Lucifer's Descendant System

Chapter 401 - Can’t Touch This

"Ahem," she cleared her throat, noticing the change in Noah's demeanor. "Of course, this is just me saying it," she shrugged off her own statement, but the impression was already firmly implanted into Noah.

"I already had my suspicions, but it seems you really are much more than meets the eye. Right, ma'am?" Noah subdued his hand, which was about to start shaking, and slowly reached the glass of wine towards his mouth. As he did, the rich aroma of the wine invaded his nostrils, and he realized the sheer difference in quality.

"You are also very interesting. I can't set aside my impression that there is a hidden force propping you up from behind the scenes," she told him, before mirroring him, and sipping on her wine.

"You could say that. The difference, I feel, is whether we are both from this world, and the nature of those powers, isn't it?" Noah teased, trying to better understand this mysterious woman.

"Brilliant!" she said, softly giggling with grace. "I've come to this planet roughly 20 years ago. I had a mission to accomplish, which I have managed to nearly fulfill with broad strides. Yet, this was the very first time someone saw right through me," she raised her gaze from the cup, staring at Noah intently, biting her lip.

"I'm flattered, but it was just an unfounded impression. I am glad I was not made a fool by it," Noah swirled his wine around, before giving her what she wanted. "My blessing is also a bit more than just the use of flames and the thing that looks like warping, but most is unusable in the current state of affairs," he used this as a bait, before switching.

"Yet, I feel things are more and more connected, and somehow you are always around."

"I like how you do things," she said, smiling broadly, before drinking her entire glass, which a man quickly filled, much to her delight. "Unfortunately, it is not intentional. I just happen to have a lot of information when it comes to the Nine, and also the families around them." She turned, signaling the Maitre, and whispering into his ear.

"About your friend, Carlos, I am very interested in his enterprise. I've heard many things about this Masked Blessed's feats."

"I can surely be a bridge between the two of you," Noah responded, putting down his glass. "But I beg to ask, what is your intention with the Nine Families? Better yet, what do you want on this planet?"

"That's an amusing question," she said, putting her own glass down. "I want power. Money and Power, those are the reason I came to this planet. I need to prove myself." She started passing the tip of her finger around the edge of her glass, making it ring. "It seems I haven't done enough yet."

"You are waiting for external approval?" Noah asked, making her finger stop. "Sorry, I don't want to be too intrusive," he said, backing off a little on his chair.

"Oh, no, you weren't... It's just—" She paused, pondering a little about his question, and drinking a mouthful of the wine before responding, "It's just that it had been a rather long time since anybody has asked me something along those lines..." she said, swirling the wine around once again. "If my results please the Head, I will be given permission to take over the main family.

Meanwhile, I stay here, hoping I am doing things to the best of my power." Her answer was far deeper and depressive than he was expecting, but it also gave Noah a large insight on the state of things.

First and foremost. This woman was the inheritor of something much larger and more powerful than the Nine Families as a whole, and taking over the power structure of Eyrin was just a task to see if she was fit for the job.

The fact that, coming from the outside, she had managed to become the head of the XXXX family in such short time was already proof of her capabilities, though he couldn't say much, since he too had risen up the ladder stupidly fast.

"Now, sorry for hearing all of that, how about you?" she asked, clearly curious about him, as two small plates of thinly sliced meat were served, accompanied by some toasted bread.

"Me, huh..." Noah responded, looking up with the wine glass in hand. "Actually, I think I never even thought about it." Noah's question caught the Head of the XXXX Family off-guard. She never expected such a worry-free answer. "At first, I was just a rookie, trying my best to save my ill sister...

And then, everything just started working out, and clicking into place, and I got more and more things I want to protect. I guess, I so whatever feels right at the time. Though quite a few people have high expectations of me," Noah laid his heart bare, despite being cryptic. He had never had someone who could understand how troubled he felt over having such power.

"I see... I mean, it must be hard, trying to somehow juggle three identities at once. It must be tiresome," she answered honestly, shighing, and grabbed her cuttlery for the first time.

"Right... It's a pain in the—Wait a minute!" Noah called her out, noticing what she said, and saw her stop her hand that was almost putting her first bite into her mouth with eyes wide. "No, please continue, I can wait for you to finish the bite," he said, making her giggle, and continue the bite, as he rested his head on his hand pressing his temples.

"Care to explain more about the three identities thing?" he asked, as she swallowed, taking a sip of wine.

"Ain't it too late already? You already agreed," she said, with a smirk.

"It may be, but I want to hear from you how you came to that conclusion," Noah said, raising his head and sighing.

"Well, there's you, who can use fire, and teleport. There's also a rather prominent Valorwatch player named Lucifer, who happens to have those very same blessings, and also a masked fighter who uses red goblin-like monsters to fight, but also happens to have those two things in common... It doesn't take much thought to connect the three.

The fact you walk around with the rather conspicuous boy and snake who aided the masked blessed doesn't help you hide that either." The more she said, the more Noah wanted to facepalm, but he held the impulse tight, as she finished talking, "But relax, it seems nobody has connected the dots just yet, aside from me."

"I'll take it that you have reserved yourself from such comments as well," Noah said, probing.

"What would I gain in telling others this, if I can forment a better relationship with you now that you know I kept it?" she shot back at him, making Noah smile for the first in the entire conversation, both raising their glasses to a subtle clink.

Inside Noah's head, a turmoil was formed, as he thought about how to deal with all the things he'd just learned, and now, for the first time, a voice he'd almost forgotten was there with him said something for the very first time since he'd sat down.

'Guess you got owned,' Lilith said with a voice full of spite, almost as if taunting him.

'Yeah, but I also got a lot of information from her. It was not all bad at least,' he responded, starting to eat his carpaccio. "This is a very different food, what is it?" Noah asked, enjoying the different texture of it.

"Thinly sliced raw beef, with sauce, cheese and capers. It's delicious, isn't it?" she explained, asking back, as she put some of the thing onto a toast and bit onto it, chewing slowly.

"Delicious indeed, though I'd rather not have known it was raw meat..." Noah murmured, making her take a hand to her mouth to hide her silent laughter.

'If you dislike it, I am open to eating eat,' Lilith told him, making Noah realize she wanted to try it too.

'Sure, I'll give you a bite,' Noah told her silently, and did the same thing he saw the woman do.

Yangshu Sishi watched, astonished as the collar he was wearing started moving as a black snake, coiling down his arm towards his hand as it grew in size, and ate the toast from his hand.

'Holy crap this is delicious!' Lilith cried out into his mind, making Noah feel warm inside.

"Hold up. Do you have multiple snakes with you?" Yangshu asked Noah, surprised at the sudden apparition of the live snake.

"Not really, no. I only have Lilith," he said, making her grow even more surprised.

"This tiny snake is the same as that massive one from the other day? Damn, is this some kind of blessing too?" she asked, rather interested in Lilith, enough so the snake herself was a little wary.

'Don't you dare even think of letting her touch me,' she warned him, though he already knew about this trait of the black snake.

"No, it's her own thing. She can change her body size within some limits, but she's becoming able to get larger lately, after having gotten more battle experience," Noah told the now excited woman, who seemed about to ask something.

"Can I t—" she started speaking, but Noah already knew what she was going to ask, and chose to interject, raising his hand.

"I'm sorry, I know what you are going to ask, and I must say she has quite a temper and hates being touched," he told her, who quickly went back to her serious self, clearing her throat and sipping her wine.

"Is that so..." she muttered, clearly disappointed he had cut her fun.