Mize bolted down the corridor, his body a streak of shadow.
The air itself split, whipping up the hems of curtains and rustling the loose papers left on tables.
He shot past a group of maids, and before they even registered what happened, the clothes they had painstakingly folded in their hands over the last half an hour scattered into the air, fluttering like startled birds.
"Sorry!" Mize's voice echoed down the hallway, but he was already gone.
The maids stood frozen, wide-eyed, staring at the swirling fabric that had just been in their hands.
A moment of silence.
Then.
"Who was that just now?"
"Couldn't see... Too fast."
"But I'm pretty sure it was Her Highness."
The maids exchanged glances before collectively sighing, their gazes dropping to the chaos around them.
"Alas…" One of them crouched down, picking up a tunic with resigned hands. "Another round of folding?"
"Why not… We're getting paid for this job anyway."
"Well, unless you want to file a complaint about Her Highness and risk ending up in the execution chamber."
The others stiffened.
"Execution chamber… Ah, we must be talking about Sir Aizen."
"Who else but that maniac?"
"Shhh, lower your voice!" Another maid paled and glanced around cautiously. "If you want to badmouth him, do it alone. Don't drag me into it"
The maids sighed again as they began folding clothes once more.
Meanwhile, Mize rounded another corridor, his mind imprinting the layout of the castle as he ran.
Every turn, every hall, he memorized it.
This would be his home for years, possibly forever. He needed to know it like the back of his hand.
The castle was vast, almost labyrinthine, filled with countless rooms, high-ceilinged halls, grand libraries, and wait.
A research laboratory?
Mize slowed slightly, his gaze flickering toward a section of the castle he hadn't yet explored.
But sensing no immediate danger, he dismissed it and exhaled in relief.
'It didn't seem to belong to that unsettling Aizen guy, at least'
If possible, he wanted this castle to be his alone, a private property.
A place where he and Liam could do whatever he pleased, explore, strategize, and, most importantly, have fun with a little bit of flirting.
A grin tugged at Mize's lips.
'Yeah, that sounded good'
He turned another corner, finally arriving at his room.
The door was as unassuming as always, but this time, there was no bell to announce his arrival.
He lifted his hand but hesitated. A flicker of thought, his energy surged forward and opening the door.
It clicked ajar.
Mize's grin widened.
"I'm getting better at this" he muttered to himself, stepping inside.
With one fluid movement, he shut the door behind him without even looking, making his way straight to the bed.
As soon as he reached it, he let himself fall, arms flung overhead as he crashed into the plush mattress.
"Ahhh, home sweet home"
His toes curled slightly at the end of the bed, body stretching languidly.
He had no intention of leaving his room tonight. No political nonsense, no unwanted responsibilities, just pure relaxation.
It was still a novel experience. No burdens weighing him down, no tedious duties pressing on his shoulders.
Free from the academy, and he got his own husband to take care of things. His job was simple: pursue his goals.
Mize rolled onto his side, propping his head up with a hand.
Right...
His to-do list.
"Dungeon," he murmured, eyes narrowing slightly. "I'll ask Liam about that tomorrow. I'm still not sure how to create one"
Sighed...
"I should have asked before but he just dragged me away without my consent"
"Yes... " Mize nodded, "No consent at all!"
He tapped his fingers against the mattress in thought.
"And for population expansion… I'll consult Elias. I need as many people as possible for points, and I will urge Liam to find as many villages as possible for a rapid expansion"
His expression brightened.
"And finally…"
Summoning his panel with a flick of his will, Mize's grin stretched ear to ear as numbers materialized before him.
[Total Points: 100,273]
"Finally enough!" he grinned.
"With this, I would finally be able to enter the new realm above the top of the humanity in term of appearance"
But then, a thought struck him, and his eyes snapped wide in realization.
"Oh yeah... where the hell is Titrus?"
"A-ah? Yes, I totally had forgotten about himm!"
As if responding to his thoughts, a deep, resonant voice echoed directly into his mind.
"You called for me, My Lady?"
Mize's breath hitched.
He sat up sharply, eyes darting around the room.
"Titrus?"
"Yes, My Lady. It is I."
The voice was clear yet completely untraceable.
Mize exhaled, slowly relaxing as his thoughts raced.
Telepathic communication? Between a Lord and their summoned hero?
He frowned. That wasn't in the game.
As if to confirm his suspicions, Titrus spoke again.
"Do not be alarmed, My Lady. It seems we share a telepathic link."
"So you can read my thoughts?" Mize asked curiously.
"No, My Lady. I can only hear you when you specifically tried summoning me, I cannot access your thoughts otherwise"
Mize hummed in approval. "That's pretty handy."
His gaze sharpened. "So… where exactly are you?"
After all, he had assigned Titrus to guard him at all times.
Titrus's voice deepened.
"I have been guarding you from the beginning, My Lady."
"From the start?"
"Yes. Even now, I patrol the castle for your safety."
Mize let out a relieved sigh.
He had completely forgotten about Titrus since leaving his territory, but it seemed he had worried for nothing.
Though it was quite a feat to just guard him all the time without Liam realising it. Such dedication to the job, 'Guard me at all time... I did say that so it's kinda my fault'
Then, a spark of curiosity ignited in his mind.
"When I was with Liam... you know, the guy hugging me, did he ever notice your presence?"
He wanted to gauge just how capable this man was.
The answer was… surprising.
"The Lady's husband could not detect my presence at all."
Mize blinked. "At all?"
"Confirmed. I was standing beside your throne the entire time, My Lady."
His brows lifted. Now that was impressive.
