Ch.242242. Midnight Rendezvous (4)

Victoria Evatrice’s consciousness was sinking into a very deep place.

It was something she had learned before. When faced with a truly anger-inducing situation, that’s precisely when one should remain most calm.

The person who taught her that was currently standing next to the very person making her angry, grinning like an idiot, but that wasn’t her concern.

“…”

She gripped her twin daggers tightly and took a deep breath.

Erasing emotion. Maximizing sensation.

She hardened her reason to an icy coldness, like a still lake without a single ripple.

And the target of her sharpened mind was her damn sister, whom she had openly threatened to kill multiple times before.

And now, that target…

“…Heh.”

“…”

Was laughing like a lunatic with a vacant expression.

To an outsider, it might have looked like mockery, so blatantly was she ignoring Victoria.

In fact, that wasn’t far from what Victoria was feeling.

‘…Are you looking down on me?’

A surge of anger erupted from within her.

It was true that her sister had always been ahead of her since childhood.

But.

To not even flinch when faced with such obvious killing intent—that was enough to make her blood boil.

If Darwood had heard this, he might have explained that it wasn’t about disrespect; she would be in this state even if someone actually stabbed her right now. Unfortunately, there was no time or opportunity for such explanations.

‘-After abandoning me-‘

As that thought surfaced unbidden, a cold flame kindled in her eyes.

Images rose up—corpses impaled on poles, and among them, a child clutching an old toy, crying endlessly.

Endlessly.

Endlessly, in that hellish scene.

She remembered waiting for someone.

-Sister, sister, when, when are you coming…?

Memories related to someone.

“…”

The color in Victoria’s eyes grew murkier.

Like soot clinging to the floor, sticky, gloomy emotions filled both her hands.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that her hands were filled with hatred meant not for assassination, but for tearing her opponent to shreds.

The title of Grand Assassin is bestowed only upon those who have reached a level where even the continent’s strongest masters, those who have attained sainthood, could have their lives threatened with one wrong move. Even someone of the same caliber would be slaughtered instantly in such an absentminded state.

Her leg muscles tensed tightly. Power concentrated there, ready to spring forward and slice the carotid artery in Serath’s neck.

And in the next moment.

Just before her body launched forward.

Suddenly, something strange entered her field of vision.

Demonic energy.

A white color mixed with gray.

Two colors, as if “blended” together.

“…Huh.”

Victoria herself didn’t know why she made such a vacant sound.

But in the next moment.

“…”

The daggers in her hands slipped and fell.

Then, her breathing quickened.

It was a sound of breath filled with ecstasy, as if she had fallen into rapture.

“…Huh?”

●

< System Message >

[ Synthesizing two forms of demonic energy imbued in ‘Seal of Otherworld’! ]

[ Synthesis roll… ]

[ Success! ]

[ ‘Wave of Desire’ emanates from the seal! ]

< Side Effect! >

[ Due to successful synthesis, different properties are granted to the two different demonic energies! ]

[ The effect of ‘Gray Demonic Energy’ significantly weakens all resistance of affected targets! All forms of defense stats decrease by two levels! ]

[ The effect of ‘White Demon’ applies a ‘Charm’ effect! Temporarily greatly amplifies the target’s fundamental desires! ]

< System Message >

[ All demonic energy imbued in the ‘Seal’ has been depleted. Related ‘color’ abilities cannot be used until recharged! ]

“…”

I sigh deeply as I watch the messages appearing before my eyes.

With my eyes, I carefully observe Victoria, who has been affected by the demonic energy flowing from my seal.

Did it work?

The kid dropped her weapon, and more importantly, she suddenly seems different.

I watch as Victoria clutches her head with a blank stare.

[What the hell. What did you do?]

‘…This wasn’t exactly what I was aiming for.’

The seal helps me handle the demonic energy of demons I’ve come into contact with.

And recently, I’ve had quite… “sticky” contact with both the Gray Demon and the White Demon.

That means I have two different colors of demonic energy stored.

I poured everything out without hesitation, thinking that using both the time-stopping Gray Demon’s energy and the charm-inducing White Demon’s energy simultaneously would definitely have some kind of subduing effect.

But I didn’t expect these “additional effects” to emerge.

< Tip! >

[ Due to your actions, a special function has been added to the Seal of Otherworld! ]

[ ‘Demonic Energy Synthesis’ trait has been added to the ‘Seal of Otherworld’. ]

[ When synthesizing two or more different demonic energies, special phenomena occur in addition to the original effects! ]

[ Effects will be enhanced if you improve the following ability. ]

– Skill: King of Pandemonium

As if responding to my thoughts, such messages appeared one after another before my eyes.

