Story: I'm a Daemon, so what?
Disclaimer: I do not own the original setting.
Chapter 119: Interview with Arcueid
Bit of an early release since I'll be out of town Friday and would rather be early than late.
As always, up to chapter 135 is available at [email protected]/theogbasilisk
______________________________________________________________________
- Arcueid -
"Excellent. I am glad that we found somewhere you fit in. I may also call upon you to assist me in more administrative tasks." She informed Damrada.
It was nice that she now had someone else that she could rely on to assist her in managing this country. Normally Moss was the one she gave the smaller tasks to. It wasn't that she could not run this entire nation herself, it merely would give her less time for her other activities. Despite her strength, there were still a set amount of hours within a day. Even she could not change that.
Damrada nodded. "I will serve you as you wish." He said simply.
"Fufufu, it seems you know just what to say." She said, a devilish smile on her face. She had a feeling she and Damrada would get along just fine.
Seeing as Damrada was now a resource she could freely call upon, she decided to make use of him immediately. "You were once an executive of Cerberus, correct?"
Damrada nodded. "I was one of its three heads directly below Yuuki."
She slid over a pen and paper to him. "Please write down the locations of all the bases you know of." She ordered. Lalatina had managed to track down quite a few of them, despite her rivalry with Lalatina and Megumi, she could not deny their competence in their roles. However, there were bound to be some things that just slipped by.
Damrada looked at the paper and began writing without hesitation. Cerberus was all but done for, she did not know the situation of each of its executive members, but she knew some were involved in the attack on Ruberious in some way.
She was certain her Lord had dealt with them properly at this point. He was not the type to let enemies linger, but she would confirm it with him at a later date, when she will meet him to speak about the events that had taken place. The Thought Communication they shared was not enough.
With Cerberus gone, it would be a waste for their resources to be wasted, and so she wished to claim all the resources for herself to make use of for her Lord's interests. The bases that Lalatina ordered her subordinates to raid had resources that they had acquired.
The base was clearly evacuated in a hurry, as were all the bases they had found. If there was one thing Arcueid could give Cerberus, it was that they did a good job of keeping as much information about their operations hidden. Even with two of their leaders gone, they still managed.
After a few moments Damrada slid the paper back to her.
"Thank you." She said as she glanced over the list. She quickly sent a few orders out to ransack each of the locations once she had read through the list. Though she ignored the ones within the bounds of the Eastern Empire for now.
There were not many that were missed within the bounds of the Western Nations, but there were some. It seems Cerberus had been making use of some of the secret bases meant for royals scattered across the Western Nations. Those bases were meant to protect and hide the royals of the various western kingdoms in the case of the Tenma War.
Arcueid leaned back in her chair, satisfied with the swift efficiency of the former Cerberus executive. Damrada truly knew how to be useful. She would have to inquire more about his history at some point. She only knew from Moss that he once served the Hero of the Beginning, Rudra Nam Ul Nasca, as well as that he eventually began serving Yuuki. Knowing more about him would make him easier to read, and being who she was, she always liked to know how those around her would act.
With a flick of her wrist, the paper in her hand lit aflame. She would remember the list perfectly, there was no need for physical proof of it to remain. Once not even the ashes remained she spoke up. "Now then, Damrada." She continued. "Tell me, what of Cerberus's remaining assets? Aside from these bases, what financial reserves, supply chains, or mercenaries might still be lingering?"
She wished for the organization that crossed her Lord to be immediately dealt with. It would leave a clear example for those who sought to cross her Lord, so while she would rather be planning for the wondrous date with her Lord, his interests took priority over her own.
Many of the figures in the Magic Continent were aware of Cerberus now, especially due to the spotlight they had received for being responsible for the death of Mariabell Rosso and being "responsible" for the death of Yuuki Kagurazaka.
It would serve as a warning that even such a mighty organization was nothing in front of her Lord's might. Despite what Rimuru Tempest believed, strength was the best way to achieve long lasting peace. And since peace was what her Lord desired, that was what she would work towards.
