Chapter 68
“Damn it, you frustrating eunuch bastard! When the hell are you gonna come crawling to me? After all I've done, shouldn't you just slither over on your own?!”
While Mars and his group headed to the back mountain for their investigation, Lillia was on the verge of exploding with rage at Mars's unexpected behavior. To seduce him, she'd braved the chilly morning air in the thinnest possible clothes, even brushing her chest or hips against him under the pretense of casual conversation—but he barely spared her a glance. For someone as confident in her charms as she was, it was driving her insane.
“Should I push harder here? Maybe actually strip? No, that'd make me look like a total slut……”
Determined to claim him as her own and turn him into an endless semen shuttle, Lillia racked her brains for ways to lure him in.
Clunk.
“Oh, um…… everyone’s back—?”
“Why is this my fault?!”
Rushing to tidy her clothes at the sound of the club members returning to the mansion, Lillia stepped out to greet them—only to stumble upon an awkward scene.
“Hey, Mars. I get that people are hyping you up as an Aura Lord, but aren't you acting a bit too recklessly?”
“Yeah! We almost got in danger because of you!”
“That's why I warned you all beforehand! Who was it that ignored the warnings and nearly tumbled down anyway?!”
Three women led the charge in berating Mars, who fired back loudly in defense. And in the middle stood Polo, dithering indecisively, unable to take sides.
“Damn it! I'm done! Do whatever you want!”
With that, Mars stormed upstairs, stomping loudly. But when he spotted Lillia on the way up, his angry scowl softened into an embarrassed grin. It was humiliating enough to have yelled at his comrades in someone else's home, but to throw a childish tantrum on top of it?
“Ah…… sorry, Lillia. I must've put on quite the show.”
“Oh, no…… but why all of a sudden……?”
It was good news for her if Mars and the club members drifted apart, but she still needed to figure out what was going on.
“Well…… Polo and I've been friends for years, so we stick together. But those ladies have a thing for Polo, so they've always seen me—the guy always hanging around—as a thorn in their side……”
“Oh dear……”
“During the investigation, they started picking fights because they didn't like me sticking with Polo, and we nearly had an accident. Even after I kept warning them, they wouldn't listen……”
His explanation made sense to Lillia, but something still felt off. Having drained the essence from countless men thanks to her abilities, she rated Mars's looks highly enough. In a world full of dog-faced mutts, a mixed-blood beauty like him ranked in the empire's top tier.
But maybe it was because his rival was that Polo. Sure, Polo's halo seemed a bit dimmer up close, but was it right to treat a guy hovering around your crush this harshly?
Idiot girls. Judging a man solely on looks~
And he was a renowned Aura Lord to boot—the aura of prestige that came with the title was far more immense than one might think. The emperor himself would probably hand over a gold mine if he could snag a Lord as a son-in-law.
I'll just sit back. If they're tossing away the jewel themselves, it'd be stupid not to pick it up.
“Oh dear…… don't let it get to you. I know just how amazing you are, Mars.”
“Lillia……”
Seizing the moment, Lillia secretly took his hand and comforted him with sweet words. As Mars gathered himself, he suddenly realized he was clutching her hand and yanked it away in a panic.
“S-sorry! I don't have much experience with women…… that was rude of me!”
“No, not at all. I loved holding your strong hand, Mars.”
No resistance to women…… so he's not hating them, just clueless. I've created the opening—now I just need to push, and he's mine!
Perhaps her tenderness had worked, because Mars started avoiding her gaze, reacting like a shy virgin. Lillia inwardly thanked the three girls who'd criticized him over his looks as she patted him comfortingly all over, murmuring sweet reassurances.
“Hey, Lillia. If it's okay…… could you call me Mars casually? It feels weird hearing formal speech from someone I'm grateful to.”
“Hehe…… sure. Mars it is from now on?”
And so Mars and Lillia spent the entire day glued together in the mansion. The sudden closeness must've irked the others—their glares grew icy—but after their spat, no one wanted to stir up more trouble. They just shot displeased looks and silently went about their business, the two camps divided.
Perfect, perfect! Tonight, then!
Thrilled at how things were unfolding even better than planned, Lillia shoulders shook with glee as she resolved to sneak into Mars's room once everyone was asleep.
