Slice of life

Ramiel sat on the skin of The Dead Gnu, eating a delicious roast meat prepared by the women. He tried to ignore their urging stares, but it became hard. Asme, Caera, and Avi stared at him like vultures in the desert, waiting for an explanation. The worst of them all was the fairy. She bombarded him with an avalanche of words in mind. The poor former hunter couldn't even eat in peace.

" And how? Did you like it? ~ "

As Ramiel put down his bowl, he heard Asme's melodious voice next to him. The horned beauty not only expected an explanation but also wanted to show off something. While he was unconscious, some interesting things happened.

" Mhm. It was quite tasty. How did you get the spicy taste of the meat? "

Avi's pupils dilated in surprise, and Ceara, along with Asme, laughed out loud. No matter what happens, Ramiel will always remain Ramiel. His love for food is undeniable.

 " Do you really want to talk about food after all this time? " - Avi jumped at him. Her insatiable curiosity was eating her up from the inside. All the while, she couldn't understand how Ramiel hid the existence of something so powerful from her.

After all, all her knowledge comes from Nenneke. If she doesn't know it, it means that the goddess is hiding it from her, or Nenneke didn't realize the artifact's existence, which seems abstract. After all, the goddess is omniscient...

" I see no reason not to do so. Going back, how did you get the spicy taste? "

Seeing Ramiel's carefree behavior, Asme and Caera burst out laughing. The fairy's level of annoyance exceeded all limits, strangely twisting her face. Combined with the red color, it gave quite a funny spectacle. Avi's expression was worth all the money in the world. 

" Be careful because you will stay like this forever. " - Ramiel smiled under breath.

" You! You are insolent. " - Unable to withstand the growing humiliation any longer, the fairy threw on the former hunter's neck, biting it. This became a kind of defense mechanism when Avi was losing verbal skirmishes with Ramiel. He had a number of ways in reserve to avoid it, but he was used to it by now. It was a small price to pay for the opportunity to tease the fairy.

The former hunter ignored the little bloodsucker, or rather, the manasucker, and turned to the two women.

" So, will you finally tell me what it is? "

Unfortunately, not everything went his way.

"Oh... and what do we get out of it? ~ Asme's seductive voice caressed Ramiel's ears. When their eyes met, he felt a strange and uncontrollable attraction to the woman. He wanted to devour her and rip off her clothes.

The former hunter shook head absentmindedly. He struggled to restrain himself and even had a slight problem breaking eye contact, but his strong will helped him shake it off.

Caera sat behind Ramiel according to the previously agreed plan and hugged him from behind. Her delicate hands slid under his clothes and traced the former hunter's torso with her fingertips.

At the same time, Asme spread her legs slightly, showing something. Her hand slid down to the skimpy underwear, lifting it up. Ramiel's heart beat faster, quickening his pulse. He could feel his younger brother laboriously waking up from his sleep.

Several questions swirled in Ramiel's head. 

When did they become so horny? Had I overreacted? Maybe I should have restrained myself then.

Apparently, he underestimated the women's sex drive.

Unwilling to give them the initiative, Ramiel went to violent measures. He put his left hand to his lips and clamped teeth on it. Several drops of blood fell to the ground. His mouth filled with a scarlet liquid that gave him a peculiar aftertaste of iron.

At the same time, a brief flash of consciousness passed through the former hunter's eyes, completely freeing him from Asme's influence.

Shock appeared on the woman's face. She had not even considered that Ramiel would manage to break free from her spell. Such a thing was a blow to her dignity as a succubus...

After the battle in the abyss, a very interesting thing happened: all the units who participated in the battle were promoted to a higher level. Some, like Asme, developed new skills, or their old ones were strengthened. In the woman's case, it was the natural charm of the succubus. She was able to weaken the enemies' will to fight on the battlefield and ingrain certain feelings in them. Along with it, a few other skills were unlocked, but that's a topic for another time.

Unable to accept her sad defeat, Asme asked herself in a trembling voice.

" H - How is it possible? "

The woman's thoughts were in a mess. Many times, she had seen with her own eyes the force behind the succubus charm. Her older sister had a hideous hobby. In her spare time, she seduced countless strong males, only to kill them later. Each time, Annabeth would wrap her hapless victims around her finger. The men would literally crawl on all fours, being at her every beck and call. Asme once wondered how she did it. Having a good mood at the time, Annabeth explained to her how the charm worked...

