Chapter 268: Disciples of Lust
When Jie Luo was still alive, among the six female members of the Hero Squad, Sylph was the one Loseweisse considered her greatest rival.
She believed Jie Luo had only accepted Athena because of her unique constitution, her ability to boost Mana, a gift he hadn’t had the chance to… enjoy… before his death.
As for Ekaterina, she was a drunkard with a terrible personality. Jie Luo probably saw her as more of a brother.
Eileen and Airi were just little girls, cute as younger sisters, but lacking the allure of a woman. Cuteness couldn’t compare to sexiness.
Only Sylph, a rare and beautiful elf, with a figure and appearance that rivaled her own, was a true threat.
And, besides Sylph, the second person Loseweisse was wary of was Ronald…
She had witnessed Sylph’s heartbroken confession to Jie Luo, her elven pride crumbling with his rejection. At that time, Loseweisse’s only thought was, If you’re so heartbroken, why don’t you just kill yourself?
Sylph had truly seemed suicidal then, her despair palpable.
Such a person wouldn’t betray Jie Luo, wouldn’t abandon their plan for Qin Chu… Of course, this was just speculation.
But Loseweisse had another reason to believe in Sylph’s loyalty. If she had betrayed them, told Qin Chu about their plan, he wouldn’t have kept her around. Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to use her as a spy? And Sylph wouldn’t be acting so… obviously suspicious…
Qin Chu wasn’t an idiot. He understood the value of a spy.
Therefore, after careful consideration, Loseweisse believed that Sylph was still trustworthy.
She was probably just upset about being abandoned by Eileen and Airi. She would talk to her, and Sylph would come around.
Of course, what Loseweisse didn’t consider was that… perhaps Qin Chu already had enough spies within their ranks.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her frustration.
“Is what Sylph said true? About Jie Luo’s soul fragment and that Horus person?” she asked.
Eileen and Airi nodded. They had also intended to report this, but Sylph had beaten them to it.
Loseweisse pondered. “We have to abandon the Lomond situation for now. We can’t deal with him and his forces alone…”
“But we need to obtain a soul fragment quickly.”
“As long as we have one, there’s still hope…”
A journey without hope was agonizing, unbearable.
“We failed this time, but we have to ensure that Athena succeeds…”
“Eileen, Airi, go support Athena,” Loseweisse said after careful consideration.
The repeated failures and setbacks had frustrated her greatly.
So, even though Athena and Muse were already on the mission, she still felt uneasy and decided to send Eileen and Airi as well, to ensure their success, no matter the cost.
And having Eileen and Airi leave would also ease the tension between them and Sylph, giving her time to… persuade… Sylph to return to their side.
After a pause, she continued, “I will investigate this Horus.”
“If my guess is correct, he’s our greatest enemy. Our recent failures are probably his doing.”
“He’s a dangerous and cunning enemy, and he has a deep grudge against us.”
“But if we can eliminate him, our plan should proceed much more smoothly.”
“As for Ekaterina, she’s our most important spy within Qin Chu’s ranks.”
“Although she can’t obtain all the information, she’s still very valuable to us. We can’t touch her for now. So, Muse and Athena, I’m counting on you.”
The twins nodded. “We understand. Be careful too.”
Come to think of it, Horus… Could that be Augustus’s alias?
After all, they had already suspected him before.
…
Meanwhile, at Qin Chu’s camp, Sylph arrived, feeling a twinge of shame in her maid outfit.
But the atmosphere here was more relaxed than in Loseweisse’s tent, the air less oppressive, less charged with suspicion and hidden agendas. She could even smile here.
The Seventh Prince, Warren, seemed to have been waiting for a long time.
He was said to be Wadsworth’s most gentlemanly and refined son, lacking in combat talent but skilled in governing.
She didn’t understand why Wadsworth had sent him to the front lines.
Warren and Qin Chu were sitting on rocks near the tent, discussing important matters.
“Hero, I truly admire you. A Snow Woman, a Blood Elf, both War God level… Good heavens, even ordinary Snow Women and Blood Elves are highly sought after by nobles, and you managed to… capture… no, I mean… acquire… ahem, bring back two of them. Impressive, truly impressive…” Warren’s eyes narrowed, showering Qin Chu with praise.
Any woman he desired, he could have.
Human women were no longer enough, so he went to the Demon Beast territory and snatched a few beautiful Witches.
What a life! Truly enviable.
“So, Hero, when you… visit… the Demon Beast territory again, could you perhaps bring back a Succubus for me…?” the Seventh Prince asked, a hint of flattery in his voice.
A Succubus…
A man’s dream.
Even Warren was no exception.
Then he saw Sylph, newly arrived, in her maid outfit, and he was even more shocked.
By the Goddess!
