A rippling wave of emotion danced within the succubus’s eyes as sweet, honeyed affection drifted outward, weaving an intricate, ambiguous web of intimacy.
The foul-smelling lie-detector potion hovered in the air as the succubus’s seductive words wove through his breath: “Would you be willing to drink this bottle of lie-detector potion for my sake?”
Up in Heaven, Frank felt as though the magic crystal in his grip was on the verge of fracturing beneath his frantic pressure.
Don’t drink it, my lord please! The crazed angel frantically dispatched a flurry of bullet comments, desperately attempting to rescue their superior, who had evidently been utterly compromised by sheer beauty.
Within the magnified display, the handsome man’s eyes darkened profoundly. Lifting the suspended potion to his lips, he curved his lips into a smile as a deep, resonant voice resembling the elegant strains of a cello echoed across the screen.
“As you wish.”
Pop
With a look of utter existential defeat, Frank flung the magic crystal away, collapsing straight onto the floor with a vacant, glazed stare.
Just let it all burn. I’m exhausted. If Heaven wants to collapse, let it go to ruin for all I care.
Xavier lifted his chin slightly as his Adam’s apple bobbed. The dark liquid within the vial flowed along the tilting glass, coming within a hair’s breadth of brushing against those mesmerizing, thin lips.
“Wait a moment.” Raising a hand, Huey intercepted Xavier’s motion.
The young succubus’s eyes sparkled brilliantly, overflowing with a tenderness and devotion so thick it practically melted like honey.
“I like you so, so much!”
Pushing the potion aside, Huey rose up on his tiptoes, pressing his soft, burning cheek directly against Xavier’s cool, striking face.
“You really are the—most, most, most gentle demon in existence!”
The little succubus spoke with a coquettish, thoroughly spoiled sweetness, sending his flattery soaring straight to the heavens.
“Look at that, everyone. A demon who genuinely holds you in his heart will willingly consume a lie-detector potion simply to put your mind at ease.”
Reclining comfortably within Xavier’s arms, Huey turned a proud, triumphant expression toward the broadcasting camera to deliver his pitch, his little tail wagging with such exuberant swagger it looked ready to lift him right up into the sky.
“Well, what if he only pretends to drink it just to put on a show and trick you?”
Reading aloud a bullet comment that flashed across the screen, Huey tilted his head in mild puzzlement before answering bluntly: “Then you just let him drink it anyway! If you’re still feeling doubtful, make him drink it. If he starts hesitating, stalling, or hiding behind smooth talk, doesn’t that just prove he’s still harboring little secrets?”
The live chat fell into an eerie, dead silence for several seconds… absolute enlightenment!
The stock of lie-detector potions was visibly plummeting by the second as Huey beamed and delivered a final, lethal stroke: “Besides, even if several partners in a row refuse to drink the lie-detector potion, a single vial can be reused quite a few times, you know. And as for the potency of this particular lie-detector potion, I’m sure you’re all well aware of it, even if an Archangel were to drink it, I guarantee he’d answer whatever you ask without a shred of falsehood.”
The actual, literal Grand Archangel held the little succubus close, feeling somewhat amused and exasperated, momentarily at a loss for what words could possibly respond to that.
In the end, though the entire inventory of lie-detector potions wasn’t completely cleared out, Huey still clinched the championship crown by an overwhelming margin!
“Here, take your ticket.” Handing over a delicate envelope sealed with crimson wax, the goblin instructed, “Three months from now, Lord Caron’s auction will commence, and I will be the one managing the broadcasting arrangements once again.”
Beaming from ear to ear, Huey accepted the envelope. To his eyes, that delicate pink envelope looked nothing like a mere ticket it was an absolute mountain of solid gold! He felt an irrepressible urge to hug it tightly and shower it with kisses.
He thought it, and so he nearly did.
However, before his soft lips could make contact with the envelope, they were intercepted by a warm, firm palm covering his mouth.
“It’s dirty.” Frowning in displeasure, Xavier glared with unfriendly intensity at the pink envelope.
Flickering his long eyelashes innocently, the little succubus offered a compliant nod. “Alright.”
“All thanks to you.” Looking up at Xavier with a gaze full of eager anticipation, Huey took the initiative to ask: “Would you be willing to attend the auction alongside me?”
Attending as my companion…
Accompany the little succubus to the auction? Raising a brow, Xavier hadn’t previously entertained the notion.
Still… if he remained stationed right by the young demon’s side, it would effectively serve to ward off any ill-intentioned demons lurking about.
Xavier’s gaze settled upon the adorable young succubus standing before him. Such a pure, untainted creature possessed a naive innocence that made him exceptionally well-suited to be brought back to Heaven and educated directly under his own personal guidance.
“Perhaps—”
Before he could finish, the celestial communication crystal nestled within his storage ring began vibrating with ferocious intensity so violently that even Xavier’s hand trembled ever so slightly from the feedback.
“My lord?” Huey tilted his head. “Is your magic crystal ringing?”
