Chapter 391: Pandemonica's Curious Proposal, and the Queen Who Is Anything But
In the end, Pandemonica stayed. The way she stayed, however, caused a muscle in Lucifer's temple to twitch uncontrollably. The Queen of Hell was, for a moment, utterly dumbfounded.
The sequence of events had been deceptively simple. After listening to Pandemonica's proposition, Ren had remarked with a hint of weary resignation, "Lucifer said something quite similar back then…"
That single sentence was all it took. A strange, calculating expression flickered across Pandemonica's face. She gracefully reached out, using a single, slender finger to tilt Ren's chin upward. A slow, deliberate smile spread across her lips as she whispered, her voice a low purr, "So, Lord Ren… you wish for Pandora to become just like the Boss?"
Ren sighed, not pulling away. "That, however, is your own decision to make."
Pandemonica's eyes narrowed, the smile never leaving her face. "Lord Ren, what do you think of Pandora?"
Ren was not some shy, flustered boy who would avert his gaze. He met her stare directly, his eyes scrutinizing her with frank appraisal. Pandemonica was, by any standard, a striking beauty. Her innate elegance and noble temperament were amplified by a tall, slender figure that gave her a commanding presence.
After a moment, Ren nodded. "Hmm. You're very beautiful."
"Lord Ren is truly eloquent," Pandemonica purred, her smile widening. "Then why would you not want me to become like the Boss? To win me over would be quite an accomplishment, would it not?"
"You seem to truly want this…" Ren began, a sigh already forming on his lips.
But before he could finish, Pandemonica cut him off, her voice laced with a newfound amusement. "Want? Don't want? I cannot say. It just seems… very interesting. You see, I still do not know what this 'love' is. To be precise, I am not even certain what those expressions the Boss was making just now truly meant, but…"
"A woman's curiosity?" Ren finished for her.
Pandemonica's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she let out a soft, melodic laugh. "As expected of Lord Ren. You understand perfectly. Yes, it is curiosity. And I trust you wouldn't mind having someone you consider a beauty, like myself, study you so intimately, would you?"
A faint smile touched Ren's own lips. "Do you know what I said when Lucifer proposed something similar?"
"When a woman becomes curious about a man," he recited, his voice even, "she is not far from falling for him."
Pandemonica froze, her playful demeanor momentarily replaced by genuine surprise. Then, in a manner completely unlike her usual self, she laughed aloud—a rich, confident sound that filled the quiet shop. For some reason, in that instant, Ren saw the bearing of a true queen settle over her. The elegant nobility she always possessed was now laced with a seductive danger that was as alluring as it was alarming.
Lucifer had no idea what was going through the mind of this new version of Pandemonica, so she remained silent, watching the scene unfold with a quiet intensity. A part of her, however, was pleased. This was how a demon should be—confident, cunning, and in control. It was deeply gratifying.
"Lord Ren, I must say, I now see why the Boss is so infatuated," Pandemonica said, her laughter subsiding into a knowing smirk. "You truly are a presence that easily piques a woman's interest. Not far from falling in love, you say…?"
As she spoke, a complex, crimson sigil bloomed to life in the depths of her irises, a sight that made even Lucifer's eyes widen slightly. In the next moment, Ren felt a subtle warmth spread through his limbs, a faint but distinct surge of vitality that eased the day's fatigue.
Pandemonica's smile was triumphant. "It should be perfectly acceptable for your own Boss's subordinate to sign a contract with you. After all, you are both my superiors. So, Lord Ren, I look forward to it…" She leaned closer, her breath warm against his ear. "…to seeing if what you said is true. No problem, Boss~"
Lucifer finally processed what she was seeing. This personality of Pandemonica was cunning, a sadist who was perfectly in control of her impulses, insatiably curious, and possessed the obvious presence of a queen.
Pandemonica casually sat down beside Lucifer, picked up the now-lukewarm coffee, and drained the cup in one go. She let out a soft sigh of satisfaction. "Mmm~ So good. I feel alive again."
Lucifer stared at her, her mouth twitching. For some reason, in that single moment, she saw the overlapping shadows of Sōryūin Shion, Kurayoshi Rino, Esdeath, and Momobami Kirari in Pandemonica… and stranger still, even a hint of Fuji Yumiko's gentle nature hidden deep within.
"Boss," Pandemonica whispered conspiratorially, "are you and Lord Ren watching the shop tonight?"
Lucifer nodded, her tone clipped. "Yes. Yumiko isn't here, so it's just me for now. Wait, what are you planning?"
"Boss, you're far too tense," Pandemonica chided with a soft chuckle. "What could I possibly do? And don't worry, I don't recall the last time I truly slept, so I have no interest in a night watch."
"Then what was the point of asking?"
"However," Pandemonica continued, a sly glint in her eyes, "if I were well-rested, I might become interested. And who is this Yumiko you mentioned, Boss? Your sister?"
Lucifer let out an exasperated sigh, deciding she'd had enough. She grabbed the smirking demon by the arm and unceremoniously hauled her upstairs.
Left alone, Ren leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply. 'It feels like I'm playing a mobile gacha game,'he thought wryly.'Is this place going to turn into an alternate version of Hell, or some kind of pirate den…?'
Still, Ren was not the kind of dense, crazed protagonist from a light novel. If a beautiful woman declared she wanted to understand love by studying him, with no apparent cost and only potential benefits, he wasn't about to refuse. Any man who would was probably not normal.
"What an absurd day," he muttered to himself. "But it seems both Lucifer and Pandemonica have completely forgotten what her actual job is. She's probably going to be worked to death when she finally returns…"
He was right. Pandemonica had indeed forgotten. She had a rare day off, gained a third personality, and successfully used Lucifer's desire for secrecy to strike a deal. Faced with a life she had never experienced before and a long-awaited chance to rest, her duties were the furthest thing from her mind.
As for Lucifer, she had almost forgotten what her own office in Hell looked like. Expecting her to remember her subordinate's schedule was asking far too much. Ren even wondered if, had he not opened the shop, Lucifer might have eventually forgotten how to use her magic from suppressing it for so long.
Thinking of this, a new question surfaced. His expression turned strange, a flicker of puzzlement in his eyes. "The shop is supposed to be shielded from any kind of spying, isn't it…? So how could Pandemonica sense Lucifer's magic from so far away?"
As soon as the thought formed, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[Because as Lucifer's employees, Pandemonica and the others all sign contracts bound by their own magic. Therefore, if Lucifer uses her power, they can sense its direction through the contract and locate her via that connection.]
'Eh? So it's like making a phone call?'
[The principle is roughly similar.]
Ren sighed again. In a way, Lucifer had considered many things, though none of them had anything to do with the actual duties of being a queen. A playful smirk touched his lips. "So, the fact that no one from Hell has come looking for her means they either haven't noticed she's gone… or they noticed and simply didn't care. Interesting…"
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