r18novel Chapter 27 The succubus gave up seduction and gave you the middle finger.
Chapter 27 The succubus gave up seduction and gave you the middle finger.
Succubus?
They don't sound like some powerful race...
Rod squinted, thinking for a moment, then, urged by Alina, he continued to ask Aphrodite:
"What's your purpose in following me?"
"Don't use such an awful word as 'stalking'~"
Aphrodite gripped her wand, placed one hand on her chest, and curtsied to him. Her long, snow-white hair cascaded down her shoulders, revealing a slender, fair neck.
"It's just a beautiful girl who wants to meet a handsome and powerful man~"
She raised her head slightly, her flawless, ruby-like eyes taking in his tall figure, a sly smile playing on her lips.
Most human males unconsciously lower their guard when faced with advances from attractive women.
This,
This was Aphrodite's first step in taking control of the pace of the conversation.
"Hmm..." Upon hearing this, Rhodes looked down at her and fell into deep thought.
"Hey, you weren't fooled by just one sentence from her, were you!"
Alina couldn't help but shout in her consciousness, "Wake up! This guy is a demon! Don't trust him!"
Alina never expected that this woman could distract Rhodes time and time again.
He's not usually like this with himself!
"As expected, demons are all terrifying creatures..." Alina couldn't help but sigh. "We absolutely cannot let Rhode be fooled by this guy."
Resist bad temptations, starting with staying away from succubi!
Just as Alina was anxiously spinning around in her mind's eye, Rhodes suddenly spoke.
"While I am indeed very handsome, are you really a girl?"
Rod looked her over curiously and asked, "Your appearance and voice are youthful, but your hair is completely white. It feels like you're too old to be called a girl anymore, right?"
Is this the legendary white hair and youthful face?
Aside from being a bit good-looking, I feel... I don't have that otherworldly, hermit-like aura at all.
Rod couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at this thought.
"..."
Upon hearing this, a crack appeared in Aphrodite's smile.
What's wrong with this guy? Does he even know how to chat?
"That kind of thing isn't important~" Aphrodite said through gritted teeth in a coquettish tone, maintaining a polite smile.
"I think it's still quite important," Rod said softly. "We should respect the elderly and care for the young..."
Important my ass!
Aphrod couldn't help but curse inwardly, but then suddenly realized that the other party didn't seem to know anything about the demon race.
In other words, he may not necessarily be as hostile and repulsive towards demons as other humans are.
Thinking of this, Aphrodite smiled sweetly and kindly again.
"Her hair color is natural," she said, her slender fingers brushing a strand of hair aside. "As for her age..."
"They've only been out of puberty for a little over a year!"
"How old is that..." Rhode asked instinctively, then realized what he meant after hearing Alina's explanation, "19?"
"Hmm~"
Aphrodite nodded, and the little heart-shaped tail under her cloak swayed restlessly, beckoning to the person in front of her as if extending some kind of invitation.
"According to human etiquette, perhaps I should call you...brother?"
Her pink lips parted and closed, and when she said the word "brother," the girl's soft voice rose slightly at the end, making one's blood boil.
Aphrodite was well aware of her physical advantages; most humanoids could not resist her innate charm.
Especially given her delicate and innocent appearance and age, even though she is a demon, many people would lower their guard because of her pure temperament.
By showing the slightest weakness, it is easy to arouse the protective instincts of young and middle-aged men, inducing them to do things for you, even go through fire and water.
However, Rhodes is not on this list.
"No," Rod shook his head, "You can't call me brother."
"Oh?" Aphrodite paused, then feigned a pitiful expression and said, "So... you still dislike my appearance?"
"No, that's not it," Rhodes said, clearly focusing on the wrong thing, "because you're older than me."
"Is that so...?" Aphrodite couldn't hold back her smile for a moment, and her lips twitched involuntarily.
"Yes, I'm 18," Rod retorted seriously, "You calling me 'brother' is going against the natural order, isn't it?"
"..." Aphrodite fell silent.
Humans have such a good living environment that they can live to adulthood.
Aphrodite took a deep breath and forced herself to find a way to steer the conversation back on track.
But how do you talk to someone like that?
Do we really want to recruit this kind of person?
