Chapter 705: Grace Visit
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 705: Grace Visit
"I still find the architecture here incredibly familiar."
Upon the ancient walls, where time had etched deep furrows, were many exquisite reliefs. They depicted strange beasts Ariel had never seen, colossal towers that pierced the clouds, and rivers that seemed to gallop across the heavens.
The arched ceiling of the corridor was impossibly high, and flickering candlelight danced upon the hanging crystal chandeliers.
It was difficult to imagine that such a city could be created in the barren Abyss by these savage, uncivilized demons, whose level of culture was far below that of the continent.
"Did you remember something, Teacher?"
"For now... no. But this sense of familiarity is growing stronger. Perhaps if I see more, I’ll truly be able to recall something."
"We can't stay long."
"I know. But taking people and escaping from here won't be simple. We need to identify a safe route in advance."
"The information that ratman gave us earlier..."
"It does contain some information about the interior of this Abyssal Ancient Gutons Fortress, but it needs to be verified. We can't bet all our chips on an outsider. I've taught you this: in times like these, the only thing you should prioritize relying on is yourself."
"Don't worry, Teacher. I won't make such a rookie mistake."
"Good. Then I'll leave things to you for now. This place is overseen by a Demon Grand Duke; I cannot reveal too much of my soul power, or I'll be exposed."
The phantom, nearly imperceptible to outsiders, drifted in a graceful turn and returned once more to Ariel’s ring.
Although her disciple had recently begun thinking about strange things—perhaps because her dream of a 'Crystal Palace' had been shattered time and again—the Teacher still felt extremely at ease leaving things to Ariel.
Ariel hadn't reached this point through mere luck.
After all, that heart of hers—which had weathered countless setbacks without losing heart, only growing more determined—was not something an ordinary person possessed.
"Understood, Teacher."
Ariel gave a low response, her fingers brushing the ring. She suppressed the upward curve of her lips and focused her entire attention on her surroundings.
*
"We're here."
The journey was longer than any of them had imagined, a testament to the sheer scale of the building's interior.
However, as Ariel surveyed her surroundings, she realized they hadn't arrived at the prison cells they expected. Or rather, this place didn't look like a place for holding captives at all.
What appeared before them now was yet another corridor.
An ordinary corridor.
Gone was the ancient grandeur from before, and gone were the exquisite, magnificent reliefs and murals. This place looked like a hallway one might find in a decent-looking hotel stumbled upon by the roadside.
On either side were rows of tightly shut doors, marked with numbers in vibrant script. Ariel narrowed her eyes; the numbers were written in a script that bore some resemblance to Ancient Script but was much more simplified.
According to what the ratman had said, this was likely the Demon Script currently used by a few High-Class Demons.
But aside from the numbers, there was nothing special about these doors. She couldn't even sense a trace of mana. The only thing of note was a plain mirror hanging on the wall at the end of the corridor, reflecting the group's bewildered expressions.
"Get in."
Govelt acted exactly like a dormitory matron at a guesthouse. He unhooked a large ring of keys from his waist, sorted through them, found the right one, and opened the first door on the left.
"..." Because the scene was so bizarre, no one moved for a moment.
"What? You don't like this place? Would you rather stay in a dungeon where rats and bugs crawl everywhere?"
Seemingly seeing through their thoughts, Govelt sneered. "Don't worry, you'll have plenty of chances after staying here for a while. You can enter whatever kind of dungeon you want then. But for now... get inside!"
Govelt flicked the chains. The girls, unable to move freely due to the restrictions, were tossed into the room like a string of little chicks.
A cold glint flickered deep within Ariel's eyes...
But Govelt didn't bother to savor their pathetic state as captives. After a few perfunctory warnings about not trying to escape, he slammed the door shut with a bang.
With the sound of the door locking, everything fell silent again.
After staring at each other for a moment, Ariel tugged at the chains. She found that without Govelt's power supplying them, the restrictions had reverted to their most basic state. They could once again perform basic movements and communicate.
"This is strange."
The first to speak was Nian, who already had a short fuse. Due to Govelt's insolent behavior, the rage in her chest was on the verge of exploding, held back only by the lack of an outlet. "Why would they bring us to a place like this?"
