Velvet looked at Laphicet, who fell asleep on Avernus, drooling. She turned her attention to the man himself. His face was peaceful, and to her, it seemed that he had a slight smile. She was annoyed because lately, whenever they looked at each other, Avernus was smiling more than usual. Constant flirting and teasing didn’t help with what truly was going on in Velvet’s mind.

Velvet thought that she didn’t deserve his attention or any of the romantic advances he made upon her. Those were meant for a normal girl, not a vengeful killer. Her thoughts and mind were solely focused on killing Artorius, but Avernus was too distracting. To her, no one was stupider than him.

“He’s naïve and wrong. I don’t need unnecessary emotional entanglement.” She spoke callously and looked at the silvered-haired Malak,

“And nothing can get in the way of my revenge. Especially not him .”

Velvet expected to see Tia disappointed. But the malak slowly smiled and nodded favourably.

“So, you choose vengeance, then?”

Velvet turned to Avernus once again and paused before giving her final answer. She remembered the one thing that she despised most was Avernus’s considerate attitude. Tabatha said that he went through hell and back to find her. Avernus threw himself at battleships, daemons, exorcists, Artorius, and even her hunger for blood to keep her safe. Nevertheless, he was there again, wounded and battered on a bed because he wanted to protect a bunch of daemons and pirates. There was no place for his bravery and sacrifices.

“Do I need to repeat myself to you?” Velvet said.

“No, Velvet. That was all I needed to hear. But I have a request. Tell him before his feelings sprout more roots.”

Velvet turned to Tia. She didn’t know why the malak was interested at all. “Why is this matter remotely important to you?”

Tia’s smile faded. She moved closer to the door and fully opened it, leaning against the door frame. “Avernus walks a dangerous path, a thin line between darkness and light. Aside from all the humans that I met, he is the most peculiar one.”

“Why is that?” asked Velvet.

Tia went to the bed and sat beside Avernus. She raised a brow at Velvet. “I thought all you cared about was your revenge?”

Velvet pressed her lips together and stood silent. Tia was right. Velvet was too interested, and she was giving herself away.

“Anyway, I told you enough. Knowing the rest is meaningless, Velvet.” Tia closed her eyes, and her body glowed bright blue. She levitated elegantly and mimicked Avernus’s sleep position, sluggishly sank within his body. Laphicet suddenly woke up and whipped his head. Velvet came to his side and patted him on his shoulder, then both of them exited the room.

Velvet walked outside with Laphicet trailing behind him. The crew’s voices could be heard coming from the outside as they were getting ready for departure. Van Eltia moderately shook, signalling that it had already begun to leave the harbour. They saw Kurogane talking with Rokurou as they were examining the Dreamshadow, swinging it left and right.

“So, you’re saying that this thing is formed from the body of a malak?” The headless Kurogane asked with his echoing voice.

“That’s what both of them claimed,” Rokurou grunted as he felt the weapon's unusual weight. “This feels heavy… very heavy. How he can move-”

Velvet quickly cut Kurogane short, “Hey! What do you want with Avernus’s staff?!”

Rokurou raised a brow at Velvet’s defensive tone. “Nothing, just wondering why this thing is so heavy.”

Rokuoru tossed the staff at Velvet. She caught it effortlessly, but the abnormal weight forced her to hold it with both hands. Velvet put the end of the staff on the ground and placed her left hand on her hips, unintentionally posing as Avernus himself, which made Laphicet laugh.

After a close study, Rokurou finally concluded. “I think the heavyweight acts as a security measure. It is not fatal, but it will prevent you from doing anything useful with it.”

“So it’s directly connected to the wielder. Hmm…” Kurogane observed, and his voice went silent. Having no head made it impossible for others to make out what exactly his mood was. Then after a few moments, his disembodied voice came back.

“I have an idea. I can make the greatest sword to beat the god blade, but the wielder must be a swordsman of unmatched skill. Like Avernus.”

“You mean that Avernus is an unmatched fighter?” Rokurou asked skeptically.

Velvet grinned slightly, showing pride in Avernus. “What is it, Rokurou? Are you jealous?”

“No,” Rokurou dismissed. “I’m intrigued. Avernus nulled Rangetsu Eagle by grabbing the blade.”

