The Lone SF Transmigrator in the Otherworld Forum
Chapter 30: Maxien Asteria

Shoot, I almost fell for it.

She hurriedly stopped the massage chair with a flushed face. She had a gut feeling that something was wrong due to the subtle stimulation that constricted her entire body.

"A-Adult mode?!"

Realizing her mistake, she quickly switched it back to Normal Mode.

"E-Eut."

Even in Adult Mode, she couldn't figure out which specific setting she had chosen, but the slimy sensation that seemed to wrap around her entire body made her skin crawl.

"What is this...!"

She was startled. The sensation still seemed to linger on her skin.

She shook her head vigorously and, after calming down her excited heart, hesitated before choosing [Sleep Mode].

It had been a long time since she had slept properly due to severe insomnia.

She didn't have high ho…

"M-Mmm?"

Woong-

It felt as if she was enveloped in amniotic fluid in her mother's womb...

She was enveloped in infinite coziness, making her eyes close automatically. The comfort was irresistible.

***

She sat with a blank expression, checking the clock.

“….”

She wiped the drool with her sleeve.

Uh...

Her memory was cut off. She barely regained her consciousness and retraced her memories.

I laid on the massage chair... chewed out the Oradge once... activated the massage chair... Adult Mode... Sleep… Mode?

"I slept for 10 hours without taking sleeping pills?!"

That wasn’t all.

The headache and muscle stiffness that usually plagued her every time she woke up were now gone.

Every muscle seemed to be dancing with joy, feeling revitalized.

It was unbelievable.

She couldn't believe this was her body. The same worn out body that couldn't even sleep 3 hours a day properly due to nearly 16 hours of research and experiments.

Due to chronic insomnia caused by excessive work and severe stress, this current situation felt unfamiliar to her. She felt overly energized.

"S-Sleep Magic? No, it can’t be... Mana wasn't detected, right?"

Even if it were Sleep Magic, there was no way it could make her feel this refreshed.

Confusion filled her eyes.

Gulp-

"I-It must have been a coincidence."

Yes. It had to be.

Could her condition have changed this dramatically, just because she had slept in a massage chair once?

Bang bang bang-

"Director! It is late. You should stop the experiment at this point and come out now!"

Her eyebrows furrowed, reminded of the mountain of work left. She hurriedly checked her schedule, grabbed her documents, and moved her body.

Could it just be her imagination that her footsteps felt lighter than yesterday?

She forcefully erased the Adult Mode that was left in the corner of her mind and hurried out the door.

***

"Hehe, it's over."

Karlstein was certain. He too had used the Heaven Series Massage Chair, thus he knew for sure. No massage or masseuse could match the midas touch, no, the midas chair.

At one time, he had also been unable to escape from that chair for a while.

The massage chair, wrapping the user in a state of weightlessness, was a miraculous device that unraveled all the fatigue accumulated in the body before the user even realized it.

That woman hadn't noticed it yet, but there was no need to use it only for massage. If she just sat in that chair regularly for work, physical fatigue would never accumulate—truly a miracle indeed.

No, it was even more amazing than that. If she chose [Work Mode], her mind would become clear and even a 'flawless caffeine' effect was possible, making her brain work efficiently.

It'll be hard to snap out of it.

Right as Karlstein chuckled at that thought…

Shrrr-

The door to the Main Hall opened and Aria, with silver hair, entered.

"Huh? Didn't you say you had a separate appointment today?"

Aria wore her perpetual indifferent expression, making it difficult to read her inner thoughts.

"Master."

"Hm?"

Why so serious? You’re scaring me.

No, he had recently found emotional stability. Surely, it wasn’t much. Karlstein casually sipped from his wine glass.

"Maxien has entered the palace."

"Huh? Who?"

"Grand Duchess Maxien, the Sword Saint, has requested an audience."

Karlstein inadvertently dropped his wine glass.

Clank-

The original worldview’s strongest PVP fighter. The universe's greatest talent.

A member of the Asterian race, the Galactic Empire's greatest output. Maxien Asteria, she had come to him.

"Can't you just say I'm not here?"

Karlstein's eyes trembled slightly.

***

The door to the Main Hall opened and a woman with starlight hair slowly walked in.

Step Step-

The Greatest Sword Saint of the Universe.

The Last Royal of the Asterian Race.

Maxien Asteria.

No adjective could possibly describe the brightness in her starlit eyes.

Her eyes filled with stars turned towards him.

“….”

Karlstein tried to hide his nervousness as he looked at her.

A faint smile formed on her relaxed face as she spoke.

"It has been a long time, Your Majesty."

Her soft words seemed to resonate through the Main Hall.

Behind her were 12 swords made of light and metal, floating in the air like a halo. These blades formed the Ether Weapon ‘Olympus’.

Karlstein's Ether Weapon could unleash planetary-grade firepower in a single strike, whereas Maxien was slightly different. Although each strike's power was weaker compared to his, Maxien could wield the twelve Ether Weapons as if they were extensions of her own body.

If Karlstein's single strike was like a massive nuclear bomb, then each of Maxien's strikes was akin to a railgun, more of a bruiser.

Karlstein responded as naturally as he could.

