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Sheila-san's reflexes were just too fast and precise—even a certain long-haired black cat girl currently rolling around on the living room sofa at home, brain full of schemes about how to thoroughly make kittens tonight, didn't have time to react.
And so, having just returned from the shopping center below with groceries, Bokue hadn't even had a chance to go back to the apartment and set things down before a certain nightmare housewife dragged him directly to her own residence.
The scene shifted to a familiar hotel suite—
"Sniff sniff..."
On the living room sofa, Sheila crouched over the young man's lap like a cat searching for the scent of fish, burying her face around his waist level and constantly sniffing around.
This was naturally still at the peak of the Keystone Gate.
Sheila, along with Mio Naruse, Maria, and the others, were still living in the same hotel suite they'd occupied back when they were in Tokyo. When Bokue had previously claimed Itogami Island, their suite had been relocated here as well—just like Yukina and Nagisa's apartment, with the space connected seamlessly.
After all, this way they were already comfortable with their living arrangements. Plus, Sheila was quite fond of this modern-style open-plan suite.
Though it was completely different from the traditional demon realm noble castle aesthetic, in Sheila's own words: castles were too heavy and oppressive, whereas these open-plan suites felt refreshing and spacious.
"Mm~ just as I thought—it really is Lilith's power."
Taking a long breath, Sheila pushed herself up from the young man's embrace with both hands.
She'd been sniffing continuously for a good two or three minutes. Having kept her head in a lowered position for so long caused blood to rush to her head, bringing a subtle flush to her delicate face. Her silver hair—identical to Maria's—had become slightly disheveled from her earlier movements.
Bokue slipped his hands under her arms, lifting her up and setting her properly on his lap. The nightmare housewife cooperatively smiled faintly, extending both arms to wrap around the young man's neck.
"So who is this 'Lilith' you're talking about, Sheila?"
"Mm, how should I explain this~"
Sheila pressed her lips together, tilting her head as she thought seriously.
"Bokue, you know the origin of the current Four Great Satans' names in the demon realm, right?"
"More or less."
Bokue nodded.
To be precise, the titles of the demon realm's Four Great Satans had never actually changed. Lucifer, Leviathan, Beelzebub, Asmodeus... these were all names of the original Satans—the first demon realm powerhouses to break through to Satan-class and reach the pinnacle.
Each subsequent generation of Satans—whether to commemorate them or simply for unified convenience—would change their surnames to match the original Satans' names upon ascending to that rank.
Like Sirzechs Lucifer, or Serafall Leviathan.
The Satan surnames could even be passed down to descendants, like Vali Lucifer.
Of course, all you inherited was the surname itself—proof that your ancestors had once been great. Whether you could reach those heights yourself still depended entirely on your own abilities.
"Well, that makes this much easier to explain."
Sheila smiled, her fingertip tracing across the young man's Adam's apple. She paused there briefly, lightly scratching it, instantly raising the atmosphere's intimacy level by thirty percent.
"Simply put, Lilith is the same deal. As the first nightmare to reach the pinnacle, Lilith's mental control abilities alone put her on par with Satan-class beings."
"So you're saying that girl is this generation's Lilith?"
Bokue raised an eyebrow.
Following logical reasoning, that should be correct. However, the nightmare housewife's next words immediately overturned his assumption.
"Mm, not quite. Lilith's title doesn't work like that—there's no inheritance involved. No one has managed to claim her mantle yet. The reason is quite simple..."
"As far as I know, Lilith—the first nightmare to reach the pinnacle—is still alive to this day."
Oh?
Bokue paused slightly, though he wasn't particularly shocked.
It made perfect sense. The reason the demon realm's Four Great Satans had all been replaced over the years was fundamentally because they'd gone too hard during that great war and gotten themselves killed.
But that didn't mean demons died easily. Quite the opposite—even the weakest low-class demons possessed lifespans so long they were practically eternal.
In other words, if this Lilith hadn't been suicidal enough to participate in the tripartite war, surviving until now was entirely reasonable.
"However, regarding the girl you met today, Bokue..."
Sheila paused again here, thinking for a moment before continuing.
"She definitely inherited the Witch of the Night Lilith's power. Though it's still quite weak, it's genuine... Of course, to you, Bokue, it doesn't matter at all."
After all, the Magnetic Field's greatest strength was willpower—a soul or spirit so powerful it surpassed even an invincible physical body.
Especially now that Bokue had successfully reached the final realm. With his current strength, even if a thousand Liliths personally descended to use mental control on him, Bokue could casually reverse it with a single thought, turning them all into a thousand bent-over pushovers.
"Well, though this was unexpected, it's probably better to remove it."
As Sheila spoke, she reached out to brush at Bokue's waist.
"There's a saying: rivals in the same trade are enemies. We nightmares really hate having other nightmares' magical energy on our men. For me, the only two I could probably accept would be Maria and—"
"Mother??"
Before she could finish, a girl's voice rang out. Both Bokue and Sheila turned their heads simultaneously toward the source, only to see a tall, mature-figured silver-haired nightmare girl—about seventy percent similar in appearance to Sheila—standing at the hallway entrance leading to the bedroom. She stared at the embracing pair on the sofa with apparent surprise.
"Oh my? Did we accidentally wake you up, Lucia?"
Sheila blinked, equally surprised.
"Weren't you taking an afternoon nap? You're up early today."
"I ate something a bit salty at lunch, so I got thirsty. After drinking some water on my way back, I heard voices in the living room..."
Lucia's gaze wandered, seemingly reluctant to look directly at the overlapping figures on the sofa.
"I see."
Sheila appeared completely unconcerned, even patting the sofa beside her.
"Then why not sit down and chat with us for a bit?"
"N-no thanks. I'll head back to my room..."
Though understanding her mother's intentions, Lucia—who still couldn't accept them—simply shook her head before turning and disappearing down the hallway.
The nightmare housewife on the sofa watched her daughter's departing figure, gradually reining in her expression before finally pouting with resignation.
"That girl really is... sigh... looks like she still needs more time."
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