“Off we go~” Huey waved his hand excitedly, his little tail wagging back and forth with irrepressible cheer. “We’ll be back in seven days, so make sure you two look after the house properly!”
Taking Huey’s frantically waving hand and enclosing it gently within his own palm, Xavier murmured, “Wait for me over there while I issue a few final instructions.”
“Will do.” Nodding obediently, Huey clutched his adorable little backpack close to his chest and stood quietly off to the side.
The small backpack had been gifted to him by Xavier; shaped like a plump, glossy heart, its surface was crafted from sleek, glistening black feathers matching the exact texture of Xavier’s wings, which Huey adored to pieces.
Steering the young succubus out of earshot, Xavier turned his attention to the two lingering figures. “Set aside your personal entanglements for the time being. During the seven days of my absence, you are to maintain absolute vigilance over the Sea of Oblivion; not a single anomaly must be permitted to slip past.”
Herman nodded, casting a complex, lingering glance toward Frank before promising in a low tone, “I will.”
“My lord.” Breaking his silence, Frank stepped forward, his hands twitching nervously as they clenched and unclenched against the fabric of his trousers. “I’ve already submitted my transfer application; someone is scheduled to arrive this afternoon to relieve me of my post.”
Xavier glanced sideways at the despondent Herman, ultimately offering a soft nod. “Very well. You were originally assigned to administrative duties and possess limited combat capabilities in any case; bringing in a replacement is for the best.”
Lacking any natural talent for untangling emotional friction, the Grand Archangel looked between the pair, hovering on the verge of speaking before withholding the unspoken truth regarding the events of five years prior.
Better left unsaid… Ever since that night, Frank had retained no recollection of those occurrences; since Herman preferred keeping it buried, he would respect that boundary.
Before further dialogue could be exchanged, the searing, burning gaze fixed upon him from across the path practically threatened to drill a hole through Xavier’s back. Shaking his head in quiet resignation, he murmured, “I must depart.”
Wheeling around, he found the little succubus staring eagerly in his direction, his tail wagging with such ferocious speed it blurred into a phantom outline.
A faint smile touched Xavier’s lips as he strode over, reaching out to give Huey’s head an affectionate ruffle. “Let’s go.”
Watching the pair vanish through the activation of the teleportation array, Frank made to turn away, only to be yanked abruptly by the arm. Whirling around, he found the normally proud, flamboyant succubus staring at him with eyes brimming with a fragile, moisture-laden vulnerability.
“You… are you truly leaving?” Herman’s voice hitched with a raw catch, his dark velvet heart-shaped tail drooping lifelessly toward the ground.
Frank remained silent. With a harsh, unyielding jerk, he wrenched his arm free from the other’s grip and strode away without looking back.
Wandering Valley.
Clutching his backpack, Huey surveyed the entrance archway adorned elaborately with everlasting blooms and nodded in profound satisfaction. “They’ve actually spruced this up rather nicely. I genuinely anticipated you monsters would slap together some bone architecture for the decorations, given how predictably gruesome your aesthetic tastes usually are.”
Barit hastily wiped away a non-existent sheen of cold sweat from his skull, offering a nervous, awkward laugh. “Heh, of course not! We Liches possess refined cultural sensibilities, you know!”
Naturally, he had no intention of disclosing to the succubus that this outcome was the result of a grueling month of crunch-time labor spent hurriedly tearing down the vast majority of their bone ornamentation. Tragic bone structures are inherently so gorgeous and mesmerizing, yet these ignorant creatures are utterly devoid of artistic appreciation!
“Our core selling point here is providing an experience entirely distinct from standard romantic retreats,” Barit chirped, guiding them through the gates while gesturing proudly toward a sprawling, majestic cluster of architecture in the distance. “These residential villas were constructed entirely by melting down premium bone jade, ensuring natural temperature regulation warm during winter, cool throughout summer. Moreover, residing within them actively facilitates the absorption and circulation of demonic energy.”
