Nea finds it increasingly difficult to ignore Lucien's charm. With every word he says, more of the wonderful scent of his mouth flows through the air to her face.
With every smile of him, her lips feel more like smiling too. And she hates the fact that all, really all the women around them, seem fascinated by him even though some of them are definitely not going to admit it.
She a.n.a.lyzes every word, feeling, and even the slightest movement of his body, trying to find any flaw in his arguments, any dishonesty or evil feeling, but she finds nothing wrong.
And, of course, she would like someone with only good intentions to make her people even stronger. Yet, so many smart people have already been tricked by Demons and their peculiar deals, so she refuses to be naive.
Lucien has never been so interested in a race as he is in the Mermaids. He can feel that Saria and all the other Mermaids there want a lot more than they can get on their own and that they are willing to accept his help, especially after discovering his enjoyable methods.
But Nea seems like an insurmountable barrier, and Lucien starts to think it's not worth putting so much effort and time into her when he has to strengthen all of his wives so they can face their enemies.
Giving up looks bad, but he has to focus on what's most important right now, so he sighs. "Alright, I won't talk about it anymore..."
Some girls are relieved that Lucien stooped being like a dog with a bone so he can turn his attention back to them. But some, especially Pride, don't like to see him give up what he's best at.
l.u.s.t also doesn't like to see any woman resist his perfect offer and charm, so she speaks in his mind. 'You shouldn't give up... we can't let Greed win that bet.'
'There's nothing to do.' He comments. 'Nea cannot be corrupted due to her loyalty to her people and cautious personality, too... I admire her that way, so I don't know if I really want to change her.'
'No matter how amazing she is now, we all know that with you, she can be so much better.' l.u.s.t speaks. 'With you, she will be much more powerful and more loved; she will have the loyalty not only of a race but also of a great family.'
Lucien can't deny that he thinks that way too. He just doesn't want to be so selfish as to leave his responsibilities as husband to many women that he loves to focus on someone he met just now. 'But...'
l.u.s.t understands how he feels, but she still gives him one last bit of advice. 'Whatever you choose to do, I will support you. But remember, when words alone aren't enough, you have to use actions.'
As he thinks about that, Nea smiles at him with a friendly expression. "Again, I appreciate your help, but I think we should now discuss how we're going to kill Tyrion in my own way..."
"Wait." Lucien interrupts Nea as he walks in front of her, making it even harder for her to resist his fragrance.
He still comes close to her, and she doesn't step back due to her pride, so he brings their faces a little closer before speaking. "First of all, tell me if there's any way I can prove to you how much I can help your people, not with words but with actions."
Nea breathes deeply and Lucien's scent enters directly through her nose, bringing some of his demonic energy into her body as well, which makes her feel incredibly good and stronger quickly. [Impossible!!]
But since that could just be a trick of the most seductive devil of all, she tries to hold her ground. "Listen, boy..."
"Nope." He smiles and seals Nea's lips with his finger. That action should be enough to enrage Nea to the point where she'd break many bones of any person that much bold.
But she is fascinated by his energies and even the delicious taste of his finger. So many stimulations make her confused, and she has no reaction for a few seconds.
Most of the girls there can't help but laugh at the same time that they envy Nea. But Claire and Greed are shocked to the soul.
'Why isn't she throwing him miles away in a magical water bubble???' Claire asks Greed, as she's already seen Nea do that with Mermaids bold enough to make inappropriate comments, let alone shut her mouth with one finger.
'I have no idea!' Greed is just as confused as Claire. She understands how incredible the demonic energies of the Sins and their hosts can be, but nothing has ever compared to what Lucien can do with it.
Meanwhile, Lucien continues his latest attempt to persuade Nea. "Stop thinking about you and me. Now think about your people; can you really still be a good and fair Queen if you deny them the best chance of their lives just because of your suspicion and stubbornness?"
Lucien's words directly hit Nea's ego. Her intentions toward her people have always been as pure as possible, but she also has a certain pride as their Queen. And that feelings had been further stimulated in the last few days she'd been around Eve and Pride.
She holds Lucien's finger and moves his hand down while using all her will to resist his charm and maintain her serene and majestic posture. "Don't touch me like that again."
He also maintains a calm and confident expression. "All I'm asking for is a chance to prove to your people my worth. I shouldn't have to ask you anything, but I do it out of respect for the most beautiful, pure, and gentle race I've ever seen."
