Asmodeus System: Stealing My Bully's Mother

​Their steps halted at the end of the North Wing corridor. A thick metal door without a single glass pane stood blocking the way.

Isolde von Rosenberg stepped forward gracefully. The Vice Principal touched a blue rune panel on the wall. The panel glowed, scanning her authority. Without the slightest creak, the door slid open.

The VVIP facility was illuminated by the dim glow of magic crystals. Its white marble walls reflected a sterile light. Silent, warm, yet simultaneously heart-wrenching.

In the center of the room, a large medical bed was surrounded by crystal pillars humming softly, pumping life-supporting energy.

Upon that very bed, Elara Valen lay.

The girl looked extraordinarily fragile. Her skin was as pale as alabaster, nearly transparent, revealing her blue veins. An oversized white wool nightgown draped over her terribly frail body. Her pale brown hair was scattered messily across the pillow.

Hearing approaching footsteps, the little girl’s eyelids fluttered softly. And opened.

However, those eyes reflected no light. Her pupils were covered by a white film—blindness caused by Stagnant Mana Syndrome, which had robbed them of their color since birth.

Ethan bypassed the crystal barrier, then sat slowly on the edge of the bed.

At that exact second, the Demon Lord’s lethal aura evaporated without a trace. Ethan reached for Elara’s tiny, ice-cold hand, clasping it tightly in both of his own.

”I’m home, Elara,” Ethan greeted.

There was no dominating, heavy baritone. There was only the warm and fragile tone of an older brother.

Elara’s pale lips curved, forming a weak smile. She couldn’t see her brother, but the warmth of that grip was her entire world.

Ethan turned his head, giving a signal. Miya stepped forward.

The petite Elf girl trembled at first, afraid of making a wrong move. However, the moment her purple eyes caught Elara’s pitiful physical state, the instinct in her blood immediately took over. There was no more terror.

Miya knelt beside the bed, aligning her eyes with Elara’s. Her fingers touched the back of the little girl’s hand with the utmost care.

”H-hello...” Miya greeted softly. Her voice was clear, far from her usual panicked squeak.

Elara tilted her head, responding to the direction of the unfamiliar voice. Because her world was pitch black, her senses worked through imagination. ”Your voice, Miss... it feels like a breeze in spring.”

Miya’s cheeks flushed faintly, but her focus didn’t waver. ”I’m Miya, a healer. May I... examine your body for a moment, Elara?”

Elara fell silent. She groped for Ethan’s hand. ”Brother Ethan... is it okay?”

”It’s okay, El,” Ethan whispered. ”I trust her.”

Elara nodded obediently. ”If Brother Ethan says it’s okay... then I trust Miss Miya.”

Behind them, Kaelia von Ashford stood transfixed.

She swallowed hard. Her throat suddenly went dry. Her golden eyes couldn’t leave the fragile blind girl. Kaelia inched closer, whispering almost soundlessly toward Ethan.

”My Master... is she... the very important person you mentioned before?”

Ethan didn’t look back. His hand continued stroking Elara’s hair. ”This is my sister. Elara,” he answered with absolute finality.

Kaelia froze. Both of her hands slowly clenched into tight fists at her sides.

There wasn’t a single shred of jealousy. Instead, it was as if a giant sledgehammer had just slammed into her consciousness. At that very second, the Fire Queen understood.

All the insane ambitions, bloody political intrigues, lethal manipulations, and Ethan’s cruelty toward the academy... they all culminated in this sterile room. Everything was to sustain the life of this blind little girl. Kaelia bowed her head, feeling the gravity of true loyalty.

On the other side of the bed, Isolde reached out her silk-gloved hand. She touched Elara’s shoulder as softly as touching a rose petal.

”You look a little better, Lady Elara,” Isolde greeted, her aristocratic tone restrained.

Elara smiled faintly, recognizing the Archmage’s presence from her previous visit. ”Madam Isolde... your touch and voice always feel so calm... like the surface of a frozen lake.”

Isolde looked down, adjusting her glasses to hide the tremor of emotion. She had to fight hard to stifle the suffocating pity in her chest.

Elara’s ears twitched again. ”Is there someone else?” she asked, groping the air.

Ethan glanced at Kaelia, giving a signal. Kaelia flinched softly, then stepped forward awkwardly. She stood beside the kneeling Miya.

”H-hello, Elara,” Kaelia greeted. She desperately softened her voice, throwing all her noble arrogance into the bottom of an abyss. ”My name is... Kaelia.”

Elara tilted her head again. ”Miss Kaelia’s voice is fiery... but warm. Like... a blazing fireplace in winter.” Elara smiled broadly. ”Brother Ethan’s friends are all such very kind people.”

Thump.

Hearing the phrase ”kind people” from those pure lips, Kaelia’s face flushed a deep red. She bowed her head deeply. Shame and irony pierced her core.

If only this girl knew just how filthy and cruel the world we orchestrate for her sake is, Kaelia thought bitterly.

Miya closed her purple eyes. Cutting off the interaction. It was time to work.