“Then the malak sensed something great in Avernus, and the key is to sync with someone who has confidence in his abilities,” Kurogane said. “But that’s not the point. Being an unrivalled swordsman signifies that you’re in sync with your weapon. You treat it with respect, showing your prowess in combat, and it will treat you the same in return.”

Rokurou nodded and raised his head proudly. “Now I get it! I will start to train harder immediately.”

Laphicet clenched his fists in eagerness. “Yes! I want to see how you train Rokurou!”

Velvet couldn’t figure out why men and boys were so excited about fighting. “Whatever, you boys do what you want to do. I don’t know why I always get myself into these situations.”

As Velvet began to walk back to the crew quarters, she saw Magilou standing behind Eizen, flapping her arms like crazy and pointing to someone near the ship’s bow. She, Laphicet, and Rokurou joined them, and they noticed that the individual was Eleanor and she was talking to herself.

“Velvet’s daemon hand and Avernus’s staff are both threatening weapons to the Abbey. I need to break down what I already know about them.”

The gang posed to get a little bit closer to her as Eleanor started thinking loudly to herself.

“The hand transforms itself in an instant. It can devour anything, except for the bandages around it. I can’t think about how you can eat something through your hand. Avernus’s staff is something else, said to have been created from the body of a malak. It’s very durable and can withstand forces that can shatter stones and walls. An arte also protects it that only Avernus can use.”

Everyone started to show signs of dullness and disinterest after her amateur breakdown of events and began to go back to their daily routines, leaving the young exorcist to her own.

Velvet and Laphicet went back to crew quarters. Halfway to their cabin, Velvet paused for a moment and decided to go to the kitchen instead to cook something for everyone, especially the passed-out Avernus.

Velvet opened the door, and the pirate chef jolted from the sound and whirled back, seeing Velvet leaning the Dreamshadow against the kitchen’s wall.

“What are you doing here? No one except for the first mate, myself, and my courier is allowed to be here!” The Chef complained. Velvet, unfazed and indifferent, walked to the kitchen counter and looked around for knives and plates. “What kind of meats do you have here? And also bring me olive oil, onion, garlic, tomato, and tomato sauce.”

The chef stood there, baffled. “What…? We’re not a five-star inn, lady. Our ingredients are limited, and I’m the chef here!”

Velvet raised her head, glaring at the pirate. She began to rotate the knife quickly in her hand. “Do I need to repeat myself?” she said in a cold voice, and the chef’s forehead glistened in sweat.

“Let her do whatever pleases her.” They all turned to the voice and saw Eizen standing in the doorway. The chef slowly began to nod and walked to the large cabinets in the back.

Velvet looked at Laphicet. “I need you to help me with the cooking.”

“Help you… how?” He wondered.

“You will be… my tasting specialist.”

Laphicet agreed and waited beside Velvet, watching her as she began to make her first dish after three years.

An hour passed.

“… delicious… smell …” These words formed in Avernus’s mind as his stomach growled.

Avernus opened his eyes instantly. His head turned instinctively towards a bowl beside him that emanated a tasty smell. He suddenly picked it up and began to eat away without a second thought.

He paused, analyzing the ingredients.“Different meats… special sauce… this is Three-meat Ragu Sauce” His eyes widened in wonder. Avernus hasn't had a good dish lately. “No way!”

Avernus swallowed the whole plate. He looked at the empty bowl in defeat. “Finished already?!... grrrr! Must have more.”

Everyone was having their usual pirate dinner at the mess hall, but Velvet’s cooking hadn't found its way into their table yet.

“I heard that Velvet cooked some food too,” Magilou said, looking unimpressed with the usual pirate dishes.

“Yeah, but it wasn’t enough for everyone, and she explicitly said that no one has the permission to eat it until she says so.”

Magilou looked at another side of the table, watching Velvet playing with her food and Laphicet eating his own share.

“That’s nonsense. I want to have a taste.”

Suddenly everyone heard shouting coming out of the kitchen. “What are you doing in my kitchen?!”

The team went to investigate. To their surprise, they saw a shirtless Avernus wrestling with the chef, Benwick and some other pirates as he ate away at the cooking pot.

“This is not your personal meal, Avernus!” Benwick tried to drag him away, but it was pointless as he consumed the food like a maddened, hungry lion.

