Then, clutching the phone, she tried sensing Emeralda. Several minutes passed, and Emilia's lovely face became as bitter as if she'd eaten a mouthful of sour gourd.
"Heh, so now you realize it's not working, right?"
Rei Ao gazed at her in amused satisfaction.
"???"
Emilia was stumped. Indeed, she'd discovered that it wouldn't work once she tried. The key issue was Rei Ao's "of-course-it's-that-way" attitude what was that all about?
"You're not saying you intentionally tricked me, are you?"
"Please. From what you know of me, do I need to trick you?"
Rei Ao retorted.
""
Emilia also felt that was unlikely. He was the type who could do all sorts of shameless things in front of anyone, and she didn't think he'd stoop to secretly fooling her. Plus, he really had mentioned Emeralda's name.
"But how do you explain what's happening now, then?"
The fact remained that she couldn't contact Emeralda.
"Is there a possibility," Rei Ao answered breezily, "that the sort of magic you know simply can't reach across worlds, even if you've got enough Holy Power?"
A straightforward explanation emerged from his laid-back demeanor.
Emilia felt her whole being slump. Moments ago, in her impatience, she'd overlooked that detail. Compared to Emeralda, her own mastery of magic was lacking. Emeralda could do things she herself might not be able to.
Realizing this depressing fact, Emilia felt her mind quake.
"So you're saying that that 'mana supplementation' we just did was a total waste of effort?!"
"Yep. A complete waste."
Rei Ao twisted the knife with a final blow. At this point, Emilia felt like murder was on the table.
"You must have known this all along, right?! You were totally messing with me!!!"
She was furious, unbelievably furious, her trembling index finger pointing straight at Rei Ao. Her first kiss, her second kiss, even her bra-less chest all taken by him. But the "criminal" in question wore a look of perfect composure.
He gently nudged her finger aside with his right hand and smiled faintly. "Think carefully. I didn't say anything at all you said you were short on Holy Power."
"And I just so happened to have a method to restore it for you. Weren't you the one who took the deal of your own free will?"
He spoke so rationally, so matter-of-factly.
""
Emilia opened her mouth but couldn't find a single point to refute. Everything he said was indeed entirely by her own choice.
"Damn it!"
She cursed her own impatience for not seeing Rei Ao's ulterior motives.
"But," he resumed.
"But what?!"
Emilia's eyes were razor-sharp, vowing she wouldn't be fooled so easily this time. She'd already been played once her guard was higher than ever. Alas, that was only against an ordinary person. How do you guard against a shameless wolf who's not even hiding his motives?
Rei Ao spoke openly: "I do have a way to help you contact Emeralda. Are you interested in a deal?"
""
Emilia froze. This was different from how she'd pictured their conversation. Didn't men normally sugarcoat and coax her, then proceed to do what they wanted? Such a direct statement threw all her prepared strategies right out the window.
"If you're not interested in a deal, I'll just be going."
He made a show of turning away.
"Wait"
Though flustered, Emilia didn't forget her primary objective. "A deal? Fine. What sort of deal are you talking about? Let me warn you first I absolutely refuse the kind that uses my body as a bargaining chip!"
She wasn't like those carefree, flirtatious folks in the chat group who used themselves so casually.
"Nor do I want your abilities or possessions," Rei Ao said. "Your Holy Power, your spells, your Holy Sword none of it's of any use to me."
So he proposed: "How about a verbal agreement? Not one that goes via the chat group's channels."
"A verbal agreement?"
"Meaning, not processed through the chat group. No official contract."
""
"You should at least clarify what it is you want."
Emilia was extra cautious now. Rei Ao raised one finger in a "one" gesture.
"Let me kiss you once, and I'll help you contact your friend."
"Huh?! And you claim you're not a pervert!"
"Hey, calm down. I only made a suggestion. If you don't agree, forget it."
He patted her shoulder and once again acted like he was leaving.
"Damn!"
Emilia was so infuriated. But she had business to attend. She gritted her teeth, halting him by the arm.
"I'll do it!" she snapped.
"Heh." Rei Ao turned back. Seeing the sly smile on his face, she felt a twinge of dread.
"Apologies, but now that you've been so rude to me, I'm kind of unhappy. I'll need more than just a peck to make it worth my while. It must be a kiss I can enjoy to the fullest, or it doesn't count."
