Chapter 569

"Whom should I blame? Whom should I curse? Curse your love! Love and hate are no different to me now, both are eternal sorrow! No! No matter where I flee, Hell will follow me like a shadow! Hell is myself! Thoughts of repentance may have crossed my mind, but my pitiful pride will never allow me to wag my tail and beg."

Erice listened in a daze, and subconsciously reached out a finger to gently stroke her chin.

Wow... that Demon King, who only bullies me all day long, actually said something like that?

It seems highly unlikely! But then again, you never know. Maybe he only bullies you when you're young, and is only so arrogant and domineering in front of you. He wouldn't be so arrogant and domineering towards others, especially in front of this "father"? That would be kind of cute...

Moreover, according to this account, the Demon King had seen this guy who claimed to be Goethe and Schubert? Could it have happened after he left him?

Her little head was filled with questions, and her gaze toward Paradise Lost Satan held a newfound curiosity.

However, the monologue of Satan in Paradise Lost continues.

All hope has been utterly extinguished! He coldly watches as we are ruthlessly abandoned and eternally exiled for His new love!

"So, farewell, hope! Farewell, fear that accompanies hope! Farewell, cheap pity! For me, all virtue has vanished! My virtue is you! Soon, this new world will know that the source of my heinous Evil lies in you!"

After he finished speaking, Paradise Lost Satan's chest heaved violently, as if he had exhausted all his strength.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Novia then stroked her chin.

He immediately realized that Satan in Paradise Lost wasn't talking about the Demon King, but about himself. This was Satan's soliloquy in Paradise Lost, every word of which originated from Milton's accusations in Paradise Lost. In other words, he was using the name of the "Demon King" to say everything he truly wanted to say.

This, ironically, made Novia understand the state of the Paradise Lost Satan before her.

It must have been before the punitive expedition.

Theoretically, in Paradise Lost, He refers to the Angel as "my invincible children."

In essence, it can be described as Paradise Lost: Satan's ambitions gradually swelled, ultimately blinding him.

So Novia's smile remained unchanged, and her tone was light and cheerful. "So, that Demon King child really is a good-for-nothing."

Upon hearing this, Satan of Paradise Lost felt a sudden chill in his heart, realizing something was amiss.

These words sounded so familiar; wasn't this exactly the same excuse he had used to fob off Erice? Now, Novia was throwing them back at him verbatim.

"If he were," Novia continued, her gaze lingering on the tense, stiff face of Paradise Lost Satan, "he wouldn't have had so many troubles. If he hadn't been so treacherous, he wouldn't have ended up like that. If he hadn't been so stubborn in thinking that such behavior was servile, always looking on the darkest side, and not thinking so many unnecessary things—"

Novia paused, her smile widening, then changed the subject:

"Speaking of which, there's another very important point: when he gets married and has children in the future, please remember to let 'you' meet him too. After all, he's a junior, so he should at least let you, his 'elder,' see him, shouldn't you?"

Suddenly, Paradise Lost Satan opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word, unsure how to respond.

That's natural.

Because in the account of Paradise Lost, Satan is equivalent to the Trinity of God: himself, his daughter "Sin" who was born of his own mind, and "Death" who was born from the union of him and his daughter Sin. The original text mentions that Sin imagined that she could reign with her father Satan and sit on a glorious throne at his right hand.

Originally, after Satan's defeat, the mother and son "Sin" and "Death" could have stayed peacefully in the depths of Hell until the Judgment Day.

However, they believed that their father, Satan, came to Earth to bring them so-called happiness and glory, so they followed in his footsteps without hesitation and joined him in harming humanity.

How could he possibly explain this chaotic, immoral, and taboo relationship to Novia, the man he once regarded as the Sun but now whom he considered a tyrant?

Erice was naturally unaware of the turbulent waves churning within the heart of Lost Paradise Lost Satan.

All she saw was that this silver-haired man, who claimed to be "a combination of Goethe and Schubert" and was suspected to be the father of the Demon King, suddenly changed his expression and became short of breath after Novia's seemingly ordinary, even slightly mocking, remarks. He looked terrified and could faint at any moment.

The girl already disliked Novia, finding him frivolous, cunning, and glib—a seasoned harem scumbag who had even seduced her Grandmother. So, seeing him now drive her "Demon King father" to such a wretched state only intensified her disgust.

"Hey! Are you ever going to stop?!" Erice said, taking a step forward, subtly shielding Paradise Lost Satan behind her. "How strange! Suddenly popping up and asking all sorts of questions, scaring everyone! The Demon King's affairs are his private business, why are you so concerned? Stop trying to be so friendly!"

