Emperor's harem: Transmigrated with SSS mana talent
Chapter 100: [Tomorrow will be interesting]

Chapter 100: [Tomorrow will be interesting]

Kael felt a bead of sweat roll down the back of his neck.

Shit. This is bad.

Clearing his throat a little too quickly, he forced a smile and stepped slightly between them.

"So, uh... Elara," he said, voice light, forced. "You said you wanted to talk?"

Elara took a step closer to Kael, her voice sharp but quiet.

"Why haven’t you contacted me about that?"

Before Kael could answer, Selene immediately interjected.

"He’s been busy handling the Duchy’s affairs. You think he has time for every little—"

"Why are you coming between us?" Elara snapped, eyes narrowing.

"I’m his future wife."

The room tensed as the two women locked eyes, silent lightning sparking between them.

Kael’s brow twitched.

He exhaled, stepped forward—and without ceremony, brought down his fists to bonk each of them lightly on the head.

Their foreheads bumped as they flinched in surprise.

Yue nearly choked holding in her laughter from the side.

Kael rubbed his temples.

"We are not doing this. Talk like people, not stray cats fighting in the alley."

Both Elara and Selene looked at him, cheeks puffed, muttering in unison.

"...You didn’t have to hit so hard."

Elara quietly reactivated the mana artifact. The faint shimmer of the soundproof dome sealed them in again.

Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly as he leaned back, arms crossed.

"You wanted the devil’s help in dealing with what’s going on in the forest, right?" he said, voice low but direct.

"Now that these people are hunting the devil, you twisted the narrative—used them as tools. You’re guiding them straight to the real threat... under the name of killing him."

Elara blinked, then a faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Correct."

Kael’s tone didn’t change. "Why would the devil help you?"

Her eyes darkened, the smile fading.

"Because if we don’t stop what’s in there, the entire kingdom will be turned to ash."

Silence.

Kael watched her closely.

She’s speaking from memory, he thought.

This already happened... somewhere in her past life.

His fingers curled slightly.

A cold sweat began to rise behind his neck.

But then he spoke, voice like a blade.

"So what? The devil isn’t some hero. He’ll run. Disappear. Let the kingdom burn."

Elara tilted her head, still watching him.

"You think too much like the devil himself."

Kael stiffened, just for a moment—but his face remained calm.

"It’s not hard to guess," he replied softly.

She nodded slowly.

"Maybe. But there’s something in that forest.

Something even the devil would want."

Silence.

The silence that followed felt like a weight dropped into still water.

Selene had remained silent long enough, but her voice cut through the tension with quiet sharpness.

"Then why haven’t you informed the king? Why not warn everyone?"

Elara sighed, rubbing her temple as if the weight of that question had long sat on her shoulders.

"I already did. I told my father... but he’s too entangled with the Astania Kingdom situation. And more importantly—" her gaze hardened, "—I have no proof."

Selene gave a small nod, her expression unreadable, but Kael could tell she understood the gravity.

Kael exhaled and added,

"That’s good. But... the devil hasn’t contacted me since the Duke’s incident."

Elara was quiet for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"Alright. But if he does... you must tell him everything. Ask him to meet me."

Kael tilted his head with a faint smirk.

"Sure. I’ll pass along the invitation."

Inwardly though, his thoughts were a storm.

’Something the devil would be interested in...’

Kael’s thoughts darkened.

’What the hell is this bitch even saying? And more importantly...

can I actually trust her?’

He didn’t have that answer. And that made him itch.

Elara paused, looking like she was about to say something else—but her eyes flicked to Selene, standing too close, watching too carefully.

Whatever was on her tongue, she swallowed it.

Her expression cooled again.

She gave Kael a short nod. "Let’s talk more tomorrow," she said simply, then turned and walked away, her figure disappearing into the corridor.

Kael watched in silence, mind racing.

He still didn’t know what she truly wanted—or what exactly lay in that cursed forest.

But Kael couldn’t just sit and let others decide his fate.

That wasn’t how he survived this long—not in this world, and not in the last.

His face grew hard with thought. Without another word, he turned.

"I’ll be back," he muttered.

Selene raised a brow. "Where are you going?"

Kael gave her a half-smile. "Just buying a few things."

Before she could press further, he’d already vanished down the hallway.

Minutes later, he sat inside a plain carriage, the city slipping past.

Eventually, the carriage rolled to a stop in front of an old, somewhat cramped bookstore nestled between a potion shop and a spice merchant.

Yue blinked. "Here? Really?"

Kael stepped down with a quiet grin. "You’ll see."

Inside, a chubby, balding man looked up from his counter—and promptly turned pale.

"Y-Your Grace! Welcome to humble Inkroots!"

Other customers froze.

Several gave short, awkward bows.

Kael, barely acknowledging the stares, walked straight to the counter.

"I want everything you have on mana beasts. Their behavior, feeding patterns, how they travel, and..." he lowered his voice,

"what draws them in"

The shopkeeper nodded like this wasn’t the strangest request he’d heard that week, and soon returned with a thick tome wrapped in faded green leather.

Kael paid without question and climbed the narrow staircase to the second-floor library.

He found a quiet seat near a dust-flecked window. The scent of old paper and ink hung in the air.

As Kael opened the book, Yue hovered beside him.

"You trying to become a beast specialist overnight?"

Kael smirked.

"No. I just need to understand something. Something... specific."

He turned the pages slowly, eyes sharpening.

After hours of flipping through page after page, Kael finally shut the book with a quiet thump.

The lantern beside him flickered—night had long since fallen. He looked outside; the streets were quieter now, bathed in the cold blue light of moonlight and magical lamps.

With a low groan, he stretched his back and stood, cracking his neck.

Carrying the book, he descended the creaking stairs to the counter below. The shopkeeper glanced up, eyes wide once more.

"I’ll be taking this," Kael said simply, dropping a few gold coins on the counter.

Without waiting for a response, he stepped out into the night air and casually walked next door—to the potion shop first, then the spice merchant.

Yue, floating invisibly beside him, tilted her head as she watched him collect an odd assortment of ingredients.

Dried crimson thistle. Aetherroot powder. Refined beast musk oil.

Even a faintly glowing shard of luminous stone.

By the time they stepped out, she narrowed her eyes. "You’re preparing a lure," she murmured.

Kael didn’t reply, just gave a knowing half-smile.

The items vanished into his space ring one by one. Yue gave a small chuckle, already imagining what was coming.

By the time they returned to the estate, the sky was black, and stars had begun to peek through the mist.

Kael paused at the gate, looking once toward the distant outline of Duskwitter Forest on the horizon.

Yue looked sideways at him and grinned. "This is going to be fun."

Kael’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. "It’s going to be bloody."

Tomorrow was coming—and it would not be quiet.

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