Chapter 141: Pure White Flower

Although it was somewhat different from expected, Jean did not take this minor issue to heart. After conversing with these young maidens, he discovered that while they possessed the yuri trait, they were not like the depictions in many anime, where they either treated men with disdain as if they were sworn enemies or avoided men like venomous snakes and ferocious beasts. On the contrary, on the surface, their behavior was indistinguishable from that of ordinary girls—some were lively and outgoing, others calm and introverted, and some were shy and reserved in Jean's presence. To be honest, had the system not specifically pointed this out, Jean probably would have completely failed to notice that these smiling girls possessed the yuri attribute.

Upon second thought, however, this was quite normal; artistic creation inherently requires exaggeration. If everyone in reality avoided the opposite sex like venomous snakes, they would have long since distanced themselves from human society. In truth, many people in reality, even with such tendencies, do not reveal anything unusual to others. At least in normal interpersonal interactions, their demeanor is entirely ordinary. As for more intimate contact, that belongs to the realm of personal privacy.

After conversing with these maidens, Jean learned their true identity: they originated from an otherworldly realm governed by a queen, possessing an extraordinarily advanced magitech civilization. In that nation, successive generations of queens maintained a powerful personal guard composed entirely of females. These maidens came from this lineage, yet in truth, they were not human, nor did they become true knights through trials. Rather, they were clones of the Valkyrie guards who had existed at the very founding of that kingdom. Utilizing its potent magitech civilization, the kingdom had preserved the information of the first-generation Valkyries and used cloning to forge a formidable fighting force. These maidens were a batch of those clones.

Although as clones they did not possess the overwhelming power of the original Valkyries, their brains and bodies completely and flawlessly recorded the combat techniques and military data of the first-generation Valkyries. Upon completing their missions, these memories would be integrated back into the souls of the predecessors, ensuring that the next cloned generation would simultaneously inherit the combat comprehension and insights of the first generation and all subsequent predecessors.

Coupled with magitech cloning techniques that restricted the physical age of these maidens to their prime stage for growth and learning, these Valkyrie clones were able to join combat immediately upon birth. After experiencing just a few battles, they would rapidly synthesize all this knowledge, transforming into elite warriors.

Not only that, but in order to forge the most formidable combat capability in the shortest possible time, these clones underwent magitech core implantation at birth. Consequently, while they still appeared human on the surface, they were no longer truly human; their bodies were driven not by hearts and brains, but by magitech cores supplying energy. Thus, neither piercing the heart nor decapitating the head could halt their actions. Only by destroying the magitech core hidden within a maiden's body could one thoroughly annihilate and defeat them.

Unfortunately, magitech civilization had its limits. Although the Valkyrie clones could maintain the appearance of sixteen or seventeen-year-olds indefinitely, as artificially manufactured products, their lifespan was merely thirty years. In other words, after thirty years, these Valkyrie clones had to return to the Pool of Souls to fuse back into a single entity with their predecessors. Of course, the clone army in Jean's possession was entirely maintained by the system, so there was no need to worry about such a lifespan restriction.

As consumables, these cloned maidens naturally had no names; the crystal ornaments on their foreheads served as serial numbers, representing their sole markers of existence.

Jean cared little for the practices of that magitech empire, and the cloned maidens themselves felt the same. They were swords, shields, weapons, and lives.

Yet they were also tremendously powerful.

They were exceptional spellcasters, outstanding swordsmen, and they understood war better than anyone else. They were brilliant masters of combat. They were pristine white flowers blooming amidst iron, blood, and flames, carrying a dazzling brilliance that even a storm of blood and gore could not shroud.

After a brief conversation with these maidens, Jean decided to place them under Patillina's command. As an automaton, the little one shared certain functional similarities with these semi-magitech clones, so they would surely get along well. Moreover, he had already decided that this army would not remain in the dungeon; instead, they would accompany Jean to the surface to serve as his primary strike force there. After all, judging by appearances, mistaking these girl knights for the holy knight order of some temple was entirely plausible, and naturally, no one would suspect any connection between them and the Demon King. Furthermore, the willpower of these maidens was resolute. Serving as a powerful military force for the magitech kingdom in another world, they had more than once encircled and annihilated rebellious factions. Knights stepping out of iron, blood, and flames possessed no concept of mortal morality; to them, righteousness and evil were illusions, and only victory remained eternal.

At this moment, Jean finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although the dungeon system's summoned armies were generally aligned with the evil faction or at best neutrality, reality was not like a game, and human hearts could not be fathomed purely through data. While Jean intended to fight under the banner of a righteous army, he had no intention of genuinely forging a righteous army; otherwise, wouldn't he be trapping himself?

