Chapter 242: A Lust for Happiness.

…

…

… White.

It was white.

The ceiling, the floor, the walls, the distance. Everything was white to the eyes. There was no color around except for… myself. Even then, I was more translucent with some colors, dyed with the white around me. It seemed familiar… like when I visited the Goddess’s divine realm.

“You’ve woken up, Ellaine,” a soothing voice said from behind me.

I snapped my head around, beholding a woman in a pure white dress, drinking tea as her iridescent feathered wings shuffled around. She had the same white hair and face I remembered seeing before, during my first meeting with her.

“… Goddess Aurena?” I spoke, before remembering everything that happened before this meeting. Being kidnapped, being rescued by Jonathan, and then trying to rescue Amelia, only to end up…

“… Am I dead? Is this the afterlife?” I felt an immense desire to cry out, as if something compelled me to fight against that statement. To not accept it, that this was not a fact, but a callous suggestion. I wanted to be wrong.

But all I could feel was an immense despair. I remembered how my head had been cut off. The light flickered away from my eyes, drowning myself in the darkness and silence of the abyss. Terror. Fear of my own mortality resurfaced. I couldn’t help but shiver.

“Oh, don’t be like that, Ellaine. Don’t think you were the only one worried to death about what happened!” Another voice appeared from nowhere, this time, it wasn’t nearly as soothing or calming as the Goddess’s, in fact, it had a certain seductive attraction. I felt nervous just hearing it.

“Ellaine, dear, I can hear your thoughts. I think we made this clear a while ago!”

“Klea’Hatma?” It wasn’t actually the demoness’s real form, but a small mana orb floating around, the same one I saw during our first meeting. “What are you doing he— Oh wait, right. I forgot. I’m sorry.”

[Okl’Luthier’s Power] was a unique skill connecting Klea’Hatma’s powers to me, meaning I was the only one able to use her powers. However, as a safety measure, the moment I died, Klea’Hatma would, too. If she went against me, she would have been killed, too. The Goddess acquiesced to my request, but she did not slack with the preparations.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough. I’m sorry I wasn’t attentive enough. I should have known all of this. I should have reacted faster the moment [Prediction] appeared. There was still so much I had to improve about myself, but I guess all my efforts were in vain. I was too late to improve myself…”

The effort everybody put into me was wasted. Thrown into the trash. I felt terrible. My family, my friends, my party. I failed them all, and I couldn’t imagine what they would think after they found my corpse. I felt disgusted with myself for allowing them to witness me like that, especially my parents and bro—

Brother?

“You aren’t dead just yet, Ellaine,” Klea’Hatma stated.

“Huh?”

“She is right, Ellaine,” the Goddess said. “And, I am also not the actual Goddess Aurena. I am just a part of her power she put into [Okl’Luthier’s Power], with the function to destroy the demon the moment you fall into temptation. I am her cell and executioner, and this is the realm within that skill.”

I am… inside a skill? My soul?

“ ‘Death-defying protection,’ or in simpler terms, a vampiric blessing of undying. The amulet you received during your dungeon dive — because of the effect of such artifacts, we place them high on the rarity list. You can’t get one without killing a guardian or mid-guardian of vampiric or bat origin. The higher the difficulty, the better the chance. You were lucky to receive it from a C rank.”

Rarity list? Guardian? Is this the language of the Gods?

Even if there were words I wasn’t familiar with, I still understood the gist of it. The amulet I kept with me even in my sleep managed to prevent my death. I placed my ghostly hand around my neck, wondering how that was supposed to work. Am I to live as a disembodied head?

“We can read your mind here, Ellaine. Your soul, technically. Rest assured, the amulet is currently repairing your injuries through blood magic, and will reattach your head,” the fragment of the Goddess’s power explained.

“Then, why is my soul inside this area? If my resuscitation is upon me, then I must immediately make myself ready! My brother and Amelia are in grave danger with Charleslyt around!”

That’s right. I remembered. I remembered Charleslyt piercing my body with his sword, giving a monologue as I pleaded in desperation, before decapitating me. It gave me a deep chill as I reminded myself of it.

“There is no need, Ellaine,” Klea’Hatma was the one to answer me this time. “This place has its own law of time. Every minute here is but a few milliseconds in reality. Aurena brought you here because she needed to tell you something, and, besides, what did you imagine you could do once you stand back up? Your Health will be full again, but your Mana and Stamina are still empty.”

“Urgh…” I groaned.

Charleslyt was a capable warrior who was able to reach B rank. Within the hunter’s guild, you had to pass an official guild exam to rank up, and, even if he had cheated on it, I saw exactly what he was capable of when he dueled against Hestia. With his equipment, he was quite strong.

In addition, he had received the powers of a demonkin. If they managed to turn inexperienced combatants like the twins and those young nobles into threats just through a stat boost and quick healing, what could that power do for an almost knight-tier warrior like Charleslyt?

I am a C rank adventurer at best, even with my armor and sword equipped. Even then, I don’t have much actual dueling experience.

