"I missed you!"
"Yeah… It's been quiet without you." Ashen ruefully smiled. From his perspective, it's been a hundred years of separation, with only the ghosts of her memories coming to keep him company occasionally.
Normally, not seeing a person for such a long time would lead to forgetfulness, dissolution of love, and finally… indifference.
Ashen was quite the opposite in that regard. With every year without them, he would realize anew how much they meant to him. Without their presence and company, he came to know how much he truly cared about them… And how deep his love ran for each of them.
The same went for his family.
If not for the demihuman situation, he would have flown back to Esperra with his lovers as soon as he set himself free.
But he can't very well leave the territory that they have worked hard to create alone when it clearly needs him, can he? Not to mention his responsibility for every citizen who had chosen to trust him by living under his rule.
The only silver lining in this was that he had them by his side. Lucia, Alice, and… her.
"Is that so… then why do I feel like you've been avoiding me? Or did you suddenly develop a fondness for silence?" Her lips curved faintly. "I doubt it, though, judging by the sounds I keep hearing every night."
Seraphine sauntered over with an unhurried, teasing sway, circling to the side of his desk before settling herself atop it, far too close for comfort.
"That…" Ashen instantly wanted to argue. Him? Avoiding his little angel? What utter nonsense. But as he recalled how he spent every night with either Alice or Lucia, the words he was about to utter were swallowed back.
"...Seraphine. I'm sorry." The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. He did not realise it himself; otherwise, he would never have let it reach the point where she would have to call him out on it.
"Sorry?" She clicked her tongue. "Nuh-uh, tiger. That won't fly. I want something tangible… tangible~ you understaaand?" Seraphine lifted her heeled foot and nudged his thigh under the desk with a lazy grin.
Only then did he notice her dress.
The faction's… distinctive attire left little to the imagination. The low-cut cleavage above, high-slit on her thighs below, all clinging most sinfully, paired with the strap stockings that framed her legs far too well. And atop it all, that absurdly innocent nun's veil, like it was desperately trying to lie on her behalf… and failing; it was clear that the naughty blonde did not come with any harmless intentions in mind.
Since the mansion only housed him, Sabrina, and the three of the 'sisters', Ashen saw no problem with her choice of apparel. But did she forget that her path was Lust no longer?
She was embodying Chastity now, and the price of betraying that… she should be clear about it.
Otherwise, why would she have avoided any overly intimate physical contact with him before?
Ashen took hold of the misbehaving foot that was sliding in a very dangerous direction and let his eyes move over her. Instead of shying away, she straightened up, as if wordlessly asking him to inspect the 'goods'.
That was when it clicked.
Only now did he understand why he unconsciously avoided her. After his return, he noticed that he was having a really hard time holding back his libido for his three women.
That wasn't a problem for the first two, since if he was horny, he'd just have them satisfy him; the same couldn't be done with Seraphine. And he unconsciously dreaded losing control and doing something he would forever regret.
That must've been why.
He was about to de-escalate the situation when he finally noticed the unnatural flush on her cheeks. His nose identified the faint smell coming from her hot breath next.
"Sera… you're drunk?"
"Ehehe… I'm caught~." Instead of denying it, Seraphine laughed happily, almost as if she was waiting just for that moment.
She slid over, and Ashen had to watch with a constipated expression as she comfortably settled on his lap with both her legs on either of his sides.
She blinked twice and innocently asked, "My Lord, are you going to discipline me?"
"...No." Ashen's lips twitched on their own; however, the disciplining tool swiftly made itself known due to her last stunt, and she must have felt it prodding her, making her backside unnaturally rise upward. But she acted like nothing was wrong.
"No? Are you suure~? You have a bad, drunk, girl… right on your lap… waiting for her punishment…" She leaned in further, all the way until her lips brushed the shell of his ear, and she could feel the hard chest muscles with her breasts.
It was a posture that echoed their tutorial days… back when she played the role of a 'Desire Whisperer,' and it made Ashen's guard drop without him even realizing it.
"Will you really let her go… daddy?"
Spank—
"Ahhh~"
Ashen only caught himself when his hand was already palming her plump rear.
'Fuck.'
He slowly let go, but still did not push her away, allowing her to keep rubbing herself on him like a clingy cat.
"…There's not going to be any punishment. You can get as drunk as you want; as long as I'm around," he said through gritted teeth.
"Huh." Her tone turned curious, almost teasing. "Then what was that lovely tap for, dear? Hmm~?"
Grind… grind…
"Sera… don't push it." Ashen sounded like a man on the brink.
'To hell with this. What chastity? Why pick this path… just to torture me? Arggh…'
"Then…" that was when she took a small bottle out of her side pocket. "How about having a drink with me? It's not forbidden, right? You just said so."
She playfully stuck her tongue at him, but Ashen was too busy glaring at the bottle that carried the same scent on her lips. 'So it's you… the real culprit behind my suffering…'
Grind…
"Hey… answer meee~"
"...Yes, why not, a drink is okay." Ashen eventually nodded in resignation.
"Yayy~!" she quickly uncorked the bottle and took a generous gulp, "C'mon, you too…" Without warning, she brought the bottle straight to his lips, leaving him little choice but to take a sip.