"Most of the economical resources have been funneled into hidden accounts which I can get you access to as I was the one responsible for the finances." Damrada responded. She hummed in acknowledgment. They were not hurting for gold, as the mortals said, but more gold was always useful. It was a valuable currency and was used to craft slightly above mediocre artifacts, and was a key material in crafting higher level artifacts.
"The magical power that Cerberus had in its midst has all but been used up during the attack on Ruberious. It was Kagali's last gamble, and so she put everything into the attack." Kagali; that was the former Demon Lord Kazalim and one of the ones behind Cerberus according to her knowledge.
"Much of Cerberus's infrastructure remains within the Eastern Empire. I believe that many rival organizations within the underworld will rise up to claim many of those resources, starting a shadow war for control over the underworld in the Eastern Empire." Damrada continued.
She nodded. "I see." Countless thoughts passed through her mind as she thought of how to take advantage of the situation. After a few moments, she looked back at Damrada. "Very well then. Thank you for the information. You are dismissed."
Damrada nodded as he rose up.
"I will have Moss call you once the finer details of your role are ready." She said.
Damrada bowed before leaving.
"What an intriguing Human." She mused aloud. She had considered asking him some more questions, but she would do that later. She had quite a few tasks ahead of her: informing Sasha of Gadra's situation, interrogating Gadra, finishing the final preparations for the negotiations with Dagruel's representative, and then she also wished to experiment with her new powers. She had quite a few new ideas for some new powerful Mystic-Arts.
Her magic was innately more powerful than her kin's magic, and this was due to her control rather than her raw power.
Both Megumin and Lalatina were straying away from the more basic applications of Magic as it just was no longer enough. Normal Magic could be countered far more easily than her preferred Magic, Dark Magic. Magic Resistance, Holy Energy, armor, Elementals, and more could all counter normal Magic fairly easily.
Even so-called Ultimate Magic such as Nuclear Magic could be countered through these means. Those children of Dagruel could resist a casual Nuclear Cannon from her due to the Magic Resistance they likely inherited from their father.
Dark Magic was different, more specifically the Nihility Magic branch of Dark Magic. It made use of the naturally negative energy, known as minus energy, found in the abyss of the Daemon Realm.
This was an energy that could even potentially kill her if used by someone skilled enough. It was one of the most destructive energies she had ever heard of, perhaps only surpassed by her own Lord's Stardust, which she had become more acquainted with over time as it was used to refine her body.
Stardust was not an innately negative and destructive energy as minus energy was. However, its destructive capabilities were unmatched according to her analysis.
Of course minus energy was still excellent and her preferred energy of choice. However, it was extremely difficult to control. Lalatina and Megumin were proficient in it, but both had their own specialties, so they did not put as much time into it as she did.
It was innately on the Ultimate level, just as Nuclear Magic was, but it was far more difficult to counter, far more destructive, and those counters were far less effective on Nihility Magic.
With her new evolution, she felt that she could push her control over the mythical energy to new heights. Perhaps she could develop her ultimate finisher, as her Lord called it. An attack that was meant to be used to wipe the enemy out without giving them a chance to retaliate. She had a few ideas on it, some inspired by her own Ultimate Skill.
First however, she will report to her Lord on what she decided to do with Damrada, perhaps he will even agree to meet in person so she could be debriefed on what had gone on in Ruberious in detail.
- Hinata Sakaguchi -
Luminous and her sat across from each other in one of the various rooms littered around her palace. Felix had left yesterday, and as she had told him, the first thing she did was check in on her Temple Knights. Luminous tagged along, but she kept herself hidden as the common Holy Knights were not aware of just who was behind Ruberious.
Most were rather worn out. Temple Knights as a standard were the cream of the crop of Humanity, with Holy Knights surpassing even that. At minimum, Temple Knights were at the B+ Rank, meaning that they were able to fend for themselves mostly during the attack. However, their reserves and stamina was limited so they were rather worn out and shaken now.