"You did well," he finally said, nodding to himself. "For now, patrol around my room instead. Let me know if anyone approaches."
"Understood"
With a final pulse of intent, Mize severed the telepathic link.
It felt like a soft ripple in his mind, nothing intrusive, just a slight shift in presence.
It was subtle yet completely under his control.
Mize smirked.
"There's still a lot more to this Lord thing than I thought."
Experimenting a bit, he re-established and severed the link several times, testing its limits. Once he was satisfied, he turned his focus back to his panel.
His eyes scanned over the new updates.
[Personal Status Panel]
[Title]: Goddess Awakening
[Awakening Status]: Awakened
[Profession]: Path of the Goddess, Beauty Divinity
[Realm]: Tier 3
[Beauty System]
Beauty Points: 70
Cute: 60
Charm: 64
[Inventory]
Storage Ring (Mid-Stage Blue Grade): Holds high-end fashion items, accessories, and four 5-star summoning cards.
[Skills]
Imagination Realism [Tier 3]
Telepathic Control [Tier 3]
Gravity Control [Tier 3]
Ethereal Charm [Tier 3]
Soul Flowers Domain [Tier 3]
[Note: The exchange rate for appearance is 1,000 points per increase. Physical attributes cost 10,000 points per increase.]
Mize's brows furrowed.
"Huh…" He rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't seeing things. "Another update?"
[No, Host. There was no update.]
Mize crossed his arms, intrigued. "Then why are there all these changes? The skills... why are they already Tier 3?"
The system's voice rang out, steady as ever.
[Answering the Host…]
[The skills updated automatically each time the host invented a new one through the Goddess's innate ability, magination Realism]
[For instance, during the host's attempt to fly, the host had subconsciously activated this ability. The system promptly detected the action and registered the newly invented skill without requiring any manual input]
[As for the fixed Tier 3 classification, it directly correlated with the tier of the Lord's territory, to which the host was permanently bound, every other Lord followed the same rules for their main profession too]
Mize blinked, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Huh? It works like that too?"
His fingers tapped against his thigh in thought before his gaze sharpened.
"And since when did I have this innate ability?" His voice carried a trace of suspicion. "It wasn't there at all in the beginning."
Mize distinctly recalled the system's previous state. The panel had never displayed anything about an innate ability back when he first checked his points.
Had it always been there, lurking beneath the surface, unnoticed?
Sensing his doubt, the system promptly responded.
[It was fully revealed when the host created the first skill. Before this, the system was unable to detect its existence, as the host had not yet activated it]
Mize exhaled, shoulders sinking into the mattress as he leaned back.
"Aah…" His sigh was long and exasperated. "You should've told me this sooner."
[This humble one apologizes for the inconvenience.]
Mize sighed again, more for effect than actual frustration.
He stretched his arms over his head before letting them drop lazily beside him. His gaze traced the ceiling absentmindedly.
"No matter," he hummed, a slight smirk curling at the edges of his lips. "Now that I'm fully aware of my ability, I should make sure to use it to the fullest."
His fingers idly drummed against the sheets.
'And perhaps…' A thought slowly took root in his mind, its edges tinged with intrigue.
'Could I use this innate ability for dungeon creation too?'
It was a thrilling possibility.
After all, Mize still had no concrete knowledge of how to construct a dungeon from scratch, aside from those monster cards that could be summoned.
The process of shaping an actual dungeon remained a mystery.
But… what if he didn't follow conventional methods?
What if he built it from the ground up, using nothing but his own ability?
The idea ignited something within him, a bold, reckless ambition that refused to be ignored.
If this ability allowed him to imagine skills into existence, then theoretically… wouldn't it work for a dungeon as well?
And even better, creating a skill as powerful as Liam's skills?
Hiss!!!
A slow, knowing grin spread across his face.
Yes.
That would be his path.
But before diving into it, he still needed relevant information from Liam, the only person who seemed knowledgeable about these things.
For now, he'd keep this idea tucked away, refining it in the depths of his mind until it was ready to take form.
Mize let out another sigh, this time with dramatic flair.
His hand reached toward the ceiling, fingers splayed, as if trying to grasp something invisible.
"Ahh… it's hard being as talented as I am."
His voice carried the weight of a man burdened by his own brilliance.
He let his hand fall back onto his chest, his expression shifting into one of pure self-indulgence.
"But it won't be long now." His grin widened, eyes gleaming with quiet arrogance. "Soon enough, I'll become the most beautiful being in this world"
His gaze flickered toward the panel, lingering on a specific section.
This time, he had no intention of holding back.
Despite the ridiculous amount of points required, he had succeeded.
He had amassed them in a shockingly short period, an accomplishment worthy of praise.
Mize clenched his fist, his chest swelling with something dangerously close to patriotic pride.
His eyes shimmered, as if he had just returned victorious from battle.
"And now!" His voice rang with boundless determination as he snapped his attention back to the Beauty column.
Next to it, a small plus icon awaited.
[ + ]
His fingers hovered over it, anticipation coiling in his chest.
"It's time to step into a new realm"
With a single decisive motion, he pressed the button.
His eyes instinctively squinted as he braced himself for whatever was about to happen.
A second passed.
Then two.
And yet.
Nothing.
Mize's left eye cracked open. His brows furrowed slightly as he glanced around, expecting some grand transformation.
Silence.
He opened his other eye, scanning his surroundings with mild confusion.
"...Nothing's happening?"
His voice was barely above a whisper as his gaze drifted toward the mirror standing in the corner of the room.
His reflection stared back, unchanged.
A flicker of doubt crept into his expression.
And then.