Chapter 95
[Lily’s POV]
Meztili dispersed her own shadow with a flash of divine light, forcing Axel, Rose, and me out of our hiding place. She hurried us all out, but despite my effort to resist and find a new shadow to dip into, Rose—the traitor—pulled me back, and the door promptly slammed shut.
The floating skull of Anubis attempted to zip past during the brief opening, but instead bounced off the door and rolled to Axel’s foot.
“Gah! You lot! What’s going on in there? Is my bloodline about to prosper!?”
Anubis yelled, and Axel kicked the skull up into his hand.
“Dunno, let’s have a listen.”
They both pressed the side of their heads against the door, but quickly stepped back.
“Damn, she warded the room. I can’t hear a thing.”
I attempted to slip my shadow beneath the door frame, but the invisible barrier forced it back with such force that I felt my bones tremble.
“Tch! Hey, you, Anubis. Dispel this.”
I commanded.
“You don’t think I would have done that already if I could, idiot? The girl’s not feeding me mana anymore, I’m flying on fumes here!”
True to his word, Anubis’ flight seemed more unstable than usual, as he kept dipping dangerously close to the floor, and the dim lights of his eyes flickered.
“Welp, guess that’s that then.”
Axel shrugged with a disappointed pout.
“I’m gonna start dinner, call me when they come out.”
With his entertainment for the day done with, he wasted no time heading downstairs.
“Rose! How can you be okay with this? That’s your only brother in there!”
I tried to appeal to the sister, hoping maybe she could convince Rex to come back out.
“Huh? I have two brothers, though?”
She cocked her head at me.
“Besides, Meztili’s a good girl from what I hear. Why not let it happen?”
“Aren’t younger sisters meant to be the number one in their brothers’ lives? You can’t let them do this!”
I pressed on.
“...You should really speak to Clara one of these days, I think you’d get along.”
Rose looked down at me like I was some kind of repulsive lifeform.
“C’mon now, let’s just head downstairs and wait for them. They’re even being considerate of us by soundproofing the room.”
Anubis and I yelled back in unison.
“That’s worse!”
Rose looked between the two of us.
“Isn’t this what you both wanted? Lily, you’re the one who was draining Tilly’s mana all day so her Gift wouldn’t ruin the date.”
“That…”
I trailed off. I only helped her because I thought this would be entertaining. Come to think of it, why their being alone in the room irk me so much?
“And you…”
Rose paused as she looked at the skull. She had been shocked when she first saw it, and it seemed she still wasn’t certain how to address him.
“...Anubis? Uh, don’t you want Tilly to marry one day?”
“Of course I do! But that girl is too meek! She’ll never admit to what is going on in there. Ack! The curiosity is killing me!”
Rose shook her head at both of us.
“Well, get over it. It’s not any of our places to intervene.”
She turned and followed after Axel.
Her words might have held more weight if she herself hadn’t been so giddy about tagging along to spy on them. had the excuse that I needed to be nearby to contain Meztili’s power temporarily, and Axel was just there as insurance in case we needed to forcefully subdue her.
Rose, on the other hand, just so happened to overhear our conversation and insisted on tagging along. I thought she would be on my side, so I allowed it.
There had to be a way to get in there and stop them before it was too late.
Rex had promised me souls. He was my ticket to promotion and was the only person I knew who might be able to overturn the status quo between devils and gods. If he gets a girlfriend, he’ll go soft. He at least needs to be with someone as ruthless as him, and who shares the same goals, not some priestess.
I rationally concluded that my desire to prevent their union stemmed solely from self-interest. No matter how hot my body grew, or how much my heart stung, I knew it came only from a place of selfishness.
After accepting that I was not making it through the door, I settled on another entry point. Tilly's window.
***
[Rex’s POV]
Meztili was an inch away. I could embrace her at any moment if I so chose. The signs were presented, and although I didn't understand what led to this development, I wasn't going to risk ruining it by questioning things.
I reached out and gently placed my palm against her cheek. Her perfume tickled my nose and made my head go fuzzy, this was perhaps the reason it took me a moment to realise how hot my hand had become.
Or rather, how hot Meztili was.
And no, that was not a euphemism.
“The bandages… in the lowest drawer… hurry.”
Meztili weakly gripped my hand, and I quickly but carefully moved her onto the bed before rushing to the indicated drawer.
Memories of sorting through the nightmare that was my wife's handbag to find literally anything surfaced, but I took a breath and opened the drawer.
I sighed in relief. There was nothing in there except for numerous rolls of bandages. There was no way I could miss what she needed.
Grabbing as many as I could carry, I placed one roll into her hands and immediately started wrapping her legs myself.
