Vinny had absolutely no idea what kind of emotional ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ upheaval or internal shift Aesphyra had gone through, nor did he know how long she had been tailing him. In this moment, the very first thought that shot through his mind when he saw the silver-haired girl was:
Holy shit—Aesphyra??
What the hell is she doing here??
Vinny suddenly recalled the increase in his Virtue earlier—which meant that one of the heroines of destiny nearby had experienced an emotional disturbance because of him.
And that Virtue had gone up earlier. Which meant Aesphyra had already been here for a while.
Shit! She’s been tailing me!
After a moment of stunned silence, Vinny abruptly came to his senses.
So that’s why, despite all the chaos that had broken out at the Sanctum Banquet, the main character Aesphyra hadn’t made a single sound or shown any reaction—she’d been following him the entire time??
Tch. That chick really doesn’t trust him after all.
Then again, he couldn’t expect her to. Still, no matter what the reason, the fact that Aesphyra had stepped in at a crucial moment to save him—it honestly took him by surprise.
Hadn’t she always wanted nothing more than for him to just drop dead? Especially after the past few days of fighting over Mirexia—by her standards, he probably deserved to die a good ten times over as penance.
At a time like this, she could’ve easily pretended she wasn’t even present, sat back, and watched him get pounded into a bloody pulp by the Fanatic. Then once he was confirmed good and dead, she could’ve shown up late, put on a shocked face like “Oh no, I just got here and found him like this!”—problem solved. Her annoying, woman-stealing, lifelong nemesis Vinny Varelis would be dead and gone. Everyone wins, right?
In short, the fact that Aesphyra had actually acted to save him—whatever her reasons—was already something Vinny could only be grateful to the heavens for.
The Fanatic, knocked back by the Holy Sword, steadied himself and cracked his neck a few times before slowly standing upright again. His red-streaked eyes locked onto the holy blade burning with the flames of Divine Annihilation at the silver-haired girl’s feet—its golden radiance dazzling and righteous. A flash of wariness and surprise crossed his bloodshot gaze.
Even if he didn’t know the exact name of the sword, he could feel its power. It wasn’t normal. And its presence pressed down on him with terrifying force.
“Tch... guess there’s no shortage of smartass little brats,” the Fanatic muttered, voice distorted and hoarse like phlegm bubbling in his throat. His tone carried a mocking edge. Sure, that sword might’ve been some kind of sacred relic forged in the ancient era. And yeah, it gave him instinctive chills and stirred a bit of fear. But so what?
He didn’t believe that fragile little humans could ever be a match for him. To his mind, all those so-called sacred relics were just toys. Maybe dangerous toys—but toys all the same.
He had been blessed by the Demon God Pillar. There was no way he could lose to humans.
Under the open sky, moonlight cascaded across the plaza, bathing Aesphyra’s silvery hair in a soft metallic sheen. Her hair, swept by the wind, swayed like flowing silk of the highest quality.
With graceful ease, she leapt down, her long legs—wrapped in black stockings—framing the Holy Sword as she caught it between them and tossed it skyward. Her knees bent slightly as she landed. One hand flipped backward and caught the descending blade with a practiced motion, and then she gave an elegant, textbook-perfect curtsy like a noble lady.
Aesphyra. That girl was always like this—confident and unshakable.
That was always the impression Vinny had of her. Maybe it was what they called a heroine’s composure. Or maybe... maybe it was simply something she’d been born with.
And he had to admit—that kind of presence was incredibly compelling. Especially in moments like this, when they faced a powerful enemy and danger loomed large, Aesphyra was like an instant adrenaline shot. The moment she appeared, she brought with her an overwhelming sense of safety.
No wonder the original novel had so many heroines fall head over heels for her.
“Ah, Vinny? Oh wow, it’s you. What a coincidence,” Aesphyra turned around, feigning surprise as she finally “recognized” the metal-clad figure before her.
Vinny let out a dry chuckle. This manipulative little shit, he thought. Been shadowing me this whole time and now she acts like she just happened to run into me?
“Coincidence? Really?” Vinny scoffed. “Miss Aesphyra, don’t take me for a fool. You just happened to show up here? In front of the Radiant Sanctum?”
“You sure you haven’t been tailing me this whole time?” he added, in his usual cheeky tone—though, to be fair, it was true.
