Sacrifice: Time of Mine

"... what?" Avion made a dumbfounded look. After a pause, he read it again and only the parts about the cheatbook and Nequin made sense.

"What is he talking about?" he asked himself before reading it the third time.

"Is this really it? I don't understand it! What is my father trying to say!?"

Avion thought hard in different angles but he couldn't wrap his head around it.

"What part of this makes sense? What do you mean I'm a different person? What do you mean I'm here for studying? What do you mean you can't wait to get at this point? And do you mean you are the one who gave her the Absol  Mind!?"

Avion's mind was falling to a wreck. He had wondered all his life what his father's explanation for leaving him but now, this is all he got.

"Why can't you tell me why you need to leave!? Is that so hard!? I would rather receive a letter with just a single sentence answering that than this nonsense!"

"..."

Avion dropped to the floor with his back leaning to the table.

"Haaa~~ I guess that's just who he is. Nothing to do about it." he stayed there for a minute that Alisera outside felt the urge to come in and comfort him.

After a minute passed, he stood up and opened the drawers to the table.

"Nope, there's nothing else in here... seriously. Will I grow up like him?"

With nothing to do there, Avion opened the door and saw Arcansas and Alisera far from the door.

"Oh, Avion, you're finally finished." Arcansas waved.

"Avion, took you long enough!" Alisera shouted.

But then, Nequin's neck creepily stretched like a snake to whisper to Avion.

"They eavesdropped, Master Avion."

"Oh..." Avion didn't have a problem with that since he was the one who read it with his voice.

"You snitch!" Arcansas pointed.

"Master Avion is my master!" Nequin defended.

"No, it's fine. It's not like there's anything important in that letter anyway."

"..." there was an awkward silence.

The three didn't know what to say. It was Arcansas who broke the silence.

"Would touching my boobs make you feel better?"

"Eh..?"

"What are you saying!?" Alisera raised her hand and slapped Arcansas' chest, making it bounced.

"Ah! Even if that doesn't hurt, you are not the one I offered my breast! No one can touch them without my permission! Are you not scared of me just blasting you away to ashes!"

Alisera then hid behind Avion and shouted.

"As if you didn't let anyone touch those before, you old hag! I heard you have a lot of descendent, slut! Hag slut!"

Arcansas gasped, "How the fuck can a virgin have descendants!?"

"... virgin?... are you talking about yourself?" Alisera showed a doubtful expression.

"I still have my chastity! I bet when I disappeared many claimed to be my secret child to claim the throne. Damn it, that's why I appointed Quiare at the seat!" Arcansas talked to herself.

"Seriously? Then why do you look at Avion with lust sometimes?"

"With lust?" Avion laughed, "There's no way she's looking at me like that, Alise-"

"Well, look at him, isn't he the most handsome man in the world?"

"Hm, you're correct." both Alisera and Nequin replied, but the former was looking for more reasons.

"Also, who else can stand equal on me, a Rank Eses Elementalist!?"

"There's Nequin." Alisera pointed.

"Didn't I mention handsome, this guy is not only faceless, he's certainly is not human as well!"

"Ouch..." Nequin muttered.

"Also, isn't it about time? I'm already super old but as the leader of the Crome Family, I have to meet their standard. Now that I'm Rank Eses, I definitely think it's time for me to find a partner and blessed be the heavens, Avion showed up!"

"You're... pretty blunt..." Avion didn't know how to respond, except, "But I'm sorry, I already have someone I like."

Alisera brightly nodded.

"Tsk! Is that so?" Arcansas glared at the smug princess.

"Unfortunately, she's not here."

Alisera's bright face suddenly turned dark.

Arcansas didn't let up this chance to laugh at the princess. After laughing, she then asked.

"Also, I'm just trying to cheer you up. So where and who is this woman?"

Alisera then tightened her hugged on Avion's arm.

"Well..."

...

On top of Mt. Hamis. there was a castle. Underneath this castle, there is a room where only one person can enter.

At that moment, that person was in the middle of her ascension... no, at the end of her ascension.

The ground shook and a bright light erupted from the castle at top of the Mt. Hamis.

Jamina, who was carefreely mopping the floor, was startled when everything turned white.

"Wah! What's happening!?"

She panicked. The ground heavily shook, scaring her more. This lasted a few more minutes before it stopped.

"Huh!? It's finally stopping!? Is it the end of the world!?"

"It is not the end of the world, Jamina."

Jamina who was temporarily blinded by the sudden bright light couldn't see who it was. However, just from its voice, she immediately knew who it was.

"Conqueress!?"

"How long was I out?"

"Umm... about two months."

"Two months? That short?" the lady with the long white hair laughed, "It seemed that Avion is abusing his powers."

Obviously, she is none other than Darea. With her eyes still closed, she stretched her body, feeling the new power within her.

"Eh? Oh..." Jamina knows about the fact that Darea is unaffected by Avion's time abilities.

"But the time I used shouldn't reach five years. After all, I used twelve willing Apexial Beasts' energy veins as an anchor, I didn't need another individual like Haliviana."

Jamina nodded even though she doesn't understand anything Darea was saying. 

The Rank Eses Conqueress then walked out to a balcony to sip in fresh air.

"S-so, Conqueress, what do you plan to do now?"

"My plan? I only have one plan. To get stronger and stronger until I reach the true peak!"

Jamina clapped and mindlessly asked.

"Are you going to Avion now?"

"..." Darea paused before responding, "Who cares about that liar? He can have as many women as he wants, he had a lot of them in his priority list, I don't care. I only pursue strength."

"... so you're not going?"

Darea tilted her head up before turning around, defeated, "I am! But just to inform him about my ascension and ask him if he knows about ranking up more."

"Can I come?"

"You will just slow me down... I'll call Sinmei here. You'll ride her."

"Umm... is that fine? I thought their fight out there or something."

"Do you not want to come?"

"I want to!"

"Then I'll go first, Sinmei should already know where I am."