Ch.236That Day’s Different NPC. (1)

Ancestor, I’m not sure if this Luxuria is really the one you knew, but I’ve figured out one thing for certain.

“P-Princess carry… hueeee…”

Unlike what I’ve seen in the past or in games, she’s strangely vulnerable around the opposite sex, and her words and actions are quite cute. I feel like I’ve really lucked out here.

To be honest, if I had just interacted with her normally, I would have strongly suspected she was deliberately acting cute to seduce me, as befitting a demon of lust. However.

[Demon of Lust (Luxuria): Level 333 (Moderately Injured)]

[HP: 3620]

[She is feeling confused about the current situation.]

[She is feeling fear toward you.]

[She is feeling joy about the current situation.]

[She is feeling affection toward you.]

The status window, working hard for once, displays emotional information about Luxuria and has started showing her moderate injury status and HP, revealing that her every action is either bravado or tsundere-like behavior. It’s just funny and cute. Even now, I can tell from her flushed face that she’s embarrassed as she grabs and releases my top with her one functioning arm.

Seriously. Like ancestor, like descendant—who would have thought I could actually develop feelings for a demon? Bloodlines are dangerous things, folks.

“Luxuria.”

“Hueh?! W-What?!”

“Is it possible for us to make a contract right now?”

“W-Well. To be honest, I don’t have much magical energy right now, so immediately…”

When I rush to make her part of our group by pressing for a contract, she says it’s not possible right now due to lack of magical energy, and her pupils start to quiver.

[She is flustered by the current situation.]

[She is thinking of excuses.]

[Her fear is intensifying.]

How strange. The status window was quiet when I met Chikuyo and Miho, but why is it working overtime today?

As I silently marvel at the status window’s reactions, Luxuria’s eyes begin to well up with tears, seemingly unable to come up with an excuse while I silently stare at her. For one of the Seven Deadly Sins demons, why is she so tearful?

“Sniff, sob. Um, r-really, I don’t have any magical energy…”

“I see. So that’s how demons are?”

“H-Hueh?”

“You’re planning to deceive me, avoid making a contract, and then stab me in the back?”

“N-No, that’s not it!!”

After I speak in a serious tone and slightly tighten my grip on the arm holding her, her quivering pupils begin to spin like buoys caught in a tsunami.

Pfft! With those gold pupils on black sclera, the spinning is really noticeable. The status window continues to relay Luxuria’s psychological state, confirming that she’s genuinely panicking and frightened.

“So that’s how you want to play it? I guess sealing your magical energy would be best.”

“Huaa!! A-Anything but that!! If I’m sealed, I’ll be completely useless!!”

“This is happening because you won’t keep your promise. Avaritia was good at keeping promises…”

“Eek!! W-Why are you mentioning that woman again?!! Ah, hieek!! W-Wait! Ease up on your arm! What are you trying to do?! Y-You’re not really going to seal me, are you?!! W-Wait!! I’m sorryyyy!!! I won’t talk back, okay?!!”

This is surprisingly fun. Now that we’ve reached a point where I can see the tree where Miho and Chikuyo are sleeping, I stop walking and continue to intimidate Luxuria. It’s incredibly cute and amusing how she gets annoyed at what I say but immediately starts flailing about when I threaten to seal her.

Maybe I secretly have that kind of tendency? But why didn’t I realize it until now? Ah, I see. It’s because everyone around me has masochistic tendencies, so if I tried to bully them, they’d just say “OK” without end!

“P-Please. I’ll make a contract as soon as my magical energy recovers… I-I won’t attack humans. Sniff.”

Finally, my teasing causes Luxuria’s tears to burst forth, and she starts wiping her eyes with one hand while sniffling. Feeling I’ve gone too far, I sit down, take out a handkerchief from my pocket, and wipe her tears.

“Sorry, sorry. I was just joking. Your reactions were so amusing that I teased you a bit.”

“Huee… That’s mean. I was really scared…”

[Her fear of humans is intensifying.]

[Her mental resistance has decreased due to trauma.]

What? Wait, her fear is intensifying and her mental resistance has decreased because of my joke? Trauma? Don’t tell me being beaten by humans has become a trauma for her?! How did she become this weak?!!

Startled by the status window, I sit her on my lap and stroke her head as if comforting a little sister. But damn, these horns are really in the way.

“…Sniff, sniff.”

“I’m sorry, I won’t joke around anymore. So, when will your magical energy recover?”

“…I don’t know. It’s been three days already, but I’m not sure if it’s not recovering because of my physical injuries or something else. Sniff.”

“Three days?”

Three days? That doesn’t make sense. Even the Grand Elder and the Demon of Wrath recovered quickly if you took your eyes off them for a moment, but this fellow, also one of the Seven Deadly Sins, recovers this slowly? That’s worse healing ability than monsters or trolls.

“…Now that you mention it, it is strange. Even though healing isn’t my specialty, it wasn’t this bad in the demon realm…”

Finally beginning to question why her recovery rate doesn’t even match that of orcs or trolls, Luxuria slightly moves her broken arm and leg, wincing in pain. Wait, injuries from three days ago haven’t healed? Even humans would recover more than this after drinking a potion and resting a bit. Well then.

*Plop*

“This is a potion. Try drinking it.”

When I bring the emergency potion from my pocket to her lips, she blinks and then opens her mouth. Huh? What’s this?