Almost none had considered the possibility of Lune, the capital city of the world's largest religion, being capable of being attacked in such a direct manner, and this attack was even almost successful from a certain perspective.
If Felix had not teleported all the civilians away, then the death toll would have been very high.
If he did not somehow repair each and every destroyed building, cracked road, destroyed artifact, etc, then the situation would have been dire. Rebuilding a city was not cheap, let alone one as architecturally advanced and magically advanced as Lune. Luminous could afford it of course, but it would still take time and would be an unneeded expense.
Most of them were still coming to terms with the fact that their home which they believed was supreme was not absolute. Some took it with grace, deciding to increase their training, while others worried about their lives.
She knew with time those who had lost the will to fight and could not regain it would be filtered out over time, and it was better that way. There was a non-zero chance that some of the Temple Knights may have to fight against the Eastern Empire's forces should the Empire push too far into the Western Nations. In those kinds of battles, those without faith were lambs to a slaughter.
She also knew this event would likely only increase the faith directed at Luminous. Many now saw just what was possible in this world of theirs; entire cities could be razed in moments if measures were not taken.
The citizens had seen only a fraction of that, and that too for the first time in their lives. Now, more than ever, they would be taking comfort in the goddess Luminous's grace. They took comfort in that they had a protector that could handle the dangers of the world for them.
They had to believe that, or else they would not be able to go about their day to day lives. She truly only felt sadness when she thought of how the average person in this world fared.
It was all so… unfair. She didn't like it, but as one of the few to benefit from this unfairness, she wanted to do everything she could to make life just a little easier for those who were not as lucky as her.
She shook her head. She was getting distracted. Now was not the time to be melodramatic. The Holy Knights had fared much better than the Temple Knights. As the elite unit of Temple Knights, they were ranked at minimum A Rank. They had much more combat experience and worldly experience than the Temple Knights and were more politically aware of the situation occurring in the West. The Holy Knights were the ones deployed with the higher level threats, such as Hazard Class and Calamity Class beasts.
Some were even speaking about Felix and how he saved them from having to deal with a powerful Hydra in a single attack. That alone seemed to have humbled them quite a bit, as they realized they were not as high in the hierarchy as they believed. Felix casually one shot a Hydra many of them were not sure they could defeat, even with Arnaud on their side.
Most took it in stride and were merely grateful for the help, seemingly understanding their goddess's reason for allying with Demon Lords. They were beginning to come around to the side of 'if they are helping us, then their status should not matter'.
She hadn't seen such a change to Luminism occurring ever. Now everything was different. Everything was better, if you asked her.
She also went to check in on the remaining members of the Nine Great Saints. The first thing she did was praise them for their efforts. She had overheard many of the civilians praising them to the high heavens; how they had their lives saved by one of them, of how friendly they were, and more. Not from the attack of course, since the civilians were all but evacuated, but in general they had all been doing well.
She was proud that they were acting like the protectors she knew they could be. Each of them were well on their way to becoming Champions in their own right.
One did not need a Hero's Egg or even an Elemental to be worshiped as a Champion. If the masses recognized you as a Hero, as an individual who fought for the people, then the World itself would recognize you as a Champion.
This oftentimes gave the Champion a boost in power as well as the Extra Skill: Hero's Haki. None of the Nine Great Saints except for her had reached that state, but she was looking forward to when they would.
Haki was a wondrous power and it was one she had failed to make use of properly until now. It would be remiss of her to fail to make use of her new Holy Haki as well at this point. She had quite some work ahead of her, working on her Holy Haki, Spiritron Manipulation, as well as beginning to create some more powerful Arts, but that was good, she felt like she needed the business.
After praising them for their heroics, she ripped into Saare for his foolishness. The levels of idiocy required to attack the Lord of Darkness himself was astronomical. Though considering her rather similar actions when she thought her friends were in danger, perhaps she was not one to talk.
