Chapter 442 The Source of Zest's Power

“I’m sorry, Asia. I got too emotional just now.”

Having been moved by Asia’s words, Irina sincerely lowered her head and apologized.

At the same time, the confusion that had plagued her heart began to clear, replaced by newfound resolve.

Just because the God she believed in was no longer there didn’t mean she had to abandon her faith. If anything, she should treat it as a beacon—something within her heart that she could continue holding on to.

Irina didn’t want to give up this path the way Xenovia had.

She would keep walking forward, and this time, she would walk it for herself!

Seeing the determination in Irina’s eyes, Takumi gave a faint nod.

Faith was an inherently intangible thing.

Before, Irina’s faith had been an obsessive attachment to God Himself. Now, however, her faith had become the pursuit of what she truly believed in.

Having finally let go of that obsession, Irina was able to speak normally with Asia and the others again.

Yuki Suou joined their conversation as well, curious about things like the Church and the Village.

By then, the sky outside was gradually darkening, and Tohru familiarly made her way into the kitchen to start preparing dinner.

Seeing that things had settled down, Takumi turned his attention toward Zest, who had been sitting quietly in a corner the entire time.

She had been remarkably well-behaved, faithfully playing the role of a “prisoner of war.”

Takumi was always fairly easygoing toward women who knew how to behave.

“Zest, what kind of position did you have in the War Faction?”

Takumi asked the question as casually as if he were making conversation.

Zest obediently sat down in front of him and answered honestly, “My position wasn’t particularly high. I was only a vassal serving under Demon Lord Lucifer…”

Through Zest’s explanation, Takumi gradually learned about her past.

She was descended from a branch family of the now-extinct Marbas clan.

Because of her exceptional strength, the demons of the War Faction had taken notice of her. They valued the bloodline she had inherited and intended to have her reestablish the Marbas family.

Unfortunately, Zest herself came from a cadet branch, while most of the original Marbas demons had already died out.

As a result, the Marbas family had never been restored the way the War Faction had hoped.

Later, under arrangements made by the War Faction, she entered into a nominal engagement with Zolgear. They had intended to use Zolgear’s position and influence to help Zest rebuild her demonic house.

Unfortunately, they had only gotten halfway through that plan before Zolgear suddenly ceased to be an issue.

“You’ve had a pretty complicated life, Zest.”

Takumi sighed before checking her status panel.

[Name: Zest Marbas]

[Level: Ultimate-class Demon]

[Traits: Marbas Bloodline (Purple), Chaste Heart (Purple), Earth Affinity (Blue), Favored by Fortune (Blue)…]

[Marbas Bloodline (Purple): You have inherited and awakened the ancestral Marbas bloodline, granting you immense potential and the power to manipulate the earth.]

[Chaste Heart (Purple): As long as you remain true to the chastity within your heart, your strength and potential will increase significantly.]

“Oh~ Now that’s an interesting trait.”

Takumi was rather surprised by what he saw.

[Chaste Heart (Purple)] had an almost mind-over-matter quality to it.

Under Takumi’s gaze, a faint pink blush appeared on Zest’s face, and she shyly lowered her head.

Because of the nature of her innate ability, she rarely allowed herself to get too close to men.

What puzzled her, however, was that even though she was standing close to a man now, she hadn’t felt her strength decline in the slightest.

With Zolgear, the moment he came within three meters of her, her power would begin dropping exponentially. That was why, even when she had protected him before, Zest had deliberately kept her distance.

Seeing the unexpectedly demure side of Zest, so different from her sexy and fiery appearance, Takumi couldn’t help but smile kindly.

That contrast really made him want to do something to her.

Unfortunately, there were far too many people in the house right now for him to comfortably make a move.

The prisoner-of-war play could wait until later.

He then activated Communication Magic and contacted Serafall in the Underworld.

When Serafall’s pretty face appeared in the communication projection, Takumi got straight to the point.

“A demon named Zolgear attacked me.”

“Zolgear!? That demon marquis? He’s a fairly well-known demon under Leohart.”

Serafall looked astonished.

“He’s supposed to be an old fox who’s been around forever. How did he possibly dare attack you!?”

Takumi shrugged.

“I wasn’t home at the time. He wanted to capture my women and use them to threaten me.”

“Oh~~ So that’s what happened. What an idiot! Hahahaha!!”

Serafall immediately burst out laughing.

She knew perfectly well how powerful Takumi’s [Divine Envoy Pieces] were.

Ever since fusing with one herself, her strength had been rising at an astonishing rate. By now, she was already approaching Chief God-class.

If nothing unexpected happened, before long she would become one of the very few Transcendents among the devils.

That was exactly why she understood better than most that Takumi’s women were unlikely to be weak.

Zolgear’s plan to use them against Takumi had been fundamentally flawed from the very beginning.

“Oh, right, Serafall. Do you know Sheila?”

Takumi turned the communication projection toward Sheila, who had been tied up from head to toe.

Even while bound, she was still wriggling her petite body across the floor, slowly inching her way toward Takumi.

The moment Serafall saw her on the screen, her eyes widened.

“Isn’t that one of the very few succubi still left?”

“If I remember correctly, Sheila was a famous demon during the previous civil war. She disappeared for a while midway through it, and after that, hardly anyone heard anything about her.”

Serafall stared at the bound Sheila.

“How did she end up with you? And why does she look so… ridiculous?”

“Show some respect, girl from the Sitri family.”

Realizing she had been recognized, Sheila immediately stopped fooling around and sat up straight.

Unfortunately, since she was still completely tied up, she continued to look rather ridiculous.

Through the ensuing conversation, Takumi learned that Sheila had once been quite a famous female demon herself.

Had she not vanished partway through history, her current status would likely have been comparable to—or perhaps even higher than—that of Grayfia and Serafall.

“Haah~ Sheila-senpai wasn’t the only exceptionally powerful female demon from the previous generation.”

A trace of regret appeared on Serafall’s face.

“Unfortunately, one after another, they all disappeared into the currents of history. If those women were still around, the situation in the Underworld definitely wouldn’t look the way it does now.”

“So what happened back then, Sheila?”

“Ara~ Calling me by my name like that when Maria is standing right beside us…”

Faced with Takumi’s question, Sheila blushed and coyly turned her face away.

Maria quietly spoke up from beside her.

“I don’t mind.”

“Ah! Maria, how could you say that!!”

Seeing her own daughter betray her without the slightest hesitation, Sheila pretended to be heartbroken and threw herself toward her.

Unfortunately, because she was still tied up, she nearly headbutted Maria to death instead.

Seeing Sheila act like this, Takumi chose not to press the matter any further.

She clearly didn’t want to explain the reason, and naturally, he wasn’t going to force her.