The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 169 - Sealing A Relic? Who Cares, I’d Rather Seal A Kiss~

Chapter 169: Chapter 169 - Sealing A Relic? Who Cares, I’d Rather Seal A Kiss~

The brunette traced one finger along the edge of a particularly sharp piece. Red blood leaked and floated into the object as it finished coming together. Considering this was all something close to a dream, the action was more about ’intent’ than anything.

She watched her emotionless reflection in the shiny blackness fragment repeatedly and reform over and over.

"That should interfere with the connection. I knew the answer was right there in my wedding gifts."

Elua was also right about something else this time. The situation was one she was capable of controlling. She had been a Demi-god once... and there was little she had not ever truly seen. An object meant to parley with a higher power was firmly on the list of ’have seen’.

The spiritualist had just been too ’weak’ to notice the signs.

"Relics of an ascended Divinity shouldn’t just be lying around like this."

The illusionist was coincidentally the only one ’strong’ enough to be the one being ’bullied’ by the presence of the mirror. She wasn’t familiar with the details of this one, which means it must have been an individual that rose to the highest prominence after her own failure.

"Is it Obsidian and... Dream, Memory... literally Mirror? No, I can’t see why just reflecting spiritual energy would have anything to do with... well, actually I guess subtly feeling the rebound might make me unsettled enough to wake in my sleep."

She held her chin as she mused over the spiritual Aspect that the mandate of this Divinity was built upon. Items tied in connection to the cultivator usually were formed or deeply related to their Element, so that one was obvious.

Better still if it can be shaped in some fashion to fit some sort of symbolic representation of their spirit.

’But a mirror...’

A self-mocking smile spread over her face.

"Being bullied by a mirror... that takes me back. Though at least that Clairvoyant had the decency to show up in person while doing it."

She didn’t think the events were related, as that person had an entirely different Element. It was only an acknowledgement that a life lived long enough (or two in this case!) has nearly everything happening to you more than once.

’Though it only happened once last time, so it would be nice if it is a once-in-a-lifetime situation~’

Her amusement faded as she considered the implications of finding another such sabotaging item among her wedding gifts. The Negavigor tools could now be written off, but the tree that pulled too much essence during the Starbloom ceremony seemed intentional.

The essence rich item with the ’right’ sigil carved in it, that ended up feeding and solving that problem, seemed more like coincidence than a true intent. She had studied it more carefully and found nothing that would have made it activate on its own intentionally.

It was only designed to hasten the transfer of its contents. Elua was confident that the little greedy essence field of the tree itself had done that part. It happened to reach out and link with the tiny ritual that *someone* had carved on the cosmic looking stone.

As for the old Yecine woman who presented them the mirror, Lirades... she seemed more perceptive than most of her family, certainly, but she was only a Primalist at her advanced age. That didn’t mean she had no knowledge of what the mirror could do, but it did mean she had likely never experienced it herself.

The more mature brunette giggled into the back of her hand.

"Imagine that~ I *rushed* my way to Breacher only to make more trouble for myself. There’s another thing that can only happen once, that I’ve now happened twice!"

The illusion of sky built within her dreamscape began to dissolve more rapidly, leaving only the ’reality’ of her old voidspace. She had spent so long in it that her subconscious almost defaulted to it. Though, as dreams also usually pulled in strong memories...

Sickly green cracks that exuded an intense concentration of generated Acid Element scarred the dark space. Elua er Goltbred glanced toward the epicenter... the *empty* place where she once died... and truly felt nothing but content. Not seeing her old self sitting there just made her feel like there was no lingering regret!

---

Mint eyes opened and quickly detected a familiar spiritual presence in the main hall below. Her father’s spirit flickered with recent dream-walking fatigue, while Qatrand’s unmistakable self pulsed with some sort of worry and shame.

The heiress slipped from her bed while maintaining the illusion of sleep in place. While she was reasonably sure that there was not a ’person’ involved any longer, it never hurt to be safe. She dove toward the arranged wedding gifts and clutched the offending mirror in her arms before she crept down the hallway silently

She heard her beloved’s low voice bouncing up the stairwell and her contentment deepened!

