The Lost Lord Ch. 27

"No, no, no, nothing like that... I think. All I'm really going to do is tell her there's no more need to fulfill her wish to protect you."

"Geez, for such a violent mother from what I read of history, she sure gives a flip about her daughter on the side. Of the kids she had that's recorded in history, didn't she abuse or use them or something?"

"Oh, them? Nah, they weren't her kids. As far as I know, you're her only daughter."

"I see." Lauren looked down, as if deep in thought before breaking up again. "With your accomplishments in the war, you probably could have gotten a new title, like that Reginald guy."

"I'm not really interested."

"Well aren't you cool."

"Damn right! Still, it'd be weird enough having two non Land of Lust denizens as influential folks around here. It's strange enough to see a Pride demon like him being ranked up in this circle instead of the Plains of Pride. I wonder how that'll go over there..."

"Well, in case I don't get a good chance to speak with you after the coronation... Good luck on finding mother."

"Yea, thanks. I'm sure as heck going to need it."

-

On a grave where a good friend of Asmodea was buried, the red succubus knelt down and forced herself to hold back tears. "Tozomat... I was not able to do it in the end. You wanted the man responsible for that cruel death of your mother given justice. Yet he died by his rival's hands."

Asmodea pulled out a blue pendant that Rainer had given her. When she saw it, she instantly remembered the pendant Tozomat always wore. She remembered that Tozomat had given Rainer the pendant so that he may also exact justice on the man with the scar in the shape of a star, Xizaen.

Tozomat's grave was in the shape of a crescent moon (though the Land of Lust actually has two moons). The grave itself was carved out of a special stone that was taken from the tenth terrace, which had several influential sculptors. She didn't know whether Tozomat would have like his grave to be made out of stone from Arazra's district, but in the end, dead men have no eyes or ears.

She placed the pendant around the crescent moon, letting it slide to the bottom of the grave with its golden colored chain rope.

"Whether you thought death was an appropriate punishment for Xizaen in the end, I won't ever know now. However, Rainer managed to capture him before his death, so that before the war was over, he could dispense justice like you wished." Asmodea placed a hand above her breast and heart. She spoke through closed eyes in order to cease the tears, "I am truly sorry you couldn't live through this."

Over her shoulder, Asmodea heard a voice she vaguely remembered. "Hello, may I know your name?"

Turning around, Asmodea saw a tall blue woman. She was definitely not a demon,

Asmodea could tell that much from simple observation. On a closer look, Asmodea could see hints of a certain humanoid species that resides in the Empire of Envy, the Jotuns.

Asmodea replied politely to the newcomer, "Of course, please call me Asmodea, I have been friends with Tozomat since childhood. Are you also here because of... Tozomat?"

"Yes, please call me Janr. I had heard he had died, and I wanted to pay my respect."

Asmodea finally remembered- Janr was the Jotun woman who Tozomat had fought in the decade's tournament.

"Janr, you are the one who fought Tozomat in-..."

"Yes, in the decade's tournament. He fought a grand battle, that day was forever etched in my memory." Janr bowed and asked respectfully, "Is it alright for me to know how he died?"

Asmodea saw no reason not to tell her, so she answered honestly while forcing her voice not to convulse or crack. "I do not know the exact details myself... However, I learned from my Lord that Tozomat fought in a three-way battle between himself and Caetorum, two of the Parish, and two pillars from Sloth. Tozomat fought and defeated Veronica of the Parish, though he was defeated by Yaotl, Ignorance of Sloth who apparently used a [Rush] spell."

Janr's eyes narrowed. "I see. I have heard of the skill and prowess of the Parish, it is no small feat to defeat any one of them. And fighting a pillar right after is even more exceptional... That pillar could only defeat him through use of a [Rush] spell, how cowardly."

"I learned that my Lord defeated Yaotl right after in revenge." Asmodea added.

"It would have been nice to take revenge myself... But I believe it is better this way. Please convey my utmost gratitude and thanks to the Lord of Lust. I am glad Tozomat at least got to serve such an honorable and strong demon like him before his end."

And with that, Janr knelt down next to Asmodea and closed her eyes. The two sat together, in front of Tozomat's grave.

They could almost feel the shadows around them reaching up behind them and giving a silent pat on the shoulder from the taciturn Romance of Lust, Tozomat. His name would most certainly go down in legend among the Pillar of Lust.

