The Untold Story

"What? Cassandra and Alaric were together?" Ethan exclaimed. "Now that's a twist!" Actually, he expected such a turn in the story. The vanilla version his mother narrated had missing details and made little sense.

Greta watched the talking duo intensely from the corner of her eyes but did not comment. However, she whispered something to the guard next to her.

"In fact, they were childhood friends," Beatrix added, enjoying being the storyteller. "Lovers who swore to become heroes and fight against evil."

"Alright. Go on." Ethan was still panicking about his system being overtaken, but something told him the answers lay in Cassandra's authentic story.

"When Lucifer arrived in Promiscua, Orcs, Ogres, and other malevolent races went over to her side," the little witch continued. "On his end, Alaric rounded the humans and elves to form a unified army. Cassandra convinced the witches to join the battle, but refused to participate herself."

"Why?"

"We don't really know for sure. Some say she saw a prophetic vision in which being with Alaric would cause Lucifer's victory. Anyway, that's not important. Before her lover, the greatest warrior, set out to war, Cassandra cast a powerful spell on him—the Chaste Witch's Charm."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "That sounds a lot like the Chaste Devil's Curse. Don't tell me it was something similar."

Beatrix nodded with a knowing smile. "Cassandra and Alaric were each other's first love. They were giddy young partners but had never consummated their relationship. Cassandra used their virginity, chastity, and unadulterated love to power her spell."

"The purer Alaric's thoughts would be, the stronger he would be in battle. And it worked marvelously—he was invincible to Lucifer's attacks, leading his army to an overwhelming victory."

"I see. Then what happened in the end? Can you explain the controversial part of the story?"

Beatrix furrowed her brows. "I'm coming to it. Lucifer realized she would lose the war, and that Alaric was the key. She discovered through spies how Cassandra's spell worked and decided to make the man lose his virginity."

Ethan shifted on his horse uncomfortably. "Wasn't Alaric a noble and virtuous man? Why would he let Lucifer seduce him?"

The little witch scoffed. "It was easy—Lucifer was the goddess of deceit, after all. She faked her death and used illusion magic to transform into Cassandra in appearance."

"While the troops celebrated their triumph in the ultimate battle, Lucifer came to Alaric's tent in disguise. As Cassandra, she told the man it was time to consummate their relationship. Alaric, war-weary and longing for affection, made love to her, thus breaking the Chaste Witch's Charm."

"Oh, did Alaric never realize it was an imposter?" Ethan asked with adolescent intrigue.

"Not until the villainess plunged her claws into his heart."

"Wait, if Alaric died at her hands, then who killed Lucifer?"

Beatrix pursed her lips. "Well… The Chaste Witch's Charm was believed to be corrupted at this point, morphing into the Chaste Devil's Curse on Alaric. Lucifer turned it into a magical plague which radiated out to the rest of Promiscua."

Ethan nodded. "I see. What did Cassandra do?"

"She was heartbroken of course, knowing not that her lover had been tricked. Just like most of the present Promiscuans, Cassandra believed Alaric had raped Lucifer after defeating her." 

"Regardless, she controlled the Chaste Devil's Curse through her grimoire, drastically reducing its fatal effects. She prevented the male gender from being wiped out."

Ethan had another character he needed information on. "What about Asmodeus?"

Beatrix shrugged. "What about him? He was the spirit born from Lucifer and Alaric's union. Before this evil spawn could take physical form, Cassandra banished him from this world."

The Cromwell heir furrowed his brows in confusion. "Then why is there a lingering prophecy of his return?"

"Well… Cassandra's magic restricts Asmodeus from being born into Promiscua. But, theoretically, he could be born into another world, just like Lucifer, and then invade ours."

Ethan raised a suspicious eyebrow. Technically, a reincarnator or transmigrator like him was from another world. Could he be Asmodeus? Was that the reason Athena's divine vision warned her about the boy?

No way! Ethan was way too weak to be the most powerful dark lord. He couldn't even get adequately laid yet; forget about conquering the world. Besides, the dark nymph he encountered bit him with a vengeance. Why would a follower of Lucifer attack her prodigal son?

"Even after Lucifer was gone, her minions stayed behind," Beatrix added as if reading the boy's mind. "They're waiting eagerly for Asmodeus' return." 

"For example, the dark nymph Lady Velma told us about was a leftover of the Great Religious War. She hired us for your protection because we've run into that species before. Cassandra's bloodline, specifically, has been hunting down Lucifer's followers."

"You mean—"

"The Galore Coven, yes—the family which continues to reject me. Never mind. Do you understand now why the Crown spreads false propaganda about the Great Religious War? Why does the Barclay empire print in academic books that Alaric was responsible for the plague?"

Ethan nodded. "I think so. If both the heroes of the resistance—Cassandra and Alaric were to be shown as negative characters, the Barclay family could easily claim power after they were gone."

