"So, that's what happened," Agatha nodded understandingly after listening to Alysia's explanation.
She then turned her gaze towards Austin, her eyes gleaming with a mysterious light.
Austin shuddered under her intense scrutiny, feeling like a hamster being stared down by a hungry snake.
"Do you sense anything unusual?" Fortunately, Agatha didn't persist with the peculiar look and finally posed a question.
"Unusual? Does the urge to just smack everything, count?" Austin responded jokingly.
"I doubt it. It's likely just your hormones at play. It's similar to when a gamer wants to flaunt their new expensive skins after purchasing them. Or, it's like when you've been training in martial arts, feeling confident in your skills, and almost hoping some thugs would try to mug you just so you can show off your abilities!" Agatha explained.
"You play games too, Lady Agatha?"
"I might be a Witch, but I always stay up-to-date on the latest trends and stuff," Agatha said with a hint of pride.
"Can we not stray away from the main issue here?" Alysia couldn't help but reprimand.
"Right," Agatha admitted with a touch of embarrassment. For the first time, Austin noticed Agatha's mature face slightly flushed. "There doesn't seem to be any problem with Austin's body. In fact, he's as strong and healthy as a bull."
"So, despite acquiring the runes quickly in succession, there's no issue?" Alysia sought confirmation.
"That should be the case," Agatha nodded.
"Do you already know if it was just Austin experiencing this rapid progress, or have other Reincarnated Demons undergone similar experiences?" Alysia asked again.
"I've reached out to some of my sisters. They mentioned that clients who had also acquired Reincarnated Demons through them didn't go through the same thing as Austin. However, the clients could be lying. So, unless we find another Reincarnated Demon to inquire about, this information isn't one hundred percent accurate." Agatha answered thoughtfully.
Alysia nodded and turned to Austin. "Have you figured out how you ended up gaining the Runes of Sloth and Envy?"
Austin thought for a moment before replying, "I suppose the Rune of Sloth has to do with the fact that I slept for two days straight."
Even though she had already anticipated the answer, she couldn't resist twitching her mouth. The same reaction came from Agatha and Eris too.
Particularly, Eris, who was completely unaware of the situation until Alysia briefed her just two days ago. She could hardly contain her disbelief that a weakling she could easily squash like a bug had transformed into something formidable. What made him truly terrifying was the astonishing rate of his growth!
"Now, about the envy..." Austin said, paying no mind to their expressions. The three women leaned in closer, their curiosity evident, as he pulled out his phone.
On the screen, a chat unfolded:
Lester: "Hey, Austin, why did you vanish right after embarrassing William? Miguel wants to celebrate your victory and treat us to a feast."
"Hello?"
"Hellow?!"
"Meow?!"
"Woof!"
...
Due to his ongoing matters with Satella and later experiments with Alysia, Austin hadn't found the opportunity to respond to Lester's message, inadvertently ignoring him for several hours.
It was during the night when the screen finally showed Austin's response. However, the text clearly indicated that it was Satella who had replied on his behalf.
"Apologies, this is his wife replying. Austin is currently asleep and unable to respond, but I noticed you've been reaching out quite a lot, so I wanted to provide you with some clarification,"
"Huh? Wife?! Did I message the wrong person?" Lester sent a series of 'question mark' emojis.
Rather than offering a lengthy explanation, Satella simply sent him a picture.
Upon opening the file, Lester's eyes were nearly blinded by jealousy, and he felt an overwhelming urge to flip his table.
The picture showed the stunning and alluring Satella, her canine teeth on display, and two fingers raised in a 'V' gesture. Next to her lay Austin, with an unmistakably pale face and worn-out expression.
Undoubtedly, the picture portrayed an unmistakably ambiguous scene. Those unaware of the torment Austin had endured under Alysia's hands would undoubtedly assume that his worn-out and pale appearance was a result of being 'sucked dry' by the vibrant and lovely Satella.
After a moment of silence, Lester finally replied, "Tell him. Tell that son of a bitch that I envy him so much. I envy him so much!!!!!"
...
"That's it?" Alysia blurted out.
However, she soon felt a sense of déjà vu, realizing she had uttered this exact sentence just two days ago when she learned that the method Austin used to obtain the Rune of Pride was merely acting arrogant in front of some humans.
"It should be. I've been out cold for the past two days. How else am I supposed to provoke envy?" Austin remarked.
"Your word does make sense," Alysia remarked, turning to Agatha. "What's your take on this, Sister Agatha?"