What was the saying again? Ah yes: do as I say, not as I do.
Saare had merely said that he thought Guy Crimson was here with more… concerning motives and that he would do what he had to do to protect the people.
When the oldest Demon Lord visited unannounced, you tended to think he did not have pleasant motives, especially immediately after the biggest attack on Luminism in its entire history. He said that he thought perhaps Guy Crimson had something to do with the attack; that there could have been internal fighting within the Nine Sovereigns, and so Guy sought to rid himself of Luminous Valentine.
Of course, he was wrong, but Hinata could see where he was coming from.
She couldn't say much to that other than that he needed to think things through in the future. Sometimes there are times in a person's life when they have to do what they have to do, and if Saare was actually right, then perhaps what he had done was right.
Still, she made sure he understood just how wrong things could have gone. What would he have done if Guy Crimson did not take Saare's attack as a jest? While Saare's pride was wounded with the fact that he was treated as a mere joke by the oldest Demon Lord, it was better that way.
After her brief clash with him, she feared that much of Ruberious would not be standing if he truly got angry; he was far stronger than she had imagined. She knew he was the oldest Demon Lord and one of the strongest, but it was different to actually see such strength… it was humbling. She had awakened as a True Hero, become a powerhouse in her own right, and yet there were still higher mountains to climb.
The man was holding back against her, but her instincts warned her that if he wanted, the fight would have been over in an instant. She had only felt something similar after her evolution to Divine Human with Felix, and she had only grown stronger since then due to her awakening as a True Hero.
For Guy Crimson to give her the same feeling… he was strong. She was stronger than ever, and yet there were still those vastly stronger than her, but she had been expecting as much.
It was only right that she placed her faith in someone who was among the very best. Not to mention that odd phenomena when Felix appeared in between her and Guy Crimson, seemingly having finished up a conversation with the man. She had sensed no spatial fluctuations, no movement techniques; nothing. It was as if he just appeared there out of nowhere; as if reality accommodated for his presence. She knew she was not completely correct, but she was on the right track.
She wished to find out just what it was that Felix had done. It seemed to be something Guy Crimson was aware of as well.
Was there some higher level of combat available to those at the peak?
Saare had understood where she was coming from and had said he would remember her words. Her relationship with Saare had grown quite a bit compared to how he was always looking for weakness in her before.
He had once wished to dethrone her, but now that ambition of his was all but snuffed out. Now he seemed to be genuinely happy to serve under her. Perhaps that was the privilege of strength.
Now whenever she gave him advice, he did not seem to think she was talking down to him, which did wonders for their relationship. It was always a pain to navigate him in the past. If she tried to give him advice, oftentimes he would take it as her talking down to her. Jealousy and pride could do much to a person.
She had also been teaching all of the other Nine Great Saints quite a few things ever since she returned to the present. Various Arts, new ways to make use of Elementals, new stances, as well as other things, and so their growth had been quite rapid. She especially had them focus on Mystic-Arts, the combination of battlewill and Magic, which allowed for attacks that made use of more laws, making a more complex attack.
Some of them were now even beginning to individually approach the Disaster Class, something which Luminous was quite happy about. It wasn't enough for the war with the Eastern Empire, but she felt they still had more potential. By the time the war with the Eastern Empire rolled around, they would be strategic forces in their own rights.
Saare had then went on to tell them what happened at Tempest's meeting with the Council of the West. How it was attacked by Daemon-like creatures, about how they were all easily bested, and then how he followed Rimuru back to Lune to help.
After that he was not aware of what happened. She did not point out that he had technically abandoned his post, as she could understand that he wished to help his home, which was under attack. She knew he would not do anything like that unless circumstances were dire, which in his perspective they likely were.
"What did you wish to speak about, Luminous?" She asked as she took a bite out of one of the pastries that Gunther served them before leaving the room.
After making sure that everything was running smoothly, Luminous had said that she wished to speak to her in private. She saw no reason to postpone the discussion, seeing as everyone was already doing what they should be; her micromanagement over her subordinates would only build resentment.
