Chapter 417: Melissa
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 417: Melissa
‘Melissa…?’
For a moment, I doubted my own eyes.
She wasn’t wearing a maid uniform, but it was unmistakably Melissa.
Ding—
[Name: Melissa Malefis]
[Age: 20]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: EB-17]
[Occupation: Servant to Lavinia, the Fourth Throne of Malefis]
[Disposition: Fanatical, Loyal, Cunning…]
[Affection
Melissa Malefis 60♡]
[Bond Level
Melissa Malefis Lv.1]
Having confirmed it with the dating app, there was no longer any reason to doubt.
Seeing Melissa’s face after so long, I briefly reminisced about the past. Our connection had been short but intense.
Melissa, who had been controlling Viscount Hessler’s eldest son, Henriot, with black magic, had tried to control me as well with poison and spells.
But she ended up intoxicated by my pheromones instead, willingly offering me her virginity before being subdued. After that, she escaped when I let my guard down, and we hadn't met since.
‘I knew she was part of Malefis, but I never imagined we’d meet in a place like this…’
Retracting my aura, I fell into thought.
Melissa’s appearance was an unexpected variable.
My original plan was to subdue whichever black mage appeared and torture them for information.
But as they say, you can't ignore the bond forged in bed. There was no way I could do something like that to Melissa.
Besides, unlike with other black mages, I felt no sense of revulsion toward her.
It was probably because she’d been drenched in my pheromones, or perhaps because she was registered on the dating app.
I was betting on the latter.
‘…Should I just ask for her cooperation?’
But I quickly shook my head.
A considerable amount of time had passed since I’d slept with Melissa, so the effects of the pheromones would have long since worn off.
Especially for someone whose defining traits were being fanatical, loyal, and cunning, the chances of her being friendly to me—someone who was practically an enemy—were extremely slim.
For now, the best course of action was to observe the situation and then decide.
“Are you Prince Sefran Ulian Bipolun?”
“Ye-Yes!”
“Show me the token.”
At Melissa’s words, Sefran took a pocket watch from his coat.
After confirming the token, Melissa nodded and handed him a letter.
The strong residue of demonic energy reached me all the way up in the tree where I was hiding. It seemed to be protected by a curse for security.
“These are the orders from Lady Lavinia.”
“La-Lady Lavinia, you mean…”
The moment that name left Melissa’s lips, the color drained from Sefran’s face.
Iris, who had just emerged into the world after 200 years, wouldn’t know the name, but I had heard a few things about its owner from Amelia.
Lavinia Malefis.
A dangerous individual with a warrant out for her arrest in almost every country and by every religion, and one of the high-ranking executives of Malefis.
In the past, five nations had fallen at her hands, and tens of thousands of people had been offered up as human sacrifices.
With a trembling hand, Sefran unfolded the letter. As he read, a ripple of shock spread across his eyes.
‘What could be written in there to make him react like that?’
After a moment of deliberation, I finally decided to move.
I could get a report from Sefran later, but I judged it would be far more efficient to subdue Melissa and extract the information myself.
Of course, I wouldn't torture her, but I was willing to use force if necessary.
For the record, what I’d be wielding wasn’t my fist, but my third leg.
Using the Ghost Divine Art to completely erase my presence, I moved stealthily. I leaped between trees, stepping on branches, but not a single sound escaped.
“The day of the operation… is in t-two days?!”
“Yes.”
“That’s absurd! A week, maybe, but two days is too short—”
“Hush. I didn’t ask for your opinion. You just need to move as commanded. And on that day, Lady Lavinia herself will be present, so there must not be a single mistake. Her mercy… is very expensive.”
“…”
“Of course, if you complete the task successfully, a sufficient reward will follow… Who’s there?!”
Melissa urgently drew upon her demonic energy and turned her head.
At that moment, our eyes met as I leaped down from the tree. Her pupils began to tremble, clearly flustered.
“Si-Sir Henrik…?”
“It’s been a while, Melissa.”
Revealing my presence on purpose had paid off.
I didn’t miss the opening created by her agitation and closed the distance in an instant.
The frail body of a mage, who hadn’t even managed to deploy a barrier, was left completely exposed.
Before Melissa could react, I struck her acupoints.
“?!!”
With her paralysis and mute points instantly sealed, Melissa froze on the spot like a street bollard.
I patted her shoulder a couple of times, then walked over to Sefran and held out my hand.
He immediately handed over the letter.
He was quick on the uptake for a noble.
After quickly scanning the contents of the letter, I finally understood why Sefran had been so shocked.
Three days from now, the rebel army would launch a massive invasion of the Bipolun territory.
Sir Leonique had said the rebels had changed their direction of advance toward the capital, but that was a feint.
There was a detached force.
It numbered 30,000—a considerable army.
‘They must have used an artifact to deceive the scouts’ eyes. Either that, or it was military magic.’
Although it was described as an invasion, if Sefran assisted the detached force as the letter instructed, the Bipolun territory would suffer no damage.
But three days was too short a time to help them.
No matter how many traitors from the noble faction were among the army and vassals, Sir Leonique and his loyal followers were still the majority.
“Well… they wouldn’t have given such a reckless order without some kind of plan.”
I walked over to Melissa and released her mute point.
“So, how about you tell me instead?”
“…Sir Henrik.”
“That’s an alias.”
“An alias…?”
“I had my reasons back then. My real name is Kang Hyun-woo.”
“Kang Hyun-woo… Hyun-woo… Sir Hyun-woo…”
Melissa lowered her head and mulled over my name for a while.