“Bite me, Benwick!” Avernus mocked his pointless efforts.

Velvet moved closer to the scene, and with surprised, rounded eyes, she thought to herself, “ Is my cooking even that good to warrant such a shameless act from him ?”

Eizen strode toward Avernus in anger. “You can’t just go around Van Eltia half-naked and doing whatever satisfies you.”

Avernus looked back, looking pleased with himself. “I thought you could do and wear whatever you want. You are pirates, after all.”

That observation made Eizen even more furious,

“That doesn’t mean that you can not wear an appropriate outfit on this ship! We have a creed and a class to uphold, and I will not let you be the exception!” Eizen answered.

Avernus narrowed his eyes, peeved and displeased, started to wander back to his cabin, moving sluggishly. “Pfft, you pirates are no fun.”

Benwick checked the pot and sighed. “He ate it all.”

Laphicet was puzzled by Avernus’s behaviour. “Is there something wrong?”

“No. He is just ‘delirious’ from all that healing magic.” Magilou said.

Avernus smirked and walked towards his cabin. Velvet slowly followed him and saw Tia at the end of the corridor. Velvet remembered her promise. Having cumulated enough courage, she called out to Avernus, “Hey! Can I speak with you in private?”

As Avernus opened the door, he turned to her. “Do you even need to ask?”

Velvet sighed and followed him into the room. She closed the door and hesitated to move further.

“Well, this is a big room, Velvet. You can move in a bit closer. I don’t bite, you know.”

She groaned and stepped closer to Avernus as he was putting on his shirt,

“So… What’s on your mind, Velvet?” he asked.

She hesitated. It was even harder to tell him not to pursue her. Velvet felt she was like a spoiled little girl, trying to break it up. She kept telling herself that it was a mistake from the start, trying to gather more courage. Avernus decided to break the silence.

“I have a plan for Eleanor. Although I’m not completely sure about it, I think it will be good for both of them. Especially for our boy.”

“Our boy… Do you mean Laphicet? What is it?” Velvet asked.

Avernus put on his long coat and now completely turned to Velvet, “Have you heard anything about the Squire pact?”

“Squire pact? No. Why should I?”

“No reason. I should’ve consulted with Tia first, but It is very similar to the oath I made to you a few days ago.”

“The oath… was it like marriage vows?”

Avernus's eyes widened, and suddenly he burst into laughter, “Wedding?! Marriage?! You won’t land me that easily, woman! I know I’m quite the prize, after all.”

Velvet’s brow knotted, her death glare returned. She crossed her arms, but she blushed as her tongue acted so innocently in saying more than she wanted. “Oh, shut up, Avernus.”

“No need to start crying on me or anything. A little fantasy won’t harm you, and I’m allowing it. Although there is one more thing…” Avernus used this as a distraction to get close to her. It was already too late the moment Velvet realized that his hand was going under her hair. If he was someone else, she would surely plunge her blade into his chest. But she remained static, her instincts sober and calm.

Avernus bent down and slowly planted a soft kiss on her forehead. The brushing of his smooth lips, the sudden and unexpected act, sent shivers through her nerves. She was scared that if it were meant for her lips, her body would tremble for sure.

“Thanks.” Avernus slowly whispered.

Velvet unintentionally stared into his eyes before freeing herself and yanking her body widely out of his reach, frowning.

“You are-” Velvet grunted as her heart beat unexpectedly faster than usual. “... deviant as expected. Not asking for consent seems to be out of your understanding.”

“Oh, you mean the kiss? It’s to show my appreciation.”

“Ask and think before acting. Next time you invade my personal space, you will find my blade digging into your heart.” Velvet growled and threatened.

Avernus chuckled and didn't seem to care. “Alright.”

Her unmoving posture derived Velvet from all energy. She turned her eyes away from him as it was easier to talk and not to look into his forgiving stare. “If this was for the meal, I had some free time, and Laphicet was also hungry, so it wasn’t just for you.”

Avernus smirked and moved further away from her, putting his hands on his hips. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

Velvet quickly recalled Tia’s request, but something stopped her, and instead, she decided to change the topic. “I wanted to return this to you. If it’s that important to you, be more careful next time.”

Velvet opened her hand and showed Avernus’s pendant.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“I didn’t forget. I trust that you will hold on to it.”

