''Hey~!''

''...''

''Hey hey hey~!''

''Shut up, stupid bird.''

Being mercilessly shut off by an annoyed August, Diamante aggressively pouted, cheeks inflated like a balloon.

Things were a bit iffy for the princess recently. Kierra had dedicated herself to magic for the time being, which meant no intimate acts were allowed. Instead, she was forced to see this grumpy, cat-like August all day. Moreover, her body was warmer than ordinary folks, so she had already eaten up all of her ice cream while her rival was leisurely enjoying her portion.

Ice cream wasn't Diamante's first concern, however. It was Kierra.

More specifically, the women surrounding Kierra. Honestly, Diamante was dumbfounded when she found out that Kierra had other mistresses besides August.

She didn't know how to feel about it. The situation was so unexpected that even Diamante, who was confident in managing her emotions, was stunned.

Confused? Certainly.

Jealousy? A bit.

Resentment? Not a lot.

Relief? Maybe.

In the end, Diamante didn't know what changed Kierra. A particular memory resurfaced.

In it, Kierra had just announced her intention to end their relationship. Diamante desperately clung to the archwizard while totally in a daze, spewing out whatever she could to hold onto her lover.

Much of it was pathetic, but one in particular stood out.

''D-Don't tell me you fell in love with another woman...?''

''Huh?''

''No, it's... it's good! I'll allow it! We'll make a harem for you, yeah? And then... K-Kierra...?''

''...''

The princess still couldn't forget Kierra's face as she turned away. It haunted her for a long, long while.

Still, what even mattered anymore when she and Kierra had once again connected, right?

Right...?

''...''

It seemed she had to settle this turbulence in her heart before that. Once prepared, Diamante took a long breath and—

''Ultimate thinking mode, activate!''

Seizing the chance where August was startled, Diamante swiftly slipped her hand into the Sword Empress's ice cream bucket and took one for herself.

Shoving the stick of melon ice cream into her mouth, Diamante's confidence rose dramatically.

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''Mhgmmmm!''

The coldness ran all the way to her brain, and with two index fingers pressed against her temples, the phoenix princess began to run her engine.

Seeing this, August couldn't help but want to slap that fluffy pink head a few times, but she held back. She wouldn't want to cause further trouble for Kierra.

''Hah...''

Just imagine having to deal with this idiot for another eternity gave the Sword Empress a headache.

Meanwhile, in Kierra's room.

The study lamp never went out, and the number of paper on the desk only increased.

Kierra had set her goal to be able to cast [Astral Oblivion] semi-regularly. This time around, she had depleted her entire energy reserve just to do that, which wasn't exactly desirable in a drawn-out battle.

To achieve that, she would need to refine her mana output efficiency and mana capacity further.

The first condition could probably be satisfied if she swept through all the cultivation manuals in Central Divine Realm. After all, in terms of handling energy, the cultivators with a more extended history would be superior. In fact, she was already doing that during her 'breaks.'

The second condition was harder, however. Kierra's perfect ten circles of mana were already so over-the-top that current magical theories barely allowed it to exist. If she wanted to go further...

She would need an eleventh circle.

''Hm...''

This route posed a number of obstacles.

Firstly, there was a chance her heart would burst from overexerting itself, regulating too much mana at once. Fundamentally, mana circles provided more mana capacity the further they were from the heart, making each circle after the last more valuable than ever.

Still, things had a limit.

On top of that, the problem of how to install it remained. Traditionally, mana circles were manifested over a long period of meditation in which the wizard would painstakingly construct the new circle from nothingness.

Kierra nearly died of brain damage when she did so for the tenth circle. It simply took too long and too much concentration to maintain the existing rings while adding a new one.

Leaning back on her chair, Kierra brought the sketch for the new circle up and stared at it for a while.

No matter what, the heart was a no-go. There was simply too much risk involved. But if not the heart, then where...

''Hello...''

''...?''

Right then, the door creaked open, and a fluffy pink lady stepped inside the archwizard's room. As soon as their eyes met, Diamante promptly hopped over and climbed on Kierra's lap.

''Dia.''

''Mhm...''

Diamante was like a big puppy. Intentional or not, she loved to rub her fluffy head against her lover's chest. In a heartbeat, Kierra found her hand already putting the paper away in favor of stroking this little princess's hair.

'Is she releasing some kind of stimulant...?'

Either way, it was true that she hadn't rested for a while. Might as well take this time to cuddle...

''...Hey, Kierra.''

''Hm...?''

As the archwizard was about to close her eyes, a faint, almost whimper-like sound escaped her pink lover. Still, with her face buried in Kierra's chest, she spoke,

''Did you know? You're... a terrible woman.''

''...''

''You abandoned me for so long, and when I chased you all the way here... you have what? Six other women waiting on your bed?''

''...Dia.''

''This isn't how you treat a princess like me, is it?''

Before long, Kierra noticed the inflated cheeks pushing on her chest. It seemed this little bird was indeed upset. Despite exposing her nervous heart, the archwizard calmly stroked Diamante's back.

''Again, I'm sorry.'' She whispered. ''I'll cherish you from now on. Forever.''

''Forever?''

''Yeah.''

''Even with all the other women clinging to you?''

''Yes. I swear.''

Afterward, words didn't get out, yet heat was still properly transferred, bringing lots of emotions along with it. Through Kierra's thin clothing, a slightly colder temperature reigned, while the opposite was true for Diamante.

Yes.

'I need not to neglect these girls as well.'

Perhaps she was too occupied with magic all this time, especially now that Diamante was here. It had been a bit since the princess was spoiled...

''Heheh... your heart is finally calming down.''

''...''

''So you still care for me this much...''

Suddenly, the archwizard felt embarrassed, even though she promised herself to let Diamante be a bit spoiled. So, she gave up saving her dignity and fully embraced her lover.

The soft and warm hug pillow was especially comfortable for a nap. Maybe this time...

''I'm amazed every time I look inside your body. Remember that time I fainted after seeing your heart? Now you even have this qi thing hanging near your womb as well.''

Diamante giggled.

''It's like... you have two hearts.''

''...!''

Kierra's sleepy eyes snapped open.

Two... hearts?