Chapter 170: Truly Busy

She was rejected?

Lady Livia was stunned. What operative, hearing of a Void Aether-Core, wouldn’t jump at the chance?

Rushing to claim it, fearing a single minute’s delay?

Yet Sovereign Theo, told it was opening soon, simply brushed it off? What could possibly be more important than a Void Aether-Core?

Did he possess any drive for power at all? Did he think his talent let him do whatever he pleased?

Patriarch Corvinus, battered and humiliated, perked up at Theo’s refusal. "The Sovereign is busy. I will accompany you, Princess!"

But Livia ignored him entirely, her fists clenched, forcing herself to speak with a smooth tone. "Sovereign, a Void Aether-Core is rare beyond measure. Unless your current task is a matter of life and death, you should come with me. We will handle it quickly, and you can return to your business."

Theo, now standing by his Professor’s side, grinned at her without turning around. "What I am doing next is the most important thing in the world."

Sylvia blushed deeply.

Corvinus tried again, his voice strained. "It seems the Sovereign is truly busy. I will go with you, Princess Livia..."

Livia gritted her teeth, unsure how to persuade Theo further. What was wrong with this mortal? Was it really such bad timing? She had come exclusively for him, not the secret realm. If he stayed, so would she.

Though Theo was only at the first realm of Divinity Separation, his breakthrough to the second realm was imminent. A Void Aether-Core was critical. Sylvia, intimately aware of the artifact’s value, spoke up softly.

"You do not need to rush things here. I will stay at the Academy. Come back for me when you are done."

But Theo didn’t hesitate. "No. I have waited years for this... I cannot wait another moment."

Sylvia’s head dropped, nearly burying her face in her robes, fearing the surrounding elders might guess his true meaning.

Theo, open and bold, simply took her hand, heading for her private sanctum.

Everyone was stunned. They didn’t know exactly what he was planning, but it looked urgent. Years in waiting? Clearly, it was a vital Syndicate matter.

Corvinus, elated by Theo’s departure, stepped directly in front of Livia. "Princess, the Sovereign’s seclusion could take ages... Let us depart. I have blade-master associates who might—"

She seemed deaf to him, shouting toward Theo’s retreating back. "Then handle your business, Sovereign! I will wait for you at the Academy, and we will go to the Primeval Frontier together! Please hurry!"

Theo, puzzled, glanced back over his shoulder. Wasn’t the realm shifting its coordinates? Why was it suddenly no longer urgent? Something was off with this Demi-God Princess. Was she specifically targeting him? The Ares Vanguard, having suffered heavy losses to the Syndicate in the past, might want revenge. And ’hurry’? Sorry, but he was built to last!

Already uninterested despite her 4,000x multiplier, his suspicion regarding her true motives killed any remaining curiosity. Too lazy to engage her further, he led his blushing Professor into her sanctum. He didn’t even bother offering a farewell greeting to the Grand-Patriarch, purely out of spite.

As the heavy stone doors of the sanctum shut, silence fell over the courtyard. The Grand-Patriarch noted Theo’s lack of basic courtesy. It wasn’t about saving Corvinus’s life—Theo likely saw the Patriarch as nothing more than an insect. The disrespect stemmed from the Ancestor’s insistence on keeping Sylvia at the Academy.

But what choice did the old man have? He mentally decided to scour the Academy’s treasury, granting Sylvia any Aetheric resource she requested. If he kept her happy, Theo would likely let the grudge slide.

Corvinus, having been ignored for so long, shut down entirely...

Over the next few days, the Grand-Patriarch, deeply annoyed by Corvinus’s pathetic presence, ordered him to leave the sect. Corvinus, reluctant and desperate, repeatedly sought out Lady Livia. But she was resolute, refusing to leave the courtyard as she waited for Theo to emerge.

Corvinus’s spirit broke. When he finally left the Academy, dazed, the cold mountain wind howled around him, bleak and desolate. He had returned from the capital with a striking Princess, poised to claim the Primeval Obsidian Sword, full of vigor and ambition.

Now, he was leaving in exile. No sword. No Princess. Even his Provincial-grade weapon was a pile of dust! His barely intact sword-heart was now fully ruined.

***

"Why do you know the Primeval Blade-Soul Matrix? When did you find time to cultivate Blade Arts?"

Back in the private sanctum, Sylvia pursed her lips, asking the question softly.

Theo chuckled. Over the years, he had displayed countless impossible anomalies, but she had never once questioned him. Asking him now wasn’t a sudden change in her nature. She was just incredibly nervous.

Pinning her gently against the sanctum wall, he grinned. "Professor, are you nervous?"

Sylvia stiffened, glaring at him with a mix of shyness and anger. She closed her eyes, scoffing softly. "Rebellious student! I never should have gone to the Outer City districts to recruit you..."

Theo laughed warmly, recalling their very first meeting. Back then, as a Vanguard-tier Professor clad in severe academic robes, she had effortlessly stunned the weak, newly-awakened operative he was. Years later, the moment of reaping had finally come. Even Theo, accustomed to the presence of stunning Imperial maidens, felt a rare thrill, his heart racing. But he didn’t rush.

Leaning close to her ear, he teased, "Professor, are you willing to be bullied by your rebellious student?"

Her thin skin made teasing her privately irresistible.

Sylvia, growing angrier to mask her flush, bit her lip. "You rebellious, hierarchy-defying student... You are so strong you can turn an Extreme-Dao Weapon to dust with a leaf. Does a Supreme-tier weakling like me even have a choice?"

A Supreme-tier weakling?

Theo’s smile widened, pulling her firmly into his arms.

"If you weren’t a Supreme-tier weakling, would you be willing?"

Her face burned red. Mumbling incoherently, she simply stayed silent.

Theo understood her heart perfectly.

With a wave of his hand, he lifted her gently into his arms as a spatial rift tore open before them. With one confident step, they vanished from the sanctum entirely.