‘…This is another…’

My current goal, as the Gray Demon suggested, is focused on improving my specs, with the Otherworld Seal related to demons being the main pillar.

Additional functions coming in unexpected ways like this are something I can only welcome from my position.

< System Message >

[ Target ‘Victoria’ is extremely strongly affected by the ‘Wave of Desire’ you created! ]

[ The target’s ‘fundamental desires’ are maximized! ]

Of course, that’s one thing.

Victoria seems to have been heavily influenced by whatever this is, given that such messages are appearing before my eyes.

Originally, she should have just become a bit dazed and confused, but she’s been standing there like a statue for several seconds or minutes, as if her soul has left her body.

“…”

As a test, I wave my hand in front of her face.

I did it out of anxiety because there was so little response, but fortunately or unfortunately, a response came immediately.

Victoria, who had been staring at the hand waving in front of her with blank eyes, suddenly lunged forward and grabbed my hand.

“…!”

I was startled and tried to pull my hand away, thinking she might bite it.

But before I could pull away far enough, Victoria firmly grasped my hand.

It felt like being caught in a mechanical vise. I thought she might attack me, but she just held it still. She seemed to be acting on instinct.

As if.

Something had “come close” to her and then immediately tried to “move away,” so she unconsciously stopped it.

“…No…”

Then, such words came out in a mumble.

Clearly, she’s not in her right mind. Her eyes are unfocused, and there’s no sense of intelligence in her voice.

But the “desperate” feeling I get from Victoria’s grip on my hand is very real.

The following sentence was probably in that context too.

“Don’t leave… D-don’t, l-leave me, a-alone…”

She stutters out such sentences with a tearful voice.

“I’ll, I’ll do anything, don’t leave…”

With those words.

The hand she was holding with both of hers.

She licked it.

“…”

I felt my brain momentarily shut down, but her grip on my hand was too fierce to pull away.

While I was frozen, unable to move either way, Victoria stuck out her small tongue and, with eyes completely melted, slowly and stickily spread her saliva on my hand. As if expressing submission.

Blankly, slowly, coquettishly. Like she was being affectionate.

With tears in her eyes, breathing heavily, she diligently licked my hand.

And while my brain was frozen in this unidentifiable situation.

A second voice approached from nearby.

“…E-hehehe-“

“…”

Serath, who seemed even less sane compared to Victoria, grabbed my other arm from behind.

“…You’re doing something nice- senior-“

“…”

Are you drunk?

She’s giving off vibes eerily similar to an old man who spends every day blowing his horn in a tavern.

“Let me, join too, hehe-“

With those words.

She takes my other hand, the one Victoria isn’t holding.

She puts it in her mouth as if biting it, then sucks on it like a candy.

So.

While Victoria is licking desperately, in a way that could almost be considered erotic, this one is doing it purely as her own expression of affection.

Like a pet showing affection to its owner, that kind of feeling.

The feeling is completely different, but it’s very clear that she too is now faithful to her “instinctive desires.”

Only the sound of lapping water slowly echoes through the room.

The sisters, kneeling side by side, diligently sucking on my fingers.

“…”

No, what is this even?

How long is this going to last?

Won’t this have some negative effect on them?

< System Message >

[ ‘Wave of Desire’ lasts for about 5 minutes! ]

[ Related effects disappear without any side effects once the duration has elapsed! ]

As if responding to my question, I see another message appear and breathe a sigh of relief.

So.

There are no immediate negative effects on these two, and they’ll both return to their senses after a little time passes.

That’s fortunate.

All I have to do is stand here and let them suck on my hands until they come to their senses.

“…”

Putting it into words makes me realize I’ve never experienced a situation as bizarre as this.

I wonder what this even is, but.

‘…I succeeded in preventing the situation, right?’

At least, it seems I’ve succeeded in preventing these two from killing each other, albeit through this strange method.

The intended purpose has been achieved—

[Yes, you perverted bastard.]

‘…’

[Go ahead, try to deny it.]

No.

I didn’t command them to be like this, so why say such things?

Objectively, I agree that my current appearance makes it very difficult to refute such accusations, but still.

< System Message >

[ Target ‘Red Demon’s mood rapidly worsens. ]

[ Target ‘Faynol Leiphec’s mood rapidly worsens. ]

[ These targets are also affected by your ‘Wave of Desire’! ]

[ They begin efforts to implement their plans more concretely! ]

“…”

I don’t know what that means, and I don’t know why these guys suddenly appear before me.

But it was clear that this wasn’t a good message.

●