toy from a child's hands and watching them go from confusion to despair to full-on crying.

She took no small amount of joy in it.

It probably didn't help that she was more than willing to accept Markus as her lover. Though the nature of the trio's relationship was clear to her, she had no qualms about it. If anything, that only excited her more.

Pyra was similar to Tania in that she didn't remember her past life. The memories of that time were like a deep well of muted darkness—something she could stare into for all eternity yet never receive a single response. While it did bother her deep down, she was far more excited to uncover the meaning of her new existence.

Amara had told her about the Soul Bond that existed between them and Markus. And though the vampire was more knowledgeable when it came to souls, Pyra had something else—magic. She understood the weaving of mana that upheld the world, acting as its foundation.

Many didn't understand that Ifrits were unlike other creatures. They weren't purely physical; a part of them was an element unto itself. This allowed them to form a direct relationship with mana itself. Dragons functioned in a somewhat similar manner, though their senses only reached proper functionality in adulthood.

When viewed from the perspective of the Soul, the bond between them was lopsided. It seemed entirely catered to Markus' wishes, and while Pyra might reluctantly accept that, the same couldn't be said for Amara—or even Tania.

But magic—magic revealed a different side of the story. As the foundational aspect of reality, magic was, in essence, of soul-birthing nature. It understood the Soul and its essence on a fundamental level. And while Pyra wouldn't boast about her talents, she did possess a basic understanding—enough to glimpse another layer of their bond.

The bond wasn't forced. It was consensual.

In simple terms, they had chosen to be bound to Markus. Why, however, she couldn't answer.

"Then do we really need Baron's protection?" Tania asked, her brows knitting into a frown.

Markus shook his head. "We're not seeking Baron's protection, but that of the Royal House behind him. Well—technically, we're hoping the Royal Family will act as a deterrent to the Guild. After all, they still have plenty of strong hunters."

The Hunters' Guild had three hunters—including the founder—who ranked among the top ten in the entire kingdom. If even some S-Rank hunters ranked below them, that spoke volumes of their strength.

"If it really comes down to it, I'm not afraid of facing them," Amara said, her eyes shining with cold determination.

Pyra had no doubt she could face them. But honestly, they didn't need to. With the strength she possessed, she could just kill a few A-Rank monsters, help Markus break through to B-Rank or even A-Rank, and then double—or even triple—her attributes.

"I don't think that's something we should worry about," Pyra remarked, her eyes twinkling like stars. "You know what they say: Eat, sleep, rut, and repeat—the true way of life. I couldn't agree more."

The way her words nearly caused Tania to trip and earned her a look of revulsion from Amara? Immensely satisfying.

After all, how was it her fault that the duo seemed too apprehensive to match her bold moves?

Honestly, she was at least somewhat sympathetic to Amara. It was obvious the vampire was struggling with something, and after observing her for the past couple of hours, Pyra had hazarded a guess.

Amara was lost.

She had started something she had no experience in, and now she couldn't even see it through to the end without damaging her pride. Pyra thought it was petty—but then again, it was Amara. She was probably waiting for Markus to make the first move.

Given their current situation and the threats he was dealing with, though, Pyra wouldn't bet on her odds.

I should've realized what you meant when you said you were something of an oddball in your community," Amara said. "With the way you behave, I would've taken you for a goblin on steroids."

Though it was an insult, Pyra accepted it with a brilliant smile. "Well," she said, "at least I'm not afraid to show my affection in public—unlike some people." To emphasize her point, she pressed her bosom against Markus' arm.

"Ahem." Before Amara could voice her undoubtedly rude thoughts, Markus interjected with a cough. That earned him a glare from the vampire, and Pyra couldn't help but think this was exactly why the two struggled to mend their relationship.

She's going to have to do something about that attitude if she wants to maintain a healthy relationship—especially with this level of competition, Pyra mused thoughtfully.

"I'm sure we have much to discuss and even more to plan, but if you two keep hurling insults at each other, we're likely to reach our destination too late," Markus said, shifting his gaze between Pyra and Amara. Seeing his words met with silence, he smiled and added, "Then let's continue our journey."

Pyra said nothing more, calmly enjoying the warmth of her man. Her man, she thought with a snicker. The concept might have Tania blushing and Amara floundering, but she didn't share the same modesty.

Her thoughts were simple: if her past self had entrusted herself to Markus, then she must have done so for a reason. Whatever the case, Pyra was not reluctant to embrace her new life. And honestly? It wasn't bad at all.

With Markus, she could build a new home. She might have her differences with her fellow summons, but she was sure they could work them out over time. Given enough time, things would likely fall into place.

"Strange."

She heard Markus mutter and glanced up. He was frowning, a hand pressed to his chest—right where his heart should be.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Markus shook his head, his brows furrowing deeper. "I don't know," he said, uncertainty lacing his voice. "I just felt my mana take a severe drop. I—"

He suddenly froze, eyes widening.

"No way..."

Pyra didn't need to see his Soul Record to understand what was happening. The evidence was blatant—the faint shimmer that flickered across his skin.

"It's gone up to 98%."

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