In Cassandra's bedroom, Mithras reclined in a chair, gasping for breath. Cassandra lay flat on her bed, with her cum-soaked ass stretched wide and leaking Mithras' milk.
A Priapic Dragon Bone appeared in Mithras' hand, rippling with astronomical reserves of Sid.
"Nice…wonder if I can repeat that quest," Mithras asked himself and stood up, laying over Cassandra with his hands wrapped over hers.
Mithras' Divine Secret, Exalted Sense, kicked off—boosting the sensory abilities of the pair to divine levels. But unlike what happened with Honoria, Mithras controlled Cassandra's experience, preventing the Exalted Sense from messing with her mind.
"Ahh…" entering the Divine State, Cassandra gasped in bliss—inwardly regretting that she wasn't born a Guru and would never be able to use the Divine Secrets alongside Mithras.
The Mark of Higher Wisdom, the 13 Divine Secrets.
With Three Secrets, one can shapeshift into a Superior Being of their choosing—changing their destiny.
With Five Secrets, they can establish their Palace of Indulgence, becoming a Dark Preceptor of the monster and demon races.
With eight secrets they can abandon mortality—establish their realm of worship and be reborn as a Deity. Or they could choose the road of persistent enlightenment and become Sage Kings.
As for the ones who can master all 13 Secrets, they attain the Highest Wisdom, becoming greater than the gods and only inferior to the Triumvirate.
But in this instant, Mithras couldn't care less for the Highest Wisdom, focusing on the pursuit of pleasure through Cassandra's body.
One week passed in a flash.
Lysander followed the plan to the letter, returning from the Sanctuary with surprising gains, and adding Mithras' gifts to the mix. Gaiseric was initially going to punish his son for sneaking out, but once confronted with the crown prince's results, the king forgot his anger, throwing a feast to congratulate his son for a bold and productive initiative.
The wedding day arrived at last. And now dressed in the scarlet wizard robes of a Royal Shadow, Mithras stood in Cassandra's chambers, watching his reflection in the mirror. Cassandra stood behind him, adjusting the epaulets on Mithras' wizard robes.
"I need a beard," Mithras said while stroking his hairless chin.
"No, you do not. Erase that thought from your mind."
"You don't understand. Beards equal peak masculinity. You will never be man enough without a chin full of hair. I need a beard." Imagining himself with a long, heroic beard, Mithras sighed. His shoulders slumping in sadness.
"Tssss…" Loud hissing sounds echoed from underneath Cassandra's bed, followed by a winged scarlet python that snuck out and wrapped around Mithras' leg, climbing its way up his shoulder, and staring at Cassandra with murderous desires.
"Nagini…" Mithras whispered, immediately causing the winged python to shrink and hide in his sleeve.
"Why do I feel like since you've healed her injuries, Nagini has been looking for an opportunity to murder me?" Unnerved by Nagini's look, Cassandra asked.
"I guess because she has been looking for an opportunity to murder you."
"..."
"What do you want me to say? Nagini kind of lost all her siblings because of you. Some hatred is inevitable," Mithras said in a disturbingly calm and gentle tone—patting Nagini through his sleeve.
Blessed with a unique connection to the Red God, on the surface Red-Cloud Pythons were the most honored creatures of the Red Cloud Theocracy, to be fed, treasured and worshipped. But in truth, they were more like tools and weapons, enslaved by the Red Cloud Priests and Priestesses, sacrificed in dark rituals, or dispatched to murder the theocracy's enemies.
Nagini's family belonged to the third category, and after turning into Cassandra's thugs, their situation didn't improve, with all except for Nagini dying in a battle against a Golden Palace warlock.
From that moment on, Nagini bore a deep grudge against Cassandra, and now that Mithras had healed her injuries, bringing her back to the eighth level of Great Expansion, the pet python couldn't wait for her chance to delete Cassandra from existence.
Also…that woman was way too loose with her hands, always rubbing her master in weird places. She had to be stopped!
"Tsss…" Red flames flashed in Nagini's eyes, and from within Mithras' sleeve, she stared at Cassandra, ready to bite if the matriarch's hands neared her master's crotch.
"It's fine, she'll come along...eventually.
Are we ready to perform the Austerities?" Mithras asked in a calm but serious tone.
"The royals prepared everything for a traditional Red Cloud Wedding and made sure the theocracy sent an experienced Red Priest. On our end, we got Nagini and you. So yeah, we're ready to perform the Red God's Austerities," Cassandra said with a smile, fixing Mithras' collar.
But here, the matriarch's arms went stiff, and she lowered her head, avoiding eye contact.
"But Mithras…even if everything goes right…there's no way you don't receive some backlash from using dark magic forbidden by the Weaver himself. Can't you just stop after the Austerities?" Cassandra's voice broke, fear for the consequences obvious in her tone.
"Nope. I've wasted a lot of resources to set up this heist, and I wouldn't have gone through all that trouble if the price wasn't worth it. This is my opportunity to make sure that destiny itself will be on our side for years to come. I can't let it slip," Mithras said in a straightforward tone, the determination in his voice making it obvious that no one could change his mind.
"I never thought I'd say this one day, but from the bottom of my heart, I hope nature won't punish us for this sin," Cassandra whispered.
Meanwhile, King Gaiseric sat on the meditation mat brought by his son, breathing a sweet fragrance that relaxed his muscles and accelerated the synthesis of Sid in his body.
The royal family's second-class Inner Flame rotated Gaiseric's form, tempering his bones and muscles at a rapid pace.
"Hahahaha! Good! Good!
While I can't reach the Golden Palace with this alone, my battle prowess will improve at a rapid pace. Lysander, thank you! I truly am blessed to be your father," Gaiseric said with a cheerful laugh. But used to his father's love and favor, Lysander didn't think much of it, unaware that as the fragrance pervaded the room, psychotic rays flashed in the king's eyes.
"Nonsense. As your son, I must do my best to make life easier for you. Enjoy this opportunity, father. Maybe by the time you're done, you won't need to reach the Golden Palace to be a match for the Grand Priests." Lysander flattered his old man, but Gaiseric ignored him, channeling the mat and fragrance to improve his bones and muscles.
Convinced that his father had entered the trance Mithras described, the crown prince snuck out, gathering his cronies, and setting out for the wedding ceremony. The Queen Mother was in House Astalon already. But the moment Gaiseric entered that trance, Vel'Asha's eyes widened, and she vanished from the scene, leaving her confused attendants behind.
'The mysterious advisor was right. Father is always on guard with his brothers and uncles, but when it comes to me or my sister, he becomes vulnerable.
Sorry dad, but you're the one who keeps saying a man must fight for what he wants! And I want Honoria!
Now no one can stop me from killing that Mithras and taking Honoria for myself!' Lysander burst into laughter.
The fragrance he released was an upper first-class drug that'd stimulate the mass of red blood cells, helping Gaiseric boost his physical abilities in a short time. But past a certain dosage, it would be like overdosing on muscle relaxers.
Lysander believed that with his father's perfect Blood Smelting Gene, the drug couldn't cause him much harm.
Sadly, Lysander was wrong. Gaiseric was now convulsing in violent seizures, his skin turning blue.