Eventually, the festivities died down, with half the knights who had taken a rest earlier taking watch on the walls. To avoid a possible retaliatory night raid, a few seasoned hunters used to sleepless nights also joined.
The tent itself was simple: a small bedroll, atop some hay, a table with a candle and various documents on cheap parchment brought by Old Levi from the mansion. Luka flung the gambeson, leather tunic and other cumbersome clothes over the makeshift table.
"That's better—ugh!"
He couldn't help but wince after sniffing his raised arms, looking at the primative wooden basket used for temporary bathing.
"Do I really have to bathe in this thing... it seems cold."
Countless times, he'd seen humans bathing, but when on a march or in a small village, they'd use cold water drawn from the well and endure the icy chill.
While confused on what to do about the situation, the curtain of his tent fluttered in the air, and a figure stepped inside, quickly fastening it shut.
"Hm?"
A blaze of heat flared in his abdomen the moment the light illuminated her figure.
[Desire Growing Explosively!]
Galatea stepped inside with haste.
Her bare feet tapped the floor with a pitter-patter matching the rain outside. Her long ash-blonde hair, down across one shoulder, gave a sensual and seductive feeling, different from her usual high ponytail.
She wore an elegantly laced black nightgown with thin straps that clung to her athletic, revealing a bountiful cleavage filled to the brim. His heart beat sped up, pounding faster and faster as his crotch became tight.
Galatea came to the opposite side of his desk, leaning forward atop an open book, her shoulders rolled forward, squishing her breasts together. With a faint blush on her cheeks and a glossy pink shimmer across her lips, she glanced up at him with.
"Good evening, Lord."
His spine tingled from the way her voice vibrated in the air.
Confused at the sudden change in her, he remained still, trying to understand her goal.
"Galatea, what brings you to my tent like this...?"
She adjusted her position, shifting closer and placing her hand on his thigh, curling her lips ever so slightly. "Didn't you ask me to come, Luka?" She cocked her head to the side, deepening her smile.
There was a hint of fruit and ale on her breath, though not excessive; it was clear she'd been drinking the fruit wine from his father's wake.
He couldn't help but notice the silky hair flowing down her cheek whenever she moved, and his hand subconsciously tried to brush it behind her ears.
"Mm, well, I didn't expect you to dress so..."
"So... what? How am I dressed, Luka?"
The atmosphere around her wasn't normal, and despite his body's desperate hunger, begging to devour her whole.
Luka's mind remained clear, trying to judge the situation.
Eventually, she came before him, her eyes glistening in the candlelight, while her wide hips swayed ever closer, almost pressed against his.
There wasn't a chance...
He could feel himself pressing against her, the throbbing in his crotch growing as blood rushed from his head as it swelled further.
[Lust at critical Levels]
'Ah... so this is what humans feel when they want to copulate?'
His throat became dry, and itchy... he wanted to kiss those soft lips, watching their every slight movement as they pressed together. The ache in his crotch was strange, a sense of pleasure and tightness he'd never experienced before.
Luka swallowed heavily as her hand brushed against his cock.
That's when her face froze.
[Galatea's Loyalty Dropped!]
[Galatea's Affection Dropped!]
[Galatea's Corruption Increased!]
"..."
Galatea's eyes shifted from her hand, up to his face, then she took a step back and lifted her dress, revealing more of her plump thighs and dragged something hidden free from her garter belt.
Silver.
The glint of a dagger.
Luka's pupils shrank as he staggered back, but Galatea followed, her physical abilities could match his easily as she pinned him against the pillar of the tent.
"Who are you!?"
"What do you think you're doing, Galatea?" Luka didn't panic, but spoke with a calm, deep voice, while staring into her eyes.
[Oblivion has swallowed your Desires!]
[Sin Energy Increased by 2]
A cold, depressing calm returned.
His eyes sharpened from the moment she took action. He didn't judge her but tried to understand the reason why her loyalty rapidly dropped with each second.
For the first time, he scanned her using the Destiny System.
The normal royal blue screen instead flashed deep red, a sign of a hostile target analysed by the System.
