Sylver Seeker

Chapter 219: Conditions Apply(2/2)

Sylver, Faust, and Ria were all sitting in a small square-shaped room. The shield heir girls bed was attached to the wall, and Sylver and Faust had a small circular table between them, as they sat with their backs to the door.

A small wisp of dim light floated near the ceiling and illuminated the somewhat cramped room.

So were just waiting? Faust asked.

Sylver continued to play around with the small dark red sphere and watched the tiny ship inside slowly move back and forth, always pointing towards the girls body. Sylver had rinsed off the majority of the slimy liquid, and right now had what remained of the box sitting in a large jug in his office.

Shes immune to magic. And smelling salts, as it turns out. So, for the time being, yes, were just going to wait, Sylver explained, as Faust reluctantly nodded at him.

They sat in silence for a few seconds.

How old do you think she is? Faust asked.

Sylver looked up at the cultivator and then turned his head to look at the sleeping girls face.

Assuming shes fully human early 20s? Shes under 40 for certain, going by her teeth. But look at how thin her thumbs are, one of her ancestors was an elf, possibly a high elf, Sylver explained, as he gestured with his free hand towards the girls face.

I see Faust said.

Sylver went back to staring at the small sphere Nameless/Aurick and company had most likely used to track this woman down.

He wasnt sure how to proceed from here.

Fausts people were in the process of buying all the dark leather they could find, so Sylver could make a copy of the box the girl had been trapped in.

He planned to act dumb when Owl asked him to bring the box to wherever it is they wanted him to bring it. This is the box you gave me, what are you talking about? Sylver would say.

Because if they considered him incompetent enough to be incapable of opening a mere 4th tier seal, they would probably believe that someone could have stolen the real box without him noticing.

And if that didnt work, he-

Faust grabbed the bed the girl was sleeping in, to stop it from falling over, as Sylver stood up from his seat and steadied himself as he opened the door and made his way down the stairs. The building was shaking so hard Sylver could hear the wood strain under the pressure, as it swayed back and forth, and flung the furniture all over the place.

Sylver used [Fog Form] to get to the ground floor, but when he saw that the ground itself was shaking, he jumped into the air, and kept jumping, until he came out of the sects barrier.

It was a strange sight to Sylvers [Lesser Perception], he couldnt see the waves of Ki, but he could feel the mana being disturbed because of it.

Off in the distance, there was an enormous cloud of dust, so big that it covered half of the Schlagen mountains. Sylver just stared at the cloud, and as the dust dispersed, he saw that the 12 mountain peaks, had been reduced to 11.

He used [Fog Form] to get back inside the building once the shaking had stopped.

The White Boar sect has fallen, Sylver said with an odd smile on his face, as Faust stopped crouching near the bed, and sat down on his chair.

I take it you mean it has literally fallen? Faust asked as Sylver nodded.

Either its a coincidence, or her being out of the box is somehow speeding up the decay, Sylver said.

Decay of what? a sleepy womans voice asked, as both Sylver and Faust turned their heads towards her.

She was yawning into her hand, while she used her other hand to stop the sheet from falling.

Sylver and Faust wordlessly took a step away from her, and the near festive mood Sylver had created was replaced by tense caution.

As a general rule of thumb, anyone who woke up in an unknown location and wasnt panicking was either stupid or powerful enough that they had no reason to panic.

Where am I? And who are you? the woman asked.

Sylver had been a bit off with his age estimates, this girl was in her late 50s. Her tone was polite, and just a bit regal.

When neither Sylver nor Faust said a word, the woman continued.

My name is Anastasia-

DaMunio. Youre Anastasia DaMunio, first in line for the Varsun Duchy, Faust said, with an astonished tone.

Have we met before? the woman, Anastasia, asked.

Faust opened his mouth to speak, and then seemed to realize something that upset him immensely.

I uh I knew your brother, Faust said.

Both Sylver and Anastasia noticed his use of the word knew.

Where am I? Anastasia repeated. There still wasnt any fear in her voice, but there was now a note of urgency.

Youre in the area around the Schlagen mountains. My name is Faust, and this is Sylver, Faust explained, with a gesture towards himself, and then at Sylver.

Anastasia gave Sylver a very odd look.

Do you have a family name? she asked.

Sezari. Sylver Sezari, Sylver answered.

Even if Faust hadnt said that she was a noble, the calm and collected way with which she spoke would have given it away.

