Chapter 696: Seeds of Love
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 696: Seeds of Love
"Is... is it real?"
"That’s right. This is the real deal."
"Bult" spread her arms wide, offering a broad embrace to welcome her guest. As she moved, those two majestic peaks actually gave a playful jiggle, radiating a unique sense of vitality and temptation.
But Ariel’s movements suddenly ground to a halt.
She stiffly lowered her head and looked down at her own chest.
Reflected in her eyes was an equally majestic sight—one that even surpassed the succubus’s. However, if one looked closely, they would realize that her own lacked that certain... spark of life.
"Fake...?"
"Hmm?"
"Bult" suddenly felt something was off.
By all rights, this person should still be under the influence of her charm effect, so why...
Why was her own body starting to tremble?
"Who... are you calling fake?" Ariel’s hands slowly curled into fists. The haze in her eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by a surging fire that ignited bit by bit, tearing through the things that had clouded her reason.
Perhaps such tricks were never a threat to her in the first place. She had indulged in them intentionally, but now, a single spark of fury was enough to utterly shred the deceptive mist.
"Wait... what?"
"Bult" took a step back, her voice wavering. "Is... is that a forbidden word or something?"
"I’m asking you... who did you say was fake? What is fake?"
Flames coiled around Ariel’s fists, mirroring her surging rage.
"No... I’m sorry... I didn't know..."
Finally realizing she had stepped on a landmine, "Bult" hurriedly tried to explain: "I thought... I thought those were just pieces of armor..."
"Ar... mor?" Ariel’s brow furrowed. "What do you mean by that?"
"Isn't it?"
"Bult" gestured in front of her own chest. "If it’s not armor, then what is it? Who else would stuff soft material with such high shock-absorption in front of their chest? Aside from making the burden heavier, what use does it have? At least among my succubus kin, there is absolutely no—"
BOOM—
"Bult’s" words were cut short.
Ariel swung her fist with explosive force. That punch, bolstered by the Divine Flame Blessing, carried the impact of a heavy cannon. A scorching gale brushed past "Bult’s" face, turning a significant portion of her waist-length hair into ash within the flames.
"Fine. I don’t want to hear another word from you."
Despite the succubus being alluring and enchanting, Ariel was in no mood for appreciation. She squeezed her eyes shut. The glistening moisture at the corners of her eyes might well have been tears of blood dripping from her heart.
"Now, I just want to know... how many bones do you want me to break?"
*
A few minutes later.
As soon as the pink mist dissipated, Roya was the first to rush forward.
"Miss Ariel!"
Roya anxiously scanned Ariel from head to toe, paying particularly close attention to whether her dress was disheveled. "Are you alright?"
"What could possibly happen to me?"
Ariel wiped the blood from her hands, her expression indifferent. "Thinking they could shake my mind with that level of trickery... how naive."
"As expected of a Hero!"
Roya’s cheeks flushed slightly again, her heart racing. She had been worried sick, but in the blink of an eye, Ariel had easily resolved the crisis.
It was as if these things were nothing more than trivial matters to her.
"But..." Roya tilted her head in confusion. "I thought I heard that succubus saying something about 'fake'..."
"You probably misheard. Charm magic is a mental spell; it’s normal for it to affect your perception."
Ariel coughed dryly, quickly interrupting Roya. "Ahem, now isn't the time for that. Roya, please give that succubus some treatment. It’s not her time to die yet."
"Understood!" Roya replied happily, glad to finally be of use to Ariel.
Standing to the side, Temier saw Roya’s reaction and couldn't help but huff coldly again, walking off to sulk by himself.
Ariel had no time to deal with the jealous brat. She grabbed "Bult" by her long, pale legs and dragged the succubus—who still only had a male alias—out into the open.
"The injuries are so severe!" Roya couldn't help but be secretly shocked.
"Bult’s" chest was already stained red with blood. Her previously full bosom was now somewhat sunken; there was no telling how many bones had been shattered.
As expected of a Hero. As long as they are an enemy, she treats them all the same, no matter how cute they look.
"But you’re in luck."
Roya waved her magic wand. A gentle radiance surged.
While her direct combat abilities weren't outstanding, she was, as she had claimed, an excellent support mage. Consequently, she was extremely proficient in healing magic.
Under the influence of the spell, the wounds on "Bult’s" chest began to mend bit by bit. Her lungs, which had been punctured by ribs, regained their vitality. She was forcibly pulled back from the brink of death.
However, Roya was very deliberate. She only healed "Bult’s" lungs. The ribs that had been snapped by external force and remained lodged in her internal organs were left exactly as they were.
This was to prevent "Bult" from suddenly turning violent, and also to ensure she continued to experience the agony of her flesh being pierced.