As for the matter of finding a cute girl to warm his bed, Jean had no intention of giving it up because of this. After all, the system prompt indicated a 50% increase in capture difficulty, not that capture was entirely impossible. Furthermore, yuri was infinitely wonderful—a buy-one-get-one-free deal where capturing one gained you another; such a transaction was entirely worthwhile.

Having summoned these magitech maidens, Jean's summoning phase came to a temporary close. Although these magitech maidens possessed formidable strength, their maintenance costs were prohibitively high. The resources currently at Jean's hand could support them without issue, but recruiting any additional forces would stretch his resources thin. Therefore, Jean decided to stop here for the time being, waiting until the surface dungeon base was established before embarking on a new round of resource gathering. Once the summoning concluded, he quickly returned through the portal to the Black residence in Passus.

After all, a far more delectable prey awaited Jean's handling there.

Regia had not slept well all night. She simply lay blankly on her bed, staring at the nightscape outside. It was only when the dark horizon began to take on a pale, fish-belly white that Regia could not help but sigh, finally sitting up in bed. A sleepless night left Regia feeling somewhat drowsy and her mind in complete turmoil. In truth, ever since Jean's departure last night, Regia had remained in this state. Although she had told the two maids that she was simply fatigued, Regia knew very well that fatigue was not the cause.

Even now, Regia could still recall the sensation of Jean kissing the back of her hand, the firm pressure of his strong hand gripping hers, and the surging masculine presence he exuded. Regia was not an inexperienced virgin; on the contrary, she was a newlywed young matron. Ordinarily, at this time, she should have been snuggled in her husband's embrace, enjoying sweet warmth. Yet Regia's fate was truly harsh: barely a month into their marriage, her husband had departed full of ambition. He had promised her a wonderful future, but for Regia, she had already lost everything she once possessed.

As for Mr. Jean...

At this thought, Regia felt her face grow somewhat warm. From every angle, Jean was the epitome of the handsome prince of a maiden's dreams. When accompanying her in conversation, the young lord could effortlessly drop literary allusions and occasionally share witty, fascinating anecdotes. It was precisely because of his companionship that Regia had been able to dispel some of the anguish brought by the loss of her husband during this period. Regia had certainly noticed the adoring gazes her two little maids cast toward Jean, and she had to admit that this young aristocrat indeed possessed sufficient charm. He was young, handsome, gentle, extraordinarily capable, and of noble birth. Although Jean had displayed a relatively firm side when facing Delia, this did not diminish Regia's favorable impression of him; instead, it added a touch of deeper admiration.

After all, Regia was merely an ordinary, fragile woman, and her nature naturally leaned toward the strong. Thus, far from feeling displeased by Jean's firmness, she felt instead that this man was worthy of reliance.

I wonder who will become his ideal match?

At this thought, Regia could not help but sigh. On the Klein Continent, widows were not heavily discriminated against, but neither were they welcomed. Remarriage was not uncommon in aristocratic circles, yet it was hardly a praiseworthy affair. Commoners might have it slightly better, but nobility always carried a certain sense of honor. Generally speaking, in situations like Regia's, most ended up spending the rest of their days as nuns in a convent. However, Regia was still unwilling to accept such an outcome. She was young, after all, barely in her early twenties; for a woman, entering a convent at this time was far too early.

More importantly for Regia, however, was the emptiness within her body. During the days when Cotton had departed, she had spent countless nights tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Back then, Regia had yearned for Cotton to return to her side so that she might once again possess his love. Never had she expected the impermanence of the world, wherein her husband had left her forever.

If the grief of losing her husband had caused Regia to temporarily forget those pangs during the preceding days, then Jean's actions last night had reawakened the hidden emptiness and loneliness deep within her body. As she lay in bed, Regia had more than once yearned for a passionate embrace, and the cold, empty air around her only magnified those thoughts. Several times, Regia had even contemplated going to the guest room to seek Jean's warmth.

Yet she was, after all, a well-educated young lady. While aristocrats certainly harbored plenty of unspeakable, dark sides, they also possessed their own pride and self-respect. In the end, relying on her reason, Regia forcibly suppressed the silent cries and desires within her body.

Yet even Regia did not know how much longer she could hold out.

With a soft sigh, Regia stepped out of bed, dressed, and pushed open her bedroom door. The moment she left her room, her peripheral vision caught sight of a dark figure that made her heart skip a beat.

"Mr. Jean..."

She whispered his name in a low murmur and turned her head. Seeming to notice her gaze, Jean turned back and offered Regia a faint smile.

"Good morning, Mrs. Black."

For reasons unknown, hearing the words "Mrs. Black" caused a sudden, inexplicable pang of ache in Regia's heart. Yet she quickly recovered, forcing a strained smile.

"Good morning, Mr. Jean..."

Even Regia herself did not know what exactly she was feeling the hesitation and loss deep within her heart for at this moment. (To be continued.)