Chapter 241 July 18th, 2032 | Lady Roybock

"Hello, Lady Roybock." Kaze smiled charmingly, walking up to his nervous professor, "I gave you ample time to process before speaking to you.

However, it seems it was unnecessary; your pounding heart doesn't contain the slightest degree of fear. How curious."

"K-Kaze!" Fey blushed furiously, turning away with an awkward demeanor, "That's not appropri--heh. I see you've switched back to Lady Roybock."

"I have, pending confirmation." He confirmed casually, "I'd continue calling you Francis, but I've heard that you hate that name passionately outside of moments of intimacy."

The professor turned beet red and looked away; she had never felt so mortified. "I dislike the name, but you're right.... Ah! W-Why are you here, Mr. Lexicon?"

Kaze looked down at the unused Ergo seed packages in his hand and then back at her. "If you wish to hide your needless embarrassment, it's unwise to blurt out the first thing you can think of."

Fey cringed, playing back the situation, then looked at him with a self-deprecating smile. "I'm glad to talk to you. I thought you had forgotten about me."

"I would never ignore a woman as charming as yourself, let alone forget her." He replied magnetically, making her chest pulse, "Can you walk me through production?"

The professor blinked twice, snapping out of her fantasy. "O-Oh, yes. We've already weeded and plowed the field and dug irrigation ditches. Now, we're planting the seeds."

They stood before a large dirt field with rows of dug-up earth awaiting seeds.

"Are you sure that we can plant them at this altitude?" Fey asked nervously, "The climate is poor, and nutrients are scarce at this elevation."

"You needn't worry about that." Kaze chuckled, "Ergo is an invasive plant that grows in extreme climates.

It's better to grow them at high elevations; otherwise, you must cull the population every few days. It's a truly dreadful undertaking."

"We're planting a weed?" She asked with a bitter smile, "Then why did you have us create farming fields?"

"Plants cease to be [weeds] when they are where you wish them to be." He replied with a charming tone, "We want Ergo growing here; thus, it's not a weed.

Since it's an invasive species, we must create an orderly field to cull any spawn strangling our treasures."

Invasive species are known for reproducing and spreading rapidly, often causing damage to the environment and killing other plants. They are the plants that people usually call weeds.

Due to its fast growth, they needed an orderly field to weed out new Ergo to prevent it from siphoning Soul Qi from their main plants.

The professor got lost in his simple yet hypnotic explanation, speaking science with the same fluidity he did when playing back her lectures. "Did you also have a charming biology teacher?"

"He was dreadful." Kaze replied with a witty smile, "That is another reason to remember a person's every word, albeit an unfortunate one."

Fey blushed when she processed his flirtatious meaning, turning away. "Is it okay that I'm blushing? Our roles have reversed dramatically, and its awkward."

"Only if you wish to." He replied hypnotically, making her heart thump, "At Immortal Skye, you can act however you wish, so long as it doesn't make someone uncomfortable.

Since we're a new country, we can destroy negative culture without creating blanket laws and rules."

"Wait...." She requested in slight anxiety, "You're not worried about people taking advantage of their positions?"

"That's against the law here, Lady Roybock." Kaze smiled, "Sleeping with students and managers is not.

However, you needn't worry about a cultural decline. Since I know everyone here by sight, citizens must put their life and reputation on the line before they try abusing my laws. "

"Will that really work?" Fey asked in awe, drawn in by his charisma.

"Of course, it will." Kaze smiled charmingly, "I can name it the Roybock bill if you wish."

Her face blushed red to the tip of her ears. She knew he wasn't being serious by his cheeky smile, but she still couldn't handle the embarrassment.

"Ms. Roybock, we've sowed the seeds!" A redhead announced with a pleasant smile.

"OKAY!" The professor replied with unnatural intensity, turning to the emperor, "Y-You haven't told us how to water them. Is that because they're invasive?"

"No, it's because I'm the only person that can water them." Kaze replied with a strange smile, turning to the people in the field, "Everyone, please move from the field."