"You!!"
Her eyes practically shot flames. Shaking with rage and shame, she looked ready to explode, but at the sight of him turning away again, she clenched her fists, seething.
"Fine, fine. But no more changing the conditions!"
If he tried to raise the price any further, she'd call it off.
"Deal."
Rei Ao didn't push further. Because this was amusing enough already.
Emilia, for her part, didn't realize how serious this could become. She was fixated on Emeralda's situation.
"So how do you plan to contact Emeralda?"
"Simple." Rei Ao grabbed the phone and nonchalantly pressed the call button. Three seconds later:
[Hmm? Who are you?]
"!!!"
A familiar voice rang out. Emilia exclaimed, "Emeralda! It's me, Emilia!"
"Emeralda, is that you?"
~~~
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Chapter 484: Another one got Caught! (Bonus Chapter)
"Emilia?"
Emeralda's voice carried bewilderment.
How was that not-so-gifted-at-magic Emilia managing to reach her across worlds?
"How can I be sure it's really Emilia?"
Cautious, Emeralda tested her.
"Emeralda-san, do you still remember me?"
This time, it was a man's voice.
Emeralda did have some impressions. It belonged to the one who claimed to be Emilia's landlord.
"Rei Ao-san?"
"That's right, it's me. Emilia just got back, and I told her you'd tried to contact her. I used a few methods to reconnect with you."
""
"He used a few methods"it sounded so casual. Yet Emeralda knew cross-world communication was no easy task.
"Seems Rei Ao-san is not so simple."
"Heh, I never said I was an ordinary person. But that's not what matters now. Emilia has a few questions for you."
Bringing the conversation back on track, Emilia flashed Rei Ao a grateful look.
She asked, "Emeralda, you told me before not to trust the Church. What's going on?"
"The Church is suspicious. Ever since you disappeared, they suddenly turned on the rest of us. I'm currently under house arrest."
"What?!"
Emilia's face went rigid. She couldn't fathom why the Church would do such a thing.
"I haven't fully investigated the specifics yet, but for now the Church is close to pinpointing your location. Emilia, you must be cautious of themthey aren't trustworthy."
Emeralda once again sounded the warning.
"Understood."
Emilia would rely on her own judgment. If she met Church members, she would verify for herself whether they were as Emeralda claimed.
"OhEmeralda, is there anything I can do to help Ente Isla from here?"
"Sorry, with our worlds separated, I'm powerless for now. Plus, I'm planning to free myself from house arrest and try traveling to your world. With how things are shifting to the east in Ente Isla, hiding in another world is obviously best. Emilia, why do you want to come back now?"
""
Emilia's heart skipped a beat. All of a sudden, she realized she might not want to return so badly anymore. As for the reason
She snuck a glance at Rei Ao by her side, then bit her lip and said haltingly, "Becausethis world doesn't have Holy Power!"
It was a decent excuse.
"Oh? Then how are you managing to speak with me?"
"In each world, there are different forms of energy. The same is true of this one," Rei Ao interjected. "Crossing between worlds isn't that hard, actually. In fact, I can take Emilia back right now."
"???"
She appeared both shocked and somewhat panicked.
"Hmph, Emeralda, pay him no mindeverything has a price!"
She tried to brush it off, even though Rei Ao hadn't yet mentioned what that price might be. This guilty demeanor made Rei Ao break into a faint smile.
He played along. "You're correct. The price is mainly in the form of a trade."
"Phew, I'm not fully certain what's going on, but I can guess it's not so simple. If that's the case, we'll leave it here for now. Once I actually break free and manage to get to your world, I'll try contacting you again."
"Rei Ao-san, thank you for your help. And thank you for taking care of Emilia."
"No need for thanks. I look forward to meeting you."
Rei Ao grinned widely. Then he hung up, turning his attention to Emilia with obvious amusement.
"What's this? Earlier you were anxious to get homenow you don't want to go?"
""
Emilia avoided his gaze. "Y-you opening a portal across worlds must come at a price"
"Mm, the price is only the split second it takes me to open a cross-world gate."
""
"Hearing that, you're not tempted? You're not demanding a trade for me to send you back?"
"!!!"
At those words, Emilia's eyes flashed red with anger. "Are you that eager to kick me out?!"
She pouted like an abandoned wife, full of grievances.
