Read Novel Full Chapter 1425 Consent
Chapter 1425 Consent
The monument began to light up, starting the process.
On it, the challenge manifested.
[Trial Objective: Conquer the Primordial Succubus, Nyxara.] [Success Condition: Elicit the Shriek of Ruin; break the Succubus's resolve through carnal dominance.] Quinlan stared at the monument.
Then he stared again.
Then he leaned closer, squinting as if the words might rearrange themselves out of embarrassment.
"…What the fuck?"
For half a second, his mind tried to supply alternatives. Misread. Glitch. Cosmic mistranslation.
"When did I become dyslexic?"
Next to him, Miri made a small, strangled sound. "N-no, Quinnie," she yelped. "You read that right."
Luminara was on him immediately, arms wrapping tight around his waist. "Absolutely not! I will not allow this trial to occur."
Quinlan barely heard her.
The monument was changing.
Lines of ancient script brightened, light threading through the stone. The square vibrated underfoot. This was activation.
The process was happening.
Then something new pressed gently against his awareness. [Does the Primordial Entity Quinlan Elysiar wish to reject the trial?]
Quinlan stiffened.
That had never happened before.
It appeared he was given the option to decline the trial.
His thoughts flicked back, unbidden, to the earlier exchange.
[It could be the most difficult Rank-Up Trial the Primordial Entity Quinlan Elysiar has ever faced.]
He swallowed.
Difficult did not begin to cover it.
Could he even do this? And not just physically. Could he shoulder what it meant, what it implied, what it would look like to everyone else?
A light tap landed on his back.
Then another.
Quinlan turned.
Kitsara stood there, tail swaying lazily. Ayame beside her, arms relaxed, expression unreadable but calm. Serika rounded out the line, hands folded behind her back, smiling softly.
All three of them were looking at him.
"Do it, Quinnie," Kitsara said brightly.
Ayame nodded once. Serika's smile deepened just a little.
"We believe in you."
Quinlan blinked. "You do understand what the trial is, right?"
Three heads nodded in perfect sync.
"Yes," they said together.
His throat tightened. "And you're okay with it?"
Ayame's lips curved, sharp and teasing. "Oh, come on, Quin. Are you really asking if we consent to you breeding a slutty succubus?"
He winced. "I mean… I'd straight up lose my mind if the roles were reversed."
Kitsara burst out laughing, tail flicking. "Yes, but we're not possessive maniacs like you. Honestly, I can't wait. Hope I get to watch."
Serika shot the foxkin a dry look before adding calmly, "Quin, we don't consider it cheating. You're doing it for our benefit. For everyone's."
Ayame scoffed, crossing her arms beneath her chest. "You already have a harem that's larger than some noble houses. At some point, accepting that our man can't keep it in his pants is simply part of the package, I feel."
Quinlan clenched his jaw at that, feeling guilty.
She saw the change in his thoughts immediately.
Ayame's scoffing expression softened. She stepped closer, uncrossing her arms, and pulled him into a tight hug. The contact was warm and grounding, full of love and adoration. She rose onto her toes and kissed him gently.
"I was messing with you, dummy… How many men in your position would even hesitate? Nyxara is literally created to be the most irresistible woman in Thalorind's history, and you're standing here worried about us and our feelings instead of diving headfirst between her legs."
She rested her forehead against his chest.
"That's why we trust you. And that's why I love you so much, my arrogant primordial…"
Quinlan tightened his arms around her without thinking.
This beyond perfect petite samurai of his fit against him easily, light and solid at the same time. He lowered his head and pressed a kiss into her lush, dark hair, breathing her floral scent in.
"You're far too amazing," he murmured. The words came out rougher than he meant.
"Hehe! But of course!" Ayame grinned, tilting her face up to steal another kiss from him. Then she pulled back just enough to look him in the eye. "Never dare forget that."
He nodded, then lifted his gaze past her.
Just because three of them were fine with it didn't mean the rest would be.
Aurora was already smiling, standing shoulder to shoulder with Lucille. The two exchanged a glance, then Aurora spoke first. "We agree with Serika."
Lucille's lips curved, approving. "It's not cheating. It's just… a different form of combat."
Blossom practically bounced on her heels. "Blossom wants to watch Master subjugate a slutty succubus!" she cheered, her blonde tail flicking behind her with open excitement.
Quinlan winced and then sighed, rubbing his face.
He turned to the elves.
Kaelira's ears were burning red. She clasped her hands together, eyes fixed somewhere around his collarbone instead of his face. "I… I don't think it's cheating either," she said softly.
