Chapter 524
Chapter 524
Returning to the border of the hunting grounds, Giselle accidentally stumbled upon a handsome young man rushing somewhere, but clearly not in the direction of Rosarrio.
The woman flew up to him unnoticed and sniffed, raising her eyebrows in amazement: {What a clean smell! I haven’t met such gifted boys for a long time… Well, since he’s out of the hunting zone now, I’ll probably take him with me.} – she wrapped her tail around the handsome man, as if she had plucked a nameless flower, and soared up.
«Wa-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!» – finding himself high in the sky, the guy shouted at the top of his voice.
After the murder of four rapists, Timothy could not return to the order: it was too risky, so he went with Juno to Saturn. However, someone stole the girl, and now he suddenly became the victim of the abduction! A wonderful day…
Giselle did not react to the countless pleas and moans of the prey in any way, but threatened that she would shut up the screamer if he continued to pester her.
Finally, the succubus returned to the meeting place, where she found not only ten elders, but also a little less than a thousand succubi, led by her daughter. Everyone had devastated expressions on their faces, as if they had lost something important.
Noticing her mother, Astarte immediately flew up to her and bombarded her with questions: «Did you save her?! Did you save the girl?! Did you fulfill my master’s request?!»
«Your master?» – the bewildered woman looked at the girl suspiciously.
«Please give me an answer!» – the demoness pleaded.
«Yes, I did…»
Astarte was greatly relieved, and the colors returned to her pale face. There was hope in her eyes.
«My little bird, tell me exactly what happened to you!» – Giselle demanded.
«He tricked me… He… He is so… So amazing!» – the demoness sobbed plaintively, as if it was about the love of her life who abandoned her. Having calmed down a little, the girl began to tell how the mysterious fat man ran away, made a deal with her, and now he does not answer calls – deliberately ignores them.
Timothy, standing behind the matriarch, unwittingly overheard the conversation: {One-browed fat man? Dick, right? Did he run away with Elsa?! Did he shine brighter than the sun?! Fake personality?! It can’t be… Are Dick and Kyon the same person?!} – the guy perfectly remembered how the messenger of the goddess defeated him at the tournament of families: he flashed like a radiant star and threw his best technique – a transparent sphere – into his chest. The former Brown had no doubts when he added to this information that Dick’s identity was not real.
Now Timothy realized that the messenger of the goddess had not actually disappeared anywhere, but had simply transformed into Dick! Admittedly, his disguise is impeccable. Recognizing Kyon in Dick is completely impossible.
The guy had a good opportunity to get freedom, and also take revenge on Kyon by telling everything he knows about him. He had reason to hate Stone, although he was aware that this hatred was more like a childish insult: after all, the messenger of the goddess defeated him on his own, and Herman himself was to blame for putting everything on the tournament of families, for which he paid in full.
After listening to her daughter, the matriarch glanced at the rest of the succubi and gloomily summed up: «So, did you all fall madly in love with the gifted young man?»
The legion of girls nodded synchronously. One of them even burst into tears, wrapping her tail around herself.
With furrowed brows, Giselle pulled her human trophy to Astarte by the hand: «My birdie, tell me what your instinct tells you? Do you feel anything?»
Astarte looked into Timothy’s eyes and wrinkled her nose in disgust: «Ugh… Disgusting! If compared with Him, he is like a rotten fish next to the flower of a Thousand Truths!»
Timothy was offended by this comparison, but he wisely kept silent.
The woman sighed gloomily and sent a telepathic message to the elders. – {«They won’t be able to be interested in other men anymore, at least for the next three or four years. Having known the true splendor, their eyes will not turn down for a long time. I’m afraid the hunt has failed. We’ll have to cancel it.»}
{«But lady, you said that this is the most important day for our family!»}
One of the elders replied: {«Lindia, you felt that “aroma of genius” and you should perfectly understand our children. They have lost interest in all men for the coming years. And even if they continued hunting, who would they hunt? The dice chose the zone in which there is not a single city, only a dense forest. Yes, some kind of tournament was held here, but now people know about our invasion. There is no one to catch here. We can only expect the appearance of armies and look for worthy soldiers, but this is no longer a hunt, but a real act of hostility, which can be perceived as an attempt to exterminate the empire. People will consider this the beginning of a new world war.»}
Giselle closed her eyelids sadly. For the first time in 300 years of her long life, she is forced to stop traditional hunting. It seems that the gifted young man honestly deserved his freedom, since he was able to escape even from Astarte. There’s no point blaming the dice or Kara who threw them. Succubi are to blame for not catching the legendary prey.
Spreading her wings wide, the woman announced the end of the hunt.
Just as she turned around, she heard the guy’s voice behind her.
«Lady, I know who you are looking for!» – exclaimed Timothy. – «I will tell you everything I know about him, even where he studies, but in exchange you will let me go!»
All succubi froze as if thunderstruck.
Astarte flew up to the talker and shut his mouth with her palm, threatening: {«If you say a word, I’ll send you to the next world!»} – she was worried that if the sisters found out the details, they would go in search of their object of passion contrary to her mother’s order, thereby violating the terms of the deal between her and her master.
