Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re) - Chapter 196

Chapter 196: Velcy’s Growth
Third Person’s POV

The girls didn’t marvel at it as they had used similar portable tents before, especially during their training in the Stygian Woods.

As Ethan turned, his gaze fell upon the Blood Slave, who had silently taken his place in the driver’s seat.

The hooded figure sat like a motionless statue with his face hidden in the darkness though its presence was as unsettling as ever.

Knowing the Blood Slave needed no rest, Ethan said nothing and entered the tent.

Inside, a plush velvet bed dominated the space.

Ethan collapsed onto it as the weight of exhaustion crashed over him.

His muscles screamed in protest, and his drained mind felt foggy from the constant strain of battle.

The depletion of his magic energy left his body aching in ways he hadn’t anticipated.

I never knew that magic depletion could make me feel this weak, he mused.

Even though the burns have almost healed, I still feel so drained.

Virelle entered the tent and sat gracefully beside him in her precise and noble-like movements.

She didn’t speak but her eyes lingered on Ethan and concern for him was etched into her features.

Velcy on the other hand had no such reservations. She leaped onto the bed and wrapped herself around Ethan like an octopus.

Her slender legs coiled over his waist while her arms pressed against his chest.

Her soft white tail which was present due to her still retaining her feline form curled around his neck and caressed his skin.

She was careful as she brushed her fur over the pinkish marks where his burns healed and were still healing.

Ethan exhaled deeply and allowed himself to relax as Velcy’s tail moved against him.

Ethan chuckled softly too tired and inwardly unwilling to protest over him.

“Comfortable?” he asked in a voice tinged with amusement.

Velcy nuzzled her face closer to his neck as her tail flicked lazily.

“Very,” she murmured in a muffled voice against his chest.

The sensation was soothing, almost hypnotic. Virelle was silent and didn’t seem to mind as she merely lay beside him and sleep took her.

But Ethan knew the truth.

Velcy had always been possessive of him and it was a trait that had developed and grown stronger over the past two years.

She had spent almost every moment by his side, whether it was his stay in the Scarlet Hollow Castle or at Ebon Spire Peak.

Unlike Virelle, who had been away for long periods studying in the Abyssal Sanctum, Velcy had remained with him.

She had been his companion, his HeartShadow as described by his Master Nyx and his shadow had no intention of letting him go.

He smirked inwardly.

Seeing Virelle kiss me in the valley must have ignited her secret obsession even more.

But he didn’t mind.

Instead, he smiled darkly as it meant that he would not have to spend any more effort to secure Velcy for himself and she was already his and his alone for all eternity.

She was still a rank one being that is in the Acolyte Mage Ream but Ethan was happy with her pace of growth in both power, knowledge, and overall personality.

Velcy was not too outspoken but she had gradually come out of the shadow of being in slavery and captive over many years and had integrated well into normal life.

Velcy’s tail unconsciously coiled tighter around his chest in her sleep, and Ethan smirked.

She really is possessive.

His gaze flickered to the entrance of the tent. Outside, the Blood Slave remained unmoving, its presence a silent guardian.

He suddenly gazed down at her sleeping face and his eyes traced the purplish-black scars that suddenly appeared just moments before.

Her tail and ears had vanished and her hair had turned to their previous dull gray once more.

Though her expression was peaceful, those scars were remnants of past torment and were cursed wounds that had never fully healed.

His fingers twitched as an idea formed in his mind.

He recalled the sacred white fire he had wielded after awakening his Devil Bloodline.

Could that fire heal her scars?

His eyes lit up in thought.

The power of that flame was still a mystery and it possessed both esoteric and terrifying properties of both healing and destruction.

It was unlike any other magic he had ever encountered.

Before I test it, I need to understand my Devil Bloodline fully… and uncover the meaning behind that vision.

The dreamy clouds, the vision of the silver city, the throne of bone, and the shadowy phantom.

The mysterious phantom’s words had been vague and its presence overwhelming but he knew that all of it meant something.

And until he understood it, he couldn’t risk using the flame recklessly.

He needed answers.

As he lay there, thoughts swirled in his mind though exhaustion and a mild back pain kept him from truly resting.

He glanced at Virelle, who had also succumbed to slumber.

Unlike Velcy, she had not latched onto him, yet there was a quiet closeness between them.

Tomorrow, they would continue their journey through the Dark Hollow Pass.

The dangers ahead to the Abyssal Sanctum were unknown, but Ethan had no doubts that he would carve his path through them all.

With that final thought, his eyes slowly closed and his mind drifted into the abyss of slumber where dark visions awaited him once more.

—

In the ominous crimson glow of the Blood Moon, a lone carriage moved through the dense Dark Forest.

Towering trees loomed overhead and their intertwining branches formed a thick canopy that cast eerie shadows on the path below.

Some of the bloody moonlight managed to pierce through the dense canopy but most of it was swallowed by the thick foliage and left the forest floor shrouded in deep, eerie darkness.

The atmosphere was thick with an unsettling silence only to be broken by the occasional rustling of unseen creatures lurking in the underbrush.

They collectively came out of their holes and lairs in response.