Free Web NovelChapter 178: How much for him?
She wants Enclave to... send him to demons...?
Lucian quickly turned to Severin, wanting to see what his reaction would be, but then—
"He is a human."
Vivienne spoke before Severin had the chance to.
Nyssara looked at her.
The look on her face was obvious.
Even Lucian could read it.
Human? Really?
Vivienne did not care.
"We tested his soul.
It was that of a human."
Nyssara’s smile faded into something more serious.
"Are you placing that statement on Accord record?"
That made Lucian look between them.
Even Severin turned slightly toward Vivienne.
A recorded statement in an Accord was not casual. It was not just a simple statement said during a conversation. It was seen as a recorded official testimony, something that could be used in future treaty disputes.
"Yes, I am."
Vivienne did not hesitate.
"Bold."
Nyssara studied her.
"You can test his soul yourself if you desire."
Vivienne shrugged.
Nyssara stared at her for a moment.
She had known Vivienne for a long time. She was a careful woman, she obviously wouldn’t lie about something so easy to confirm and place it in the Accord record.
That meant what she was saying was true.
And if that truly was the case...
Her gaze returned to Lucian, and this time, the interest was much deeper.
"A being with demonic abilities and a human soul.
How interesting..."
Her smile widened.
Lucian did not like the way she said that.
Not one bit.
Nyssara did not care. She instead turned to Severin and—
"How much?"
She asked directly.
"For what?"
Severin tilted his head in confusion.
"For him."
Nyssara pointed at Lucian.
Lucian blinked, unable to believe what he was hearing, and Nyssara’s smile became more and more playful.
"How much would the Enclave require to sell him to me?"
She asked, then, before anyone could speak—
"One hundred and fifty Black Contracts. Three sealed desire cores from the Lower Courts. Seven names of hidden Host brokers operating outside your records and a Vesperis Chain capable of binding a High Demon for nine breaths.
I can offer it all in exchange for him.
And I am willing to negotiate."
She smiled politely.
Severin’s eyes flickered only for a short second, even Marcelline’s face changed a little.
Now Lucian did not understand the value of the things she offered, but just from their reactions alone, he could tell they were valuable.
And that only made him more terrified.
Were these people... truly thinking of selling him...?
Because the longer Severin stayed silent, the more it looked like he was.
But then—
"He is not for sale."
Vivienne spoke in her usual flat tone.
"He belongs to me."
That made Severin snap out of his momentary reverie as well—
"Yes, Lucian Cross is Lady Vivienne’s student, we will not sell him."
He nodded.
He obviously couldn’t sell Lucian, the boy had singlehandedly saved Enclave’s reputation from being destroyed, that was an action worth rewarding, not selling him to demons.
Not to mention, even if he wanted to sell him...
Severin’s gaze shifted to Vivienne, who was staring at Nyssara with her usual cold face and for a moment, his body trembled.
He would never even dare to touch something Vivienne was claiming so openly.
He still wished to live a few more decades.
"Student, huh..."
Nyssara’s eyes shone with old amusement. She looked at Lucian, then she turned to Vivienne and leaned closer to the mirror.
"It has been a while since you took in someone who wasn’t part of the Enclave from the beginning, eh? When was the last one?"
She tried to remember.
"That Lyudmila Pavlichenko, was it?"
Lucian’s eyes changed.
Lyudmila Pavlichenko.
He had heard that name before.
He wasn’t clear on the details, but he was very sure he had heard the name.
He looked at Vivienne for answers, his teacher, however, only stared at Nyssara and—
"He is mine.
Keep your hands off him or I’ll tear them apart."
She threatened directly.
Nyssara only laughed playfully, accentuating her hourglass body.
"Possessive~
I like it~"
Then she looked at Lucian again.
"Your teacher loves you."
For a second, Lucian said nothing. He still felt a little uncomfortable when she looked at him, there was something about her gaze that made him feel uneasy.
But at the same time, Lucian also knew he couldn’t always be like this, he couldn’t always hide behind his teacher.
He needed to speak up, he too needed to stand firm, even if the being in front of him was an Archdemon.
So Lucian forced himself, then, he activated Red Quiet to kill whatever discomfort he felt and—
"I love her as well."
He answered with a smile.
"Oh. So you can speak."
Nyssara’s brows lifted.
"Trust me, I am a very good talker."
"Is that so...?"
Nyssara looked pleased.
"How about later, the two of us have a talk of our own?"
Her voice softened.
She was openly flirting with him.
Lucian glanced at her horns, her wings, her glowing purple eyes, for a moment, he was mesmerised by her beauty, but then—
"Sorry. I do not have a thing for demonic features."
For one second, the room went completely still.
Then Nyssara’s mouth twitched.
"You do realize you have demonic features too, correct?"
Lucian smiled.
"That is precisely why. All my love for demonic features is spent on me. I am quite the narcissist, you see."
Severin closed his eyes, he almost wanted to facepalm.
Marcelline looked like she had just aged five years in silence.
Vivienne stared at her student and Lucian—
He shamelessly stood tall, pretending not to notice their reactions.
That was when Nyssara let out a real laugh.
"You are quite charming, I give you that. I like you."
"Again, not interested."
"I’ll keep trying~"
Nyssara smiled playfully.
"Enough."
That was when Vivienne stood up and looked at Severin.
"I believe there are no more topics left."
Severin nodded.
"The Enclave has no further demands for this sitting."
"Then let us end this farce."
Vivienne looked back at the mirror.
Nyssara only shook her head.
"Always so impatient."
Vivienne didn’t say anything.
The Archdemon’s smile deepened, then she looked at Lucian one final time.
"Lucian Cross."
Lucian looked at her.
"I look forward to seeing what you become."