In Erice's heart, she already secretly regarded Paradise Lost Satan as the Demon King's father, an elder similar to Future "father-in-law" or "father-in-law". Therefore, she felt that Novia's behavior at this moment was clearly deliberately making things difficult for someone she respected.

"I'm very sorry," Erice then turned to Paradise Lost Satan beside her, her brows relaxing and her tone softening considerably, "Please ignore him. He just likes to say nonsensical things, all incoherent. I think it's probably because he's not quite right in the head."

Novia, seeing Erice's protective behavior, was not annoyed at all; instead, the smile in her eyes deepened.

"I just found it interesting, by the way..."

His gaze then fell on Paradise Lost Satan, and he suddenly changed the subject, "Goethe, it's a rare encounter, and the atmosphere is so pleasant, Tathagata a small gift to mark the occasion?"

The next moment, even before Paradise Lost Satan's consciousness could fully react, his own body had already acted before his thoughts could.

He stiffly raised his hand, his fingertips tracing an obscure and incomprehensible path in the air, as if an invisible force had torn a tiny crack in the space.

A faint light flashed, and a set of neatly folded clothes appeared out of thin air in the trembling hands.

Erice was also taken aback by this sudden turn of events. She glanced at the clothes that had appeared out of nowhere, then at the smiling but silent Novia, and finally at the deathly pale Paradise Lost Satan. Her wariness and aversion towards Novia deepened even further.

"What are you up to now? What's the meaning of this outfit?"

Novia first nodded in satisfaction at Paradise Lost Satan, or rather, at the outfit, before turning her gaze to Erice, who looked confused and wary.

"Since 'Goethe' is the father of that 'Demon King,' he must be quite aware of his child's preferences. This outfit might just be a gift that Demon King specially prepared for you. Why not try it on?"

This is a lie; it is actually a disguised form of propaganda representing the concept of Gluttony.

Novia's decision to have Erice wear it can be seen as an endorsement of Paradise Lost Satan's ideas, as Gluttony is a perfect fit for Erice.

At the same time, Novia's last words struck Erice's heartstrings perfectly.

Is it related to... the Demon King?

Erice's gaze wavered for a moment, then fell back on the clothes with barely suppressed curiosity.

It was a classic Cyan Sailors uniform with a white Kanto Collar, paired with a plaid pleated skirt in shades of dark blue and emerald green. She wore color-changing stockings and shiny black leather shoes, a style quite different from her usual casual black leather jacket, but... it had a strange allure.

"Is it really related to that guy?"

Erice's voice lowered, carrying a hint of hesitation and a barely perceptible expectation.

She glanced at Satan, whose face was calm but whose eyes were empty, as if he had tacitly agreed. This gesture strangely increased the credibility of Novia's words.

"Certainly."

Upon hearing this, Erice pursed her slightly dry lips, her mind in turmoil for a moment.

Reason told her that something was amiss. But, in the end, her deep-seated emotion, her desire to touch upon and relate to something, overwhelmed her profound aversion to Novia and her many doubts.

She took a deep breath, as if making a firm decision, and suddenly snatched the clothes from the hands of Paradise Lost Satan, hugging them tightly to her chest.

Then, he glared at Novia and said stiffly, "Well, then I'll reluctantly give it a try!"

The next moment, Erice quickly added to Satan, her voice softening slightly with a hint of apology, "Um, could you please keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't talk nonsense or do anything strange? Thank you."

However,

In fact, after Erice left, Paradise Lost Satan's body suddenly turned around, about to disappear from Novia—

"Oh, by the way, I also have a daughter..."

But before he could finish speaking, Paradise Lost Satan vanished.

As for Erice, she clutched the clothes tightly, found a fairly clean Private Restroom, leaned against the cold door, took a few deep breaths, her face showing obvious reluctance, mixed with a little bit of inexplicable tension and anticipation, and began to awkwardly change into the clothes that were very different from her usual style.

A moment later, Erice, with a hint of awkward shyness, slowly walked out and headed towards the original shoreline.

"Okay, okay."

Erice's voice came through, tinged with awkwardness and shyness.

The Cyan Sailors top made her skin appear even whiter, and the white Kanto-style Kanto Collar made her look pure and lovely. Underneath the plaid pleated skirt were a pair of color-changing stockings that gradually transitioned from dark blue to light Cyan, with the tops clinging tightly to her thighs.

"Wow..."

Erice couldn't help but look down at herself, a look of surprise on her face.

I have to admit, this outfit is really beautiful. From the cut and color scheme to the details, it's all exceptionally exquisite and adorable.

