587. Conversation With A Criminal
Taburas closed her eyes. The world was spinning around her, and she could barely stand on steady feet. Even as she tried to steel herself, she couldn’t calm her nerves. There was no way she could relax. After all—
The [Succubus] raised her head and eyed the silver-haired girl sitting right next to Haec.
Who is that bitch? Taburas knew who she was— her name was Salvos. And as Betrugil had said, she was wanted by the Demon King Regnorex himself because of… reasons or whatever.
None of that mattered to Taburas. She just wanted to scream. She wanted to tear her hair out. But she held herself back, watching as both Salvos and Haec clung onto each other. Neither of them let go of each other, even as they gathered around to explain the situation.
“Salvos is… my companion.”
Haec spoke simply, and Salvos nodded. They had an arm locked together, even as she raised a hand with a smile on her face.
“Haec is my companion too! He’s my first companion!”
Taburas bit back her tongue— she stopped herself from snapping at that very moment. She kept her thoughts to herself as Betrugil frowned.
“Companion? What does that even mean?”
Haec shook his head as a small smile spread across his face.
“It means we were born from the same pool of Lifeblood. At different times, perhaps. But we knew each other since we were both Infant Demons.”
Taburas blinked, seeing the expression on his face. It was a wistful look. He was clearly reminiscing about the times he spent with Salvos. And that only exacerbated the sense of jealousy the [Succubus] felt.
But she had to hold herself back as Haec continued.
“After the others died… it was just the two of us. Everyone else was either dead, or they ran away. And we fought together— we survived thanks to each other.”
He turned to Salvos as she grinned back at him.
“Yep! We even evolved into Lesser Demons together! We were a team… we were…”
And she trailed off. The expression on her face grew soft. She lowered her head, before closing her eyes. Taburas frowned as Haec peered at her curiously.
“What were we, Salvos?”
Haec asked with a raised brow. Salvos looked back at him, before bringing a hand up to pat him on the head.
“We were family.”
“Family…?”
He blinked in response. Taburas unclenched her fist for a moment, processing the words of Salvos. Bertrugil and Aemula exchanged a glance.
And Salvos tried to explain.
“It’s a Human thing— or a mortal thing, I guess? Like… when Humans are born from the same parents, they’re all family…”
She seemed uncertain even as she spoke. Haec chuckled, leaning back away from her.
“I know what a family is, Salvos. I learned about it from my studies with Oracli. But… what makes you say that?”
He asked as he stared at her. She placed a hand on her chin, contemplating his question.
“Well… it’s like we are brother and sister, you know? That’s why we’re family!”
“I see.”
Haec nodded in agreement, even as Taburas glanced between the two of them with wide eyes. He closed his eyes.
“Family, huh? I like that.”
“Yep! I like it too!”
Salvos beamed in response. She looked him up and down for a moment, before going in to hug him once again.
“I’m just so glad we’re finally back together…”
“Yeah… me too…”
Haec returned her hug as he whispered. And that was when Taburas finally had enough. The [Succubus] clicked her tongue before pointing accusingly at Salvos.
“What are you talking about?”
Taburas sputtered as Salvos and Haec quickly separated. They blinked at the [Succubus].
“Family? Brother and sister? That is ridiculous! We are Demons! There is no such thing as family for us!”
Her words made Betrugil and Haec flinched. Aemula pursed her lips, agreeing with Taburas.
“Taburas is right— we aren’t mortals. We’re all born from Genesis together, even if not at the same time. If anything, we’re all family.”
“But I don’t know you.”
Salvos just cocked her head back in response. Aemula shook her head.
“I am Aemula.”
“And I’m Salvos! It’s nice to meet you!”
The [Fiend] shifted back uncomfortably as Salvos drew closer excitedly. Taburas gritted her teeth, before crossing her arms.
“Who you are doesn’t matter. What matters is why I have never heard about you before now? Why hasn’t Haec ever mentioned you?”
Taburas asked as she turned to her companion. He scratched his cheek hesitantly.
“That’s…”
“Because Salvos is wanted by the Demon King. That’s it, isn’t it?”
Betrugil spoke up for the first time in a while. He leant forward, sighing as Taburas and Haec glanced his way.
“Even before Regnorex put a target on her back, he would have wanted her in his kingdom. Because look at her—”
He gestured at the confused Salvos as Taburas, Aemula, and Haec stared.
“Have you even used [Identification] on her?”
Taburas and Aemula exchanged a confused glance. Haec blinked a few times before, smiling.
“Huh. That is… impressive, Salvos.”
Salvos just raised her chim triumphantly. Aemula gasped a moment after, and Taburas narrowed her eyes. The [Succubus] was the last one to turn her gaze to Salvos and use [Identification]. At that moment, her eyes went round.
[Lesser God - Lvl. 165]
“A… Lesser God?”
Taburas just stared for a long moment as Betrugil sighed.
“But not just a Lesser God— a Lesser God as a Primeval Demon.”
The [Abraxas] spoke softly, before raising his head to hold Salvos’ gaze.
“I have never heard of such a thing before. I was always told that you’d need to reach your Level 200 evolution to undergo apotheosis.”