Ramiel looked at the confused succubus with superiority. In fact, he was very impressed with Asme's skill. Without his above-average intelligence, he would have become the woman's puppet. 

The former hunter dragged himself along as if the previous incident had never happened. His self-control was back on track.

" You weren't that bad, but you still have a lot to learn. "

Care, seeing that something had gone wrong, stopped seducing Ramiel. Now, she was just cuddling up to him.

Their cunning plan was to seduce the former hunter and force him to fulfill the whims of women. Unfortunately, as usual, everything went awry. Deep inside, the elfess was saddened... but at least, for a brief moment, she had Ramiel all to herself. That much was enough for her.

" When did you learn how to use a charm? " - the former hunter muttered. He was curious when it happened. For the moment, he decided to ignore the women's failed attempt. He would draw the consequences later, but for now he wanted to learn a few things.

Monster... That one word pressed to the horned beauty's lips, but she did not utter it. Instead, she sat down normally, but Ramiel could still see the exposed part of Asme's little sister from a certain angle.

Smart girl. - The former hunter praised her in mind. Half the success of a good warrior was not skill but sober judgment.

Asme straightened her hair, then looked at Ramiel. He could see confusion and insecurity in her eyes. Despite this, Asme tried to look as if it had little effect on her.

" It happened right after you fainted. Everyone who participated in the battle received the grace of Nenneke, or as you call it, with Avi, a new level. Along with it, information about my ancestry and new skills appeared in my head. " - The horned beauty sighed nonchalantly, completely as if it was something normal.

" Tsk... I'd like to cheat like that too." - The ex-hunter snorted, eliciting a laughing response.

The women's eyes met at the same time. With one glance, they exchanged a secret message that only they understood.

It was as if a monster like you needed something like this. - That was more or less what they said. It's just that after spending time together, they didn't need words in some situations.

" How did you know it was a charm? Have you ever met a succubus before? " - Asme bit her lip, and her voice trembled. She didn't quite know if she wanted to know the answer to this question. Sometimes, ignorance is blissful bliss.

" No, except for you, I have never seen any. As for the charm, someone once tried to use it on me. It took some time to find a way to free myself from it. I don't want to go into details. It is a rather unpleasant memory. "

Ramiel wasn't lying. At the very thought of it, his hair stood on end. It is better to avoid getting into details.

The horned beauty let out a sigh of relief. The nerves that had kept Asme on edge were gone. Apparently, Ramiel was not angry with her. What she feared most was his fury. Because of the unstable state of his soul, he could fall into uncontrollable fits of anger.

Nenneke's grace brought her new knowledge of this. It was not complete, but its residual fragments were enough to deeply frighten the horned beauty. Frankly, she wondered how the former hunter was still alive. It was a really good question.

Immediately after that, Ramiel's eyes showed concern for a brief moment. A normal person wouldn't be able to see it, but after receiving Nenneke's favor, Asme's senses were sharpened. When the woman wondered what had caused the change in the man's behavior, the former hunter sighed.

" For your own safety, don't try to cast a charm in bed. I'm afraid... I just don't want to hurt you. "

Asme thought Ramiel was flirting with her, but after seeing his serious expression, she realized that something else must be going on. The horned beauty did not pursue the subject further and nodded obediently.

" Have you seen Seraphine somewhere? " - The former hunter deftly changed the course of the conversation, looking around.

" She went to explore the dungeon floors. She was curious to see how you were doing. " - This time, Caera anticipated Asme. Her breath caressed Ramiel's ears, tickling him.

" Avi, bring her here, then I will finally answer your questions... And For God's sake, stop screaming in my head! A little more and I'll let Sarron play with you. "

Hearing his name, the white snake opened his sleepy eyes, loosening his grip around Ramiel's finger. Feeling the presence of his favorite elfess, he went to her without hesitation.

A cold shiver ran down the fairy's back at the sight of the snake. As if scalded, she tore away from Ramiel's neck, thinking that the cold-blooded murderer was headed for her. What was her surprise when Sarron curled up docilely on Ceara's shoulder, falling asleep there.

