Earth's Greatest Magus

“Mate?”

Emery stood frozen, his mind struggling to process the absurdity of what he had just heard.

Kaelyn, standing before him with unwavering confidence, nodded as if what she proposed was the most natural thing in the world. “Yes.”

“There has got to be another way,” Emery said, his voice betraying the slightest tremor.

“This is the way to be sure,” Kaelyn insisted. And before he could respond further, she began to undress.

Emery’s breath hitched as he caught sight of her smooth skin, the delicate fabric slipping from her shoulders. She was beautiful—no, beyond beautiful. It wasn’t just her striking emerald eyes that seemed to pierce straight into his soul or the way her silver-white hair cascaded in silky waves; her lips, her subtle motion, a hypnotic rhythm that made it nearly impossible to look away.

There was something about her presence—an alluring scent that tugged at something primal within him. It was as if their bloodlines called to one another, a silent, invisible force urging them closer.

For a moment, a dangerous moment, Emery felt himself drawn in.

Then, with sheer willpower, he clamped his eyes shut and turned away. He grabbed her shoulders, stopping her descent into complete nudity. “I can’t… Please put your clothes back on.”

Kaelyn’s expression hardened. “Huh… do you think I want this? It’s the elders’ wishes. I must comply.”

The conviction in her voice should have been reassuring, but instead, it sent a chill down Emery’s spine. Before he could react, she took a step forward and, to his utter horror, reached for his own clothing.

“Alright, that’s enough!” Emery exclaimed, dodging back.

Kaelyn, however, did not relent. If anything, his resistance seemed to embolden her. She lunged forward with surprising agility.

“She’s crazy,” Emery muttered under his breath as he instinctively activated his spatial bending, flickering out of her reach just as her fingers brushed his tunic.

Kaelyn narrowed her eyes. “You’re making this unnecessarily difficult.”

“Yes, that’s the point!” he retorted, already calculating the best escape route. He had to get out of here now.

Emery was ready to use his spatial ability to teleport away when he sensed three figures approaching the residence.

“Why are they here!?”

He blamed the temptation for blurring his divine senses and turned panicked, knowing who it was beyond the door.

A knock sounded at the door. No—not a knock. His door swung open without warning.

“Father!!, I have great news—”

“…..”

“Father…..”

The words died in the air as Shinta stepped into the room, her excited expression instantly shifting to one of sheer horror. Her gaze locked onto the disheveled scene before her—her father looking utterly flustered, Kaelyn standing in nothing but her undergarments.

A sharp, high-pitched scream erupted from Shinta. “AAAAAAHHHH!?!?”

The two figures accompanying her, Ivaris and Baldoni, rushed in behind her at the sudden outburst.

The brothers froze mid-step, their eyes darting between Emery, who looked as if he had been caught in a compromising position, and the nearly undressed Kaelyn, who seemed unfazed by the entire situation.

Baldoni’s mouth opened and closed several times, but no words came out. Ivaris, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow before smirking and subtly giving Emery a thumbs-up.

“I… uh… I’m sorry to interrupt,” Ivaris said, the amusement in his tone unmistakable. “We’ll just be… leaving.” He grabbed Baldoni and Shinta by the shoulder, quickly ushering them away before they could ask any more questions.

The door closed with a decisive click, leaving a heavy silence in its wake.

Emery let out a long, exhausted sigh and turned to Kaelyn, relieved to see that she had finally begun dressing herself again.

She glanced at him with a faint smirk. “The girl is your daughter?”

“Yes.”

She took a deep breath before nodding. “That’s easier then. As a female, she can enter the clan to be tested by the elder. That should be a better solution for you, right?”

Emery hesitated. He wasn’t sure he wanted to involve Shinta in this. She was also a mix of serpent and wolf blood. However, the idea of being invited into the Fey Clan intrigued him. And, more importantly, it was a convenient way to end the current awkwardness.

“…Fine,” he relented.

With Kaelyn finally clothed and the madness subsiding, Emery turned his attention to an even bigger problem—his daughter’s reaction.

He stepped out of his chambers to find Shinta standing with her arms crossed, her face locked in an expression of judgmental disapproval.

“Father,” she began, her voice carrying the weight of impending doom. “I want you to be happy… but what about Master Klea?!”

Emery groaned. He knew this conversation was going to happen, but that didn’t make it any easier. He struggled to explain himself, but Shinta’s unimpressed stare made it clear that she wasn’t buying any of it.

Emery quickly changed the subject. “Anyway… what is the great news you were talking about before?”

This line of questioning finally made her budge, and she explained that Grand Magus Soltz didn’t wish to join and assist him in tomorrow’s competition.

“And I know I’m not good enough to help you yet. So…” Her expression brightened. “I convinced someone else to help you.”

Emery raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

She grinned and gestured toward Baldoni, who gave a sheepish nod.

Ivaris clapped a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I fully support this. Consider it a way to make up for, well, earlier.”

Emery sighed, rubbing his temples. Thinking about the experts he was going to face tomorrow, he decided that he needed all the help he could get.

“…Fine. Let’s do it.”

That night, Emery and Baldoni spent hours discussing potential recipes, selecting ingredients from the Skyroot faction’s storeroom, and conducting trial runs to perfect their approach.

As they worked, the chaotic events of the evening slowly faded into the background, leaving only determination in their wake. Tomorrow’s competition would be a challenge, but with the right preparations, Emery was ready to face whatever came next.