Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons
Chapter 342 - 342: Coming out of her shell

"He served faithfully for years. Devoted his life to getting stronger, to be able to protect those around him and those he cared about. But..." Her hands clenched into fists.

"But power breeds jealousy. And jealousy breeds betrayal."

The pain in her voice made Arthur's chest tighten. He recognised that particular flavour of anguish.

"The nobles he served alongside couldn't stand his strength. His popularity. The fact that people looked to him instead of them."

Jasmine's eyes blazed with fury.

"So they conspired against him."

Arthur remained silent, but his jaw clenched. He knew this story.

I've lived a variation of it.

Politics. Power plays. The strong are torn down by the envious.

Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, but her voice remained steady.

She paused, swallowing hard.

"They killed him."

The words fell like stones into still water, creating ripples of understanding between them.

Arthur's fists clenched. He knew that rage. Had felt it burning in his own chest when his uncle stole everything from him and Charlotte.

Betrayed by those he trusted. Just like...

"But before he died," Jasmine continued, her voice growing stronger, "He told our family that he had many things to do. Before he left...he told us that we should escape, and should not tie our name to his."

She looked directly at Arthur, her eyes shining with unshed tears and unbreakable determination.

"That's why I can't tell you who I am. Because his enemies are still out there. Still powerful. And if they knew his daughter lived..." She gripped the legendary staff tightly. "They'd finish what they started."

Arthur stared at her, pieces clicking into place like a puzzle solving itself.

A powerful person, betrayed by nobles. Killed for his strength and popularity.

The description triggered memories from his time in Regulus's inheritance realm.

But it didn't mention anything about Regulus having a daughter, or maybe that's later in the inheritance...?

The probability of Jasmine being Regulus's daughter made Arthur shudder slightly. The age seemed perfect, Regulus was part of the older generation, and the girl Regulus was with had the same hair as Jasmine.

"So you see," Jasmine whispered, "I'm not keeping secrets to hurt you. I'm keeping them to survive. And to protect anyone foolish enough to stand beside me."

The vulnerability in her voice made Arthur's anger evaporate. This wasn't deception—it was desperation.

Arthur stepped closer, closing the distance between them. His spatial aura wrapped around them both like a protective barrier.

"Jasmine."

She looked up at him, hope and fear warring in her expression.

"I understand."

His voice carried absolute certainty.

"And I'm not going anywhere."

The tears she'd been holding back finally spilt over.

Finally...Someone who understands.

Arthur watched the relief wash over her features, but something still gnawed at him. A piece of the puzzle remained missing—one that could change everything.

"Can I ask you one final question?"

Jasmine wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, nodding slowly. The legendary staff pulsed with gentle light, responding to her emotional state.

"What's your father's name?"

The question struck her like a physical blow. Her breath caught. She really didn't want to reveal the name, but Arthur's expression told her this wasn't mere curiosity.

He's been so understanding. But will a name change that?

"I'm not asking this because the name will make me leave you," Arthur continued, his voice gentle but insistent. "But it's important... very important, for both of us."

Jasmine fell silent. The wind whispered across the demon wasteland. Her golden hair danced around her face as she struggled to reveal a secret that had been carefully guarded for years.

If I tell him, there's no going back. But after everything he's done...

"His name was..." She swallowed hard, the words feeling like broken glass in her throat. "Regulus."

The name hit Arthur like a thunderbolt.

His eyes widened, shock rippling across his features in waves. The casual patience he'd maintained shattered, replaced by something approaching awe.

Regulus. The Academy prodigy. The betrayed archmage. The man whose vengeance I witnessed in the inheritance chamber.

Seeing the shock transform his face, Jasmine's heart plummeted.

I knew it. I should never have—

"You're really the daughter of the Archmage Regulus?"

The reverence in his voice caught her off guard. Jasmine blinked, confusion replacing her fear.

Archmage? He knows father was an archmage?

She nodded slowly, though surprise colored her expression. "You... you know my father?"

Arthur didn't reply immediately. His mind raced through the implications, connecting dots that painted an entirely new picture of their relationship.

She doesn't know I've seen his story. Doesn't know about the inheritance chamber.

Instead of answering, he reached for her hand once more.

"Let me show you something..."

Reality folded around them like silk being gathered. The demon wasteland dissolved, colors bleeding away until they reformed in an entirely different location.

Jasmine gasped as she took in their new surroundings.

They stood in a pristine courtyard that seemed carved from dreams themselves. Walls stretched impossibly high, their surfaces reflecting light that had no visible source. Ancient runes spiraled across every surface, pulsing with power that made the air itself hum with energy.

This place... it feels familiar somehow. She thought.

Before she could process the strange sensation, a figure materialised before them.

The mercury flowed into existence like liquid metal given form. Its body shifted and changed with each movement, reflecting their faces in distorted mirrors.

"Welcome back, Potential Heir of the Archmage Regulus."

Jasmine's legs nearly gave out.

Father's heir? Potential heir? What does that mean?

Her mind went blank, overwhelmed by questions that crashed over her like ocean waves. Her father had left an inheritance? How was that possible? When? Why hadn't her mother told her?

All these years... all this time searching for power to avenge him...

Arthur turned toward the mercury guardian, whose expression—if it could be called that—had shifted to obvious displeasure.

"Why is she here?" The being's voice carried an edge of annoyance. "This place should only be entered by the potential heir, and no body else. I am going to forcefully remove her."