Avi felt a twinge of remorse towards the bond for scaring her. However, he only shrugged his shoulders, letting her know that he had nothing to do with it. This time, the fairy fell victim to her paranoia.

Just as she was about to fly off in search of Seraphine, a woman appeared behind her like a ghost. Hearing the woman's voice coming from behind her, Avi squealed in terror. This was definitely not her day.

" You don't have to look for me anymore, master. "

The Necromancer's sudden appearance did not surprise Ramiel. He had noticed the strange-looking shadow before. He felt no threat from it, so he left the mysterious object alone. Occasionally, he glanced in its direction, wondering what it was.

The moment Seraphine emerged from the dark spot, everything became clear. It had to be one of her skills. As a necromancer who had lived for so many years, she must have had quite a substantial amount of spells. In part, Ramiel was looking forward to seeing her in action. Who knows, he might learn something interesting from her.

The former hunter patted the spot before him, letting Asme know to move. The succubus, without thinking too much, sat down in front of the man, wiggling her bottom sexily.

The horned beauty's tail swung merrily. Asme tail would always betray her no matter how hard she tried to hide her emotions.

Understanding the allusion, the former hunter wrapped his arm around Asme's waist and pulled her closer. Her sweet scent filled his nostrils. It might seem strange, but Ramiel felt extremely comfortable holding her in his arms.

Although the man did not know it, this was due to Asme's treatments. The succubus, at all times, was nursing his soul. The fact that it became attached to the horned beauty was a natural process. It was nothing harmful as long as Asme did not want to harm the former hunter.

Several things kept her from doing so. First, she was completely devoted to Ramiel If the man died, Asme would not be able to progress any further. The succubus' oath of loyalty was final. Secondly and most importantly, Asme fell more and more in love with Ramiel every day.

At first, the horned beauty felt only sexual attraction to him, but over time, it turned into something more. Every day, she saw more and more qualities that Ramiel tried to hide. What she liked most was his contradictory behavior when he pretended to be ignorant and actually cared about her and Caera. The woman had long since seen through his mask but didn't mention anything about it. Everyone has their secrets that force someone to do certain things.

Did Asme know that Ramiel had tried to manipulate her in the beginning? Of course, she did. Was she angry with him? No, because she would have done the same thing. 

 Thus, day after day passed. Before Asme realized it, she was head over heels in love with a man. She tried not to show it, but it didn't work out for her…

" You don't have to stand there. You can sit down. I'm sure our conversation may interest you. After all, it will affect you directly."

Seraphine looked at the place Ramiel pointed to. It was across from him, where Asme had been sitting earlier. Without making everyone wait any longer, she sat down, and the blue flames in her eyes grew larger.

The gaze of everyone in the dungeon turned to Ramiel... Even Avi landed on his head, waiting for an explanation.

" That shadow, it was a soul, right? "

Ramiel heard the women's exasperated sighs but ignored them for now. He said he would resolve doubts, but did not say when.

Seraphine gave the former hunter a skeptical look. This was not what she had expected. Feeling disappointed, she gave him an explanation.

" Yes, thanks to it, I was able to get here so quickly. "

Ramiel's head turned. He was intrigued by the new spell.

" How does it work? "

Seraphine looked at Ramiel as if she were an idiot. Her flames were still bright a moment ago, but suddenly they became dull.

" Master, I'm afraid you won't understand the intricacies of this spell without knowing the element of death... " 

Why does everyone take me for an idiot... - The former hunter sighed in thought. He wanted to say it, but bit his tongue.

" I am not stupid, Seraphine. I know how spells work. I'm not asking you for a detailed explanation with an analysis of the movement of mana particles or a detailed interpretation of the death element. I just want a simplified explanation of what it does and its limitations. "

Seraphine was not surprised. In fact, she knew from the beginning what Ramiel was asking. Her question had a deeper meaning. She simply wanted to explore the area. She didn't know exactly what kind of person her new master was, but her first impression of him was quite good. At least he didn't seem to be stupid.

" The principle is quite simple. I leave behind one of my souls, which I then sacrifice to take its place. The further away it is, the more mana it consumes. Given the limitations of my current body, I can leave up to ten such spots. However, traveling with them is expensive. "

" That makes sense... "Ramiel's face turned serious for a moment. "Seraphine, can you heal injuries inflicted on the soul? "