“Here, take it.” Huey handed the retrieved ticket back to Sophiel, then sidled up to Xavier with a blushing face and whispered, “W—would you like to participate in the festival? I can buy a ticket for you.”
Xavier gently shook his head.
“I’m sorry,” Huey immediately defrosted, lowering his head in dejected, quiet apology.
The next second, a familiar ticket was held between two slender fingers and extended right toward him.
“I’ve already purchased a ticket.”
Looking up in pleasant surprise, Huey spotted the sexy succubus ticket-seller older sister in the background secretly flashing him a hand gesture a universally recognized signal among succubi urging him to hurry up and lock down the mighty arch-demon standing before him.
“I’ve been in slumber for a long time; perhaps you could show me around and guide me properly through this grand festival,” Xavier said warmly. Evil spirits had manifested within the Verses Valley, and he needed to infiltrate the area to investigate. Going in alone risked drawing unwanted entanglements from strange succubi, so bringing along this little cutie made carrying out his mission considerably more convenient.
“Of course!” Huey replied, his voice ringing out with enthusiastic loudness. “I will definitely show you a wonderful time!”
After passing through the ticket check and entering the grounds, Sophiel very tactfully indicated to Huey that she intended to go off on her own and avoid intruding upon the two demons’ private world.
Before departing, Sophiel even gave a suggestive nod toward the storage ring on Huey’s finger, winking and wiggling her brows to remind him not to forget about those “treasures” he had brought along from the dark elf territory.
What an overly enthusiastic dark elf lady! Blushing with a mixture of embarrassment and indignation, Huey nudged Sophiel away. Even as a succubus, he couldn’t help but feel his cheeks burn at his friend’s bold and uninhibited frankness.
“Is it too hot?”
A gentle breeze swept across their faces. Noticing Huey’s beet-red complexion, Xavier instinctively channeled a wisp of magic to cool him down; if he hadn’t, it looked as though the little succubus might spontaneously combust from sheer shyness.
“Thank you, my lord.” Huey hurriedly patted his own flushed cheeks, seizing the opportunity to yank back his tail, which was once again attempting to sneakily coil itself around another demon’s waist.
Beyond offering small gadgets crafted by Underworld residents to enhance the harmony of a couple’s life, the “Sweet Romance” festival also hosted various competitive events. Paired up as a succubus and their companion, participants cleared stages across different games to earn rewards and points, with the succubus holding the highest score at the conclusion ultimately claiming the festival’s grand prize.
Along the pathways, numerous succubi and their companions had already begun participating in the games. Blindfolded grape-feeding, kissing contests, and synchronicity challenges dazzled Huey’s eyes and left him burning with envy.
Upon witnessing a succubus win a prize and enthusiastically reward his companion with a passionate kiss, Huey couldn’t help stealing a sideways glance at Xavier, who was walking forward in silence, a flicker of eager anticipation blooming deep within his heart.
If you’re a succubus, you have to learn to take the initiative!
“My lord.” Pointing toward a gaming attraction up ahead, the dainty little succubus chimed in with a sweet, coquettish tone, “Would you like to join this game activity? You can win all sorts of prizes~”
“Hm?” Xavier halted in his tracks, turning to offer an apologetic smile. “Pardon me, Huey. I was pondering some matters just now were you hoping to play a game?”
Having deployed his divine sense outward to its maximum extent earlier, Xavier had been scouring the entirety of the Verses Valley in search of evil spirit traces, temporarily letting his attention wander away from Huey.
Sensing his distraction, a brief pang of disappointment rippled through Huey, but he quickly rallied, beaming brightly and sweetly. “I heard that the prize for some of these events is the complete set of clothing and accessories from the Succubus Fashion Magazine. They look gorgeous.”
In truth, Huey had no earthly idea what the prizes for this festival were; he had simply blurted out the first thing that came to mind, purely intent on using it as a pretext to foster intimacy with Xavier.
Having cast his divine awareness outward for a prolonged period without locating any traces of the evil spirits, Xavier realized such matters could not be rushed. While he waited, he certainly didn’t mind participating in a few games with this little succubus to win whatever caught his fancy.
“Very well, then. Let’s go win back whatever it is you’re wishing for.”
Readily agreeing, Xavier gestured for Huey to lead the way. Clueless about the actual prizes, Huey began surreptitiously scanning the surrounding booths to see which games might promote closeness without crossing the line into excessive intimacy.
