The System Sent Me to Breed an All-Female Amazon Tribe-Chapter 168: As Tera? Is That Truly How You’ve Chosen to Address Me?

Chapter 168: As Tera? Is That Truly How You’ve Chosen to Address Me?

"P-Pervert!" Tera suddenly spun around to face me, face still mostly expressionless, but now a deep crimson blush spread from her cheeks all the way to the tips of her pointed ears, coloring her fair skin in a rush of color.

Her charcoal eyes narrowed, though the flush ruined any attempt at intimidation, making her look more flustered than fierce. "I already said I’ll let you take a look inside if you cheer my Queen up! Stop raping me in your thoughts!"

"My deepest apologies!" I bowed low, hands clasped in front of me, apologizing profusely while my own face burned hotter than the sun orb overhead, heart pounding from the embarrassment of being called out so directly.

But "rape" is a strong word! I was only mentally running stimulations.

***

The moment I stepped fully inside the castle, the sheer regal atmosphere hit me with an almost physical weight, every bit as majestic and imposing as anything I could have pictured in my mind before arriving in this strange world.

Yet it wasn’t really the stern, commanding kind of grandeur I might have associated with someone like Elara or Sakura—women who carried themselves with unmistakable authority and an edge of steel.

No, this place radiated a very different flavor of royalty entirely.

It was soft and delicate, and drenched in shades of pale blush pink and tender mint green;

The sort of opulent and almost saccharine elegance that immediately brought to the mind the private domain of some sort of pampered, girlish princess rather than a domain for a powerful ruler or queen.

The grand staircase that dominated the entrance hall rose before us in a breathtaking spiral, twisting upward with such relentless height that even I—someone who now possessed senses far beyond those of an ordinary human—had to strain my enhanced vision just to make out the faint, shimmering edge where the steps finally seemed to reach their conclusion far above.

To the normal eyes, I guess the staircase would appear really endless.

Like an optical trick that would force anyone climbing it to keep staring upward in a dazed wonder, and never quite certain where the ascent actually terminated.

But actually, the reason for that dizzying illusion became clear once my gaze settled on the brilliant crystal suspended at the very pinnacle:

A massive, multifaceted gem that caught and refracted every stray beam of light pouring in through the high arched windows.

That single radiant stone created faint, overlapping echoes of the staircase itself, so the entire structure looked doubled, tripled, layered upon itself in a way that made the spiraling steps appear to stretch into infinity.

Regardless of the overwhelming verticality of the design, the climb wasn’t so monotonous.

At regular intervals along the outer curve of the spiral, elegant arched outlets opened onto wide landings, while tall, slender windows framed glimpses of the forest and sky beyond.

Delicate doors of carved ivory and rose-quartz stood at various levels, and through many of them I could see fairies of every imaginable size, color, and wing pattern moving briskly about their daily tasks

Some of them were carrying trays of glowing crops, others fluttering in small groups with scrolls or delicate glass orbs, still others engaged in what looked like hushed conversations as they drifted from one chamber to the next.

And then, once again, I noticed those tiny, glowing figures flitting here and there in the corners of my vision.

They were, like, little more than sparks of pastel light at first glance, yet definitely sentient and intelligent.

So curiosity finally got the better of me.

"Excuse me, Tera?" I said, pitching my voice just loud enough to resound over the soft murmur of wings and distant fairy chatter.

Tera paused mid-step and turned her head back over her shoulder, regarding me with an expression that hovered somewhere between mild surprise and gentle puzzlement.

One delicate silver eyebrow arched ever so slightly.

"...Tera...?" she repeated slowly, almost tasting the single word as though hearing it spoken aloud for the first time in quite a while. "Is that truly how you’ve chosen to address me?"

Heat crept up the back of my neck.

Right. I’d fallen into the same casual habit I’d had for a while now.

Mistakenly dropping titles, skipping honorifics, and speaking to people like we were already on roughly equal footing.

It happens when I feel relaxed around them.

"I’m sorry," I said quickly, raising both hands in a small gesture of contrition. "I didn’t mean for it to sound disrespectful or arrogant. It just... slipped out. Does it bother you?"

She shook her head once, the motion sending a faint shimmer across the gossamer strands of her silver hair.

"Not at all," she replied, her tone calm and measured. "It merely caught me off guard for a moment. I found myself wondering whether you had already begun to regard me as something closer to an ally... even though, technically speaking, I am one of the individuals who participated in your abduction and brought you here against your will."

I blinked for a second, caught slightly off balance by the blunt honesty of her words.

"Hm?" I tilted my head. "Well... I do find you interesting. And, honestly, kind of adorable in the way you carry yourself—so composed, yet there’s this small spark behind your eyes. But I don’t mean that in any objectifying or shallow sense. And I definitely don’t see you as my enemy. Not even close."

For several long heartbeats Tera simply looked at me.

Her face had gone perfectly still again, almost mechanical in its lack of readable emotion.

It felt like the way someone might shutter their expression when they aren’t yet sure how much to reveal.

Then, very deliberately, she turned the rest of the way around so that we stood face to face on the wide landing where we had paused.

"Benjamin Mark..." she said. Her voice was quieter now, but there was a sudden gravity woven through it.

She narrowed her eyes just a fraction; probably not in anger, but in the manner of someone trying to peer straight through to the core of another person.

"You may very well be quite the naïve young man. However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with possessing a generous spirit; in fact, such openness can be a rare and beautiful quality.

"But on the contrary, when that generosity is directed toward the wrong individuals, or extended without proper caution, it can place you in extremely dangerous circumstances. I believe it is a vulnerability you would be wise to examine closely and guard more carefully moving forward."

Generous...? Me?

I almost laughed out loud at the word.