Persuasion?

July 23, 1346, morning

After finishing her morning exercise, Vivian, her face flushed and glowing, pressed close to Altair. She glanced at the bound Freya and asked in confusion, "So you were persuaded so easily by your own servant to let her become a Beyonder?"

At Vivian's question, Altair nodded helplessly and said, "Let her go."

Hearing this, Vivian didn't release Freya right away. Instead, she chided Altair, "She's nothing but trouble now. The Demoness Sect is very 'hostile' toward 'special' Demonesses like her. To avoid trouble, we should kill her as soon as possible."

As soon as Vivian finished speaking, she reached out and manipulated her Spirituality, gradually tightening the "Spider Silk." Bound up in it, Freya began to cough and looked to Altair for help.

While Vivian admired Freya's pained, despairing expression as the Spider Silk strangled her, she sensed the displeasure of the person beside her. With a helpless sigh, she could only let Freya go.

As Vivian released her control of the Spider Silk, Freya dropped to the floor like a heap of sludge, landing with a loud thud.

Having escaped death, Freya began gasping for breath, all traces of her usual ladylike composure gone.

Helpless, Vivian could only turn to Altair and say sternly, "Try not to let her advance again. I'm afraid she'll bring you trouble."

Altair could only nod to show that she understood.

Vivian then began to "explain" why the Demoness Sect disliked female Demonesses.

Essentially, she said that the Demoness Sect's leaders were all "male" Demonesses who were jealous of "female" Demonesses, and that their doctrine also leaned toward the Primordial. So they all believed that "female" Demonesses shouldn't exist.

After that morning's interruption, Vivian took Altair to the Shopping Street in the West District after breakfast to shop. It was lined not only with Clothing Stores beloved by ladies, but also plenty of jewelry shops, cosmetics shops, and more.

They used the funds George III had given them for their shopping. Altair had never spent the money she'd extorted from him, and with the addition of recently falsified expense claims, she'd amassed nearly 3,000 pounds.

That was a huge sum for an ordinary or middle-class family, but it was very little for Altair, who had to attend banquets regularly.

Every time she attended one, she needed a new gown befitting her status. Even the most ordinary gowns cost between 80 and 150 pounds, and those adorned with gems cost over 300.

Maintaining a noble status meant that every noble spent money constantly, day after day.

Time always flew by while shopping. At noon, Altair found a nearby restaurant serving Intis Cuisine, and they went in for lunch.

Once inside, a waiter led Altair and the others into a lavishly decorated hall. Its ornaments exuded wealth, and famous paintings and lifelike sculptures added even more splendor to the place.

Altair chose a corner table, and she and Vivian sat down to browse the menu the waiter had brought them.

As for Vera and the others, they left on their own after Altair and Vivian had taken their seats and went to find places to eat separately.

Vivian was from Intis, so she was the one who could pick the local specialties. Looking at the menu, she said, "Beef Bourguignon, Beetroot Soup, Cream Fried Cod, Aurmir Wine, Cream Soufflé..."

"Would you like anything else?" the waiter asked with a smile.

Vivian replied at once, "No, that's all."

After hearing Vivian's order, the waiter finished writing it down and said, "You're the most knowledgeable person I've met about pairing Intis dishes since I started working in Loen."

Once the waiter had left, Altair still couldn't help asking, "How did you realize Freya had become a Beyonder of the Assassin pathway?"

Seeing Altair's eager curiosity, Vivian rolled her eyes and answered calmly:

"It's simple. It's because of Beyonder Characteristics."

"High Sequences have an instinctive resonance with Low Sequences. She was also unlucky: she'd only just advanced to Sequence Nine and hadn't stabilized yet when I discovered her. I happen to be two Sequences above her, so it was easy for me to notice."

"Looking at you now, I can't determine your Sequence. She was just unlucky."

After listening to Vivian's explanation, Altair awkwardly steered the conversation elsewhere and started chatting.

When the waiter brought their lunch, Altair and Vivian began sampling the specialties to the accompaniment of music.

Beef Bourguignon: a classic dish from Intis, with tender, flavorful beef simmered in red wine.

Aurmir Wine: an ancient wine said to have been favored by the Giant King. Named after its place of origin, it has a complex aroma.

Of course, because Vivian was so striking, the lunch didn't go very smoothly. People often couldn't resist approaching them and interrupting.

After they left the restaurant and got into the carriage home, Vivian smiled at Altair and asked, "What, are you jealous?"

Altair didn't take the teasing badly. Instead, she held Vivian by the waist and said, "Not at all. I'm actually quite happy. After all, I can have your goddess whenever I want now."

Vivian leaned close to Altair's ear and whispered, "Is that so? I'll look forward to you getting back at them."

Her words made Altair's face flush red. She shot the Demoness before her a fierce look.

Then she asked casually, "Has the Demoness Sect assigned you any tasks lately? You haven't been coming 'home' much these past few days."

Vivian thought for a moment before answering, "Lately, I've been preparing to raise expendable pawns. The Demoness Sect's core is in the Republic of Intis, so there are few members here in Loen. They're short on manpower now, so they can only start cultivating expendable pawns."

"I might need your help later."

As she spoke, Vivian stretched out a foot clad in long black stockings and slid it past Altair's ankle and beneath her skirt.

When Altair felt Vivian's teasing touch, her expression turned strange, and her face gradually reddened.

Vivian wasn't satisfied with the situation as it stood. In a seductive voice, she asked, "Would you? I'll let you do whatever you want with me then."

Feeling the heat building in her body, Altair had no choice but to agree to give her some basic help.

After getting the answer she wanted, Vivian moved closer to Altair and said, "Remember to eat plenty later. I don't want to leave the bedroom for the next couple of days."

When the carriage arrived home, Vivian went straight to her room, with Altair close behind. The others, left to tidy up, exchanged baffled looks.

Altair had barely opened the door when Vivian reached out and pulled her inside.

By sunset, Vivian was drenched in sweat.

Her swanlike neck arched as she cried out.

Drained of strength, she collapsed into Altair's arms.

"I'm already infatuated with you. I think about you every moment now. It seems I really can't live without you."

Struggling to endure the sensations in her body, Vivian held Altair's head and pressed it against her chest as she said,

"Now I finally understand what 'the greatest pleasure is followed by the greatest emptiness' means..."

After the two of them had recovered, they became entangled once more.

Perhaps it was because they were growing more and more familiar with each other's bodies.

Every time they met, they kept discovering new ways to be together.