"Well, it could be considered an act of the Sin of Envy. I just never imagined it would work for other Reincarnated Demons. Only he could pull off such a stunt. He gains the Rune of Pride just by acting arrogant, the Rune of Sloth by sleeping for two days straight, and now the Rune of Envy by making his friend jealous. This is unprecedented," Agatha responded with genuine admiration.
Upon hearing Agatha's declaration, there wasn't a trace of joy in Austin for being praised like that. Instead, he felt embarrassed. Her words made it seem like his accomplishment was nothing but ordinary!
...
"Let's talk about your sister," Agatha said in a solemn tone.
At this moment, Eris and Alysia had left the room to handle some matters, leaving only Satella, him, and Agatha in the room.
Austin subconsciously sat up straight and asked impatiently, "What's wrong with my sister? Is she alright?"
He remembered the earlier conversation with Agatha about Satella's condition remaining uncertain, and that a series of tests and examinations were required to determine the result.
It had been two days since then, and judging by Satella's complaints, it was clear that Agatha was taking the responsibility of treating Satella's case seriously. Very very seriously even Satella couldn't bear the treatment.
"No need to worry; she's perfectly fine," Agatha reassured.
Austin instinctively relaxed his tense muscles and posed a question, "What about her other personality? Why does she emanate demon energy when she takes off her sunglasses and switches to that alter ego of hers?"
"Actually, your sister has never had a split personality from the beginning," Agatha began.
This revelation surprised Austin. Had he been misunderstanding his sister's condition for the past five years?
"Hear her out first," Satella reassured him, gently smoothing away his furrowed brows.
"Alright," Austin said, snapping back to reality with a smile.
"Your mistaken conclusion wasn't entirely your fault. Satella's change of character can be somewhat deceiving. However, you overlooked one crucial detail. She remembers everything she's done in her alter ego state. This means there were never two personalities in the first place."
"Rather than labeling her condition as a split personality, it's more fitting to describe it as a natural instinct. Her mind instinctively guides her to adopt the personality that optimally complements and enhances the effectiveness of her power."
"Given the considerable time you've spent with her, I'm sure you've got the answer to what kind of power I refer to"
"Seduction," Austin promptly replied. If there's one aspect about his sister that he absolutely couldn't understand, it was her seductive eyes. Every time he looked into her eyes, he couldn't help but feel naturally stimulated and aroused.
It's not uncommon to be captivated by the beauty of a woman, but when he found himself consistently aroused just by gazing into Satella's eyes, he became concerned.
He went as far as examining if he had a particular eye fetish, scrutinizing numerous photos of women with stunning eyes. However, none of them provoked the same level of stimulation as Satella's mesmerizing scarlet eyes.
"Exactly. Her strength lies in the art of seduction. So, in order to maximize the potential and efficiency of her specialty in seduction, what do you think is the personality that would best fit it? Definitely, a personality that's mature, dominant, and bold, right?! When you witnessed Satella shifting into her alter ego, it was actually her instinct taking over!" Agatha explained with a sense of accomplishment as if she had just cracked a complex mystery.
Austin felt an immediate sense of enlightenment. Agatha's explanation was so clear and easy to understand.
"Oh, what about her sunglasses?" Austin suddenly remembered the item that seemed to act as a toggle for Satella's alter ego.
"The sunglasses are, in fact, magical artifacts crafted from a material widely acknowledged for its ability to seal various attributes of power, such as Divine Power, Magic Power, Demonic Power, and so on. Thus, when your sister wears them, her demonic power will be sealed until she removes them again." Agatha clarified.
"This material is typically utilized to construct cages to prevent prisoners from using their magic power. They're also used in the creation of boxes, jars, urns, or similar sealing objects to contain dangerous magical artifacts. This is actually the first time I've witnessed someone using the material to make sunglasses, and it surprisingly works!"
"I wonder who the creator is? When I asked Satella about it, she said she doesn't remember how she even got the sunglasses. Do you have some clues about it?"
"I had no idea either," Austin said, shaking his head.
"That's really unfortunate," Agatha muttered, a frown creasing her face.
"Well, regardless, it's not a big deal. I've got plenty of time to dig into these sunglasses," Agatha declared, determination lighting up her eyes.
"You will take the sunglasses away? What about Satella? You mentioned the sunglasses are keeping her powers sealed. Wouldn't it be risky to unleash her powers by taking them away?" Austin asked worriedly.
"You silly, take a good look at yourself. Haven't you been talking to her this whole time with her eyes completely visible and no accessories hiding them and feeling fine?" Agatha pointed out.
"Right!" Austin suddenly realized he wasn't so affected by her eyes again that he won't transform into an extremely horny teenager right away.
