Asmodeus sat beside Yumiko and Liana at the dining table. Thankfully, the landlady allowed them to eat a meal in one of the private meeting rooms for a small fee. Velvet chose to sit facing him while Ciela, Erika and Alice sat in the spare seats.
"Mmm~ so delicious—please give me more, Master!"
As for Sariel, she sat on the lap of Asmodeus while drinking blood from his fingertips. Although less effective compared to saliva or semen for a succubus, the other women at the table refused to let her kiss him while they all ate dinner.
"So, as for Anne's condition. How long do you think it will take her to recover to start fighting once again?" Asmodeus asked while he enjoyed a spoon of cream stew filled with carrots and chicken fed to him by Yumiko.
She and Liana took turns feeding him—from the moment they met up, both of them were extremely clingy, while Erika and Ciela seemed fine, giving space and being patient.
"I believe it could be as long, anything between three to ten days. Although her physical wounds have begun healing, her magical pathways and circuit have been damaged from the forced control and divinity used during your battle and her desperate escape before she could fully transform into a half-demon." Alice spoke in a calm and intellectual tone.
It seemed that during the few days apart when Asmodeus slept. Yumiko and Erika decided to tell her some of the vital information about themselves and how they became so strong.
Things like how they could avoid the punishment of the gods despite all coming from races that would be under the service of one.
"Ryuji, what Alice says is true. Although I tried to use my divine and water element healing abilities, it only catered to her exterior. Anne's insides seem to be quite damaged, and her muscles almost seem to have wasted away over three days."
'Hmmm?'
"Could that be a sign of her losing a divine blessing, or at least a god or goddess abandoning her?" Asmodeus asked while chewing the soft, rare steak with a sweet, fruity sauce on Liana's fork.
"Honestly, the one who would understand her situation best is you. I bet the girls just wanted to meet you first and brief you on the situation, right Alice?"
"I can't beat you, Big Sister Velvet." Alice shrugged and lifted her hands with a sigh of defeat. "Can I ask you to take a look at my stupid niece, Asmodeus?"
"I ask too... my silly big sister seems to have burned herself in a rivalry with you. Not even realising the true meaning of those feelings, when she wakes up, I hope you will be there for her."
Alice and Liana both requested Asmodeus's help while he looked at the women around the table with an earnest glace, narrowing his eyes while seeming to be deep in thought before he sighed, lifting Sariel off his lap and placing her on the bench beside him.
"You know I was going to do that from the start. Since you both asked, of course, I will visit her and remain by her side till she wakes; it should be quicker if I am close. Because I can feed my mana directly into her body."
First, his lips became blue; then his cheeks changed colour until it was obvious he had stopped breathing or even moving while thinking in detail.
"He's thinking and planning, don't disturb him. Lady Velvet." Yumiko interrupted her with a concerned face.
Time passed slowly because finally, his chest took a deep breath, and he resumed moving once again; the sudden change shocked the worried women around him.
"Velvet, Myself and Alice will be in charge of the adventuring and training group. We will split into three groups, and sometimes the groups may change, but overall, the person on your team is not going to change."
Asmodeus then grasped the parchment and turned it over to use the blank side, even using Alice's special pen to write his basic plan before they left.
—First, Yumiko and Ciela. You both cover each other's shortcomings and can perform both intelligence actions and heavy training and combat missions.
—The second group of Liana and Erika will handle mainly training and adventuring important duties.
—Third, Sariel and Asmodeus would take care of daily training and aid in income over time. When Anne recovered, she would replace Asmodeus, who then would start helping each of the three groups whenever he wanted to and needed it.
**
"I see, a simple plan for now, but you said it's just for until we leave this place. Though it makes me worry something bigger will happen..." Velvet gave a wry smile as she looked at her disciple.
"Then those who are training will always see Master sweat? How lucky!" Sariel seemed oblivious that she would be beside him the most.
With this, the basic plan of what they needed to do started forming—meanwhile, after dinner, Asmodeus kept his promise, walking down a dull, dreary halfway, a small, musty door opened slowly.
'It seems the other girls didn't manage to secure enough money at first. This inn is one of the best around, and they still accept those from other countries, without worrying about possible trials. Due to harbouring a wanted criminal.'
Asmodeus stepped inside the small room, the scent of blood and cleaning fluids stinging his nose as he looked at the sleeping Anne, her bare body on display, likely due to rolling around in her sleep, but it was a pleasant sight nonetheless.
'Velvet and Alice were right, her muscles are weakening, but it's not just them... Her flesh and bones are rejecting, or rather, something is resisting her demonisation.'
However, the thing that bothered Asmodeus most was that she looked to be in pain, and he didn't like that while reaching out. His only thoughts were to crush the damage or curse her insides due to warning the bate princess.
'This will take a while...' He thought to himself before slowly removing his clothes.