Chapter 642: News of the Fallen Hero - Alan's Rest
Asmodeus held the two gremlins and watched Levia and Asmodea leave. "Am I that bad?" He asked them in a softer tone. "Ah... dad..." Selphira's eyes grew bigger with tears forming in the corners. Tears were something he struggled to accept, a weakness the demon god couldn't fix. "Don't cry, princess."
"B-But..."
"Daddy, do you hate Seris now?"
The red-haired fairy in his right arm asked a question without stuttering, her eyes a mixture of red and blue. He could almost swear she was much smarter than she acted in front of her mother, but he didn't care. "What's wrong? How could your daddy hate such cute girls?"
"But mommy said Daddy likes pretty girls, so we have to keep an eye on him."
"!?"
Asmodeus froze, wondering when Asmodea let her daughter hear such things. No. He couldn't deny Asmodea's mistake. She said something in front of the kids that she shouldn't have.
"Don't worry, Daddy only needs you girls and your brothers."
"Really!?"
"Dad~ you're the best."
"Papa, Nyx too?"
The way his little girls knew to speak in third person drove Asmodeus to his knees. He might fight demons, gods and the abyss... but in front of his daughters. He became just another man who believed them to be geniuses.
"Always."
He quickly recovered and smiled at the boy sneaking in with his little sword.
"Of course, that includes you Kaelen!"
Kaelen Veyr, jet-black hair with a faint silver along the tips, small black wings at the base of his back that shimmered dark purple in the light. He looked shocked at Asmodeus calling out to him, two silver orbs wrapped in darkness with slit pupils peeping at him.
"Old man..."
"This cheeky little..."
Asmodeus loved Kaelen dearly, but he seemed to take distance, making his heart ache. The young boy loved swordsmanship and chose his mother to train him. However, Asmodeus knew why the young child took distance... because of Levia's extreme masochism and the mistake of a new maid.
The poor Kaelen Veyr saw his mother on all fours, with Asmodeus stepping on her head and speaking down to her.
'After that, he swore to defeat me and save his mother...
Am I going to be killed by my son in ten years?'
"Don't speak to Dad like that, Kael!"
"Daddy isn't old... he looks younger than grandpa!"
"Papa, should we get him?"
The three girls instantly forgot about fearing Asmodeus, much to the poor Varian's dismay as he finally got up.
However, like his father... Kael shared a similar trait.
"W-Wait... Nyx~ Selphie... Seris!"
He loved his sisters, no matter who their mothers were; the mothers came together to teach all the children to treat each other like full siblings.
"Dear Master."
"Hm?"
While he carried the three girls, his broad chest and arms finally useful for something, he noticed the red hair and twin horns beside him. The woman left Baltimore not long after saving her life and begged him to take her in at the palace.
"Gretel?"
With her help, the new maids became more organised and skilled, not to mention the help from her daughter Anna, who became the playmate for his children.
Gretel bowed to him gracefully. Her beautiful skin now had a healthy shine, and her full, yet firm breasts were something many of Asmodeus's wives envied. All doubted whether he slept with her secret, but the Head Maid was diligent.
She looked at the six little eyes all peeking over his shoulders at her.
"Ah~ It's Gretel!"
"Gretel, do you want to marry dad too?"
"Ah.. Selphie you can't ask that!" Nyx shushed her little sister with a worried face.
'My girls are growing too fast...'
"Good morning, your royal highnesses."
Anna passed her maid examination two months ago and became a playmate of the royal children. The children treated her like a sibling, because she looked identical to Asmodeus, and even the mothers started to accept the mother and daughter.
Asmodeus watched the firm muscles and measured movements of the Head Maid with a faint smile, his eyes focused on her chest and hips, which caused the maid to shift slightly while blushing.
He couldn't deny his wives knew him well.
He wanted to bed her.
"What's the matter, Gretel. Speak."
However, he wouldn't force it and didn't need to rush anything with a longevity that would last thousands of years. There was all the time in the world to have sex. Instead, he admired how much effort the two made.
After two years under Levia and Vinea, her power and abilities also grew to the level of a mid-tier demon knight.
Varian seemed especially attached to her.
"Gretel!" Varian called out to her with a louder voice than usual.
She helped raise him and probably carried an important place in his heart, but Asmodeus flicked his son's head.
"Varian. Remember the proper etiquette and let Gretel speak first."
'Maybe this is why the boys tend to be more rebellious...'
While he focused on Varian, Gretel slipped close to her feet, barely making a sound on the stone flooring covered in soft padding.
Her warmth breath blew across his cheeks as she whispered, gently letting her lips touch his ears... this was her little habit. She would touch him slightly, letting her hand linger after helping him bathe. Signals that she wanted to move further, but for Anna and his children, it felt the time wasn't quite right.