“Klea’Hatma is correct, Ellaine. Although powerful, the blessing on the amulet only works once before breaking. The next fatal strike would be it — your end. If survival is your only priority, use the moment of your survival to flee.” Although it wasn’t the real Goddess, this was still a fragment of herself, and hearing this nonchalant answer as she sipped her tea made me feel… unpious.

I was angry at her answer.

“But… from the looks of it, I don’t believe that to be an option for you. Klea’Hatma, you can feel it, can’t you? Her desire to rescue her brother and friend?”

Klea’Hatma’s mana orb found wobbled in the air, indicating a nod. “That feeling is intensifying, yes. You mentioned wanting to experience happiness in your life, correct, Ellaine? And this desire includes your family and friends, so you can make them proud. This was your last thought before you died.”

Oh! How embarrassing… I was thinking that when I thought everything was about to end. But, it’s not like it wasn’t the truth. I really do want to make everybody proud of me. For how long I made them feel bad for me? I really, really, really want to change that image of myself.

“Ellaine, I have been watching over you and Klea’Hatma ever since I originally gave you [Okl’Luthier’s Power]. I must admit to being somewhat surprised. Your heart and mentality were surprisingly stable, despite having used her demonic powers so often. The more your personality is aligned with a demon’s blood, the more power you can invoke from it, but also the more likely you will be consumed by it.”

From my textbooks, the more a demonkin accepted their demonic lineage, leaning towards one of their ancestors, the more they would be able to awaken that power. The more demonic they acted, the more powerful they would become.

“Ellaine, I might be your Goddess in Peolynca now, but I was once someone who governed over beings like Klea’Hatma in the world we Origin Gods came from. Even without this skill realm, I can tell there are hints of envy and wrath inside you right now.” Aurena placed her teacup down. “ ‘The Sin of Lust,’ in our world’s definition, is the ultimate hedonist. A person who strives to quench their unending thirst for pleasure and stimuli. Whether sexual, materialistic, or emotional. Unlike those controlled by greed, who cannot accept something not belonging to them, or gluttony, who would go to any lengths to satisfy their appetite, someone under the sway of lust is more in control of themselves. They are more like a wildcard.”

“And you have been influenced by me, Ellaine,” Klea’Hatma stated with full confidence at the end of the Goddess’s explanation. “Whether it's you acting a little bit more assertive or just being more aggressive with your actions. Your desires have been intensified during this time that I’ve been with you… however, for some reason, you haven’t fallen into full-on lustfulness yet. You still remain yourself, to the point I was testing my limits by teasing you more than I should have probably done.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to those statements. Did I change? I don’t think so. I still acted on what I believed would be correct for me to do, even if I had to go against the opinions of my party members. Just… With strength comes confidence, and with this confidence my desire to become my ideal knight reawakened.

“Then… What are you two trying to tell me? I don’t quite understand.”

Aurena nodded. “The reason why I brought you to this realm? I believe it is time for you to unlock the next function of your skill. Level three and… assimilation.”

“… Aurena, are you trying to kill me here?” Klea’Hatma questioned the Goddess with an indignant tone.

Assimilation?

“The ability to temporarily become a demonkin by injecting demonic mana through your blood, allowing you to manifest more powers of a demon ancestor, without straining your body too much. In your case, you would possess purer blood than even one of the demonkin’s princes of lust, since you have the progenitor inside your rings,” the Goddess explained, smiling at me but something told me this wasn’t a warm one.

“… Demons are like elite soldiers, Ellaine. In our previous world, we were led by our primary gods and their subordinates to enforce their ideals and execute their plans. In some cases, when a worshiper summons us, we would perform assimilation to grant them our powers temporarily,” Klea’Hatma added. “But the problem is, the likelihood of permanently becoming like a demonkin is extremely high, Ellaine. Like those twins, those twisted nobles, and that Charleslyt. They have been corrupted by the sin of pride…”

Klea’Hatma then looked towards Aurena. “The moment you fall into that corruption, I will die. Aurena would kill me to prevent you from falling any further.”

“ ‘Use the demon like a tool.’ I remember those words you and Hestia spoke to me, Ellaine. This is a gambit. You would obtain enough strength to rival a B rank adventurer at your current assimilation rate, but not only would your body feel immense fatigue afterwards, but there is also a chance I will destroy this skill and Klea’Hatma if you fail to stay true to yourself.”

The Goddess’s words were like spears while her eyes leered at Klea’Hatma and me as if we were all beneath her. The warmth the Goddess of Light showed me at the beginning was gone, replaced by a cold, calculative stare. She was giving me a choice, and she was ready to act on whatever I chose.

“Klea’Hatma?” I looked over at the demon, worried and anxious at her reaction to all of this.

“… Follow your desires, Ellaine. That is exactly what I would do in your position. If Jonathan and Amelia are precious to you, you should do everything to keep them safe! Don’t show any pity for me; I’ve lived long enough and I had my fun with you and the others. I have committed countless atrocities, more than you could ever fathom; I am the antithesis of what you wish to become, Ellaine.”

Klea’Hatma’s voice seemed distant, as if she wasn’t directing those words at me. It was as if she was just speaking her mind. Expressing her instincts and giving everybody in the room an idea of what she really thought of it all.

