The two stared at Greed’s back as she left, then looked at one another.
"To not only have my arm shattered into bits and a wing torn off, but you to also call ugly; all after you say Awilix is your favorite?!" Salo sighed. "How pitiful this poor succubus is."
Vale cried out:
"Hey! I never said you were ugly. You’re beautiful. Very beautiful. I doubt many in the world co close to you in that regard."
"Yet you favor her, a woman who conned and cheated you, over ? Do you have so sort of fetish?"
"Hell no! She asked ’physically speaking’!"
"So I’m physically ugly? Is that what you’re saying?"
’Oh my...’
Vale could tell Salo was ssing with him on purpose. Or at least he hoped she was.
’To have to deal with this right after waking up... Greed, you truly are a bastard.’
"How did your wing reattach?"
"Don’t try to change the subject!"
Vale could tell Salo was forcing herself to pout, desperately holding back a smile.
Vale pressed his face into his palm as he sat up and rested his back against the headboard.
He looked over and said plainly:
"You’re ugly."
Salo recoiled, a slight look of surprise crossing her face, until Vale lifted the bright red [Shard of Truth].
"Now can we move on, beautiful Salo?"
"Fine, fine..." Salo looked away, a slight red tint on the tips of her ears — an unexpected mont of bashfulness. "The mont you beca Ergent, I did too. But the process is usually pleasant, not the excruciating tornt you faced."
Salo chuckled.
"Runcal was able to heal up, and from there I reattached my wing."
Vale’s eyes widened.
"Does that an?!"
"Yes. Ice Witch and Reaper have ascended. Awilix still has yet to follow suit, but it should only be a few days until she can."
’This is amazing for us!’
Using how much stronger he felt as a base, the Lust Dungeon had now grown in power multiple tis over, especially when considering his Legion was empowered the stronger he got.
’Though I feel a bit bad for Awilix...’
She was now the weakest by a wide margin.
"What about Traits?"
Salo smiled.
"I wasn’t expecting to receive anything new, as I already had the Trait I unlocked when becoming Ergent on Kaldora, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that I did. Not only that, Mias and presumably the Ice Witch as well."
Salo looked toward the exit.
Vale’s eyes followed as he thought back to the other ssages he received.
"Floor two. We have a second floor now, right?"
Salo looked back at Vale, and Vale at her.
"Yes, we do. Where the Dungeon Core once was, there is now a pillar with an orb upon it. Touching that orb will teleport you to a new space, though it’s best you see it for yourself to understand. It’s quite a peculiar area."
’New space?’
What an interesting way to word that. But...
’That gives so relief.’
The Dungeon Core was even more hidden now.
Vale would have to inspect the chanics behind the teleportation device, but he was gifted so solace knowing it was completely cut away.
Also...
’Mias...’
Vale, with everything that had happened, had forgotten.
"You said Mias was Ergent. Does that an he’s awake?"
"Yes. He woke up at the sa mont I did. The ascension seed to have saved him."
"What about him? Does he know what happened? Has he regained his other half? What of Kindness?"
"Woah, woah, Vale. Slow down. One at a ti..." Salo smiled as she picked herself up and slid into bed alongside him. "Mias still doesn’t know what happened, nor has he regained the connection."
"I see..."
Anyway...
’Whatever that device is, Mias can study it. Who knows, it may unlock the secret of transmigration.’
Salo snuggled beneath the blankets, tucking her wing around Vale and drawing him near as she rested her head on his shoulder.
Salo let out a long exhale, then said:
"Vale, I’m proud of you."
’Proud of ?’
That was a little random...
Usually, it was Vale who flippantly drifted from one topic to an entirely opposite one! That was his thing!
"Where’d that co from?"
"Maybe less proud, more in awe. As prideful as I am, I don’t think I could make the decisions you have. You have no obligation to put yourself in danger for any of us, yet you do."
’No obligation?’
Vale felt that was his only obligation.
Vale pushed his cheek into Salo’s head, her horns curling around his face.
"All of my decisions have been extrely selfish. I don’t want to lose anyone, so I keep going about it the hard way."
Salo put her hand on Vale’s arm.
"See? I knew I wasn’t wrong when I told you that you had the mindset of a true king, considering your followers part of yourself."
Vale exhaled through his nose.
"What even brought this about?"
In a peculiar, somber voice, Salo answered:
"Sentintality? Nostalgia? Who knows?"
As for what Salo was referring to...
It was the fact that he’d put himself on the battlefield at all, followed by putting himself in harm’s way to save Salo. After all, it would take ti, but Lor would have bled out eventually, just like Salo. Coupled with that was the look of despair when Xina almost died.
Salo, not knowing what had happened, probably concluded that if she were alive, then Vale had done sothing drastic.
But besides that, a weird question surfaced in Vale’s mind.
’I wonder what she thinks of ?’
Not as a leader, or Lust, but Valentin.
That was a question Vale wasn’t willing to ask. Even if it were praise, he didn’t want to hear it. He feared that level of connection.
A long silence settled between the two, one Vale eventually broke.
"Akkuron, once they notice Greed’s departure, will co to us. We should prepare."
Salo pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Ah, geez Vale. You really do know how to ruin a mont. Are you sure you’re socially inclined?"
"What’s that supposed to an?"
"Nothing. Forget about it."
Salo slid out from under the covers and stretched, then cast a glance over her shoulder.
"Well, first things first. I’ll leave you alone so you can figure out your Traits. If you need , I’ll be in the training room with Toy."
Salo held up her hand and waved as she walked away.
Vale slid forward, then fell back into bed.
’That’s the second ti soone’s said that to ...’
Vale was starting to feel like it wasn’t a coincidence, but neither did he know what they ant.
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