"Dear Master, it is about Duke Alan."
"Alan!?"
Suddenly, all the children jumped. Asmodeus almost shouted the name as his aura exploded in a huge flaring ember that wrapped his body.
He looked up at the large emblem hanging above the doorway. A certain council member who helped develop Lumeria suggested this emblem style when thinking of his wives... especially Asmodea, Serena and Sariel.
An eclipsed sun on a blood red background, with a golden aura. Two black feathered wings and a pair of huge curved horns growing from the sun. Sitting in front of the eclipse was a black rose with a faint drip of blood falling down the stem, which ended with a succubus-like tail curled to form an infinity sign. "∞"
'I should reward that council member. Despite having a peculiar name, they helped greatly.
Thrownlead... where did they even come from?'
Asmodeus shook his head and tried to regain focus.
He watched Gretel, whose eyes shimmered with such a worried expression. "Tell me, is everything alright? He... is he still..."
Ever since the night he defeated Mephisto, Alan regained consciousness to make a joke for a moment before he collapsed. Asmodeus begged Avandar to keep him in Lumeria. Thus, he's been in the frozen chamber beneath the citadel, constantly kept healthy with magic, for three years.
"Yes Master, however the doctors have noticed changes in his body, and movement in his limbs over the past few weeks."
The children all looked confused, big, gleaming eyes seeking his attention. Asmodeus wanted to rush to Alan's side more than anything, but today! Today, he couldn't do that. "Kids, shall we go and find your siblings?"
Asmodeus hugged them against his racing chest, hoping their adorable nature could help him hide his nervous emotions. Alan's awakening was something he had dreamt of. His dearest friend and one of the few humans who accepted him.
"Gretel, please take care of Alan. You can take a rest in the afternoon."
Her eyes shimmered as she quickly gave a polite bow, her eyes lingering on his figure as she opened her mouth but held back her words while biting the tip of her tongue.
"Understood, Master."
Poof!
With a burst of pink dust, her figure vanished, and the girls all began to clap excitedly.
"Hahah! Gretel is so strong!"
"I wonder if Anne can do that too?" Selphie tilted her head while Nyxielle watched her father quietly as he carried them towards the exit.
Asmodeus carried his daughters down the long obsidian hall, their small wings fluttering against his chest. The great doors to the solar swung open at a servant's push, spilling warm sunlight across the polished black stone.
Waiting there was Vinea, leaning against a pillar with her usual relaxed but commanding air. Her skin held a faint ember glow now, the old battle scars softened by time. One arm cradled a boy with bronze-brown hair tipped molten orange, a stubby spear-tipped tail flicking with restless energy.
"Father!" the boy barked the moment he saw him, squirming in Vinea's hold. "Put me down, Mama!"
ChatGPT said:
Here's a 200-word closing scene that flows naturally into the next beat while bringing in Vinea and little Lith:
Asmodeus carried his daughters down the long obsidian hall, their small wings fluttering against his chest. The great doors to the solar swung open at a servant's push, spilling warm sunlight across the polished black stone.
Waiting there was Vinea, leaning against a pillar with her usual relaxed but commanding air. Her skin held a faint ember glow now, the old battle scars softened by time. One arm cradled a boy with bronze-brown hair tipped molten orange, a stubby spear-tipped tail flicking with restless energy.
"Father!" the boy barked the moment he saw him, squirming in Vinea's hold. "Put me down, Mama!"
Vinea sighed but obeyed; Lith tumbled onto sturdy little legs and ran to Asmodeus without fear. His mismatched golden and silver eyes burned with mischief as he saluted in an exaggerated knight's pose. "Reporting, Lord Father!"
Asmodeus chuckled, shifting the girls so he could free an arm and scoop the boy up. "You've grown so big, my little knight."
"He's been acting as the Knight Captain all morning," Vinea hummed with a sweet voice, though the proud curl of her lips betrayed her playful tone.
Vinea stepped closer, brushing fingers against his arm. "You look tired, darling…"
"I am," he said softly, surrounded by their children. "But today, is special right?" He noticed the space on her ring finger and quietly confirmed something in his mind.
A distant bell tolled then, summoning them toward the great courtyard where the day's long-awaited ceremony would begin. Vinea's smile deepened, and she slipped her hand into his as they walked forward, the little ones trailing behind like a mismatched parade.
"You should have seen Lumina... I've never see her human form before."
Vinea mentioned as she chuckled.
Asmodeus closed his eyes... with a pretentious smirk and shrugged. Of course, he'd seen her human form before.
That's her favourite form to have sex in.