Chapter 40 39 - Aftermath
At the end of the third day, Gale collapsed on the bed next to the now crippled Viscountess Nancy Astor. 10 hours later, Gale woke up to frantic shouts.
"WHAT HAPPENED TO ME? WHY CAN'T I FEEL ANYTHING?"
Nancy woke up before Gale, and her clearance of mind allowed her to think properly after 3 days. The first thing she noticed was her lack of connection to mana. She quickly calmed herself down and thought of the events that occurred before losing her connection.
Luckily, it was easy; only one thing happened. She was just fine, thereafter she had an experience of ecstasy for three whole days, which led her to the present. With an angry expression, she looked at Gale who just opened his eyes.
Gale saw her furious round face looking at him and quickly understood his plot was found out. However, he didn't care much; although she had a much stronger body than him, she would still be helpless in front of a barrage of fireballs.
Besides, other than dodging, most people didn't bother training in any hand-to-hand combat or weapons combat. After all, they would fight using spells and a sword can't protect you effectively against fireballs.
"Why are you so angry, mistress?"
This time the nickname was sarcastic, making Nancy flinch. But she had to know what happened, and whether it was going to be permanent.
"Do you know what happened to me?"
She decided to ask in a roundabout way; she preferred to keep it a secret in the slight chance Gale had nothing to do with it. Gale quickly considered his options; if he admitted it, there would be no way back. He was the one responsible for her future demise.
The kingdom's rules demanded viscounts to be mages, which meant she'd lose her title and her daughter couldn't take it either since she wasn't even close to becoming a mage.
She'd probably attack him if he admitted to being responsible for her loss of magic, but if he tried hiding it, she'd eventually find out anyway. His secrets would be at risk if she found out, but his morals couldn't let him kill her after he had already used her as she had never tried killing him, but if she did… he made his decision.
"It was me, I have the ability to destroy others' magic."
"Is it permanent?"
"It is."
"Is it reversible?"
"It is not."
She gripped his throat with her hand and started strangling him. Gale choked and struggled to free himself, yet her physical abilities were above his.
"Why did you do this to me? You couldn't even control your lust with me for three days straight!"
She didn't understand; for those three days, he kept flattering her and reassuring her with care and passion. Everything was so convincing, she even had this feeling she finally found the best man for her. How did it come to this?
"Did you really think I wanted to be your boy toy? I only fooled you so you let your guard down and I could free myself."
He spoke with difficulty because of the lack of air, but strangling a magician was a long process. They could hold their breath for a long while after being strengthened.
"No! No! I can't lose my title! Do something, turn me back to normal!"
She started panicking. She threw him on the floor, making him dizzy for a moment. She sat on his chest and started punching his face repeatedly, trying to crush him.
"Irreversible? THEN I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!"
She screamed with hatred, fully intending to kill Gale. It was the cue Gale was waiting for; it was his signal that he can kill her without any guilt. Although she was physically stronger, it could only take her this far in a fight against a True Mage.
Gale decided to let her taste her own medicine and instructed mana around him to create four heavy stone rings, one for each limb. He didn't know the right way to make it more cost-effective, but as a True Mage, he could afford to be wasteful when pitted against a person with no magic.
Four heavy rings formed on Nancy's limbs and tied her down, leaving her pinned to the ground with her limbs spread. Gale nearly forgot his original goal for a moment; they were both still naked so the image in front of him was quite captivating. He quickly regained his cool and went back to his cold demeanor.
"How does it feel to be chained and helpless?"
"Let me go! The kingdom won't let you go if you murder a viscountess."
She got a harsh wake-up call from reality. She was helpless now in front of Gale who could only beg for her mercy a few days ago. She had to resort to other means to convince him not to attack her.
"I was attacked first, I merely defended myself. Is anyone going to attest against me?"
"Atress will, she would easily understand you're the only one who could've killed me."
"Haha, whose side will she take? Yours, or her dear husband's?"
"She doesn't even-"
She was about to retort when she realized something. Gale has affected her, a true mage, to the point she trusted him completely, so what if he does the same to Atress?
"I don't need to try to convince her, she will beg me to let her take my side when she finds out I'm a True Mage."
Nancy gaped at him. She didn't have a connection to mana anymore so she had no idea he was promoted before he told her. She understood the meaning behind his words. According to the rules viscounts had to be mages, but Atress was nowhere near that rank while she herself just lost her magic.
Gale implied that Atress' only hope to remain a viscountess now was through him. She'd let him inherit her mother's title so she can be viscountess as his wife. Atress was too ambitious to become a commoner after working as the viscountess in practice for years, and she wouldn't take her mother's side in a hopeless struggle. It was Nancy's fault for wasting her time chasing young men.
"Then keep me as your partner. I will make sure the viscount title will pass to you even if you divorce Atress, and I will make sure to please you every night!"
In her mind, Atress had abandoned her already, so she abandoned her too. She wanted to live, she was only 210 years old which was barely half the lifespan of a True Mage!
"I have no need for you. Who knows when you will try to kill me in my sleep if I leave you by my side."
"Then just leave me be, I promise not to cause trouble. I'm too weak to cause trouble anyway! I only tried to turn you into my boy toy, not to kill you!"
She was begging Gale, bringing up any pleas she could think of. Gale hesitated; what she said sounded right. She really didn't mean to kill him before he stole her magic, so wouldn't it mean he killed a person for no reason?
"Don't hesitate. Kill her."
"Who is it?"
Gale quickly turned around and found his mother standing behind him.