Dungeon of Lust: Managing Otherworldly Beauties

Chapter 249: Fleeting Topics

The two stared at Greed’s back as she left, then looked at one another.

"To not only have my arm shattered into bits and a wing torn off, but you to also call me ugly; all after you say Awilix is your favorite?!" Salome sighed. "How pitiful this poor succubus is."

Vale cried out:

"Hey! I never said you were ugly. You’re beautiful. Very beautiful. I doubt many in the world come close to you in that regard."

"Yet you favor her, a woman who conned and cheated you, over me? Do you have some sort of fetish?"

"Hell no! She asked ’physically speaking’!"

"So I’m physically ugly? Is that what you’re saying?"

’Oh my...’

Vale could tell Salome was messing with him on purpose. Or at least he hoped she was.

’To have to deal with this right after waking up... Greed, you truly are a bastard.’

"How did your wing reattach?"

"Don’t try to change the subject!"

Vale could tell Salome was forcing herself to pout, desperately holding back a smile.

Vale pressed his face into his palm as he sat up and rested his back against the headboard.

He looked over and said plainly:

"You’re ugly."

Salome recoiled, a slight look of surprise crossing her face, until Vale lifted the bright red [Shard of Truth].

"Now can we move on, beautiful Salome?"

"Fine, fine..." Salome looked away, a slight red tint on the tips of her ears — an unexpected moment of bashfulness. "The moment you became Emergent, I did too. But the process is usually pleasant, not the excruciating torment you faced."

Salome chuckled.

"Runcal was able to heal me up, and from there I reattached my wing."

Vale’s eyes widened.

"Does that mean?!"

"Yes. Ice Witch and Reaper have ascended. Awilix still has yet to follow suit, but it should only be a few days until she can."

’This is amazing for us!’

Using how much stronger he felt as a base, ‌the Lust Dungeon had now grown in power multiple times over, especially when considering his Legion was empowered the stronger he got.

’Though I feel a bit bad for Awilix...’

She was now the weakest by a wide margin.

"What about Traits?"

Salome smiled.

"I wasn’t expecting to receive anything new, as I already had the Trait I unlocked when becoming Emergent on Kaldora, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that I did. Not only that, Mias and presumably the Ice Witch as well."

Salome looked toward the exit.

Vale’s eyes followed as he thought back to the other messages he received.

"Floor two. We have a second floor now, right?"

Salome looked back at Vale, and Vale at her.

"Yes, we do. Where the Dungeon Core once was, there is now a pillar with an orb upon it. Touching that orb will teleport you to a new space, though it’s best you see it for yourself to understand. It’s quite a peculiar area."

’New space?’

What an interesting way to word that. But...

’That gives me some relief.’

The Dungeon Core was even more hidden now.

Vale would have to inspect the mechanics behind the teleportation device, but he was gifted some solace knowing it was completely cut away.

Also...

’Mias...’

Vale, with everything that had happened, had forgotten.

"You said Mias was Emergent. Does that mean he’s awake?"

"Yes. He woke up at the same moment I did. The ascension seemed to have saved him."

"What about him? Does he know what happened? Has he regained his other half? What of Kindness?"

"Woah, woah, Vale. Slow down. One at a time..." Salome smiled as she picked herself up and slid into bed alongside him. "Mias still doesn’t know what happened, nor has he regained the connection."

"I see..."

Anyway...

’Whatever that device is, Mias can study it. Who knows, it may unlock the secret of transmigration.’

Salome snuggled beneath the blankets, tucking her wing around Vale and drawing him near as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Salome let out a long exhale, then said:

"Vale, I’m proud of you."

’Proud of me?’

That was a little random...

Usually, it was Vale who flippantly drifted from one topic to an entirely opposite one! That was his thing!

"Where’d that come from?"

"Maybe less proud, more in awe. As prideful as I am, I don’t think I could make the decisions you have. You have no obligation to put yourself in danger for any of us, yet you do."

’No obligation?’

Vale felt that was his only obligation.

Vale pushed his cheek into Salome’s head, her horns curling around his face.

"All of my decisions have been extremely selfish. I don’t want to lose anyone, so I keep going about it the hard way."

Salome put her hand on Vale’s arm.

"See? I knew I wasn’t wrong when I told you that you had the mindset of a true king, considering your followers part of yourself."

Vale exhaled through his nose.

"What even brought this about?"

In a peculiar, somber voice, Salome answered:

"Sentimentality? Nostalgia? Who knows?"

As for what Salome was referring to...

It was the fact that he’d put himself on the battlefield at all, followed by putting himself in harm’s way to save Salome. After all, it would take time, but Lor would have bled out eventually, just like Salome. Coupled with that was the look of despair when Ximena almost died.

Salome, not knowing what had happened, probably concluded that if she were alive, then Vale had done something drastic.

But besides that, a weird question surfaced in Vale’s mind.

’I wonder what she thinks of me?’

Not as a leader, or Lust, but Valentin.

That was a question Vale wasn’t willing to ask. Even if it were praise, he didn’t want to hear it. He feared that level of connection.

A long silence settled between the two, one Vale eventually broke.

"Akkuron, once they notice Greed’s departure, will come to us. We should prepare."

Salome pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Ah, geez Vale. You really do know how to ruin a moment. Are you sure you’re socially inclined?"

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Forget about it."

Salome slid out from under the covers and stretched, then cast a glance over her shoulder.

"Well, first things first. I’ll leave you alone so you can figure out your Traits. If you need me, I’ll be in the training room with Toy."

Salome held up her hand and waved as she walked away.

Vale slid forward, then fell back into bed.

’That’s the second time someone’s said that to me...’

Vale was starting to feel like it wasn’t a coincidence, but neither did he know what they meant.