A few miles away in the corrupted lands, a black-haired beauty and the sharp sword in her hand were both covered in crimson blood. Despite this condition, the tranquility on the girl's face wasn't lost.
A four-meter-tall three-headed demon wolf was fallen on the ground while its Organs and blood were scattered all around the floor.
She injected her mana into the shiny core that was in her hand to absorb the stats points.
A few notifications rang in her AI watch and boosted her strength.
[Core of Black-stage King three-headed demon wolf absorbed. 3 Black Stats points gained.]
[Your Root has Advanced to the Red Stage.]
Her curvaceous body was enveloped in a red light and announced to the girl that she was one step closer to her ultimate goal.
Black-haired beauty was now a red stage warrior at the age of nineteen, which was a top feat even in the great clans of Asuras.
"Just one more stage and I'll have enough strength to protect my love from this unfair world and stand against grandpa. Rio, I pray that you keep your promise and don't blame me for not coming to you. Just wait for me a little longer, I'll be yours forever.
Layla mumbled to herself emotionally and walked towards her next destination to continue her journey for her goals.
An unwavering light flickered in her royal blue eyes as her figure disappeared into the dark forest.
***
The white petals had both disappeared from the yellow pans of the green equal-arm balance scale device.
"Looks like you have defeated me for the first one, not bad, Rio. But there are still four white petals left in the game. Since I picked the first time, I'll let you choose this one." Eve said the first line in a defeated tone and rest with a sweet voice.
Rio had already calmed down as the orange-red-haired beauty had waited long enough for him to recover from his thoughts.
Hearing her words, he collected himself and stood up before saying, "Alright."
There were four remaining white petals hovering in front of both parties which were 'Lia', 'Second Mother', 'Adopted Grandpa' and 'Nyla.'
Rio's eyes stopped on the one he was going to pick earlier. The boy wasn't even sure if he would've won with this option or not.
He was sure there wasn't much difference between the affection given by Lia and Layla. They were both unique in their own places as they both loved him dearly.
'If I don't choose her then I might lose if the Eve monarch herself picks White petal with Lia's name.'
The crimson-haired boy's left hand moved towards the space of the white petals with the name of his wife and tapped the space in front of it.
The white petal with the 'Lia' tag flew to the right side of the yellow pan and sat on it lightly.
The right yellow pan lowered toward the ground and lost harmony instantly.
Rio was aware of the outcome that no matter what the remaining white petals Eve picks she was going to lose.
The orange-red-haired beauty smiled mischievously and tapped the white petal with the Second mother's name.
It flew towards the left yellow pan and made it slightly upwards, bringing the right one a little above the ground
Lia's side was still lowered by around 70% but in Second Mother's pan didn't fully lose. It caused the opponent to stay above ground by 30%.
'Although I was suspicious of Second mother but this confirms she shouldn't have ill intentions for me but I'll keep my guard up until she tells me the secret about my parents.'
This result assured Rio that he could trust his Second mother as she loved him dearly to cause Lia's White petals to stay 30% above the ground.
"What a pity, I lost again..." Eve said with a disappointed tone and sighed.
She looked at Rio to observe his reaction which wasn't much since he didn't let it show on his face.
The orange-red-haired beauty continued with a playful expression, "But I still have one more chance to win...since it's my turn so I will choose then."
Eve hovered her hand in front of both white petals as her hand swayed between Nyla's and Adopted Grandpa but she didn't take long.
Her hand stopped in front of a white petal and tapped the space in front of it.
Her chosen white petal flew to the left side of the yellow pan and landed on it.
As always, the left pan was pushed toward the ground by the white petal's weight.
She said, "Your turn Rio..."
"There is no use if I choose or not. There is only one white petal left so." The boy said in a relaxed manner.
"You're right but who do you think will win among them?" She asked with a puzzled expression while putting her hands around her jaw in a cute manner as if contemplating like a detective.
"Because grandpa took care of me in my childhood and this girl I just met a few weeks ago. It's very clear who would win." Rio responded to her in a nonchalant voice as he guessed the results beforehand.
"Rio, You and Layla only spend five years together but in front of her selfless love, even your parents' affection paled in comparison. Although it has something to do with your past but yeah Love isn't measured by time but it transforms.
However, it's better you discover it yourself. Let's see if your understanding about Nyla and Adopted Grandpa is correct or not..." She spoke with a smile as a mysterious glint flickered in her eyes.
"Okay..." He tapped the remaining white petal as it flew towards the right yellow pan.
The left side with Adopted Grandpa's white petal moved upward and lost in weight against the one with the name of "Nyla".
The cheerful girl's right side was just 20% above the ground as it won by a big difference.
Rio scrunched his face and mumbled in confusion, "I don't understand this..."
"You thought you won't win, didn't you? Don't worry Boy. A maiden's heart is a mystery that nobody could ever understand. Not even God has been able to solve this complicated puzzle.
Only Time will explain to you why that lively girl won against your adopted grandfather." She responded in a sweet manner.
Her words were indicating there were more secrets behind the outcome of this match that can not be explained by just words but he had to wait for the upcoming future.
Eve continued, "The first one was your real trial which you passed. The remaining matches were never meant to trap you here even if you lost. It was just there as the reward for you to understand the people around you."
After hearing Eve's words, Rio felt relieved as the trial was finally over. He thought he would lose since the only remaining white petal was Nyla but this result surprised him greatly.
Her voice continued once again, "Since you have already won the trial let's see who loves you more between these two people that you may also be curious about. Consider this a gift from your new partner." Eve said in a pleasant tone and winked at him in a coquettish manner.
Two white petals appeared again in front of the blonde-haired boy. The name written on them was adopted grandpa and Second Mother.
"Guess who loves you more?" She asked with a smile, wanting to know his answer.
"I don't know." He mumbled as this question was a riddle for him.
Rio also wanted to know the answer to the question she asked as he didn't know who loved him more among the two adopted guardians in his sixteen years of life.
"Okay...let's see..." Ravishing Monarch Beast tapped the air in front of both petals in a graceful way.
They flew slowly towards their destination and went to sit on opposing sides. One of the yellow pans instantly touched the ground, ignoring the other weight as if there was nothing against it.
Rio, who was relaxed, had had his eyes widened in surprise.
'Finally...I got to see this reaction.'
Eve was waiting for a long for him to react but he hardly showed any shocked expression until now.
'Just What's my relationship to her?'
He never imagined that his Second mother's white petal would directly touch the ground and defeat his adopted grandpa. It was as if there was nothing on the other side to compete against her.
Even if one party loved him more the differences wouldn't be this desperate.
"There is something very important your Second Mother is hiding from you. That secret is not only about your parents but other aspects of your life. You shouldn't doubt her good intentions but think of her as your real Second Mother for the time being and trust her. At least I can assure you that much.
In the near future you will find out what secrets your Second Mother is hiding from you but for now, it's probably better to keep them away from you as it's for your own good and a bright future. Right now, You're not strong enough to take the burden of these secrets." Eve explained to him in a serious tone.
"Why do I need to be stronger to know about secrets related to my own life?" Rio mumbled inwardly in confusion as this was a mystifying puzzle to him.
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Edited By: TheWhiteSnow