Luminous set down her cup of tea as she eyed her for a few moments before speaking up. "Granbell had wished for me to pass something on to you. The sooner it is done, the better."
She raised a brow. "Oh?" It was rather confusing that her and Granbell were enemies just a short while ago, but he still ended up passing on one of his most prized possessions: his blade, Truth.
Truth alone was a prized treasure, something worthy of respect. It was on par with her own rapier, Divine Moonlight, which was created personally by Felix.
She truly did not understand what was going through his head now that he wished to pass on even more, but she would not reject it.
Perhaps it could play an element in the attack she was attempting to create. Something that involved all of her powers, or almost all of them, and was capable of taking out her enemies in one strike.
"His Ultimate Skill, Sariel, Lord of Hope. He wished for it to return to the hands of a Hero. You were the first choice that came to mind and what Granbell would have wished for." Luminous stated.
She blinked in confusion. "His Ultimate Skill?"
Did they just grow on trees now? Before she had been dreaming of acquiring her own Ultimate Skill, yet ever since gaining Fortuna, it was like she was getting more left and right. With Sariel, she would have three of them.
Luminous nodded. "It has to do with the cycle of reincarnation, meaning it can be used to manipulate souls and lifeforce."
"Similar to yours then?"
Luminous nodded. "It can be considered the opposite of my own."
"Then shouldn't you keep it?" She asked.
Luminous smirked, but shook her head. "Even at this moment, Sariel is attempting to reign itself free from my control. I am far from compatible with it. It is as I said; my opposite. The only reason I was able to extract it from Granbell was due to him ripping it from his soul and passing it on to me. Asmodeus counters Sariel, allowing me to suppress it temporarily, but I fear that eventually it will break free from my control."
She nodded in understanding. Skill compatibility was very important. Normally you would not develop a Skill without being compatible with it. Not everyone had a Manas to bridge that issue. Things were changing, methods to grant others Skills were being discovered.
"I understand. I am open to receiving Sariel, Lord of Hope then." She wouldn't reject a free power up, when her goal, her dream, still seemed too far away from her. She would not reject anything of the sort. One day she would reach Felix, and she would have to do it on her own merits.
It still heartened her that despite growing to match and perhaps even surpass Luminous, her friend still didn't let that get in the way of their friendship.
She was not quite sure whether she would win in a fight between her and Luminous, but she knew for sure that her total reserves surpassed Luminous's own.
Luminous lips curved in a knowing smile. "Good." Luminous grabbed her hand. Luminous's grip was firm, and Hinata felt a surge of energy flow through her arm as the Ultimate Skill transfer began.
A brilliant golden light, tinged with streaks of divine blue, began to swirl around their hands as Sariel, Lord of Hope, attempted to reach out to her, seemingly understanding what was occurring.
For a brief moment, Hinata could feel the presence of the Skill, its overwhelming radiance, its solemn will. It almost seemed… alive, but not quite alive.
It was unlike her other Ultimate Skills. Where Fortuna was a manifestation of her destiny and justice, and Nemesis embodied her desire to reach Felix one day, Sariel exuded an unshakable resolve, a guiding light that refused to be tainted. It fit the epithet of "Lord of Hope". Just being in its presence elevated her mood, giving her the hope that everything would turn out fine.
This was Granbell's power? She could understand how his personality shifted so dramatically after he awakened it then.
It was hard not to feel hopeful with this Skill.
She could feel a wave of energy enveloping her, as the Ultimate Skill seemed to attempt to understand her.
Then, just as suddenly, she felt resistance.
The golden radiance flared violently, and Luminous's grip tightened. Hinata's expression shifted into a deep frown as an overwhelming force repelled her. The sensation was akin to a spiritual clash, as if Sariel itself was rejecting her very existence.
Luminous's brows furrowed. "It's resisting you."