“Oracli said the same thing too. And yet… here she is.”
Haec nodded at Salvos. She just smirked back, flexing an arm.
“Well, I am pretty amazing, after all!”
Taburas couldn’t comprehend it. Her mind was reeling— her head was aching. She rubbed her temples as she tried to process everything Salvos had said so far.
So… her name was Salvos— which she had felt the need to repeat multiple times for whatever reason. And she was both a Lesser God and a Primeval Demon. A combination that Taburas had never heard of before. But even more than that… Salvos was also the one who the Demon King Regnorex himself had ordered to be killed on sight.
And on top of all of that, she was also somehow Haec’s sister?
None of it made any sense. It was incomprehensible. And yet, Taburas looked up at the iridescent aura wisping off the silver-haired girl. She saw the way that Salvos and Haec laughed and smiled at each other.
And the [Succubus] knew that this was a reality. It was a fact. Her lips quivered as she struggled to accept it.
But Salvos’ next words broke her out of her stupor.
“Anyway, now we’re back together again, that means we can finally leave this place together!”
Taburas blinked, hearing that.
“What…?”
Salvos excitedly grabbed Haec’s hands as he blinked back at her.
“Leave this place?”
“That’s right!”
She gestured towards their surroundings— towards the destruction all around them. Up above, the broken sky remained still. No black lightning crackled overhead, although Taburas didn’t seem to notice it.
The [Succubus] was too focused on Salvos’ words.
“We can leave the Netherworld behind… we can live a better life in the Mortal Realm together!”
“Go to the Mortal Realm?!”
Betrugil sputtered in shock. Aemula covered her mouth in surprise, whispering softly.
“Why would you want to do that?”
“Because the Netherworld kind of sucks!”
Salvos replied simply. She waved a hand dismissively as Haec looked on.
“When it’s not boring, it’s dangerous! And while that’s good for leveling up, it’s not really a good place to live in. Also— I want you to meet my friends!”
She grinned as she pulled him forward. Taburas wanted to protest, but she knew she could do nothing against a Lesser God. So the [Succubus] had no other choice but to watch, accepting what was going to happen.
That was— until Haec caught himself. He stopped Salvos from pulling him forward as he shook his head with a dour look on his face.
“I’m sorry, Salvos. But… I can’t do that.”
And Salvos just blinked.
“What?”
She looked like she was about to protest, but he lowered his head. He closed his eyes.
“I can’t leave the Netherworld. Not just yet.”
Salvos pursed her lips. And she slowly asked the simple question as Taburas blinked in the background.
“But… why?”
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587. Conversation With A Criminal
Taburas closed her eyes. The world was spinning around her, and she could barely stand on steady feet. Even as she tried to steel herself, she couldn’t calm her nerves. There was no way she could relax. After all—
The [Succubus] raised her head and eyed the silver-haired girl sitting right next to Haec.
Who is that bitch? Taburas knew who she was— her name was Salvos. And as Betrugil had said, she was wanted by the Demon King Regnorex himself because of… reasons or whatever.
None of that mattered to Taburas. She just wanted to scream. She wanted to tear her hair out. But she held herself back, watching as both Salvos and Haec clung onto each other. Neither of them let go of each other, even as they gathered around to explain the situation.
“Salvos is… my companion.”
Haec spoke simply, and Salvos nodded. They had an arm locked together, even as she raised a hand with a smile on her face.
“Haec is my companion too! He’s my first companion!”
Taburas bit back her tongue— she stopped herself from snapping at that very moment. She kept her thoughts to herself as Betrugil frowned.
“Companion? What does that even mean?”
Haec shook his head as a small smile spread across his face.
“It means we were born from the same pool of Lifeblood. At different times, perhaps. But we knew each other since we were both Infant Demons.”
Taburas blinked, seeing the expression on his face. It was a wistful look. He was clearly reminiscing about the times he spent with Salvos. And that only exacerbated the sense of jealousy the [Succubus] felt.
But she had to hold herself back as Haec continued.
“After the others died… it was just the two of us. Everyone else was either dead, or they ran away. And we fought together— we survived thanks to each other.”
He turned to Salvos as she grinned back at him.
“Yep! We even evolved into Lesser Demons together! We were a team… we were…”
And she trailed off. The expression on her face grew soft. She lowered her head, before closing her eyes. Taburas frowned as Haec peered at her curiously.
“What were we, Salvos?”
Haec asked with a raised brow. Salvos looked back at him, before bringing a hand up to pat him on the head.
“We were family.”
“Family…?”
He blinked in response. Taburas unclenched her fist for a moment, processing the words of Salvos. Bertrugil and Aemula exchanged a glance.
And Salvos tried to explain.
“It’s a Human thing— or a mortal thing, I guess? Like… when Humans are born from the same parents, they’re all family…”
She seemed uncertain even as she spoke. Haec chuckled, leaning back away from her.
“I know what a family is, Salvos. I learned about it from my studies with Oracli. But… what makes you say that?”
He asked as he stared at her. She placed a hand on her chin, contemplating his question.
“Well… it’s like we are brother and sister, you know? That’s why we’re family!”