The Immortals complied as the emperor closed his eyes and churned his Soul Core, extracting Soul Qi into a blueprint.

When she opened his eyes, he waved his hand grandly, and a sheet of golden water flew across the sky, raining down on the field, stunning everyone.

It soaked into the earth quickly, giving the entire field a lingering, ambient glow.

The vegetation in the area reacted, and plants and grass stood erect, almost glistening. Some Immortals swore they even saw the plants growing in real-time. It was surreal.

"What is that?" Fey asked in wonder.

"It's life essence itself." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "I've infused it with a water technique to create Qi-rich nutrients. Ergo feeds on Soul Qi, which no one else can cultivate; that's why I must water them like this if we want to harvest them after a month."

"How do you cultivate... Soul Qi?" She asked curiously.

"You don't want to know." He replied with a mysterious smile, making her feel a cool anxiety in her chest.

"I see...." Fey replied strangely, "It's a shame you must water it yourself. You're already busy; I wish I could help relieve some of that stress."

"You are always welcome to help me relieve stress in other ways so long as you seek similar relief." Kaze replied nonchalantly, flashing her a magnetic smile.

She turned beet red again and turned, trying not to fidget. "B-But... don't you have... a partner?"

"I am a shameless polygamist, Lady Roybock." Kaze replied charmingly, "All my partners know and accept that before entering into a relationship with me."

"I don't... understand." She muttered, genuinely perplexed, "Why would your... partners... accept you sleeping around?"

"I suppose it's because no one, save Evalyn, could be my partner if they didn't." He smiled shamelessly, "It's an arrangement that suits everyone."

"It sounds like it suits [you]." Fey said with a wry smile.

"The word [everyone] includes me, yes." Kaze countered with a charming, mocking smile.

"Then why do you do it?" She frowned, "What drives you to seek many partners?"

"Is it so strange?" He asked with a magnetic smile, "If I didn't, I couldn't enjoy relationships with charming women like yourself. That would be a shame too great to accept."

"W-W-We aren't in RELATIONSHIP!" Fey squeaked awkwardly, looking for escape routes to hide her awkward embarrassment.

"Did I ever say we were?" Kaze chuckled in amusement, "You needn't worry, Lady Roybock.

Should you ever wish to join me as my partner, I will welcome you warmly. Until then, I will neither claim we are in a relationship nor court you."

"M-Me!?" The brunette professor blushed furiously, turning away, "Kaze Lexicon! Do you understand that you're asking your professor--"

"Charming professor." Kaze corrected devilishly, "Charming ex-professor if you find it more comfortable."

"T-That doesn't make it better!" She cried.

"Charming mentor?" He mused with a cheeky smile.

"That's not the issue!" Fey cried, trying to avoid eye contact with her beet-red face, "It's my past relationship with you as your teacher!"

"If it's a problem that you're no longer my teacher, then might you allow me to join your botany club?" Kaze asked deviously, "From what I understand, you head it and lead research, yes?"

"That's worse!" The professor cried, "The problem was that I was your teacher, a position of power, and you were my student. Just because it's conveniently legal now doesn't change my feelings about it!"

"Would it ease your mind if I showed up as the leader of your country?" He smirked, "You can wipe your hands clean of false perceptions of power."

Fey heated up again, hearing giggles and chuckles from the gardening hands as they watched her squirm. It was obvious he was charming her, and she was eating it up. "Kaze...."

"Yes?" Kaze asked with a charming smile, unconcerned by the attention.

"It's your country...." She sighed, "So I suppose... you could join the botany club if you wish.

However, I will not treat you differently... during club hours... just because you're our country's leader."

He watched her squirm to produce an answer with a satisfied expression. "I look forward to it."

As he walked away, leaving the embarrassed woman trying to avoid everyone's gazes, he turned around with a mischievous smile.

"By the way, Lady Robock." Kaze said hypnotically, "White still looks good on you; I just thought you should know."

Fey looked down and saw her white shirt and shorts, reminiscent of the white dress she wore the class he woke up. Her face heated up like a thermometer under the chorus of giggles and laughter as the emperor waved and walked away.