"...apologize for coming to your home so late. I forgot to mention something important to your daughter earlier."

"We already told you more than once that you are welcome to treat this place as your own. Still, the doorman said you seemed quite concerned."

Ondua’s warm tone held a knowing amusement. Of course the young man who approached so decisively to ask for help would want to see the result!

" I can assure you she’s sleeping peacefully now, Qatrand."

Elua poked her head around the corner, entirely to be contrary, and caught sight of her favorite blonde hair reflecting the dim lamplight. The Yecine’s face turned toward her the moment she appeared. Tendrils of concerned spirit reached out instinctively to her presence.

"El!"

The swordswoman stretched out her arms as if expecting the girl to rush over and hug her. When it didn’t happen immediately, she remembered her father-in-law’s presence and tried vainly to appear more dignified. She lowered her arms and stood straighter, with heat creeping up her neck.

"Too late for that. I saw it."

Ondua chuckled in cheap satisfaction that twisted to a dull fatherly pain.

"I’ve already seen how my daughter acts around you."

Qat knew that they had shown such little intimacies in front of the Goltbred parents plenty of times... but this time felt a lot more like she was asking for a hug herself! Not only that, but she didn’t get it. She cautiously stepped toward the cute girl fidgeting in place around the corner with ’frustration’ in her spirit.

’Why did I pick up this stupid mirror, now it’s in the way!’

The ancient cultivator wanted to just toss it on the ground and jump into the tall girl’s embrace. Or grip it strong enough to break it for real... if it were possible. Instead, she walked out ’calmly’ to stand in front of her husband-wife with the tool still clutched to her stomach.

A calloused hand ignored it and tentatively reached up to stroke the top of her brown head.

"I’m sorry. I talked to your father and mother this morning to help you. I meant to tell you... but I became distracted at dinner."

The eyes of the young miss had already turned to crescents at the touch, but her lips curved further at the admission. Her ’innocent’ tone of voice asked her a sweet question.

"Oh? What kinds of things were so distracting?"

Pigeon-blues unhesitatingly locked on the lips that spoke, their intent filled with ’mischief’. Qat’s other fingers rose and very gently poked at the springy bottom lip before she thought much about what she was doing. The blonde’s heart thudded loud in her chest as her eyelashes fluttered.

The brunette’s breath hitched and her eyes darkened. After the pair of them felt their own little ’jolts’ due to the sudden action, Ondua cleared his throat rather loudly.

"Well, since you’re here... I suppose it’s best that you stay the night. Instead of wasting more of your rest time in travel. Just... remember there are night servants about, son. And that I will be checking in on her *sleep* in a little while."

"Father!"

Elua’s facade caused her cheeks to flush brightly at the unsubtle insinuations. Yet, she blatantly took advantage of the moment to bury her face into the tall girl’s sternum. While she greedily inhaled the scent of the swordswoman, the more direct target of the man’s verbal jabs gulped and coughed once.

"I swear that you should not have any concern. I respect my wife. Your daughter has no plans to engage in... those activities."

She clung tighter to her ’embarrassed’ wife, despite being clear as glass about the rest of the girl’s inner feelings. Qat refused to acknowledge the murkiness of her own state - other than to reprimand herself to think before she acted next time.

"I’ll just... go inform your mother."

He turned quickly, muttering something about how often that things of the nature he did not *want* to think about occurred specifically when you thought they wouldn’t. Plans, no plans, it didn’t matter when it came to spontaneity!

A forehead rubbed against the Yecine’s clothes and the person shaking their head huffed.

"Qat... I’m torn."

"...About what?"

A small hand dropped from the mirror lazily as Qat asked the question she expected. Knowing that it rattled the tall girl every time she had done it, the illusionist shifted back and looked upward. Her face still tilted down a bit and it made her look even more small and vulnerable!

"Between talking about something I discovered after we go lay down... or going back to begging for kisses until I get them. Because you know..."

That hand reached up and clutched at her beloved’s clothing while standing on the tips of her toes to get as close as possible. Her eyes dulled and her voice clipped into its monotone as she whispered.

"I can’t tell which would be more important to you tonight."