Ch.157Chapter 157 – Even Great Mages Have Things They Fear

Humanity’s greatest advancements have always been made with a single step.

A step toward the unknown realms that many were unaware of.

Those who harbored a passion for exploring the unknown have always stepped forward ahead of others.

Yet, the step taken by an individual became the foundation for a great leap for all humanity.

Of course, not every step became a foundation for advancement.

Sometimes, a misstep could lead one into a trap.

But now, at Glesius Academy, the prestigious educational institution of the Gelebrio Empire, one person was stepping into unknown territory.

Regina Blasteria, the Chancellor of Glesius Academy and once titled the “Grand Magician.”

The reason she found the courage to take a step forward after meeting Pathos Severio was remarkably simple.

‘I never expected that Chief Inquisitor Eterna and Aisen Beventus, the youngest daughter of the Beventus Margrave family, would be after Pathos…’

The names of two women that came from the lips of the man she was interested in and had feelings for, Pathos Severio.

Eterna, the Chief Inquisitor of the Solar Order.

And Aisen Beventus, the youngest daughter of the Sword Master Margrave Beventus.

If Regina had been an ordinary person, she would have surrendered Pathos without resistance in the face of these two women’s backgrounds.

First, Eterna, the Chief Inquisitor of the Solar Order, was often dispatched to other religious orders.

This was because she demonstrated unparalleled ability in searching for and annihilating demon cults and their followers.

Her nickname “Skull Crusher” spoke volumes.

For this reason, her position as Chief Inquisitor was widely recognized and respected even by other religious orders.

Moreover, the Chief Inquisitor was a priestly position treated at the level of an Archbishop within the Solar Order.

Therefore, it was no exaggeration to say that she wielded influence comparable to that of most noble families.

Additionally, since the ability to detect magical energy—a requirement for Inquisitors—was typically hereditary, Inquisitors were obligated to marry and produce offspring.

So Eterna’s marriage would not violate the order’s rules.

Then there was Aisen Beventus, the youngest daughter of Sword Master Dorian Beventus.

She possessed advantages that neither Eterna nor Regina had.

Unlike the two women who had already reached their full potential with little room for further growth, Aisen still had possibilities for development ahead of her.

Now that the limitations of Prezmerine disease had been removed, only the path of growth remained for her.

The fact that she had endured for nearly two years a severe curse and disease that typically claimed lives within months of contraction demonstrated her immense potential for growth.

Given the proper opportunity for learning, she could fully manifest her genius.

Above all, Aisen was younger than both of them.

Youth was a strong competitive advantage in the marriage market, which made Regina wary of Aisen’s appearance.

And now, both women were actively appealing their feelings to Pathos…

‘Am I really going to lose him?’

For the first time in her life, Regina grew anxious at the thought of losing a man she had developed feelings for to someone else.

However, aware of being older than Pathos, Regina chose to display composure rather than reveal her anxiety.

“Huhuhut. Count Severio needs to be more aware of his position.”

“My position, you say?”

“Must you choose only one of them? Is that really necessary?”

“Count Severio, you are a nobleman. It’s natural for nobles to take multiple wives to strengthen their family’s influence.”

Though she suggested he should be more conscious of his status as a nobleman, she was burning inside.

Her words came from wanting to show composure as an older woman, but they were the opposite of her true feelings.

I want to possess this man.

I want to make him entirely mine.

I want to color this pure man, untainted by the world, completely with my own hue.

Perhaps it was the aftermath of her years focused solely on magic to become a Grand Magician.

Her obsession with magic was gradually transferring to this man, Pathos.

The common trait among those who reach the pinnacle in any field is that they are “obsessed.”

Now that Regina’s interest had shifted from magic to Pathos…

For her, Pathos had come to occupy a position similar to magic itself.

“Chancellor, you are quite attractive yourself.”

And as Pathos revealed his true feelings during their conversation, Regina’s body began to tremble slightly.

This person just called her attractive.

Attractive? Me?

Though she had aged considerably, her appearance had rejuvenated due to reaching the level of Grand Magician, but still…

Did he really find her attractive?

“I, I’m not sure if I should be so honest… but women like you are my ideal type.”

“I-Is that so…?”

“Mature, beautiful, and above all…”

Mature and beautiful?

This man…

‘The more I look at him, the more charming he becomes~♡’

How could anyone resist when a man she was already interested in said someone like her was his ideal type?

“It’s alright. Don’t hesitate to speak. You’re the first person to call me attractive, Count.”

Regina wanted to hear why he considered her his ideal type.

What exactly about me made him say I’m his ideal type?

“You might find this strange… but I prefer women with large breasts.”

“…!”

At Pathos’s words, Regina felt a thrill run through her entire body.

Breasts.

The uncomfortable lumps of fat attached to her chest.

There was a time when she had considered using magic to remove these inconvenient body parts.

For someone who sought to minimize everything that interfered with magical training, these massive lumps of fat that contributed nothing to her studies seemed worthless.

But using magic to forcibly reduce her breast size carried the risk of randomly shrinking another body part if side effects occurred.

Modifying the spell would take too much time, and even then, the side effects wouldn’t be completely eliminated, so she had given up.

‘He likes these large, heavy things?’

She had always considered them a flaw and defect.

Female mages with smaller breasts than hers seemed to find partners and get married easily, while no man approached her.

Of course, in reality, men were afraid of being struck by lightning if they made advances toward someone who was close to reaching the level of Grand Magician, but she didn’t know that.

Moreover, during that period, Regina was obsessed solely with magic and coldly rejected any man who approached her with good intentions.

These misunderstandings accumulated until she concluded that “men don’t like large breasts,” and she came to view her chest as a personal defect.

‘So he’s a man who can even like this flaw of mine.’

How could she not be drawn to Pathos, who liked even her large breasts, which she considered a defect?

This statement was essentially the decisive blow that made her fall for Pathos.

“In that sense, Chancellor, you perfectly match my ide—oof!”

Regina pulled this adorable and precious man into her embrace.

If he had merely been saying what she wanted to hear and didn’t actually like her large breasts, he would have pushed her arms away and fled.

But if he didn’t try to escape from her embrace?

‘Then it wasn’t just flattery, but a confession of his true feelings, wasn’t it?’

She was afraid Pathos might run away.

Even for her, a Grand Magician, the fear of having her true feelings rejected was something she had never experienced before.

And Pathos… did not run away!

“You know what? I also prefer someone like you.”

Regina realized.

This man is truly the partner I must not let go.

“…!”

“If two women are too much pressure, how about me?”

Regina carefully expressed her true feelings.

Eterna? Aisen? No matter how impressive they were, they still ranked lower in status than herself—the Chancellor of Glesius Academy and former Grand Magician.

And Pathos answered by embracing her with both arms.

“Then… I’ll be in your care from now on?”

It was the moment when Regina Blasteria, who had lived alone for a long time, acquired an “lover” for the first time.