Every second, Lucien looks more charming, Nea becomes more suspicious of something. But since he made it impossible for her to deny him at least one chance, she feels forced to give in.
"Alright..." She sighs and releases his finger while also creating a thin layer of water under his feet, which moves his body back a few inches back. "So, how do you want to do it?"
He smiles. "You'll be suspicious of anything I suggest, so you better decide it."
She makes a thoughtful expression while looking at his wives. "From what I understood, you and the l.u.s.t Sin empower women with your demonic energy, right?"
"Exactly." He nods. "I can convert any pleasure into power right away."
Many girls and even Saria blush when they hear him say the word pleasure; it has an entirely different meaning when it's about him.
"Hmm..." Nea tries to clear her mind of strange thoughts and focus on finding a solution to get rid of the Seven Deadly Sins and that Handsome Devil before she gets seduced.
Her eyes sparkle when she sees Angela and notices her high water affinity. "How about a small compet.i.tion??"
"Compet.i.tion?!" Lucien is surprised and upset by that, so he can't help but mentally comment to l.u.s.t. 'Why does it always have to be like this?? I just wanted once to gain someone's trust without having to fight...'
l.u.s.t quickly responds to him. 'I'm sure that one day you won't need to fight anymore... but it will only be from the moment your fame spreads throughout the whole universe.'
As Saria blushes even more and tries to hide her reaction, Nea smiles at Lucien with a provoking expression and tilts one of her eyebrows. "What's the problem?? Are you afraid that your abilities aren't as good as you just said?"
Lucien's eyes turn golden-purple as his draconic and l.u.s.tful auras spread around, making everyone feels so much respect for him while their legs tremble with pleasure and they get wet.
"Afraid? Why would I be afraid to fight??" He asks sarcastically as he mentally talks to l.u.s.t. 'What are the chances of me beating her?'
'She is certainly much more powerful than Saria...' l.u.s.t quickly answers. 'I can't even imagine her real power because of her royal bloodline and a kind of incredibly pure energy, unlike anything I've ever seen...'
'Does that mean no?' He can't help but be a little concerned.
'Yep, I should say it's impossible for you to beat her.' l.u.s.t speaks honestly. 'But the truth is, I also can't say for sure your real current power due to your soul powers...'
'Give me anything.' He asks.
'Yeah.' She speaks. 'I think you can do it; there's nothing you can't do, especially when it's about a woman.'
And before he can say anything, she quickly continues. 'But to beat her, you'll have to make her let her guard down and then attack with everything you have... just like you did with that dirty angel.'
Lucien still has the memory of when he killed the angel Melitta fresh in his mind. That was one of the moments when he came closest to death, and just using all his abilities, the combat and seduction ones, he managed to kill that woman in one impossible strike.
Going with everything he has means doing the possible and impossible to kill his opponent, and that is definitely not what he wants to do with Nea. 'What if I can't stop at the last second before hurting her??'
'That's a necessary risk if you want to have a chance of beating her.' l.u.s.t explains.
[s.h.i.+t!!!] Lucien can't help but be frustrated. Choosing between being beaten by Nea or risking ending up hurting her doesn't look good at all.
Nea notices Lucien's mood fluctuations due to her special senses and gets confused when she notices that he is concerned about her safety.
She is increasingly convinced that he may be the first person to actually be deceiving her magic senses as his feelings don't make any sense.
Lucien has to think quickly about what to do. And he knows that fighting seems to be the only way, so even if he has to hold on not to hurt Nea, which will undoubtedly result in his loss, that could still be the best way to gain her confidence.
"Alright," He comments in a confident tone. "Let's fight."
"Oh boy..." Nea starts smiling at Lucien's confident expression. She thinks it's crazy that he actually thinks he can beat her, which makes her even doubt that.
Lucien and l.u.s.t feel that something is wrong, and so Nea surprises them with her next words. "My intention was never to fight you; no matter how strong you are, it wouldn't be really useful to my people."
Before he can ask for an explanation, she points to his wives. "You said your ability to empower women can be useful to my people, so you have to prove it with their strength."
Everyone there agrees that Nea's words make complete sense. And while Lucien doesn't want to force his women to fight in his place, they find the idea of proving their strength and helping their hubby incredibly good.
He feels flames of excitation grow up in his wives' hearts, and when he looks back, he sees the sparkles in their eyes, especially Angela's.
They all want to fight, but in a world made almost entirely of water, only the mother-daughter Naga pair and the blue-haired trio could fight the Mermaids in the most advantageous place for them.