August felt a bit helpless. Why did these two have to drag him into their argument?
"Well, in my opinion, both age and appearance are important," he said diplomatically.
However, this response didn't sit well with Stank and Zel. They both felt that August was being a bit evasive.
August was fully aware of their dissatisfaction, but he wasn't trying to appease both sides. In fact, he had no intention of siding with either of them.
"To be honest, I prefer someone young, beautiful, and with a great figure. I'm not really concerned about their mana," August continued with a smile.
Stank immediately grinned. This perspective closely aligned with his own—if he had a choice, he would always go for someone younger. Zel, on the other hand, was less than pleased. What was wrong with someone who had strong mana, even if they were younger?
"You're both humans, so of course, you'd have similar preferences. That's not fair," Zel grumbled.
"Well, actually, Zel, I'm not human," August interjected, catching both Stank and Zel off guard.
"What?"
"Seriously?"
Stank and Zel stared at August in disbelief. How could he not be human? He looked just like one!
Zel scrutinized August, trying to find something unusual about him.
'Thump-thump, thump-thump.'
Soon, Zel noticed something strange. August's heartbeat was louder than normal, and there seemed to be more than one heartbeat.
"August, are you really not human? I can hear multiple heartbeats," Zel remarked, clearly puzzled.
"Oh, that? I'm from the House of Demon. We look very similar to humans, but that's only in appearance. As for our hearts, the highest-ranking members of our race have seven hearts. Unless all of them are destroyed, we won't die."
"Seven... seven hearts?"
Stank stared at August's chest in shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Humans only had one heart—if it was pierced, that was the end. But August had seven—seven times the survivability. And the most crucial part was that he wouldn't die unless all of them were destroyed.
Zel was equally astonished. He'd lived for over two hundred years but had never heard of the House of Demon.
"It's unbelievable. August, that massive amount of mana within you—is that also due to your bloodline?"
"That's right. Our House of Demon is born with the power to control dark magic, and our mana reserves are naturally vast," August explained.
"Your race is truly blessed by the heavens. I've learned so much today," Stank admitted, still processing the revelation.
Though they had never heard of the House of Demon, both men believed him. After all, there was no reason for August to lie to them, let alone fabricate an entire race.
"By the way, Stank, are there any areas nearby with a lot of magical beasts?" August inquired.
"What are you planning?" Stank asked, curious.
"I don't have many hobbies, but I do enjoy good food. I'd like to try some of the local magical beast meat," August replied with a smile.
"Well, there are some areas like that, but to be honest, the magical beasts around here don't taste very good," Stank confessed.
"Have you tried them before, Stank?"
"A few times," Stank said, his expression darkening at the memory.
Seeing the grim looks on both Stank and Zel's faces, August couldn't help but feel puzzled. Was the taste of magical beast meat really that bad?
At that moment, Meidri happened to walk by and overheard their conversation.
"Hmph, you two fools, so blinded by lust that you got your wallets stolen at the Succubus Cafe and ended up broke, resorting to eating magical beast meat. And yet, you still haven't learned your lesson."
At that moment, August understood. It wasn't that the magical beast meat was bad; it was the circumstances that led them to eat it.
Still, the situation was quite amusing—these two had gone to visit a brothel and gotten their money stolen. That took some real skill.
"Meidri, why are you exposing us like that? We're among friends here," Stank grumbled, clearly displeased with Meidri's public revelation of their misfortune. He didn't mind if others knew, but August was someone they'd only just met. This could completely ruin the image he was trying to maintain.
What Stank didn't realize was that, in August's eyes, both he and Zel had no image left to protect.
"You're all the same, hmph!" Meidri huffed, glancing at August. Her cheeks flushed slightly before she turned and walked away.
It was clear that what happened today had left a lasting impression on her. The winged lady wasn't going to forget this anytime soon.
Not that it mattered much to August—he had a whole year. Winning over a woman was hardly a challenge.
"Speaking of the Succubus Cafe, where are we heading tonight? August is new around here, so we should show him the local culture," Stank suggested.
"I'm not sure where we should go~"
August watched them from the side, a smirk playing on his lips. It was obvious they were using him as an excuse—they were the ones itching to go.
But he didn't object. In truth, August was quite curious himself.
Monstergirls, especially those with succubus bloodlines, were certainly intriguing.
One of the most memorable scenes from the anime for August was the "Bovine Tribe" Succubus Cafe.
Goodness, those were truly "massive and evil"—far surpassing even the powers of Sanna after consuming the Cow-Cow Fruit. They were on a whole different level.
"By the way, August, do you have any particular preferences?" Zel asked.
"Uh, Zel, I'm fine with anything. I've never been to a Succubus Cafe before," August replied nonchalantly.
At this, the two men who had been deep in discussion suddenly turned their attention to him.
"Wait, does that mean you're still a virgin, August?"
Both of them immediately plastered sleazy grins on their faces, resembling the leering smile of an old madam in a brothel.
"No, I just prefer cleanliness, so I only get involved with women who are virgins."
"Uh..."
In an instant, their previously lecherous expressions were wiped clean. Both men were left speechless.
They stared at August, and if looks could kill, he'd be dead and buried by now.
Damn rich people, finding women who are all virgins—and judging by his tone, it's not just one or two. This was beyond excessive.
At the Succubus Cafe, a virgin's first time was sold at an astronomical price.
"Don't get the wrong idea, you two. I told you, I've never been to a Succubus Cafe. That's just my standard for women," August clarified.
"Your standard? So, does that mean you've been with more than one?"
"Uh, yeah. If I add them all up, it's probably over a dozen."
August did a quick calculation. Yep, there had to be at least a dozen.
"Die, you bastard!"
"I'm going to kill you, you jerk!"
Both Stank and Zel erupted in anger. They never imagined that August would have over a dozen girlfriends, and by the looks of it, they were all probably stunning beauties. It was infuriating.
The reason they frequented the Succubus Cafe—aside from their lust—was because they were both single.
Now, here was this detestable man with a dozen girlfriends. This was nothing short of a crime. Their jealousy flared like a raging fire, and they were determined to burn this heretic to ashes.
___
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