Asmodeus drank the crisp ale while listening to the three n talk about old tis, he learned quite a deal about how the miasma and madness spread and what it looked like. Yet he couldn’t pinpoint how it spread.
’So it seems to be both airborne and transferred via touch?’
The issue was that so family mbers were fine, yet others beca infected almost instantly. Lumina seed to think it might be related to ntal or magic resistance. Yet so of the victims were priests, who were known to have high resistance.
’Not just that, but Vinea also... she’s a pure demon with the highest magic resistance.’
"Or does the person who created it get to choose?"
"Hmm?" The scruffy male swallowed his sweet beer and tilted his head. "What do you an, lad?"
"I was thinking, if soone is controlling it, can they decide who becos infected or not?"
The slim adventurer rubbed his chin, "That could be the case, if a person were the source... I don’t know how it’s possible, but I guess it’s possible if you were so kind of high-level mage."
"What about a god?"
"PFFFFT!"
The two n spat their beers on Simon’s face before coughing loudly while trying to laugh.
Simon’s face was twisted, and he turned and smacked the two males. "Bastards!"
Lumina raised her eyebrow, "I an... it could be a possibility." She looked at Asmodeus with her golden eyes as if asking him if that was his thought. "What if it’s not a disease or so kind of sickness, darling, but a type of curse?"
"Oh?" Paul’s hazy eyes suddenly brightened. "Why didn’t I think of that before..." He should have known, logically, this was his speciality, curse-breaking and the fact that his barrier could contain and slow the spread of Vinea’s mutation. "That’s odd... why didn’t I notice? This isn’t sothing I would normally miss."
Lumina and Asmodeus looked at Paul because they both knew him and that he wouldn’t just make an excuse, so he asked. "What do you an, Paul?"
Simon and the other two n left the table to freshen up, while Paul leaned closer. "You see, all the signs of a curse are here." He tapped his fingers across the beer-stained table. "Yet I didn’t realise it until now..."
Asmodeus nodded his head, "Maybe because you didn’t know you were dealing with a curse."
"No... that doesn’t make sense, Ryuji. It’s more like sothing was blocking my senses, like a veil... I only even thought of a curse the mont you told . Before this, I was just dismissing it and treating it as sothing else."
Lumina nodded her head and placed her arms on the table. Her breasts pressed against the wood, forming a delicious crease of creamy skin that only Asmodeus could see.
She leaned against him with a low groan, obviously tired of the tobacco and ale-scented tavern.
"That’s a strange thought, but let’s be honest, the one controlling everything is phisto, right?"
"Yeah, it could be because of him... or maybe he just stole the thod of another group, say people who are currently visiting from the west, unwanted visitors."
"..."
Although Asmodeus wanted to continue their conversation, it ca to an end, and all they could do was go their separate ways, with Simon and Paul guiding him and Lumina to the mansion where Vinea was resting.
***
"Phew... the outside air feels amazing."
"Simon stop leaning on , you’re too damn heavy."
"Shut it, Paul!"
Asmodeus and Lumina watched the two n bicker like children after drinking too much, which made them chuckle.
"Asmodeus," Paul said suddenly, turning his attention back to him. "The place we’re going to isn’t far, but I’m not sure about the situation. We’ll be in a highly populated area, so it would be better to keep your true strength hidden until needed..."
"You don’t want going full power and killing innocents, right?"
"Correct." He nodded his head.
Asmodeus looked up at the sky above; his eyes glowed slightly, emanating a sense of authority, but he couldn’t help but want to fulfil the request of his friend.
"I’ll do my best, but no promises."
Lumina squeezed his hand as she moved closer to him. It seed she realised once Vinea appeared, their ti as lovers might co to an end, so she wanted to enjoy it for as long as possible. Her body pressed up against his arm, allowing her to feel his muscular biceps and chest against her soft bosom and thighs.
The familiar group continued down the cobblestone street with several people stopping and turning their heads as Lumina passed them by. She was a beautiful woman, and few could compare to her.
’I didn’t realise she had such an amazing figure like this...’