“I can feel it, Ellaine. You have an incredible lust for happiness. You want your life to turn around, to turn your story up until now around completely.” Her voice became clearer and louder the more she spoke, as if she had readied herself for the inevitable. “You need my power to save Jonathan and Amelia! Take it! Accept the assimilation! I will even give you the power to defeat those damn demonkin youngsters! I will make you into Griffonpeak’s hero! I will turn you into the knight you always dreamed of! As the demonic embodiment of the Sin of Lust, I, Klea’Hatma will fulfill this contract between—”

“No!”

There was an eerie silence. Neither the Goddess nor Klea’Hatma said anything as I bit my lips in frustration, having forced myself to say those words.

“… What do you mean by that, Ellaine?” Klea’Hatma finally asked in disbelief.

“I will not accept this assimilation. That is my final answer.”

“… Liar. Hahaha!” Klea’Hatma burst out in maniacal laughter, as if she hadn’t laughed in ages, until she found a joke so funny she couldn’t control herself. “I am the demon of lust, Ellaine. Do you think you can trick me? I can sense it. I can sense your lust to find happiness! Stop lying to yourself and embrace that desire of yours already! ACCEPT THE ASSIMILATION!”

“… No.”

“… But why? I-I don’t understand. I can feel it. I can feel what you want, so just release it. Don’t bottle it up until it explodes later on, Ellaine. You will regret it.”

With a wry smile, I looked at Klea’Hatma. I took a deep breath before giving my answer.

“Because that isn’t who I am.”

The knight stories father always told me when I was still a child were probably the most impactful part of my life. They taught me ideals I cherish to this day, but they were also a major reason why I felt frustrated in myself.

My envy for brother’s talents and success as a knight-in-training made me aware that this dream was only a distant imagination. And this self-deprecation fed itself into my mind, furthering a cycle of self-destruction. I gave up on my dream, separating myself from that dream to distance myself from the constant thoughts of how much of a failure I was.

But, that was until I heard Hestia perform her first concert.

Her song “Promise” holds a dear place in my heart. The story she told through it was heart-wrenching but also reawakened something in me I thought I had given up. I had reached a turning point, and I held onto it in order to never let this opportunity fly away.

But, could I sacrifice something to preserve my happiness? I couldn’t. I wasn’t that strong yet. I was still a naive noble girl who still dreamed of stories of gallant knights ending wars on the backs of their trusty mounts.

I knew at this moment that I was choosing the worst option. But…

“You are lying to yourself as well, Klea!” I shouted. “I can sense it. I can sense your will to continue living. I can tell you aren’t willing to just throw your life away for me, erasing any chance for you to reconstruct your body! You said it yourself, you and I have been working together for too long. I can’t tell it as accurately as you, but I can feel it, you want to be happy, too. But death… you don’t desire that for yourself.”

“…” Klea’Hatma was silenced once again, this time, she couldn’t say anything as I continued making my mind.

“I don’t know if I can do it. Call me naive all you want! I am! I am still like that! Even if I have to die once again, this time, I will make sure that at least I will rescue Jonathan and Amelia!” I pressed my hand on my chest. “Even if we both die this time for real, Klea, let’s do it by our own free will. So… Klea’Hatma, will you make a contract with me? Will you grant me the power to save Jonathan and Amelia!”

A contract was a binding agreement between two parties. Yes, sometimes you could force somebody into a contract, but as a daughter of the Greenveil duchy, I understood what it really meant. Until the both of us accept it willingly, I would not think of Klea’s “contract” as binding!

“Do you want me to be truthful with myself! Yes, I desire myself to be happy! But what I really want is a happy ending where good triumphs over evil just like in a story. I want an ending where people can be satisfied! That also includes you, Klea.”

I reached out my hand.

“Ellaine… Hiehie, you are such an idiot. Such a foolish girl, but… somehow, you are really attractive right now. What sort of power do you have to make the heart of an old demoness like me beat like this?”

Uhh, w-what?!

“Hiehiehie, you impress me, Ellaine.” Our attention snapped back to the third person inside this realm, the fragment of the Goddess. Her cold stare was gone, returned to the warmth I always imagined she would radiate. “I understand. If you are like this, then you have my blessing.”

A light lit up inside my soul, followed by one surrounding Klea’Hatma’s mana form. It became brighter and brighter, to the point it consumed the both of us.

“However, never become too lackadaisical, Ellaine! The more you feed Klea’Hatma with your mana, the more energy she will have to reconstruct her former form, and when that happens, her personality will shift. When that time comes, you will need to subjugate and make her your pawn."

I could hear Aurena giving me that warning, but neither my thoughts nor words reached her. Everything was being consumed by this light.

“Until that time comes, you must strengthen yourself! Train, level, become more acquainted with the powers of an okl’luthier. But, most importantly, stay true to yourself, Ellaine! Even you can become my champion. Or, maybe even a seraphim.”