A faint glittering of golden light had already begun to shine through her skin, and her eyes were shifting colours with every heavy breath she took.
Even so, she soldiered through it and began wrapping her chest.
“How much do I need to cover?”
I spoke firmly so that no time would be wasted due to miscommunication, and discarded any erotic thoughts that might cause hesitation as I travelled higher up her thighs.
“All of it. Make sure it's tight!”
I nodded and put extra strength into the area I had arrived at.
My work had left her with some makeshift thigh-high stockings, complete with a tasteful amount of flesh spilling over the top.
But I was a professional, and even having this latent fetish was brought to mind, I did not lose focus. If anything, my vigour was only refuelled.
“I-I'll finish that part. Do me here next.”
She put her hand on my head, pushing me back gently as she pointed to her unfinished arms.
“Understood.”
Some kind of dull bang reverberated along the far wall, but I ignored it.
I jumped up onto the bed and sat behind her, letting her weakened body rest back against me. From that optimal position, I was able to get a better angle and wrap her up to the shoulders on both sides.
She had already finished her lower half, but I noticed the chest area was a little loose.
“This might restrict your breathing. Are you ready?”
I asked as I placed my hands on either side of her ribs.
She made a high-pitched squeaky sound and froze. I was about to stop, but then I felt her body grow even hotter.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Here we go!”
I set to work tucking and tightening as needed, eliciting many uncomfortable gasps from Meztili. For some reason, the banging noise intensified as well, but I had to remain on task.
The stomach area was next.
“No!”
Meztili doubled over and grabbed my hand.
“I-I'm ticklish there. You can handle my face…”
“Okay, I'll be gentle.”
Not knowing which way was more comfortable, I worked from the top of her forehead and down to her neck. I figured it was better to leave the hair exposed, since she did sometimes let it hang out anyway.
But as I made it to her delicate throat, I ran into a problem.
“It needs to be tighter.”
She said as I wrapped it up.
“Are you sure? It's already quite tight.”
“I can feel the air getting in… tighter, please.”
I did as I was told, but it felt wrong to constrict her airways like that.
“Tighter.”
“Any tighter and you'll suffocate!”
“Tighter!”
The banging noise now accompanied a shrill screech, and suddenly a hail of glass descended on us.
“What the hell is going on in here!?”
A furious blue-skinned devil came flying through the window, her hands and head both bleeding profusely.
“Rex! Get down, it's a demon!”
Not recognising the face or voice, Meztili leapt in front of me with her arms stretched wide while I was pushed back onto the bed.
As the two girls faced off, I stared at the ceiling and asked myself.
Is this how high school romance was supposed to go?
***
It took the better part of an hour to finish explaining everything. Meztili became surprisingly accepting of Lily once she realised she was a devil, not a demon. But the problem continued when Axel and Rose rushed in.
Axel already knew, of course, but he was a hassle because nobody could convince him there wasn't some kind of freaky sacrilegious threesome going on, and he kept pestering me for details.
Rose—the only normal person present—was the one who took the most convincing.
“You can't trust her, Rex! She's been lying to us all along. Who knows what she wants?”
She had cried from behind Axel's back.
“It’s ok, Rose. Devils are often misunderstood. They may be soul sucking monsters, but they are rational and sometimes helpful beings. My own countrymen summon them on occasion.”
Meztili explained.
“No way! Even a child knows to never trust a demon!”
Lily, Meztili, and I all corrected her in unison.
“Devil.”
“Who cares!? It's the same thing!”
This went in circles for some time, and only when I demonstrated the command seal for her did she relax a little.
“You're doing a terrible job at keeping a low profile.”
With Rose diffused, I turned instead to Lily.
“there's a bunch of townsfolk who know about you. You might as well go public at this point.”
“Really? Can I?”
She happily skipped up to me.
“Hm? Seriously? Are you allowed to do that?”
I wasn't opposed to it personally, but I wondered what Merk might say.
“You're the boss, boss.”
She replied vaguely.
“...I'll think about it.”
And so I answered her vaguely.
“Eh? Who broke the wall?”
At that moment, Bubblin's voice called from outside, and we all moved into Meztili’s room to look down at him.
“Tilly’s gonna need a new room.”
Axel chuckled as he assessed the damage.
“Why not move in with Re—”
“No. She can share my room.”
Lily calmly cut Axel off. Her smile was totally at odds with the fury she had displayed a moment ago, and I felt it harboured behind it another bout of violence.
“This doesn't look too bad. We can patch it up, right, Axel?”
I ignored her and kicked around some splintered wood.