-

"Oh? You're not only a Daughter of Pride and a rare white demon... But you're also the fiancée of the Lord of Lust? Neato!"

Nerissa found herself practicing a new style of swordplay inside Old Age. In order to pass the time, she vowed to practice until even her clothes would perfectly adhere to her movements, no matter how loose or baggy. Currently, Nerissa was being trained by a soul residing in the sword called Croft.

"Yup, my fiancée, Rainer, is the absolute best!" Nerissa replied enthusiastically.

"Not that I am disrespecting the Lord in any way..." Croft tried to put in as he clashed with the young white demoness.

"Then don't!"

"Uh, ok. Well, but isn't it kind of boring to be given a marriage like that since before birth? You don't really get to discover love, it's basically forced on you."

"Not at all! I thought like that at first... But mother would never, I think, put me in a situation like this that I would hate. And it turned out to be true, I really, really, rweally love him!"

"Haha, you messed up on that word. And it's my win again!" Croft forced Nerissa's sword to the side with a powerful slash and continued the momentum of the slash by resting the blade on the demoness' neck.

"Make sure to take us with you when the whole marriage thing actually happens. Marias loves a good wedding love story!" Croft joked as pulled back.

Another soul, whom Nerissa presumed to be Marias said, "I do not!"

"Out of curiosity, do all of the souls in this sword know and get along with each other?"

Croft tilted his head and thought about the question for a second before replying. "Well, until a better swordsman comes in and replaces one of us, we're basically stuck with each other for eternity. So yea, we try to get along. There are a couple rivalries here and there, especially with Peter and Mol. Heck, maybe someday you'll join us here. Well, let's hope you live a long life with that Rainer fellow!"

"Thank you."

-

"You are to be given a full pardon, eh, Desire Zazie?"

"...Yes."

"We haven't spoken in quite a long time. And here you are, telling me you will be joining the new Lord of Lust as a what?"

"...Do I have to say it?"

"Of course! It's fun to see a tall girl like you squirm all cutely like that."

"...Um, I will be Rainer's new concubine... Or wife, I hope."

The one teasing Zazie was one of the succubus' few friends in the Land of Lust, Katiyana of the Yuki-Onna humanoid species that was taken in to the circle. While the two rarely ever visited each other, Katiyana was actually one of the only people, Rainer now included, who knew about Zazie's abilities. The two trusted each other that much, and neither could figure out why.

"Ohohoho! You hope, huh? I knew you were searching for the man of your desires this long time, Zazie... But for it to turn out to be the new Lord of Lust, you certainly have high standards! Trying to rise up in the ranks, eh girl?"

Katiyana's somewhat crude speech relaxed Zazie to speak much more comfortably. "...That's not very appropriate of you to say, Kati. Didn't you and Iris cat-fight over the previous lord quite a bit?"

Katiyana raised a dark eyebrow over her pale skin, "Touché. That's the Zazie I remember. Still, it is impressive that the new Asmodeus managed to change you this much. I wasn't sure what to think of him at first when I saw him during the meeting, but I change my opinion of him quite drastically. There is no doubt I will be serving him faithfully. Maybe I'll even get interested in him too, hmm?"

Zazie stared coldly at her friend, "...[Justice]." She pulled out one of her more powerful cards and channeled the power from it.

"Hey, whoa there, girl! I was just kidding, honestly."

-

The leader of the fallen angels sat before Aureal and asked quietly, "I would implore you to reconsider... But I can obviously see there is no point when facing your loyalty and determination to the new Lord of Lust."

"I thank you for the offer. I am most grateful that you told me about my kind."

"Yes. Because of the valuable nature of fallen angels in general, many demons go to great lengths to acquire one of us. Many do associate with demons still, like you, out of their own free will of course. Sadly, some fallen angels fall too greatly and become even worse than some of the worst demons out there."

