Chapter 31
Crunch!
Asmod’s hand crushed the slime’s gelatinous heart. The slick body coiling around Theticia lost its elasticity and poured down like water.
“Gah…! Cough!”
As her throat cleared, a rush of fresh air surged in. It felt like the first breath she had ever taken, a rush of release.
Losing her support and falling, Theticia was caught in Asmod’s arms. Only then did the demons notice the new guest, and a commotion spread as they realized who it was.
“Lord Asmod? Lord Asmod has come here?”
“Lord Asmod is holding someone. Who could it be?”
“That cannot be. Who in the world would he….”
He was known among incubi for a fastidiousness far unlike their kind. For him to have come to Sodom Hall, and to have unhesitatingly carried someone into his arms, was an absurd sight that set the demons astir.
“Ah, Lord Asmod. What brings you to Sodom Hall?”
“Take that disgusting thing out of my sight.”
The cold bite of his voice struck the demon who had approached. Left faltering, shrinking back, the demon froze where it stood while Asmod strode out of Sodom Hall.
His gaze, edged with irritation, dropped to Theticia in his arms.
The slime of Sodom Hall was a demonic beast bred for the demons’ amusement. Left unattended, it was steeped in an impure aphrodisiac potent enough to melt a soul.
‘I only meant to frighten her a little.’
Finding her condition worse than expected, Asmod clicked his tongue lightly. Then he looked toward the one responsible for the disturbance.
“Cellis. What have you done to the human that belongs to me?”
At Asmod’s question, cold with anger, Cellis bit her lip as if troubled. The contract brand, plainly revealed on the arm slipping from his hold, was an eyesore to her.
“It was only a bit of play. With slime that strong, I thought she would break, but she seems fine, does she not?”
Cellis extended her hand toward Theticia, but Asmod’s mana flicked it away.
“Do not touch her with those filthy hands.”
“Ugh…!”
Cellis shook her tingling fingers and pouted.
“Filthy hands? That is rather harsh, Lord Asmod. She is only a little intoxicated by the aphrodisiac. It is not as if she lost any limbs. You are far too sensitive.”
Her dismissive tone, as though he were making a fuss over nothing, made Asmod’s brow tighten. It was true that she was only under the d**g, yet the flush on Theticia’s face set his nerves on edge.
Still, to concern himself over the safety of a mere pet human would be unseemly.
“It disgusts me when someone lays a hand on what is mine.”
“Then why not make me yours as well, Lord Asmod?”
Her coaxing tone met only clear revulsion.
“How could I possibly accept the mana of one who does not even know my face? It is revolting.”
“Th–Then you refused me and brought that human girl instead? She does not know your face either, does she?”
Struck on the mark, Cellis lost her composure and raised her voice.
“Who I choose to share myself with is none of your concern.”
With a short, derisive laugh, Asmod turned his back on her and walked away.
***
“Haah…!”
Theticia was standing in the middle of the forest. The full moon hung high, somehow larger than usual, spilling its light deep into every corner of the woods. The rustling leaves whispered busily, brushing against her mind and body like a tickle.
‘My body’s too hot.’
The first time she visited the Imperial Palace, she had suffered a terrible fever for three days. Now, it felt even stranger than it did then. Her limbs trembled. A chill ran through her, only for her thighs to draw taut with heat.
A cool scent of sandalwood wafted over Theticia as she sank down. She didn’t need to turn around; she already knew who that scent belonged to.
“Theticia.”
At the thick, low whisper, her strength left her and she collapsed. Asmod, who had naturally come to straddle her, gently brushed aside her sweat-soaked hair.
“Hhuuh, Lord Asmod… Why are you here…?”
“Do not be alarmed. You have come to the place where you feel most at ease.”
Just as he said, the forest was the only place besides the attic where Theticia could breathe freely. Her breath stopped when she saw the distant lights of Viscount Pelloni’s Estate flickering.
“If someone sees us, ugh, if we get caught, what about my mother…”
“It’s a dream. Unless you call for them, no one else will appear.”
“…A dream?”
“Yes, a dream. It is a suitable place to expel the aphrodisiac that has taken hold of you. If you take me in as you did before, you will soon feel at ease.”
At those words, Theticia jolted upright. The memory of bare flesh burned in her head, turning her stomach.
“Uugh, n-no, I don’t want to…”
The sickly sweet liquid that had flowed into her throat and the sticky mingling of flesh made her want to retch.
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