Health has dropped to 0. [Necklace of Vampiric Undying] has prevented death. Returning Health back to 1

[Necklace of Vampiric Undying] has activated. Refunding blood stored inside to Owner: [Ellaine Fiero Helvas]’sHealth pool. Applying [Invocation of Vivachel] on Owner using stored blood

…

Body of Owner has been repaired. Injuries and status effects removed. [Necklace of Vampiric Undying] effect has been completed. Destruction of artifact commences

… Crack.

“Nooo, let go of me! Let go of me! You killed her! You killed Ellaine, you Equetard BASTARD! Noooo, you killed her! Nooohohooooohooooooo…”

“Ellaine! NOOOOOO! Charleslyt, I will kill you for this! How dare you do this to my baby sister! You fucking traitor! EeaaaaaAAArgh!”

“Silence. What gives you the right to address me only with my name? Know your place. You are just the son of an arcanuess. I am the son of a grand duke. The only traitor I see is a pitiful noble who decided to bite the hand of his master. For that, you will join your sister soon en—”

Proficiency requirement fulfilled. [Okl’Luthier’s Power Lv. 2] evolved into [Okl’Luthier’s Power Lv. 3]

Ability gained: [Blade]

A portion of [Okl’Luthier’s Power] has been unlocked. Ability gained: [Assimilation]

“HiiiiiiiiiiiAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!”

Pressure was building up inside my body the moment my consciousness returned to my body. The energy streaming through my veins was calling for my full focus, to the point I wasn’t even interested in making sure if my body was reformed correctly. Were my organs stitched up properly? Was my head on the right side?

But, with all the thoughts running through my head and my blood singing in my veins at this moment, those were the least of my worries.

[“Listen, Ellaine! Pour your mana into the rings and I will morph it into blood. Inject this blood into your bloodstream, and let it course through your blood system! Be careful, control the flow, don’t let it rupture your heart! You must control this!”]

[“Got it, Klea!”]

Pour mana in, get blood, slowly inject blood into my body through flesh tendrils. Slow breaths, slow breaths, I have to control my breathing! I can’t let my heart race too much!

[Okl’Luthier’s Power] assimilation rate: 2%

[“Good! The skill is controlling the assimilation rate! Damn that Aurena, she scared the panties off of us for no reason when she had a way to stop me from affecting you too much! Still, don’t get complacent, the moment you feel like you aren’t yourself, tell me and I’ll stop the assimilation!”]

[“Got it, Klea! Let’s do this!”]

Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out.

[Okl’Luthier’s Power] assimilation rate: 5%

Feel the blood flow through my heart, let it feed me cells.

[Okl’Luthier’s Power] assimilation rate: 10%

“By the Light, how is that woman still alive?!”

Nourish my cells. Allow them to control the blood! Let them feed on the blood!

[Okl’Luthier’s Power] assimilation rate: 13%

“Begone, you foul undead! By the Light in this sword, I shall cut you dow—”

“Noooooo! You Equetard, I won’t let you kill my friend again!”

“Wha—?! Amelia! Unhand me now!”

[“Enough, that’s the limit! Release it!”]

I stopped pouring mana into my spell rings. The headache from arcane corruption was still there, but I pushed right through that pain, pulling the energy from inside my body forth!

[““Assimilation!””]

“Purifying Greatsword!”

As my vision blackened, I could see a glimpse of a bright light sword. [Prediction] activated as I could feel something sprouting out from my head, back, and behind. As I moved my body away from the projectile trajectory reflexively, I could feel something happening with my eyes, teeth, and nails.

When the light finally returned to my eyes, I realized that I had been inside a black mana cloud as the light sword flew right past me, cleaving through the collapsed pile of that house we were in a few minutes ago.

[“Fly, Ellaine!”]

[“What?!”]

[“I’ll show you, learn quickly!”]

Bone wings. Large wings made from bones and bits of flesh had sprouted from my back, fully capable of bringing me up to the sky to fly around. As I was struggling to control them correctly, Klea took full control of them, ordering me to attack.

And I did just that.

“Let go of Amelia!” Wrapping [Musclemass] around my arm, I flew right up to Charleslyt, twisting around his shield to give him an uppercut with my right fist.

“Uuuaf!”

I then grabbed onto his armor, dragging him up into the sky before landing another hit to his face, sending him shooting down to the ground. Before the dust dissipated, multiple light sword slashes shot right at me, prompting me to dodge around. Surprisingly, I had little trouble dodging it, despite how fast they were.

Materializing [Whiplash], I used [Enhanced Enemy Sense] to detect Charleslyt behind that smokescreen, waiting for an opening to shoot the whiplash. Once I found it, I shot the thick, flesh tendrils into it, feeling something metal when my three-fanged claw grabbed it.

I pulled myself towards it while Klea’Hatma accelerated my body with the wings.

“Damn woman! Haaa!”

I narrowly ducked from Charleslyt’s incoming sword. He had anticipated me launching myself to him like that. With my back turned to Charleslyt, I could feel [Prediction] telling me to dodge, but I was still recovering from my bad landing.

[“Your tails!”]

[“My what?!”]

The moment Klea said that, I felt something from my behind moving, and Charleslyt suddenly began cursing me for some reason. When I turned around, I saw three flesh tentacles with spikes on their tips harassing Charleslyt. When I looked down, I saw a tail having sprouted from my behind, splitting into three.