“Don’t even try to deny it. I know damn well—you’ve been watching me ever since the banquet, haven’t you? Ah, well, what can I say? It’s tough being so dashingly handsome and charming—it’s only natural that you’d fall for me at first sight, right? Hah... alright, I’ll cut you some slack this time. Since you were clearly drawn in by my godly looks and you lent me a little hand, I’ll let it slide.”
Vinny casually ran a hand through his hair and delivered the line in a tone so smug and self-satisfied it left Aesphyra genuinely unsure whether he was being sincere... or just a total moron.
Sure, she had saved his life just now—but still, staying in character was non-negotiable for him. That himbo narcissist act was part of his core identity. And truth be told, he was starting to get a little addicted to it.
“Oh no~, Vinny noticed? Then—Vinny, can I ask you for a favor?~” Aesphyra tilted her head and tapped a finger against her lips.
“Tch. Haven’t I said this a hundred times already? I’m not into your type, okay? Just give up,” Vinny snapped.
“Aww? Not even a tiny little chance?” Aesphyra stepped closer, her voice growing just a shade lower. “Wouldn’t it be better if you were a bit more honest with me, Vinny? Otherwise...”
“I might start losing sleep over certain things, you know?”
“Tch—trying to dig into my private business again? What the hell’s that got to do with you?” Vinny snorted.
“Oh, but it does concern me,” Aesphyra leaned in, smiling faintly. “After all, I’m a very loyal observer of yours.”
“For example—your little midnight visit to the old school building for a secret rendezvous... that really caught my interest.”
“...?!”
Vinny froze. He couldn’t even come up with a comeback.
That was no longer a hint. That was practically a direct statement. If he still didn’t get it, he might as well just quit thinking altogether.
No way. When the hell did she find out??
That plan had been completely confidential between just him and Mirexia. Other than them and the higher-ups at the Academy, literally no one else should’ve known.
Vinny’s brain blanked out. There was no way Aesphyra could just magically read his mind or download his memories, right?
He frantically tried to remember everything that had happened lately. And then—just as he was about to give up—the faint rose and wildflower scent from Aesphyra’s hair brushed past his nose, and it all clicked into place.
That night, when he disguised himself as Zoe and went to the abandoned school building to retrieve the message—on the way back, he’d caught the faintest trace of a scent. It had been so subtle that he hadn’t thought much of it at the time.
But now? That scent—it was this one.
No fucking way. No fucking way!
That night—was Aesphyra there??
No. Impossible! He had checked everything! Scouted the whole perimeter to make sure it was clear! There was absolutely no one else around!
Plus, he’d been wearing his stealth cloak that night. In the dark, there was no way anyone could’ve spotted him with the naked eye. Even if Aesphyra had been nearby and somehow seen him, the cloak had completely obscured his body and face. Unless she had physically lifted the hood, there was no way she could’ve recognized him, right??
Then how the hell did she know??
Vinny was reeling. And then—like a lightning bolt—he remembered Aesphyra’s bloodline.
As the last surviving descendant of the ancient imperial house Carillian, Aesphyra could use the royal family’s forbidden ability: Divine Favor—the power to manipulate time and space.
Oh fuck.
Oh FUCK?!
Vinny sucked in a sharp, cold breath.
The sweetly smiling silver-haired girl before his eyes suddenly became something monstrous in Vinny’s mind—terrifying and unpredictable, like a living natural disaster.
She... didn’t really use her family’s Divine Favor on him... right??
And then what—lifted his hood while time was frozen??
That would certainly explain why his stealth cloak had carried a faint trace of rose and wildflower scent afterward.
No way. She actually used the Carillian royal bloodline’s Divine Favor... just on a side character like him??
Just realizing what had likely happened left Vinny with cold sweat prickling his spine.
The ability to stop time entirely... to get close to him without anyone realizing... and for him to not even sense a thing afterward. Wasn’t that absolutely terrifying??
If Aesphyra ever wanted to kill him, the Varelis bloodline would’ve gone extinct that very night.
And to think—he’d even comforted himself with the naïve belief that Aesphyra had her hands full with Mirexia. That if he just stayed close enough to Mirexia, she wouldn’t have a reason to act against him. That she wouldn’t take his life.
That fragile delusion was completely shattered.
The truth was, it was sheer dumb luck that Aesphyra had any kind of moral standard—that she restrained herself from using her powers to harm him just because she didn’t have a “justifiable reason.” If she had wanted to... he’d already be shaking hands with the Goddess of Radiance in the afterlife.
