Not long after meeting with the trio from Grigor, Alice and her family members began a silent staring match. Asmodea''s eyes lit up, their purple colour filled with an aura of gossip and amusement. Vinea, on the other hand, clenched her fists, sinking her teeth into her lips, almost breaking the skin.

    While finishing her bath, Velvet sat on the edge of the river, occasionally gazing at Alice and lifting the corner of her lips with a mocking grin.

    "So, Aunt... tell me how this happened." Vinea spoke with a sharp tone. "After all you said it was impossible for you to sleep with Asmodeus!" Her eyes narrowed into angled slits while wrapped in a powerful aura.

    The water splashed, becoming turbulent from her growing aura.

    Waves of bubbling water flowed around the two women.

    "It''s quite complicated." Before she could continue, Vinea''s mouth opened with a "Huh?" before Alice touched her forehead, shaking her head and glaring back. "I mean... it just happened, I couldn''t help myself and it''s not like I need to apologise to you, brat."

    "What?! Are you talking back after sleeping with our future husband?" Vinea''s heterochromatic eyes flickered with brilliance as she clenched her hands and visibly shook.

    Asmodea''s hands used the fresh water to cleanse her body, listening to their words while sneaking closer to Asmodeus, who quietly sat a small distance away, washing himself. "Darling, you finally did it, huh?"

    "Did what, Asmodea?"

    "Slept with all the current surviving females of the Grigorian Royal Family!" Asmodea''s body leapt forward through the weaves, wrapping both hands around his neck. Her swift attack was like a shark catching Asmodeus off guard.

    Splash—!

    "Huh?"

    "What happened?"

    "Asmodea just captured the man you two were fighting over." Velvet narrowed her eyes, smirking at the two women arguing about what happened while the youngest sneakily took the prize. "Such a crafty girl."

    Asmodeus and the young princess from Grigor wrestled underneath the water, her hands like an octopus wrapping and clinging to his body, holding him down. Her chest didn''t hurt or fill Asmodea with rage.

    Asmodea''s anger manifested in her unique style.

    ''Maybe I shouldn''t have been so quick to sleep with her aunt.'' Asmodeus could feel her sharp fangs nipping his body, biting and squeezing like an aggressive sea creature. Their bodies splashed and flailed in the water before two pairs of arms dragged them to the surface.

    "Puha! Come back here!" Asmodea''s soft voice echoed as Vinea''s arms pulled her body through the air, a size and strength difference with blood magic swirling around her body. "I''ll make you forget her, forget all other women!"

    "Asmodea, stop being stupid and calm down." Vinea lifted her hand and hit the back of her little sister''s neck, knocking her unconscious.

    Once the youngest demon of the Grigor family slumped down with heavy dangling limbs, Vinea pulled her from the river and sat on the riverbank with a low sigh. "Asmodeus, we''ll be leaving for now but, don''t think you are forgiven either!"

    "Ah, I understand..." Like a cat caught stealing fish, he could only rub the back of his head and smile awkwardly.

    "Well, since the kids are leaving, I''ll take this one and follow them." Velvet''s voice didn''t sound aggressive, but her atmosphere and the distance between her and Asmodeus made him aware that what he did affected all of the Grigor women.

    Alice seemed to have given up fighting, her body dragged through the water by Velvet''s iron grip, gazing at Asmodeus with tearful eyes.

    "Don''t make us wait too long, Asmodeus." Velvet looked back, barely flicking her dull eyes in his direction, making his chest tighten.

    The look on Velvet''s face caused him to place a hand on his face and sigh. "Understood."

    "They never leave a dull moment for me to breathe."

    He stepped forward, the crunch of stones and branches beneath his feet, while gazing down at Alice, Vinea, Asmodea and even Aki running desperately down the cliff face...

    "Oh... Aki slipped."

    Woosh—!

    A pair of raven wings spanning over two metres spread in the air, unfurling from his back with glossy feathers. In moments, Asmodeus flew down the mountain, his body streamlined, diving towards the falling Aki with his hair blown back. "Catch you!"

    Clack—!

    His hand snatched around her waist, gripping and pulling Aki closer to his body.

    "Asmodeus, that''s too tight!"

    "Oh, my bad. You''re heavier than I imagined." He smiled cheekily and quickly corrected himself. "I mean, you almost died! So don''t worry about trivial things."

    "Gahhh, that''s rude!" Her fists battered at his chest. "Aaaaah!"

    In response, his dive continued, rushing towards the ground with such speed that Aki shut her eyes and clung onto Asmodeus tightly.

    Fwoosh—!

    The grass flattened as their weight plummeted. Then, with great care, Asmodeus placed her down. "We''re okay now; you can get off."

    "No, thank you for saving me..." A moment of awkwardness passed before their eyes locked for the briefest instant. And in a split second, they broke apart—each turning their focus elsewhere. "He''s really strange..." Aki''s black fox tail swished around as she stepped forward with a trembling leg.

    "Just stay away from the cliffs in future."

    The others arrived soon after, panting heavily, except for Velvet.

    She gave them a weary look before shaking her head and turning to find Ciela, only to see that the dark elf looked filled with vibrance and life as they stood less than a thousand metres from her home.

    "Isn''t it beautiful?" She spoke proudly, with a smile like the sun.

    But then, suddenly, a rush of cold air hit them like a blast wave from some unseen force that caused them all to shiver violently—from the distance, a sound of bowstrings being drawn, not just one or two but hundreds.

    "This is elven land, intruders. With such a mixed group, what purpose do you approach the sacred tree? State your business or risk being shot." A booming male voice came from the silver forest ahead of them.

    ''Hmm... as I worried, Alicia became a dark elf and her mother went to fight the demons. This is going to be difficult.''

    "You are all intruding, turn back now, and we will spare you." The male voice boomed again, clearly showing that he''d repeat himself several more times before they opened fire.

    Suddenly, Ciela''s ears flicked up and down—then she spoke out. "This voice sounds like Turan... Turan is that you?!" She shouted out from the very front, moving even further ahead of the group.

    "A-Ar''Ciela?!" His voice sounded filled with shock before it twisted, and his next words were cold and filled with animosity and a sense of mourning.

    "That''s impossible because... because Ar''Ciela is already dead!"