What in the world is this transformation?!

I ignored my worry for my body and materialized [Claw] on both hands, beginning my assault onto Charleslyt. As my long demonic claws clashed against his sword and shield, I was forcibly reminded of Hestia’s duel with him. I began remembering the runes he had on them.

[“Mix and match, Ellaine. Mix and match! That is my advantage compared to the other demons! My power is flexibility!”]

When I was blasted away from activating that holy explosion rune on Charleslyt’s shield, which activated as a counterattack, I quickly materialized [Whiplash] on my right, pulling myself back into the fight before turning it back into a claw, continuing the assault.

“Demonkin! You sold away your soul!” Charleslyt shouted.

“Hypocrite! I’ll pay you back for everything!” I retaliated, before digging my claws right through his armor into his sides.

“Arrrgh! Bitch!”

He kicked me and landed a deep cut with his sword on my arm. Thankfully, [Musclemass] protected me from most of it before it recovered and closed the cut. Still, I was flying and crashed into the ground.

As Charleslyt healed himself with [Modest Heal], I stopped my landing before forming my newest demonic ability on my right hand — [Blade]. A large, razor-sharp blade formed along my arm. Length-wise, it went from my elbow down to my knees. It wasn’t as long as my whipsword, but it surely was larger.

“Charleslyt!” With [Claw] on my left arm and [Blade] on my right, I charged right at him with flight, drilling the [Blade] right through his shield. Ripping his shield from his grasp, I began to slice and dice away at him.

Thankfully for him, I was still fairly inexperienced with using these two abilities simultaneously, so Charleslyt and I were in a stalemate. However, once he calmed himself, he grabbed his sword with both hands and began warding me off. I began to take a small amount of damage with every confrontation, which began to build up.

[Exhaustion (Minor)] inflicted on [Human, Ellaine Fiero Helvas]

[“Ellaine, I told you already! Mana and Stamina won’t recover, you need to conserve yourself! You nearly used up all your Mana without having cast a single spell!”]

Spells? Spells!

I was so preoccupied with fighting like this that I forgot this wasn’t my fighting style! I was a magic swordswoman first and foremost!

Terra Wall! Bedrock Blades!

Abandoning my fear of accumulating too much arcane corruption, I pushed through and I cast two spells. I didn’t care if I had to suffer afterward, I will win this and survive! I will save Jonathan! I will save Amelia! I will prove to the Goddess that I can control this power and save Klea as well!

For I will become that gallant knight!

The earth morphed underneath us, a rock wall separated me from Charleslyt while large rock blades occupied Charleslyt’s attention. I released [Blade] on my right arm and raised it in the direction I saw Amelia and Jonathan watching the fight.

“My sword!” I called out to them.

Amelia’s eyes widened and she gave me a firm nod, telling Jonathan something before turning around to run.

But there was no time to wait, Charleslyt turned my rock blades into rubble before continuing the fight with me. With [Claw] on both hands, I defended myself against his swordsmanship, which honestly would have been inspirational if he wasn’t an enemy.

When I understood the difference between us, I took to the sky and began using hit-and-run tactics with [Whiplash]. I would fly away, use the whip, and land a hit with the claws as I flew by. The sight of the fleshy tendrils on my body constantly morphing around was pretty disgusting, to be honest.

But this plan didn’t last for much longer, when Charleslyt adapted and landed a counterattack the moment I slashed at him. He left a deep gash on my left arm, bleeding terribly.

[Bleeding (Minor)] inflicted on [Human, Ellaine Fiero Helvas]

Staunch the bleeding… with muscles!

As I crashed onto the ground, my tails helped me by pushing me away from Charleslyt’s next attack. As I tried to make some distance, Charleslyt shot multiple blades of light at me, slowing me down for him to catch on to continue his aggression.

Even if I used my own spells to distract him, Charleslyt proved himself as the better fighter right now. Charleslyt’s demonic transformation only resulted in blue mana streaks and more yellowish skin, but it felt more substantial than the twins’. He didn’t look as monstrous as me, but his strength couldn’t be questioned.

Still, [Exhaustion] caught up to me, I was slowing down and becoming even more tired. If we kept this up, I will lose even with [Assimilation]. If only I didn’t use up all that Stamina during the previous fight.

“Ellaine!” But when the situation was turning sour, a single voice pierced through the heat of the battle. From the sides, Amelia called out for me and threw my sword up for Jonathan to blast towards me with [Wind Blast].

No! It’s not far enough!

Not only was I preoccupied right now, but the sword’s trajectory wouldn’t fall into my hands. When I tried to fly away, Charleslyt stopped me. I was repeating my attacks so often that he had perfectly adapted to me at this point.

[“Ellaine, your other body parts! You can materialize the abilities on your legs, tails, or wings, too!”]

Fuck, of course! Why didn’t I think of that!

Before [Assimilation], I could only use my abilities on my arms due to the spell rings, but now, in this form, I was more like a demonkin than a human. I had to use my abilities better.

As I flew back up, Charleslyt shouted “Not again!” before trying to slash at me, only for me to materialize my leg into a [Blade], countering his attack.