The Priestess’s palms radiated a magical light. However, it was no longer a pure Holy Light. Since being marked by the Lust Brand, her magic had mutated into Crimson Radiance. A blinding white light, with a blood-red glow resonating at its edges.

Miya placed her palms over Elara’s chest, penetrating the nightgown, and channeled her energy.

”Wow...” Elara murmured in awe. ”It’s warm. A bit strange... but very comfortable.”

Miya’s consciousness dove to the very bottom of Elara’s mana circuit. It was there that the Hidden Sage discovered the root of the catastrophe.

This girl’s mana circuit was not damaged. She was not defective. The main problem was: Elara’s physical body was far too fragile to contain her innate magical capacity. Like a paper-thin glass vessel forced to hold an ocean of water. Without a restraint, the vessel would shatter and kill her.

And shockingly, that Ancient Seal wasn’t a shackle. The seal was a final protective layer—a magical masterpiece from whoever cast it—that desperately held back the ”ocean” so it wouldn’t crush the ”glass.”

Realizing this, Miya made a brilliant yet risky medical decision.

Destroying the seal meant killing Elara instantly. Instead of breaking it, Miya used the Crimson Radiance to patch and thicken the walls of the mana veins surrounding the seal. Reinforcing her glass vessel slowly from the outside, without disturbing its contents.

An hour passed in tension.

The light in Miya’s hands flickered violently. Sweat flooded the Elf’s pale forehead. Her breathing turned ragged. All her concentration and mana capacity as an S-Rank were drained to their absolute limits for the micro-repair.

Once that long process was complete, Miya pulled her hands back.

”Hah... It’s done...” she whispered, entirely drained of energy. Her petite body staggered backward.

With swift agility, Kaelia caught Miya’s body before it could hit the stone floor. The Fire Queen supported the healer’s shoulders with a gaze full of respect that was incredibly rare for her.

On the bed, Elara opened her eyes.

The white film was still there. She remained blind. However, for the very first time, healthy blood flowed through those alabaster cheeks, bringing out a fresh pink flush. Her breathing was no longer heavy, but steady and peaceful.

Miya forced herself to stand, assisted by Kaelia. She turned to Ethan, who was still sitting on the edge of the bed.

”I... have done my best,” Miya reported hoarsely. ”The circuit veins surrounding her seal have been reinforced. Her body will recover rapidly. A few days of recovery, and she will be able to wake up, walk, and do normal activities.”

However, Miya looked down. Her fingers squeezed the hem of her white robe, riddled with guilt.

”But... her eyes,” Miya sobbed, stifling the sound. ”The blindness is the result of permanent nerve damage due to prolonged circuit pressure. My magic... cannot restore it. She will remain blind. I... I am truly sorry.”

Miya squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Bracing herself to receive the wrath of the Demon Lord for failing to provide a perfect cure.

But that punishment never came.

Ethan slowly released Elara’s hand. He stood up, approached the trembling Miya, and placed his palm on the Elf girl’s shoulder. A single, brief touch.

”You have done enough, Miya,” Ethan said. His voice was laden with immeasurable appreciation. ”Making it so she can walk again without pain... that already far exceeds what any healer in this world could ever do.”

Miya looked up, her eyes welling with tears as she absorbed the sincere praise from the lips of this cruel young man.

From the bed, Elara’s ears caught the conversation.

”Brother Ethan...” Elara called out with a blossoming smile. ”Does that mean... once I can walk later... can I play outside? Will I be able to see the pretty flowers in spring like you always tell me about?”

That question was like thousands of needles stabbed directly into the chests of everyone in that room.

Kaelia looked away. Isolde bit her lower lip hard. The healer, Miya, held back her sobs.

Ethan sat back down on the edge of the bed. He clasped his sister’s hand tightly again.

The young man didn’t correct Elara’s words. He wouldn’t tell her that his sister’s eyes would be closed in darkness forever. He would swallow that bitter reality entirely on his own.

”Of course, El,” Ethan promised with the gentlest baritone in the world. ”I promise. The moment you are strong enough to walk... I will take you there myself. We will go to a place filled with the most beautiful flowers in the world.”

A soul-tearing irony. He was promising to show the beauty of the world to someone whose eyes would never again capture a single speck of light.

Hearing that promise, Elara smiled incredibly wide. The most sincere and pure smile ever created within that sterile facility. ”Thank you, Brother...”

The exhaustion from having her circuit reconstructed finally pulled away the little girl’s consciousness. Slowly, those blind eyelids closed. Elara fell asleep so peacefully, dreaming of a field of flowers she would never get to see.

Ethan stood up. He turned to look at the three women in the room. Isolde the keeper of secrets, Kaelia who now understood the purpose behind his conquests, and Miya who was exhausted yet relieved.

”Our task in this room is done,” Ethan said. His aura reverted to that of the Ruler. ”Go back and rest. Tomorrow, we begin our next step.”

Ethan stepped out of the sterile room, followed by his three women.