Chapter 103: Population Control
"I am Stella Sitri, mother of Roxanne," she said with a warm, almost seductive smile.
"..." The other women looked at the two of them, speechless.
It was basically a very, or rather, an extremely strange scene! Just imagining it had Roxanne's head practically steaming as she seemed to be thinking things she definitely shouldn't be!
"Fufufu~ Don't tease my wife like that, poor little Roxanne." He walked over to her, gently patting her head. "Viviane," he called, and the maid quickly bowed, handing him a small, fancy-looking bag.
"Here, I had this bought for you, a cupcake called Golden Phoenix. Apparently, it's delicious—I got it for you," he said, handing the bag to Roxanne, whose face immediately lit up, completely forgetting what had just happened.
"D-Darling! I love you!" she exclaimed, hugging him before taking the bag and dashing excitedly to the table where Sapphire was seated.
"La la la la la!! My husband is the one I'll love most!" she sang as she carefully opened the cupcake box, treating it with the utmost care.
"..." The women around watched the scene, unable to react; even Sapphire, who usually showed little interest, tried to make sense of it before ultimately ignoring it. She wasn't that crazy.
"A-And me...?" Stella asked, slightly flustered, rubbing her arm and fidgeting as she watched her daughter receive treats so lovingly.
Vergil turned to look at her, slightly exasperated, his face pale but alive with a faint blush. "Oh, right, here," he said, taking another bag from Viviane's hand.
"Naturally, I would have given you the same as Roxanne, but since I imagine you've tasted everything in this demon world, I brought something from the human world instead." He opened a small transparent box from the bag. "Mini Pecan Pie Cheesecake," he said, showing the mouth-watering dessert to the Demon Queen, who, in an instant...
...turned into a love-struck schoolgirl.
"Beautiful! Beautiful! I love you!" she squealed, taking the transparent box and gazing at it as if it were a billion-dollar jewel or something.
'He did it again...' the women in the room thought in unison, except for Roxanne and Sapphire, who were busy with other things.
"Eat slowly, alright? You should savor each bite," he advised, resting a hand lightly on the Demon Queen's head, making her shiver and become completely submissive.
"Y-y-yes!" she stammered, quickly sitting next to her daughter, and both acted as if nothing had happened.
"Fufufu~ Thanks for the tip," Vergil whispered in Viviane's ear, making her body tremble before she quickly moved to stand beside Viola, Novah, and Ei, who had remained silent the entire time, merely reacting to the events.
Vergil walked over and sat beside Sapphire, settling in the chair between her and Katharina, who had ignored everything to see what would happen next.
Vergil looked through the glass of the VIP room toward the arena. "Why am I here exactly? Wasn't I supposed to be down there getting ready?" he asked in a low tone, glancing at the arena filled with curious eyes... then, without waiting for anyone to respond, he continued.
He began muttering under his breath, "Strong, weak, weak, extremely weak, hiding, strong, pathetically weak, extremely strong, weak as hell, needs training, horrible, terrible, okay."
Confused, his red-haired wife asked, "What are you doing, darling?" Katharina leaned forward with a curious look.
"Checking out the idiots watching this; none of them are worth it."
"Fufu~" Sapphire chuckled slightly.
He was assessing the demons' capabilities, searching for anyone interesting and evaluating their strengths, but... well, it wasn't looking great. "Tsk, how boring... only six," he muttered, disappointed.
After the last training with Sapphire, she had taught him to read demons' auras as she did. Although the training time was brief, just with that, Vergil could already assess a person's level based on their aura and the pressure they let slip.
Naturally, this would be foolish and reckless. However... well, Vergil has absolute control over Demonic Energy, which means... they can't hide from him. His eyes see everything.
It's difficult to put into words, but it's as if he simply knows whether another warrior is strong or not. He just knows.
Feeling a gaze directed his way, he turned his face and looked toward another VIP room through the glass; his eyes focused on a rare sight.
He concentrated on the individual surrounded by a large, red aura. A woman, actually, a redhead…
"Oh, I found an interesting one…" His smile widened, but then he quickly hid it as he sensed the auras around her. "Guards…" he murmured.
"Oh? You're looking at the first princess of the Gremory," Sapphire said, glancing in the same direction, and everyone in the VIP room immediately shrank back, returning her gaze.
"Tsk, I forgot to hide my presence." She bit her tongue… 'How could I do something like this? I never let my guard down!' she roared internally.
"Gremory," Katharina commented, looking over at the Gremory Princess. "I don't like her… she's too… clingy," she said, turning her face away.
"Hm... lost interest." Vergil added, causing all the women to immediately turn to him.
"Huh?!" They all gasped in unison, shocked. It was the first time he'd ever said something like that, and honestly? To them, it was absurd.
