“!!!”
In the instant Faust pulled her into his embrace, Selena’s mind went completely blank.
During their time together, though they had traded barbs and engaged in countless flirtatious interactions, it had all been a game. It was a dance of hearts, a constant back-and-forth of playing hard to get—the physical contact had remained quite restrained.
It was mostly just holding hands, touching shoulders, or a squeeze of the thigh—interactions so pure even a middle schooler might find them tame. But for the Midwinter princess, who had never had contact with men, even these had been thrilling.
They paled in comparison to Faust’s current boldness, holding the girl tightly as if he wanted to meld her flawless body into his own.
Snow White’s movements froze entirely. The usually confident and arrogant beauty could only widen her clear, beautiful eyes, staring blankly ahead.
It took a long while for her to recover her senses, quietly feeling the man’s body trembling slightly.
Selena reached out and pressed her hands against his broad back, her voice softening involuntarily. “Faust... are you afraid?”
Faust gave a bitter laugh. “A little. No one is truly unafraid of death, right?”
This was a lie.
Was Faust afraid of death?
Yes, but not much. His greatest fear was living a mediocre life; compared to that, life and death were of little consequence.
His trembling was purely from excitement. He was about to pilot a Titan to intercept a grail knight. Regardless of the outcome, the sheer magnitude of the feat had him so exhilarated he could hardly contain himself.
Selena lowered her eyes, instinctively patting the man’s back. “Then you don’t need to go. If things truly get dire, we can still flee this place...”
The Qingxi prince interrupted her loudly, “There is no luck to be found! Looking at the situation outside, is there even a chance of escape? This battle is inevitable. If I flee now, how could I ever show my face to help you break your curse?”
Faust was getting increasingly into character. After all, Selena wasn't Viviana; she couldn't see through his disguise. “So I must fight. Either we gain all the glory and victory, or we both die right here without a grave!”
The prince, well aware of the high status of the witches' feast, could speak with such abandon. But to Snow White’s ears, such a resolute declaration carried a very different meaning.
“Do you mean... a love suicide?”
Selena’s silver eyes quivered. Not knowing what she was imagining, the girl's exquisitely beautiful face first showed shock, followed by a meaningful smile as she hummed softly, “Heh heh... A love suicide? Very well. That’s much better than I expected. Faust, you truly know how to say pleasing, beautiful things.”
“Indeed, I shall count this as one of your virtues.”
Selena’s original plan was merely to take her own life at the most brilliant and grand moment, leaving everyone else to live with regret forever.
But if she were to die together with the one she loved... wasn't that a more tragic, more romantic end?
The more the girl thought about it, the more satisfied she became. The future Faust described unexpectedly aligned with her personal aesthetic, to the point that an unnatural flush appeared on her beautiful cheeks.
Snow White caressed the man’s heroic, cold face and tilted her chin up. “Fine, I agree. Go and face the grail knight.”
“My knight, if you fall here, I shall follow you.”
Faust: “...”
There’s really no need for that. You’re putting so much pressure on me I won’t dare to lose.
Seeing that the atmosphere was right, the titan's core directly teleported the 【neural link pod】 from the warehouse.
Its exterior resembled a giant oval piece of amber, filled with various neural bundles, just large enough to accommodate one person.
The spherical core embedded itself into the shell of the ‘amber’ and spoke, “Since Her Highness has granted permission, we may attempt a trial. If Excellency Faust’s combat experience can compensate for our shortcomings, the win rate should increase significantly.”
Faust could hardly wait to get inside for a test drive, to feel what kind of experience a ‘knight of the Golden Age’ as Mephistopheles called it, truly was.
“Wait!”
Before the Qingxi prince could board the 【neural link pod】, Snow White called out to him.
Selena stepped forward, grabbed Faust, and kissed him.
“!!”
Just like with Viviana back then, the completely inexperienced girl was a clumsy mess in this regard.
However, after a brief moment of tension, Selena quickly learned the trick.
This continued for a long time, until their breath almost stopped, before the princess reluctantly pulled away.
“Ngh... please do not misunderstand.”
Selena took out a handkerchief and gently wiped her lips, her closed eyes seeming to savor the taste of the kiss.
“This is a reward for a brave warrior. It would be too pitiful if you died without ever tasting the kiss you so longed for.”
No, who exactly was the one longing for it?!
The black-haired girl’s transparent excuse almost made Faust laugh, but it was fine.
A parting gift from a witch to her beloved before battle—one could only imagine how many buffs that would stack.
“Then, I shall accept Her Highness’s first kiss. For such a precious reward, I can only repay you with victory!”
With those words, he turned and climbed into the amber.
Sizz—
Once inside the 【neural link pod】, the other components of the Titan began to rapidly teleport in around the amber, while all the neural bundles attached themselves to the Qingxi prince’s body.
They connected at his wrists, the back of his neck, and his ankles. Suddenly, faint blue patterns spread along his blood vessels.
In that instant, Faust gained a peerlessly strange sense of perception.
His field of vision seemed to soar higher and higher.
His limbs were no longer flesh and blood; his heart felt like a pulsing furnace. The massive iron body of the Titan became an extension of his will.
He felt the scorching heat, the flow of the wind, the separation of light and shadow... at this moment, he was the Titan’s body.
Faust couldn’t help but let out a low roar.
“Excellency Faust, please relax your mind and body. Next, we will grant you authority. You may temporarily close your eyes to familiarize yourself with your senses and browse our database to select the modules you need for battle preparation.”
The voice of the tower-builder echoed within the chamber. Immediately afterward, data on numerous modules flashed across Faust’s retinas.
Faust exchanged information with Mephistopheles while rapidly picking out modules, letting the titan's core install them for him.
“Little Meph, are these the modules you recommend? 【Furinkazan】, 【Steel Breathing】... Hah, I see. As expected of a veteran, you’ve got this all calculated.”
The prince finished selecting all the modules. Once the transfer was complete, he stretched his limbs inside the fortress, leapt onto the catapult rail, and faced the brass gates.
“I will strike out in Gundam form!”
Boom!
The catapult system activated. Combined with the Titan’s own 【gravity field】 module, the giant machine was propelled out of the fortress.
Rate on N.U.
