17 I, Your Father! [1]

Mu Xue's cute face looked so beautiful as she leaned over and kissed his face; her soft lips seduced Asura, who enjoyed her sweet scent, like a mixture of the most lovely winter flowers and a sweet dairy dessert.

"I burned the egg a little. Don't be mad, okay?"

Asura didn't look at the information as he focused on Mu Xue's lips, the soft sensation and her beautiful face, using both parts of his mind to focus on each sensation: one his sense of touch and the other sight and smell.

"Even if the egg was charred black, as long as you cooked it... I would eat!"

'Please, save this smile of hers to a part of our memory that never forgets.'

The newly improved mental function was a little strange for him sometimes. He would think to reach for the fork or salt, and his hand already held the shaker due to the second part acting separately while knowing his desires.

He decided to call his new ability - The Devil's Instinct as it worked more like a feeling or instinct than another him thinking independently.

The second part of his mind would perform the actions that he desired or thought.

There weren't any other thoughts that spoke in his mind.

Instead, he would suddenly know some knowledge that he briefly wondered about. Or information on his current state of cultivation that he didn't read or quite understand.

'This is so cool, like I am sleep learning.'

'In combat, it will help greatly with defence and fluid movements.'

With his mind free to focus on the battle like a strategist and tactician, the second part would feed him thoughts faster than the Asura focused on movement and battle, allowing him to block, attack and cast spells using the second section of his mind.

'It seems to drain my Anima faster, though...'

Since he woke up, Asura could feel the exact amount of Anima inside his body, but it was nothing like the knights and other mages spoke of in the past because his Anima was completely fused with his blood.

Rather, blood was an impure and inferior version of life essence so that it could be replaced with the superior fluid.

"The egg is wonderful, Xue'er. Its slight crunch adds a nice texture when mixed with the soft sauce and sausage."

"Eh... are you just saying that?"

He smiled at her doubtful face while eating the last of her cooked eggs, with a devilish smile and taking her legs with his foot.

"It's good. My little wife, cook for me forever."

"Who is your little wife... I am the big wife!" 

"Oh? Xue'er, you speak so well now. Come, let your husband spank your naughty rear!"

'If it wasn't for the smouldering rage in my chest and the feeling of hatred that never dies down, would I not be happy just to spend a quiet life with this woman?'

"Ah!?"

Mu Xue didn't seem reluctant but started to sip her tea and look flushed, her lovely fair skin turning pink as her little feet under the table began to kick Asura's shin gently, her soft pink lips pouting.

He didn't realise that gaining this ability would allow him to capture and fall for this cute existence even more than before.

'I wish those fools were not thinking of my father's land and our secret treasure already.'

'Then I could marry you, have many children, and forget everything.'

'Yet I know we must face all the future battles and strife...'

Asura knew when that voice told him about losing something: his peaceful life and passive mindset that wanted to avoid conflict.

But that didn't mean he would stop trying.

He aimed to become the strongest in the universe and spend quiet, boring days with those he loved.

Especially Mu Xue.

While thinking, my eyes could watch Mu Xue gracefully eating her small bowl of light wonton soup with a little slurping sound as she thought I wasn't listening.

"Cute..." 

"Ah!?"

She dropped her bowl with a bright red face before rushing away with the empty dishes and cleaning them.

'How can anyone not love her?'

***

After breakfast, Mu Xue helped Asura get dressed, which was a blatant abuse of her role and job to touch and caress his body in revenge for his actions during breakfast.

They stood together in a black outfit with dark red ribbons and highlights.

"You look handsome, master." / "You look so beautiful, Xue'er."

A cold flow of icy mana left the body of Mu Xue through their kiss while Asura's nether ice Anima flowed into her. 

Their energies mixed, purifying and improving Mu Xue's and Asura's bodies while improving the pleasure of the kiss, making Mu Xue's breath and saliva sweeter with a minty chill, and Asura's was like honey and lemon, soothing her throat and filling her with warmth.

Pulling apart, the icy strand of saliva joining their tongues was sucked up by the strangely flirtatious Mu Xue, who pressed her lips together and kissed the air after swallowing the last of his frigid Anima.

"Master, your taste is even more delicious than before... Xue'er might get addicted."

"Then fall, become addicted. I won't let you stray from my side, little Xue'er."

"Mmm..."

"Let's go?"

Mu Xue wore a similar outfit to Asura but instead had a long skirt while he wore trousers. She also had a small dagger strapped to her waist, hidden under the skirt, while he kept the lance hidden in the strange storage that came with the monoliths.

Asura held Mu Xue's hand tightly as they left the room and headed downstairs, nodding slightly at the dorm lady who smiled at the pair as the two left unaware of the future, only trusting in each other while tightly holding each other's hand.

***

They arrived at class quite early, with only a few currently present. As planned, they split apart and acted differently from when in private.

Mu Xue hated the idea, but Asura knew some people who wanted to usurp and take his father's land would approach Xue'er first. 

So he wanted to use this to their advantage; in this life, he would find out immediately and not when it was too late.

'Not after she died trying to stop them alone... in that cold place.'

Asura sat on his desk and wrapped his face in his arms, trying to hide the vicious glint in his eye, unable to control the anger within his heart at that image, the snow gently falling like any other winter day in his father's territory...

However, in the courtyard's centre, countless corpses were torn apart by a blade and a beautiful woman's corpse was frozen in the centre, covered in wounds...

'Maybe this was also the curse I accepted by being reborn?'

'Cursed never to forget, whenever I become content with the present...'

'The images of my loved ones' deaths become like realistic daydreams, haunting nightmares in plain sight.'

'A reminder to me.'

'Never forget.'

The door opened as a beautiful woman entered, her soft white hair swaying as she tied it into a side braid today, showing her lovely pointed ears with pink scales along the tip and a small earring with a bronze dragon.

A symbol of her departed father, Valgoza, the unbreakable bronze dragon.

Her eyes glanced at Asura, feeling a disturbance in his aura and scent, causing her heart to squeeze before increasing in pace. Yet, twitching her nose, she rushed to her desk and turned away, breathing heavier as her cheeks turned slightly pink. 

"It wasn't a dream... last night... it was real..." 

Xavida's words trembled as she tightened her fist on the desk, almost clawing the surface with her nails while biting her lower lip.

'Strange... this scent is someone cooking a dark berry with vanilla and cream dessert?'

It wasn't just Xavida who felt something from the hidden changes of Asura. The moment he could smell her scent, the rage and fierce pain in his chest began to fade.

As did the image of Mu Xue and his father being killed.

However, he was yet to realise the link between the two; even as his secondary thoughts noticed the scent from her, he didn't link them together.

He did, however, notice one thing.