My SSS-Rank Innate skill: Infinite Adaptation core

Nyxara immediately shouted,

”Don’t even think about it!”

”Wha—! Wait... it’s not what you’re thinking!”Nova immediately realized what she had assumed and quickly corrected her.

”I just want a powerful communication stone — one that can help me contact a few of my friends on the human continent.”

Nyxara realized she had overreacted. She glared at Nova and said in an irritated voice,

”You’d better be clearer next time... or you might not live long enough to explain yourself.”

You’re the one crazy enough to jump to conclusions right away, and now you’re blaming me? Nova muttered inwardly and simply sighed as he waited for her answer. At the same time, his eyes drifted toward Velena, who was looking at him with clear suspicion.

Nova stiffened slightly under her gaze and quickly put on an innocent expression, as if he had done nothing wrong. He realized the milf-maid was sharp. She had already caught on that something between them had caused Nyxara’s strong reaction.

Fortunately, she didn’t press the matter — a trait Nova found himself liking. Unlike most women, she wasn’t overly nosy. [A/N: My female readers, it’s just a joke.]

Nyxara turned back to him and asked,

”Oh? So you have friends in the human world. Then why didn’t they help you? Are they humans... or demons?”

Nova met her gaze and answered honestly.

”They’re humans. Since I stayed in my human form most of the time, they don’t know I’m a demon. And I don’t plan on revealing it.”

Nyxara stared at him for a second, clearly thinking about something, but she didn’t comment further. Instead, she pulled out a black stone that looked similar to a communication stone, though it was slightly larger and clearly of higher quality.

She tossed it toward Nova.

”This is very valuable. It costs a fortune. Even as royalty, I only have a few of them. If you win the duel, you can keep it as a reward. If you lose... you’ll return it.”

Nova caught the stone and immediately used Absolute Appraisal Eyes on it. It functioned the same as a normal communication stone, but its range and power were far greater and advanced than the one he previously owned.

More importantly, it didn’t require the other party to own a similar stone — the user only needed to remember the target’s mana signature.

He raised his head and said confidently,

”Thank you. And don’t worry about me losing. I assure you... you’ll enjoy the duel.”

Nyxara’s cold expression shifted into a faint grin.

”Velena will show you to your room. You have three days to prepare for the duel. You can practice your abilities in the training area — it’s quite large.”

She stood up and continued,

”I’ll be leaving now. For the time being, rest in your room and don’t leave the mansion without Velena by your side... or I’ll cut off your legs. Velena, send word to the castle that we have accepted the challenge.”

”Yes, Princess.”

Velena stood and bowed respectfully. With that, Nyxara vanished, leaving no trace of where she had gone. Nova stared at the empty space where she had disappeared and asked,

”Where did she go?”

Velena answered calmly,

”I’m not certain... but she may have gone to her mother’s grave. It’s been a hundred years since she last visited that place.”

A look of quiet sympathy appeared in Nova’s eyes. Although Nyxara’s nature was cold, she was far from the ruthless and evil person he had initially imagined.

He understood the sadness of growing up without a parent’s care — he had been an orphan in his previous life as well.

After living three years of warmth and happiness with his new family in this world, he could understand how much she must miss her mother. In some ways, Asia’s story was similar to Nyxara’s, even if the details were different.

He decided to see if he could learn a little more from Velena. She seemed like a kind woman, and more importantly, she had been a close friend of Nyxara’s mother.

”Do you know what happened to Nyxara’s mother?” Nova asked. Velena turned to look at him, her expression remaining as calm as ever.

”I shouldn’t tell you this... but since the Princess seems to trust you, I’ll reveal a little.”

”She was assassinated a thousand years ago. It was done by the current Queen, Lily. Although it was quite obvious that she was behind it, we never had enough solid evidence to prove it. And the Demon Lord did nothing about it... because he favored his second wife more.”

Velena paused briefly before continuing.

”Before her mother was killed, she told me as her personal maid — to take care of her daughter.

Because of that, I trained hard to increase my strength. The Princess did the same. She has always aimed for revenge. Her true goal is to become even more powerful than the Demon Lord himself... and then kill his second wife’s entire family right in front of his eyes.”

Nova remained silent for a moment. Deep down, he couldn’t help but admire Nyxara’s resolve. She had pushed herself relentlessly to reach the Sovereign Realm.

Velena continued,

”And it seems the Demon God has finally begun to favor her... after witnessing her hard work.”

Nova raised his eyebrows.

”What do you mean?”

Velena hesitated for a second, as if carefully weighing whether she should say more. After briefly appraising his intentions, she spoke again.

”Do you really think breaking through to the Sovereign Realm is that easy? She only managed it because she awakened a special bloodline... one that was mentioned in the Demon God’s prophecy.”

”What prophecy?” Nova asked immediately.

”I’m sorry. I can only reveal this much. You are not a member of the Zarok Clan, and I don’t have the authority to speak further unless the Princess decides to tell you herself.”

Nova had already expected that answer, so he wasn’t particularly disappointed. Still, he now understood why Nyxara’s strength had grown so absurdly fast.

{ Yeah... that explains her power at such a young age, } Liya commented. Velena looked at the still-pondering Nova and said politely,

”Lord Nova, you should go and rest now. I’ll take you to your room and bring food in a few minutes.”

Nova nodded, though he wasn’t sure whether he actually needed to eat. Noticing his expression, Velena added,

”Don’t worry. It’s just demonic beast meat. Demons enjoy it... though it is considered poison to humans.”

Nova looked at her, slightly puzzled. He couldn’t help wondering why she had suddenly brought humans and their food preferences into the conversation.

For a moment, he even wondered if she had somehow realized he was originally human — though that should have been impossible.

Velena noticed his gaze. As if understanding what he was thinking, she calmly explained herself.

”Oh... I mentioned that because you have lived your entire life among humans and eaten human food. I simply thought I should tell you that demons normally consume demonic beast meat.”

”I apologize if my words offended you in any way.” Nova stood up and replied with an awkward smile.

”It’s alright. You don’t have to apologize. And please, just call me Nova. I’m not the Princess’s real husband, so there’s no need for such formal courtesy.”

Velena shook her head slightly.

”I understand that. However, since you are helping the Princess, you are a noble man. You also possess a royal bloodline. It is only appropriate for me to address you properly.”

Nova thought inwardly, Seriously... she’s like the final boss of all maids.

{ Next time we have sex, I’ll wear a maid outfit~ Until then, you can try seducing this milf. I won’t mind. }

Liya’s teasing voice rang clearly in his mind. Nova forced himself to ignore her and kept his expression steady as he continued speaking.

”Alright... if that’s how you feel, I won’t stop you. And about the food — I’ve eaten demonic beast meat before. I’ve even tried it raw.”

Velena raised her eyebrows slightly at his words.

”Raw meat? It would be better to cook it. That way it becomes much more delicious.”

”Oh... I just wanted to try it raw once. It wasn’t that good though,” Nova admitted, recalling his first quest.

Velena nodded calmly.

”Don’t worry, Lord Nova. I’ll let you experience how delicious properly cooked demonic beast meat can be. And without meaning to brag... as the proud maid of my Princess, I am quite a skilled cook.”

Nova looked at Velena and couldn’t help thinking that it would be much better if she showed a smile — or any other emotion — on her face. She always spoke with the exact same blank expression.

Maybe she only shows her true feelings after she becomes comfortable with someone... or after she falls in love, he thought.

There was even a Japanese term for this kind of personality — ’kuudere.’

**

Thanks for reading...