That night, Samael lay in bed with his eyes closed, sorting through his thoughts.
Judging from the current situation, the Lion King's fusion with the Holy Lance would only deepen with the passage of time and the gradual convergence of Mystery. As the price of becoming a Divine Spirit, her emotions would increasingly be suppressed by reason, perhaps even erased entirely.
But the process was not irreversible. At least for now, Artoria still had likes and dislikes, along with the most basic desires.
If he seized on those and provided enough external stimulation, he might be able to slow down her deification. Once an opportunity arose to weaken the protection surrounding her, then he could push her down...
Ahem. Push down... push down the Sacred Round Table Realm and rebuild Britannia!
Samael nodded to himself, deeply impressed by his own noble integrity and complete lack of selfish motives as he devoted himself entirely to the welfare of the world.
Returning from his wandering thoughts, the Ancient Serpent reviewed everything that had happened during the day. His eyes flickered, and he could not resist complaining again.
Just to mooch a meal, she actually left the palace she had barely stepped out of for months after taking over Camelot and came all the way to their house. It was impressive in its own way.
Just how deep is your grudge against Gawain's mashed potatoes?
Still, now that he thought about it, this was actually a very useful opening. It might even become the key to breaking the current deadlock.
There was no helping it. Meals still had to be made, so they would need to stock up on more rice at home...
A teasing gleam appeared in Samael's eyes as he made up his mind.
Once he finished reviewing the day's events, the Ancient Serpent began quieting his mind, preparing to sleep and recover his spirits. Just then, the bedroom door gave a faint tremor. Under the moonlight, a graceful silhouette was cast into the room.
"Still awake?"
Samael looked at the Witch who had come to visit him in the middle of the night, unable to hide his surprise.
But just as the Ancient Serpent prepared to sit up and receive his visitor, a sudden weight pressed down on his shoulder. A pale hand pushed half of his body back against the bed.
Forced back down, Samael cleared his throat, his gaze drifting uncertainly.
"Ahem, can't whatever it is wait until tomorrow?"
"Tonight will do."
Morgan looked down at the prey beneath her like a queen surveying what belonged to her. In the cool moonlight, the corners of her lips curled slightly.
"It's time for you to fulfill your duties, my dear husband."
The intricate blue-black bindings slipped away. Beneath the moonlight, a piece of flawless, naturally sculpted white jade was revealed before Samael's eyes, its breathtaking curves and contours laid bare.
"Give me a child..."
The Witch murmured as she lowered herself, like an aggressive lioness patrolling her territory, ready to leave the marks of her claws upon a serpent marsh she had never before entered and claim it as her own.
Their lips met, and everything followed naturally.
After the commotion finally subsided, Samael looked at the figure sleeping peacefully in the crook of his arm like a resting begonia blossom, and another surge of restlessness stirred within him.
After only the briefest pause, a new storm was already beginning to gather.
"This time, allow me to serve you, Your Majesty."
As the Ancient Serpent murmured, his narrow vertical pupils opened in the darkness, gleaming faintly. Like a giant python contesting a lion for dominion over its territory, he coiled around the majestic beast and promptly turned her over, reclaiming the initiative.
"Then I shall entrust this matter to you, Lord Samael..."
A cold, solemn voice came from below, sounding like a monarch issuing an order. Those deep eyes burned with golden green flames in the darkness, while the long silver hair had somehow become as bright and striking as golden wheat.
At the same time, a single golden lock of hair stood upright like a stalk of oats swaying in the breeze.
It was none other than the Lion King who presided over Camelot!
Samael's pupils contracted sharply, and his entire body froze.
A moment later, however, the Ancient Serpent's face turned terrifyingly dark. His clenched teeth ground together as he slammed down a palm.
The solemn and imposing Lion King lying on the bed instantly dissolved into purplish red flower petals, scattering through the air before fading completely into nothingness.
The scene before him warped and shifted.
Samael was still lying in bed. The doors and windows remained tightly shut and locked.
Meanwhile, a certain white-haired woman sat at the bedside, stroking her smooth chin with great interest as she watched the male lead in the live action performance unfolding before her. The moment she opened her mouth, her voice was overflowing with mockery.
"Not bad for a little welcome gift, right? Looks like you were enjoying yourself quite a bit."
"Mari! You damned liar. Are you itching for another beating?"
Samael snorted through clenched teeth, his gaze sinister and his expression decidedly unfriendly.
"Tsk, tsk. Don't be so fierce. Tell me, wasn't it moving to finally have your dream come true? Did you almost cry? No need to thank me, though. I'm just a kindhearted big sister who loves helping people!"
Mari grinned and nudged the victim, who had just sat up in bed, with her elbow.
A murderous aura gathered between Samael's brows as he stared darkly at this Succubus who spent all day teasing him instead of doing anything useful.
"When did you escape from the stone statue?"
"Ah-ha, let me think..."
Mari raised an index finger and tilted up her breathtaking face, murmuring thoughtfully.
"Was it the day you all had dinner with the Lion King and nearly started a fight? Or the day you rampaged through the palace and took on more than half the Knights of the Round Table by yourself? Or maybe the day you and those little ones silenced people in the alley? Oh dear, I can't remember."
"Enough. Shut up!"
The muscles in Samael's face twitched as he raised a hand and ordered the shameless woman to stop talking.
What a load of crap about not remembering. She even knew perfectly well how he had dealt with his pursuers. This woman had probably already found a way to escape from the moment Morgan placed the spell on her.
Ordinary petrification powder could never imprison this elusive damned Succubus.
Now the Ancient Serpent could finally understand Morgan's opinion of Mari firsthand.
Mari was a nightmare itself. No matter how many times you killed her, she would somehow exploit the opportunity to pop back up somewhere else and keep bringing back unpleasant memories. So... the only solution was to lock her away. More importantly, under absolutely no circumstances could you go near her afterward. Otherwise, she would trick you again with that silver tongue of hers.
Damn it. That worthless woman had imitated Morgan and Artoria's behavior and mannerisms almost perfectly just now. On top of that, she had exploited the information gap between them. Her performance practically deserved an Oscar.
"So these past few days, you haven't been doing a damned thing. You've just been hiding in the shadows watching the show?"
When Samael realized that all the increasingly intimate everyday interactions between himself and Morgan had basically become a romantic soap opera for Mari's amusement, a vein bulged on the Ancient Serpent's forehead.
"Not entirely. I did applaud you two."
Mari blinked and smiled brightly, without even the slightest trace of guilt.
"Besides, didn't I prepare a very thoughtful welcome gift for you? What do you think? My acting was pretty good, wasn't it? I secretly rehearsed for ages just so you could have a nice experience."
As she spoke, the shameless Succubus smacked her lips with lingering satisfaction, as though savoring the rare bit of entertainment she had just enjoyed.
Then Mari pointed toward the crescent moon hanging high outside the window. She lightly touched a fingertip to her lips, while a seductive gleam appeared in her dreamlike purplish red eyes.
"Speaking of which, it's still early. Want to keep experiencing the Lion King's service?"
"Experience it, huh? Sure!"
A chilling whisper reached Mari's ear, like the hiss of a serpent flicking its tongue.
The next instant, the white-haired woman beside the bed was seized by an arm like an iron clamp and hurled backward onto the mattress.
Under the moonlight, the serpent rose and looked down at her. Hellfire burned within its vertical pupils, while the body standing before the bed cast a pitch-black shadow like some monstrous fiend, as though it were about to swallow the entire world.
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