“I see.”
Haec nodded in agreement, even as Taburas glanced between the two of them with wide eyes. He closed his eyes.
“Family, huh? I like that.”
“Yep! I like it too!”
Salvos beamed in response. She looked him up and down for a moment, before going in to hug him once again.
“I’m just so glad we’re finally back together…”
“Yeah… me too…”
Haec returned her hug as he whispered. And that was when Taburas finally had enough. The [Succubus] clicked her tongue before pointing accusingly at Salvos.
“What are you talking about?”
Taburas sputtered as Salvos and Haec quickly separated. They blinked at the [Succubus].
“Family? Brother and sister? That is ridiculous! We are Demons! There is no such thing as family for us!”
Her words made Betrugil and Haec flinched. Aemula pursed her lips, agreeing with Taburas.
“Taburas is right— we aren’t mortals. We’re all born from Genesis together, even if not at the same time. If anything, we’re all family.”
“But I don’t know you.”
Salvos just cocked her head back in response. Aemula shook her head.
“I am Aemula.”
“And I’m Salvos! It’s nice to meet you!”
The [Fiend] shifted back uncomfortably as Salvos drew closer excitedly. Taburas gritted her teeth, before crossing her arms.
“Who you are doesn’t matter. What matters is why I have never heard about you before now? Why hasn’t Haec ever mentioned you?”
Taburas asked as she turned to her companion. He scratched his cheek hesitantly.
“That’s…”
“Because Salvos is wanted by the Demon King. That’s it, isn’t it?”
Betrugil spoke up for the first time in a while. He leant forward, sighing as Taburas and Haec glanced his way.
“Even before Regnorex put a target on her back, he would have wanted her in his kingdom. Because look at her—”
He gestured at the confused Salvos as Taburas, Aemula, and Haec stared.
“Have you even used [Identification] on her?”
Taburas and Aemula exchanged a confused glance. Haec blinked a few times before, smiling.
“Huh. That is… impressive, Salvos.”
Salvos just raised her chim triumphantly. Aemula gasped a moment after, and Taburas narrowed her eyes. The [Succubus] was the last one to turn her gaze to Salvos and use [Identification]. At that moment, her eyes went round.
[Lesser God - Lvl. 165]
“A… Lesser God?”
Taburas just stared for a long moment as Betrugil sighed.
“But not just a Lesser God— a Lesser God as a Primeval Demon.”
The [Abraxas] spoke softly, before raising his head to hold Salvos’ gaze.
“I have never heard of such a thing before. I was always told that you’d need to reach your Level 200 evolution to undergo apotheosis.”
“Oracli said the same thing too. And yet… here she is.”
Haec nodded at Salvos. She just smirked back, flexing an arm.
“Well, I am pretty amazing, after all!”
Taburas couldn’t comprehend it. Her mind was reeling— her head was aching. She rubbed her temples as she tried to process everything Salvos had said so far.
So… her name was Salvos— which she had felt the need to repeat multiple times for whatever reason. And she was both a Lesser God and a Primeval Demon. A combination that Taburas had never heard of before. But even more than that… Salvos was also the one who the Demon King Regnorex himself had ordered to be killed on sight.
And on top of all of that, she was also somehow Haec’s sister?
None of it made any sense. It was incomprehensible. And yet, Taburas looked up at the iridescent aura wisping off the silver-haired girl. She saw the way that Salvos and Haec laughed and smiled at each other.
And the [Succubus] knew that this was a reality. It was a fact. Her lips quivered as she struggled to accept it.
But Salvos’ next words broke her out of her stupor.
“Anyway, now we’re back together again, that means we can finally leave this place together!”
Taburas blinked, hearing that.
“What…?”
Salvos excitedly grabbed Haec’s hands as he blinked back at her.
“Leave this place?”
“That’s right!”
She gestured towards their surroundings— towards the destruction all around them. Up above, the broken sky remained still. No black lightning crackled overhead, although Taburas didn’t seem to notice it.
The [Succubus] was too focused on Salvos’ words.
“We can leave the Netherworld behind… we can live a better life in the Mortal Realm together!”
“Go to the Mortal Realm?!”
Betrugil sputtered in shock. Aemula covered her mouth in surprise, whispering softly.
“Why would you want to do that?”
“Because the Netherworld kind of sucks!”
Salvos replied simply. She waved a hand dismissively as Haec looked on.
“When it’s not boring, it’s dangerous! And while that’s good for leveling up, it’s not really a good place to live in. Also— I want you to meet my friends!”
She grinned as she pulled him forward. Taburas wanted to protest, but she knew she could do nothing against a Lesser God. So the [Succubus] had no other choice but to watch, accepting what was going to happen.
That was— until Haec caught himself. He stopped Salvos from pulling him forward as he shook his head with a dour look on his face.
“I’m sorry, Salvos. But… I can’t do that.”
And Salvos just blinked.
“What?”
She looked like she was about to protest, but he lowered his head. He closed his eyes.
“I can’t leave the Netherworld. Not just yet.”
Salvos pursed her lips. And she slowly asked the simple question as Taburas blinked in the background.
“But… why?”
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