Lust Knight

The situation between Lucien's group and the mysterious Water Spirit is becoming increasingly tense.

On one hand, the Blue Lady is supposedly one of the few creatures in the universe to ever cross the boundaries of the Cosmic Realm, something not even the most powerful Gods, Dragons, and Demons are anywhere close to achieving.

But that same powerful and mysterious creature also appears as an ordinary young woman, with a very human-like body, in fact.

The combination of extreme power and simplicity in the same person makes the Water Spirit both intriguing and potentially dangerous.

"There are no enemies," Nea quickly speaks.

She, better than anyone else, can sense people's intentions with her special ability, but the Sins doubt many things about that woman, including whether such abilities of the Mermaids work on their own maker.

"My good Mermaid is right." In response to all the hostile looks, the Water Spirit smiles, especially at Nea and Saria.

Lucien doesn't want to jump to conclusions about the Blue Lady, but he also highly respects the opinions of the Sins, especially Lust, Pride, and Sloth.

Two of them share the same thoughts; they don't want Lucien to be alone with the mysterious Primordial and potentially influenced and manipulated by her.

But Sloth has a different opinion about the Water Spirit, especially after meeting the Nature Spirit in Argerim.

So she voices her opinion in Lucien's mind, just for him and the other Sins. "She doesn't seem hostile, really. You should try to get some answers from her, and I'll be by your side."

Lust and Envy agree with Sloth, but the other Sins don't, and Greed quickly complains. "You say that because the Soul Contract with him allows you to stay in his soul."

The Sins begin to argue mentally, which doesn't help the situation now.

Lucien knows that the Water Spirit is waiting for a response, so he quickly speaks to the Sins. "She didn't say you have to go far away or anything like that, just step back a bit and give me some time to understand her better."

The Sins hear Lucien's words and wonder about that. Some of them still see him as a lucky and reckless boy, while others see him as a reliable and responsible man.

Pride certainly has various unique opinions about him, but after witnessing his strength so many times, she no longer doubts his physical and mental capabilities.

"We won't go far away, so if anything happens..." She clearly expresses her support.

"We'll deal with it together." He completes her sentence, making it clear that they are on the same page.

The other Sins may disagree with Lucien or Pride individually, but together, their opinions carry even more weight.

With the Sins agreeing to step aside for a while, Lucien's sisters see no reason to create problems and also go along with that, as do his wives.

But as everyone leaves, Eve makes her hesitation and concerns clear by giving a protective look at Lucien.

"It will be alright." He smiles confidently at her.

All the women leave the top of the tower, except for Lust. However, Envy and Sloth quickly use their Soul Contracts with Lucien to stay in his soul, something made possible because his sisters are nearby.

The Water Spirit finishes the remaining wine in her glass before looking directly at Lust with a hostile expression.

Lucien is surprised to see her cold and serene face change so drastically; in fact, that's the most hostile expression he has seen on her face so far.

Even in the presence of someone likely much older than her powers, Lust doesn't back down and puts on a brave expression.

Lucien wants to believe that the Water Spirit simply doesn't trust Demons, just like the other Superior Races, after all, they are not allies of the Blue Star and the other six Stars.

But somehow, he feels like he has witnessed scenes like this before; it's as if Lust and the Water Spirit are competing for his attention.

"No... that's too much narcissism, even for me," Lucien thinks to himself as he quickly steps in between the girls.

"You know that Lust can't leave my side even if she wanted to, right?" He asks the Water Spirit amiably.

"And I don't want to, just for the record," Lust quickly adds.

Lucien cannot allow anyone to be hostile to his wives, especially Lust. But he doesn't see real hostility in the Water Spirit's gaze; instead, it seems like a kind of resentment that feels very familiar.

He knows things can quickly spiral out of control when it involves his feelings for his girls, so he asks Lust to take it easy, at least until they understand more about the mysterious Primordial.

