Chereads / The Wrong Vassal / Chapter 22 - Wants and Needs

Chapter 22 - Wants and Needs

William wakes up in a luxurious bed with silk sheets. Caleb and Blair were right next to him, sleeping with their clothes intact. Blair's tail is curling around his left arm, but William decides to try to sit down, making her tail fall. A familiar tanned man enters the room, wearing a green suit and tie, along with a dark fedora hat.

- Good morning. It took you a while. -

The man said, smiling.

- I…I know you… -

William said, with some difficulty and his voice rusty.

- I believe you might need this. -

The man took out a throat lozenge from his pocket and throwed it at William.

- You might have a lot of questions that I may answer, or double it. Few free to talk for now. -

- W…Where are we? Who are you? W…What do you want with us? -

- Didn't you just say you knew me? Oh. Oh right. You remember me from the speech. 

Oh my, where are my manners? (giggles) Name's Otto Mammon, vassal of the sin of greed. -

The man takes his hat off and bows. Than he stand up

- Vassal? -

- Yeah. I would say it's more like a mixture of vassal and vessel, but let's be real, "vessel" doesn't sell well! You know, negative reputation and all. We are the perfect mixture between the soul of the ancient children of evil and ourselves, that's why we were chosen! I mean, that's why you and I were chosen. The boy is a replacement and the girl is because you screw things up. -

- … What do you mean? -

William asks, Otto giggles and then answers.

- You know! Feeding her with your blood mid ritual was what brought you here. -

William remembers the day his life had changed. He was young and naive, she wasn't even a week old. It was 5am, their mother had asked him to look after her because he was the eldest. So he decided to check out if she had sun resistance like him and decided to go for a walk, and buy some cake and bread on the way.

He got captured, he tried to escape flying but one of his wings was shot by an arrow and then pulled out so brutally a piece of his back skin fell off. He tried to run but another arrow went across his thigh. He was kept underground and tortured for so long he lost his sense of time. They let him keep the baby, because they thought she was already doomed, because of the very known newborn fragility, and she could be a breaking point for his mind, that would make the ritual faster.

William was constantly trying to protect her with his body, thinking it had something to do with his status or he was just unlucky. He thought if he shut her up they would suffer less, so he put his finger on her mouth, his broken arm was dripping blood constantly, feeding her. He became a path, the entire process that should have led to his sin went straight through him and went to the baby.

When they tried to take the baby off when they noticed the kid was getting bigger, she was alive, just quiet. William tried to stop, but he was too debilitated and they got the baby. She got mad and transformed for the first time. Eating people up and smashing them and sucking their remains with a butterfly-like tongue while brutally murdering people. William was terrified, but tried to stop the monster by holding it. Surprisingly, she transformed and fell on his arms. She had changed, gained horns, a demon tail and four bug legs around her head, but she was unconscious and had a burning fever. The impact of her hitting the walls underground caused some earthquakes and the cave they were started to crumble, so with what William thought was his last strength, he covered her with a bloody cloak and tried to run out.

- Hey. Can you like, come back here? -

Otto snaps his finger in front of William's face, since William seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.

- Coming back to the reason why I am here. The ritual was supposed to do two things: Trigger the ascension and accelerate it. I can guarantee you, the first time does hurt, like a lot. And until you fully understand how to control it, you will maintain some parts of the sin in your civilian body. What YOU did was basically transform someone with no sin into a sin, but you also got your ascension triggered. It may be even slower than it was supposed to be, but soon or later, you will transform. Especially with your problem. -

Otto said.

- Problem? -

William asked.

- You mistake your wants with your needs. You don't know where or how to draw the line, so you neglect yourself until you need, but you have needed for so long that it mixes with your wants and you get out of control. -

Otto said, touching William's nose like he was a pet.

- Welp, look at the time! I gotta go! See ya! -

Otto gets out of the room. William looks at the kids again and they are still sleeping. 

Outside the room, Otto meets Gregory. Gregory is a very tall man, while Otto is shorter than average, but when Otto calls Gregory, he grabs him by his neck and pulls him until his head is below Otto's, while still walking.

- Listen here, You will take care of them until Gluttony forms, you can spoil them as much as you want, but they. Can NOT. Get out of here until Gluttony forms. I will destroy you if you fail. Got it? -

Otto said, with a serious and even robotic sounding tone in the end.

- Y… Yes sir. -

Gregory answers reluctantly, Otto lets Gregory neck free and finally leaves the mansion. Before getting through the front gates, he makes a call.

- Hello?~ -

A deep feminine voice answered with a flirty tone.

- Thanks for the pearls, it really worked. -

- You're welcome shortie~ Sooooo… How will you compensate me? -

- I will send you a human. Ok? -

- Just ooooone?~ -

- Fine. Maybe two. -