Chapter 49 - Forbidden Lust

"Well, anyways I have to go. It's actually starting to get late and a lot of unsavory characters find comfort in the night." Cebrail says her formerly warm expression completely vanishing without any trace as though it was never there to begin with.

"H-Huh?" Elmenhilde was a bit taken aback by the Seraphim Princesses sudden mood shift and didn't really have anything to say.

"I'll check up on you since I've been meaning to get some advice about the path to hedonism." Cebrail used her foot and turned off the computer before standing and handing the rest of her chips to Elmenhilde.

Going with the flow Elmenhilde took the chips. "Why would I be able to help you with that?"

"Aren't Vampires the kings of hedonism?" Cebrail steps across the room lightly as though she herself were a Vampire. Her footsteps were so difficult to hear that even Elmenhilde's enhanced senses could barely pick up on it.

"The bites on the neck…" Cebrail stops at the closet in the room with Elmenhilde following her with her eyes with a certain hunger.

"They are usually pretty sexual in nature for both parties…" Cebrail was talking a bit absentmindedly as she stood on her tippy toes slightly to look into the closet for something.

"To my knowledge Vampires hold a deep connection to both darkness, its allure, and unregulated pleasure." Cebrail states pulling the dress out of the closet before hanging it on the door and slowly stripping out of her jacket.

Elmenhilde's eyes widened and her vision zoomed in on Cebrail with her mouth slightly open. Her gaze started at the Angels white hair before going down and following her jacket as it moved further and further. Her fangs were aching looking at the Angels unblemished bare skin and even her breathing was getting a bit heavier.

She hadn't had Human blood in a while so being in such a situation was extremely stimulating. Her head spun so badly that she couldn't even bother being disappointed upon seeing that all along Cebrail had been wearing shorts and a tank top underneath her jacket.

Biting her thumb she could barely keep herself focused on Cebrail's words. "This is possibly where the recent boom in the 'sexy vampire' trope has come from. Vampires are like venus fly traps in that sense."

(Is this a sign? Is she inviting me? Such a cold girl being so coy about what they want~) Elmenhilde had this thought completely and understandably misunderstanding what Cebrail's request was in regards to being taught how to be more hedonistic.

So with no more restraints left she pounced at Cebrail with her fangs out and her hands outstretched as if she were going to give the Seraphim Princess a big hug.

"Huff, Huff, Huff." The completely perverted look on her face said that it was not a hug she was looking for at all.

"Huh? What's the matter with you?" Cebrail questioned as she casually caught the Vampire and threw her over her shoulder onto the ground.

"Hehehe~ so you like being on top huh~? Don't worry I'll teach you everything I know! I'll eat you up like the most scrumptious of treats!" Elmenhilde exclaimed, confusing Cebrail.

"Eat…me up? That would be bad. Unfortunately while I perhaps wouldn't mind you drinking my blood as a lesson in hedonism, you would quite literally die."

"Eh?" Elmenhilde suddenly regained a bit of clarity hearing this and seeing Cebrail's serious expression staring down at her in an almost domineering fashion put that clarity in danger.

"Look…" Cebrail puts a small cut on her finger using her thumb nail before smudging the blood on Elmenhilde's forehead.

Instantly smoke began to rise from the blood.

"Eh…?" Elmenhilde felt the stinging sensation growing stronger and stronger becoming an itch greater than the one the Vampire got thinking about Cebrail's bare skin. "Ahhhh!"

She rolled on the ground back and forth. To say that it hurt wouldn't be the best description. It was an incessant burning and itchy sensation that seemed like it would go on forever. It was annoying more than painful but if there was anymore it might actually be deadly.

"Holy…water?" Elmenhilde said in confusion after the feeling finally vanished and she calmed down.

"Indeed all of my bodily fluids are holy water. If you were to drink my blood you would be committing self deletion. Perhaps you'd experience an unimaginable ecstasy for around 2 seconds before all of your insides burned creating minutes worth of agonizing pain before your eventual demise." Cebrail informed Elmenhilde a bit morbidly not even attempting to hide the fate the Vampire had almost jumped head first into.

"All…of your body fluids?"

"Yes."

"Spit?"

"Yes."

"Pee?"

Yes."

"Tears…?"

"Yes."

With every yes Elmenhilde became more and more crestfallen until she couldn't even gather the strength to stand back up, her arms spread out on either side of herself.

(If all of that stuff is holy water… then THAT will be holy water as well!!!!!) Elmenhilde cried in her mind. (So this is what a true forbidden fruit is…)

True agony was in Elmenhilde's heart, but Cebrail paid the strange Vampire no mind, she could only assume that this behavior might be a Vampire thing.

She threw on her dress haphazardly without any care letting it hang on her without being strapped on properly at all.