The road to the mansion didn’t take long, with many of the maids and other staff leaving for the castle due to Alan’s whims. What made Asmodeus curious was the increased number of non-grigorian humans in Baltimore. There were hundreds, maybe more, of mainland soldiers and knights roaming around... ’This cannot be good.’
"You’ve grown so much, little brother," Simon muttered to Asmodeus as they walked towards Vinea’s room, the dark halls causing the mood to beco more solemn and calm.
Asmodeus looked over his shoulder at the older man. "I don’t feel like I’ve changed that much."
Simon chuckled and rubbed his cheek with his hand as if he wanted to answer but couldn’t find the words. Paul just smiled and walked beside them, "Don’t you rember the first dungeon we t? You cleaved a few goblins in half with all your might."
It was an embarrassing yet nostalgic ti...
"He almost died from those things... bloody wounds fighting like a maniac because he could heal faster using his weapon."
Lumina’s ears perked up, because at this stage she couldn’t observe him... the stories that Paul and Simon shared always made his won interested.
"And what happened to the goblins that tried to kill our dear husband?"
"Oh... they had no chance, haha!" Paul’s fangs flashed in the dark corridors, his red eyes staring at Asmodeus. "It was a one-sided beatdown."
Asmodeus pouted and grunted, causing Lumina to chuckle, her hips swaying against his leg as they finally reached the right area.
"Is that Ygrenne?" A woman stood outside, with sleek black hair and dark red eyes, no longer wearing her knight uniform but a more casual robe and dress that made her look like a rchant. Simon called out first and began staggering ahead of the group.
"Ygrenne... It’s good to see you."
"You too, Simon." The female knight smiled softly as she looked at him, her red eyes flickering with light, before moving towards the group and seeing Asmodeus, she froze montarily. "Your Majesty..."
"Don’t, be at ease," Asmodeus called out, waving his hand as she almost got down on her knees.
"Guide to Vinea."
The room was dimly lit, with a single candle flickering on each side of the bed. A figure lay there under the blankets, its chest rising and falling gently in the cold late afternoon air.
Dark-skinned with a red tint, her beautiful heterochromic eyes — silver and golden — she turned to face the noise and suddenly jumped out of bed as she saw Asmodeus.
"Husband!?"
She let her hair hang over one shoulder in two loose braids, and her outfit consisted of an all-white dress with black and grey lace accents, maintaining her princess-like appearance.
’I thought she was going to wait in her human form though...’
Asmodeus stood in the doorway, his eyes taking in every inch of her body, and he felt an overwhelming sense of relief wash over him. Until he saw her eye... the black sclera wasn’t like their usual demon form. Instead, it resembled sothing closer to a thick ink that flowed through her veins and flooded her eyes.
"Are you alright?"
"...of course."
Before she could move, he stood beside her bed and hugged her tightly.
The worry he felt learning about the strange madness swallowing people and how she almost succumbed to it made his stomach drop.
"What’s the matter, are you that worried?" Vinea’s low voice tickled his ear as she nuzzled his cheek.
Lumina and the others didn’t enter the room as if giving the pair of lovers space.
"Ah... I am, I don’t know what’s happening, but we need to be careful."
"You don’t need to worry about , my husband..." She whispered in a low tone. Vinea spoke with emotion as she pressed her head against his chest, feeling the warmth of his body. "I’ll be fine as long as you’re here."
"Are your eyes hurting?"
He brushed against her cheeks and touched the corner of her infected eye.
"What if I say they are?"
"Well... then I will kiss it better."
"That sounds nice..."
Vinea gazed up at Asmodues.
She never expected him to rush here so fast.
Part of her expected him to take longer and bring an army with him. "Why did you co with just Lumina... what if sothing goes wrong?"
He couldn’t help but grin when he saw her face flush slightly when she spoke; it made his heart race faster than anything else. His fingers trailed along her cheek, tracing the curve of her jawline before cupping it in his hand.
"Vinea... I’ll protect you."
"Darling...?"
Her heart raced, but not because she desired him. It was because of the sincerity in his eyes.
"It’s strange... to see this side of you."
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