I didn’t know what she was thinking, but thankfully, she didn’t seem hostile.
“…There’s one thing I’d like to ask.”
“And why should I answer?”
“In return, I’ll answer your question, Sir Hyun-woo.”
It was a tempting offer.
Of course, there was no guarantee Melissa wouldn’t lie. But that, in its own way, could be useful.
“Fine.”
“…Were you the one who robbed Viscount Hessler’s secret vault?”
I nodded.
It wasn’t exactly a secret worth hiding.
“…Then, what did you do with the black jewel that was stored inside?”
“A black jewel? There were so many jewels in that vault, I wouldn’t know which one you mean just from that.”
“It’s no ordinary jewel. It’s large, but as a mage, Sir Hyun-woo, you must have felt an unfamiliar energy from it.”
“An unfamiliar energy…? Are you perhaps talking about Bireciel's Essence?”
“H-How do you know that name?!!”
Flinch!
For a moment, Melissa’s body moved slightly.
I couldn’t help but be a little surprised.
I had definitely used ten years’ worth of internal energy to seal her acupoints, yet a mage was trying to break free on her own.
“The essence! Where is the essence now?!!”
“Didn’t we agree on one question only?”
As if she couldn’t hear me, Melissa struggled with all her might.
But thrashing about like that with her paralysis point sealed could lead to internal injuries.
I couldn’t just stand by and watch, so I decided to just tell her.
I could just ask my two questions later.
“I ate it.”
“……What?”
As soon as I finished speaking, Melissa’s eyes began to tremble faintly.
“Th-That’s a lie, isn’t it…? There’s no way a mere human could absorb the essence containing the power of a great demon lord and be unharmed…”
In an instant, I had been demoted from ‘Sir Hyun-woo’ to ‘a mere human.’
My pride was a little hurt.
“Want me to show you proof?”
I sighed and took out my left contact lens.
With a strange sense of liberation, my Demonic Eye was revealed. It was an ability that let me see a short distance into the future, but I rarely used it because of the intense burning sensation it caused.
“Th-That’s…!!”
“How about it? A little more believable now?”
I didn’t really need to reveal my Demonic Eye, but this time it was unavoidable.
After all, a man is nothing without his pride.
“Now, it’s my turn to ask a question—”
Ding—
As I was speaking, a familiar notification sound echoed in my head.
[Favorability Change
Melissa Malefis 60♡ → 97♡]
I was taken aback by the screen that appeared before me.
Not only was this the first time my affection level had changed mid-match, but I also had no idea why it had suddenly skyrocketed to near its limit.
What did I even do?
“Hah, haah, haah…”
At that moment, heated panting reached my ears.
I turned my head to see Melissa’s face, flushed as red as a ripe persimmon.
Her expression was far more seductive than when she had lost her virginity to me at the Hessler estate.
“Ah… O great incarnation of the Demon Lord…♡”
“?”
Drip—
Just then, something trickled down Melissa’s leg. Since she was wearing a short skirt instead of a maid uniform, it was impossible to miss.
I reached out and swiped the mysterious liquid with my finger.
Sniff, sniff.
It had a scent that seemed to tempt men and stir their lust.
‘…Love juice?’
There was no doubt.
Dumbfounded, I looked at Melissa.
She seemed embarrassed, avoiding my gaze and looking down.
“I-I apologize for being such a lewd woman who gets wet from my master’s gaze alone…♡”
“…Master?”
Me?
Melissa let out ragged breaths, her face so red it looked like it might burst.
The corners of her lips were trembling faintly.
Anyone could see she was thoroughly aroused.
“…Um, Sir Kang Hyun-woo? May I be excused for now—”
Thwack!
I chopped the neck of the clueless Sefran as he tried to interject.
Then, I released Melissa’s paralysis point.
“Master…!”
Freed, Melissa threw herself into my arms without a moment’s hesitation. It was a bit startling, but as her scent stimulated my nose, I decided to quietly enjoy the moment.
There was no reason to push her away in the first place.
The dating app had clearly stated her affection level was 97.
‘If she were a yandere, maybe, but there’s no way someone with 97 affection would try to harm me.’
“Master, Master, Master♡”
“…”
To be honest, I was a little worried.
“Melissa?”
“Sniff, haah… Sniff, haah… Master’s scent…♡”
Since she was in a state where I couldn’t get through to her, I had no choice but to use a slightly rougher method.
Smack!!
“Kyaa?!!”
I smacked her butt with my palm.
It probably hurt a little, but Vajra Divine Monk used to say there was nothing like shock therapy to bring someone to their senses.
It was a method I had often been on the receiving end of, too.
‘Are you watching, Master? Your disciple has grown once again.’
It was a night that made me strangely miss that bald head.
“Are you in your right mind now?”
“Ye-Yes…”
“Then calm down and answer my question. What is all this about being the incarnation of a demon lord?”
“Pardon?”
I had a mountain of questions, but this was one I simply couldn't put off.
“Uh… it’s exactly as I said. Since you have fully absorbed Lord Bireciel’s essence, Sir Hyun-woo, you have earned the right to be called his incarnation. The proof is that beautiful Demonic Eye you possess.”
“This?”
“Ah…”
As I pointed to my left eye, Melissa’s eyes glazed over dreamily.
“But I’m not a demon lord. If I were the incarnation of a demon lord, shouldn’t I be going around killing villagers?”
“Th-That’s not it! The Demon Lord is the savior of this land!”
“…A savior?”
As Melissa nodded vehemently, the strong stench of a cult began to fill the air.