“How is the reconstruction coming along?”
“Everything is going smoothly, Mr. Zold. It is just that giant pit…”
“Ah, you mean that…”
Zold leaned on his crutches as he walked outside the Demon King Castle, where a massive, hemispherical dome came into view.
Beneath that dome lay a bottomless abyss that not even a flicker of light could penetrate. Only the small section closest to the surface revealed perfectly vertical walls, formed by the extreme temperatures that had vaporized and melted the earth before it solidified again.
“Because of magic power that surpassed all limits, the space itself, which should have possessed powerful self-repair capabilities, suffered indelible damage. To think even light would be distorted within it…”
It could only be said that he lived up to his reputation as a long-lived veteran; Zold recognized the abnormality of the deep pit at a single glance.
However, precisely because he could recognize it, he understood even more clearly how difficult it was to achieve such a feat.
This undoubtedly belonged to the domain of the gods.
“To create such a spectacular sight with just one strike — and that was even the result after the attack range was restricted — as expected of the Great Demon King! To witness such great power as I enter my twilight years is nothing short of pure bliss!”
As Zold looked at the pit created by Ai Yue’s single blow, his expression gradually turned fanatical.
“I apologize for interrupting your sentimentality, but there is more important work to be done.”
Lux, the captain of the Maid Guards, suddenly appeared and interrupted Zold’s fervent worship.
“Regarding the sinner who attacked the Demon King Castle, Sonio, and the information about the Player who controlled his corpse, we have gathered most of what we need.”
“Players… they are a group of existences that are quite troublesome in many respects. Even if killed by attacks that normally make resurrection difficult, they can revive very quickly.”
To the natives of this world, Players were like cockroaches that simply would not die. Furthermore, they grew stronger at an incredible speed. Therefore, the moment they learned a Player had appeared, whether it was the intelligence officers of the Maid Guard, the nobles led by Zold, or the other Demon Kings, everyone had adopted the highest level of vigilance. They intended to investigate every detail of that Player’s background to prepare a response.
However, in contrast to Zold’s serious demeanor, Lux looked relaxed, or perhaps a bit helpless.
“We have investigated. That Player appeared in the Fourth Demon King’s Territory about one week to two weeks ago. This coincides with the timing of a recently appeared Dungeon Instance, and we speculate there is a high probability he once entered that instance.”
“That would explain why he was able to control Sonio’s body.”
“The next part is the key point. We searched the Player’s residence and recovered the treasure from the Dungeon Instance. However, further investigation revealed that there are no signs of the Player resurrecting.”
“Oh? I recall there is someone among you capable of obtaining information through a medium left by the target. For you to say that, could it be…”
“Correct. That Player can no longer be resurrected.”
This was undoubtedly an extremely abnormal situation. After all, even attacks that shattered the mind could not prevent a Player’s resurrection; it would simply take longer. Yet now, that Player had completely lost the possibility of returning to life.
As for the reason behind this…
“…To think our understanding has been refreshed once again… As expected, my choice to submit to the Great Demon King back then was correct!!”
“That reaction… he really is a Sage Demon…”
The so-called Sage Demons were a type of Demon Race that was extremely obsessed with the unknown and the pursuit of knowledge. Because of this, most were highly intelligent beings. Zold was of the Sage Demon race, and he had long ago viewed Ai Yue as a being akin to a true god.
Consequently, Zold was among the top few most fanatical when it came to his faith in Ai Yue.
Looking at Zold acting this way, Lux sighed helplessly.
***
“…Ugh, I’m so hungry…”
The moment Ai Yue woke up in her room, she felt an intense pang of hunger.
After all, she had forcibly used the last bit of her remaining Vitality Essence to exert her power. Moreover, in a situation where she only had enough for a single spell, she had consecutively released both attack and defense magic. This left her feeling ravenous, or more accurately, parched.
This was because her mind was currently filled with nothing but erotic images.
It could not be helped; that was the nature of a succubus.
As long as her Vitality Essence was not replenished for even a second, she would keep thinking about those things. Then, her desires would continue to magnify in an infinite loop.
As for why she did not immediately run to find Bululu to replenish her essence, it was mainly because they had both sustained quite a few injuries. In that state, they needed quiet rest. To put it another way, the Vitality Essence was not being naturally emitted enough for her to replenish it just by staying nearby.
Fortunately, her will was firm; she could at least endure it for a while.
“Sigh, I don’t want to move…”
“Since you don’t want to move, then I will.”
Just then, a voice that sounded quite familiar to Ai Yue rang out.
In the next instant, a flash of silver crossed her eyes.
“Eg… Egrette?”
Looking at the silver-haired girl pinning her down, Ai Yue felt a hint of unease in her heart.
“You… why did you come over?”
“Is there even a need to ask? Naturally, I am here to recharge my magic.”
Having said that, Egrette brought her face close to Ai Yue’s.
Because the black formal dress Egrette wore was already somewhat provocative, and combined with the fact that her heart had been pierced by a beam of light, large patches of snowy-white skin were visible from Ai Yue’s perspective.
“Wait a minute, by recharging magic, do you mean that?”
Ai Yue forced herself to stay calm as she asked.
“Hmm~ what do you think~”
As she spoke playfully, Egrette’s body pressed completely against Ai Yue. Ai Yue could clearly feel that soft, unexpectedly, fully plump body that belonged to a young girl. For a split second, the pink light characteristic of a succubus flashed within Ai Yue’s pupils.
Egrette did not miss this crucial piece of information.
“Just as I thought. I have been wondering what your race actually is. After gathering so much information, I have finally confirmed it at this moment.”
“Ah, confirmed what…”
Egrette gave a wicked smile and then spoke slowly.
“You are actually a succubus, aren’t you?”
“A… A succubus!?”
A flash of panic crossed Ai Yue’s face, but she immediately forced herself to look calm again.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“Still playing dumb? That guy’s Mental Magic wasn’t something that could be blocked so easily. He had gathered the mental strength of the Demon Race from more than an entire Demon King’s territory. A normal person could never best him in that regard. The most likely explanation is that you are actually a succubus with even greater attainments in mental-type abilities than a Dream Demon.”
“That… isn’t the probability of that non-zero? Besides, I am the most powerful Great Demon King. Being able to do something like that is…”
“That’s not it!”
The moment Egrette said those words, an alarm bell rang in Ai Yue’s instincts.
‘Wait a second, with that tone of hers, could it be…’
However, before Ai Yue could finish her thought, Egrette spoke the answer she least wanted to hear.
“You are actually very weak, aren’t you?”