Hinata gritted her teeth, pushing against the force, attempting to synchronize with the Skill. But no matter how much she reached out, Sariel refused to anchor itself to her soul. Instead, the golden light trembled violently, and with a final burst of resistance, it forcefully tore itself away from their grasp, returning to Luminous.
The energy dissipated into the air, leaving behind only a lingering sense of rejection.
Hinata clenched her fist, staring at where the light had vanished. "It… rejected me." The words came out as a statement rather than a question.
She knew it was a possibility, but it was still not enjoyable to feel the rejection. After feeling its power for a few brief moments, she felt that her and Sariel would have done well together, but clearly it did not believe so.
She never had talent when it came to life force manipulation other than Aura Manipulation, and her knowledge of the soul was minimal, not to the level it deserved an Ultimate Skill at the very least. Perhaps that was why? She merely was not compatible with Sariel's skillset.
Luminous released a slow breath, her hetromchromatic eyes contemplative. "It appears so. I had my suspicions, but I did not expect Sariel to be so willful. It seems you are… incompatible. I believed that you would be a good fit. It seems that I am wrong however." Luminous said with a sigh. "I will have to find someone to pass it onto then, or I may have to find some way to seal it so it does not return to the cycle of reincarnation."
Ultimate Skills, or at least the Virtue and Sin Series Skills, lingered within the cycle of reincarnation until they found a user according to Felix.
Through the cycle of reincarnation, they would find someone compatible, and plant seeds in those individuals, which if fully sprouted, could result in the full Ultimate Skill taking residence within their souls. That meant that there could be multiple Unique Skills correlating with each Ultimate Skill of the Virtue and Sin Series variety.
Luminous sighed once more. "But I suppose I should have expected this."
She raised a brow. "Why?" Hinata asked, curious about why Luminous thought she was rejected.
Luminous tapped her fingers against the table, considering her words. "Sariel is the embodiment of pure hope; unwavering, unyielding faith in an ideal future. But you, Hinata…" She locked eyes with her. "You are pragmatic. You do not act on blind hope, nor do you place faith in miracles. Your strength comes from your calculations, from your ability to see the worst-case scenario and still move forward."
Hinata blinked at that rather well thought out response. She hadn't thought of it from that perspective. Indeed, what Luminous had said made complete sense. She even acquired an Ultimate Skill based on her calculative nature.
There were only a few times in which she let go of her reservations and decided to believe in someone or something, without regard to the odds.
"Sariel does not acknowledge you because you do not embody its essence; you are not a Hero of Hope. You have inspired hope in a vast amount of individuals, but in the end you are a Hero of Reality, if I were to name it." Luminous leaned back with a sigh. "Granbell must have hoped that because you were a Hero, Sariel would accept you, but his hope was in vain. Ironic, but then that is what it means to hope, to wish for a bright future"
Hinata exhaled through her nose; her expression neutral, but internally, she was… frustrated. Not because she wanted another Ultimate Skill for the sake of power, but because rejection was not something she was accustomed to.
She was always the one making decisions. She decided what she would wield and what she would fight for. Yet, Sariel had refused her outright. She could admit to herself that it wounded her pride, but she would accept it and grow from it.
"What now?" She asked after a moment.
Luminous glanced at her palm, where remnants of Sariel's energy still flickered faintly. "For now… I must contain it until a suitable wielder is found. Someone who truly embodies the essence of hope. I may have to seal it, similar to how I sealed you, if I cannot find one."
Hinata hummed lightly. "And where are we supposed to find someone like that?"
Luminous smirked, eyes glinting. "Who knows? But fate has a strange way of guiding such things. When the right person appears, Sariel will naturally gravitate toward them. There is still one Hero that may just be compatible."
Fate. She tried not to think of fate and its existence in the world.
Her eyes lit up in understanding. "Chloe… indeed, perhaps Chloe is a fit for it."
Despite Chloe's experiences, she had never stopped hoping, hoping that the future would not be as bad as it was in her previous loops, hoping that she could save everyone she cared for.
