Chapter 71: I'll go personally... and have some fried chicken.
Location: Castle of Queen Baal.
"What did you say?" Raphaeline questioned the man before her, his icy demeanor sending chills down her spine. Every hair on his muscular body trembled with fear in the presence of the woman before him.
After all, she was still Queen Demon Raphaeline Baal...
"T-the report... The Three Vice-Generals are dead... the blood trackers from the Clan have been completely erased." The young demon stammered, fearing what might happen to him next.
"That's impossible." Raphaeline continued to deny it, but the man presented a printed photo from the scene, somewhat archaic yet sufficient.
Raphaeline's eyes widened in surprise, and one of her eyebrows arched...
"She doesn't have the strength for this, even stealing one of my favorite swords... No, she can't have that much power." Raphaeline mused, contemplating whether Ada could have really dealt with three.
"Granted she was with Katharina Agares and Roxanne Sitri, but... No, even so, it would be impossible..." Raphaeline continued to deny, but...
A long-haired servant with purple braids appeared at her side. "Miss, I have an urgent update." She said, bowing in reference, like a robot programmed to follow orders.
Her posture was so graceful that the young demon couldn't help but envy the beauty and dedication she showed in her work.
"Sapphire Agares was seen with Lady Ada, as well as the disappeared man she married... And comparing the photos... it seems the Queen Agares gave a little help with that man."
Raphaeline tightened her grip on the photo in her hands, her expression hardening.
The room, already cold, seemed to freeze completely under her rising anger and confusion. Her eyes sparkled with an intensity that instinctively made the young demon in front of her recoil.
The news was disturbing, but Sapphire Agares's presence made everything even more enigmatic.
'That woman... when was the last time I saw her with a man?' Raphaeline murmured as her memory searched, but nothing came to mind.
'She's too powerful... I can't send anyone while Ada is near her... I'll have to go personally.'
"The boy... he's changed..." Raphaeline confirmed the servant's words, reflecting on the weight of the information.
"His physical body and soul essence have changed significantly; I checked personally." The servant maintained her posture and politeness, not trembling in the presence of the Demon Queen.
"I see... So she already knows of his presence." Raphaeline stated, and the servant couldn't help but smirk. "How long did it take?"
"0.2 seconds." The servant sighed bitterly, looking at the Queen. "I'm sorry, I tried not to appear before her, but..."
"It's alright, Ei. There isn't a demon who can do this; even the Archons couldn't. She's an aberration."
The name Agares always carried a certain level of threat, and the presence of that family only complicated matters further.
"Ah... I'll have to go there personally..." Raphaeline murmured...
She slowly rose from her throne, her silhouette exuding a suffocating aura of power as she walked toward the window. The infernal world before her was ablaze, reflecting the turmoil of thoughts racing through her mind.
"Then, Sapphire is involved in this... I wonder what made her want to get involved... Was it the boy?" She spoke aloud, not exactly expecting an answer, but the servant, disciplined as ever, hurried to confirm.
"Yes, my lady. I can confirm that he was present in the battle that resulted in the deaths of the three Vice-Generals." The servant kept her head bowed, her posture impeccable even under Raphaeline's suffocating pressure.
Raphaeline sighed, slowly turning to the trembling demon and the servant beside her. "If Sapphire was there... then it's possible they manipulated the situation. But the power of this man still needs to be explained. What kind of force does he possess to defeat my vice-generals?"
She paused, reflecting for a moment, her sharp gaze piercing the empty air. "Oh shit... it's pointless to send spies. I want to know what this man is capable of... Yes, I'll have to personally meet Sapphire; this may be the harbinger of a rebellion greater than we anticipated." She declared.
The servant bowed deeply. "As you wish, Lady Baal."
Raphaeline took one last look at the photo in her hands. The image captured a fraction of a second, but within it, the presence of that man seemed to dominate everything around, as if even the demon world had to bow before him.
"Vergil..." She murmured, the name finally forming on her lips. "Let's see what you really are."
"Prepare my bath, and my clothes... nothing too... no, give me something very provocative." She said, smiling mischievously as she gazed out at the Realm of the windows of her castle.
"Yes, my lady." Ei bowed and vanished into the shadows, leaving only the woman in her vastness contemplating what she was about to do...
...
Location: Human World.
"*Atichn!*" Vergil sneezed loudly, causing part of the table to shake. All the women turned to him while they... were eating fried chicken...
