Chapter 290: The days of abstinence are gone forever!

Helos felt as if she were immersed in a warm, golden spring.

An indescribable comfort spread through every part of her body.

It wasn’t like the superficial warmth of soaking in hot water, nor the lazy coziness of basking in the sun.

This warm current seemed to bypass her flesh and blood entirely, seeping deep into her very marrow, gently enveloping even her long-scarred soul.

In all her years living in this world, she had never felt her body so at ease.

The soreness that had accumulated in her shoulders and neck from years of high-intensity experiments was gone.

The stabbing pain lingering in the depths of her mind from mental exhaustion had vanished as well.

Even her perpetually cold hands and feet now radiated vibrant life and warmth.

She felt reborn, as if every single cell was cheering and gleefully devouring this golden energy that appeared out of nowhere.

She didn’t know how long passed.

Perhaps an instant, perhaps an eternity.

The blinding white light that filled her vision finally began to recede.

Helos didn’t open her eyes immediately, still immersed in that strange state of inner observation.

Deep within her consciousness, upon the ancient tome that represented the Ultimate Alchemy, a cluster of golden text formed from pure radiance slowly emerged.

It was the special ability bestowed upon her as the final gift of the Branch of Order Alchemy.

Helos held her breath and cautiously leaned closer.

[Sacred Body]

[Body reconstruction complete. You are now immune to the vast majority of known toxins and mental-type damage. Physical strength, reaction speed, and recovery ability have all been greatly enhanced.]

Helos stared at the text and instinctively clenched her fist.

Even though she was in the space of consciousness, she could clearly feel the surging power coursing through her body.

It wasn’t the fleeting sensation magic brought—it was the real, tangible might of the flesh.

Then came the second line.

[Holy Execution]

[The offensive form of Order’s power. Unleashes a powerful magic-breaking strike. This attack ignores most magical defenses and deals double damage to targets with “evil” or “chaos” attributes.]

[Though called a strike, it is truly a judgment.]

“This…”

The corner of Helos’s mouth twitched.

Honestly, this ability looked somewhat similar to Sylvia’s spell-breaking powers.

But just from the name alone, this ability was already absurdly strong.

However, the surprises didn’t end there.

A third line of text slowly emerged, carrying a weight that made one’s heart tremble.

[Supreme Heaven]

[The ultimate protection of Order. When you suffer lethal damage, this ability automatically triggers. It forcibly preserves the host’s last shred of vitality and grants immunity to all damage for ten seconds afterward.]

[Warning: After this ability triggers, it cannot trigger again for thirty days.]

Staring at these special abilities floating before her eyes, Helos was too shocked to speak.

She gazed blankly at each gleaming golden entry, her mind going completely blank.

Sacred Body.

Holy Execution.

Supreme Heaven.

What kind of game am I playing here?

Is this still alchemy?

This is just… cheating!

This is outright cheating, isn’t it?!

She had originally assumed that the Branch of Order would simply let her control mana a bit better, or give her a few practical recipes like the other branches.

But who could have guessed that this final piece of the puzzle would be this outrageous?

Immunity to toxins and mental damage?

Does that mean any sneaky poisoning attempts against her would be completely useless from now on?

And the backlash risk from Branch of Enlightenment alchemy was completely gone too.

A magic-breaking strike?

What mage would dare stand still and cast spells in front of her now?

The most absurd one was Supreme Heaven.

That was literally an extra life!

Sure, it had a one-month cooldown, but in a critical moment, it was an absolute game-changer.

Helos muttered to herself, a profoundly surreal feeling rising in her chest.

She thought of her father—Duke Eisend, one of the Three Great Mages of the Empire.

“Oh no, my father!”

Helos swallowed hard and desperately apologized in her heart.

“I’m sorry, Father. Cheating was never my intention… I wish you all the best.”

Of course, these abilities left her so stunned she couldn’t speak, even giving her a sense of unreality.

But when her gaze continued downward and landed on that final line of text…

All the shock, the ecstasy, and the messy commentary on the girl’s face vanished in an instant.

In their place was dead silence.

That line of text wasn’t gleaming gold like the skills above it, nor did it have a grand name.

It simply floated there, stating in the plainest tone a fact that could change Helos’s entire life.

[The Curse of Silence has completed its final evolution.]

[The Domain of Silence has been expanded.]

[The side effects have been removed.]

[From this moment onward, you can freely control the activation and deactivation of the domain, and you can also freely adjust its coverage area. Additionally, you may designate any individual within the domain.]

[The domain’s maximum range depends on your will, and allied targets will no longer be affected by the magic-suppression effect.]

Helos stared intently at these lines of text.

She read them over and over, breaking apart each word, terrified of missing something or misunderstanding something.

Side effects removed, free control, target designation, ally exemption…

These words were like keys, unlocking the door that had been sealed shut in her heart for over a decade.

For all these years, the Curse of Silence had been like an invisible wall.

It had mercilessly separated her from this world, from the people she loved, cutting her off completely.

It was a shield that protected her, yet also a cage that imprisoned her.

And now, the cage had shattered, but the shield had grown even harder—and far more obedient.

Helos felt her eyes grow warm.

She took a deep breath and slowly withdrew from that golden space of consciousness.

When she opened her eyes again, the bright morning sunlight was gently falling on her face through the window.

The room was completely silent.

Sylvia was still floating in midair, and in those hollow eyes was a rare hint of concern, fixed firmly on her.

Before she could even speak, a familiar face full of worry burst into her view.

Julius looked at the girl gradually regaining consciousness, and his tense body finally relaxed as he let out a long sigh.

Gavi stood quietly on the other side of the bed, the light in her eyes settling back into calm as well.

“Sir Knight… help me up.”

Helos looked at the two people gathered around the bed, and a smile suddenly tugged at the corner of her lips as she spoke softly to Julius.

Hearing the girl’s words, Julius didn’t hesitate for a moment.

He reached out, gently supporting Helos’s slender shoulders, and carefully helped her sit up from the bed—as if handling a fragile piece of porcelain.

He had initially assumed Helos had suffered another episode and would be weak.

But when his hand touched the girl’s body, he found not only was her temperature normal, but her complexion even looked rosier than usual.

“What… exactly happened to you just now?”

Julius asked instinctively.

And in that moment when he lowered his head, his gaze inadvertently swept across the girl’s collar, which had become somewhat loose from the movement moments before.

There was not only fair skin there, but also certain…

…curves that seemed even more pronounced than yesterday.

The dark-haired young man jerked his gaze away as if burned, his ears instantly turning red, and he had no idea where to look.

Helos noticed the shift in his gaze.

She instinctively tugged at her collar to cover that glimpse of bare skin.

But soon, she relaxed her body.

The girl looked at the flustered knight and a mischievous grin crept onto her face.

“Hehe.”

She let out a soft laugh.

“Julius, do me a favor?”

“Wh-What is it?”

Julius stammered in response, still not daring to look at her.

“I’m a little hungry.”

Helos licked her lips, her eyes sparkling with greedy anticipation.

“I want grilled meat! Now! Right this instant!”