"Whew, now you're actually turning it around on me?"
Rei Ao clicked his tongue. He'd thought about teasing her, but now he couldn't tell if she was genuinely upset or only pretending.
With no better option, he took out his trump card. "Stop talking nonsense. Next on the agenda, you owe me the price of our last deal, remember?"
""
Silence. The tone of the conversation abruptly shifted. Emilia, realizing what was about to happen, felt her body heat up. She could sense her face flushing fiercely. Still, she tried to stand tall.
"Fine, let's just get it over with!"
Rei Ao cut the chatter. He pulled her into his arms and planted his lips on her rosy mouth. From the initial awkwardness to gradually succumbing to his provocation, it took Rei Ao only seconds to get her there.
Emilia probably didn't notice that she'd wrapped her arms around his neck willingly, letting out soft sounds. In that haze, she felt something was off. She sensed an absence. She realized that apart from kissing her, Rei Ao wasn't doing a thingno roaming hands on her waist, no slipping down her belly, not even reaching for her bra-less chest.
This experience, so different from before, made her itch all over with restlessness. She reflexively squirmed, trying to draw his attention, but to no avail.
This sense of missing something left Emilia increasingly uneasy. She shoved Rei Ao away with sudden force and demanded, "Why are you just kissing me?!"
"Huh?"
Rei Ao put on an innocent face. "Didn't our deal say one intense kiss? What else is there besides kissing?"
"Er"
That made Emilia recall. Skin contact andfurther explorationwasn't part of the bargain at all. Butbutshe wanted that sensation. Right now, her whole body felt tingly and uncomfortable.
Lost in the heat of the moment, Emilia glared at him and said, "I'm allowing you to do what you did before!"
"Oh?"
Rei Ao gave her a meaningful smile. "Mind describing exactly how you want me to do it?"
""
Embarrassed enough to want to dig a hole and bury herself, she could scarcely describe such a thing. So she simply grabbed Rei Ao's hand, placed it against her unmentionable chest, blushing furiously, and barked, "Like this, you jerk!"
With that, she lunged forward, clinging to him with another deep kiss.
Heh heh. She's been thoroughly ensnared!
~~~
200 Powerstone Bonus Chapter!
Chapter 485: Gab borrowing more Money!!!
[Your balance is insufficient. Please top up in time!]
" "
On her computer screen, a game interface popped up with that alert. Sporting dark circles under her eyes, Gabriel felt like punching the screen into pieces.
"I just put money in, didn't I?"
Grumbling to herself, she tried topping up again.
By sheer misfortune:
[Top-up failed. Your bank card balance is insufficient!]
" "
This time, Gabriel really felt like dying.
"What the heck? How could it all be gone already?"
She muttered under her breath while checking the account balance:
[Your balance is 0.00!]
"???"
Her wallet was empty!
Not long ago, she had borrowed tens of thousands from Rei Ao, yet now everything was used upcompletely spent!
Where did the money go?
Gabriel racked her brain, coming up blank.
At last, her gaze fixed on the game.
" "
The answer was right in front of her eyes. Yet very soon she shifted her gaze away.
As the saying goes, you can never wake up someone who's only pretending to sleepmuch like Gabriel at this point. She would rather believe she spent the money on snacks than on a game.
Saving a world (a game world) is hardly a waste, right?
But there was a dismal fact she couldn't avoid:
She wanted to continue throwing money at this game, but she was out of funds.
Get a job?
Even her part-time wages only covered basic food and living expenses. If she wanted a big chunk of cash to burn on a game, there was only one quick method.
"Borrow money from Rei Ao?"
She already had a well-trodden path for that. Except that, every time, Rei Ao's "conditions" seemed scarier than the last.
Gabriel lowered her head, glancing at her bare feet propped on the chair.
Expressionless, she murmured, "Let's trouble you guys again This will be the last time."
Toes: ?
Clatter!
Raphiel had just finished her bath and emerged from the bathroom.
"Gab-chan?"
Her soft call made Gabriel, who was about to head out, freeze mid-motion. Seeing the rarely-seen scenario of this "modern-day shut-in" going outside, Raphiel was rather surprised.
"Gab-chan, where are you going so late?"
"Me? I'm, uh, going out to throw away the trash."
"If that's so, shouldn't you be carrying a trash bag?"
Raphiel cocked her head.
