The Incubus Archduke Dreams of a Pet Human - Chapter 73

A violet flame flickered within a glass orb so vast it could scarcely be embraced with outstretched arms. Theticia pressed her face firmly against the glass, peering inside.

“Lord Asmod, what is this? It looks just like a tiny greenhouse.”

Rested upon an altar etched with geometric patterns, the glass sphere possessed multiple layers within. The small ember nestled at its very core scattered its light against the sharply carved, angular planes.

The tiny ember reflected fully in Theticia’s pale blue eyes.

Shaped like a blossom, the ember barely maintained its size, shedding its outer petals to fade away only to bloom anew from its center, over and over.

“It’s pretty……, ugh!”

Theticia’s body was yanked straight back, bumping lightly against the watchtower wall. She coughed, hacking, and fumbled at her throat. Before she had even realized it, a thick band of mana was looped around her neck like a collar. At the opposite end of that tether, naturally, stood Asmod.

‘Lord Asmod, you’re literally treating me like a dog!’

When Theticia glared up at him with a resentful glare, he merely waved his hand dismissively.

“I feared gloves alone would prove insufficient. You have laid hands upon it yet again, haven’t you.”

“…….”

It was undeniably true, leaving her with no confidence to retort. Clenching her fists in sheer indignance, Theticia cautiously crept back toward the glass sphere.

“S-So what on earth is this? It seems like an enchanted item.”

Terrified of being dragged back once more, Theticia pointed from a safe distance as she asked. Judging by how the mana within her body had violently surged during that brief brush of contact, it felt akin to a magical artifact. Though she still failed at spinning threads of mana, she could now sense the flow of it, at least to some degree.

Asmod tapped the glass sphere lightly, entirely unbothered.

“It is akin to the Blue Moon of the Demon King’s Castle. A device originally known as the Mana Lamp.”

“Aha! So this is what disperses mana!”

She remembered hearing that the capital spread its mana using the Blue Moon. Having thought it was similar to a mana lantern, it seemed it did not merely shine light, but actually transmitted magical energy.

“Still, compared to the Blue Moon, this is…….”

The Blue Moon was the size of an entire estate, and its interior could not be glimpsed due to the overwhelming brilliance. The Mana Lamp of the Lord’s Castle, however, had such a modest flame at its core that its intricately layered structure was visible at a glance.

“……The light is awfully small.”

As Theticia muttered coyly, a deep crease instantly carved into Asmod’s jawline.

“Step back. I shall make it larger for you.”

At his voice, which seemed to suppress a sudden flare of temper, Theticia quickly scuttled backward. Knitting his brows, Asmod gently laid his hand upon the glass sphere.

Fwooosh!

Accompanied by a sudden gust, the violet flame expanded and bloomed profusely, as though dry firewood had been cast into its depths. The roaring, blazing inferno slipped past the inner crevices, filling every gap between the layers of glass.

As the flame saturated the sphere, the Mana Lamp radiated an immense glow, illuminating the entire surroundings. The pitch-black sky softened into something closer to twilight.

“It’s pretty!”

Gazing at Theticia as she beamed radiantly beneath the brilliance, Asmod cast a sidelong glance her way.

“Wait……. Is it supposed to leak out like this?”

Theticia pointed toward the lower section of the sphere. Mana was trickling out along a set of slender hairline fractures.

Bending his upper torso low to inspect the fractured section, Asmod clicked his tongue softly and straightened his posture.

“Because of you, I poured in far too much mana.”

“How is that because of m—…….”

About to snap back, Theticia clamped her mouth shut just in time. After suffering so severely at Asmod’s hands the last time, she had resolved never to act insolently again.

Rolling her eyes this way and that, Theticia looked at the Mana Lamp.

Watching the countless petals fall and blossom anew resembled a great peony, which somehow pleased her. Furthermore, the gentle warmth she could feel from Asmod’s mana was pleasant. Just as her heart was settling into a sense of peace, Asmod poured cold water over her calm.

“It is now brimming with mana, so should you touch it, you will be repelled with far more agony than when I reeled you in. If any being other than its master touches it, a warding spell will trigger.”

“I-I didn’t even intend to touch it!”

Theticia hastily crossed her arms, tucking her hands out of sight. Admittedly, though her body had leaned in slightly toward the familiar comfort of Asmod’s mana, she honestly! Really had no intention of touching it.

***

“Are you saying you broke the Mana Lamp?”

Stütz questioned him with a face full of disbelief. Asmod was languidly tipping his wineglass, observing Theticia dining. Resting his chin in his hand, Asmod watched her, while Theticia cast nervous glances between him and Stütz standing just beyond.

“It is merely a small fracture. Can we not simply summon Marbas?”

“Lord Marbas has passed away.”

“There is no way that old man died.”

“Indeed, he has fashioned a new vessel.”

It was fortunate that Asmod did not glance backward. Had he done so, he would have witnessed the utterly grim expression contorting Stütz’s face.

“Is that so? It matters not. Summon whichever demon can repair an enchanted item.”

“……Understood.”

At the sharp, grinding gnash of teeth, Theticia, who had just stuffed a large chunk of meat into her mouth, rolled her eyes frantically. The voice laced with profound discontent caused the meat to lodge straight in her throat.

“Cough!”

“Eat slowly. No one is rushing you.”

Whether he was entirely oblivious to the murderous daggers Stütz was glaring from behind, Asmod merely urged her to eat with utter nonchalance.

Caught between two gazes that were burdensome for entirely different reasons, Theticia forced down the remainder of her meal and followed Asmod into his office.