Giving a soft cough, Xavier offered a gentle explanation: “Huey, it seems your friend is waiting for you over there. Would you mind going ahead to wait while I attend to a brief message?”
The little succubus nodded obligingly. Wagging his tail with a jaunty bounce, he scampered off merrily toward the dark elf who was waving him over.
Watching Huey step away until he reached the dark elf’s side and successfully engaged her in conversation, Xavier turned on his heel, slipping away into a secluded, quiet corner to retrieve the magic crystal.
“Have you tracked down the whereabouts of the evil spirits?” Xavier inquired calmly, addressing Frank through the crystal interface.
“No, my lord,” Frank responded gravely, his brow furrowing deeply. “I’ve detected a brand-new cluster of evil spirits emerging along the eastern border of the Underworld, and their scale is substantially larger than the previous wave.”
Xavier frowned. “Can you verify their origin? And what is their precise location?”
Frank offered a helpless, bitter smile. “Neither is clear. That spike in energy signature materialized out of thin air just ten minutes ago; we only know it’s somewhere along the eastern reaches of the Underworld, and pinpointing coordinates will require further investigation.”
“Understood.” Xavier nodded. “Expedite your investigation into their exact location; I will head toward the eastern region immediately.”
While the two angels conferred, Huey remained thoroughly occupied over with his friend, proudly waving his envelope to share the joyous news.
“That’s fantastic, Huey!” Sophiel patted his shoulder enthusiastically, beaming with pride. “I knew it, you’re the absolute greatest succubus!”
Blushing under the praise of his best friend, Huey demurred softly, “It’s not just me… Lord Xavier helped me out an immense amount, too.”
Helen, the succubus ticket vendor who still maintained her languid pose leaning against the dark elf, mused thoughtfully, “Huey, your promotional methods are quite novel; I ended up purchasing quite a few sets of those waist and chest chains. What a pity those clumsy, heavy-handed demons probably won’t know how to enjoy them properly.”
“Well, you should go find yourself a dark elf then,” Sophiel remarked casually. “Though the males among us dark elves tend to be a bit aloof, they’re surprisingly gentle when it comes to matters like that.”
“Dark elves…” Helen cast a sideways glance at Sophiel. “That… actually doesn’t sound entirely unfeasible… Tch, I bought too few. I should have grabbed a few extra sets.”
Observing their playful banter, Huey let out a helpless sigh, silently offering a three-second moment of mental silence in advance for his dear friend.
After all, succubi never factored the gender of a potential partner into their criteria when selecting companions; pondering it briefly, Huey recalled that all of Sophiel’s past romantic interests had invariably been tall, slender, graceful male elves.
“By the way, Huey, the festival has drawn to a close what are your plans now?”
“What do you mean, what are my plans?” Huey blinked, caught off guard by the abrupt pivot.
Shooting him a look that combined exasperation with a motherly why-must-you-be-so-oblivious expression, Sophiel scolded, “What else could I mean? I’m talking about that demon, of course! Have you actually confessed your feelings to him yet? Huey, you need to secure a home of your own quickly. While I’d happily welcome you to stay in my cute treehouse forever, you are a male succubus after all you can’t simply live indefinitely at a female elf’s residence.”
Flushing a brilliant crimson from the rapid-fire reprimand, Huey stammered a defensive retort: “I did confess! I told the lord out loud and clear that I like him very much!”
To the passionate, expressive denizens of the Underworld, such a declaration already constituted a remarkably direct confession.
Nodding thoughtfully, Sophiel pressed further: “And what did he say?”
The blushing little succubus answered in a tiny, mortified squeak: “The lord didn’t say anything…”
“What?!” The notoriously hot-tempered dark elf lady raised her voice a full octave without realizing it. “Our adorable little cutie confessed to him so passionately, and he just stood there without a single reaction?!”
Helen quickly reached out to restrain the dark elf before she could roll up her sleeves and draw her bow, soothing her: “Don’t jump to conclusions. Based on my observations, that lord differs quite a bit from those crude, boorish demons he carries the unmistakable air of a rare, genuine gentleman. A gentleman of that caliber values a sense of ritual; perhaps he’s currently planning a magnificent, grand confession ball just for Huey.”
The succubus lady nodded with absolute certainty as she spoke. “It has to be. After all, that lord has never once rejected your affections, and consistently chooses to remain close by your side, doesn’t he?”
Upon hearing those reassuring words, Huey instinctively reached back to pat his restless little tail, his face splitting into a sweet, gap-toothed grin that revealed his two tiny canine teeth. “That’s true! Even if there isn’t some grand confession ball, I still like him, like him so much!”
“Alright, alright,” Sophiel sighed, shaking her head. Her dear friend had clearly fallen head over heels into the bottomless whirlpool of romance. “We’re setting out tomorrow to head back into the Elven Forest.”
“You guys are leaving?” Huey blinked, hesitating awkwardly. “I… can I choose not to go back with you? I’d like to ask the lord where he’s planning to head next.”