"Hey! Be careful! You're going to contaminate the food!" Roxanne yelled at him, giving his arm a light punch.
She was still a bit on edge after the explanation...
Laughing, Vergil rubbed his nose. "Sorry, I think someone is talking about me."
Katharina smirked. "Or maybe you're about to find trouble... big trouble."
Vivianne, sitting next to him, raised her hand, pointing a chicken thigh at Vergil. "We should go home, you know? That crazy bitch is probably coming after you guys personally."
"Let her come; I've got things to settle with her anyway," Vergil shrugged, his typical carefree tone in play, while Sapphire, sulking like a little girl, refused to eat the food in front of her.
"Come on, Saph, eat a little." Vergil said gently, making the extremely imposing and intimidating woman turn her face away, embarrassed. "I don't want to."
"Come on, just a little," Vergil insisted, offering a gentle smile that warmed her chest.
"I don't want to," she repeated, now with a stubborn edge to her voice, but Vergil's gaze made her hesitate.
"Why not?" he pressed, keeping his tone light. "The chicken is delicious!"
"I'm not hungry." Sapphire crossed her arms, but Vergil knew that expression a little too well.
"Oh, so the strongest female demon in the world can't eat a piece of chicken? Well, not everyone is strong enough, I guess." Vergil teased playfully...
Sapphire glared at him, her eyes flashing with a mix of challenge and disbelief. "Do you think you can provoke me into eating chicken, Vergil?" She straightened up, her imposing posture dominating the table, and the temperature around them seemed to rise.
"Hmm? I didn't say anything; I just said you can't." He shrugged.
Sapphire frowned, clearly irritated by the provocation. "Ah, so that's what you want, huh? You want me to fall into this trap of words?"
"It's not a trap, just an observation," Vergil replied, with a challenging smile. "You're strong, but a piece of chicken is defeating you."
Sapphire raised an eyebrow, her penetrating gaze deepening into Vergil's words. "Do you think this will make me feel defeated? A piece of chicken holds no power over me."
"Ah, but it's your own resistance that's at stake," Vergil shot back, maintaining his mischievous grin. "You, the strongest female demon in the world, unable to eat a piece of chicken. Wouldn't that be a great defeat?"
*He's going to die...* Katharina thought, watching how Vergil was handling her mother...
*Yes, he's going to die...* Ada thought in harmony with Katharina.
*For sure, he's going to die,* Roxanne murmured.
While Vivianne... well, she continued eating chicken carefreely, while Sapphire...
"You... are annoying me." Sapphire said, glaring at him with her almost glowing emerald eyes, ready to attack.
"So what are you going to do?" Vergil asked, his challenging eyes locked onto hers. "Are you going to attack me because you can't eat a piece of chicken?"
"Maybe I will, just to see how much fun you can have with food." She crossed her arms, but the tension was slowly easing.
Vergil smiled, realizing the provocation was working. "You know, deep down, you want a piece. You can try to ignore it, but the truth is that a snack like this is irresistible. And when you finally give in, the victory will be yours, not mine."
"That's not a competition," she shot back, but her tone was shifting, and the firmness in her voice wavered.
"Well, it isn't... but I bet I can eat more chicken than you," he joked while continuing to eat...
Sapphire raised an eyebrow, her gaze deepening at the implicit challenge. "Are you really willing to enter a competition over something as trivial as eating chicken?"
"Why not? You may be the strongest, but I'm the fastest." Vergil replied, winking at her. "And besides, chicken is the true test of strength. True power reveals itself in the ability to enjoy life's simple pleasures."
"You're insufferable," Sapphire said, but her face lit up with an involuntary smile, the tension between them slowly dissolving.
"Maybe... but that just makes the competition even more fun." Vergil was enjoying himself, and it seemed contagious.
"Alright then. Let's see who can eat more. But just to be clear, if I win, you have to admit that chicken is irresistible," Sapphire declared, her tone lighter.
"Are they... competing over that?" Roxanne murmured...
"She... ah... I give up on my mother..." Katharina said, and Ada nodded, "He's seducing her... with chicken..."
"Well, better this than the two of them arguing over who has the stronger attack... I don't want to imagine a web of cuts vs. a Meteor of Fire..." Vivianne said, and for a moment...
The four imagined themselves as chibi versions, envisioning Vergil shouting "Spider Web!" and Sapphire shouting "HOLD THE METEOR!!"