"The reason your sister used to wear eyeglasses was to keep her power in check so as not to affect people around her. But if she can now manage to control her power, wouldn't everything be fine? That incident your sister suffered in the past won't hap-"
Satella hastily leaped off the bed and clamped her hand over Agatha's mouth, shaking her head vigorously to signal her to keep quiet.
However, Austin had already caught wind of Agatha's words. "Incident?" He turned to look at Satella, who was behaving suspiciously.
Agatha, sensing the tense atmosphere, swiftly broke free from Satella's grasp and made a hasty exit with an awkward laugh. "Haha, I'll be heading out first."
Austin stared at Satella with a darkened expression. "What's happening? What incident is Lady Agatha talking about?"
Satella nervously played with her fingers, guilt written all over her face as she lowered her head.
"Tell me," Austin demanded sharply. The more she displayed guilt, the more uneasy and suspicious he became. It seemed like the incident Agatha referred to wasn't a trivial matter, given Satella's intense reaction.
"If you're not willing to share, then fine," Austin chuckled coldly. He pretended to want to take a leave.
Just then, Satella hastily grabbed his arm.
"What's the point of holding me if you're not going to tell me anything?" Austin said coldly.
"That..." Seeing her hesitation, Austin patiently waited for her to continue.
After a while, she finally began to speak again, her tone a mix of pain and fear. "Brother, do you remember that day when I was in my third year of middle school? When we exchanged our first kiss?"
Without waiting for Austin's response, she continued.
"Actually something happened that day. I think it's supposed to be the first day I awakened my power too. I was walking home from school, and as I passed my homeroom teacher, Mister Joe, and exchanged greetings with him, everything changed."
"Out of nowhere, he grabbed me, pushing me against the nearest wall. I shouted at him to snap out of it, but his eyes were blank, almost as if he couldn't hear my voice." reaching this, Satella's tone was filled with horror.
Upon hearing the name 'Mister Joe' in Satella's recount, Austin felt a surge of rage, his fists itching to pummel the bed. He recognized the name of Mister Joe, as he frequently encountered him during visits to his sister's school.
The man appeared to be in his fifties, exuded a peaceful vibe, and had the most harmless-looking face among the other teachers.
However, that very same man who was looking wholly innocent almost r*ped his sister!
How could he not be furious?!
"Thankfully, there were other students nearby who quickly heard my scream and glanced over to offer help. However, as I asked for assistance, I noticed their eyes also became vacant and entranced. Slowly, they started approaching me. At that moment, desperation and hopelessness overwhelmed me. I-I-"
"You don't have to keep going. I'm sorry for pushing you to share it. I truly am," Austin continued apologizing as he gently stroked his sister's head.
However, it seemed like Satella had finally found the opportunity and the courage she had been lacking all this time. She poured out all her grievances, continuing to tell him the story.
Throughout the talk, he continued to stroke his sister's head, occasionally nodding to show he was still listening. Internally, he struggled to contain his anger, eagerly anticipating the chance to confront and break one or two limbs of those people who dares touching his sister.
He felt really grateful that his mother had been strict about teaching them martial arts training and equipping Satella with protective tools. It was solely because of these precautions that Satella was finally able to leave safely and unscathed. Even so, the fact Satella almost got r*ped by those assholes will remain forever etched in her memory, and it didn't sit well with him.
"Finally, I made it home. Yes, I was home! At that moment, relief washed over me so deeply. But then, a fear crept in – what if you were also affected by my mysterious charm? It dawned on me too late as you were already there, welcoming me. As I suspected, you were influenced too and pounced on me immediately."
"However, something strange caught my attention about you. Not only were your eyes not as vacant as other people, but you seemed sober, just appearing a bit intoxicated. You even managed to resist kissing me, and it was me who ended up seducing you, driven by my selfish desire to forget the touch of those horrible, disgusting people. My speculation proved right; your gentle touch didn't feel as repulsive as those people, and it was actually kind of warm..."
Satella's voice trailed off and slowly her breathing became even. She had fallen asleep.
Austin couldn't help but smile at her peaceful expression, leaning in to lightly kiss her forehead.
Right at that moment, an unexpected knock echoed through the room.
Austin swiftly covered Satella with a duvet and opened the door to find Eris waiting outside.
"What's the matter?" Austin asked coldly. His emotions were still entangled in Satella's story and his rage had yet dissipated, causing his voice to be an icy chill.
He quietly closed the door behind him to avoid disrupting Satella's peaceful sleep with their conversation.
"Young miss asked me to get you. She'd like you to join me in welcoming a group of guests who will be arriving shortly." Eris explained with her trademark expressionless face.
"A group of guests?"
"It's a group of werewolves."