Velvet hummed in annoyance as Avernus took the pendant. He shouldn’t be so trusting towards her.

Velvet thought again; she didn’t deserve it. He was a fool.

Knock, knock, knock

Someone was banging the door,

“Come on in,” said Avernus.

The door opened, and it was revealed to be Eizen. His face was hazed with sudden concern. “We have a problem. Three of our men have collapsed from the corsair’s scourge. How are you holding up?”

“The corsair’s… what?” Avernus wondered.

“It’s a disease. Chances are, you’re already afflicted. We’re changing course to port Reneed to get medicine. Make sure you’re hydrated.” Eizen advised.

Avernus nodded, and with Velvet, they went to the deck and joined their friends. Rokurou was talking to Eleanor about the situation. “For a bunch of folks at death’s door, they’re holding up pretty well.”

“What is this disease anyway? Is it that fatal?” Avernus asked.

Magilou raised her hand like she was going to start another story, “Exactly. It starts with a high fever and ends up with the body falling apart like sand. And only humans can get it, so Avernus, Eleanor, and I will be screwed. Shame that my legacy would meet such an awful end!”

Velvet walked closer to Eleanor. “I can’t allow Laphicet’s vessel to die from this corsair’s scourge. Speak up if you don’t feel well.”

Eleanor nodded reluctantly. “I will.”

Rokurou chuckled, “All right, don’t worry, humans. Everyone but Eleanor will be helping out in the search.”

“What?! I might be dying, you know!” Magilou complained.

Avernus sighed and shook his head. “See? We’re already dead to them. We were nothing but expendables.”

Velvet sneered. “You’re both a warrior and a witch. Use magic or that strange artes you pull out of the abyss to make yourselves healthy. Quit whining like babies and get going.”

As Velvet walked to the other side, getting ready for disembarking, Magilou crooked like an old lady. “Not even us witches and warriors are safe from the threat of Reaper’s Curse!” She opened her arms and moved towards Avernus. “Come on, embrace me, Shepherd. We have no one to care about us but ourselves.”

Avernus jerked away from her, growing. “I swear, touch me, Magilou, and I will burn you into a crisp. I’m not joking.”

Magilou stopped, and her cheering face sobered with disappointment. “Sheesh. You have such low emotional capacity for a Shepherd.”

Tia joined Avernus and beamed with sisterly love and care. “Are you feeling good?”

“Yeah, I’m feeling okay, I guess. Thanks for the recovery efforts, though.”

Tia placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t mention it. You know that I will always take care of you, no matter what.”

Rokurou moved closer to Avernus. “Hey, I wanted to ask you. How did you manage to grab Stormhowl?”

Laphicet also joined them. “Yeah! That was so cool!” Then, he remembered that Avernus nearly died doing that. His excitement was shut down.

“It was called ‘The Butterfly Return.’ I learned it to nullify a single sword attack. Had to train for two years straight.”

“Why is it called that?”

“You don’t look at the sword. You watch your opponent’s eyes and read what they want to do. That’s when the sword will be like a butterfly that you can catch.”

Laphicet’s eyes stared into the horizon, trying to digest and replicate the scene in his mind. “That’s… awesome.”

Rokurou stroked his chin and was grunting. “If you’ve learned such a technique, then the Rangetsu ways have their counters already.”

With a slight shake, the ship docked in the harbour.

The team disembarked and gathered near the docks. Rokurou began to summarize what they needed to do, “We need to find an herbalist. If I remember correctly, the corsair’s scourge needs exceptional medicine.”

Eizen acknowledged. “Yes, it is a wildflower called “Sale’tomah.” Its juice can cure the disease.”

“Well, let’s split up and find an herbalist or a trader,” Avernus advised.

They agreed and spread out around the village. Avernus and Laphicet extended their search at the center and near the Inn. A group of children caught the attention of Avernus. He saw an ancient-looking book at the hands of one of the children.

“Kid! Where did you find such a book?” Avernus asked.

The kids turned their attention to him as Avernus approached them. “There was a dog that came up with this book in its mouth.” One of the kids replied and gave it to him.

Avernus flipped open the heavy cover of the ook and went through the content. “Not ancient Avarost, a lot of recent notes all over the pages. The characters look like Meliodasian.”