The group quickly scanned the room.
In the center was a spacious bed draped in soft, swaying gauze, large enough to easily accommodate five or six people.
Opposite the bed, four vanity tables were lined up side-by-side. Various hair accessories, necklaces, and assorted jars and bottles were neatly arranged on the counters.
Looking past the vanities, a corner of the room was partitioned off by pink silk curtains. Under the shimmering light, one could faintly see the silhouette of a massive bathtub large enough for several people to bathe together.
This was an ordinary room.
Or rather, from the perspective of an ordinary person, this was a relatively simple, luxurious room.
But when the prefixes "Abyss" and "Demon" were added to it, this "ordinary" place became even more eerie.
"Did anyone find anything unusual?"
"Nothing."
Feifei’s fingertips moved slightly. She actually managed to forcibly pry at the chain's restriction, allowing some mana to spread out like threads.
"In the entire room, there's no trace of mana, fighting spirit, formations, or magic devices. Every object is perfectly ordinary. Although I can't see what this place looks like, my perception tells me there is nothing special here."
"I agree," Nian nodded. "No alchemical items either. Everything is very mundane."
It was so mundane that it was abnormal, to the point where she temporarily forgot to vent her anger.
"However, while these things are ordinary to us, they should be extremely rare for demons, right?"
Ariel walked past the large bed—which made her feel uncomfortable as it triggered certain unpleasant memories—and approached a vanity.
These vanities seemed to have been prepared specifically for them, and the number was correct. Ariel picked up the jars and bottles, sniffing them carefully. She quickly identified them as cosmetics and perfumes produced in human kingdoms.
In a barren place like the Abyss, no demon would waste precious resources on such things. Or rather, they didn't even have the craftsmanship to make them. Therefore, these seemingly insignificant trinkets must have come from the hands of humans who had come here.
To demons, these things were surely more precious than gold or gems. They were definitely not something an ordinary demon could afford to use.
Let alone... providing them specifically for captives like them.
"So what does this mean? Are they going to marinate us with perfume before they kill us?"
Nian poured out a bit of fragrance and examined it. In her eyes, these weren't top-tier, but in a place like the Abyss, they were indeed rare.
"Who knows? Maybe it's..."
"Ah—!"
Suddenly, a terrified scream erupted from deeper within the room.
The group's gazes sharpened, and they rushed toward the source of the scream, throwing aside the floating gauze curtains.
"What happened?"
"Ugh..."
Under the amber glow of the magic stones, the perpetually inconspicuous and pessimistic beauty, Julia, was holding a cylindrical object with an uneven surface, tears welling in her eyes.
"I... I found this thing."
"What is it?"
Nian, who had the most interest in mechanical items, took the object. "Some kind of torture device?"
"No... it's, it's..."
Julia’s face turned beet red.
However, before she could finish, Nian accidentally triggered a switch. The entire cylindrical object began to vibrate violently.
Nian’s eyes widened instantly.
"Is... is this..."
"Probably." Ariel rubbed her chin, her expression grave. "It's exactly what you think it is."
"..."
Nian stood frozen as if her brain had short-circuited. A moment later, she snapped out of it. With a furious shriek, she hurled the object away as if it were something filthy and repulsive. Her cheeks turned crimson at a visible rate, and she stomped her feet in outrage.
"Shameful! How... how could they put such a shameful thing here! Those demon bastards are too shameless!!"
"Oh my."
Feifei, on the other hand, picked up the still-vibrating object with interest, turning it over in her hands. Since she couldn't see, she could only stroke and explore it with her fingers, which gave the scene a strangely lewd quality.
"It really is one of these. This is quite unexpected. Are the demons really treating us as captives?"
"It is... very wrong indeed."
Even as a self-proclaimed veteran of such matters, Ariel was struggling to keep her composure. She tried to force the filthy object out of her mind as she looked at Julia. "Is that the only one?"
"There... there are many."
Trembling, Julia pushed open a secret door next to the bathroom. In an instant, an array of "toys" that opened everyone's eyes appeared before them.
From top to bottom, there were items designed to provide all sorts of stimulation to every part of the body, some even exceeding their range of knowledge.