Wearing an expression that clearly said I saw right through you from the start, Sophiel waved a dismissive hand. “Naturally, I wasn’t factoring you into our travel plans anyway. When I said ‘we,’ I meant Helen and myself.”
“She mentioned wanting to experiment with a different partner race, so I recommended our elven kin to her.”
Well then… watching Helen lean intimately against Sophiel while flashing a suggestive wink his way, Huey wisely chose to remain silent.
At any rate, judging by Sophiel’s formidable combat prowess, nobody was going to force her into anything against her will.
Bidding a warm farewell to his friends, Huey turned around only to spot Xavier standing not far away, gazing toward him with a gaze brimming with tenderness.
“My lord!” Bounding over with a joyful wag of his tail, the little succubus instinctively re-anchored his heart-shaped tail around the man’s waist.
“Have you finished handling your matters?” Lifting his head, Huey gazed up expectantly. “If it isn’t too forward of me… might I ask if you’d be willing to accompany me to the auction?”
Attending as my companion…
Accompany the little succubus to the auction? Raising a brow, Xavier hadn’t previously considered that aspect.
Still… if he remained stationed right by the young demon’s side, it would effectively serve to ward off any ill-intentioned demons lurking about.
Xavier’s gaze settled upon the adorable young succubus standing before him. Such a pure, untainted creature possessed a naive innocence that made him exceptionally well-suited to be brought back to Heaven and educated directly under his own personal guidance.
“Perhaps—”
Before he could finish, the celestial communication crystal nestled within his storage ring began vibrating with ferocious intensity—so violently that even Xavier’s hand trembled ever so slightly from the feedback.
“My lord?” Huey tilted his head. “Is your magic crystal ringing?”
Giving a soft cough, Xavier offered a gentle explanation: “Huey, it seems your friend is waiting for you over there. Would you mind going ahead to wait while I attend to a brief message?”
The little succubus nodded obligingly. Wagging his tail with a jaunty bounce, he scampered off merrily toward the dark elf who was waving him over.
Watching Huey step away until he reached the dark elf’s side and successfully engaged her in conversation, Xavier turned on his heel, slipping away into a secluded, quiet corner to retrieve the magic crystal.
“Have you tracked down the whereabouts of the evil spirits?” Xavier inquired calmly, addressing Frank through the crystal interface.
“No, my lord,” Frank responded gravely, his brow furrowing deeply. “I’ve detected a brand-new cluster of evil spirits emerging along the eastern border of the Underworld, and their scale is substantially larger than the previous wave.”
Xavier frowned. “Can you verify their origin? And what is their precise location?”
Frank offered a helpless, bitter smile. “Neither is clear. That spike in energy signature materialized out of thin air just ten minutes ago; we only know it’s somewhere along the eastern reaches of the Underworld, and pinpointing coordinates will require further investigation.”
“Understood.” Xavier nodded. “Expedite your investigation into their exact location; I will head toward the eastern region immediately.”
Returning from his brief communication, Xavier approached the young succubus once more.
“Are you finished with your message, my lord?” Huey blinked, stepping forward eagerly.
Xavier offered an apologetic smile, gently touching the young demon’s raven-black hair. “I’m afraid so, Huey. I have some pressing matters to attend to on the eastern side, so I won’t be able to stay by your side for the time being.”
“Oh…” Huey dropped his gaze, desperately trying to swallow down the wave of disappointment and prevent his dejected expression from showing. Unfortunately, his tail had already betrayed him, drooping limply toward the ground in abject misery.
Sensing a pang of heartache at the sight of the crestfallen little succubus, the Grand Archangel felt the careful defenses of his heart tilt yet again.
“Perhaps…” Xavier spoke at a measured, deliberate pace, “you might care to accompany me to the east, should you not mind missing out on the auction. I’ve been told you lack a permanent residence at present; I happen to possess an estate situated in the eastern region, and I would be more than happy to offer it to you as a temporary home.”
Well, I can simply dispatch a message to Frank ordering him to purchase a suitable property immediately—such a minor triviality should be well within the capabilities of my primary assistant.
Huey felt his emotional pendulum swing in an instant, rocketing from the deepest depths of despair straight up into the fluffy clouds of pure elation.
“Of course I don’t mind!” The little succubus chirped enthusiastically, meeting Xavier’s smiling eyes before adding with a shy, fluttering blush: “I mean… if you are extending the invitation, I would love nothing more than to accompany you to the east for a while. As for the auction, the Underworld’s teleportation arrays are remarkably advanced; even setting off a mere half-hour prior to commencement will be more than sufficient.”
A low chuckle escaped Xavier’s lips as he smoothly accommodated the sentiment: “In that case, might I have the absolute pleasure of inviting the cutest little succubus in the entire Underworld to reside temporarily at my home?”
Receiving the formal invitation, Huey stepped back with exaggerated, comical modesty, clearing his throat before dipping into a graceful, semi-curtsied half-bow and trilling in a sweet, theatrical tone:
“My absolute pleasure.”