Spiral of Madness: Ascension of the Villainous Dragon Prince-Chapter 81: Clearing The Corrupted Domain [3]

"It’s fine. You don’t really need to," Anastasia said. "Louis doesn’t hold grudges over things like this. He just brushes them off and moves on. Don’t overthink it!"

"You think so?" Agustina asked, fidgeting with her hair. "Well, thank you... Hahah, it’s funny. Since my father passed and my mother fell ill, all my friends stopped visiting. But now... it really feels like we’re friends, or... well, was that too selfish to say too?"

Mirai shook her head. Her usually expressionless face softened into a slight smile. "Not at all, Lady Agustina... I would gladly become your friend."

Anastasia nodded enthusiastically. "Of course. Let’s be friends. Why not?"

Selene and Melisa, who had been listening, jumped in excitedly beside Agustina. "We want to be friends too! We want to!" they said together.

Agustina blinked in surprise, then laughed warmly, patting the children’s heads. "Gladly! I never thought I’d make so many friends today!"

Seeing her daughter so happy, Lady Red Leaf smiled tenderly. It had been a long time since Agustina had laughed like that.

♢♢♢♢

Louis returned to the mansion first, with Zorba and Catrise following close behind. He shared their accomplishment with Robert—the prince’s first fully purified Corrupted Field. The old War Priest celebrated with hearty laughter. Despite his missing arm, he hugged Louis tightly and said the words that warmed the prince’s heart. "You make your mother proud, Prince Louis. Well done, truly well done! This is only your first step toward the future. Many trials remain, so please don’t falter."

Louis nodded, genuinely inspired by the old butler’s words. In the past, he might have dismissed them as empty encouragement, but his respect for Robert had grown immensely over recent months. "I will, Robert. Make sure you rest."

Robert laughed heartily, flexing his remaining muscular arm. "Hahaha, please. You don’t need to worry about me. Even with one arm, I can fight and serve you just fine. Once Lady Red Leaf finishes that prosthetic Spirit Artifact, I’ll be even more useful."

Louis was glad Robert’s spirit remained unbroken, yet he still didn’t want the man pushing himself. "No, you don’t need to be useful to me, Robert. You’ve proven your loyalty more than enough... Just rest."

The prince walked away after saying that, leaving Catrise with Robert. The two fellow Priests bickered affectionately and spent the rest of the day together. They shared a strong bond of friendship and always watched each other’s backs.

Afterward, Louis returned to his room and rested. Feeling accomplished, he checked his Status, curious how much stronger he had grown since arriving and enduring battles that pushed him to his limits.

♢♢♢♢

Name: Louis Drakeheart Yggdrasil

Classification: Sinner (Dragon–Human–Anomaly)

Spiral: Hollow Spiral of the Ashen Wyrm, Desecrated Soul Spiral Fragment, Self-Flagellation Spiral Fragment

Tier: 8 – Graveborn

Fantasy Heart: Level 37/50 -> 44/50

Vitality: 554 -> 634

Strength: 423 -> 505

Intelligence: 446 -> 527

Dexterity: 543 -> 625

Fantasium: 5500 -> 6300

Fantasium Affinity: 71%

Madness Index: 31%

♢♢♢♢

"The levels boosted the stats far more than training could have in such short time..." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Pushing his body to its limits multiple times had helped, but increasing stats that way was slow and painful, often taking months for noticeable results. As a Spiralwalker with an Awakened Fantasy Heart, however, he could Level Up.

Leveling was the Fantasy Heart’s power. It grew stronger by absorbing Fantasium and Soul Essence from defeated foes. Entities provided especially large amounts of Experience Points, allowing Louis to Level Up much faster than by killing bandits.

"Though I’ve progressed steadily, I still can’t find the way to advance my Spiral..." he thought, frustration rising. "My father hasn’t shared the results of his scan yet, so until then, I’m in the dark. I have to figure it out myself..."

Louis pondered deeply. Ascending from Tier 8 to Graveborn required bathing in the ashes of those he loved. But how could he progress beyond Graveborn? He didn’t even know the next stage’s name, though it surely involved death again.

"If every requirement is this extreme, it’s better not to overthink it and focus on other growth methods..."

He sat in lotus position and regulated the Spiritual Energies within him, using his Fake Dragon Heart as a substitute for a Spirit Orb. He continued cultivating the Spirit Bond Method, slowly forging a stronger connection with Belladine, his Light Spirit.

Handy, however, didn’t count as a Spirit and felt excluded from the ritual, leaving her rather annoyed. Louis had promised to find materials for her evolution, but he hadn’t succeeded yet.

"I’ll help you evolve later. I think I know what might work... If you’re from the Spiral of Compassion, there are existing rituals and compatible materials. I just need to acquire them."

Handy glared jealously at Belladine, who sat peacefully on Louis’s legs, receiving all his attention. The little hand struggled not to swat at her sometimes.

"You two were getting along fine before. Don’t fight...!" Louis groaned, grabbing Handy. "I mean it. Or I’ll stop feeding you."

"...!" Handy made a horrified expression and "nodded" by shaking her wrist, caressing Louis’s face as if to calm him.

"Don’t do that! Just return to my Fantasy Heart," he said, gently pushing her back. "Now... let’s not waste time."

Even while sleeping, Louis meditated. Half his mind focused on cultivating the Spirit Bond Method combined with the Fake Dragon Heart Method. To enhance them, he integrated Mana Breathing, Mana Body Reinforcement, Mana Consciousness Expansion, Heaven and Earth Essence Gathering, Heaven-Earth Harmonization Sutra, and Sword Breathing Technique. Through the Fake Dragon Heart Method, he discovered a way to harmonize all the different techniques.

"Is it possible to fully combine them?" he wondered as the night passed.

He also ran the Holy Dragon Spirit Soul Vein Technique in parallel, gradually creating more bright stars across the sky of his Fantasy Heart, now partly covered by a beautiful garden of white lilies.

♢♢♢♢

The next morning arrived. Louis startled awake from deep meditation as Catrise, Juliette, and Robert entered with good news.

"Master Louis!" Catrise called. "They’re here!"

"The agents have finally arrived," Juliette smiled.

"They’re requesting a meeting with you— Ah, have you been cultivating all night?!" Robert gasped, looking remarkably recovered despite his missing arm.

"So the agents are here," Louis nodded. "Very well. Give me ten minutes to prepare."

After a quick shower and fresh clothes, Louis headed downstairs to meet the five Agents the VPI had sent for the mission. Though he had only interacted with them briefly, William’s memories let him recognize all four well. They were "Seniors" who would eventually teach at Sinners Academy, each unique in appearance, origin, and abilities.

"Ah! Prince Louis! You’ve grown so much these past few years!"

The first voice belonged to the most distinctive of them: a tall, slender "man" with an old radio for a head, his "voice" emitting through static noise.

"Ah, it’s you, Uncle. I hoped you wouldn’t come."

"What?! T-That breaks my heart! How could you be so cruel to your dear uncle?!"

Ranked 6th among VPI Agents, he was the Entity-type Sinner, Radiohead.

Gustaf’s brother.

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