The structures defied standard geometric uniformity, branching outward in whimsical, organic formations resembling giant, sprawling tree limbs coated in a deep crimson hue. It was evident the Liches had poured immense architectural effort into the project; every exterior wall was carved with intricate protective arrays designed to absorb and refract natural ambient light, causing the polished facades to ripple with a breathtaking, luminous sheen.
“Each villa features a completely unique thematic design.” Dropping his voice into a conspiratorial whisper, Barit leaned in close, his soul fire flickering with an eccentric, mischievous gleam. “And the crown jewel among them all is the Heaven-themed suite!”
Catching Huey’s look of utter astonishment, the Lich beamed proudly. “That particular lodging was tailored specifically for you! When you host your live stream, you can easily weave some sensationalist banter connecting it directly back to the Grand Archangel.”
As seasoned collaborators who had partnered on multiple occasions, Barit understood Huey’s promotional instincts thoroughly.
“That… actually holds merit…” Musing thoughtfully, Huey tapped his chin. “Though people reflexively claim to despise Heaven, there’s always a healthy market of thrill-seekers eager for a bit of taboo excitement.”
With a sly, knowing smirk, Huey let his tail curl affectionately around Xavier’s waist. “After all, committing sacrilege against holiness tends to elevate the romance quite effectively for quite a few folks.”
Underworld demons possessed notoriously adventurous tastes in their romantic escapades; a professed aversion to Heaven hardly precluded a deep-seated urge to desecrate its purity for a rush of adrenaline. In fact, numerous amorous admirers had previously slid into Huey’s DMs proposing one-night liaisons precisely because of his distinctive platinum-gold tail.
Naturally, such suitors were universally dismissed as casual flings. Huey harbored zero interest in such shallow pursuits; ever since reaching adulthood, his singular romantic ambition had remained fixed on capturing the heart of a powerful, deeply doting demon.
Lost in these affectionate daydreams, the little succubus leaned in closer, rubbing his cheek against Xavier’s chest and gazing up with a gaze so thick with devotion it practically communicated entire paragraphs of unspoken love.
Observing their intimate proximity, Barit wisely adopted a posture of blissful ignorance, though he couldn’t resist dropping a final piece of advice: “While we offer a diverse array of distinct room styles for you to sample across the seven days, I strongly advise claiming that Heaven-themed suite first. The furnishings concealed inside…”
The leering Lich trailed off with an expressive wink, leaving the implication hanging heavily in the air. Heaven alone knew how a skeletal skull managed to convey such salacious intent.
“Oh, right.” Guiding them right up to the designated threshold, Barit patted his pockets before handing over a massive ring of keys. “We’ve also constructed hot springs and several other scenic date spots across the valley. I’ll forward the resort map to your terminal it would be ideal if you could broadcast your streams from those locations as well.”
Continuing his briefing, Barit explained, “Your broadcast quota is a modest five hours daily. As for sustenance, fully stocked pantries await in the kitchens for you to prepare your own meals. We won’t be maintaining a permanent staff presence here during this initial week; those wretched slimes attempted to unionize and demand exorbitant wages, so you’ll simply have to manage things yourselves for now.”
Barit shrugged his skeletal shoulders. Those insufferable slimes were attempting price gouging, and he refused to surrender a single copper coin of unjust overhead.
“Alright, alright,” Huey waved him away impatiently. “Shoo, be on your way.”
Don’t go interrupting my private two-person getaway with the lord.
Once the Lich departed, Huey jingled the heavy ring of keys. “Let’s see here… ah, found it, this one!”
Unlocking the heavy portal and pushing it open, they were greeted by an arresting expanse of pristine, ethereal white. The room was populated by floating feathers and fluffy, cloud-like tufts held aloft by localized levitation arrays, rendering the entire chamber impossibly sacred and immaculate.
Even the sprawling bed had been sculpted into the likeness of a massive cumulus cloud, looking so luxuriously plush it practically invited visitors to dive headfirst and bounce around.