It seems that the Demon King does have a bit of an eye for choosing gifts.

"So beautiful," she murmured softly, a blush creeping onto her face. "If only... if only that Demon King could see this too."

Then, she glanced at Novia, who was smiling silently beside her, and her joy immediately diminished. She secretly pursed her lips.

Ugh, so annoying. This smooth-talking, obnoxious jerk saw it first... Wait, where's Goethe? Where did he go? I haven't even asked him if he's seen the Demon King yet... Sigh, whatever, just talking to this guy is unbearable. I'll just ask the City AI about Goethe's Spirit Origin another day.

But speaking of which, if Goethe has silver hair, then the Demon King might also have silver hair? That's just bad luck, he's the same as that guy.

"They walk really fast."

Erice sighed softly, concealing the lingering blush and melancholy on her face, and instead adopted an almost expressionless, indifferent look as she looked at Novia.

"Even though so much has happened, could you please stop following me without reason or suddenly appearing in front of me in the future?"

She stomped her foot lightly, the soles of her brand-new black leather shoes striking the hard pavement with a crisp, pleasant "tap-tap" sound, as if emphasizing something.

"To be honest, I don't really like you. And, as you may have noticed, or perhaps haven't noticed—"

"I already have someone I love, so thank you for your 'kindness,' but please have some self-respect."

"After all, as far as I know, you're of the same generation as my Grandmother, and you were even having what's called a 'Twilight romance' with her, weren't you? I don't mean to comment, but--."

Erice finished speaking the last few words slowly and deliberately, her eyes icy cold.

"To treat Utsumi's granddaughter in such a way is utterly shameful."

Please take care of yourself.

P. S.: Actually, it's the set that Erice just released this year at FES.

574: Chitose: Erice, it's me who resembles you (5k)

Night has fallen.

The quaint Kuonji residence, with its windows visible from the outside, radiates a warm glow.

Wearing new clothes, Erice followed behind Novia, her small nose slightly wrinkled, seemingly still resentful that Novia had 'tricked' her, the father of the Demon King, Satan of Paradise Lost.

However, the moment Erice entered the Hall, she almost immediately sensed the unusual atmosphere.

It's too quiet.

Even though it's not exactly bustling with people, you can still hear the Sloth Angel tapping on the game console.

And at this moment--

Aoko Aozaki Yuzu sat on a single Sofa, sipping Black Tea. Kama suddenly seemed to have grown larger, was sitting with his arms crossed. The silver-haired girl, Melusine always claimed to be the strongest, leaned leisurely against the window, while the Sloth Angel loved playing games was sprawled on the Sofa like a dead fish... Why is there another one now?

Erice looked at the silver-haired girl eating a lollipop, utterly puzzled.

But she still subconsciously thought that it was probably Novia who had provoked her, aside from her preconceived notions, since all four of them had focused their attention on Novia the moment they entered.

Only Alice glanced at it once and then looked away.

Erice felt she had become familiar with this atmosphere without even realizing it, and almost reflexively, she silently mourned for Novia for a moment.

As she expected, the next moment Kama Melusine pounced on Novia, one on each side.

Thump!

A sound, a mixture of a human body hitting something and clothes rubbing together, could be clearly heard in the quiet living room.

In short,

Kama hugged her tightly from the front like an octopus, making a nasal "woo-woo" sound that was hard to understand, while Melusine nimbly approached from the side and hugged her neck tightly with her hands.

At the other end, Lilith crossed her arms and deftly moved the lollipop from her left cheek to her right, puffing out her cheeks in a cute arc.

She was naturally unhappy with the two of them, but she didn't take any action; she merely snorted coldly.

It was probably because Lilith made Alice eye contact with Arisu, who was calmly sipping her tea.

This obvious emotional battlefield made Erice feel dizzy, so much so that she unconsciously took a small step back and subconsciously frowned.

"Just as I expected..."

Erice sighed silently to herself.

She was almost certain that this situation was all thanks to Novia. That guy, if he wanted to be a scumbag, he should have gone somewhere else!

Just as Erice was secretly grumbling to herself, a voice filled with laughter rang in her ear.

"Yay! You're Erice?"

Eri was startled and looked in the direction of the voice, only to see Lilith with a friendly smile on her face. Lilith had appeared beside her at some point.

"Novia mentions you sometimes."

Lilith tilted her head, looking at Erice with great interest, her eyes filled with pure curiosity, the lollipop stick at the corner of her mouth swaying slightly as she spoke.

This sudden closeness caught Erice off guard.