Laphicet leaned closer over the book. “That would make it 2000 years old!”

“Any idea about the owner?”

“Sounds like it might be Videl’s book. He lives at the inn, but watch out, he’s a weird kid.” The boy answered.

“If he studies these kinds of books, he’s not weird. He is talented. Learn to differentiate kids!”

The children nodded apologetically as Avernus and Laphicet left to find the owner. They spotted a lone kid sitting on the wooden stairs of the inn.

Laphicet quickly grabbed the book out of Avernus’s hand and ran to the boy,

“Are you Videl? Is this yours?”

The kid moved closer and saw the book. He politely took it from Laphicet. “This is super important to me! Thank you, mister, uh…”

“I’m Avernus, and this is Laphicet. We went through some of it. A pretty good Meliodasian alchemy book if I’m not mistaken.”

“How can you read Meliodasian script, Videl?” Laphicet asked.

“Wow, you can understand Meliodasian writings?”

“Laphicet is self-taught. I learned it through my adventures and travels. I translated a few Meliodasian books.” As Avernus explained it to Videl, Magilou, Eleanor, and Velvet came back from inside the inn to join them.

“Oh, I’m so thirsty. I think the symptoms are beginning to show!” Magilou whined as she was gulping orange juice from a large glass.

Velvet rolled her eyes in annoyance.“Here we go. The drama queen is at it again.”

As everyone was watching, Vidal turned to Laphicet and beamed with excitement. “Your dad is so cool! When I grow up, I want to be an adventurer like him, travelling the world and exploring lots of ruins!”

Suddenly, Magilou spat her drink and howled in laughter. Velvet and Eleanor gasped and grunted silently in surprise. Laphicet slowly turned his head and looked at Avernus. He muttered,

“My d-dad?”

Avernus's eyes widened, and he stood soundlessly as Vidal continued. “So to make sure I’m ready for anything, I’ve been studying ancient history, starting with the Era of Darkness.”

Avernus didn’t rebuke Vidal’s claim and nodded favourably at Laphicet. “Yeah, Laphicet knows a lot too. He spends most of his time studying history. Am I right, Laphicet?”

The little Malak’s eyes brimmed with joy. “Yeah! The history that happened between the eras is so fascinating!”

Eleanor moved back further, whispering. “Did that kid just call Avernus, Laphicet’s dad?”

Velvet groaned and remained silent.

Magilou maliciously smiled. “He did. But haven’t you girls noticed something?”

“No. what?” Velvet asked with a mild irritation waving in her tone of voice.

“Well, the kid ain’t at fault. Avernus is practically an adult version of Laphicet minus the cowlick or, better to say it this way: Laphicet is a miniature, cuter version of Avernus. That’s scary when you think about it.”

“Avernus is not bad, though,” Eleanor said.

“What do you mean by that?” Velvet asked.

“I mean, when I first met him back in Zekson, he was intimidating, but he healed me instead of taking me down.”

Velvet and Magilou turned fully to Eleanor, raising a brow. “Oh, really? He healed you?”

Eleanor nodded. “Yes. In the villa, I was so scared that I thought I would be dead when I fought him. But, seeing him interacting with Laphicet, endangering his life for us, T-That’s kind of cute…” Eleanor blushed slightly. “And romantic at the same time. That’s what makes him special from Rokurou or Eizen.”

Magilou acknowledged Eleanor, raising her hand. “Avernus is a somewhat considerate man, and he is not half bad either. He cleans up well for a nomad. Maybe it has something to do with him being a foreign guy. If you think he’s your type, go for him. You can also ask Velvet for more details. I think she knows him better. Am I right, Velvet?” Magilou smirked nastily, wanting to start a fire.

“How do you know him?” Eleanor slowly and innocently asked Velvet.

Velvet narrowed her eyes at Magilou, sensing the trap the witch laid out for her.

Eleanor quickly caught the wind of the situation. “I see.” It wasn’t too hard to sense that someone was guarding their heart tightly. But no one was sure what Velvet saw everyone. A tool to be used, an opportunity to take advantage of. Whatever it was, Velvet wasn’t that good at hiding it.

Magilou knew that Velvet was too smart to go any further. “Oh, wow. Listen, Velvet; you can’t have both Laphicet and Avernus to yourself. Where is your sense of fairness?”

