Anlis really did pounce.
At that moment, the way she looked at Vylian held a strange, inexplicable craving—as if she were seeing… “food”?
Fortunately, Vylian reacted quickly. She raised a hand and precisely pressed down on Anlis’s forehead, instantly locking her in place, not allowing her to come any closer.
“I admit what I did was a bit excessive, but can you show some restraint?”
“Then I’ll restrain myself.”
Anlis immediately responded, obediently pulling back, looking well-behaved and subdued. At present, her Corruption Curse had not flared up, and she was clear-headed. Logically, she shouldn’t do anything out of control or overstep boundaries.
Seeing this, Vylian secretly relaxed her guard a little. She was about to say something.
But then Anlis, the scoundrel, disregarded martial ethics. Taking advantage of Vylian’s moment of relaxation, she pounced again and tackled Vylian to the ground. This startled Vylian, making her think Anlis’s curse had flared up again. Her face turned pale.
However, Anlis simply took several deep sniffs from the crook of Vylian’s neck.
And then… nothing more.
Anlis got up, her cheeks flushed with an unnatural red. “I’m going to take a bath. Consider that as my punishment. Scared you, didn’t I?”
“You… you’re so childish.”
Vylian helplessly rolled her eyes, both annoyed and amused. That tackle had dirtied her clothes, and she would have to change.
“Bye~”
Watching Anlis’s retreating back, at least the girl seemed full of energy. Probably nothing major was wrong with her body.
Anlis hurried all the way to the bathroom, her face still flushed red, unable to calm down.
‘That was potent.’
The essence of a Level 999 Demon King was indeed too pure. With just one sniff, even a tiny bit, her mind was about to explode with excitement. She hadn’t thought it would be like this. She just tried a little.
‘Why did it have such a strong effect?’
Her current body was indeed a pure human, but she still remembered many of the nature of a Succubus. [Dreamwalking] indeed wasn’t perfect; it was normal to have some weird side effects. She almost couldn’t hold back. But it was also possible that she had practiced Sword Art for too long on the other side and was simply hungry, plus her consciousness hadn’t yet adjusted to the body swap.
As her thoughts flowed, Anlis raised the back of her hand. Before leaving the Abyss, she had deliberately made a small cut on the Succubus maid’s hand. Now, on the back of her own hand, an identical shallow mark appeared simultaneously.
‘So it really is shared.’
With that, she casually checked her Status Panel. There were no particular changes except that all the talent traits from the Abyss body had disappeared. The only addition was [Dreamwalking].
Anlis filled the tub with hot water and soaked in the warm steam, as if slowly digesting the wisp of essence she had just inhaled. Now, she was ultimately no longer a Succubus, unable to completely refine and utilize this pure energy. But this tiny wisp was still somewhat beneficial to her body. All her fatigue dissipated, her complexion visibly became rosy, and she looked as if she had been nourished.
After washing up and returning to the room, Anlis secretly glanced at Vylian by the bedside. The other had changed into pajamas, her expression calm, but deep in her eyes there was a hint of doubt. She hid her emotions very well, but Anlis still noticed.
‘Could it be that she had lost a tiny, hair-like wisp of essence just now and was now sensing it, thinking about what had happened?’
Judging by her expression, she seemed clueless and simply gave up thinking about it.
“There’s food on the table. You must be starving after sleeping so long.”
Vylian spoke blandly, her tone natural and calm.
“That’s a big help.”
On the table was a plate of pizza. It might have been reheated, as it was still hot to the touch. Even though it was reheated, it still tasted good.
“Remember to brush your teeth.”
“I did before eating.”
Hearing that, Vylian didn’t say more. Right, she had just woken up, so she probably wouldn’t go to sleep right away. She nodded slightly, a hint of fatigue flashing in her eyes. “I’m going to sleep. Make yourself at home.”
Just as she was about to lie down, Anlis suddenly spoke softly, her tone carrying a complex mix of emotions—four parts sincerity, six parts pretense.
“Vylian, before you sleep, I have a question for you.”
“Go ahead.”
“In your opinion, if the baby we might have had still existed in this world, would it resent my decision today?”
Vylian paused. She hadn’t expected Anlis’s question to be this. Girls are indeed sentimental. It was Anlis who had been determined to remove the influence of Divine Power earlier, and now it was her who was regretting and agonizing.
“Who knows? But if someday in the future, it learns of your decision, it will surely curse you for being an unfit mother.”
That was also Vylian’s plan. Clearly, Anlis was someone who valued family. When the child was just an embryo, there was nothing to say. Everyone had the right to decide whether to keep it or not. Anlis wasn’t ready yet, and her feelings for Vylian were only at the level of a newly acquainted colleague. It was normal for her not to accept it.
But if the child grew up and suddenly stood before her and shouted accusations, Vylian believed it would definitely play out like a huge family drama, dealing a lethal blow to the Hero’s heart. At that time, she would only need to hide behind the child, orchestrate from behind the scenes, reap the benefits, laugh like a villain, and easily control the whole situation. Vylian herself wasn’t unable to return to the Abyss; she had merely focused her attention on the Real World for now. Later, she could find time to return to the Abyss often to accompany the child as it grew, carefully nurturing their parent-child bond. Once the child grew up, it would naturally be close to her and firmly on her side. But if asked who the other mother was, with the Hero being the other, it was indeed hard to say.
Just as she was secretly pleased, Anlis suddenly looked up, her gaze sharp, and pressed softly: “Someday in the future? You… you didn’t actually destroy the Life Divine Power, did you?”
The moment she said this, Vylian felt as if a powerful piece of music had exploded in her ears. ‘What the heck?’
She had only made a casual hypothetical remark, so how could Anlis instantly grasp the key point and follow up so sharply?!
“I—I was just giving an example, a simple hypothetical. Don’t overthink it.”
“Tell me honestly, did you really destroy it?”
“Really.”
The next second, Anlis’s tone suddenly softened, a layer of moisture forming in her eyes as she slowly moved closer. “Please, I beg you. If you didn’t destroy it, give it back to me. I regret it now. I can’t bear to lose it.”
“Anlis, calm down.”
Vylian couldn’t handle this reaction.
“The decision has been made. There’s no take-backs in this world. It’s like the dead cannot be revived. Unless you want to have another child with me? But let me make it clear: I can’t capture another wisp of ownerless Life Divine Power, so there’s no chance to start over.”
Even though the two had only known each other for a week, were both still virgins, and hadn’t confirmed any relationship, here they were, like an old married couple, quietly discussing the issue of a child. Strange and awkward. But this only confirmed Vylian’s plan in her mind. The more regret Anlis showed, the more devastating it would be when her future child stood before her. Vylian could almost see Anlis’s shattered expression in the future. She was ten steps ahead this time.
However, Anlis had been acting the whole time. After all, she already knew the truth, had the answers, and even had the chance to get close to the child. She might even have to thank Vylian for her decision. Because after seeing the embryo nurtured in the Magic Device, she really did feel some regret.
“Fine.”
Anlis lowered her eyes, her expression perfectly conveying a sense of loss and disappointment, as if hit hard by reality, depressed, with nowhere to pour out her regret.
The room fell silent.
Vylian offered no extra comfort. She watched Anlis’s thin silhouette sitting alone at the desk. After a moment of thought, she actually fell asleep peacefully.
Zzz…
“Tch.”