Chapter 723: A Disabling Lust
Chapter 723: A Disabling Lust
Arthur began to assume that her lust was more of a disability than a desire. It was a crippling urge that she had to sate for her mind to think logically. After all, even though Arthur was talking about a dangerous possibility, Rain seemed to have nothing but eroticism on her mind.
"Are you sure… you don't need help?" asked Arthur with a sincere and concerned voice. Rain stared and grinned before reaching toward the back of her dress to unbutton it. Arthur hurried to grab her arm and explained, "Not that kind of help, but something like a cure to this lust."
"You can be my cure," said Rain as she held his arm with her free hand and traced it toward his shoulder. Then, she grabbed him and pulled him toward the bed. Arthur used his other arm to support him, but he still ended up on top of her. His knee rested between her legs, and his hand could feel the warmth of her face.
"Do you hope proximity would make me give in to desire?" asked Arthur on top of her, and the woman didn't reply. Instead, she lifted her chin and let Arthur see her unblemished skin. "Too bad. I still refuse."
"I never told you about an aspect of what I do," said Rain as her eyes closed slowly and opened. "Sometimes, I absorb too much, and while I can turn it into strength, some of it always goes to waste."
"And what happens then?"
"Nothing happens, as every process has a byproduct, and mine is energy. Thus, every while, I can reverse the absorption process."
"Are you saying that you can strengthen men by sleeping with them?" asked Arthur with genuine surprise. Rain grinned as if Arthur took the bait. "You are bluffing."
"I did it when I wanted to forge connections. As for those I absorbed, they can never tell the difference since I took the excess of their mana essence. So no harm is done, and everyone likes me."
"Is that the reason?" asked Arthur with intrigue, and Rain grinned as she opened her arms to wrap them around his neck. However, the moment she let go of him, Arthur teleported away.
"No!" shouted Rain as she reached out to empty air, but Arthur was long gone. "Is yours always limp or something?"
"…no, but I don't like to do it in front of others," replied Arthur as he adjusted his robes in front of the bed, and his response made Rain realize something.
"I can see the two of you are still awake," said Lyle, who entered the window Arthur opened. "Thanks for leaving the window open for me."
"I expected her to go berserk, so I wanted some reassurance," said Arthur as he walked toward the small pot in the room and poured water and tea. Then, he touched the kettle, and it started to boil. "Afternoon tea?"
Rain stared at him with frustration, and Lyle arranged the chairs around the table. The two men sat at the table as Rain glared daggers at them, and Arthur started pouring the tea.
"As I told her earlier," said Arthur as he presented the cup to the knight. "I uncovered that the gangs have Gray and are using him to keep their crimes going. However, we can assume that they know about the rebellion because of that."
"My investigations also yielded such a possibility," said Lyle as he took the cup and started sipping on his tea, which was boiled to a perfect temperature. "This might be a crucial point in our plans."
"…these bastards are acting as if I don't exist," mumbled Rain as she started getting out of bed. "It's about time someone beats their asses, or their arrogance would make them trip and break a leg."
Arthur and Lyle ignored her angry ramblings as she sat beside them on the table. Then, she snatched the cup from Arthur as he was about to drink it himself.
"If the gangs know about it, we can assume that the empire knows too. However, it all boils down to whether Gray is a talkative man."
"He might be a complaining and lazy bum, but he's trustworthy. I never chased him down because I trusted he wouldn't sell us out. However, things might be more complicated than that."
"Does he have relatives?" asked Arthur, and Lyle sighed while nodding. "A relative is quite the weak point, even for a trustworthy man. Nevertheless, we must visit them and try to uncover his last whereabouts."
"I know the person who met him last, but I don't think she will help us," Lyle stared at the tea rippling. "The three of us have a bit of history growing up, so she won't be cooperative."
"Another family member of yours?" asked Arthur, but this time Rain answered after slamming the cup.
"His foster sister, who was also a part of the gangs!" said Rain with a smile. "I admire the girl since she's known to be quite the survivor in the underworld."
"Your foster sister is the last person who met Gray, so where's the harm in that?" asked Arthur with confusion.
"She is currently undergoing a trial outside the city, and it lasts three days," said Lyle while cupping his hands around his tea. "The thing is… she hates me ever since I arrested our grandfather."
"You have quite the family, Lyle," commented Arthur with surprise. "A loyal imprisoned man, a rebellious knight, and a begrudging gangster. This is one odd-looking family, no matter how I see it."
"We used to train to be knights at one point, but that changed after a certain incident, which made us grow apart. Gray was more hardworking than I am, but he quit knighthood and began working in a civil office."
"What is her name?" pried Arthur.
"The underworld calls her Night," marveled Rain with a grin. "I once got to meet her. She is a brute woman, even for the underworld. However, many liked her because of how genuine she was."
"A genuine gangster?" coughed Arthur.
"They call her Underworld Knight, but that makes her more hated than loved. As words got out of her trial, the underworld wanted her dead before that happens," replied Rain.
"The more I hear about her, the more interested I get," admitted Arthur as he turned to Lyle. "However, you don't like any of this."
"She offended many people, power people, that would have killed her if not for Zonas Mantra. Now that he is set to be executed, they have nothing to fear anymore."
"What did she do?"
"One of the gangs has dealings with a certain prince, supplying him with women," spat Rain. "If the empire had a face for its dark side, it would be him. This human trafficking was a big operation until one day, Night attacked the brothel. She freed all the women imprisoned there and… kicked the prince's manhood."
"Ouch," gasped Arthur, but then he made the connection. "Can that prince be Erin Voldor?"
"It seems his reputation precedes him," jeered Lyle. "That bastard has been looking for ways to find her, even threatening me. However, their only information was that Layla was joining the trial."
"Layla is her real name, by the way," added Rain.
"I concluded that," said Arthur, holding his chin with a grin. "I can't help but laugh since Erin is one of my targets too. I want to meet her."
"Unless we have access to the trial, nothing can be done until she is out. However, that will be in three days. So we can't just sit around and wait for her to tell us where she last saw Gray."
"I can sneak into the palace without a medal," said Arthur, but Lyle and Rain both shook their heads. "Is there a space-locking array?"
"There is worse," said Lyle with a frown. "The palace is created from the same materials Dark World is created from, making it impossible to use mana inside. Once we enter, we will be nothing but humans, except for the imperial family."
"So, I can't teleport into the palace," pondered Arthur for a solution. His plan needed access to the palace to attempt to find clues about the empyrean ranker using his art. As long as they know when he isn't around, they can attack. "I have a plan on finding this Gray."
"Enlighten us," said Rain as she folded her arms on the table. "And one more," she pushed her empty cup for Arthur to refill.
"These gangs aren't moved by money, so we need to use threats. For example, the woman I met had a younger sister called Little Yin. If we find and kidnap her, we can force her to tell us where Gray is located." Arthur presented the tea under the amazed eyes of the two.
"I never expected the righteous hero to suggest kidnapping, but this might be our best plan so far to find Gray. But, of course, this is also to know what the gangs are planning during the upcoming days."