Velvet crossed her arms. “I’m not playing your games.”

Avernus and Laphicet joined them, sensing the friction between Velvet and Magilou.

“What’s wrong now?” Avernus asked.

“It is nothing. We’re still searching for medicine for this poor kid’s father.” Magilou mocked, pointing at Laphicet.

Avernus grinned, holding his clawed hand as it began to flicker with magic. “Watch out for this boy’s dad. He is probably going to burst you into flames.”

Eizen, Rokurou, and Tiamat came back. Eizen was looking uneasy. “They ran out of Sale’tomah, and they could not refresh their stock because of a daemon. Abbey has also blocked all the routes. We need to venture to the forest ourselves.”

“First the corsair’s scourge, then no medicine, the Abbey, and a mysterious daemon. Never a dull moment with the Reaper’s curse, eh?” Magilou stated.

“What is with this Reaper’s Curse you keep mentioning?” Avernus asked.

Laphicet began to explain. “Eizen says that his presence has the power to bring misfortune to the people around him.”

Avernus looked at Eizen and noticed that he’s silent on this matter. He sized him up in silence.

“So, is this a special Malak’s power or something?” Eleanor asked.

Magilou decided to continue. “It’s more than that. At Vortigern, due to a sudden outbreak of daemonblight, all of the guards were turned into monsters. Also, many of his pirate crew died on his watch. Avernus’s latest injury was probably because of this Reaper’s Curse.”

“I don’t think it was because of that,” Avernus said. “I was too careless and underestimated Shigure.”

“You never know, Avernus! Talk like that might give you a stomachache. Or you might suddenly combust. Or a bug might fly into your mouth.” Magilou predicted.

“Go scare children with these absurdities, Magilou,” Avernus said.

Eizen finally decided to break his silence. “Then will you ignore the fact of disappearing seven navy warships, the turning of a whole Island’s population into daemons, and the dying of a man from hiccups due to bumping into me?”

“Listen, I was a Shepherd. I lived with your kind. I could’ve felt your domain and wavelengths if something was threatening to me.”

“He is right, Avernus. You don’t feel it because yours and my domain heavily interferes with Eizen’s,” Tia said.

“Both of us?” Avernus asked.

“If I’m correct, while Eizen brings misfortune to others, ours is completely the opposite. Although we would not bring good luck to anyone around us, more chances and opportunities are available for everyone to counter disasters.”

“Like a personal invisible shield!” Laphicet said.

“Someone who refuses to die. Someone who refuses to surrender.” Rokurou deducted.

Magilou winked at Tia. “Then Avernus will be our only charge! Why endanger everyone when we have such a miracle walking among us?”

Rokurou snapped his fingers, his eyes gleaming with an idea. “Why don't we put Eizen’s Reaper’s Curse against Avernus and Tia’s Blessing?”

“How?” asked Eleanor.

“It is simple: Don’t drink Sale’tomah juice,” Rokurou said.

Avernus nodded, accepting the challenge. “Fair enough. No Sale’tomah juice for me then.”

Velvet groaned. “Don’t be an idiot. Drink it when we get our hands on some.”

Avernus raised his hands, grinning. “Why waste a good challenge? Sometimes, it gets super boring.”

Velvet glared at him before continuing their journey.

The gang passed a few magical barriers, the same as those that trapped the griffin’s cage and Velvet back in Titania, and found themselves in a new area, covered with strange flowers.

“It’s a dead end. Laphicet, Avernus, do you two feel anything here?” Velvet asked.

Both of them shook their heads and said the same thing at the same time,

“Nope, not right now.”

Laphicet suddenly pointed to their front and took off. “Look! Purple flowers!”

As Laphicet leaned and checked the flowers, Avernus scanned the area. “So where is that daemon that Abbey closed the area because of it?”

Laphicet bent down and began picking the Sale’tomah flowers. “Wow! Those colours they’re nasty-looking! But they are going to help people.”

As Laphicet was talking, a beetle grabbed his attention as it climbed a flower. He moved closer to check the insect but suddenly, a black mist began to engulf the creature.

Avernus quickly noticed the surge in malevolence, but he was far from the scene. “Watch out! That’s a daemon!”

