Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

Chapter 1463  Granny Thistle

Author: Looking back, I went a bit overboard with Quinlan's tattoos in chapter 1444. Some readers came away with the conclusion that he was now tatted from head to toe like a yakuza, which was not my intention. The chapter was a bit changed, so the demonic markings cover predominantly his chest, back, and shoulders. Also, Nyxara's lines, when spoken in his head, will be marked between <> instead of "" from here on out for clarity's sake. Please alert me if I forget... Maybe I did an oopsie already in today's chapters...

Lastly, Nyxara has been added to the list of characters. Vote for the slutty succubus with your points, if you will. And for Blossom too, best girl has been dethroned…

…

Quinlan stared at her.

Aurora's platinum hair was a disaster. Her apron looked like she'd lost a fight with a paint shop, and her glasses sat crooked on her nose, fogged at one edge from whatever she'd been boiling moments ago. None of that mattered to her. She was vibrating with the kind of energy that only hit Aurora when she'd cracked something truly significant.

"My seed…" Quinlan repeated flatly. "Will change the world?"

"Yes! Well, possibly! Depends on you!" Aurora grabbed his arm tighter, already pulling. "Come! You need to see this!"

Kaelira, still standing beside him, slowly turned her head to look at Aurora, then back at Quinlan, then at Aurora again.

"I'm going to wait out here, I think…" she said.

"Nope. Let's do this together," Quinlan smiled and grabbed onto the elf's hand.

Aurora had already locked onto his other and was dragging him forward with a strength that had no business belonging to a woman who spent most of her time behind a cauldron. "Before you say anything," Aurora started, not slowing down, "I had Ayame collect a sample from you during your week with Hanae and Black Fang."

Quinlan's stride faltered.

"Excuse me?"

"A sample! Of your seed! Your physique evolved. Your body changed. Your cells restructured from the ground up. Did you really think I wouldn't want to test the most biologically active substance you produce? Your sperm is even more unique than your blood! After all, it's the [Blessed Seed]!"

"… Damn. I'm a bit concerned with the part where you had Ayame collect it without telling me. How did you even do this? I had no clue…" Quinlan didn't know how to feel about this all.

Aurora waved her free hand dismissively. "Miss Cheeky Samurai was very professional about it. She said she just sucked you off in the hot spring and put your essence in a vial when you were busy staring at Black Fang's breasts."

Quinlan was no longer undecided about how he felt. "... I'll spank that unruly woman. What a betrayal. I can't believe this."

A familiar, velvety laugh rippled through the back of his mind.

<Oh, that's rich.>

Quinlan's jaw tightened. <You knew, didn't you?>

A pause came. Then Nyxara's voice curled through him like smoke, dripping with theatrical innocence. <Knew what? I have absolutely no idea what you mean, my beloved Ruin...>

<Nyxara.>

<What? I'm a demon bound to your soul, not your bathroom attendant. What happens in hot springs is none of my->

<You see everything I see.>

<…I may have been napping. Or busy painting Mimi's nails.>

Quinlan exhaled through his nose. <Right. Wasn't your oath to me supposed to be about loyalty? Trust? All that sacred stuff?>

Nyxara scoffed, and he could practically see her lounging on some imaginary chaise, inspecting her long nails. <Having a bit of innocent fun at your expense doesn't constitute betrayal in my vocabulary, my adorably pouting master. If anything, Ayame showed remarkable initiative. You should be proud.>

<Proud.>

<And flattered! The woman literally put your seed in her mouth, kept it there, and then put it in a vial like it was liquid gold. Most men would kill for that level of appreciation. Isn't your masculinity going through the roof or something?>

<I'm going to remember this.>

<Oh, I'm counting on it. Please choke me even harder next time. Punish me… I deserve it… I was a very bad girl…❤️> Her presence retreated with sultry giggles.

Aurora led them through a narrow corridor lined with shelves that groaned under the weight of jars, flasks, and things Quinlan chose not to identify. The air shifted from the herbal warmth of the outer area to a cooler, sharper one. The scent of reagents and something faintly metallic filled his nostrils. 'If Blossom were here, she'd cutely hold onto me and claim she's about to faint despite being able to take it easily…' Quinlan chuckled inwardly.

Aurora rounded a corner and threw open a heavy oak door with a dramatic flourish that sent a stack of parchment fluttering off a nearby table.

The room beyond was a smaller, more intimate space. Part laboratory, part kitchen. A tiny gnome woman with silver hair bundled atop her head in a precarious bun was already setting out a tray of cookies and a steaming teapot. She gave Quinlan a warm, crinkled smile and patted his arm as he sat down, as if he were a grandson who'd come home late for supper.

"Eat, eat. You're too thin for a boy who has to deal with Nyxara's nonsense. I also heard you have many lovers…"

"Granny Thistle, they don't need cookies, they need to see the-"

Aurora was cut off. "They need cookies first." The old gnome's tone left zero room for negotiation. She poured three cups of tea with steady, unhurried hands. The amber liquid released a fragrant curl of steam that smelled of chamomile, honey, and something subtly floral Quinlan couldn't place.

Kaelira accepted her cup with both hands, her long ears giving a small, contented twitch as she breathed it in. She took a sip, and her eyes widened.

"This is wonderful!" the elf whispered quietly with genuine surprise in her voice. "There's moonpetal in this. And… silvervine?"

Granny Thistle beamed up at her. "Good nose, dear. Most people can't pick out the silvervine under the chamomile."

"My mother used to brew something similar... She never got the balance quite this right, though." Kaelira took another sip, and some of the tension Quinlan hadn't even realized she'd been carrying seemed to ease out of her shoulders.

Quinlan bit into a cookie and stopped mid-chew. It was buttery, warm, with a hint of cinnamon and something almost nutty that melted across his tongue.

"These are incredible," he said, reaching for a second before he'd finished swallowing the first. "You could make a fortune just from selling these."

Granny Thistle chuckled. "That's exactly what I did, though…? Someone has to finance my aloof partner's numerous experiments. Many of them tend to go up in flames…"

"Oh…"