Hinata was not certain if she could remain sane in such a situation. Chloe had the benefit, or perhaps curse, of losing her memories after each loop only to regain them later which perhaps preserved her state of mind. But in such a situation, it was hard not to be hopeless, and yet Chloe never gave up. She never lost hope that eventually she would get it right.
Luminous leaned back against the cushion of her seat. "Indeed, I will have to summon her later."
A small grin worked its way up onto Luminous face. "There is one more thing that I wished to speak about."
For some reason, she had a bad feeling about this.
"I had overheard you and Felix speaking about something. Something about you going to see him to plan an outing?" Luminous asked with a teasing smile.
Her energy fluctuated slightly as she fought to regain control over herself. "Perhaps." She answered.
Luminous raised a hand, attempting to hide her blatant giggles. "Fufu, I suppose it is about time. I had thought the two of you would take far longer."
Hinata blinked in confusion. "Longer for what?"
"Ara, to take the first step in becoming lovers of course." Luminous said her grin slowly warped into a debauched smile..
"Wha-Wha-What!?" She squawked out in embarrassment.
"Did you think you had hidden your adorable little crush? It was quite obvious." Luminous said offhandedly.
She could feel her hands straining against the armchair as she felt the heat creep up on her cheeks. "What!?" She squawked as she crushed the armrest of her chair.
Had she been obvious? Luminous obviously knew, and she thought she hadn't acted any different from usual. Did Felix know?
Luminous continued to laugh. "Ah, your reactions are quite adorable, you know. If Felix saw you now he wouldn't be able to resist."
Hinata felt her entire body freeze as her mind short-circuited. "T-That's not– I didn't–!" She struggled to form a coherent sentence, but her voice only grew more flustered.
Luminous could hold herself back no longer as she laughed. While she was flustered, Luminous, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying her suffering.
Hinata did not know what was happening, but she didn't like it!
So what if she had a crush on that stupid handsome Daemon? Ah wait, Luminous and Felix were together, but he also had other lovers. She wasn't sure what Luminous's reaction to everything would be, but going by her current mood, maybe she had a chance? That had been one of her bigger worries. She wouldn't compromise her friendship with Luminous. They had been friends for centuries; she would not throw that away.
"Oh my, Hinata, I do believe you are glowing. Is that a divine protection, or simply the warmth of young love?" She hummed, resting her cheek against her hand as she watched Hinata squirm. "Fufu, how delightful. I have not seen you like this before."
"You–!" Hinata's voice cracked slightly as she pointed an accusatory finger at Luminous. "You're doing this on purpose."
Luminous nodded unashamedly. "Obviously." She didn't even attempt to deny it, her smile only widening. "But come now, don't be shy. Felix is quite the catch, you know. Tall, handsome, caring, thoughtful, and many more traits that I'd like to use. He's great in bed too!" Luminous said as her thighs rubbed together slightly with some heat going to her cheeks.
She so did not want to hear that last bit. She knew that Felix and his lovers obviously had sex, but hearing about it was not fun. She could admit to herself that she was jealous.
She wasn't as upset as she thought she'd be, but it was still not a pleasant feeling. Though, it was one she knew she could work through if given the chance.
She was not born and raised in this world as Luminous was, and so she was not used to the fact that having multiple lovers was not odd at all in this world. Her mindset from earth was harming her in this case.
Hinata groaned, pressing her hands against her face to hide the deep crimson flush spreading across her cheeks. "I really, really did not need to hear that."
"So old and yet still so young." Luminous mused, a shit eating grin on her face.
Hinata let out a frustrated sigh, dragging her hands down her face as if physically trying to wipe away her embarrassment. "You are insufferable." Many of their interactions in the past went in a similar manner. It was quite frustrating that Luminous always knew how to get under her skin.
Did Luminous have a Skill telling her specifically what to do to get her to act like this?