Velvet and Eleanor scrambled towards Laphicet as the beetle transformed, shifting into a more extensive version with intimidating pincers on its head. Eleanor yanked Laphicet back, and Velvet attacked the daemon head-on.

The now transformer beetle tried to fly away, but it hit the invisible barrier, and it fell to the ground.

“Another barrier. Same as the villa.” Velvet remarked.

The daemon recovered from the fall and prepared to fight them.

“We can’t pick any Sale’tomah unless we take care of this Thickjaw beetle daemon,” Avernus said, pulling out his staff.

Laphicet chuckled in the excitement. “Wow! This thing is so cool! I want to be a bug!”

The team began to storm the flying daemon. The area is lit with magical artes hissing and howling around. The daemon, however, was quick for anyone to land any physical attacks.

“Ugh! He’s too quick for my slashes!” Rokurou complained as the giant bug escaped his attacks with ease.

Eleanor gasped for air and stepped back. “My spear can’t do much either!”

Tia levitated off the ground and opened her arms, rotating them in a complex gesture. As she whispered the arte’s name under her lips, wind blades and spears made out of mana shot at the daemon, and they hit his hardened hide. The force pushed the daemon, and it crashed into the ground below.

“That’s it, wind artes!” Avernus discovered its weakness and turned to Laphicet, nodding. Laphicet began to conjure a giant ball of electrical energy, and Avernus focused on spawning a small twister between their hands.

“Shocking Chains!” Laphicet focused, and several ethereal chains sprouted from the ground and wrapped around the daemon, holding it tightly.

Avernus clenched his fist as a portal began to appear above the creature, yawing to the extreme as it shadowed over the beast.

“Celestial Crush!”

A giant, draconic fist came out and slammed on top of the daemon. The sound of clapping insectoid wings ceased, and malevolence began to fade away. Laphicet moved closer to check on the daemon and noticed that it reverted back to its average size harmlessly. Laphicet picked it up and looked at Velvet and Avernus,

“Can I keep it?” Lapicet innocently asked.

“No, hand it over. I’ll dispose of it.” Velvet disagreed and marched towards Laphicet, turning her arm into its therion form to devour it. Laphicet lowered his head and sighed in defeat.

“Wait.” Avernus disrupted them. Velvet turned to him, frowning. “There was a reason for the Abbey to protect it. Maybe it is better to keep it for examination.” He smiled for Velvet, waiting for her acknowledgement.

Laphicet's eyes brimmed with hope, wishing for her to consider keeping it instead. Velvet sighed and paused for a second. “You want it. You feed it.”

As Laphicet nearly jumped in joy, his expression turned for the worst as he noticed Avernus’s face becoming pale. “Your face.”

Velvet turned to Avernus. He was also sweating profusely. Avernus rubbed his hand on his forehead, wiping his sweats.

“Well, I’m feeling sick already.”

Eizen moved closer and checked him from up close. “You’re displaying the symptoms alright. You need to take a double dose for it.”

Rokurou sneered. “So much for the Blessing, am I right?”

Eleanor moved to the flowers and picked a few petals, and then crushed them, squeezing the remains separately in empty vials. “If Avernus has already caught it, then we need to administer those as soon as possible. Especially for you, Avernus.”

Avernus raised a brow at Eleanor’s considerate tone. She blushed for a moment and gave two of the vials to him. “Please, drink them now.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take the doses when we’re back at the ship.”

“Be responsible.” Eleanor gave Avernus a scolding glare before shaking one of the vials. Then she opened the cork, taking a deep breath. “Here I go.” She straightened her shoulders and gulped the liquid instantly. Suddenly, she coughed and grasped her throat. “It is awful as I remember! I’d hope I’d never have to drink it again!”

Avernus’s eyes widened in shock as he saw Eleanor’s twisted face. “Is it that bad?”

Eleanor swallowed. “It is.”

“Is this your second experience with the corsair’s scourge?” Rokurou asked.

Eleanor heaved a breath to control her messed-up taste buds. “No. I had it for a different reason. In the Abbey, it’s tradition for an initiative to drink sale’tomah as part of their welcoming festivities.”

“Sounds like hazing to me.” Velvet said.

“When everyone shares the same experience, drinking something so shockingly revolting, our bonds strengthen,” Eleanor said, looking at Avernus purposefully. “It’s a good thing.”

