Chapter 221: A Date with Liana
However, what was more important was their future. Thus, Asmodeus aimed to reach the next rank before he desired to go any further.
The knights of Vinea adapted faster than he thought, with them taking turns in groups of four because all of them could work together and fight in any role. Vinea would make them alternate between fighting as a knight or archer and mage each day.
'I am glad she took my advice.' Asmodeus thought while watching the knights training in the private yard of the inn.
He paid extra after they all began earning money to use this yard to train themselves. Alan's training reminded Asmodeus that although levels were important. A person who trained to the limit could defeat someone who just had levels on you.
"Don't step too far forward! If you lose your centre of balance, a skilled enemy will take advantage; keep your magic focused in your abdomen, ready to use at all times." Velvet's voice echoed, her beautiful figure assisting the girls while Asmodeus watched from his room.
She offered to help train the troops from the night when he met Alice and discovered she wasn't what she first seemed, which made him quite interested in her.
"Yumiko, your fighting style is aggressive, but when you are using those blades, you lose focus and balance here. Your back leg keeps drifting out of position..."
Asmodeus turned away, and he was satisfied by her words and pointing out the issues he also saw when viewing from a distance.
'Though maybe I would not see it if we were fighting, as expected. Some people have better skills than others, I cannot train well... Should I teach Velvet my mother's technique? Though her basics seem close for some reason, it's nothing like Alice or Yumiko.'
***
The group took their weekly day off, where they would train for six hours, then relax and work on studying and whatever they wanted. Asmodeus decided he would take a quest trying to reach promotion.
No matter how strong you were, the guild rules were quite fair, and he didn't mind not having some instant rise like most isekai stories and novels.
It allowed him to learn the different herbs and how to collect them, to grasp the important things when taking quests.
He took a deep breath, the warm cedarwood scent of the inn making him feel at ease. It seemed that the mistress was burning a sweet lavender and honey incense candle. The inn began to feel like a home away from home for Asmodeus. The meals were delicious and homely, and when they returned, the mistress would greet them each time.
"Are you going on a quest?" A soft voice came from behind him. He turned to see a beautiful woman, her hair slightly wet, the scarlet strands shimmering from the sun outside the window as she smiled at him with a radiant glow. "May I join you, darling?"
'How charming, to see you just after a bath...'
"If you wish, we can go together, I would love that. Oh, by the way Liana, you look beautiful."
Her eyes widened, and she blushed, the same gentle smile growing brighter.
"Thank you, it is my pleasure to get your praise~ hehe, it feels like we haven't had much time together since we left the kingdom."
Asmodeus felt the same. He wanted to approach her but was worried after what had happened. There might be a wound in her heart due to abandoning the kingdom. Even if it was their plan, he didn't wish for Liana to worry or become hurt.
"Do you know the forest nearby? There are apparently many types of herbs and flowers there. Shall we take a simple gathering quest, then maybe spend the rest of the day having fun?"
He suggested it after remembering the usual quests on the request board, one of which involved collecting herbs.
"Are you inviting me on a date, while pretending to go adventuring?" Her cheeks flushed, a gentle giggle coming from her mouth. "Alright, I will come with you~ let's have fun, alright?"
"It is a date then."
"Oh, can we stop at a tailor shop? I ordered a new dress and boots for adventuring..."
"Of course, let's go. Come, give me your hand." Asmodeus loved her beautiful purple eyes and soft scarlet hair. He always felt comfortable with Liana because she never changed, although they all remained in a half-demon state. Asmodeus never forgot that from the moment he cured her curse and awakened as a demon lord. Liana alone kept this form and never let it fall once.
"Mn, don't forget me." She grasped his hand, and her smile and joyful expression made him feel something warm.
"I won't, how could I forget my future wife."
"Ah?!"