"It has… been a long time, Maxien. It’s been difficult to meet you these days."

A slight smile formed on Maxien's lips at his response.

"It is all thanks to Your Majesty's favor, considering someone as insignificant as me so highly."

“….”

Her words had an edge.

She clearly harbored strong discontent about being sent scrambling around on the battlefield. Karlstein, who disliked work more than anyone, could wholeheartedly understand her feelings.

"Ahem."

So, her backhanded comment stung a bit. She wasn't wrong, after all.

I did deploy her in all sorts of incidents...

For any task requiring force, Maxien alone was enough. She was like some free pass to any conflict. As such, how could he just leave her be?

Karlstein countered as serenely as he could.

"Considering your exceptional abilities, it's unavoidable, isn't it? Haha."

"Is that so?"

Her gaze felt rather piercing.

"Your Majesty."

"Hm?"

"You are not still upset about the past, are you?"

“….”

"I have heard you have been living secludedly in the Imperial Palace recently, so I thought I should perhaps mention it."

Maxien's eyes sparkled sharply.

Yes, that look.

Sometimes, when she looked at him that way, it gave him the chills.

Her starlit eyes, as empty as space itself, blazed with an eerie heat that was hard to identify.

Was this the look of a viper poised to strike its prey?

Despite the smile on her beautiful face, a face that would not be underserved by the epithet ‘exquisite beauty’, the bizarre and intense gaze she fixed on him was enough to make him forget about all that.

A faint smile lingered on her lips.

"It is something that should never happen."

“….”

What Maxien so strongly opposed was…

Nothing other than the issue of his marriage.

-Marriage is for creating heirs to continue the lineage. Why would Your Majesty, who enjoys eternal life, need to proceed with a marriage?

-If an heir is born, it would only promote division within the Empire. The power-hungry fools might rally around the heir and try to push Your Majesty out of power. Is that not so?

-Therefore, Your Majesty's marriage must absolutely not happen.

He could not even begin to fathom her reasoning. After all, if a rebellion occurred, it could simply be suppressed.

With the Empire had stabilized, Karlstein had been feeling a bit lonely, so he had been tempted to dabble in romance. However, it felt like he had hit a huge obstacle.

-It is merely dating, you say? What if it results in a child? Who will take responsibility?

-Romance without intention of marriage? Are you suggesting toying with women?

No, like… Why was she suddenly acting this way?

From a certain point in time, it was as if she had become an overly traditional girl, deeply rooted in some ancient Confucianism. Except, even Confucianism allowed for marriage, though...

Her opposition, along with a few subordinates, had effectively banned his romantic ventures.

For some reason, Aria also maintained silence on this issue. It seemed she had discussed something with the subordinates but wouldn't tell him anything about it.

Afterwards, an irritated Karlstein began to juggle around Maxien and his subordinates more for the Empire's sake. Also, he had felt nervous because of the rather dangerous gazes he occasionally saw from them.

But still...

Karlstein spoke out a bit gruffly, with a hint of dissatisfaction.

"It would be ridiculous if the Emperor of the Galactic Empire dies of loneliness."

Maxien maintained a relaxed demeanor, even showing a slight smile.

"Please take back such words. They are difficult to accept."

“….”

Karlstein, unable to let go of his lingering regrets, started to react more strongly, trying to regain control of the conversation.

"Being in a high position means there are things you have to do even if you don't want to. It is especially so when it comes to the position of an Emperor. Arranged marriages of convenience enhance the cohesion of power and..."

"Haha. Does Your Majesty wish to fragment the Empire?"

“….”

However, not even a sliver of his attempts could break through.

"If not that, then..."

Maxien's hair began to ripple and glow like the Milky Way.

"We must consider sweeping away any faction that might think of such marriages of convenience, so they cannot even begin to entertain the idea."

Her smile seemed to emit a thick scent of blood.

Goodness gracious. Maxien… Exactly how many are you intending to kill?

Of course, he couldn't accept such absurd actions.

"Ahem! We can't spill innocent blood. Let's discuss this matter later."

Just as he was about to quickly conclude the meeting, he heard Aria's voice, albeit in his head.

-Master. There seems to be a problem with the Dimensional Passage.

Huh?

What? Where?

-It seems someone tampered with the Astral Passage we constructed, thus causing a problem.

It was at that moment.

Grumble-

The Main Hall trembled slightly as debris fell from the ceiling.

"Tampering...?"

A chilling expression settled on Karlstein's face.

Swoosh-

As if reflecting the Emperor's mood, an intangible momentum began to literally burn the surroundings. This was entirely different from the previous playful atmosphere.

Grrrrrrk-

Across from Karlstein, who was silently holding his temple, Maxien closed her mouth.

Her demeanor was different from what it had been until now. Maxien's eyes sparkled as she modestly lowered her head.

Maxien knew the Emperor very well.

After all, they had spent many years together.

To a select few of his cherished subordinates, he showed a casual yet playful side.

But when serious, he was an iron-blooded ruler who would overcome any adversity and achieve his goals by any means necessary.

“….”

A faint breath of excitement escaped Maxien's lips.

There was no face, no persona, no appearance that she did not like when it came to her Emperor.

***

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