A dozen elders and the matriarch looked at each other, telepathically agreeing on something. Finally, Giselle nodded, turned to the young succubi and said loudly: «We will interrogate this young man and take all possible measures to capture your beloved one. Wait.» – after which she flew away with the elders and Astarte, put the young man on the ground and introduced herself. – «My name is Giselle Ruru, I am the matriarch of the succubi. What is your name?»
«I am Timothy Kagan, the son of the once great Christian Kagan…» – Timothy bowed.
«Kagan?!» – the woman was surprised. – «Why didn’t you say right away that you were from the dark race?!»
«I’m a half-blood… And does it really matter?» – Brown tilted his head in puzzlement.
«Of course it does! We have a common goal with the Kagans, so we made a deal! Didn’t they tell you? Are you really from the Kagan family?» – Giselle squinted.
«I’m an exile… I’m not aware of any contracts…»
«Exile? Hmm… Do you know Morgan?»
Timothy grimaced sourly: «Ryder’s son? I’ve known such a man… I can’t stand him.»
When the young man called the name of the emperor of the dark ones – Ryder, Giselle had no doubts: «I see… How about going with us to the demon empire? If you help Morgan defeat your competitors, then I’m sure your exile will end.»
«I have to think about it.» – Timothy crossed his arms over his chest.
«Good. And now, please, tell us all about that gifted boy!»
The matriarch, a dozen elders and Astarte heard from Kagan the story of how the Stones once adopted Kyon, nicknamed “the messenger of the goddess”, how he fought at the tournament of families, what abilities he has, including the ability to change his appearance, and much more. The young man concluded the story by mentioning that Baker is now studying in the order.
«So his weak spot is the Stones?» – Giselle suggested.
«No.» – Timothy shook his head. – «He was just adopted by them. For him, they are nothing more than a starting springboard for taking off to new heights. I’m sure of it because I’ve heard rumors that he killed members of his own family for some ridiculous reasons, and that Bai hated him for it. I still remember how furiously my grandfather looked at him at the tournament of families.» – the former Brown did not want to expose the Stones because of Juno. Otherwise, he would have kept silent, since he did not like this family either.
«Do the Stones happen to have a green-eyed blonde with the charming appearance of an angel?» – the matriarch asked shrewdly.
Timothy raised his eyebrows in surprise, not understanding how the demoness knew about this. With his reaction, he immediately gave the answer – yes.
«It’s curious…» – Giselle smiled meaningfully, puzzling everyone.
«If he doesn’t care about the Stones, then we have to find him in the order!» – one of the elders said decisively.
«No!» – Astarte snapped. – «He’s too smart, he’ll read you three moves ahead! As soon as you are discovered, he will certainly know about it, and then the deal between me and him will be broken! All of us, succubi, will irrevocably become sworn enemies for him without the possibility of forgiveness! Is this what we want?!» – although the demoness convinced the elders, relying on the interests of the family, in fact she was guided only by her desires: to make peace with the messenger of the goddess and win his heart in the future.
The elders gloomily whispered. The matriarch thoughtfully rubbed her chin. The ability to change personality, of course, complicates everything, but the main problem was different: in order to find a person solely by instinct for talent, you need to approach him at a distance of at least 100 meters, which is extremely difficult, given the size of Rosarrio. As for the search by aura, Kyon obviously won’t make the same mistake again.
Seeing the indecision of the succubi, Timothy added fuel to the fire: «So if you are worried that you will be noticed, then why don’t you, Lady Giselle, get it over with yourself? I’m sure no one will find you with your strength!»
The woman smiled sourly: «Timothy, it’s not so simple. In peacetime, practitioners of my level are forbidden to cross the borders of foreign empires, otherwise it may involve the goddess. Especially if we are talking about the so-called messenger of the goddess. This is the agreement between the goddesses of humans, demons and supreme beasts.»
{Idiotic rules…} – the ex-Brown chuckled in annoyance.
After discussing the issue for five minutes, the succubi made a unanimous decision to return to their homeland.
…
«Abducted by succubi?!» – elder of the Walders asked incredulously.
The commander of the agents recently sent to Rosarrio reported that his people encountered succubi during the search for Juno. The simplest assessment of strength made it clear to them that Rosarrio was attacked by imperial succubi. It was decided to continue the search, bypassing the demons. The girl was eventually found, however, the succubus elders somehow discovered the agents during the retreat…
The man turned pale, collapsed into a chair and drained a glass of whiskey in one gulp. The loss of two sovereign phasers at the finishing stage – his personal subordinates – is extremely unpleasant news. He did not know that such a huge force by Rosarrio’s standards would not be enough to catch some girl. Why the hell did the imperial succubi attack Rosarrio specifically, they had never done it before? Why exactly in this forest, these days?! As if fate laughed at XiaoXiao’s desire to possess Juno!
XiaoXiao came into the office at the invitation. There was an anticipatory smile on the guy’s lips.
«Son, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to forget about the girl…»
Young Walder’s expression changed abruptly: «Won’t she be mine?! B-but you promised… You said I’d get her…»
«I remember my promise. I tried to keep it, but in the end I lost two subordinates. The heavens don’t want you to get her…» – the elder shook his head sullenly. – «Now we won’t have time to take her before the wedding. You have to accept it. I’m sure we can easily find you a much prettier concubine.»
«No-o, we can’t…» – XiaoXiao, bursting into tears, ran into his chambers, deafeningly slamming the door.