"Your ten-level punishnt shall be waived."
"Thank the heavens!" Ariana gasped. She instantly dropped to her knees, bowing low in gratitude before Sialumis. "Thank you... thank you so much!"
Then, turning to Mimi, she pressed her hands together and lowered her head, offering her thanks to the little Noctifelis as well.
Even Draco allowed himself a faint, relieved smile.
"Thank you, Mimi..." he murmured.
Mwehehe! No problem!
Mimi puffed up proudly, her tail swishing high as she gave a triumphant ow.
She then turned her head and caught Emilia’s expression. The girl’s eyes were shining with relief, her lips curved in a gentle smile.
Nice!
She must be so happy right now.
But of course, as Lord Sialumis had said, such a cri could not go unpunished. No matter how much rcy was shown, justice still had to be carried out.
And so, Mimi and the Guardian Deity had secretly agreed upon another plan.
"However," Sialumis declared, her deep voice echoing like a tolling bell across the chamber. "This reprieve will stand only if you can fulfill three conditions that I am about to na."
Ariana raised her head at once, anxiety clear in her eyes once more.
"Yes, my Lord. Please... what are these conditions?"
Sialumis closed her eyes for a brief mont, her majestic aura pressing down. When she opened them again, her gaze burned with authority.
And with that, she revealed the three conditions:
"One! The Silvervein Clan must enforce a stricter rule. Anyone caught owning a Dagger of Severance must destroy it at once, or face severe punishnt. Only then can we make sure no magical beast will ever be threatened by such a vile weapon again."
"Two! Mimi demands another gift! That Radiant Elysian Starfruit was delicious, but one fruit alone is not enough to soothe her righteous fury!"
"And three!" Sialumis’s voice bood as if declaring law itself. "Instead of losing ten levels, Draco Silvervein shall eat one full plate of the so-called ’best cat food in the world’... every single day... for the next year!"
"Pfft!"
Emilia and Ariana couldn’t hold it back. They burst into laughter, their shoulders shaking as they tried to stifle their giggles.
"Thank you, Mimi," Ariana managed between chuckles, her eyes glistening with relief. "These punishnts are fair... rciful, even. Thank you so much for your kindness!"
anwhile, Draco’s face was drained of all color. His jaw dropped.
"The first two conditions are... fine. But wait... wait a second. What do you an by ’best cat food in the world’? What? Can I even eat that? Is it edible for humans?!"
"Haha! Dad, good luck!" Emilia laughed, clapping her hands with glee.
"Wait! Please, have rcy, Mimi!" Draco cried in panic, almost lunging toward the little Noctifelis. "I can’t eat that stuff! Spare !"
But Mimi was unmoved.
Hmph!
The tiny cat flicked her tail with dignity, her whiskers twitching in amusent. She turned her face away dramatically, puffing her chest out like a ruler delivering justice.
Mwehehehe!
That’s right! This is probably the greatest punishnt in history!
Not only would it make that scary red-haired man’s life a living nightmare, but Mimi could already picture it: the proud Fire Dragon Emperor, gagging and holding back tears as he forced himself to chew on foul-slling cat food, day after day.
Truly, justice was beautiful!
"Co on, Darling, I think it’s such a good punishnt too!" Ariana chid in brightly. "It’s way better than losing ten levels! And besides, it’s not all bad. As gross as that food might taste, it’s packed with nutrition! If anything, it might even help you grow stronger by building more muscle!"
"AAAAA! NOT YOU TOO, ARIANA!!!" Draco roared, clutching his head like the world had betrayed him.
Draco kept protesting loudly, his crimson aura flaring faintly in his frustration. But no matter how much he protested, it was clear now, nobody was on his side anymore. The sentence was sealed!
Everyone was satisfied—except, of course, the mighty Fire Dragon Emperor himself.
"Thank you, Mimi..." Emilia said softly. Her voice was tender, full of gratitude. She walked over and smiled, reaching out to pet Mimi’s silky fur before lifting the little cat back into her arms.
anwhile... haizz...
Draco could only heave a long, heavy sigh.
For a man who had once burned armies of demonic creatures with his wrath, he now would be eating soggy cat kibble for the next entire year.
"Anyway," he muttered at last, defeated, "about the additional gift... what do you want, Mimi?"
On that matter, Mimi had already spent a lot of ti thinking. But frustratingly, she still didn’t have an answer ready.
Thanks to her curse, experience stones and skill stones were utterly useless. They might as well have been shiny pebbles. She could ask for equipnt, but at her current low level, there wasn’t much gear that could truly help her.
The only truly valuable thing she had received so far was that legendary Radiant Elysian Starfruit. She could ask for another one, of course... but that fruit was bound by strict rules. Only one could be eaten per year for its full effects, making a second one useless until the next year rolled around.
"How about this? You open your Treasury Vault and let Mimi pick one item for herself," Lord Sialumis suggested.
"Oh, that’s a great idea!" Ariana exclaid.
"Yup, I’m fine with that," Draco said.
"So, what do you think, Mimi?" Lord Sialumis turned toward the little Noctifelis, who perked her ears.
Of course, Mimi thought it was a brilliant idea too! The Vault of the Silvervein Clan was said to hold treasures beyond imagination. Even in her past life playing Arventia Online, she had never once gotten the chance to explore that part of the clan.
The thought of strolling inside, wandering through a place shrouded in mystery, and picking anything she wanted made her whiskers twitch with excitent.
"OW!" she agreed happily.
"Alright, that settles it!" Sialumis declared with a firm nod. Then she turned to Draco, her tone sharp as steel. "By the authority of the Guardian Deity of the Silvervein Clan, I hereby sentence you, Draco Silvervein, to three punishnts for your cri against your daughter’s magical beast, Mimi."
Her voice rang out, each word pressing down like a decree carved into stone. She repeated the three conditions once more, leaving no room for loopholes or excuses.
"Draco," she said coldly, "do you accept your punishnt now... or would you prefer to suffer a loss of ten levels?"
Draco let out a long breath. His face showed clear reluctance... but in the end, he lowered his head.
"Yes... I accept," the Fire Dragon Emperor said at last, bowing with his hand pressed to his heart.
And with that, his punishnt was finalized.
_______________________
After that, everyone took a mont to gather themselves.
"Now then, let us move on to the second matter I wish to discuss with you all today," Lord Sialumis said, her tone shifting into sothing more serious.
"Is this... related to Emilia’s summoning incident?" Draco asked.
"Exactly," Sialumis replied.
"Wait... you an you’ve discovered who sabotaged my daughter’s summoning ritual?"
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