“I’m… not sure tasting something so terrible is good, Eleanor,” Avernus said.

Suddenly, Magilou slid closer between them, wearing a smile. “You’re lucky you think it tastes so terrible. That means you also know what tastes good.” Magilou gazed over to Velvet from the corner of her eyes. “Right, Velvet?”

She clicked her tongue and turned her face away from them.

Eleanor suddenly forgot all about the bitter taste of sale’tomah, and her attention shifted back and forth between Magilou and Velvet. “What does that mean?!”

Avernus remained silent, but Laphicet decided to answer. “Velvet can’t taste anything aside from blood.”

Eleanor stepped back, her eyes blinking rapidly. “What? Why?”

Suddenly, Velvet moved closer to Magilou, smiling wickedly. “I’m aware of one other flavour.” Velvet snatched the last remaining vial from Eleanor’s hand. “Magilou, here’s your dose of sale’tomah!”

Magilou’s smile dried, and she instantly took off. “No!”

Velvet immediately pursued, running after her with great speed. ‘Get back here!”

Velvet quickly caught up and grabbed Magilou by the waist. The witch tried to bend over to avoid Velvet, but she bit off the cork and held up Magilou’s face.

“D-Don’t! Keep that-”

Magilou's struggle was for nothing as Velvet quickly overpowered her, shoving the vial right into her mouth and emptied it down her throat.

A satisfying smile formed on Velvet’s lips. Magilou gargled and coughed as she swallowed the sale’tomah’s juice, tears streaking down her cheeks. Velvet let go of her body, and Magilou collapsed on the ground beside Laphicet’s feet. “Blech!”

“I get it…” Eleanor said. “The sweet taste of another’s suffering.”

Laphicet and Avernus burst into laughter, watching Magilou wincing on the ground.

Out of the blue, Velvet strode calmly to Avernus, stopping in a breath distance. “Drink your sale’tomah. Now.” Velvet ordered.

“I-I’ll drink them when we get back.” Avernus’s voice stuttered.

Velvet took the two vials from his hands. “You leave me no choice, then.”

Avernus knew what’s going to happen next. He thought there was no way Velvet could catch up to him if he had to run.

Avernus stepped back slowly, gaining distance. “Let’s not be hasty. I’ll drink them when I get back to the ship.”

Velvet stalked towards him with malicious intent, grinning.

Avernus quickly whirled on his feet and scrambled. But he was no match for Velvet’s quick feet, and she quickly caught up to him. Velvet grabbed his waist and pushed him to the ground.

As Avernus fell, he turned to see Eizen and Rokurou running at him. The two men quickly grabbed his arms, pinning them firmly to the ground.

“What’s the meaning of this?!” Avernus yelled.

“This is for your own good,” Eizen said. “If we wait a little bit longer, you’ll be dead.”

“I won’t be-” Avernus ate his words as he saw Velvet calmly climbing on top of him, straddling him.

Avernus noticed a satisfying expression waving behind Velvet’s eyes. She slowly opened the corks as she was starting to enjoy them.

Avernus struggled to get up, but Rokurou and Eizen held him tightly, pushing him back to the ground. Knowing it was futile, he turned to Tia in despair. “A little bit of help?!”

Tia crossed her arms and looked away, staying silent.

“Don’t give me that!” Avernus turned to Velvet as her hand went up to his opened shirt and curled over his neck.

“This is against public decency! It’s a violation of my personal space!”

Avernus struggled even more with the three, adding more pressure to his hands and his body.

“Stop moving so much, Avernus,” Rokurou complained, holding him in place.

Avernus’s heart skipped a bit, feeling Velvet’s delicate fingers curling around his face. Velvet squeezed his cheek, and his lips opened.

“Be a good boy.” Velvet muttered, and Avernus gasped as he tasted the first drop of sale’tomah. He felt a sense of burning as his tongue tasted like lava. Avernus’s eyes began to tear up, and his throat burned. This was definitely the closest taste to drinking poison. As Velvet started to empty the second bottle, Avernus noticed Velvet’s cheeks heating up, her eyes gleaming, and she let out a satisfied moan.

“Is she… Enjoying it?!”

The sweet taste of Avernus’s helplessness. Just what the doctor ordered for Velvet’s soul.

Payback.