The Incubus Archduke Dreams of a Pet Human - Chapter 57

The heavy resonance of the study doors being flung wide echoed the very moment Theticia was sucked into the depths of the book.

Asmod stepped into the study with a deep frown. Glacia crossed the threshold beside him, wagging her tail.

“Theticia……?”

There was no sign of life in the study. Theticia, who had been sending frantic signals through her mana threads, was nowhere to be seen. Her faintly remaining mana was severed right in the middle of the room.

“Archdukie, over there!”

Twitching her black nose, Glacia let out a shout and dashed toward the reading desk against the wall. The book resting upon it melted away in an instant like unraveled fabric, transforming into a single strand of mana. As the thread attempted to slip through the window frame like a snake, Glacia swiftly snatched it in her jaws.

A low growl rumbled from her throat.

The moment her fangs sank into the thread, the mana fulfilled its purpose and scattered into the air.

“Archdukie, this. It is Archdukie Levia’s mana.”

“Levia……?”

Asmod and Glacia exchanged an ominous glance. Theticia’s scent lingered within the cold, spreading dark green mana.

***

Theticia widened her eyes.

The interior of the round, dome-shaped glass structure was a riot of botanical marvels, filled with a staggering variety of plants.

“I was in the study just a moment ago, so what happened? Is it something like a dimensional gate?”

Looking up at the glass ceiling, Theticia shielded her eyes with her hand, blinded by the sudden downpour of light.

“The sun?”

The mana lamps hanging from the greenhouse ceiling emitted a brilliant radiance, looking as if the sun itself had been shrunk down. It was a warm, temperate glow, utterly unlike the pale light of the Blue Moon. The dark navy sky spreading beyond the glass walls confirmed that this place was not The Surface.

“Is this place……. a greenhouse?”

Judging by the structure and the flora filling the interior, it was undoubtedly a greenhouse. If there was one striking difference, it was that the plants here possessed a fresh, vibrant green hue just like on The Surface. The seeds hanging from each tree and the blossoms of the shrubs displayed vivid red and yellow colors.

This entire space looked as if a piece of The Surface had been carved out and placed here.

The lush bushes rustled loudly.

A Horned Rabbit abruptly poked its head out from the vigorously shaking leaves.

“Even a Horned Rabbit?”

Sniffing the air, the Horned Rabbit cautiously approached Theticia. Wild Horned Rabbits fled as soon as they saw her, but this one was remarkably friendly toward other entities.

“I guess they’re raising them here.”

Animals bred without natural predators usually grew accustomed to people. Unable to hold back, Theticia sat down and stroked the Horned Rabbit’s rounded back.

“Ah, so fluffy.”

The smoothness of its fur was on par with Glacia’s. Thinking of the young beastkin, Theticia let out a small gasp and stilled her hand.

‘That is right, Glacia and Lord Asmod will be worried if they realize I am gone.’

Picking up the Horned Rabbit, Theticia surveyed her surroundings once more. The greenhouse was far larger than she had anticipated, so vast that the opposite wall was completely out of sight.

However, the Blue Moon, looking like a distant lantern, allowed her to gauge the distance and direction from the Archduke’s mansion. Unlike the view from the estate located in the center of the capital, the Blue Moon here was as small as a fingernail.

Theticia scratched her head and focused her mind on the flow of mana she had learned today.

‘If I follow the thread, will I not be able to find out where Lord Asmod is?’

Since she had learned it, she intended to put it to practical use right away.

“…….”

She could not feel it.

The mana thread extending from Theticia’s wrist had snapped clean at a certain point. She had always been able to feel Asmod’s energy at the end of it. Now, she felt absolutely nothing.

The moment she realized that fact, her heart sank.

She felt as if she had been left all alone in the world. It must have been an emotion she constantly felt when she was on The Surface. She had not been in the Demon Realm for long, yet becoming entirely alone was this frightening and unfamiliar.

“Uh……. what should I do?”

Theticia unknowingly tightened her arms around the Horned Rabbit.

A piercing squeak of alarm escaped the creature.

“I am sorry. I was just so startled.”

Startled by the protesting cry, Theticia quickly stroked its fur. Fortunately, the Horned Rabbit seemed to accept her apology, stopping its cries and nesting quietly in her embrace.

Where exactly was this place, and why was she here.

Letting out a troubled groan, Theticia recalled the moment she was sucked into the book. That deep green, leather-bound volume was undeniably Levia’s Bestiary. After being pulled into the book as if someone had grabbed her by the collar, she passed through a chilling and pitch-black space.

“……I definitely smelled Mugwort.”

Demons possessed a body odor they could not hide. Just as Asmod carried a cool sandalwood scent, Levia smelled of various medicinal herbs and Mugwort.

Theticia looked around and called out to the owner of the scent.

“Lord Levia? Are you here by any chance, Lord Levia?”