—-

Apollo’s curiosity towards the voice continued to grow as he turned his head towards the newcomer with the assumption that they were one of his own. However, after learning of their appearance, Apollo knew at a glance that this was an unfamiliar character. 

But, though they were unfamiliar, that didn’t stop Apollo from scrutinizing their appearance with pinpoint precision. He noticed the watery gloss covering her sparkling amethyst eyes as well as the sparse clothing with a layer of pink fabric lings the exposed areas of flesh that were typically seen as sensitive.

Moreover, this woman had an appearance that outclassed even phenomenal beauties such as Tirasha or Sapphyr. Although Apollo remained unaffected by the atmosphere of Luxuria that surrounded her, her appearance was more than enough to catch his attrition.

Be that as it may, he also noticed Saehtyn’s look of disgust from the corner of his eye, leading him to question the identity of this woman. “A friend, or even an adversary, I presume?”

“Neither,” Saehtyn answered in a brusque tone. At the same time, his eyes never left Asmidia as he wondered if the others would soon follow behind. After all, there had to be a good reason behind her sudden appearance. And, if she appeared now, the odds were that the other Lords would soon follow.

In the meantime, Saehtyn continued. “I wouldn’t call her a friend, but she’s also not annoying enough to be an adversary. She’s simply the embodiment of clingy lust that moves with no sense of direction. Simply put, she’s the Lady of Luxuria, Asmidia.”

“Mm? No sense of direction?” Apollo muttered before once again scanning Asmidia. However, Asmidia presented a coquettish expression after feeling his gaze, followed by nonstop squirming.

“Hey~ Don’t you know it’s not good to stare. You should excite this older sister like that~! And Saehtyn, you can’t just go around revealing people’s identities without their consent!” Asmidia shouted while placing her hand on her hip. Though he tried to sound serious, the coquettish nature created by the influence of Luxuria had already seeped into the deepest fibers of her being.

“I do as please,” Saehtyn answered in a huff before averting his gaze from Asmidia. In the meantime, Apollo tapped her shoulder with a now indifferent look. All effects of her riveting appearance had disappeared after he understood the situation at hand.

“Tch, such a grumpy man~ This is why you Lords are no fun. You never want to play!” Asmidia responded in displeased tone while also clicking her tongue in annoyance.

However, Apollo interjected in their back and forth. “Can you remove your hands from my body now? I don’t believe we’re close to engage in any form of skinship, much less with someone who’s been deeply affected by the corruption of Luxuria.”

With his Unbound Eyes, Apollo was able to see that Asmidia’s behavior originated from her Luxuria. However, in Apollo’s opinion, this situation indicated that her condition was just as severe as Saehtyn’s. Although Saehtyn’s issue was more geared towards a physical predicament, Asmidia’s was essentially mental.

Nevertheless, the differences didn’t mean their situation varied greatly. Both outcomes could lead to unsatisfactory results. Whereas Saehtyn’s body could suffer destruction from an overwhelming collection of Purgatory’s Blood, once the effects of Luxuria altered Asmidia’s mind beyond the point of return, her original self would be lost.

In other words, all of the Lords faced an issue that plagued the use of their power. Although Estran was aware of this matter when he implanted this power in them, he foresaw these seven overcoming the problems, or at the very least, a character capable of rectifying their appearance when they were in need.

Unfortunately, the latter option, while plausible, would take some time to bring to fruition. After all, the number of people who could change Sin Paths related to Estran’s power numbered less than five, and even then most of them were no longer amongst the current demonic community.

Suddenly, Asmidia released dramatic gasps as she looked at Apollo with apparent hurt in her eyes. From her expression, you’d expect that these two had known each for years and she was hurt by Apollo’s coldness. Of course, this wasn’t true. She was neither familiar with Apollo nor was he hurt by his request to move away from him, this was just her personality.

“Dammit! Just say the reason you’re here and leave!” Saehtyn snarled after becoming annoyed by Asmidia’s display. Despite how inconspicuous she tried to be, both Apollo and Saehtyn sensed the gradual increase of the Luxuria in the atmosphere. Only one individual present could influence it in such a way.