The lovely princess turned red; still a maiden, she was vulnerable to his blunt words as the pair left the inn. A small packed lunch was given to them by the mistress of the inn. It felt a little bad to always rely on her, so Asmodeus always left silver coins in place of the packages.
Baltimore was a wonderful city. Not only did it resemble the kingdom of Grigor, but the influence from the Beast kingdoms added an exotic touch that made the city brimming with life as they walked down the dirt path towards the guild. Since it was almost a month since they arrived, people greeted them with smiles and nods.
'Thanks to that event, and a few other issues that occurred, our group is now seen as a fledgling mercenary group that helps the weak.'
Asmodeus had mixed feelings about this. He didn't enjoy being a good person, though the benefits were not too bad. He felt conflicted about the number of people he had killed since coming here. It wasn't like he was some maniac who loved to murder, but after reaching the second stage of his demon lord evolution, the death of random humans didn't affect him now.
'We can easily manipulate these people. They treat us well, and it's easy to use some coins to build trust for the morally grey.'
"Darling, last night I heard that you planned to stay her a little longer, is that safe?" Liana always asked questions like this when alone. She seemed to be shy and would use their task or goals instead of speaking about herself to hide her embarrassment and delight.
"It should be alright, though the longest we can stay is probably four months. I hope to use that time to have everyone close to Alan's strength when not using divine power. Also... I want to spend time with my lovely princess like this, when we travel to the beast kingdom it will likely become hectic." Get the latest updates on m_v_l_e_mpyr
She nodded her head, a few loose strands of her scarlet hair covering her face. Asmodeus gently brushed it aside, his fingertips touching her soft cheeks, squishing them slightly as her blush became deeper. "I think you are correct. Velvet told me a bit about the current beast empire. Ah... Darling it's embarrassing if you stare like that."
Her hand squeezed his arm, his thumb resting on her lips, her soft skin making him wish to kiss her.
"Sorry, I just love to see your expressions."
"Ah?!"
Liana felt his other arm lifting her body, and the pair were in the shadows of the guild, a side alley where nobody was present, as he hugged her body. She could no longer fake being oblivious to her feelings and her desires that were too high.
"Mn, please give me a kiss."
Asmodeus didn't refuse her. He didn't know why, but this cute princess would act so different the moment he became a little aggressive, or hidden from other's sight. She really wanted his affection but couldn't ask for it like Erika, Ciela, Sariel or Yumiko.
So, the lovely princess kissed the demon lord in broad daylight, with no one else seeing them.
He knew she loved to kiss and thus spent ten minutes giving the princess what she desired but couldn't ask for while enjoying the sweet taste of her soft red lips.
'This girl is too adorable, look how lovely she is now...'
After the kiss, Liana became like soft putty, melting in his arms. She leaned against him, no longer speaking about boring things.
Instead, she wrapped her fingers around his and entwined them with his while she pressed her body against him like a cat that wanted him to stroke her.
The pair entered the guild and found the notice board, their hands locked together and eyes on the quest's options.
"Anything is fine, as long as you are there, darling."
Her words made his heart race a little, though he didn't show it and didn't resist her advances. Asmodeus knew that Liana actually enjoyed quests that involved killing.
However, he wondered if that was the right choice for a date, before noticing there was another bandit quest and felt amused. 'These guys never give up, wings of chaos, serpent gang... how many bandit gangs have we slaughtered so far?'
Asmodeus did not count. All he did was kill all the enemies and leave.
"Then let's deal with a group of bandits that have been causing trouble, we can use them for your training. I noticed your lovely magic arms are rather skilled now. Maybe you could conjure a flaming sword or other weapons for them to hold and that would make you a deadly enemy to fight, since they can extend to a length of fifteen metres."
"If I kill more than you, will you do anything I ask?" Liana gave a cheeky smile as she leaned against Asmodeus, her beautiful purple eyes like shimmering amethyst, making him unable to refuse her request.
"Then, if I win you will do whatever I want, and cannot complain, okay?"
"Nn!"