Vale weakly blinked open his eyes.
’My bed?’
He lay neatly tucked beneath the covers, glancing around. He vaguely rembered excruciating pain, yet now he felt more vigorous than ever. While he’d love to relish in the feeling of supre strength and vitality.
’Salo! Where’s Salo?’
Vale sat up, spotting Salo asleep in her canopied bed.
’Phew.’
But...
Vale turned to his left, facing the peculiar woman seated beside the bed upon an elegant, almost pretentious golden throne.
"Were you that worried about ?"
"Not at all, I rely wanted to see you one last ti before I left to get fair compensation."
"Fair compensation?"
"The little green one cried and cried for us to heal the Demon. You know how tender my heart is, I couldn’t help but allow it. So, you needn’t worry about her, she’ll be alright. She actually woke up long before you and healed herself."
’Tender... Does she not know what that word ans?’
Vale shook his head as he looked back at the sleeping Salo. A soft, genuine smile tugged at his lips.
’Thank the gods.’
Or maybe he shouldn’t thank them, considering what he learned about Origin.
Either way, one of his Champions had once again escaped the clutch of death. Though Vale doubted death’s bony fingers would be so forgiving a fourth ti. Therefore...
’I won’t allow such a situation to arise.’
With how strong he felt, he might finally make good on that promise. Then again...
He thought back to his promise to Larry.
’Nothing is scarier than receiving a promise from .’
And now he was making a promise to himself!
Aside from that...
"Before you leave, huh? Was I—"
Greed chuckled.
"Yes, you were out for a couple of days. Screaming, crying, all the like. I only knew to co because you’d quieted down."
’Screaming and crying?’
Vale didn’t particularly rember doing that, but for so reason, he didn’t doubt he had.
Vale’s gaze swept the room until he spotted the items dropped from the [Nexus of Beginnings] — everything but the sword: gauntlets, glasses, bike, cube, pickaxe.
Greed continued:
"Speaking of that, I even stayed an extra day to check up on you."
’I’m sure it was to check up on .’
All of his items except...
"Where’s the [Shard of Truth]?"
"Damn perceptive asshole."
"Hey! Were you going to steal that?"
"Heavens, no! I’m no thief. How many tis do I have to tell you: If I want sothing, it’s already mine. How can I steal sothing I own?"
Vale rolled his eyes at the audacious woman.
"Seriously, sothing’s wrong with the way you see the world."
"Really? I’d wager to say there’s sothing wrong with everyone else."
"So you acknowledge everyone else is different from you? Therefore, you’re the outlier."
"Better to be an outlier and unique than stuck as a boring pedestrian caught in the web of societal constructs."
Vale sighed, glancing around.
’Where are the others?’
Salo was there, but he didn’t even sense Xina.
Greed looked at Vale’s curious expression, then paid it no heed. She seed in sowhat of a hurry to leave.
"Back on topic... I will say in hindsight, being able to read the descriptions of your Traits firsthand was truly sothing worth staying here for."
Vale, despite losing mories from his transformation, rembered everything the system had said before the pain worsened to an unbearable degree.
’[World Without Witness] and [Fatal Attraction].’
Two new Traits he hadn’t even examined. But, having witnessed the one firsthand, he could understand Greed’s perspective.
"Is that so? Well then, does that cover whatever extra expenses you wanted?"
"No, but I can tell you what will. I want you to answer a few questions of mine. Don’t worry, they are ta. If you judge them to be worth too much, you don’t have to answer."
’Uh, what’s the catch?’
Vale spoke slowly.
"Alright. Sounds easy enough. Ask away."
But before Greed spoke any further, she revealed the [Shard of Truth] and activated it.
’Oh?’
Greed smiled.
"So then. Is there anything you’re hiding from ?"
Vale doubled over laughing, nearly smacking his head against the headboard.
"That’s what you wanted to ask? Seriously? ’Is grass green?’ Of course."
"Well, you never know. If you said you weren’t, then it would be impossible for you to bluff later on. So, long shot, but worth it."
"I see. Well then, carry on the interrogation."
Greed crossed her legs, then leaned back.
"Am I more beautiful than Salo? Physically speaking, of course."
’Not even allowing interpretive lying! Cheat.’
Vale looked over at the sleeping Salo, then his eyes snapped back to the crystal.
’...’
"What is with your questions, Greed?"
"Oh, ho? Dodging?"
Vale sighed, then shrugged.
"You, by a small margin."
Greed laughed as she saw the tornted look on his face, then called out.
"You hear that, succubus! Ha! Take that!"
’What?!’
Suddenly, Salo shot upright, fury on her face. And...
’Her wing’s back on?’
But...
"Seriously, Vale?! You sleaze!"
’Don’t call the Master of Lust sleazy! Once again, grass is green!’
Despite the angry expression on Salo’s face, Vale couldn’t help but let off a warm, relieved smile.
"I’m glad you’re alright, Salo."
The succubus clicked her tongue as she sat on Awilix’s bed.
"Tch. You’re making it hard to be angry."
Greed smiled.
"We had a bet on who you’d pick! I won!"
Greed tossed the crystal back to Vale and continued:
"That’s all I wanted."
Vale’s eyes narrowed on her slender form.
"Really? I said I’d answer any of your questions, and that is all you wanted to know?"
Greed stood up and dismissed her throne.
"I decided I wanted to get back at you for making wait an extra day. While I couldn’t do anything to undermine your authority or cause internal strife."
Greed looked at the angered Salo.
"I could make you do it to yourself. Well, I’m off! Toodle-oo!"
And just like that, Greed was gone from the Dungeon of Lust.
It would be a long ti before the two t again outside the Council of Vice.
User Comments
0 comments from readers