Not long after dinner, night fell and enveloped the world. For humans, it was time to rest.
Lycoris and the other girls were no exception. But before resting, bathing was essential to wash away the day's grime and stress.
Faced with the mental image of such an enticing feast, I naturally couldn't miss it. So, I arrived "fashionably late" at the large bathhouse in the mansion.
Unfortunately, before I could do anything... educational...
"My benefactor, are you here to bathe as well?"
A girl's voice came from behind. The owner of the voice was none other than Lycoris.
I turned around.
And I froze.
Standing there was a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in pink silk pajamas, her entire body bathed in a silvery glow under the moonlight. The fabric clung to her curves, offering a tantalizing glimpse of the figure beneath.
"Good evening, Lycoris," I managed to say, my voice slightly hoarse. "The clothes suit you perfectly. You look absolutely beautiful."
This was a heartfelt compliment.
Facing the girl before me, if it weren't for the constant reminder in my mind that now was not the right time, I would have been in a terrible state.
My instincts screamed at me. Pounce on her. Devour her. Make her yours right now.
"Thanks."
Lycoris blushed deeply. She turned slightly to the side, instinctively raising her hands to cover her chest under my burning gaze. She had never felt such intense enthusiasm from a man before. She didn't know how to respond.
Seeing her shy reaction only made it worse. Her cuteness fueled the fire.
'I want to eat her.'
The thought was overwhelming.
"Benefactor..." Lycoris called out shyly, sensing the predatory shift in the air.
Her voice jolted me out of my trance.
I let out a soft breath, forcing my muscles to relax.
'Oh no. I almost couldn't hold back...' I thought with a sense of relief.
If I hadn't snapped out of it, I would have definitely pounced on her right here in the hallway. Although Lycoris probably wouldn't refuse me (given her declaration earlier), what would the other girls think?
If they saw their leader being devoured by a beast in the corridor, it would ruin the trust I was trying to build.
But why was I so hungry?
Even if it was a man's instinct, suppressing it shouldn't be this hard. That intense desire just now... it felt less like love and more like a compulsion.
"[Vitality Absorb]... Full of energy, isn't it?" I murmured to myself.
I realized the culprit. It was the ability I had plundered from Capella, the Sin Archbishop of Lust.
Clearly, this ability brought negative side effects along with the benefits. It amplified my libido to match the limitless energy it provided.
But to be honest? This drawback was insignificant compared to the power. In fact, considering I had a harem of hundreds to satisfy, maybe this wasn't a curse. Maybe it was exactly what I needed.
"I'm sorry," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "You're just so beautiful that I was momentarily stunned."
"It's... it's okay."
My apology calmed her down. She had been genuinely frightened just now, feeling as if I wanted to swallow her whole. But mixed with the fear was a strange flutter of anticipation.
She was a woman, after all. She had already decided to stay. And having seen my power earlier... facing such an eager gaze sparked thoughts she tried to suppress.
"My benefactor, I am very sorry," she said, regaining her composure. "If you would like to take a shower, please wait a little longer."
Ah. So she was here to block me.
"You're guarding the door?" I teased.
"Yes. No matter what, not all the sisters have made the decision to stay. Those who haven't decided... certainly don't want a man to see them."
Fair enough. I couldn't argue with that logic.
"I see. In exchange, then... could you stay with me while I wait? Tell me some things about yourself?"
Plans change. I couldn't enter the bathhouse, but having a beautiful girl by my side under the moonlight wasn't a bad consolation prize.
"My affairs..." Lycoris fell silent for a moment.
"If you don't want to talk about it, we can talk about something else."
"No. It wasn't a particularly interesting life, but if you'd like to hear about it, I can tell you."
"I'm very interested."
"In that case, let's go over there."
Lycoris pointed to a flower bed in the courtyard. The flowers swayed gently in the night breeze, bright and dazzling under the moon.
We sat down on the stone edge of the planter. Lycoris began to recount her past.
She used to be a young lady from a noble family. Although they weren't top-tier nobles, they lived a carefree, peaceful life. She even had a fiancé chosen by her parents.
But that was all in the past.
When Regulus attacked, everything changed. Her fiancé died. And her best friend—a Spirit who guarded her family's forest water source—sacrificed herself.
"The Spirit you mentioned..."
"This is what happened after Anileni was defeated," Lycoris whispered.
She pulled open the collar of her nightgown, revealing the teardrop pendant resting on her collarbone.
"Can I take a look?"
"You can."
She took off the pendant and handed it to me.
I held it up to the moonlight. The droplet seemed to contain life, constantly flowing and shifting like liquid mercury.
"Perhaps there is a way to help her recover," I mused.
"Really!!?"
Lycoris's eyes sparkled with sudden hope. She gripped my arm. "Is it possible?"
"There's a place called the Tower of Sages (Pleiades Watchtower)," I said. "Perhaps there's a way to restore a spirit there."
Of course, I actually thought asking Echidna, the Witch of Greed, would be faster, but mentioning Witches to a victim of the Witch Cult was a bad idea.
"The Tower... I know of it," she said, her shoulders slumping. "But I've heard that no one has been able to reach it for hundreds of years. It's surrounded by the Sand Sea and Mabeasts."
Disappointment struck her again. Knowing the cure existed was useless if it was unattainable.
"If I have the chance, I'll give it a try," I said casually.
"Oh! No! No need, really no need!" She waved her hands frantically. "It's too dangerous! There's no need to take that risk for me!"
"Don't worry, I value my life very much. I definitely won't do anything reckless unless I'm absolutely sure."
"Well... okay. But please promise me you won't do anything reckless," she said softly, looking down. "If anything happens to you, I..."
She trailed off, her face flushing instantly.
"What about you?" I leaned in closer.
"No... it's nothing."
"Saying only half of what you mean is cruel, Lycoris."
"Oh, really! It's nothing!"
Faced with my aggressive proximity, she turned her face away, looking adorable as she tried to hide her embarrassment.
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