Not long after leaving the outpost, Asmodeus joined Ciela and Erika in his carriage. Levia sat opposite him, while Ciela and Erika took his sides. Asmodeus wanted to travel with Vinea and Velvet, but they took Alice and Asmodea and boarded another carriage.
Not to ntion, elven carriages were much slimr to traverse the forest empire.
'How long will they be angry?'
Sariel also joined Asmodeus, but after eting Riel she started sleeping more often. He wondered if training her magic caused this.
'Succubi need to absorb vital energy, but I refused her.'
Asmodeus couldn't help but worry about her. He wondered if his rejection hurt both won, although he aid to be considerate.
To a succubus, his actions might cause great distress.
"Asmodeus, what's wrong?" Ciela's soft voice snapped Asmodeus out of his focus.
He turned to face her, and noticed her concerned gaze, before she reached out and touched his hand, stroking his hands.
"I'm alright, but I worried about Sariel."
"I see, she does seem awfully fatigued since returning."
Levia watched their conversation while peeking at the snoring succubus before snorting. She knew Sariel started secretly practising her magic. But after the trial, she and Sariel grew closer, because of their feelings towards Asmodeus.
Erika's lips moved, but she didn't speak, instead turning to look outside as their carriage raced through the forest, aiming to reach the capital city before the day ended.
'Erika?'
Asmodeus couldn't help but notice the sudden changes in Erika.
He wanted to speak with her alone, but before they left the outpost, she seed to avoid him.
"Erika, is everything alright?" Asmodeus couldn't afford to hold back and grasped her hand. The mont he did, he felt her tremble, the green eyes gazing out the window closing as she seed both surprised and delighted by his touch.
'So she isn't mad at ?'
"Asmodeus."
Erika's brows loosened the mont his fingers stroked her, like slowly thawing an iceberg. Her lips curled into a smile, reflected in the window, before she noticed Asmodeus gazing at her with a faint smile.
The mont their eyes t, he squeezed her hand and pulled her closer.
"Tell what bothers you…"
She shook her head.
"It is not sothing serious," She explained, her fingers lacing around his hand. "Just a small matter, and one that's already being solved."
Asmodeus worried about her rejection, but the more Erika spoke, the wider her smile beca, as she gripped his hand tight, and leaned against his shoulders.
Levia watched their interaction and let out a soft sigh.
She once might have disliked the won around Asmodeus, but Leviathan learned how each woman supported him differently. Because of this, she no longer clashed with the others, and tried to discover their role and what role she could take to support the man she loved.
'Erika is the girl who ca from his world, and their relationship seems natural.'
'Ciela's relationship is different, she watches over him and tries to support him in silence.'
Asmodeus enjoyed the quiet carriage ride, he rembered the Empress who said the goal was to take back her husband.
'What a fantastic woman, haha.'
Erika and Ciela made small talk together, with Ciela asking about modern society, which reminded him of ho.
Ho…
He still struggled to think of ho, since that world lost it's aning after losing his mother. Asmodeus shook his head with a smile on his face, mories floating in his mind of the past.
'No, that world. I loved it, even without mother, there were so many good things.'
The changes in his mind because of his journey all built up slowly, changing Asmodeus into the man he was today. He listened to Erika while thinking to himself when Ciela asked about their technology and other things.
"Mm… It is rather strange that your world has so little magic." Ciela stated. "So are dragons like a dream there too?" She asked another question, tilting her head to the side, with wide-eyed curiosity, her green hair swaying with the breeze.
"Dragons, even monsters or elves, don't exist except in stories."
"Sariel said she wishes to co with to see it soday."
They fell silent after listening to Asmodeus. Sariel snored sound asleep, as though exhausted. The girls observed changes in his voice when discussing Sariel or his original world. A gentle, and comforting voice, close to a father or soone protecting sothing.
Levia interrupted them.
"He cares for everyone in his own way." She pointed out with confidence. Her words silencing the group, until finally Erika and Ciela chuckled before looking at him again.
"You're right, he's just a little awkward."
"True, he struggles to show it." Erika grinned while leaning against his chest.
Asmodeus gazed at the won, his eyes seed a little shocked by their words. He hadn't considered how they'd interpret his actions, feeling a mix of embarrassnt and amusent.
'It's better that I get teased instead of worrying them.'