"You noticed? Fufu~ Your perception has improved quite a bit," Sapphire chuckled, now observing the girl who was completely invisible again.
"I don't like people who rely on others' power," Vergil commented.
"Fufu~ The Red Dragon Emperor, the gem containing the ancient Dragon Emperor… too bad it's still dormant; I've seen it once before." She commented just as Vergil felt something unusual…
"?" He was momentarily confused but soon felt someone climbing on top of him, even though she wasn't a child…
"Oh, Alice…" he murmured, feeling her sit on his lap, then did only what came naturally and patted her head.
"Hey! Get off him!" Katharina's jealousy could no longer be contained… His mother? Okay, she could overlook that. Roxanne and Ada? Fine, she was trying to move on; it was her fault they'd married him… but some random girl? Her jealousy knew no age or gender discrimination!
"Stop," Sapphire ordered her daughter, who had already stood up, ready to pry the girl away from him.
Still, she ignored the warning and touched Alice… Just one touch sent Katharina flying backward…
"Kyah!" she squealed in surprise before landing on her rear.
"Fufu~ I warned you," Sapphire said, laughing.
Vergil's eyes widened in shock at what the girl had done with just a touch. He looked at Alice with some hesitation… but he only sighed, giving a little pat to the startled girl's head.
"What was that, Master?" he asked Sapphire, who was still laughing at her daughter, who had fallen to the floor.
"Barrier Rune. The little girl is quite skilled with runes, you know? Using demonic magic like that… she's truly a rare find," she remarked without going into much detail, and Vergil simply looked on, puzzled…
Once more… he just sighed and decided to ignore what he didn't yet understand.
"Don't worry; it shouldn't have hurt Katharina, just startled her," Sapphire said, turning back to the arena.
"I see… Are you alright, dear?" Vergil asked Katharina, who looked… rather disgruntled.
"Mm…"
Suddenly, as they chatted peacefully, the door opened, revealing an attractive woman with red hair and eyes…
Roxanne turned to the woman and saw who she was…
The woman scanned the room until she found the person she was looking for.
"I apologize for intruding on your VIP area, ma'am, but Arconte Phenex has requested that the representative at your side come down," she said politely, bowing slightly, while Sapphire remained facing away, watching the crowd.
"Tell him I'll decide when he goes," Sapphire replied while sipping a glass of wine.
"But, Queen Sapph-" she was cut off.
"He decided to pull this little stunt; he has no rights here. If he wishes to demand something, tell him to come in person and kneel," she concluded, watching the scene unfold on the coliseum stage…
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Suddenly, everyone heard the announcer's voice.
"The Blood Armageddon between Agares, Baal, and Arconte Phenex is about to begin!"
At the announcer's words, the women stopped what they were doing and looked toward the arena. Everyone, including the audience, could now see what was happening…
Vergil's eyes focused on the area where he would be… a smaller stage than the arena, and on the stage…
"My Ada..." he murmured as he saw the woman on the stage... dressed as a bride.
"They made her the prize on display, flaunting her before the lustful demons..." Katharina muttered nervously, torn between her dislike of Ada as her husband's wife and her friendship with her.
'Basically showcasing her for these lascivious demons... if Vergil realizes that~'
"Raphaeline, whose idea was this?" Vergil asked, his voice cold.
"Magnus Phenex," she replied.
"I see... well, there's no helping it now." Vergil commented, his gaze fixed on the scene below.
Just then, a man dressed in a wine-colored suede suit entered, as if he'd stepped out of an '80s film.
"Naturally, we have to decide the type of game! However, everything has already been decided in a previous bet, so the game will be a duel!" The announcer's voice rang out, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
"As you know, Armageddon is an event that precedes one of their deaths! If a participant's heart is destroyed, they lose. If a participant surrenders, they lose. The rules are simple! Anything goes!" he shouted, making the crowd go wild.
"The prize at stake... is the hand of the Baal Clan Princess, Ada Baal." He pointed to the woman who looked like a doll on display.
Ada was dressed in an extravagant wedding gown, pure white with luxurious details, a deep neckline, a small bouquet of white flowers, and minimal makeup.
'What a joke,' she thought as she looked around at the crowd, hearing disturbing comments from some of the lesser demons shouting obscene things.
Then, her gaze shifted upward to the VIP boxes, where she finally spotted him.
"Sapphire, if I kill some people in the crowd... what will happen?" Vergil asked, a murderous aura beginning to radiate from him, so intense it left the attendants gasping for breath.
"Huh? Nothing? I mean, who cares. As long as you don't kill anyone important, kill as many as you like," Sapphire replied with a widening grin. Discover more stories at m,v l'e-NovelBin.net
"I see," he murmured. "Then it seems the demon population is about to decrease a little."
"Oh, population control sounds lovely. You're just doing society a favor, fufu~" she laughed.