"How do you feel?" Ariel asked, crossing her arms.
"Real... they're real..."
"Bult" struggled to open her eyelids, the depths of her pupils still filled with lingering dread. "They’re... the real deal... the real deal..."
"The real deal?" Roya blinked, not quite understanding the meaning behind those words.
"Who asked you about that?" Ariel’s expression turned cold. "I’m asking you about being our guide!"
"A guide?"
"I know that the high-ranking members of the Demon Race have blood curses branded into their bodies, so I know it’s unrealistic to ask you for secrets regarding Gutons Fortress. However, you should be able to lead us inside."
Ariel continued, "For instance, you could pretend we are captives you’ve seized. Aren't you currently hunting female adventurers? That’s the perfect excuse for us to slip in."
"You’re asking me to betray the Demon Race... to betray the Grand Duke of Bewitchment?"
"Oh? Is there a problem?" Ariel leaned down and hooked "Bult’s" chin. "Aren't you demons a cold-hearted race? Do you actually possess something like a conscience?"
Whether it was the demons who had once invited Ariel to help them wipe out a rival tribe, or the Demon General Basaroka who had toyed with humans like insects—after being tempered by the harsh environment of the Abyss, their indifference was bone-deep.
Therefore, Ariel didn't believe that "betrayal" was a particularly big deal for a demon.
"No... I cannot betray her..."
To Ariel's surprise, "Bult" was exceptionally firm. "I can betray the Demon Race, but I cannot betray the Grand Duke of Bewitchment."
"And why is that?" Ariel was baffled. "Does your loyalty to that Grand Duke of Bewitchment make you disregard your own life? And based on what you said before... you seemed to be terrified of her."
"Yes, I am afraid of the Grand Duke..." "Bult’s" delicate frame trembled as if she were remembering something truly horrific.
It was clear that her fear of the Grand Duke of Bewitchment was etched into her very soul.
And yet...
"I still cannot betray her..."
"Why? If you’re afraid of her, I can let you go afterward. The Abyss is vast; if you just hide, she won't necessarily find you."
"No! The reason I can't betray her isn't because I'm afraid of her, it's..."
"Bult" seemed to recall something. Her eyes glazed over for a moment, and then a smile and thoughts so sweet they were eerie surfaced. "It’s because... I love the Grand Duke... Yes, I deeply love the Grand Duke of Bewitchment..."
"Love?" Ariel froze for a moment, then said in astonishment, "You’re a succubus, and yet you’ve been charmed by the Queen of Succubi?"
No...
Ariel quickly realized the truth.
This definitely wasn't a charm spell, because "Bult’s" current state didn't look like someone who had lost their mind.
The love she spoke of... seemed like genuine love!
That sweet sentiment couldn't be faked. When a person deeply loves another, the answer can be found in their eyes.
She was so terrified... yet she deeply loved that Queen of Succubi!
"Ariel!"
Her teacher’s grave shout suddenly rang in Ariel’s ear. "Get back! This succubus... she has the aura of an Evil God’s corruption on her!"
"What?"
Ariel grabbed Roya and retreated at high speed.
At that moment, the look of love on "Bult’s" face grew even more intense, reaching a point of fanaticism.
"Ah... Grand Duke... yes... I love you... so... so please... please give me... give me more and more of your love."
Scars began to manifest out of thin air on "Bult’s" body, dripping with blood and sketching a bizarre, maddening tableau.
Yet "Bult’s" cheeks were flushed like a bashful young maiden in bloom, staring at her "lover" across the endless void.
She watched as her "lover" left scar after scar on her body with a smile, tenderly and lingeringly peeling off her skin and tearing open her flesh.
That pain made her feel a fear that reached her marrow... but it also made her feel a love that reached just as deep.
This was a love that had erupted from the absolute peak of agony during prolonged torture.
Polluted by a will from beyond this world, it had ultimately transformed into a total... Twisted Love!
"An Evil God? So suddenly? Which one?" Ariel retreated further and further, bringing along the confused young Temier as she went.
"Who else could it be? There isn't a second being who could make someone this perverted besides the legendary Love God."
"But I didn't see any medium, nor did I give her a chance to pray to an Evil God."
"No medium is required..." Ariel’s teacher observed "Bult" warily with her soul power, her tone heavy. "She must have had a Seed of Love planted in her at some point."
"A seed?"
"Yes. That is the most disgusting thing about the Love God. Thanks to the ethereal nature of the Authority of Love, His corruption doesn't require much of a trace, nor does it need long-term contact. He only needs to silently plant a seed in the depths of a person's heart. When the love in that person's heart begins to turn twisted... the seed will take root and sprout!"
Ariel’s teacher sighed. "Love is a thing that doesn't just have believers—it has slaves!"