"Exactly!" Beatrix responded, beaming. "And they did. Anyway, the story ends there. Do you have any other queries?"

Ethan shook his head, deciding to stop asking further questions. His doubts about Cassandra were unresolved, but his insides were helter-skelter. The boy was already sweating under the pressure. The battle inside his head was reaching a climax.

[System advice: User is requested to make tough decisions]

[Requesting autonomy and free access for the following time period—forever]

'No way!' Ethan responded in his mind. 'Don't use every crisis to manipulate me to give over control!'

[System advice: Grimorium Lustra will be in possession of user's body soon] [Countdown 00:02:50]

'What! In less than three minutes! God! This is unfair!'

[Requesting autonomy and free access for the following time period—one year]

'No! Not for a year, a month, a week, a day, or even an hour! I will neither let the Grimorium Lustra, nor you take over my body!'

[Countdown 00:02:16]

[Requesting autonomy and free access for the following time period—one minute]

Ethan remembered the last time he allowed the system to take control for a minute; nothing untoward happened. 'Hmm, alright. Access granted. But don't try anything funny.'

[System: Autonomous mode] [Access: Free without restrictions]

[Hacking into Grimorium Lustra…]

[Failed!]

[Burning user's MP as fuel]

'Wait, what!' Ethan watched helplessly as his 80 MP was drained to only 5. The bar shortened accordingly, making him feel dizzy. However, he was okay with the sacrifice as long as his body could be rescued from being hacked.

[Hacking into Grimorium Lustra…]

[Failed!]

[Countdown 00:02:01]

[Warning! Grimorium Lustra is hacking into system]

'What? Has it turned the tables on you? Come on, system! Fight back! Don't lose yet!'

[Initiating fail-safe measure]

[Rebooting user's body] [System advice: Hold on to something]

Instinctively, Ethan handed Beatrix the reins. "Could you handle the horse for a minute? I'm not feeling so well."

"I understand," the witch replied with concern. "You are still in trauma from the Orc encounter. Wait, I'll cast a rejuvenation spell on you."

While Beatrix continued prattling about his health, without warning, Ethan's vision went black. He lost consciousness, and his head slumped on the girl's shoulder.

"Hey—" she began, thinking the Cromwell heir was using weakness as an excuse to molest her. However, the witch immediately realized he had actually passed out.

Beatrix pursed her lips in contemplation. Nobody else had noticed Ethan's unconscious state yet. The wise decision would be to call out to Greta, but she decided against it. The boy was hiding something, and that secret needed to be protected.

Beatrix didn't move her shoulder and instead let Ethan support his head. This gave the three human guards in the back the wrong idea. They began gossiping immediately.

"Hey, is the Young Count kissing the witch's neck?" one of them whispered from behind. "What the hell?"

"Well, the little slut must have seduced him," her colleague answered. "Anything for a quick gold coin…"

Beatrix heard their slanderous words but kept her mouth shut.

Almost a minute later, Ethan came to life, finding himself slumped on the girl's shoulder. His lips brushed against her ears, and his warm breath misted her cleavage. The boy took a few moments and realized what had happened.

"Thanks for the support," he whispered, raising his head. "I must have passed out for a second. Could you not mention it to others?"

"You're welcome," Beatrix replied with a thin smile. "I won't tell anybody if you promise to share what you're hiding."

Ethan considered her words for a few seconds. "Alright. Eventually, I will. I promise."

"Then it's a deal! My lips are shut for you, Count Cromwell. Your secret's safe with me."

Ethan straightened his back, feeling fresh and active. It was as if he had slept an entire day, waking up with recharged batteries. He should let the system shut him down more often.

'System, is everything okay? Was I hacked?'

[System advice: Grimorium Lustra is inactive and secured in inventory. User's safety is assured]

'Phew, thanks. That's a relief!'

"We need to stop here!" Beatrix announced suddenly, giving him a start. "There's trouble ahead!"

The Elves and human guards reined their horses and halted abruptly. Greta turned her steed from the vanguard and approached Ethan.

"What is it?" the Cromwell heir asked Beatrix. She looked concerned, and even Athena's eyes were wide alert.

"There's a ridge ahead," the witch explained. "It could be used for an ambush. We might get attacked by Orcs. Let Athena conduct a reconnaissance and return. Then we can follow as a party."

"That would be unnecessary!" Greta replied sharply. "The ridge connects our lands to the Southern Hills, and it is almost sundown. If we waste another minute, it will be too late. We can't cross the ridge after dark." 

"You'll be putting us at significant risk!" Beatrix argued vehemently. "Have you forgotten we just got attacked by an Orc!"

"That has nothing to do with this situation," the Elf Commander responded adamantly. "Orcs are too dumb to plan ambushes. We don't need a disgraced witch telling us what to do. Of course, the decision lies with the Cromwell heir."

Greta, Beatrix, Athena, and the rest of the entourage turned towards Ethan, waiting for him to decide their fate.