While one hand kept alternating the bottle between their lips, she snaked the other hand behind his neck to make the hug even more intimate.
After a couple of sips, Ashen felt a slight ringing in his head, coupled with a relaxing feeling.
"Did you notice it?" she faintly smiled, "this is a special brand made for pathwalkers~ they say that even Sin Lords can get drunk with enough of it."
"Is that so." Ashen felt like he could purge the intoxication with a thought thanks to his Zenith-ranked skill, but he refrained.
It's been a long time since he had a moment with Seraphine, and against his better judgment, he chose not to ruin it.
"Mmh!" she nodded cheerfully. She had him exactly where she wanted. "Now… onto your own punishment, mister!"
"Oh, is it my turn? Well, I had indeed neglected my darling; you have every right to punish this sinful mortal." Ashen spoke with mock remorse, then raised an eyebrow, as if challenging her, "C'mon, shoot. What are your demands?"
"I demand a confession!" she spoke without flourish.
"Hoh..?" Ashen was curious. "What kind of confession would you like? I think I have already confessed all my sins."
"Nooo…" she whined, "that's not what I'm talking about. I want you to confess your feelings. How do you really feel about me?"
"Don't you already know the answer to that…?"
"But I want you to say it," she guided the bottle back to his lips, and he obliged with yet another sip. "C'mon. Alice might have allowed us to be this way, but we have never defined what this is."
"I distinctly remember you talking about marriage the other time, so I don't think there's any doubt about whatever this was." Ashen laughed at the absurdity of it.
She took another sip and gave her own chuckle, "I don't care. I want to hear it."
"...Fine."
"C'mon, don't I deserve at least this much after all your favoritism? You horny dog!"
"Tsk. Okay. I like you."
"Is that it?" Her eyes narrowed in mock disdain. "Who doesn't?"
Ashen felt his right eyebrow twitch, his lower lip following suit. That look said it all: give me more than that, as if his confession had just been recycled trash.
Given how adored she was by everyone else, it almost felt that way.
"Haah, alright."
He looked straight into those bright blue pupils. "I… love you."
"Hmm~" she nodded in delight, but he wasn't done yet.
His hands reached for her back, and he pulled her completely against him.
"I… adore you. I can't live without you. You are… a necessary component to my continued existence."
This drunk Ashen appeared to be much more daring. As she felt his hot breath on her cheek, Seraphine quickly realised that she was getting much more than she bargained for.
"When I leave you, a corner of my mind will forever be melancholic. The peak of my happiness is to be near you, to see you, to speak to you."
"If I have to slaughter a thousand to save you, I'll kill a million more; if I have to save a kingdom to see your smile, I'll be humanity's salvation."
"What I feel for you will not change. Not now, and not in a hundred years more…"
"Seraphine. I love you. I love you, and I'll keep loving you… until you have not a shred of doubt."
"..."
A slight breath tickled her neck, alongside a lingering kiss. "...Is that enough, or should I keep going?"
"...Enough."
"My feelings are sufficiently clear, I presume?"
"...Clear."
"Good, because I won't allow anyone, including you, to doubt them." He spoke in satisfaction, "Now, give me another sip."
She pulled back a bit, and instead of the rim of the bottle, Ashen was greeted with plush lips.
He understood that this was just her way of giving him the 'sip' as he felt the liquid transfer from her mouth to his.
A sloppy kiss, heavy with wine, blurred the line between taste and desire. They didn't know where their shared saliva ended and the drink began and they didn't care. They were completely lost in each other.
Their hands followed next, roaming with curious urgency, tracing his firm muscles, sliding over her soft thighs, brushing the veins along his neck, and pressing against the curvy rear on his lap.
"Ngnn~"
Ashen felt sparks of mana radiating from her, flowing onto him effortlessly, settling onto his body without needing any refinement, like they were his most obedient children.
Alarm bells rang in his mind, warning him to stop… but Seraphine had other ideas. She clung tighter, her hands moving with daring intent, going as far as tearing through his shirt until his chest was bare, leaving his skin exposed for her fingers to explore without restraint.
"Sera… argg… No…"
"Just… kiss me.. Nynaah…"
Ashen did not understand how the situation had devolved to this point… but he felt his growing desires for the woman before him threatening to overpower his reason.
Bang—!
Seraphine soon found herself back on his desk with her legs spread apart.
That was when they both heard it.
Behold—
The ancient voice resonated for the second time, but despite that, he was as unprepared as the first.
'No…'
His breath ceased, knowing what was coming and its dangers. The one in his hands wasn't Alice, who could callously dismiss people as fake and kill if needed.
She was a healer. She was naive. She was just an airhead who had no business experiencing what was about to happen…
His innate ability let his pleas fall on deaf ears, and the hidden mana harvested from the body of an Outer God was ruthlessly brought to the forefront and greedily sucked by the Beholder's eyes.
…All unfolding for the destined moment, for the destined one.
And as the world decolorized, Ashen felt the same feeling of freely diving down take over him.
The freedom dive did not last more than a brief moment, allowing him to open his eyes to a completely new era.