“What?!”

I then transformed one of my three tails into [Whiplash] and pulled myself away from Charleslyt and directly towards my flying sword. I grabbed it, gave it a quick kiss, before swinging it to parry one of Charleslyt’s attacks.

Dodding around the light slashes, I unfurled my whipsword and began using its range to my advantage, pressuring Charleslyt to stay on the defensive or charge directly at me. My sword play was inferior to his, but when it came to fighting a sword fighter using my whipsword, I held the advantage.

Thank you, father!

As his armor took damage from my sword, Charleslyt threw caution out of the window and charged right at me.

Exactly, come closer!

With every step, he came closer and closer, and the moment he was close enough to attack me, I used [Gale Steps] to dash away from him to materialize a [Blade] on my whipsword, giving the tip a scythe-like look.

As Charleslyt followed after me with his own [Gale Steps], I swung my sword. The blade separated itself into shards as the whip extended, and with it, the scythe tip. Given that [Blade] could drill through his sturdy shield, it had to be strong enough to pierce his armor!

Time slowed down. The deciding moment was here. It was a match between his leg speed against my swinging speed.

And the one to win this was…

Musclemass!

— Me.

“Guuuugraaaahhhh!”

His armor shattered, blood sprayed from his torso as he twisted through the air, crash landing on a pile of wood. I used [Gale Steps]to sprint towards him, intending to finish him with my sword. As I swung it at his exposed throat, however, Charleslyt’s terrified eyes came into view for me.

And in them, I saw my reflection. I saw two slim horns protruding from my forehead, two slit irises, and four sharp canines. I looked… not human.

At the very last second, I began to form doubts and I slammed my sword tip into his shoulder, pinning him on the ground.

[“E-Ellaine?!”]

“You will face proper justice, Charleslyt! You will answer for your crimes!”

I gathered up all my strength and remaining mana into my right arm, morphing large muscles on it with [Musclesmass]. Drawing it back, I saw some black energy sounding my fist, but I simply attributed it to an optical illusion.

“Fuck you, you Equetard bastaaaaaard!”

And with this one punch, I shattered his stomach armor, pulverizing the stones underneath him with the sheer shockwave of the attack. Charleslyt’s body jerked forward, expelling puke as he gasped for air, before falling limp onto the ground.

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“Ha ha ha ha ha haaaaaaaaa.” I was out of breath. I fell right on my behind as fatigue made me want to go to sleep.

[“Unholy shit… Ellaine… Hehehe, you need some proper rest now. I’ll undo the assimilation.”]

The bone wings and fleshy tentacle tails fell right off my body as Klea did that. They began to melt into a meaty goo on the ground while the rest of my demonic features began to subside. My eyes and canines returned to normal, and I also noticed my teeth had regrown already.

There were a few features that hadn’t disappeared, though. For example, my nails were thick and sharp like claws and, for some reason, my horns wouldn’t fall all by themselves. Klea told me I had to tear them off myself, but I really wondered why they didn’t do it themselves.

“Ellaine!”

“Sister!”

“Amelia! Jonath— Woah! Oh!” When I tried to stand up, my wobbling legs were about to let me fall, only for Amelia to grab me at the last second, supporting me up.

“Don’t overexert yourself, Ellaine. You did far too much already, hie hie,” she smiled as she said that. Without warning, she then began frantically checking my neck. “How is your neck whole? I thought, well, I thought… I’m glad you’re alive, Ellaine.”

“Amelia?”

With tears in her eyes, Amelia wrapped her arms around me and hugged me, dirtying her dress with the dirt and sweat I accumulated from the battles up until now.

“This is now the third time you saved me.”

“Third?”

“First when we were still kids and the second time when you stood up for me during the academy festival.”

O-Oh, that one. I didn’t really count it since we weren’t friends at that point, but I kept that to myself. I didn’t want to ruin the mood.

“Ellaine, I’m really glad to see you well and alive,” Jonathan stated with relief when he caught up. “How? I clearly saw him decapitate you, so how was it possible for you to survive that? And, that transformation and all those weird morphing body parts from before. And, you now have those two hor—”

“Shush now, Jonathan. Can’t you see your sister’s blue complexion? She’s not only exhausted by almost contracted [Arcane Corruption]. Give her some rest, and… hand me over your coat. Your sister needs some new clothes.”

I looked down where Amelia was pointing at, and finally noticed how tattered and bloody my shirt was from my fight with Charleslyt and my transformations. Even my undershirt wasn’t spared and more skin than I wanted to expose could be seen through the slits of my ripped shirt. Embarrassment was now a luxury I could absolutely afford.

“Is he dead?” Jonathan asked with his back turned to us, while Amelia was helping me cover myself.

“I punched him hard, but I didn’t receive a level-up notification. Considering what happened today, I thought it wise to keep at least one of these traitors alive for the subsequent trial. I mean, the rest are all under this rubble and we have no way to know if they are alive… and they’re buried with my armor.”

My poor armor… Damn that Francesca! I will talk bad of the dead, just because it’s you, you Equetard bitch!