Aureal shifted uncomfortably, "I was alone for a great majority of my life because of a strange power given to me by our creator. I was alone and despised by many angels for many decades. Very few even talked to me, and those that did, generally did so out of requirement for my missions. I thought my power to wield both dark and light useless and a burden. I thought I should just die because of my useless nature. What use is there for an angel who betrays her very nature by even being able to cast dark magic? I never once considered falling from grace as that would convince myself about my useless nature." Aureal's voice was sorrowful until now. It took on a strange light that seemed directly from the heart. "Then by pure luck, I was given a mission to watch over and eventually kill Master- No, Rainer. Before given the order to kill, I accidentally spoke with him, and I felt strange, being able to speak normally. Even after divulging my nature as a demon's natural enemy, he didn't seem to care. He wanted to befriend me not out of a desire to save his life, but because he truly didn't see why he shouldn't. He never saw the boundary between himself and I. At that point, I questioned my life within Heaven for the first time. He didn't even want to turn me from Virtue at all... Not that Rainer knew how at first. Still, I knew then at least. I knew that there was a life away from that prison in my heart, which he unlocked with the key known as Sin. I am honestly happy for the first time as a whole in my life... Thanks to him, the man I love."

Azazel listened patiently, soaking in every word. "That's quite the story. I won't say I'm not disappointed, because your power is truly legendary. You would be a great boon to our community. And knowing your history in the previous war between demons and angels, I would give you a top ranked position among our small military. But it's obvious what path you wish to take."

"Thank you, Azazel." Aureal dipped her head in respect, stopping when she thought of a question. "Are you going to attend the coronation?"

"Probably not. I don't really show political favor to any circle. I only came to that meeting from before because I hoped for a chance to speak with you." Azazel placed a hand on his brow and bowed even deeper than Aureal, "I hope we can meet again. Make sure to train that power of yours to protect the Asmodeus from harm with light or dark."

"Of course."

As Azazel turned around and about to take flight, he raised a finger in the air as if remembering something. "One more thing! Since you're obviously so head over heels for the guy, get a little aggressive with him. Try to steal him away from the Daughter of Pride and marry him first or something! Muahahaha!"

Aureal smiled and watched Azazel and his cadre of fallen angels fly away to the realm transfer stones.

-

The official coronation was not a grand spectacle like most demons thought it would be.

The circles, depending on their Sin, had ceremonies of this and other natures be quite varied.

Some were extravagant, some were simple, some were ritualistic, some were flamboyant, and to Rainer's request, the coronation became a simple matter.

Because no demon was old enough to have ever saw the coronation of the previous lord, none knew how Lust's general coronations actually went. So the circle followed the standard procedure that all the other circles followed, though without the booming crowds and flowery decorations.

All Rainer did was walk up to the comfortable throne, sat down, and accept leadership by way of a somber gesture acted out in front of a number of Lust's most important figures.

There was no jewels, no crowns, or lavish clothes like the other circles, Sloth and Wrath excluded, only actions that spoke more than ten thousand words.

Of those who attended were the district leaders, excluding the rebelling ones of course. Both Iris of the Harpies and Katiyana of the Yuki-Onna attended, though taking places in opposite sides of the room like usual. Each of the Pillar of Lust attended, including Zazie since she was given a full pardon. Nerissa, Aureal, Emiel (who maintained anonymity), Reginald, and Luce also attended, which was obvious. The ambassadors who attended the meeting from before, with a new ambassador from Sloth, each attended. Various figures from Lust's economy, politics, military, and offices attended. And like usual, none of the other Rulers of Sin thought a coronation was worth their time, like they did with any other new Ruler of Sin.

A magic picture was taken of Rainer and distributed to the Land of Lust and other circles and realms, showing the new Lord of Lust. While many secrets were kept, the Rulers of Sin were at least expected to give out their picture.

And so, a picture was distributed, a picture that showed Rainer with a purposely funny face, close to the mastery of Calvin from the old comic strip, and holding up double peace signs on his hands.

-

The evening after...

Rainer found himself flopping down on the massive bed in the Lord of Lust's personal bedroom. As of now, only he was inside, though as procedure demanded, Little Rouge was standing guard outside.

Rainer was half amazed and half confounded when he heard that Little Rouge and Zazie shared an intense battle that ended in Zazie's victory. He was slightly depressed on hearing just how much trouble everyone went through for him. He heard how much pain everyone went through in a war he never really had a choice in taking part in.

However, Rainer told himself that nobody did this because they had to. They did it because they wanted to, because they believed in him. And so he perked up and ate some more of that strange delicious demon food consisting of grilled plants, marinated meat from an animal called a gale, and a fluffy pyramid like pie for desert.