“Hungry?” Inspecting the interior layout, Xavier spotted a compact, fully equipped kitchenette tucked into the corner. “You consumed very little this morning; you must be feeling famished by now.”
Flop-diving straight onto the cloud bed, Huey hugged his backpack, dangled his legs over the edge, and batted his eyelashes with a sweet, coquettish smile. “Famished!”
Curving his lips into an amused smile, Xavier methodically rolled back his wide cuffs. “Rest for a moment; I’ll whip up something for you.”
The kitchenette sat diagonally opposite the grand bed. Resting his chin upon his hands while lounging across the cushions, Huey tracked Xavier’s broad back as he moved about the kitchen, his heart swelling with an escalating tide of warmth and adoration.
Right then! Snatching up his broadcasting orb, he calibrated the device. Today’s five-hour broadcast quota needs to be knocked out anyway I might as well initiate the stream a bit early.
“Hello everyone, guess where I’m currently broadcasting from?” Tilting his head toward the lens, Huey flashed a bright, sunny smile.
“No, obviously I’m not up in Heaven! Though this aesthetic certainly matches the vibe.” Chuckling at the frantic stream of speculative bullet comments scrolling past, Huey panned the camera around to offer a comprehensive tour of the chamber.
“This is actually a brand-new romantic sanctuary newly established by the Liches the Wandering Valley ” Huey adopted a conspiratorial tone. “And I happen to be part of their exclusive inaugural batch of guests. This particular suite represents one of their premier thematic designs: the Heaven-themed room.”
Pacing across the plush bed, Huey reached behind a cumulus-shaped pillow to fish out a fluffy, pristine pair of white handcuffs.
“Is there anything more exhilarating than indulging in acts of passionate intimacy amidst an aura of absolute purity and light?”
Swinging the fuzzy handcuffs teasingly before the lens, he purred, “Little novelties like this are scattered all over the villa, waiting for guests to discover them~”
“Hm? Asking if I’m touring alone?” Shifting the camera angle to capture Xavier’s silhouette actively cooking in the kitchenette, Huey beamed with unconcealed sweetness. “I would never dream of wasting such a magnificent setting on a solo trip. I’m dining on a meal prepared personally by my lord!”
Having completed his showcase, Huey brought the camera back around, noting the chat already exploding with eager inquiries regarding the resort’s location and pricing.
Naturally, seizing the promotional opportunity was priority number one!
Lifting the digital map supplied by Barit directly into frame, Huey announced: “This is indeed the newly revamped Wandering Valley. The Liches have completely transformed the landscape, introducing amazing new attractions like hot springs.”
Tracing his finger across the map, Huey continued down the list: “The Mystic Blossom Sea, the Vow-Binding Waterfall…”
As his slender finger glided across a specific entry, however, it suddenly came to a dead stop.
The Twin-Joined Everlasting Tree.
“The Twin-Joined Everlasting Tree…” Huey murmured in mild astonishment, wondering how on earth the Liches managed to relocate such a botanical anomaly into their valley.
Within the entire Underworld, locating even three specimens of the Twin-Joined Everlasting Tree proved nearly impossible. Despite the nomenclature implying twin birth, the two arboreal entities represented distinct species locked in an eternal struggle for survival and nutrients. From the moment of germination, their trunks intertwined in a relentless race for dominance, where history dictated that only a single tree would ultimately survive the attrition.
However, once their entanglement endured past a span of ten thousand years and achieved energetic equilibrium, they ceased their parasitic warfare entirely, fusing their life forces into a state of everlasting symbiosis.
Legend maintained that any couple who confessed their devotion beneath the boughs of the Twin-Joined Everlasting Tree would remain bound together for eternity, mirroring the arboreal embrace through shifting days and nights.
A rosy flush crept up the young succubus’s cheeks. Glancing sideways once more toward Xavier’s focused silhouette, an audacious, thrilling resolve took root within his chest.
Why not… on the seventh and final day of our stay… confess my love directly to the lord? Right beneath the branches of the Twin-Joined Everlasting Tree.