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. I did wonder something during the end of that match, despite how Charleslyt acted, why didn’t he show any unhuman features aside from blue steaks and slightly yellow skin? From what I understood, the more you embodied a sin, the more your body would adapt to it.

It happened with the Chezaic twins, who were prideful as hell before their house fell. I was also a good example, since I admit I was very much a lustful person when it came to personal happiness. That’s how this [Assimilation] worked in the first place. So, why did Charleslyt not transform?

I had heard Davison had taken a black drink to morph his body into a regenerating freak, and it was the cause of demonkin interference. Klea had told me this had demonkin of pride plastered over it. Did Charleslyt drink a different concoction, or what now?

Today’s attack was a grim reminder to the kingdom that the demonkins will affect us, even with the Empire in their way. I had to capture Charleslyt and have him interrogated. It was the only way for us to gain more information.

I wanted to kill him so very much, for everything he did to me, but… I have to act like a knight. I can’t let my killing lust take me over. That would be exactly what I couldn’t allow, otherwise, Klea might die.

As Amelia finished helping me put on Jonathan’s sweaty coat — it was better than showing people a lack of modesty — Jonathan informed us there was a barricade in the merchant district. It was there to protect the upper city from getting invaded by the monsters.

With our plan decided, Jonathan was about to grab Charleslyt’s unconscious body, when a massive black thunder ray blasted off into the sky at a far part of the city. I didn’t doubt that that was Saori’s [Hadean Dragon Thunder]. In the next moment, I saw an elf standing in the sky above Griffonpeak, having conjured a floating giant wooden owl, shooting enchanted arrows at a monster demolishing the walls of the city.

This battle wasn’t over yet.

I stood up and began to make my way towards the stygian thunder.

“Ellaine, wait, where are you going?!”

“The threat to Griffonpeak isn’t done yet, Amelia! I need to regroup with my party,” I told her.

“What?! But your wounds! You’re even fatigued! You can’t possibly go out to fight right now without a rest.”

“Huh? What do you mean? I am doing exactly that.” I grinned. “Saori has potions and dragorade stored in her [Storage Magic]. The best place to rest is with either of Aurora’s two otherworlders! Brother, can I leave the rest to you?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll make sure to bring Lady Amelia and Charleslyt to the knights. Go, trust in your older brother!”

“You got it! Thanks!” Without turning back, I ran towards Saori’s location after making sure I couldn’t feel any threats in the area anymore. I wanted to see Francesca’s and Iracela’s bodies to confirm their deaths, but getting out of here was better for now.

“Come back alive, Ellaine! I never want to see your corpse ever again! I want you to explain everything to me afterward!”

“Promise!”

And with that, I made a promise to her.

[“You’re feeling hyper despite the huge strain I can feel coursing through your body. What was that term again? A flag? You’re putting down a flag as Hestia would say it, dear,”] Klea joked.

[“Maybe, but for some reason, I think I can handle it properly this time. I feel like I’ve gotten used to my terrible luck as a member of Aurora. After all, our party has nothing but bad luck when it comes to conflicts.”]

[“Hiehie, well, make sure to survive this time. I lust to live and to see what you and Aurora can do, Ellaine.”]

[“Understood!”]

After all…

… I lust for happiness.

Profile:

Name: Ellaine Fiero Helvas

Level: 66

Race: Human

Age: 15 Years

Whipsword Fighter Level: 10/15

Status:

Health: 3517 (+714) Mana: 4785 (+1044)

Strength: 1590 (+325) Intelligence: 2223 (+482)

Vitality: 1423 (+325) Wisdom: 1617 (+308)

Agility: 1513 (+300) Stamina: 2941 (+685)

Effects: None

Skill Points: 5350

Unique Skill:

[Okl’Luthier’s Powers Lv. 3] (+2)

Skill:

Magic skills and related:

[Mana Efficiency Lv. 10] [Mana Control Lv. 10] (+1)

[Arcane Mind Lv. 8] (+1)

[Earth Magic Lv. 10] [Earth Amp] [Earth Magic Efficiency]

[Terra Magic Lv. 2] [Wind Magic Lv. 10] [Wind Amp]

[Wind Magic Efficiency] [Storm Magic Lv. 1]

[Synergist’s Oath Lv. 4] (+1) [Silent Casting Lv. 7] (+2)

[Chant Revocation Lv. 10] [Mental Warfare Lv. 6] (+3)

[Magic Power Enhancement Lv. 1] (New) [Mental Stability Lv. 4] (New)

[Long-Range Spell Enhancement Lv. 1] (New)

[Fluid Cast Lv. 2] (+1) [Multi-Cast Lv. 1] [Continuous Cast Lv. 1]

[Delayed Cast Lv. 1]

Physical skills and related:

[Unarmed Technique Lv. 3] (+2) [Sword Technique Lv. 7] (+1)

[Sword Mastery Lv. 5] (+2) [Whip Technique Lv. 6] (New)

[Whip Mastery Lv. 4] (New)

[Sundering Enhancement Lv. 5] (+2) [Piercing Enhancement Lv. 3] (+1)