Rainer knew that things would only get more complicated from here. Demons are just that sort of species. So he should take every chance he could and relax and have fun like a Lord of Lust should. And speaking of which...

"Raaain Raaain!" A frilly, though with a mature seductive feeling, voice rang out into his ears.

"Asmodea... My name is Rainer, R-a-i-n-e-r! Rainer, got it? Not Rain Rain, not Rainy, it is Rainer." Rainer emphasized his name numerous times, though, to his misfortune, it fell on empty ears.

"Yes, I know, Rainy Rainy, but I have not gotten any alone time with you at all these past two weeks! I am lonely without you..." Asmodea placed her round butt next to Rainer and swooned up next to his body, pushing her massive chest into his body.

It was true. Rainer hadn't had a single chance to be alone with not only Asmodea, but anyone else. Throughout the two weeks, he had been in a perpetual state of arousal that threatened to have his cock burst out of his pants at any moment in front of a pretty female.

Right now was no different.

"Rainy Rainy... Just why the he-"

Asmodea silenced Rainer's words by pushing one of her fingers, which she just coated in her own juices, into her beloved's mouth. The young incubus couldn't help but fall prey to Asmodea's seductive actions.

Rainer licked up Asmodea's sweet taste on her finger until she pulled out the finger and brought him in for a heavy kiss.

As if days of accumulated frustration peeled away like an onion's skin, the two lovingly played with each other's tongues and lips. Rainer sucked and kissed both of Asmodea's red lips while she sucked in his tongue and caressed the forked appendage with her own tongue in her mouth.

The two would have continued on, if not for an interruption.

Tinkle!

The two abruptly broke the kiss and faced the source of the noise. An open mouthed and wide-eyed Nerissa who dropped a plate full of demonic fruit. Beside Nerissa was a giggling Lauren who was obviously laughing at Nerissa's reaction and a solemn, if not sorrowful, Aureal watching Rainer and Asmodea's display with an expression that said, "I want to join!" Last but not least was Zazie, who seemed to be saying under her breath, "...I knew it, he's a Lord of Lust after all."

"Oh my, I thought I got here with plenty of time to spare to be with my cute little lord."

Asmodea said with a sarcastic frown on her face.

"Asmodeaaaaa..." Nerissa walked with the gait of a swaying undead monster and the voice that just shouted for everyone to run away. "We agreed that no one would attack MY fiancée until he came for one of us... Namely me."

"Master apparently cannot resist the charms of the one known as the Seduction of Lust... As expected of my salacious master." Aureal's words pierced Rainer like needles.

"I knew coming here was the right choice-haha! Ahem, everything is so entertaining, especially watching Nerissa catch Rainer with his pants down." (Oi, Lauren...)

"...Rainer!" Zazie almost looked like she was about to burst into tears, though she kept that to herself with some stealthy face maneuvering.

Rainer, the source of the commotion could only lean back, as if retreating from the Mongolian horde before him. The situation now looked like a husband being caught by his... Four wives with a brand new mistress. Despite engaging in multiple libidinous acts since becoming a demon, he still could never figure a way to fast talk himself out of this sort of trouble.

Despite it all, Rainer's voice remained sturdy and smooth, "Ah, if you give me a moment to explain..."

"NOPE!"

"Denied, Master."

"Why would I? Hahaha!"

"...No."

"You are on your own here."

Nerissa, Aureal, Lauren, Zazie, and then finally Asmodea each spoke at practically the same moment, interrupting Rainer's train of thought.

(Am I going to die here? Tonight may be my greatest trial...) Rainer told himself while trying to placate the girls with frantic gesticulation. It felt like Death itself had its grip on him and was able to crush him at any moment.

Then, safety came in an unlikely form. Each of the five women huddled together and began mumbling and whispering to each other low enough so that Rainer couldn't even hear when he strained his ears.

He grew worried and once again felt Death's grip on his neck. Just what sort of plots and devastating plans could these sirens come up with?

A long ten minutes passed. Each time Rainer tried to inch closer and pry into their secrets, the circle of girls moved further away, laughing their evil laughs.

"We've come to a decision." The representative of the group who spoke turned out to be Aureal of all people. "Master is not allowed to come to climax until each of us has done so first."