And at the very bottom were garments—some as transparent as gauze, others so thin they could only cover a few points.
"Now this is trouble."
Feifei finally turned serious, stroking a long whip. "My delicate body can't handle this kind of play."
"..."
Is now the time to be saying that?
Everyone couldn't help but mentally complain.
But Ariel suddenly turned her head, because after discovering these things, the atmosphere of the entire room... had changed completely.
In the center of the room, the pink gauze on the bed fluttered, looking like a seductive woman beckoning to them with a flirtatious finger.
She couldn't help but shudder.
"It seems this room is exactly like a..."
Before Feifei could finish, her expression suddenly changed.
Not just her—Nian, Julia, and even Ariel’s expressions turned grim.
A terrifying aura was gradually extending from the corridor outside the room.
"Hum... hum-hum... hum-hum-hum..."
A melodious tune was being hummed, like intoxicating moonlight spilling down. It carried a certain charm; even without any musical accompaniment, one couldn't help but be immersed in it.
No!
Ariel shook her head violently, forcibly pulling her spirit back from the influence of the humming.
Even her battle-hardened spiritual power had been affected.
But it wasn't just the singing that affected her.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps approached. A sea-like pressure swept over them instantly. The more sensitive one's perception, the more intense it felt. Ariel’s body trembled slightly, and she had to lean against the wall to keep herself from kneeling.
A truly terrifying existence was passing through the corridor.
Just passing through.
But the girls exchanged horrified glances, all arriving at the same answer from each other's expressions.
The Grand Duke of Bewitchment!!
One of the eight highest-ranking demons, the Grand Duke of Bewitchment!
She had actually come so soon.
Ariel glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that, without her noticing, night had already fallen.
"Which room should I choose today?"
The Grand Duke of Bewitchment paused briefly outside the door, considering with a hint of distress.
But she didn't struggle with the decision for long.
"Hmm, let's go with number thirteen. I like that number."
Creak.
Soon, a door was easily pushed open.
The terrified cries of young girls flared up for a moment, only to be quickly silenced.
The door had closed again. They were like little white rabbits in a cage, able only to silently accept their fate. At this moment, no one could save them from the claws of the fierce beast...
Meanwhile, in their own room, the girls were already drenched in sweat.
If Ariel remembered correctly, the number of this room... was twelve!
The Grand Duke of Bewitchment, one of the eight Demon Dukes, was right next door!
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Ariel cursed under her breath. "I finally understand why they sent us to a place like this."
From the very beginning, their understanding had been flawed.
They thought they were captives caught by demons, and the worst-case scenario was being sent to a cold prison to suffer torture and interrogation.
But now it seemed their true status was... prey and trophies captured by the legendary Grand Duke of Bewitchment, who was known to favor women!
She had specifically built these rooms, which resembled a love hotel, for these exquisite delicacies she was about to enjoy.
"No..."
Ariel murmured, "Rather than a love hotel, this is more like a... harem the Grand Duke of Bewitchment prepared for herself?"
Jealousy made Ariel’s features twist.
Her own Crystal Palace was still nowhere in sight, yet this demon bastard had already started a harem and was even playing so many 'games'? And she was so impatient to come over and... open a blind box?
How detestable!
"Wait, that's still not right!"
Ariel suddenly snapped out of it.
"Now is not the time to think about that."
If this was a love hotel, a private harem belonging to the Grand Duke of Bewitchment...
And if that Grand Duke really came in person every night...
That meant...
"This is definitely not the time to be thinking about this slowly. If we don't slip out of here before we're chosen..."
Ariel’s cheek twitched.
One day, they would be 'favored' by that Grand Duke of Bewitchment!
*
Room Number 14.
Muen, with his long wavy hair draped over his shoulders; Maven, in her floral dress; and Leita, who had finally fixed her braids.
The three of them sat in a circle, silently staring at a certain object buzzing and vibrating between them.
"What do we do?"
Muen looked at Maven and Leita, his expression so grave it was as if the end of the world was imminent.
"I have a feeling that if we're chosen for a 'Grace Visit' by the Grand Duke of Bewitchment, it definitely won't be a good thing..."