[Crushing Enhancement Lv. 1] [Mana Strike Lv. 4] (+3)

[Stamina Strike Lv. 4] (+3)

Senses and movement skills:

[Stealth Lv. 6] (+1) [Accuracy Correction Lv. 7] (+1)

[Concentration Lv. 7] (+1) [Prediction Lv. 9] (+3) [Tracking Lv. 1] (New)

[Danger Perception Lv. 8] (+2) [Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 9] (+2)

[Enhanced Auditory Sense Lv. 5] (+1) [Enhanced Olfactory Sense Lv. 8]

[Enhanced Vision Lv. 4] [Night Vision Lv. 4] (+1)

[Presence Killer Lv. 4] (+1) [Evasion Lv. 8] (+2) [Acrobatic Lv. 8] (+2)

[Terrain Maneuvering Lv. 2] (+1)

Resistances:

[Physical Super-Resistance Lv. 2] (+1) [Absolute Pain Tolerance]

[Lava Resistance Lv. 4] [Holy Resistance Lv. 6] (+3)

[Inferno Resistance Lv. 4] [Poison Resistance Lv. 5] (+4)

[Paralyzation Resistance Lv. 5] (New) [Torpor Resistance Lv. 5] (New)

[Bleeding Resistance Lv. 8] (New) [Fear Resistance Lv. 1]

[Water Resistance Lv. 7] (+1)

[Terra Resistance Lv. 4] [Wind Resistance Lv. 6] (+1)

[Arcane Corruption Resistance Lv. 10]

Stat growth and related:

[Health Recovery Lv. 4] (+1) [Mana Recovery Lv. 6] (+1)

[Stamina Recovery Lv. 4] (+1)

[Enhanced Health Growth Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Health Capacity Lv. 2] (+1)

[Enhanced Mana Growth Lv. 5]

[Enhanced Mana Capacity Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Strength Growth Lv. 3] (+1)

[Enhanced Strength Enforcement Lv. 2] (+1)

[Enhanced Intelligence Growth Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Intelligence Enforcement Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Vitality Growth Lv. 3] (+2)

[Enhanced Vitality Enforcement Lv. 2] (+1)

[Enhanced Wisdom Growth Lv. 3] (+1)

[Enhanced Wisdom Enforcement Lv. 2]

[Enhanced Agility Growth Lv. 3] (+1)

[Enhanced Agility Enforcement Lv. 2] (+1)

[Enhanced Stamina Growth Lv. 3] (+2)

[Enhanced Stamina Capacity Lv. 2] (+1)

Others:

[Singing Lv. 6] [Dancing Lv. 5] [Musician Lv. 7]

[Merchant Lv. 2] [Handicraft Lv. 3] [Woodworking Lv. 1]

[Enchanting Lv. 4] [Artificer Lv.5] (+3) [Identify Lv. 8] (+3)

[Identity Blocker Lv. 10] (+1) [Terror Aura Lv. 2] (+1)

[Battle Mind Lv. 3] [Noble Aura Lv. 4]

[Royal Etiquette Lv. 8] [Riding Lv. 6] (+1)

[Mounted Fighter Lv. 1] (New) [Scholar Lv. 2]

[Cooking Lv. 1] [Dismantle Lv. 4]

[Calligraphy Lv. 6] [Mathematician Lv. 7] [Telepathy]

Ability List:

Unarmed:

[Dragoon Jump] [Gale Steps]

Okl’Luthier

[Claw] [Whiplash] [Musclesmass] [Blade]

Sword:

[Power Slash]

Whip:

[Piercing Shot]

Spell List:

Custom Spells:

[Create Crack] [Wind Gust]

Earth Magic:

[Earth Wall] [Rock Blast] [Earth Strike] [Rock Bullet] [Sturdy Earth]

[Earthen Spears] [Earthen Shackles] [Terra Wall] [Bedrock Blades]

Wind Magic:

[Wind Bullet] [Wind Cutter] [Air Shield] [Wind Slash] [Swift Winds]

[Wind Blast] [Featherfall] [Aerial Blitz] [Tornado Bullet]

Titles:

[Hestia’s Retainer]

A note from AbyssRaven

As if I would let Ellaine die! I had art for her commissioned! Iove this lawful good girl!

If you guys want to support me, Hestia and "A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale" (or just read up to 17 advance chapters + any Patreon-only chapters) please check out my Patreon: Rawr!

If you guys enjoyed this chapter then, please follow the story. If you guys want the story to grow, then giving it a rating or a favorite will do wonders: Rawr

Thank you for reading this chapter.

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About the author

1 Fictions 7 Posts 1 Threads

Sunday, December 19, 2021 1:03:08 AM Germany [Member of Zard Skwad]

Bio: Hey there, AbyssRaven here. I'm just an avid Light Novel and Fantasy story reader who randomly thought of a story and began writing about it.

I eventually found out that I've been spending a bit too much time with building, planning, and researching for the story, that I've decided to just share it with others.

Writing is mostly a hobby for me, but I would still love any kind of criticism to improve on it.

I'm also german, so please excuse anything that sounds a bit weird...I wouldn't mind you pointing it out though.

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