The Author's POV

"Tsk."

Coming out of the Duchess's room, I clicked my tongue.

'I tried at least.'

Lowering my head, I looked at the three other tubes in my hand before putting them away.

Moments prior, I tried to negotiate for a devil fruit, but I was flat out rejected by her.

In the end, all I could do was leave with my head lowered.

'I can't be too impatient.'

I could've negotiated for a devil fruit before, but the Nectar was far more important to me. While I wasn't completely healed, I felt far more refreshed than I had in a very long time.

I even had a very good night's sleep for once.

Plus…

'It's not like there won't be an opportunity later.'

"You're back?"

"Yeah."

As I made my way back to our residence after secretly escaping the estate, I was greeted by the sight of Melissa tinkering with an odd substance. Nothing unusual.

Already used to this, I found a chair not so far from her and took a seat.

"Have you found what you've been looking for?"

"Not really."

Melissa shook the test tube in front of her and quietly observed it.

Though faint, I caught sight of a couple of bubbles on top.

…Just what sort of potion was she making?

"When are we going to leave?"

"When the time comes."

The only way back was through Kevin, so until the designated time, we'd be stuck here for a bit more.

"Thankfully, I'm already finished with what I needed to do, so I guess we can take it easy until the time is right if that's okay with you?"

"That's fine with me."

Melissa nodded her head without a change in expression.

It seems like she was enjoying her stay here.

"That's great."

I stood up from the seat.

make the most out of it. We've got

only have about five months on our trip over here. While

here, and that was

earth; consequently, the amount of time we had over here was significantly greater than the five months we had originally

"It's perfect."

time, but given the time I had, maybe… just maybe—by the time I

my hand and pulled out several bottles, each of which contained

"…I can only try."

lack of mana in the air... I no longer relied on mana alone. I could use my time

Demonic energy.

***

that hung high in the night sky. There was complete silence in the room as the white curtains that

"Pftt…"

sudden laughter broke the silence

human made when she rejected his request, Priscilla found herself unable

for not telling me he'd

Even though she did comprehend the reason he acted in the manner that he did, it would have been nice if he had informed

the past, and

right bet

was

at the thought of being on the opposite

his strength extremely terrifying, but so

took him was a single day. In a single day, he

looked at it from the sloth house point of view, then

the House of Envy being the main target of everyone, the House of Sloth was the

forces, but they were also the house

others, they weren't

about it, the scarier

to fool seven Prince ranked entities was enough to prove just how scary of an

"Huh."

exhaled and gazed at the moon outside. She then brought two fingers to

"Huh?"

had nothing in

ask the other human for another

***

hung in the air. The world around him was devoid of any light as darkness

the only movement that could be

appeared

"It's been a while."

strikingly similar to that of the chained

none other than

no reaction to his

say anything and just stared at him

trying to check if he was still alive or

out a sigh and

you going

"…"

received no response. Nonetheless, he

that really all there is to it? Do you have no goals that you want to achieve before dying… like, perhaps killing Jezebeth for

"…"

there's something

his hand, several tubes

straight ahead, he

return, but... if it truly helps you and your sanity