Being sent off by Margarette and Riley's clone, along with the rest of the congregants, Snow's convoy back to Laria was finally on its way. However, while leaving the city behind in the hands of the clones, everyone who knew about the situation was more than just a bit tense.
"I can always talk to them no matter the distance so don't worry about it," assuring Margarette posing as belladonna, Haruki closed his eyes to see through the eyes of the clones.
On their way back to their castle, the clones were making small talk with each other as well as discussing policies soon to be implemented in the duchy. Thankfully, in the few days Margarette and Riley had spent explaining their roles and responsibility to the them, the clones have gotten much more proficient in pretending to be humans.
"If you say so…" Sitting across Haruki in the moving carriage, Margarette didn't seem too confident in the clone's ability to handle her territory.
"We don't have any major policy changes anywhere in the near future, so they should be fine," blanketing herself in her cape Riley was snuggled up beside Margarette with a pair of sharp knives dangling by her hips.
The loss of her muscles had forced Riley to resort to lighter blades, but in the face of being true to her feelings, it was a small price to be paid. Looking around the carriage, Haruki was reminded of the shadow blades riding alongside him, however with only one of their members riding in the trunk of the carriage he quickly washed those memories from his head.
"I'm gonna talk to Rom and see if we can build a bypass around the tundra," offering his idea to get to Daria quicker in the face of emergencies, Haruki turned to look back at the worried Margarette. "Your clone will sign off a sanction to help build that path since Laria can't really afford it on its own right now."
"So long as the duchy stands prospering, I do not care what you do with it anymore," after realizing how much she was hurting her relationship with Riley because of her greed for land, Margarette's attitude towards her territory had radically changed.
Leaning her head onto Riley's shoulders, she closed her eyes to get some rest while they were still in a safer region outside of Daria. Cracking one of her eyes open, Riley gave Margarette a sideways glance, but without saving so much as a word she simply closed her eyes to nap as well.
'One was broken by fear, and the other followed by choice.' Although Margarette was more compelled to follow and fonder over Haruki now that she was his servant, the emotional scars from the bats hadn't recovered just yet. 'It's a strange combination, the two.'
Talking about a duo, Haruki brought his attention to the already dozing Asuka. She, like the other two, was busy all night with the preparations for the trip. Not wanting to disturb them while they slept, Haruki closed his eyes and eventually drifted off as well.
"You did well this time," mumbled a familiar voice in his dream. "Seems like you're back on the path to vengeance, the same unquenching thirst for revenge and torture, I can once again feel it at the very core of your soul."
Peering down into the abyss with no real sense of direction, he found back in the ever-stretching darkness. And yet, the voice was too familiar not to know what was happening.
"What do you want now?" Despite not having a body, those words still trailed off of him. "I'm already working towards building your army."
"Ohhh, is that so? I must be blind not to notice," following it up with a sarcastic chuckle, Asmodia's voice echoed endlessly through the darkness.
"Clone: target Haruki shin lust demon form," making up a clone of his demonic form, he forced his consciousness into the body of the clone. "This feels better."
Feeling the cold path underneath his feet, and the freedom to move around in the abyss for the very first time, Haruki really felt as though he had a chance of going against Asmodia.
"Have your wit died off warrior? I can still hear those treacherous thoughts of yours, you know?" she replied, knowing full well that he had no intention of being bound by their contract forever. "Though I must admit, I'm fascinated by the changes in you, especially your growth and how easily you subdued that narcissistic woman."
"You calling Margarette a narcissist must be a joke," shooting back at her, Haruki held his hand forward to activate another one of his skills. "Alluring nightm-"
"Leaving already?" She mumbled, peaking at him from within the darkness. "Fancy a drink before you leave?"
With a snap of her fingers, a white coffee table and a pair of chairs fell down from the sky and prospered themselves upright. Still glaring at him from a distance, the sounds of Asmodia's approaching heels heightened Haruki's senses. Activating a basic dark magic shield over his hand, he was ready to fight her if it really did come down to it.
"Don't overestimate yourself, my woeful warrior," as those words trailed out of her lips, Haruki violently flew forward and was forced into one of the chairs. "Just sit down for a minute."
His hands now constrained over the table, he was forced to adhere to whatever Asmodia had planned for him. Creeping out of the distance, she appeared in the form of a translucent mist.
'I already saw her real body when she threw my head through that portal, so why does she keep using this mirage?' Wondering whether her strength had depleted further after forcing him into the new body, Haruki brushed that question off his mind as Asmodia could still read his mind like an open book.
"What do you want now?" he asked and a pair of tea cups and a pot fell down on the table. For a second they whirled over their rims before setting up straight and ready to be poured from and into.
Taking a seat right across from him, she grabbed the pot to pour each of them a cup.
"Nothing, I just wanted to remind you who you belong to," beaming a smile, she quickly filled the cup in front of him. "Getting stronger can often make you forget that kinda thing, take Moriyana, my trusted servant, for example, her little pet is a rather loud-mouthed tattletale."
"Is that all? You just wanted to intimidate me?" Glaring at her with scorn on his face, Haruki's heart was filled with contempt.
Resting the pot to the side, Asmodia looked at Haruki with a stare devoid of all emotions.
"Sitting across one of the seven rulers of the Scorchen Gaia, you should be grateful that this is all I'm doing," picking up her own cup, she took a quick sip out of it. "The other demon lords aren't as forgiving, so before I change my mind pick up that cup."
The sinister glow in her eyes was enough to make Haruki back down for the moment. And so, picking up the cup, he shared a short yet chilling moment with the mistress sipping on some tasteless tea.
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