Chapter 39: The Ring of Holy Triumph

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The Ring of Holy Triumph.
It was the most inconspicuous piece among Ron’s collection of magical gear, and the first ring he had ever discarded.
That did not mean it was weak; it was simply useless to Ron at that point in his journey.
Its function was very straightforward: upon killing an enemy, it restored all mana.
In most circumstances, this would be considered a godly artifact. However, in the later stages of his career, Ron killed his enemies so quickly that he barely consumed any mana, rendering the ring redundant.
Ron had never expected to encounter such a ring here.
Seriously? You bunch of bandits who could be easily wiped out by Vivian alone—why on earth do you have a ring like this!
Is it a replica?
After all, he was a legendary figure; it was only natural for imitations of his famous set to appear.
Yet, his intuition told him clearly that this was the genuine article.
However, Ron did not pause this "protagonist's encounter."
While the Ring of Holy Triumph had excellent effects, it only triggered after killing an enemy. Until then, the [Ring of Deep Blue] still had its uses.
As the encounter unfolded, the [Ring of Deep Blue] on his hand vanished.
The text before him flickered.
[You unexpectedly discover a Ring of Deep Blue.]
[As you trot back to Vivian with the ring in your mouth, you find that she has already opened the storage space of the Ring of Holy Triumph.]
[All your rings possess individual storage spaces and can be used as top-tier storage artifacts.]
[Vivian easily burned away your imprint with her "Incinerate" and pulled out the contents.]
[Seeing this, you are stunned.]
[Vivian is playing with a pink bottle.]
[This is your proudest creation.]
[An aphrodisiac.]
Seeing this, the corners of Ron’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.
A sense of embarrassment, like a parent returning home to find their child playing with their adult toys, welled up within him.
He decided to take a sip of water to calm his nerves.
[Vivian drinks a bottle.]

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"Pfft—!"
The water in Ron’s mouth sprayed out instantly, followed by a fit of unstoppable coughing.
Good grief! That stuff is not meant to be drunk!
[Pink flames instantly engulf the entire hilltop.]
[Vivian stands at the center of the fire, radiating a majesty that looks down upon all living things.]
[The "Incinerate" ability transforms the negative status effects of the aphrodisiac into its own fuel, instantly pushing Vivian’s state to its peak.]
[Vivian feels that knocking out a Thunder-Horned Rhino with a single punch would be no problem at all right now.]
["This stuff packs a punch!" Vivian looks at the empty bottle in her hand with pleasant surprise, her gaze filled with admiration.]
[Vivian decides to keep the tens of thousands of identical potions inside the ring as long-term ammunition for her "Incinerate."]
Ron covered his face as he watched this.
What should he do? What could he do now?
How was he supposed to justify such an absurd plot in his novel?
The female lead using an aphrodisiac to fight—the readers would absolutely tear him apart for this!
But this should be easy enough to cover up. He would just say it was a toxin left behind by the Mad Demon King; Vivian’s personality wouldn't lead her to poison anyone anyway.
Ron quickly steeled his resolve...
[You watch Vivian and realize that this potion seems to have imbued her flames with some kind of special effect...]
A special effect...
Ron suddenly had a bad feeling.
Don't! This is supposed to be a serious book! Don't force me into a trope that is impossible to write!
At that moment, Ron’s mental state was on the verge of collapse.
Fortunately, the next line of text calmed him down slightly.
[Under the influence of these flames, Vivian’s attacks on enemies increase their favorability toward her.]
Alright, although this effect was indeed ridiculous, at least it wasn't impossible to write.
Plus, he could always explain it away with a "Friendship-Breaking Fist."
In many works, after all, it was a perfectly reasonable trope for a villain who had been beaten to a pulp by the protagonist to become their sworn friend or part of their harem.
Ron leaned back in his chair, his eyes glazed over as his mind went blank.
The series of events that had just transpired was simply too much of a shock to his system.
After a long while, Ron finally regained his composure.
He began to seriously consider why Vivian had gained an effect similar to the "Friendship-Breaking Fist."

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The potions Vivian seized did indeed have similar effects.
Could it be that "Incinerate" could transform certain characteristics of toxins into properties of fire? But the previous toxins hadn't exhibited this.
Regardless, one thing was certain: magic that underwent such changes in Vivian’s hands would likely possess some special properties.
As Ron pondered this, Vivian encountered a few unexpected people.
["Here, here, Sophia, right here!" A knight clad in shining silver armor led a beautiful girl in silver-white mage robes to the vicinity of the bandit camp.]
["My family's merchant caravan was robbed by the bandits here!" The man drew his longsword, striking a handsome pose.]
[His name is Edward Lillard, son of Duke Lillard.]
[The girl beside him is Sophia Roland, the Sixth Princess of the Empire.]
[Not long ago, Edward had intentionally let his caravan be robbed by bandits, just so he could bring the princess he admired to "suppress" them.]
[It was all to show off his strength and charm in front of his beauty and win her heart.]
[However, he never expected that someone had already beaten him to it.]
[He stares at the Ring of Holy Triumph on Vivian’s finger, and his tension spikes.]
[This was the most precious item in that cargo, rumored to be one of the rings left behind by the Mad Demon King.]
[Of course, the Mad Demon King had left behind quite a few magical artifacts.]
[But few were truly useful.]
[Because these items were often protected by powerful seals that no one could break.]
[Except for the Mad Demon King himself, no one could use them.]
[Thus, for the most part, these items were merely collector's pieces.]
[Yet, even so, they were incredibly precious treasures!]
[Edward stares at the ring on Vivian’s hand and slowly draws his sword.]
[Vivian, bathed in pink flames, looks down at them from above, her eyes showing a look of confusion and indifference.]
[He is just about to question her when he hears Sophia emit a cute squeal.]
[ "Wow~! What a cool, handsome lady!" Sophia hugs her staff, her golden eyes sparkling with delight as she looks at Vivian.]
[She, the Sixth Princess of the Empire, loves cool and handsome ladies the most!]
Holy crap! A lesbian!
Ron looked at the text where Edward had already drawn his sword and suddenly felt pity for the guy.