Unaware that a group already lurked in the mansion, waiting for her to come looking for Mars.
* * *
Deep into the night, as the mansion lay silent, a shadow crept down the hallway.
“Heh~ Sure, his resolve is a bit firm, but he's still just a man.”
The afternoon clash between Mars and the club members had been a golden opportunity for her, who wanted him alone. She'd nearly cheered aloud at their fight but masked it with a look of genuine concern for Mars.
Afterward, when she approached him, his attitude toward her had softened compared to before.
Does he have a thing for the mature type?
Lillia was convinced. Shifting from young and beautiful to seductive and seasoned had elicited a reaction from him, so she figured that was the key.
Knock knock.
Click.
“Who……? Oh, Lillia?”
“Shh. What're you up to, Mars?”
Mars had been staring at the night sky by the open window, lost in thought. Her intrusion shattered the mood, but that pensive expression gave her prime fuel to seduce him aggressively.
“Nothing…… just couldn't sleep.”
“……Are you feeling lonely?”
Twitch!
It was subtle, but Lillia caught it and mentally high-fived herself. Spot a weakness, and it was her turn now.
“Oh dear…… even a woman like me wants to help you out……”
“L-Lillia?”
Closing in, she pressed her thin silk nightgown against his arm, rubbing her skin against his so blatantly he could feel every inch.
“Lillia, we can't. You're married……”
“It's fine. I've been so lonely since my husband…… Help me out, think of it as charity?”
Alone in the dark room, moonlight filtering in like a chandelier. Mars's body stiffened at her yin-charged movements.
“Nervous? Cute~ Don't worry, leave it all to me~”
This historic moment—her dream of claiming this man, using her divine techniques to enslave him forever as her eternal servant—was unfolding before her eyes.
Just as her hand neared his crotch!
Screeeeech—!
“Wh-what!?”
A piercing whistle filled the mansion at midnight.
Thwack!
“Kyaa!!”
Startled by the sudden noise, Lillia faltered—giving Mars the chance to shove her aside and bolt toward the sound. He soon found the club members rescuing men from a door beside the first-floor pantry.
They'd found them, but the men's conditions were dire. Most were emaciated, as if starved, their eyes unfocused and trembling, staring into space. They muttered incoherently, but no normal ears could make out the words.
“How'd you find them?”
“Illusion magic. They'd disguised a secret door next to the pantry as a faint wall.”
“Illusion? You should've sensed it with magic power.”
“It was layered so thinly the mana was barely detectable. The saintess scattered her holy power, clashing with it—that's how we noticed. If we'd had to spot it visually, no chance.”
An illusion maximizing efficiency with minimal mana. The men had been trapped underground, controlled, unable to escape—but now that was over.
“Move them somewhere safe first and check their conditions. We should confirm if there are any fatalities—”
“You bitches—!!”
A voice screamed from behind, raw with fury.
“You damn whores dared trick me!? Get over here and bring my food!!”
“Food?”
Mars glanced around at her mention of “food,” but the others shook their heads—no corpses or body parts from village men downstairs.
“Food…… you were gonna eat these people? But……”
If for food, she'd have fattened them up. Bluntly put, humans needed some meat on them to be worth chewing.
“Ha! Think I'm some savage gnawing on human flesh? I feed on essence!”
“……Essence?”
“Yeah, essence! The vital energy every man has—I live off that!”
“Ah.”
“I was prepping these lunchboxes to offer me essence—and double as test subjects—when you interrupted…… Wait, no, that's not it.”
Baring her teeth at Mars and the club in rage, Lillia suddenly calmed, as if realizing something.
“A deal, Mars. Become mine, and I'll release them.”
“What—!?”
The women bristled even more at the absurd offer, but Lillia pressed on.
“Your essence is different. Tastier, endless even after I drain it. And so pure…… After yours, my power totally changed. So here's my condition: be mine, and do whatever you want with my body~”
No more pretense—she hiked up her sweat-soaked clothes from running, seducing him outright.
“Well? Better than those milky brats, right? A busty, sensual big sis like me—gyaaah—!”
“You lewd bitch!!”
But her seduction was halted by the saintess's furious staff-smack to her head.