She hesitated, then swallowed. "A-and maybe… watching might help me gather some courage too…"
That made him pause.
Then he grinned. Kaelira, his beloved tomboy elf, was currently the only girl he hadn't bedded yet. Just like Jasmine was for some time, Kaelira wasn't prepared for taking their relationship to the next level just yet. Quinlan didn't mind; slow-burning romance like this was warming his heart up greatly. And he knew that once they got to that level, it'd only make things feel that much better.
Then he looked at Seraphiel.
The blonde elf smiled brightly, hands behind her back, puffing her mesmerizing cleavage out. "Why not? If we grow complacent as women, that's on us. Watching Nyxara in action might make us more proficient in the war of love. I hope to master at least one new technique I never knew existed!"
"Daughter!" Sylvaris hissed, staring at her daughter like she'd grown a second head, "When did you become such a lewd woman?!"
Seraphiel flushed instantly at being called out like that. "M-mom! I'm just supporting my husband!"
Sylvaris opened her mouth. Closed it. Then turned away, rubbing her temple. After a moment, she looked at Luminara and bowed her head deeply. "I apologize, Mother of Elves. It seems I failed somewhere along the way."
"Mom!! Stop this!" Seraphiel protested.
Quinlan barely held back a laugh.
Finally, he turned to the last person.
Vex.
She hadn't looked at him once. Her arms were crossed tight, her body angled away, jaw set hard enough that he could almost hear her teeth grind.
"I don't like it," she whispered.
Quinlan nodded once, slow and respectful. He didn't argue.
"Okay, then I decline-"
"Wait!"
Vex's voice cracked the moment before Quinlan could finish.
She spun toward him, eyes wide, arms uncrossing as if she'd only just realized what she was doing. In two quick steps, she closed the distance.
"I can't believe you were about to decline it!" she blurted.
"Why not?" Quinlan asked quietly. "I won't go through with it if even one of you truly wants me to stop. This isn't a consensus vote where I'm looking for the decision of the majority. This is me asking if anyone here needs me to say no."
Vex gasped.
Her gaze dropped. Shoulders drew in. When she spoke again, her voice was smaller. "I don't want to be the reason everything gets ruined."
The words landed heavily. Her guilt was mounting and visible.
Quinlan stepped closer. He reached out, gently, and tipped her chin up until she had no choice but to look at him. His thumb rested just beneath her jaw, steady and warm.
"I will never blame you for this. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever."
She searched his face, doubt still clinging to her eyes.
Around them, the others nodded. There was no hesitation or resentment visible in their gazes. Just quiet agreement.
Vex swallowed.
"I'm… scared," she admitted. "I'm just a mortal girl with a big heart full of love, but at the end of the day, that's all I am. I try so hard, Quin, but I know I can't compare to 'the' primordial sex machine. You're going to feel what it's like to be with the best woman in the whole world-"
He cut her off instantly.
"The best woman?" Quinlan repeated, shaking his head. "No."
He leaned in, forehead nearly touching hers.
"The best women are the ones in my heart. You know that. I'm a hopeless romantic, my beloved Hexwitch. What happens with the body is just the cherry on top. Without what's here—" he tapped his chest lightly and then hers, "—it means nothing. No matter how skilled, how overwhelming, how perfect it looks from the outside."
Her breath hitched.
"You could take every sensation in existence," he continued, "and it still wouldn't compare to the way I feel when I'm with you. With all of you."
Vex scoffed weakly, trying and failing to hide the blush climbing her cheeks. "Hmph… you always say things like that, but aren't you just spouting nonsense? How do you know for sure? Have you bedded this bitch before and never told me?!"
Quinlan could only smile. "No… I just believe in my beliefs."
"Hmph!!!" She glanced sideways, then back at him. "You promise? You won't stop loving me. Ever?"
Quinlan smiled and brought both hands up, cradling her face fully now.
"Strength, power, dominion, gods, worlds… I could lose all of it. As long as I have you by my side, I'll never feel lacking. Not even for a second. I will NEVER stop loving any of you. Not until the end of time and thereafter. Is that understood?"
Her eyes glassed over.
"Hubby…!!" she breathed.
Then she jumped and shouted, "I want you to show that slut her rightful place!!"
Her arms wrapped around his neck as her feet left the ground, momentum carrying her into him. Quinlan caught her easily, laughing softly as she pressed a flurry of kisses to his lips and cheeks, desperate and relieved and full of emotion. He returned them just as warmly, holding her close while the world seemed to fade around them.
For a moment, the monument, the trial, and even the looming succubus didn't matter.
Only that she believed him.