“You nuts? This'll take weeks. Besides, it's not like she'll need the room much longer anyway.”
Axel's words caused us all to pause before looking at him in confusion.
“What? She's not in either of our teams, and Princess Alma will definitely send off anyone who won't fight or serve as a hostage. If Tilly stays and gets hurt or killed when she isn't even authorised to fight, Bastet-Amun will have a field day grilling the Empire.”
He looked at us like we were idiots for not realising this.
Unfortunately, he was probably right. Alma would surely know who the students of note were and would certainly prioritise evacuating them as soon as possible.
“But… Maybe she will be put under protection, like Fleur.”
Rose wasn't close to Meztili, but she sensed the sour mood and offered some comfort.
“No. Fleur is a target of an assassin group and a useful piece in negotiating with the elves. She can't be moved elsewhere until things have been resolved here. That’s the only reason she is receiving that treatment.”
I shook my head.
“But it's a war, surely every priest will be needed.”
“My focus is not in healing, and my presence already makes many uncomfortable…”
Meztili muttered.
“He's right. It's unlikely I will remain here with you all past tomorrow.”
The atmosphere grew heavier, but then Meztili spoke in a more cheery tone.
“It's not the end of the world. I was initially meant to go to the main campus anyway. I'm sure I can transfer without issue. We can all meet again there.”
“Huh?”
Rose looked baffled.
“Why in the world would you give up a chance to enrol in the main campus to come here? Everything is better over there.”
“Mmm… Personal reasons.”
Meztili looked away and shuffled her feet awkwardly.
“But don't worry, I'll adapt. So you all just need to stay safe in the meantime.”
She looked at me in particular, a fact that was noticed by everybody.
“Well, whatever. How about we talk about something that matters?”
Axel headlocked me with one arm.
“What did you get up to in there, you dog?”
“I told you. Nothing.”
“Liar.”
Lily glared at Meztili, then began mimicking her voice in an unflattering tone.
“Not there, do my face! Tighter, Rex, tighter! Ooooh that feels soooo good!”
Axel's grip tightened, his smile widened, and he began hooting and hollering.
“You legend!”
He yelled.
Meztili crouched in the corner silently, unable to handle the embarrassment.
“Ack! I'm awake! What'd I miss?”
Anubis came in, looked at the wall, saw the devil making exaggerated sexual noises, turned around, and floated back out into the hallway.
***
It was a clear sign of mental deterioration that I awoke in the Crucible with a sigh of relief. It was nice to have a quiet place to contemplate without risk of being pulled into ridiculous situations.
“Heya!”
I turned from atop the pile of bodies I had created and frowned at Lily.
“I thought I gave you the slip this time.”
It had been two hours already, and I had been practising the art of killing as many foes as possible while moving without pause. And yet, Lily still tracked me down.
“You were running from me? How mean.”
She fluttered over slowly, pretending to be weeping.
I stood to greet her, only for her claws to suddenly lunge out for my eyes.
If not for the fact that I was constantly on alert and had the reflexes of a cat, I would have been blinded without notice.
“Aaw! So close.”
Lily giggled as she swooped in for another try, but she failed to notice my clone diving down from above. This time, I had summoned him in the form of my Soot-inspired fusion, so the resulting crash was appropriately massive.
The dust settled, and I approached Lily with my axe drawn. She had already been completely pinned down, and with the weight on her back, there was no way she was going anywhere.
“We're doing this, are we? I suppose it will make for a good warm-up before I face Axel, but can I at least ask why?”
I tapped her face with the side of my already bloodied axe.
“Hehe…”
Despite her body no doubt being wracked with pain, she looked up at me with bright eyes filled with life.
I felt something dangerous coming, and rolled to the side just in time to avoid a spear that dug into the ground.
“I'm not sure what's going on here…”
The man holding it—Bodo of Salzdorf—slowly pulled back and faced me.
“But unfortunately, we can't defy our master's orders. Sorry, kid.”
He came at me again, but his movements were sluggish in my eyes. Even so, the second hidden assailant who came to aid him was enough to force me into a defensive fight.
“Thanks for helping the kids out.”
Linus Lang smiled and spoke calmly, even as he bashed me back with his shield.
I had already seen how well trained they both were, but it seemed to me that there was an extra little something behind their attacks.
“Hmm…”
I analysed their attack patterns, but held back from striking back. I was still not sure how their physical counterparts would be affected, after all.
More importantly, there was something to be said for the haphazard way they were fighting together. It was apparent they lacked the flawless coordination that my clone and I could employ, but that imperfection often made it hard to predict where an attack was coming from, forcing me to rely on reflex alone.