Well, even for a succubus, one shouldn’t be too brazenly forward, he reasoned. Matters of the heart still require a gradual, step-by-step approach. After all, Xavier hasn’t explicitly confessed his affection for me yet.
Just as Huey was craning his neck to inspect the game stalls, Xavier’s brow furrowed abruptly. Spinning around on his heel, he fixed his gaze upon a specific direction, having caught a sudden, distinct whiff of evil spirit energy.
“Oh?” Following his line of sight, Huey blinked in puzzlement and asked, “Would you care to play this one?”
“What lies over there?” Concentrating his perception further, Xavier clearly sensed that an abundance of evil spirits were concealed within that massive, looming structure. It felt as though some form of seal had just been shattered, allowing their aura to suddenly spill forth into the open.
Squinting to examine it closer, Huey recognized the structure instantly it was a gloomy, dark-spired little castle with ravens perched atop its peaks cawing loudly. The entire edifice exuded an ominous, sepulchral aura, with wisps of tangible black qi coiling menacingly around its ancient battlements.
“Oh, that’s the Dark Night Castle,” Huey said, recalling tales from his older sisters and speaking with absolute familiarity. “Demons who enter the castle have their magic temporarily sealed, receiving the identity of ordinary human mortals from the surface world. They have five hours to track down a hidden treasure within, and the first group to discover it wins the game and claims all the prizes.”
Nodding, Xavier turned his gaze back to Huey and inquired politely, “Shall we go try this one, then?”
“O—of course we can!” Huey agreed without a moment’s hesitation. There was one minor detail he had deliberately omitted: every pair of demons entering the attraction was automatically paired as companions, assigned mortal identities as a couple, and as the roleplay plot progressed, it inevitably triggered various ambiguous, heart-pounding scenarios!
Flushing with excitement, he hurried off to register. As luck would have it, the grand prize for this specific game happened to be the exact complete set of Succubus Fashion Magazine apparel and accessories he had casually mentioned just moments ago.
“The two of you just need to hold hands and step through this doorway.” The slime receptionist guided them up to the threshold, gesturing toward an entrance parted by a narrow gap.
Gazing into the profound, impenetrable darkness lying just beyond the door, Xavier raised a brow slightly. “A teleportation array?”
Right there on the floor just inside the doorway sat an intricate, densely carved teleportation rune circle.
“This is a precision-crafted teleportation apparatus personally installed by a goblin master! Aside from transporting participants and temporarily sealing their magical power, it features several other functions as well,” the slime explained, giving the two demons an ambiguous wink. Heaven only knew how its jelly-like body managed to pull off such an expression.
“Naturally, the moment you step outside the castle boundaries, the magic-sealing spell automatically deactivates,” the slime clarified, noting that the sole purpose of the seal was simply to prevent competitors from cheating by using search magic to locate the treasure.
Without missing a beat, Huey proactively slid his small hand directly into Xavier’s palm, feigning absolute composure as he urged, “Let’s hurry inside! Each round only permits five groups of players, and four groups have already gone in.”
The little succubus projected a cool, unbothered demeanor, entirely unaware that the tail thrashing frantically behind him had already completely betrayed his inner agitation.
A succubus’s small hand felt exceptionally soft, delicate, and refreshingly cool to the touch. Xavier instinctively closed his fingers around it, enclosing the smaller hand securely within his own warm palm.
“Let’s go.”
Two figures crossed the threshold, a flash of dim light illuminating the doorway before vanishing completely into the gloom within.
Satisfyingly closing the grand doors behind them, the slime turned around and promptly froze in sheer terror, instantly melting into a puddle of translucent jelly-pancake on the floor.
“M-my… my lord.”
“Who gave you permission to send people in?!” A gloomy, sinister voice echoed out from a dark, shadowed corner just outside the castle walls.
“D-doesn’t our Dark Night Castle open up every single time the festival is held?” The slime whimpered, shrinking in size out of sheer fright as a puddle of pale-green liquid began pooling across the ground around its dissolving form.
“Useless trash! What kind of treasure was arranged for this round? Hurry up and find a way to get them out once they locate it!”
Wearing a look of profound grievance and sporting a tearful expression, the slime squeaked, “I can’t, my lord! This round’s treasure is the hardest one to find…”
Before it could finish its sentence, the slime let out a piercing shriek and dissolved completely into a puddle of stagnant green water.
“We really shouldn’t employ these brainless creatures,” the master of the voice muttered under his breath with a dark curse, suppressing a surge of rising fury. “Let’s just pray those… things don’t get exposed.”