"Be it resentment… or love."
One shocking statement after another.
Nina felt like she had become someone else in that moment—
Because she never imagined she was someone capable of saying any of that.
… And she felt troubled.
Christian, on the other hand, was different. Arriving at this point, he suddenly started laughing.
While finally taking his hand away from Nina's breast, he wondered if she knew that, while the first expression she showed him had been panic… and fear, now she actually had her cheeks flushed.
Was she embarrassed? Or was it something else?
… No, did she even realize what kind of expression she was making at this moment?
Christian wondered... before suddenly deciding to tease her further.
And so, he leaned in and kissed her cheek.
It shouldn't have been anything too grand for a woman who had repeatedly said she was his.
But then, why did her black eyes, with those long eyelashes, flutter like that?
Christian, while observing Nina, who was now clearly blushing, wondered if he should have tried shaking her from the start.
If he had, maybe he would have been more comfortable around her these past five months.
In the end, he shook his head and said, "Okay, I will let you train in essence, like you want."
Christian decided to give her a chance… he decided to try trusting her.
Not because he suddenly started liking her as a woman.
If that were the case, he would've made his decision regarding her long ago.
Besides, for him, who now had Eva and his sister as his women, his resistance to women had only grown stronger.
Stronger than it already was, which had never been low to begin with.
… Okay, maybe he was slightly swayed by the sudden charm she had unexpectedly shown him.
After all, her small frame now adorned in maid clothes, her neatly tied black hair in a bun, and her cute face that was suddenly showing so many reactions.
The stark contrast between this and her usual blank expression made it hard for anyone to resist… not just him.
Still, that really wasn't the only reason.
For Christian, who had felt that the previous Nina was someone completely unapproachable, the sudden sides of her he now discovered made her seem more human in his eyes.
And that, naturally, made him feel like he could trust her more.
After all, it was easier to trust a beautiful girl who had emotions than one who had none.
That aside… shouldn't he tease her just a little more?
While looking at Nina, whose expression had clearly changed since the mention of essence, Christian smiled and continued, "But I need compensation, right?"
Nina, of course, had no idea what kind of compensation he meant, so when she noticed how he was pointing at his cheek… she suddenly stumbled inside.
'Too childish.' While she muttered that in her mind, she still did as he wanted.
She stepped toward him and lightly… and quickly kissed him on the cheek.
Was it Christian, who kept teasing her and making fun of her reactions to things , who was being childish…
Or was it her, blushing as she kissed someone she had supposedly already decided to give every first she had to… and more?
But now, as they sat together and Christian finally began to explain things to her, the previous cheesy atmosphere had ended, replaced by a far more serious one.
Christian started by explaining the basic things he knew about essence, things Nina clearly hadn't known, before gradually moving on to talk about how there were actually different kinds of power systems. And that what he'd done to her earlier… had been a test.
A test to gauge her talent and to see which power system she was most suited to.
Naturally, he didn't go into the same level of detail he had when he explained things to his sister.
For Nina, he only mentioned the concept of there being multiple power systems.
He also didn't tell her that her talent was now likely the strongest among those residing in this house.
… At least, she would stay as the most talented before he solved Eva's problem.
As for him? While he couldn't test his own talent with accuracy, he could still estimate it… and he knew it was naturally a lot lower than hers.
Had it not been for the Idle System, he had no doubt she would've overtaken him quickly once she started seriously training in essence.
Nina's talent was just too much.
… But even so, he was already approaching first-stage mastery in his upgraded Breath of the Shadow Blade technique.
And, in no more than a month, he should achieve it. And for him, everything would accelerate with time as well.
Not to mention, if he ever truly set his mind to it, he could just assign the Breath of the Shadow Blade technique to every Idle Slot he had…
And the speed at which he advanced would become something close to flying.
Still, Christian knew that out there, in the world, were monsters… monstrously strong people, who were just too powerful.
So powerful that even if he focused on mastering a single essence technique and gave up being well-rounded, he would still need a very long time to catch up to them.
And even if he did… there was no guarantee someone stronger wouldn't appear right after.
That was why he kept only one Idle Slot dedicated to this essence technique.
The rest were for his other needs… needs that would shift and change depending on the moment and on what he constantly uncovered about the change of the world.
"So, what power system am I suited to?"
Nina's voice pulled Christian from his thoughts.
She didn't ask about her talent.
She just seemed ready… eager even, to start training in whatever power system suited her best.
Christian looked at her impassive expression… an expression hiding the spark of excitement behind it, and, with a smile, said just one word.