"I'll see you later then." Cebrail bid the Vampire farewell before jogging across the room and throwing herself out the window.

Elmenhilde blinked at the girl's abrupt exit but seeing her glowing white feathers left behind she decided on something.

"I'll become immune to holy powers too! She even said that she wouldn't mind me drinking her blood if it wouldn't kill me! I still have a chance!" Delusional perhaps, the only Vampire to beat the weakness to holy powers was Gwyneth Carmilla after all.

But Elmenhilde would be damned if she didn't give it a try!

–

Reginleif was a bit depressed.

After running for hours chasing after Cebrail's feathers and pushing herself to the limit only to find that she really wasn't good enough.

Not even close in fact.

Not even a hair, she hadn't even caught sight of the Seraphim Princesses hair.

So now she was sitting in the mall with a depressing smoothie sitting in front of her.

(So this is why she doesn't train with us at all…) Reginleif thought sipping on the smoothie through a straw with her head resting on her hand.

Reginleif stared out the window listlessly when she suddenly spotted Tosca with a brown haired girl she was carrying a bunch of bags and clearly somewhat struggling.

Pulling out her Prayer Phone she called Tosca and watched as she stopped setting the bags down to pick up the phone.

"H-Hello senior?" Tosca greeted.

"Behind you." Reginleif states simply causing Tosca to turn around and see the Valkyrie sitting in the small cafe.

Seeing her senior, Tosca looked back at Kaori Murayama saying a few words and the two made their way towards Reginleif who hung up the phone.

The two girls enter the cafe and take a seat with Reginleif casually. With a heavy thump Tosca set the bags down next to them before she took her seat and wiped her forehead instinctively despite not actually being sweaty.

"I see that your day hasn't been any better than mine." Reginleif jokes. "I hope this person isn't bullying you Tosca."

"O-Oh! No Kaori has been really nice to me so far! Though…"

"Though?"

Tosca's eyes shifted to Kaori who looked at the two with her arms crossed over her chest. She looked like the domineering type of girl that pushed their beliefs onto others, was incredibly self important, and quick to violence. Reginleif took note of this and pushed up her glasses in annoyance.

If this girl was bullying her precious junior then obviously something would need to be done.

"Well… she thinks that a Succubus is trying to snatch the boy she has a crush on away from her…"

"I don't think. I know! She IS a Succubus! I'm telling you!"

"Succubus don't usually act without a master even if they are collecting lust they wouldn't go after any specific targets for long periods of time." Reginleif explained to Kaori in simple way that even a human ignorant to the ways of the supernatural world could understand.

"T-That's exactly what I told her! Succubus usually just see a human that looks nice and snatch them up immediately, ensnaring them in desire filled dreams!"

"I don't care what either of you say." Kaori was set on being stubborn about this so Reginleif and Tosca both came to the decision to drop the subject.

"Succubus?" A voice surprised them from the side.

It was Cebrail who had somehow made her way there and was just standing next to their table.

"You-"

"Did you have a good day Tosca?"

"Umm… yes! I had fun!" Tosca made a pose as if she were flexing with both her arms raised. "I-I think I can already feel myself getting stronger."

Tosca didn't actually feel this way but she wanted to give Cebrail a good report, obviously she wouldn't really get much stronger until she finished the prayer. She did have fun though in a sense, she had never been out shopping at a mall before.

"I see… that's good." Cebrail pet Tosca a bit. "And Reginleif?"

"Are you asking me if I had a good day?" Reginleif asked a bit incredulously.

"Indeed."

"Not really… your training method was torturous." She said honestly. It wasn't as though she disliked physical training it was just that she felt like complete trash being unable to keep up with Cebrail at all.

"Was it truly so bad?"

"I've been running nonstop since this morning."

"You mean you didn't rest anywhere?" Cebrail seemed confused by this which worked to confuse Reginleif as well.

"No?"

"I see… Reginleif."

"Yes?"

"When you see feathers bunched up together in a particularly big pile, that's a rest stop. Get something to drink or a snack or something while you're there since I already paid for it."

"..." Reginleif blushed slightly with a bit of embarrassment and even face palmed. She had overestimated Cebrail's lack of planning skills and simply assumed the Seraphim Princess let things like rest slip her mind. "I'll keep that in mind next time."

At the very least the Valkyrie could take solace in the fact that Cebrail had forgotten to mention such an important piece of information.

"Alright then, time to go home." Cebrail says simply pulling out a key.

"Wait Tosca! You'll be back tomorrow right?"

"Of course!" Tosca confirmed as the three girls disappeared leaving Kaori by herself.

In truth she had enjoyed the time she spent with Tosca. It felt a bit nostalgic as the girl was a lot like her best friend Nene.

"Ah that's right… I should buy more flowers…"