The second female lead Dual Cultivates

But she decided to take the risk and not make the situation any more awkward.

“I’m sure you have questions for me so you better ask me now. I have a feeling that the royal guards would be visiting here pretty soon” Maria had a similar feeling but she knew it had nothing to do with her oracle powers.

It was just how things would work out once the guards failed to find any signs of her and Nao outside. Maria had a million things to ask of the elder but her mind only focused on one question.

“Why did you act like that at the start? You were testing me and I want to know why” this should not have been the priority but the previous behavior of Lady Karin had bugged Maria enough to ask this.

Or maybe it had been the strong reaction Maria had gotten from Lady Karin at the mention of her mother. It was more than clear that Lady Karin knew her mother and potentially her father as well.

Maria did not want to be selfish but she wanted to know more about her family. There was so much to know and Maria felt lost.

“The way I acted? I merely wanted to see what you would do. Whether you would wait it out like your mother or strike me out like your father. Should have known you would be unique in your own right. That’s my bad. Now, anything else?” Maria opened her mouth to ask more….

….but something in her told her to drop this topic.

“Righttttt. Nao told me that you would help us out but I’m still not sure what that means. Maybe we should get her here so that we can proceed ahead?” Maria asked it like a question.

In reality, she would be much more comfortable with Nao around but she did not want to offend Lady Karin by assuming.

“That bonded demon? Leave her out of it for now since she cannot do anything. Though she is right in this regard. I can help guide you on what to do next but the decision to move forward should be your own” Maria felt irritation creep up her head.

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Once again it came up - the question about consent.

Not only her system but the whole world seemed to be out to remind her that it was her choice that mattered. That despite everything that was happening, Maria was the one making decisions.

“I understand. It is my choice” not really but Maria was good at pretending.

Her words caused the elder demoness to ease the tension in her frame and finally seemed to be willing to help Maria out.

“If that is your choice then I will not stop you. But first, Do you know what the real structure of this world is?” Maria felt tense at the last part before she heard the whole question.

She knew this part.

“My teacher once told me that Avalon was a world held up by seven trees, each denoting a node that connected it to the root. All those seven trees are independent of each other and hold different energies. My m-mother was from another canopy and came here-” Maria started but flinched at the glare at her mother’s name.

She decided to slow down her explanation and watched Lady Karin hum in agreement.

“You are close enough. There are ten nodes but seven trees and ten guardians of the nodes. The demonic war is a race to see who can destroy those nodes the fastest and gain access to their real body in the underworld” Maria nodded in agreement to show that she understood.

The system had explained this part to her already. The world of Avalon was divided into three sections - the underbelly, the canopy, and the upper sky.

The underbelly was the demonic front filled with magic and held the supreme magic of the seven trees that held up the canopy or the present human world. The upper sky was something no one but the supremes of every species knew how to access.

It all sounded really simple but it was not. It had taken Maria years to be able to wrap her head around all that.

“The existence of ten nodes means that there will be ten supreme candidates for us to fight. That will be too much burden for the canopy” Maria had considered her words before replying.

Lady Karin was a demon and a neutral party but she had shown nothing but compassion for Maria. It felt safe to answer to her.

“That’s true. Ten demon candidates vs seven nations are not something that this world could handle. However, even you know that this war cannot be stopped fully. So, what are you aiming for” Lady Karin’s words brought flashed to Maria’s mind.

[Initiating future vision. The actual result of the visions may change depending on the actions taken in the past]

[Maria felt the magic condense around her as a large number of demons stood before the surviving humans. Blood flowed freely and the four figured in the sky looked on calmly.

One of them even looked directly at Maria but there was no recognition in their eyes. They looked back at humanity as an obstacle to be conquered.

There seemed to be no hope for them.

Nothing but a lone raging demon standing between the surviving humans and the four supreme candidates in the future.

The demon made their final stand, their eyes moving to meet Maria’s own and she felt magic lash out all around them. A supreme candidate was willing to help humanity survive and thrive]

And the vision ended just as abruptly as it had started but it had given Maria enough to go on. She knew what she had to do.

“What I am aiming for is simple. If we can’t stop this war, we just have to make sure the one to win it would be someone we can trust” Maria felt confident in her answer but felt her heart waver at the intense look in Lady Karin’s eyes.

“That’s some idea you came up with. I assume that you already have someone like that in mind so I won’t ask you about it. However, I would like something else now” Maria felt relieved and then worried.

Payment? Maria was not sure she had any money to be able to pay Lady Karin.

“Payment? I don’t think I have any money on me” Maria asked with a worried voice and Lady Karin laughed a small and melodic laugh in return.

“Oh don’t worry. The thing I want is nothing like money. I just want your virginity”