He had actually made the proud Ghost Archer wear a maid outfit… This Hero, how did he do it?
Qin Chu was speechless. The Seventh Prince had said he had important matters to discuss, and this was it?
A Succubus?
Could his body even handle it?
She would probably tear him apart.
Qin Chu coughed. “Your Highness Warren… we can discuss the Succubus matter later. You said you had something important to discuss?”
Warren seemed to have completely forgotten his royal decorum. He slapped his forehead as if he had just remembered.
This kind of behavior, strangely, wasn’t annoying.
He took off a ring and handed it to Qin Chu, a slightly ambiguous expression on his face.
Qin Chu took it, puzzled, and saw a row of light green potions inside.
He had seen these before, in the supplies Wadsworth had sent to his residence.
They were called Stamina Potions!
Although the name wasn’t impressive, they were highly refined potions made from rare ingredients, each bottle worth at least 100,000 Mana.
Qin Chu had used them many times in the first playthrough.
They could quickly replenish stamina after a battle with Demon Beasts.
And they also had a similar effect to Moonflowers.
“My father knows that you’ve been working hard, Hero, so he prepared a small gift for you,” Warren said with a smile.
Qin Chu’s expression was strange. “This is the important matter?”
Nevertheless, he transferred the potions to his own ring and returned the empty one to Warren.
It wasn’t because he was greedy, but because this world was dangerous, filled with Demon Beasts. It was better to be prepared.
Warren’s expression turned serious. “There’s one more thing…”
“It’s about my elder brother…”
The Grand Prince?
Qin Chu’s expression also turned serious. He knew too little about those beings in the Void.
“After a thorough investigation, we have some clues about the Evil God that corrupted my brother.”
Warren suddenly stopped speaking as Angelica approached with a tray of tea.
He took a sip and smiled at her, “Your tea-making skills are truly exquisite, Miss Angelica.”
After she left, Warren continued:
“That being is called the Lord of Lust, also known as the Lord of Pleasure, the Goddess of Desire, the Fallen Child, and many other names.”
Qin Chu frowned. “Goddess of Desire? Fallen Child?”
“Yes, it’s a being of indeterminate gender, or rather… it can change its gender at will, even be both male and female simultaneously,” Warren said, spreading his hands helplessly.
This was hard for humans to comprehend, but for those strange beings, it seemed quite normal.
“There are few records about this deity, only that it rules over not just lust, but also elegance and nobility.”
“After much investigation, we found that over a thousand years ago, the Lord of Lust had followers in the Auville Empire. They formed a depraved and filthy religion centered around indulgence and pleasure, seeking to corrupt others.”
“Its other aspects, elegance and nobility, also had followers… and the conflict between these three factions, worshipping the same deity, was even more intense than the conflict with the Holy See.”
“It was a fight to the death.”
“But, as you know, although elegance and nobility are desirable, lust is the most captivating.”
“The followers of elegance and nobility were eventually annihilated by the cult of desire.”
“And this heretical religion was finally destroyed by the other churches, disappearing from history.”
Warren quietly recounted the story of the Lord of Lust, and Qin Chu listened intently.
“But darkness is difficult to completely eradicate.”
“It might be inappropriate for me, as a prince, to say this, but the decadence of the nobility is a breeding ground for such evil beliefs.”
“The followers of the Lord of Lust still exist in this world, in various forms, corrupting everyone they encounter.”
“Recently, the Duchess of Wyatt held a private gathering, attended by twenty-four other noble ladies, along with dozens of male guards and commoners…”
It was obvious what kind of “gathering” this was.
“Duke Wyatt had long suspected his wife, so shortly after the gathering began, he stormed in with his personal guards.”
“I wasn’t there to witness it, but… the words used to describe it were… chaotic, filthy, obscene, depraved…”
“Although he suspected his wife of infidelity, Duke Wyatt couldn’t believe that she was such a shameless woman. He pointed at her, trembling with rage, and after uttering just three words, he died of anger…”
Qin Chu felt a flicker of pity for Duke Wyatt. He had gone to catch his wife cheating, only to be killed by the shock.
“The matter escalated, and the royal family intervened, arresting everyone involved. During the interrogation, they learned about a mysterious organization…”
“The Blissful Witch Society!”
Qin Chu’s eyes narrowed.
The woman who had disguised herself as Angelica and tried to assassinate him was a member of this society.
He hadn’t expected this mysterious organization to have infiltrated such high levels of the nobility.
And the Duchess was probably just a high-ranking member, not the top leader.
This was just the tip of the iceberg.
He remembered… that woman had also mentioned that the Blissful Witch Society worshipped a deity called the Lord of Pleasure.
Warren continued, “The Blissful Witch Society worships that evil deity, the Lord of Pleasure.”
“And they’re currently planning an assassination… targeting you, Hero!”
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