Evidently, Asmidia was in a playful mood, but these two didn’t reciprocate those feelings. Nevertheless, Asmidia acted as if they hadn’t said a word and walked forward, tracing her finger against Saehtyn’s chin. 

“Now, don’t be so rude~ After all, I’m here because of someone’s rude behavior,” Asmidia said with a small chuckle. Afterward, her gaze returned to Apollo as if he was the target of her words. 

“Why are you looking at him once again? I don’t believe he’s related to you. And what rude behavior? People seldom travel to the Ring of Lust, so how could you experience disrespectful behavior?” Saehtyn questioned. 

Out of the 7 Nihilistic Rings, the Rings of Luxuria was the least populated area. Although a number of powerful Succubus and Incubus were born in that ring, the number as a whole paled in comparison to others. 

“That was true up until now. But, to my surprise, I found a new character snooping around my Rings. At first, I thought it was related to that detestable man that started issues with us, but then I learned from the source that wasn’t the case. Isn’t that right?” Asmidia said with a faint smile. From her gaze, it was clear that her words were directed towards Apollo.

However, Apollo just smiled in return. While it was confirmed that he sent Geneva to the Ring of Lust after sending her to acquire information from the Nautilus, Apollo wouldn’t just admit to it. After all, he wasn’t even sure that Asmidia knew his real identity, and Geneva wasn’t the type to openly reveal it.

This meant Asmidia either used her abilities to extract information from Geneva, or she was simply phishing to verify her speculations. Either way, Apollo wouldn’t admit to anything until it had already been exposed with zero options of redirecting the blame.

Meanwhile, Saehtyn became silent as he analyzed Apollo’s unaffected countenance and Asmidia’s prodding gaze. Eventually, he assumed that even Asmidia wasn’t sure about her claims. Then again, he also couldn’t doubt the authenticity of her words seeing as he managed to do what Saehtyn felt to previously impossible.

“Ahem, it appears you’re suspecting me of something? Pretty bold, seeing as we are completely unfamiliar with one another. Are you even aware of my name? What if I’m the wrong person and you’re seeking someone else?” Apollo said while crossing his arms.

However, this action didn’t deter Asmidia’s suspicions in the slightest. In fact, she released a gleeful giggle as she stepped closer once again. “You know~ Over the years, I’ve become quite skilled with understanding feelings that surpass the basic version of lust. For example, when this new Infernal Succubus whose beauty was enough to catch my eyes talked about her leader, stars sparkled in her eye.”

“At first, I didn’t understand, so I sought Saehtyn for some help! But, who would have thought I’d pick up traces of a Sin Signature coming from you. Meaning, you’re more related to this new Infernal Succubus than you’re letting on. So, tell me, what’s your name? Surely you have some ability if you’re able to affect such a rare line of Succubus,” Asmidia said.

After listening to what she had to say, Apollo understood just what happened. Just as Saehtyn was sensitive to Ira Signatures, the same rang true from Asmidia with Luxuria Signatures. Therefore, it was understandable that she sensed Geneva’s presence on Apollo.

After all, the system only hid his own aura and not the individuals related to him. While it was possible for others to learn of him, if they didn’t know how strong he was, the odds of them attacking or causing issues reduced dramatically. 

For example, up until now, the only one with enough gall to attack Apollo was Lucifer. Even then, his subordinates were effortlessly defeated, causing him to reconsider deepening any fleeting animosity between the two sides.

“My name? That’s quite a simple request―it’s Zethroz. I already know yours since Saehtyn spilled it upon your arrival. Now, tell me, why are you so interested in my link to this Infernal Succubus?” Apollo questioned.

“That’s quite simple as well,” Asmidia responded with a slight grin. A moment later, she continued while bracing her ample chest with her forearms. Although it was a seemingly subtle move, Apollo noticed it immediately. Sadly, she didn’t understand that her usual behavior had no effect on Apollo. It was as if she were standing before Saehtyn or Lucifer, seeing as they were the only two who retained mental clarity while in her presence.

Nevertheless, Asmidia continued despite her fruitless actions. “I just want to know more about the man who could smite the heart of a Succubus.. I need to know if he can claim mine as well~ Besides, I was also asked to come here on some official business.”