[Destiny Record]
Name: Galatea de Alverain
Age: 23
Race: Human
Level: 0
Class: Knight
Talent: Quick Learner (Rare), Valkyrie (Mythic, Sealed), Devoted (Unique), Intuition (Epic)
Skill: Horse Riding (Level 4), Swordsmanship (Level 5), Leadership (Level 2), Natural Charm (Level 10),
[CombatAttributes]
Strength: 13
Endurance: 14
Dexterity: 10
Agility: 10
Willpower: 14
[Extra Attributes]
Loyalty: -90
Affection: -50
Corruption: 0
Charm: 27
—
However, she didn't rush to attack, and the numbers of Loyalty and Affection didn't remain fixed, but fluctuated between extreme positive and negative.
"That's my line, who are you?! Luka would never react this way..."
"Oh, what makes you so confident?"
"Luka.... Luka.... is...." Galatea hesitates before lowering her eyes to his crotch, then back to his face. "Luka favours gentlemen."
"What?!"
Taking advantage of his shock, her lips curl slightly as she becomes convinced, "See."
'Luka was gay?!'
There wasn't a single sign of it in the memories he saw, rather...
Before he could adjust his thoughts, Galatea's eyes became sharp like blades as she leaned forward, the cold edge of the blade kissing his throat like a wolf's fangs.
"I lied, but your reaction gave everything away—now spill everything! Who are you and what happened to Luka!"
A heavy weight dropped in his stomach, like swallowing a bag of stones; he struggled to speak for a moment. Her words reverberated and repeated over and over, like when he was trapped in that dark, lonely abyss.
'Would you even believe me?'
Lucifer never wished for this to happen in such a way.
He planned to explain everything over time, gradually and step by step, so she could understand and accept everything.
But that path was gone.
Knowing that she understood he wasn't Luka, there was no longer a need to pretend, so he tossed the human emotions that remained, remnants of Luka's inheritance.
It was that instant that the Destiny System spoke to him, as if offering him salvation.
[Dormant Talent Trigger for Awakening Confirmed!]
[Activate Talent: Lord of the Fallen?]
[Yes/No]
He'd never checked what his talents did, or what benefits they gave, but... somehow he instinctively knew it would help him.
"Speak!" Galatea urged him with her eyes as they darted from side to side, shaken by his sudden transformation. His kind smile and soft gaze vanished, replaced with a cold, emotionless stare.
Lucifer hated risks.
He despised placing things on bets or chance.
The sheer notion of fate sickening.
But he had no choice.
The beautiful maiden no longer trusted him, her fury unmistakable.
"Yes."
[Lord of the Fallen is now Active]
He did not dare to remove his eyes from Galatea's face, her hand still holding a blade to his throat, with a single swipe, his desperate second chance would vanish.
'Though I know she won't kill me.'
The confidence came from his time as Lucifer and the knowledge taken from Luka.
However, Galatea's eyes suddenly widened, and as she did, the knife in her palm slipped free, stabbing the ground as she struggled visibly. "Argh... my head... what...what—did you do to me?! What are these images..."
"???"
Lucifer watched in silence, kicking the knife free and reaching for oblivion as he watched her suffering.
He also covered his face, feeling a sharp prick in the back of his skull.
Images of someone watching him... millions of images of him... from the side, in battle, sleeping... all watching him. The images came and went like a mosaic growing larger and larger until becoming a large image of himself... Not Luka but Lucifer.
It caused a bitter taste to spread through his mouth while his chest became hot, and throbbed with a tightness, like he was out of breath but forced to keep running.
"W-What is this..."
Galatea fell forward, her eyes rolled back, and her body was covered in sweat.
Lucifer acted faster than he thought, attempting to catch her athletic figure. But he lacked the strength to hold both of them, and they fell back onto his makeshift bed. She crushed his chest, forcing him to roll to the side to break free and breathe.
"Haa... damn it... what happened?!"
After activating his talent, he saw himself from Galatea's eyes, but why... he couldn't understand why he appeared so many times. There were a few flashes of her father and grandfather, and other knights like Iris...
But Lucifer appeared a thousand times for one they appeared in.
"Mmm... Lucifer...don't die..."
Her delicate face frowned, tears gathering in her eyes just inches from his.
Although the issue wasn't over... activating the talent and living a human life exhausted him, and without thinking, he wrapped an arm around Galatea and drifted into a comfortable darkness... praying he would wake up tomorrow.
.
.
.
In the dark tent, eventually Galatea's eyes opened.
"...Luc..."
She glanced at the delicate and beautiful face of Luka before closing her eyes and cuddling up to his side.
[Knight Galatea's emotions temporarily stabilised]
[Memories inherited from previous world: 5%]
[Corruption: +5]
[Loyalty: 99]
[Affection: ????]