Chapter 86…………………………..
When Asterios went to visit Roziana’s room, she gave him a small gift.
“What is this?”
“A potion. A secret recipe of the witches.”
Remembering how the potion Edwin had given him before had worked well, Roziana had made a healing potion herself for Asterios.
“It may not be as effective as the one made by the Tower Master. Some of the secret ingredients my sisters use can only be obtained from the Witch’s Forest.”
As she spoke and looked at Asterios, the golden pupils in his touched expression quivered.
He always felt her heart toward him and thought that alone was enough. But receiving her gift after such a long time stirred old memories within him.
Back when the whole universe lay beneath him.
He had no greed, no desires.
As the god of dragons who ruled the dark void of the cosmos, he lacked nothing—there was nothing to wish for, nothing to receive.
So it was Erica from whom he received his very first gift.
In the days when he was Tenebres, he hadn’t known how to describe that feeling.
It was a strange sensation, joy mixed with fear.
‘But now I understand.’
Now, loving her, thinking of her, and wanting her had become as natural to Asterios as breathing.
His heart and his whole being simply moved toward her.
He ran for her, longed for her alone.
If only she would allow it, he wished to become anything for her.
As long as his feelings could reach Roziana.
His heart beat fiercely only for her.
His heart—
The proof that he was completely her slave.
He had always belonged to her, but seeing her smile at him once again made him feel his heart had been captured anew.
What words could describe this?
The way his heart dropped with a thud, as though trapped in her smile.
Yes, he had already become her slave.
That he would be ready to give everything away for just a single smile of hers.
While Asterios was lost in emotion and memory, moved almost to tears—
Roziana fidgeted with her fingers hidden behind her back.
She didn’t know when the right moment would be to say what she truly wanted to tell him along with the gift, and so she hesitated.
The words lingered on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them again at the last second. It was something she wanted to confess later, yet she couldn’t help almost blurting it out now—her lips opened soundlessly instead.
But deciding to save it for the right moment, she bit her lip instead.
“This is a cheer-up gift for tomorrow’s second competition. That’s all I called you here for, so you may go now.”
Swallowing back the sweet words that kept threatening to spill, she turned her head toward the window as she finished speaking.
The sun was sinking over the mountains outside. She fixed her gaze on the blazing red sun, trying to hide the heat rising in her heart.
As the reddened sky turned to sunset, she didn’t notice how burning hot his gaze upon her had become.
His eyes lingered for a long while on the tips of her ears flushed red by the glow of the sky. To soothe his regret, Asterios left a long kiss upon the hand of the princess who had turned her face away.
“Naer.”
“Yes, Your Highness~.”
Mephisto, exhaling a sigh, folded his arms and looked at Naer, who was grooming her hair. In her human form, she was neatly braiding her long hair down her back. From the way she gazed at the darkening sky, she clearly intended to enjoy herself again tonight.
“It’s time you stop playing succubus. Tomorrow is the second round of the competition, and do you know that only sixteen candidates remain while the rest have all withdrawn?”
There had been twenty-five who passed the first round’s Secret Fog, but over the two days since, many had chosen to forfeit. Of course, thanks to Naer’s exploits.
“Hiiing~. It’s just been so long since I had such a feast… haah~. I couldn’t restrain myself properly!”
Her excuses were useless.
Who would have thought Dreat men had such strict notions of chastity?
She had only intended to amuse herself by exploiting their hidden lusts, and in the process sweep away the annoying riffraff—thinking Mephisto would benefit as well.
“I only wanted to provide you with an environment where you could concentrate better, my lord, haah~.”
“And yet things ended up reversed. I was put aside while you sucked up men’s essence all night long. You didn’t even see me off during the first round.”
The competitors, already worn out, had night after night of their vitality drained by Naer, the succubus. Exhausted, they either dropped out of the competition or slunk back home in shame, lamenting their unworthiness.
‘Really now! Losing their so-called purity just because of a few passionate nights in dreams?’
They had even wept, saying they had no face to meet the princess since they had failed to protect their inner purity.
As if anyone could tell what happened in a dream.
‘Well, I suppose I did suck them a bit too dry…’
Naer bobbed her head guiltily.
“Did you think I allowed you to use bugs just so you could deal with some extras?”
“Hiiing~ Your Highness. Still, there were gains, so please forgive me, won’t you~?”
True. Naer wasn’t entirely wrong.
Thanks to her spy bugs, they overheard the conversation of the man who came out of Gregorian’s room.
That had been a truly unexpected harvest.
‘Who would’ve thought—the Holy Pope is searching for someone in Dreat.’
It was now clear that Gregory the Holy Pope had come all the way from Graham not only because of the princess, but for at least one more reason.
And Mephisto had no intention of sharing this information with Asterios.
‘But why is the Pope searching for a white-haired woman?’
In Graham, white hair was common enough. But in Dreat, it was not.
Most people had brown or red hair; silver, blonde, and black hair belonged to special bloodlines. White hair, however, was considered lowly in Dreat, so most who had it dyed it to hide it.
“It won’t be easy, but if I put my mind to it, it won’t be impossible to find her.”
“The white-haired woman the Pope is looking for?”
“Yes.”
“Hm~.”
Naer tilted her head, puzzled.
“There must be plenty of women in Graham fit to be priestesses. Why look in Dreat?”
“A priestess, you say?”
“Since the Holy Pope is looking for a white-haired woman, I thought naturally it meant he needed a priestess?”
…Could it be?
Mephisto narrowed his eyes.
“Naer.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Could you avoid revealing yourself as a demon even in front of Gregory?”
“Eh~? Even for me, Your Majesty, that’s a little difficult!”
“Isn’t changing appearance your specialty?”
“Hiiing. Then you must allow me to walk about as a succubus at night!”
Tch. Mephisto groaned under his breath.
“…Fine.”
“Yes!”
The moment he permitted it, Naer instantly transformed into the appearance of a white-haired woman.
“You remember the man who came out of the Pope’s room last time?”
“Of course! You just focus on passing the second round tomorrow, Your Highness. Meanwhile, I’ll hang around that man until I’m naturally caught and taken to him!”
At last, Mephisto felt she might be of some use. Up until now, she’d done nothing but gorge herself since he brought her here.
“But why was the content of the second round still not announced, unlike the first?”
Unlike the first round, the second round would be held inside the palace, and they had only been told the contest details would be revealed the very morning of the event.
“We’ll find out in the square tomorrow. Perhaps it’s because giving it out early would give someone an advantage, so everyone receives the challenge at the same time.”
“The bugs heard that even our Lady herself doesn’t know the competition details.”
“You mean you spied on my Lady’s room too?”
“Hiiing~ of course no bug could go near her chamber. But I did overhear the talk of her servants and maids coming in and out!”
The knights guarding Roziana were tight-lipped, but the maids who cleaned her room were different.
From what they had chatted about during their breaks, the second round would involve solving a problem posed by the Empress herself, and no one besides the Empress yet knew what that problem was.
“If no one has any privileged information, then I’m not at a disadvantage either.”
Mephisto smiled with confidence. He was certain he could pass the second round without much trouble.
“Tonight, feast as you wish, Naer. Be ready to move in the morning.”
“Yes~! I obey the great Mephisto, whom I revere!”
Naer blushed as she bowed. Her red tongue darted quickly across her lips before disappearing again—an image utterly seductive.