“Ah—”

“……”

Good heavens, the girl who was just talking about fear and trauma is now naturally opening her mouth and even making sounds asking to be fed. I burst into helpless laughter, and as her heterochromatic eyes look at me strangely, I just shake my head and put the potion in her mouth.

“Gulp, gulp, gulp.”

“Is it good?”

“Puha. Yeah. This is pretty tasty.”

Unable to down it in one go, Luxuria starts sucking on the potion, and I continue feeding her until the bottle is empty.

“Try moving your arm. Does it still hurt a lot?”

“…Nng, it seems better than before. Strange. It shouldn’t be this slow to heal.”

Her arm, which couldn’t move at all before, now rises somewhat, but she winces as if the movement itself causes pain. The same goes for her leg. It moves slightly, but her broken leg trembles as if the bone has only just begun to mend. Good grief, this garbage-tier recovery rate is really…

[Tentacle of Lust: Level 600 (Monster breeding in progress.)]

[It is absorbing the recovered magical energy of target Luxuria.]

“…Huh?”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

As she thanks me for helping her recover a bit with the potion, the status window answers my question. Wait, that tentacle? Come to think of it, wasn’t that summoned by Luxuria?

“Hey, didn’t you summon tentacles with your power?”

“T-Tentacles?! I don’t like that kind of play! I-If my husband wants it, I might c-consider it, but… I-I’m a virgin, you know…? I-I’d prefer a more p-pure first night…”

As expected of the embodiment of lust—or is this just the default for women in this world? I asked if she summoned tentacles, and she jumps to talking about wedding nights? But…

“So, you’re saying you haven’t summoned anything with your powers?”

“Huh? Um, yeah. My power doesn’t have that ability…?”

Eight thousand years ago, Luxuria properly controlled her tentacles even when she lost control of her body to something. But she says she doesn’t have the ability to control tentacles? This is too different from the game. Well, maybe it’s for the best. If the tentacle itself isn’t part of Lust’s ability, I can just kill it.

“I said one minute, but it’s been ten minutes already. If I bring you near them, both of them will freak out.”

“Um, okay? I don’t really understand what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m just talking to myself. And it seems like whatever is interfering with your recovery is near the cave entrance. I’m going to defeat it, but it might be dangerous, so just stay by my side.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

After Luxuria recovered somewhat from the potion, I carried her on my back and looked up at the tree where the two were sleeping. As expected, they’re still asleep. I should quickly destroy the tentacle and return to them. Having made my decision, I immediately moved to the entrance of the collapsed cave.

“Ugh?! W-What is this?!”

“What’s wrong?”

Luxuria, riding on my back, suddenly starts trembling and moaning as soon as we arrive at the cave entrance. Could she be sensing something now? It should be the same cave, right?

“Why here?! B-But I’m here? I’m right here, so how…?!!”

“What are you talking about? Explain properly.”

“M-My energy… I can feel Luxuria’s magical energy from beyond the cave!!”

Clutching her chest in apparent shock, Luxuria shouts with quivering pupils, and at the same time, I sense a suspicious presence and immediately retreat backward. Shit!!

*CRASH!!!*

“Kyaah?!!”

Before I can destroy it, the collapsed cave wall explodes outward, debris flying toward us. I smash all the incoming rocks with one hand to protect Luxuria. And through the gap, I see tentacles rushing toward us…

*SQUISH!*

“How dare you.”

I stomp and crush it with my foot. This tentacle was clearly targeting Luxuria on my back, not me. Damn it, both in the past and now, these tentacles aren’t just beyond Lust’s control—they’re attacking their master! This is completely different from the game!!

“Fuhuhuhu. Ah, ah!! Lady Luxuria. You shouldn’t do this. I put you in the cave ‘to protect you,’ but you came outside on your own.”

“What the hell? Now the tentacle is talking too.”

“W-Who are you?! Who are you to say you’re protecting me?!!”

As the tentacle crushed under my foot evaporates and disappears, I sense something like thousands of crawling insects emerging from the cave. Wow, now it finally feels like I’m facing a real demon.

*Squelch, squelch. Splat, splat.*

“Ah, ah. Have you forgotten my voice? I properly introduced myself once before.”

“I don’t know you?! Everyone who greeted me ran away from the humans attacking me instead of protecting me!! Do you think I’d remember such people?!!”

Amidst the squelching sounds of something sticking to the ground and the terrible background noise of writhing tentacles, a voice that could seduce any man just by listening responds with a seductive laugh to Luxuria’s accusatory words. This feels strangely familiar, like I’ve seen it before…

“Ah, aaah!! You looked so cute then! When you screamed at the humans’ attacks, which were much stronger than expected, you looked just like a country virgin—I wanted to kill you so badly!!!”

“Hieek?!!”

Tentacles overflow from the brightening cave entrance, and a naked woman attached to the center of the tentacle mass directs her killing intent toward us, her demon-like heterochromatic eyes glowing like Luxuria’s. Luxuria trembles in fear on my back. Wait, that’s…

“If you don’t remember me, I’ll introduce myself again. I am Veronica, a follower of Lust (Luxuria) and your first disciple. I intend to take your throne, so there’s no need to look favorably upon me.”

The woman, naked from the waist up with tentacles for her lower body, revealed herself in front of the cave like the “Lust from the game.” It was the busty, treacherous secretary who had humiliated Avaritia in Aigram, orchestrated the human trafficking of beastfolk and Miho, and backstabbed me as well, her smile stretching to the edges of her face.