Luminous tilted her head, her smirk only widening. "And yet, you love me." Luminous said haughtily. Still, she couldn't deny that. Luminous was one of her closest friends. They had shared many secrets amongst each other, spoken about their ideals and their histories, played stupid games together, and more. For all intents and purposes, Luminous was practically her best friend.
Of course, she couldn't let Luminous's ego get even greater.
"I do not." Hinata shot back, crossing her arms. "And stop changing the subject. What I want to plan is a purely platonic date." Hinata said as she nodded assuredly.
Was she coping? Yes, but she could show no weakness in front of Luminous!
Luminous hummed in mock thoughtfulness, tapping her chin with a delicate finger. "Oh? So if I ask him about this mysterious event you're planning together, will he say the same?"
Hinata hesitated for just a fraction of a second, but it was enough. Both her and Felix were in mutual agreement that their date would be a romantic one to test the waters. They had not discussed anything of course, but she knew that he understood.
Luminous caught on instantly. Her heterochromatic eyes gleamed in amusement as she leaned forwards slightly. "Ara, ara~ You are quite obvious, Hinata."
"I hate you." She muttered under her breath as she looked away.
"No, no, my dear, this is love, not hate." Luminous teased, resting her cheek in her palm as she observed Hinata with the air of a cat toying with its prey. "And truly, I don't mind in the slightest if you pursue him. If anything, I wholeheartedly encourage it." Luminous said with a saucy smirk.
Hinata frowned, biting the inside of her cheek. "You mean… you wouldn't care?" Luminous was obviously not opposed to Felix having other lovers, seeing as he already has others, but she felt like it was different when one of your close friends joined in compared to others. She didn't want to step on Luminous's toes or anything, and she would prefer it if her friend supported her.
"Care?" Luminous blinked, then let out a soft chuckle. "Hinata, you truly are still bound by your old-world notions, aren't you?" She waved a hand dismissively. "Polygamy and polyamory are rather commonplace among the powerful in this world. Most of the Demon Lords merely do not care for such things, but various Enlightened, Saints, and strong Majin have had such relationships."
"Felix has many lovers. I am one of them, yes. I merely wish for him and you to be happy. I believe that you are both capable of adding more happiness to each other's lives. That is all." Luminous said. "Now will you take the step forward, or allow your fear of what if's to rule you?"
Hinata felt something tighten in her chest. It was a strange, unfamiliar feeling, a mixture of relief and something else she wasn't quite ready to name. All she did know was that she was grateful towards Luminous for being there for her. "I… I know what I must do." Hinata said with determination.
She had been putting it off for too long. As Luminous had said, her own calculative nature was hurting her. She was a Divine Human and a True Hero, yet she was insecure enough to wonder if Felix would reject her, despite knowing he most assuredly would not. But feelings did not follow logic.
___________________________________________________________________
I am highly motivated by your guys' reviews and likes, so do that! I'll probably keep writing or something.
I have a discord server, come hang out if you want! https://discord.gg/VxR5Gn72Fp I also have a channel in Shiro's Gaming Omniverse.
Links: patreon.com/theogbasilisk
Author's Note:
Sup everyone, back with another chapter of Daemon. In this one Damrada and Arcueid have their meeting, with some more in depth looking into how Arcueid is seeing things and her changes.
We get her view on Damrada and Damrada gets his role. I was debating on whether to have him serve as an assistant of sorts to Arcueid instead but I ended up going with what I wrote above.
We learn what is happening back in Ruberious through Hinata's pov, hopefully you all don't mind a brief summary of the events as writing all that out would be rather pointless.
I'm sure many of you thought Hinata would get Sariel, and I was tempted to give it to her, but in the end I just don't think it fits her. It doesn't fit her personality, her skillset, etc. She will still get her power ups, but Sariel won't be a part of it.
Then we get some Luminous teasing and a pep talk from the lewd vampire!
Thanks for reading, peace.
Thanks to @Salante and @Flowerman for beta'ing this chapter.
Last bit of editing -Omnax
Support me if you want to read ahead on pat reon *.com* / theogbasilisk