Even before, most people in the chat group weren't sure what exactly had transpired between Fubuki and Rei Ao. But with just one sentence from Rei Ao, everyone saw the situation for what it was.
Tohru: "Hmph, @Fubuki, if you want power, you have to pay a price."
Fubuki: "What price?"
Saeko Busujima: "Read this chat group's name carefully."
Fubuki: "A 'trade chat group'...trade?"
Erica: "I think that's a fairly clear hint."
Rei Ao: "So, do you want a trade? I can grant you the power you long for—enough to surpass even your sister, Tatsumaki."
Fubuki: "If that's my condition, then what's the cost of this trade?"
Rei Ao: "Everything. Everything you have."
Fubuki: "...Does that include this so-called 'body usage rights'?"
Fubuki: "Sorry. I need to think it over."
Initially, Fubuki was on the verge of initiating the trade request, but the price made her hesitate. Was selling her body just to become stronger really worth it? She couldn't decide yet.
Meanwhile, Erica's eyes gleamed.
Erica: "@Rei Ao, so this trade can really accomplish anything?"
Rei Ao: "Let me clarify: anything that I can currently do."
Erica: "Does that include defeating Godslayers?"
Rei Ao: "If it's in your world, I can freely kill 'Heretic God' Most Godslayers wouldn't stand a chance against me."
Erica's eyes went wide, and her breathing quickened. She'd been half just probing, but he had given her a very direct response.
For a moment, her mind was racing.
Izawa Shizue: "Godslayers, Heretic Gods...they both sound pretty powerful."
Shinoa Hiiragi: "A 'Heretic God,' and a 'Godslayer'? Just going by the literal meaning, that's what it implies."
Erica: "Yes, that's exactly what it means in practice, too."
Erica began explaining "Heretic God..." to everyone in the chat. Rei Ao, however, sent just one last message before closing the group:
Rei Ao: "Tonight, you can all stay here and rest. I'll be busy."
And busy he must be—Lieselotte was well worth his undivided attention.
For many people, it was a sleepless night. Among them was Lilith Asami. She lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to doze off. Her heart felt uneasy.
Ever since she met Rei Ao, her emotions had been running wild, to the point her magic was unstable.
Other people assumed the disturbance stemmed from her research topic—the "lust" theme she was working on—backfiring.
But Lilith Asami knew better. Her problem went directly back to Rei Ao...or more specifically, the power of the Demon King.
She couldn't figure it out herself.
"What on earth is happening to me?"
"You want to know why you've been acting so strange all day?"
Lilith Asami bolted upright, eyes wide with alarm as she looked toward the moonlit figure standing clearly by the window.
It was Rei Ao who had suddenly appeared in her dorm room.
She was instantly on guard, that fierce restlessness flaring up again. She no longer even cared to fear his identity as the Demon King.
Rei Ao merely regarded her calmly, admiring how her silken nightclothes accentuated her beauty. Then he addressed her exact concern:
"You've been feeling off all day, right? An inexplicable irritability and loss of control."
Lilith Asami's expression froze.
"How do you know that?"
"Ah, because I'm the reason it's happening."
"What did you do to me?!"
She became intensely wary, assuming that Rei Ao had done something to her. But that wasn't it at all. In a flash, Rei Ao was at her side, pressing close.
"It isn't that I did something to you. Your body itself is crying out—desperately wanting to devour me."
Lilith Asami's heart thundered. She tried to steady herself, to push Rei Ao away.
But before she could finish, his fingertip brushed against her chest. A jolt of electricity coursed through her entire body.
She felt both shame and rage, about to explode at his boldness. But Rei Ao told her to look down:
"Look at your chest. What do you see?"
Startled, Lilith Asami lowered her gaze. Through her skin, she could see a faintly glowing red orb pulsing within her chest.
"What have you done to me?"
"I told you, I haven't done anything. That's part of you."
Lilith Asami didn't believe it. She had never seen anything like that in her body before. Rei Ao raised a hand, producing a small mass of black energy—some "Demon King essence"—and asked:
"Right now, do you feel an urge to get closer to me?"
The moment the Demon King essence appeared, Lilith Asami's expression changed drastically.
Because, exactly as he said, the red glow in her chest fluttered erratically. She felt an almost irresistible desire to be closer to Rei Ao, her body leaning forward of its own accord.
Then Rei Ao clenched his fist, making the essence vanish. The red orb in Lilith's chest faded back to normal, and that strange feeling disappeared. Confronted with this bizarre phenomenon, she knew there was more going on than she could have imagined.
"What...what is all this?"
"Do you know anything about your own origins?" Rei Ao asked calmly.
Lilith Asami shook her head.
"I don't. I've lived here at the academy since I was small."
She'd never met her parents, and the headmaster avoided the topic whenever she asked. Rei Ao continued:
"Are you saying your odd behavior is tied to your origins? Do you know who my parents are?"
"Your mother...I'm not sure. But your father..."
He paused, gazing into her eyes with a profound seriousness. Then, carefully, he spoke each word:
"Your father is a Demon King."
— Currently You can Read 200+ Chapters Ahead of Others!