...Or maybe she simply found it beneath her. Maybe she was waiting for the moment Vinny would be fully exposed—proven guilty of conspiring with Bronze Blood, reputation ruined, disgraced and condemned by all—then she’d make her move.
After all, a clean, quiet death would be far too merciful for an enemy. If handled poorly, it could even become suspicious. No, she’d want him to die in the worst way: hated, reviled, cursed by generations to come. A disgrace so deep that people would spit at the mention of his name.
Thinking about it like that... maybe he didn’t need to feel so grateful after all.
“...Hah. Aesphyra, are you seriously telling me you’ve been following me??” Vinny pointed at himself with a look of disbelief.
“Eh? Following? What do you mean? Vinny, where did you hear such a thing?” Aesphyra tilted her head slightly, putting on an expression like “Oh dear, I was just joking around, why’d you actually spill your secrets?”
Vinny let out a breathy laugh—in disbelief. He was about ready to unload an entire verbal combo on her. But... considering she had just saved his life, and especially now that he knew how terrifying her Divine Favor really was, he wisely decided to back down.
Still, the thought haunted him—If Aesphyra ever decided to kill me, would I even stand a chance?
Even if he transformed into Vanessa, it wouldn’t matter. Aesphyra’s Divine Favor was the strongest Divine Favor on the entire continent of Tyrelis.
If she froze time, he wouldn’t even be able to react—wouldn’t even be able to activate his own Divine Favor. He might not even realize what was happening before all his feathers got plucked out.
Damn. That’s way too scary.
“Well then, if this really did happen,” Aesphyra said, casually tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, “Vinny... would you be willing to explain it all to me afterward? Otherwise, I might just lose sleep over it.”
Before Vinny could respond, a sharp, distorted voice suddenly rang out:
“Hey! Did the two of you forget about me??”
The Fanatic, claws glowing with sinister crimson light, lunged at them like a beast.
“Clang! Clang!”
Vinny instinctively prepared to dodge, but Aesphyra didn’t even turn around. She casually raised her Holy Sword behind her back, blocking the blow like it was nothing. The Fanatic felt like he’d slammed into a mountain, stumbling backward several steps from the impact.
Vinny was stunned.
That same Fanatic who could’ve one-shot him with raw physical force had just been flung back by a lazy block from Aesphyra—who hadn’t even used any real power behind her swing??
“This demonic-looking fellow with an unfortunately forgettable face—nobody here’s talking to you, you know,” Aesphyra twirled the Holy Sword with a flick of her wrist, holding it with elegant, effortless confidence.
“When no one’s addressing you, it’s basic manners to sit quietly in the corner. Haven’t you learned even that much?”
“Oi, Aesphyra—don’t let your guard down. That guy’s a Fanatic,” Vinny warned, stepping forward. “One of Elrunas’s stronger followers. He’s powerful.”
“...You lovely silver-haired girl—there’s something off about that sword in your hand,” the Fanatic hissed coldly, glancing down at his grotesque claws.
It looked like Aesphyra’s Holy Sword had a serious suppressive effect on those affiliated with the Demon God Pillar.
Or maybe... it was her soul-art—Hero—which had innate dominance over anything connected to the Pillar.
And that’s what they call a cheat-code protagonist, huh? This was a Fanatic they were dealing with—someone even advanced cultivators wouldn’t dare to fight lightly.
“Oh? Are you scared, Vinny?” Aesphyra asked, chest out, hands on hips. That confident smile on her face hadn’t budged an inch. She looked like she wouldn’t flinch even if the Demon God Pillar itself stood before her.
That smile—radiating total conviction—was deeply infectious. Confident people had a kind of magnetic charm.
“Pfft. Are you kidding me? You’re not scared, so what makes you think I’d be? I was just reminding you not to get cocky. Don’t go tripping in the gutter, got it?” Vinny huffed, no way in hell admitting defeat here.
“Oh really? Well, what I meant was—if you are scared, Vinny, you can go ahead and retreat for now. But afterward... you’ll still owe me an explanation.”
“Tch. You think I’m the kind of guy who’d run away when things get tough??”
“You kinda do,” Aesphyra purred, her gem-like eyes narrowing like a playful cat.
“You little—stop looking down on me! This Fanatic guy? Not even worth worrying about!” Vinny stepped forward, planting himself firmly at Aesphyra’s side.
“In that case—Vinny, be careful, alright?”
“Heh. Shouldn’t I be the one saying that? Don’t drag me down, Aesphyra!”