Ive heard of you. Youre the one who brought my uncle back. Youre Lola Aeyris boy, right? Anastasia said.

Im a bit too old to be called anyones boy. But yes, to both. Forgive me for being direct, but why are you so relaxed? Sylver asked the nude woman.

A tired smile appeared on her face before she waved the question away.

How much do you want to escort me home? Anastasia asked.

Sylver didnt react to her question, but Faust did.

Can I at least let my family know Im alive? Anastasia asked.

Sylver was impressed with the subtle way she changed her voice. Now she sounded the age she looked. She sounded as if she was a defenseless little girl.

But it didnt work on him. As a man who fell for this specific trick too many times, he was immune to it.

Faust on the other hand wasnt as lucky to have suffered the way Sylver had.

It uh Faust mumbled out.

Id like you to leave the room, Faust, Sylver said calmly. He phrased it in the form of a request, but both of them understood that it was anything but.

Faust gave Anastasia an almost apologetic look, as his body became blurry, and disappeared. Sylver waited until the door swung shut.

The way my uncle described you, I imagined you to be smaller, Anastasia said. Her little girl persona vanished along with Faust.

I had a very eventful 5 years, Sylver said, as Anastasia cocked her head to the side.

5 years? she asked.

When exactly did your uncle return? Sylver asked.

They might have kept her suspended in time, until the moment they needed her. Slowing down time wasnt above a 4th-tier mages capability; it was just extremely expensive.

Not 5 years ago Can you call the other boy back, I want to talk to him, Anastasia said. Sylver shook his head.

If you will allow me, Id like to explain the present situation, Sylver said, with as polite of a smile as he could muster.

Anastasia just stared at him and didnt say a word. She didnt nod, she didnt shake her head, she just looked at him.

You and the current emperor share an ancestor. The ancestors bloodline has thinned over the generations, and as it stands the current emperor doesnt possess enough blood to do whatever it is his father had been capable of doing, Sylver said, as he relaxed his shoulders, and maintained eye contact with the woman as he continued talking.

Ive been told that you and the emperor possess two halves of a very powerful bloodline. If you two were to have a child, it would have the same abilities as your shared ancestor. The emperor hopes to use this child to continue ruling over this place, Sylver explained.

He waited for Anastasia to say something, but she just stared at him.

If that child is born, it would be a catastrophic loss for me. Initially, I planned to give you a potion that would sterilize you. But since youre immune to magic, it wont work, Sylver said.

He expected Anastasias eyes to widen in horror, but instead, they remained the same, and she looked as if she was about to laugh at him.

Theres a slight issue with your plan, Anastasia said.

Her calmness was almost eerie. It was certainly better than hysterical screaming and crying, but this wasnt just bravery, it was a complete lack of fear. Sylver would have been insulted if it wasnt so genuine.

Im aware of that, Sylver said, as Anastasia rolled her eyes.

You wont be able to sterilize me, Anastasia said, matter of factly.

It isnt as difficult of a surgery as you imagine it to be. You wont even see a scar, Sylver said, as Anastasia shook her head.

I meant to say, you cant sterilize me. No one can, Anastasia said, as Sylver tried to understand what she was trying to say.

Its reversible. It will just take a couple of years after I put everything back in place, Sylver offered, but Anastasia just shook her head again.

Did I actually expect her to agree to it?

Maybe I should have waited before saying it Then again, Owl could decide to check up on me any minute.

Actually, since the White Boar sect just fell, arent they already on their way here?

Im invulnerable. No knife can cut me, no weapon can hurt me, no magic, spells, poison, technique, or whatever else, can affect me, Anastasia said.

Sylver stood up from his seat and walked over to her.

Would you mind if I made sure? Sylver asked, as Anastasia slapped her hand down onto the table near her bed and pressed it flat against it.

Be careful not to cut yourself, Anastasia said, as Sylvers robe placed a dart into his hand.

He was very gentle as he placed the dart over the fleshy part between her thumb and forefinger and slowly started pressing down on it.

For the first few seconds, Sylver waited for the dart to pierce her skin, as he gradually increased the force. The skin turned slightly white from the pressure, and just when Sylver was sure the dart was going to go through, he stopped feeling a reaction.

It was as if he was trying to make a hole in a bar of steel.