I flipped my axe and dipped around Bodo's spear to drive the handle up into his chin.
“Argh! My tooth!”
He complained as he stepped backwards.
“I guess you still only souls. That should have knocked you out.”
I sighed.
“Can one of you at least tell me her order was? I want to know how severe her punishment should be.”
With a swift counter, I broke one of Linus’ legs and kicked him over, forcing them both to relent momentarily.
“She just told us to cut you up a few times, but we're not allowed to kill.”
Bodo helped Linus up and responded to me apologetically.
“I know we're not ones to talk, but…”
Linus tested his leg and winced from the pain before finishing his sentence.
“You shouldn't have gotten involved with that girl, kid. She's a total whack job. This is her way of celebrating.”
“Celebrating?”
“Yeah, she won't admit it, but she's real stoked that—”
Linus’ eyes suddenly rolled back, and he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
“Ah, not again.”
Bodo stepped up onto the rock that stood between Lily and us.
“We didn't break any rules!”
He shouted, before promptly dropping dead and rolling back down.
“New rule! No talking!”
Lily’s voice travelled like a distant, jovial tune, and the two men suddenly rose again, good as new.
“What the? You guys don't even have to respawn in a random location? How unfair.”
With a deep sigh, the fight between me, Lily, and her two silent servants began. She frankly never had any chance of winning without access to her shadow magic, but she seemed to be enjoying herself regardless.
After much back and forth, we found ourselves sprawled out on our backs at the top of an enormous bestial skull.
“You done now?”
I asked. For my part, I was mentally exhausted from fighting her for no apparent reason for so long.
She giggled in response.
“I’m satisfied for now. It’ll be business as usual once we wake up, kay?”
“Not okay. It doesn’t exactly do my mind good knowing I have a squire who can flip switches and attack me out of the blue.”
“Nyahaha!”
Lily suddenly turned onto her front and placed her face right over mine.
“This is how it should be, don’t you see?”
She said with her face lit up as if she was having the time of her life.
“What the hell are you blabbering about?”
“You and me, we’re different from the others. Let live out their teenage romance. have greater goals to focus on. Just keep your eyes on the prize, alright? And if you start to stray, I’ll be here to set you straight again. In return, all you need to do is keep me on board.”
“So, your idea of ‘focusing’ me is to harass me all night long?”
“It’s punishment for getting distracted by women, duh.”
“Then why did Linus say this was your idea of a celebration? What exactly do you have to celebrate about?”
Lily smiled broadly.
“I dunno what you’re talking about.”
“Whatever.”
I pushed her face aside and stood up.
“Either way, you’ve got it all wrong. I’ve never lost sight of my goals. I just don’t believe I need to sacrifice my own happiness to obtain them. But don’t worry, even if I get married and have children, I won’t stop doing what needs to be done.”
My previous assumption about Lily was correct. She had only been acting strangely out of concern that I would stop being useful to her. It was a needless concern to begin with, but I hoped my words would prevent any further outbursts from her.
“Hmm… I don’t like that.”
She pouted.
“Huh? What don’t you like?”
“That. It annoys me.”
“You’re not making any sense, Lily.”
“If I say I don’t like it, I don’t like it. I don’t care if it doesn’t make sense.”
I rubbed my temples in exasperation. Was it really so difficult for her to just me what was bothering her? Did she expect me to read her mind?
“Swear on it. Swear you won’t go soft on me. Then I’ll forgive you.”
She presented a resolution to her incomprehensible behaviour. Years of marriage had taught me that in situations like these, it was easier to appease than to argue.
“I swear on my name as Rex Jaeger, that no matter what happens, I will not sacrifice my ideals or compromise my methods, and will forever endeavour to rid the world of the gods until death takes me.”
I delivered a completely monotone speech and turned back with a blank expression to face Lily. It didn’t matter whether it was convincing, I just had to say the words she wanted to hear.
She wore a satisfied smile, but then she slowly tilted her head and looked me up and down.
“...Rex Jaeger, huh?”
She mumbled with curiosity, as if it were the first time she had heard my name.
“I knew something was different.”
Lily smirked and nodded to herself in satisfaction.
“Oh, one last thing before we return.”
She abruptly returned to her usual demeanour.
“The fight with Axel, you’re gonna cheat, right? I mean, there’s no way you’ll win otherwise.”
I immediately nodded.
“Of course I am. I’m gonna dope up on visceranid venom beforehand, and get Bubblin to stack as many buffs as possible onto me.”
Lily laughed.
“Nice. But I can help out too, y’know?”
She explained her plan in detail, and by the end, I had recalculated my odds of victory from 20% to 50%.