"It's a miracle you've grown this big..." Even Alina couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
"It seems like a lot of people have said similar things to me," Rhodes said to her, then focused his attention back on Aphrodite in front of him.
"Why aren't you smiling anymore?" Rhodes asked, puzzled by her ever-changing expression. "Is something bothering you?"
Guess who's responsible for all of this?!
"...Haha," Aphrodite chuckled, unsure how to respond, "Perhaps."
How could you possibly have a good time chatting with someone like that?
"Pfft..." Alina, while trying to suppress her laughter, couldn't help but burst into tears.
Haha, finally someone understands the same pain I'm going through!
That's right, that's exactly what I wanted to see!
Rhodes, you're right!
"I... let's talk about something else, shall we?" Aphrodite abruptly changed the subject, forcing a smile. "Do you know why I came to see you, handsome young man?"
She soon regretted asking such a foolish question.
"If I knew, why would I be standing here asking you?" Rhodes asked, looking completely bewildered. "Why do you want to get to know me? Just because I'm handsome?"
Who taught you to talk like that?
"Heh, I guess so," Aphrodite said with a forced smile, "and also because you're very strong."
Since the honey trap didn't work, let's try a different approach: lure them with benefits.
Aphrodite gripped her wand, straightened up, and stopped speaking to him in that weak and submissive manner.
"I have a way to make you stronger and richer, all you have to do me a small favor..."
Her nimble heart-shaped tail flicked, and her scarlet eyes were fixed on Rhodes, observing his every reaction intently, trying to find his desire.
In her view, no adventurer could resist the allure of the words "powerful" and "wealthy".
"Don't trust her," Alina instantly became extremely wary. "Demons never give anything away for no reason. She's been following us suspiciously for so long; she's definitely up to no good!"
Alina grew more and more certain as she spoke, "Look at her, always hiding herself away, not even daring to show her face in public, she's definitely not a good person!"
Upon hearing this, Rhodes looked directly at Aphrodite and asked, "Are you a bad person?"
"..."
Aphrodite's smile froze. She hadn't expected the topic to jump so drastically, and she certainly hadn't expected this eccentric guy to react so quickly and immediately realize her identity.
But why would he ask such a stupid and ridiculous question?
"Is this a test? Or is he really that stupid?" Aphrodite's eyes flickered slightly.
"What if I say I'm not?" She carefully chose her words, then gave a helpless smile and said:
"If I had to say, I'm just a poor little girl wanted by the Holy Light Church."
"The Holy Light Church?" Rhodes paused, remembering that Father Garen and Knight Lucius were believers in the Holy Light. "Why are they after you?"
"Because I am a demon," Aphrodite said in a sorrowful tone, "even though I have half human blood flowing through my veins, I am destined to be unacceptable to you humans."
"A half-demon?" Alina, a half-elf, was stunned. The words she wanted to say were instantly stuck in her throat, and she fell silent.
"The Holy Light Church practices racial discrimination?" Rhodes asked in disbelief. "Is it really that extreme?"
"..."
Aphrodite didn't know if this guy was genuinely stupid or just pretending.
The Holy Light Church is a purely human force that does not accept any foreign faiths. It is ruthless towards mixed-race and demon races, to the point of exterminating them.
"The Holy Light Church is indeed quite xenophobic," Alina's voice echoed from the consciousness space, answering Rhodes's question. "They only accept pure human believers and forcefully expel people of other races and mixed races from their own parishes."
"But under normal circumstances, they wouldn't waste extra manpower and resources going to such a small place to hunt down a law-abiding half-demon." Her tone gradually became sharper.
Rod suddenly realized, then looked at Aphrodite: "You must have done something else, right?"
Hearing this, Aphrodite sighed helplessly.
She knew the other party wasn't so easily fooled.
"Maybe it's because I stole their things," Aphrodite chuckled self-deprecatingly, "when they took something more important from me..."
Her voice was very soft, quickly dissipating in the wind. Then, she changed the subject, looking at Rhodes with a seductive tone and asking:
"Do you know about resurrection magic?"
His scarlet eyes stared unblinkingly at him, testing Rod's reaction.