Lust also wants to find out more about the Water Spirit and dematerializes her body, returning to Lucien's soul, but not before throwing another hostile glance at the Blue Lady.

Lucien sighs and refills the Water Spirit's glass with more wine as he speaks in a neutral tone. "Lust can be a bit much, but if you have anything against my family, I don't think we can truly be allies..."

He tries to appear as non-hostile as possible so that his words don't sound like a threat but more like a warning, yet once again, he sees a radical change in the Water Spirit's expression.

Her hostile gaze turns very friendly and even expectant, but she seems on the verge of pouting, which is surprising.

"It's not me who's attacking them," she defends herself. "It's just that I can't stand those irritating stares..."

Lucien understands that feeling very well because except for Lust, all the other Sins have looked at him as if he were some kind of aberration.

So he hands the wine glass to the Water Spirit and speaks amiably to her. "As one of the most impressive and mysterious beings in the universe, you should be used to generating such an impact on people."

She takes the glass with a friendly smile. "But I don't like being seen as a monster just because I'm different."

"Not everyone was looking at you like that," he quickly responds. "The Sins can be very direct and rude at times, but some of the girls had only admiration and respect in their eyes."

The Water Spirit seems upset whenever Lucien speaks of the Sins in an affectionate tone, but her expression is gentle when he talks about the other girls.

"You have to admit that the pair of Nagas are beautiful, and the Mermaids are so cute," she comments with a proud expression.

Lucien realizes that the Water Spirit seems to view the Mermaids and Nagas as some sort of children, which seems weird considering Nea and Mira appear much older and mature than her.

He knows that as a Primordial, it's not possible to guess the Water Spirit's age, but she simply doesn't have a mature aura, not like the Nature Spirit.

"They have a lot of respect and faith in you," he remarks as he refills his own glass with wine.

She seems to get lost in thoughts as she watches him refill his glass. "But there's also curiosity and expectation in their eyes..."

"That's normal, right?" he asks rhetorically. "I mean, you literally created a vast world and entire races, so you should be prepared for such responsibilities."

The Water Spirit sighs before taking a big sip of wine. "You're right, but... it's just that I miss when things were simpler... when even my basic needs were someone else's responsibility..."

Lucien isn't as good as Nea at reading others' emotions, but the Water Spirit's feelings seem as clear as crystal water.

He can see longing and pain in her gaze, which makes him relate it to her mother. Well, it could be about both of her parents, but based on his own experience, he finds it more likely that the Water Spirit misses her mother.

"I understand what you mean," he honestly speaks.

Although he can't remember his mother's face, Lucien vividly recalls how safe and loved he felt with her.

A glimmer passes through the Water Spirit's eyes as she looks at him. "I don't think you do."

Lucien is confused by that response, but since it seems to be a sensitive topic for the Water Spirit, he wants to avoid it to get the answers he needs the most.

However, since asking such questions directly would be rude, he tries to think of something else to talk about instead.

He looks up to the sky and sees the blue and green shimmer beneath the clouds. "Anyway, you seem to be doing an incredible job protecting this world."

She looks up at the sky as well. "The barrier? I should have completed it much earlier, but I wanted to let the people of this world develop without my interference..."

She seems clearly sorry as she speaks. "But it was a mistake, and a thousand years later, everyone paid the price for my error."

Lucien understands that the Water Spirit is sorry for the loss of many Mermaids and the sacrifice of Kaisa and the Fox Princess.

He doesn't want to make the Water Spirit feel worse, but he wants to understand how things ended up that way.

"From what I understood, you got sick because of the Dark Mana, right?" he asks. "Is that why the barrier took longer to be completed?"

The Water Spirit nods. "Yes, but it was also because of that that I needed Thalara's help even more to protect this world and help me finish the barrier."

Lucien is surprised to hear that; the name the Water Spirit mentioned can only be one person, the Leviathan.

Some pieces start to fit together, but the overall puzzle seems to only get bigger.