Chapter 68 - Parasites

The Matriarch of the Strogueher Noble Family wore a long crimson skirt and a white shirt, which left her breasts a little tight.

"What happened, Mother?" The girl inquired, seeing that her mother looked more tense than usual.

Luke found this strange because Ayumi usually had a lewd and often ironic smile. The woman entered the room with a book under her arm, much thicker than most of the books in that library.

"I found your grandfather's bestiary in the middle of the demolition of the family headquarters, and a few other things that might interest you." She replied, sitting down next to her daughter. "In it, there is information about the white cubes you said."

Ayumi then opened the book to a page with an illustration of a perfect cube. Just below the cube, an arrow pointed to the illustration of a black cloud with two eyes and a macabre smile, very reminiscent of the demon sealed by Alexis.

"Did you comment to her, Nathalia?" Luke asked, angry because he did not intend to involve the Matriarch in this mess.

"She's my mother, and she was as worried about you as I was. She even postponed her trip to Oukiwa when she got home and learned what happened."

"Is that true?" He questioned Ayumi.

The night the half-wolf regained consciousness after the fight against the demon, he didn't have time to talk with Ayumi, as they were both overwhelmed with the intense desire they felt for each other.

"Of course not! I was just a little distressed because I would have to go through the trouble of hiring another guard for her." The woman replied, but her face flushed when the girl asked the question whether she realized it or not.

Since Luke could not let such details go unnoticed, he decided not to bother with this answer and just followed up.

"Can you summarize for me what is written, please?" He asked the Matriarch, pointing to the text just below the illustrations.

"C-clear!" She read alone for a few seconds to recapitulate the information and explained: "These white cubes are sealing objects for a type of parasitic creature, called a Demon by some, and apparently these beings are not very strong on their own, so when they are not trapped, they immediately search for a host."

"That's new..." Nathalia said, getting up from the couch, "That woman told us about the function of these cubes, except she commented nothing about them being parasites."

"I think the monster commented something about wanting my body.... It was all so confusing and he was so chatty, it's kind of hard to remember everything." Luke spoke, slightly raising the bangs that covered his forehead.

"Ah... This all must have been very arduous, right?" Ayumi inquired, draping herself on the couch's leather to lessen the distance between her and the half-wolf. Then she placed her hands on the man's left hand, which was on his knee, to comfort him.

Nathalia didn't even mind this sudden closeness between her mother and her bodyguard; she just took the book from her mother's lap and began to read it eagerly.

A little nervous because of the situation, Luke whispered to the blonde, "What are you doing? She's right here..."

Ayumi moved closer to his ear. "I'm just comforting you... it's okay, silly."

"Hold on!" The white-haired girl exclaimed, startling them both. "There might be some clues here, and maybe we don't need to risk the safety of the cube!"

As the girl looked at the two people sitting on the couch for an answer, she saw that each was sitting in the corner of the furniture. While the half-wolf's fuzzy ears were pink, the Matriarch's legs kept moving.

"Whatever!" In the end, she didn't even care about it for more than a few thousandths. "It says here that demons seek out young and talented people. If it's really true, that might help us get at the other demon."

"Wait. There is another demon in town? How are you guys so sure?"

"The woman who saved Luke is something from the Cardinal Church, and she has a document that says that demons upset the balance. Since the city was a mess until a few weeks ago, she believes there may be another one. One that isn't sealed." Nathalia explained as she closed the bestiary.

"But from what you told me, wasn't it the Chaos Followers' fault? I even told you guys that little story from The Calamity, which made me sound like a grandma."

"We concluded that it was, and as far as we know, the trouble has ceased since that night, but I feel we won't be sure it's all over until we rule out the possibility of another demon."

Many mysteries surrounded the day Luke and Nathalia found the giant stone door. The White Lizard, the words spoken by the demon about something or someone wanting Luke, and several other things that made the half-wolf feel uneasy.

"A good place to look for someone talented and young, will be at the Vasconcelos Guild Anniversary Ball. I believe it will take place tomorrow night." Ayumi explained, getting up from the couch. "I'm going to my office, decide today whether you'll go or not, because then I can give you advance notice."

It was already getting dark in the area, and the library was slowly getting darker, as was the rest of the mansion.

With energy to spare from not going to the Dungeon, Luke and Nathalia went into the training room, where they lit the fireplace and the side torches, which left the space well lit.

"Do you want to go?" Nathalia questioned, brandishing a sword in the direction of the half-wolf.

"I prefer the plan of following the cube. It seems more certain to me." The half-wolf replied, defending the girl's attack with another strike. "I don't think a ball is the most appropriate place for me either."

"Are you kidding? I think you'd look good in a tuxedo."

"You think? Yeah, maybe... It wouldn't be too bad to see you in a dress either." He teased her, but the girl didn't fall for his bluff and didn't even allow herself to be distracted.

They kept practicing until Martha came to call them to dinner, and before they sat down at the table with the Matriarch, they had already made a decision.

"We are going to the ball." Their statements sounded like a unison to Ayumi, who smiled.

"It will be great to see you in a tuxedo." So she spoke to the half-wolf, which caused the maid to shake her hands in nervousness and knock some tea out of her cup.

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