[Contract of the Mother of Demons: The Waters of Lust within your body have been activated. You have gained the Blessing of the 'Sin of Lust'! (Duration: 24 hours)]
The Blessing of the Sin of Lust?
The moment Kurose Akira read the effect of the Contract of the Mother of Demons, a flash of surprise crossed his mind.
So there really was an intricate connection between Edith and the Mother of Demons.The power she wielded had clearly been granted by that ancient demonic entity.
But that wasn't the only thought running through his mind.
Why are her lips so soft…?
There was even a faint fragrance to them—subtle, intoxicating, like a sweet perfume drifting straight into his senses.
Yet compared to those tender, alluring lips, Edith's movements were anything but gentle.
They were wild.
Almost predatory.
It was as though she were stirring up a storm inside Akira's very soul.
The intensity of it forced Akira to stumble back a step, unable to withstand the assault of the succubus's tongue.
"Mr. Su Xuan!"
"Guildmaster…"
"?"
Naturally, the scene drew immediate displeasure from Yvessa and the others.
None of them could understand what this noblewoman of the Stellar Kingdom was thinking.
Why on earth had she suddenly forced a kiss on their guildmaster?
Compared to the shy reactions of the elf sisters, however, Yvessa and Lucia had no intention of tolerating this.
They acted immediately.
One grabbed Akira's left wrist, the other his right, pulling him away from Edith with decisive force.
Only then did Akira snap back to his senses.
In that moment, he noticed a faint golden ripple shimmering between himself and Edith.
His throat still burned with a lingering heat.
"You weren't charmed by her, were you?" Lucia asked coolly.
She clearly had no desire to see Akira bewitched by some succubus from the Abyss.
"N-No, of course not…" Akira hurriedly shook his head.
But his heart was still pounding.
Edith's kiss had felt as though it carried some strange magic.
For that brief moment, he'd completely lost the ability to resist—like his mind had been hooked and dragged away.
Slowly, Akira lifted his head and looked directly at Edith.
Edith, meanwhile, casually wiped the golden ripple from the corner of her lips with the tip of her finger.
When she noticed his gaze, she merely glanced at him coldly—completely unconcerned about what had just happened.
"Mr. Su Xuan… that woman is dangerous. Please be careful around her."
At that moment, Yvessa wrapped her arms tightly around Akira's wrist and leaned close to whisper in his ear.
Her voice was filled with concern, as though she were genuinely afraid he might fall under Edith's spell.
"…?"
Her warning left Akira with a rather complicated expression.
Is she… jealous of herself?
In this world, was there really someone capable of getting jealous of their own other self?
Of course, Yvessa still didn't know Edith's true identity…
Akira coughed lightly and reassured her.
"Don't worry. I specialize in dealing with dangerous women."
"You should still be careful~"
Yvessa cast Edith a wary glance before lowering her voice again.
"Mr. Su Xuan belongs to me. I can't let another succubus steal you away…"
"…."
Her quiet words left Akira puzzled.
After all, her attitude toward Elum before had been completely different.
Even though Elum wasn't a member of the guild—and was also a succubus—Yvessa had still willingly shared her life magic with her.
Yet when it came to Edith, she seemed incredibly vigilant.
Is it because she thinks Elum isn't a threat?
That explanation actually seemed plausible.
Within the guild, Yvessa appeared to remain cautious only toward Lucia, while always treating Roselyn and Alice with friendliness.
So in the end…
Was it simply because she feared Edith might compete with her for food?
At that moment, Edith urged impatiently,
"Let's go. We're short on time."
"Right."
The instant Akira nodded, another system notification appeared in his mind.
[High-Difficulty Quest Acquired: The Change of the Stars!][Quest Description: Support a 'King' in ascending the throne of the Stellar Kingdom!][Quest Reward: ???][Hidden Quest: ???]
"A high-difficulty quest?"
Akira glanced briefly at the notification before immediately following Edith deeper into the royal palace.
According to the information she had provided, Blue Kai had not truly died.
Instead, he was hiding within the king's bedchamber.
Their top priority was to locate and eliminate him.
As for Princess Vivian, drawing down the power of the stars required time.
Meanwhile, the enemies attempting to stop her from seizing the throne were being held back by the demigod-level Stellar Knight.
However…
That knight didn't appear to be fighting to kill.
It seemed more like he was simply maintaining order as the guardian of the throne.
Before long, Edith led Akira to the king's bedchamber.
Because chaos had erupted outside the palace, their infiltration went unusually smoothly.
As they approached the chamber, Akira noticed a black mist shrouding the area.
However, the aura of this mist didn't seem to come from Blue Kai.
Instead, it felt strangely similar to the presence of the Witch of the Night.
"He's inside," Edith said quietly while looking at the bedchamber ahead.
Before entering, Akira asked her a question.
"The Demon King chose to hide in the king's chamber… is it because the king is about to die? Using him as cover?"
"The king… about to die?"
Hearing that, Edith let out a cold laugh.
"Let's go inside."
With that, she stepped forward toward the royal chamber.
The moment Edith approached the door—
The black mist was instantly scattered by the surge of her magic.
At the same time, the doors to the chamber creaked open.
Revealing the scene within.
"…What?"
The moment Akira stepped into the king's bedchamber, his brow furrowed.
The elderly king of the Stellar Kingdom lay quietly on the bed.
He was still wearing the golden armor that symbolized his royal authority.
But his breathing was faint.
His body had withered to the point that he resembled a dried corpse.
And above the king's head—
Floating in midair—
Was the soul of a demon.
Blue Kai.
"Edith!"
The instant Blue Kai saw her appear, his expression became serious.
His voice dropped low.
"Why are you here?"
Edith didn't answer his question.
Instead, she spoke coldly.
"Why bother asking pointless questions? All you need to do… is quietly accept death."
The moment her words fell—
A storm of dazzling rose petals suddenly bloomed around her, swirling like a vast sea of flowers.
Blue Kai's expression darkened instantly.
His voice thundered with fury.
"Edith! Are you truly planning to become my enemy?!"
"Your death," she replied calmly, "is the best outcome for the Abyss of Lust."
As soon as she finished speaking—
The rose petals surrounding her shot forward like a torrential storm, rushing toward Blue Kai's soul.
Blue Kai exploded with rage.
"You stupid bitch! You're courting death!"
His ghostly blue soul erupted with crackling lightning, colliding violently with Edith's storm of rose petals.
Even though Blue Kai had lost his physical body and existed only as a soul—
He still possessed an overwhelming reserve of magical power.
This left Akira deeply confused.
Despite Blue Kai's strength, he wasn't an undead-type unit.
Logically speaking, a being like him shouldn't retain such power after death.
And yet…
"Enemies incoming!"
Suddenly, four passageways appeared out of thin air inside the king's bedchamber.
From them, countless monsters began pouring out in a flood.
"I'll deal with Blue Kai," Edith said to Akira."You handle those monsters."
"Understood."
Akira nodded and immediately organized Roselyn and the others to intercept the monsters streaming out of the passages.
At the same time, he activated his Half-Dragon Transformation, preparing to plunge into battle.
But just as he was about to move—
His left eye suddenly began twitching violently.
At the same time—
A woman with long black hair had somehow appeared silently in the corner of the king's chamber.
She watched Akira without blinking.
A strange smile curved across her lips.
The sight sent an inexplicable chill down his spine.
Akira's pupils contracted.
"…The Witch of the Night!"