"A resurrection spell?" Rhodes fell into deep thought. "The dead coming back to life?"
As far as I can remember, Father Galen once spoke of a similar spell, but it is said that this spell has almost disappeared from the world.
"That's right!" Aphrodite nodded immediately, her voice tinged with genuine excitement. "It's the kind of power that can make up for all regrets, that can bring back the people you'll never see again! I'm almost done with my research, just one last step!"
"Don't listen to her nonsense," Alina's voice was more serious than ever before. "This kind of spell is either strictly controlled by the Holy Light Church, or it's a forbidden spell."
"All forbidden techniques involving the concept of resurrection come at an extremely terrifying price... absolutely not something she can obtain or control."
Upon hearing this, Rhodes looked at Aphrodite: "Is this a forbidden dark magic technique?"
Aphrodite's smile faded slightly, and her gaze drifted unconsciously to the side: "It's just that the Vatican defines it that way. They're afraid that this power will shake their rule, so they smear it as evil."
"And what's the price?" Rhodes pressed directly. "What's the cost of casting this spell?"
"The price..." Aphrodite paused, then said vaguely, "is just a little bit of special life energy, and I've already found a solution."
"If you help me escape the Holy See's pursuit, I will teach you the resurrection magic after it's done, how about it?"
This time, even without Alina's reminder, Rhodes sensed that something was wrong.
"Your attitude is very suspicious..." Rhodes said, stroking his chin. "I have a feeling that things aren't that simple."
Originally, Rhodes didn't care what Aphrodite wanted to do, but considering her hostility towards the Holy Light Church, he couldn't help but worry whether the girl in front of him would be a threat to Father Galen and the others.
"Why do you care so much?" Aphrodite's expression darkened slightly. "With the resurrection magic, you can resurrect anyone you want! Your parents, your friends, anyone you miss and love!"
"Hmm... the conditions you've offered are tempting," Rhodes's expression hardened, "but I refuse."
"Why?" Aphrodite was completely stunned. "How could you refuse..."
Rhodes said calmly, "Because I have no one who needs to be resurrected."
The people Aphrods were talking about either didn't exist in this world or were still alive and well, so they didn't need the so-called resurrection magic at all.
If that's the case, why would he risk going along with the other side?
"Fine, fine, fine..." Aphrodite laughed in exasperation, her anger barely contained, and with her blood pressure noticeably high, she couldn't help but retort:
"You must be really annoying to have nobody care about you, right?"
Upon hearing this question, Rod actually pondered it seriously for a while.
"Although some people don't like me," Rod replied seriously, "my friends quite like me."
"Oh? Someone like you actually has friends?" Aphrodite said sarcastically.
"What, don't you have one?" Rod asked, puzzled.
"..."
Aphrodite clutched her chest, taking several deep breaths before barely managing to suppress the urge to kill the person in front of her on the spot.
"But you've reminded me," Rhodes scratched his head, "I have a few friends at the Vatican. If you're truly innocent, I can ask them to drop the warrant on you and clear your name."
"...What if I'm not innocent?"
Aphrodite twitched the corners of her mouth, gripped her wand tightly, the last trace of a smile fading from her crimson eyes, and the heart-shaped tail beneath her cloak taut, poised to strike.
The air in the alley seemed to freeze instantly.
Sensing something was wrong, Rhodes suddenly raised his right hand, and a dazzling blue-gold light emanated from his palm.
Countless tiny crystal fragments spun and coalesced rapidly in his palm, transforming in the blink of an eye into a shimmering crystal longbow.
Magic Arrow
"Hmph." Aphrodite waved her wand lightly, muttering incantations, not intending to get entangled with him any further.
A short, melodious incantation, bright silver, escaped her lips, and tiny specks of silver light swept across the scene, landing on the wandering knight before her.
【Silver Light's Sharp Words】
Rhodes and Alina were momentarily lost in thought when they felt their condensed magic power being blocked. The longbows in their hands instantly dissipated into a cloud of blue particles and vanished into the air.
They could only watch helplessly as she rolled up her black robe and disappeared into the alley.
"You think you can arrest me?"
Before leaving, the white-haired, red-eyed succubus didn't forget to give Rhodes the middle finger.