However, when he considered they understood him this well, it was quite comforting.
He didn't expect for his feelings to be so obvious to them, especially Levia and Ciela who he showed his affection subtly.
Yet, they were spot on with their thoughts. Continue reading stories on empire
'Sohow, I am glad they know,'
'I don't need to explain, or express it verbally…'
His smile faded slightly after that thought because the city appeared on the horizon. It stretched across the distance as a mass of towering buildings and beautiful structures rged with the trees in a beautiful fusion between nature and civilization.
A magnificent tree soared higher than all the other buildings, its thick canopy spread wide as though crowning the city.
The entire city felt full of life as animals road freely.
"Will this beautiful city burn, or will we succeed without damage?" Asmodeus rembered the ruined tree hidden in darkness, his mind full of worry about the future.
He realised that sotis brute force and fighting couldn't solve everything.
"Asmodeus, do you think it will beco a battle?" Ciela's low voice filled the carriage because they brought knights with them. Their group would be stopping outside the city to avoid too many issues.
Ciela looked down in silence as she considered that possibility.
"I will do anything within my power to stop it from becoming a battle," He assured them. "But I'm uncertain if I can keep that promise."
He noticed the walls of the city were full of archers and various armoured elven knights.
anwhile, he noticed the camp just outside the capital with Ar'Orina and Ar'Una, the two princesses, waiting with a small group. All four carriages stopped at the border, followed by several hundred mounted knights escorting them.
The first to leave was the empress, Ar'Sarina, who erged from her carriage and walked towards the gate with a deep breath and a firm expression. Then approached her two daughters with a brilliant smile.
Ciela watched the three and gazed at Asmodeus who tapped her nose and smiled back.
"Go on, be with your family, I will organise the other won."
"Thank you, my dear."
Asmodeus stepped out of the carriage, carrying Sariel in his arms, while Levia followed him with her face void of emotion. He then noticed that Velvet, Vinea, Asmodea and Alice leaving their carriage the mont he appeared.
'These cute won.'
"Ciela, I love you. And I'll return, don't worry about anything." He declared, watching a slight blush rise on Ciela's cheeks, before she nodded, then ran towards her mother and sisters.
Asmodeus couldn't help but smile when she hugged Orina tightly, almost jumping into her, despite not looking anything like a royal princess.
'But she is happy, so that's all that matters.'
While the royal group gathered and started organising the knights, Asmodeus gathered his won along with Fuuka, Aki, and he noticed Lumina in the distant forest.
'It seems her transformation skill has improved…'
He noticed Lumina's spider body vanished, but from her back several legs extended. Still not perfect, but she could probably stop hiding in the forest now.
"Asmodeus what do you plan to do with this situation?" Velvet's low voice started the conversation.
They stood beside their carriages, still not stepping foot onto the road towards the capital. A few knights surrounded them, but they had no orders to approach and simply waited and watched them from afar.
"I will take a back seat, this mont is for Ciela, and her family."
"What if things beco ssy?" Alice followed up, her lazy eyes flicking between Asmodeus and the elven knights.
She worried because after learning more about the concubines' family—they seed bigger than Asmodeus' first thought. "Then we step forward. However, I believe in my Princess." His tone remained calm while glancing at Ciela.
"We can't trust the royals either." Velvet spoke from beside them.
"Do you really believe that, Velvet?" Asmodea confronted her teacher, but without anger, instead she seed truly curious.
"I never trusted them, my trust is with Asmodeus and you girls."
Silence descended upon their group after Velvet's words, and everyone turned to look at her, including Asmodeus, whose lips were pursed as he considered Velvet's statent.
'How cute is Velvet.'
Noticing his gaze, Velvet shifted uncomfortably and glanced away, revealing her pink ears, which embarrassed her even further.
"Honey… No, Asmodeus! Don't look at !" She finally blurted out in exasperation and raised her hands to hide her face, appearing overly emotional, completely contrasting to her typical, mature composure.
"We will support them, but if things take a turn for the worse, only focus on keeping Ciela and her family alive." After making his position known, he gazed at each woman.
"I do not want any of you to get hurt because of this. If you want to sit it out, I will understand."
He thought Fuuka and Aki might step away, however they both shook their heads and stepped beside him.
"Aww, our Lord is so considerate~" Vinea added, teasing him lightly with a smirk on her face.
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