Sylver pushed harder, and harder, but even when he was applying so much force to the dart that his skin was starting to smoke, he couldnt pierce the womans skin.

Sylver took the dart away, and there wasnt so much as a mark from the darts tip on her skin.

Sylver summoned a dagger into his hand, but this time didnt bother being slow about it and stabbed the back of the womans hand with as much force as he could muster. The dagger cracked under the pressure, but the womans hand was completely unharmed.

It was like trying to stab a statue with a toothpick. Sylver pinched her pinkie between his thumb and forefinger and ended up dislocating his forefinger from his attempt to crush her pinkie.

Ria? Sylver asked.

It will be difficult to convince Ria to do the surgery, but-

Its like shes made of stone, Ria said.

Sylver looked down and saw a drill-shaped tendril fruitlessly spinning against the womans completely non-reactive skin.

Sylver tried to look at her primal energy using [Mutating Override] but she didnt have any primal energy. It was as if she wasnt there.

Sylver had met invulnerable people before. But even the ones immune to magic had a primal energy field.

If Sylver ignored what his eyes and ears were telling him, this woman didnt exist.

Sylver got the feeling Ria wanted to say something, but he also got the feeling she couldnt say it.

System shenanigans Of course

How do you cut your hair? Sylver asked as Anastasia pulled her hand back.

I have a perk that keeps it at a set length. Same for my nails, Anastasia answered.

Sylver massaged his hand as he stared at her.

Do you need to breathe? Eat? Sleep? Sylver asked.

Her complete non-reaction to the question disturbed him.

I feel tired if I dont, but it wont kill me, Anastasia said.

Why did you pass out? Sylver asked with a raised eyebrow.

Even without his soul sense, he was fairly certain he would be able to tell if someone was pretending to be asleep.

Side effect of not eating or breathing for a while, Anastasia answered.

The worst part of it was that Sylver had no idea if she was telling the truth or not. Sylver might have been able to read her if he could feel her body with his mana, but his eyesight alone wasnt enough.

Whats the last thing you remember? Sylver asked as he sent Spring out to search for Faust.

Going to bed. Then I heard a knocking and knocked back. And now Im here, Anastasia answered.

Tell me if Im right You cant be hurt, but you cant hurt other people Sylver said.

She was the shield heir after all. Anastasia shrugged her shoulders.

My strength, dexterity, intelligence, and wisdom are capped at 0. I can hurt people, but Im not good at it, Anastasia explained.

That sounded about right for someone who was invulnerable. Bloodline-related magic usually came with matching limitations.

The emperor probably has the exact opposite Extremely high strength, dexterity, intelligence, and wisdom, in exchange for being made out of glass

And if they had a kid, the two would combine and create a person with a perfect defense, and a perfect attack.

Can I speak to the other one now? Anastasia asked as Sylver tried to come up with a path forward.

I cant sterilize her, and shes simultaneously unkillable and vulnerable. Bury her underground, and hope for the best? Throw her into space? Send her to Lola so she can seal her away?

If someone tried to rape you, could you stop them? Sylver asked.

He realized a half-second after the words had left his mouth, that there were about a million better ways of asking that. The woman had thrown him off, with her lack of fear, and the fact that Sylver struggled to see her as a living creature.

According to my mother, theres a size limitation. But aside from that, no, Anastasia explained, as Sylver nodded his head.

So, provided the emperors tool is big enough, I win? He wont be able to impregnate her because he wont be able to get his thing inside?

Her skin moved a little when I touched her, it only started to get hard once I applied enough pressure for it to start hurting

Is that what her bloodline does? Stops everything before it has a chance to hurt her?

Wait, the size doesnt matter He could just get a long syringe, and

On the bright side, since magic doesnt work on her, even if she does get pregnant, Ill have at least 5 months Wait, fuck, if the emperor only needs the child to possess the bloodline, Ill have less than 6 weeks

I want to know if my family is alright, Anastasia said.

Sylver stopped staring into space and focused on her.

Only the women in your family are invulnerable, Sylver stated.

Not all of them. Only the first child is invulnerable, and so far, theyve always been girls, Anastasia said, as Sylver nodded.

Always been girls, until the two separated bloodlines return to being one

On the bright side, at least I dont need to worry about her running away, Sylver thought, as the door opened, and Faust walked in.

Sylver sat down in the corner, and barely heard a word Faust said to her, as he tried to figure out what they should do from this point onwards.