The Gamer's POV

"Today drained me," Cedric exhaled loudly and wearily as he opened the door to his suite. He was holding a large white pastry box in his left hand, and using his right, he began undoing the buttons of his vest.

The moment he stepped into the room, a ring appeared on his finger and a portal rippled open close to the foyer.

Almost immediately, Athena stepped out in a dress, looking around to survey the room.

When she saw Cedric, or rather the cake in his hand, she smiled and stepped closer.

"Ooh, is that for me?" she asked as she received the box excitedly. But just as she was about to open it, Cedric caught her hand.

"It’s not for you, Miss. Take it into the sanctuary, I’ll come collect it later," he muttered as he wobbled tiredly to the couch.

Athena pouted as she grumbled, "Alright..."

She then turned and walked back into the portal, which vanished shortly after.

There was an open, face-down book resting on the cushions. When Cedric reached the couch, he picked it up by the spine to look at the cover. It read: The Duke’s Secret Sins: Bound by Blood and Desire.

’Hm... this is the book Aika has been reading recently,’ Cedric realized.

He sank onto the plush cushions.

Curious, he flipped to the marked page and let his eyes skim the text.

—

"We shouldn’t do this, Lord Julian," Seraphina gasped, her breath catching as he pinned her against the cold stone of the corridor wall. "If the high priest discovers us, the entire kingdom will suffer."

"Let the kingdom burn, then," Julian’s eyes darkened with raw, untamed passion. "For a single taste of you, I would gladly march into the abyss itself."

With a low growl, his hands slid fiercely down her waist, pulling her flush against his racing heart. His fingers eagerly tore at the delicate silk ties of her corset, unlacing her restraint until her smooth shoulders were fully bared to the moonlight, his lips descending hungrily toward her exposed—

Cedric slammed the book shut with a loud thud.

’Phew...’

His face flushed a sudden, intense crimson, and he quickly tossed the novel onto the coffee table as if it had burned him.

’What on earth is she filling her head with?’ he thought, massaging his temples to erase the mental image.

After a moment, he shuddered and leaned back against the headrest, then closed his eyes and muttered, "The Temple of Perpetual Equilibrium."

Suddenly, he felt himself sink down into the depths of the couch, and by the time he opened his eyes, he was standing in his temple.

Raising a hand, he commanded the Temple to restore itself as he began walking toward the exit.

Upon stepping outside, a raven suddenly descended and landed on his shoulder.

He recognized the bird instantly. It was Arlo, his favorite raven.

"Welcome back, my lord," Arlo greeted him in a smooth male voice.

Cedric smiled.

But after taking a single step, he froze.

"Wait—you can speak properly now?" he blurted in disbelief.

The raven tilted its head and ruffled its feathers. "I’m still learning, my lord. I must say I still have trouble with the pronunciation, but Athena has been a good teacher to the ravens."

"...."

That’s uh...

"That’s a fascinating development," he finally managed to say, blinking at the bird.

The ravens being able to talk properly?

And come to think of it, even the voice itself was incredibly clear. If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought he was speaking to a cultured man in his thirties.

That really was an interesting development.

***

Sometime later, Cedric found himself walking quickly along the hall leading to Redd’s cell.

He held the cake in his right hand and his left was tucked casually into his trouser pocket.

"How’d you know Redd is addicted to sugary stuff?" Athena, who was strolling smoothly beside him, asked curiously.

He turned to her and tapped his temple. "A father’s intuition."

These days, Cedric had been slowly trying to build a rapport with his summons. It didn’t have to be a perfect bond of loyalty. He just needed to make them not want to kill him anytime they saw him.

He couldn’t rely on the objects of confinement, because those were just temporary. Sooner or later, the summons would either find a way to manage their restrictions or bypass them altogether.

So even if he knew that getting all his summons to sincerely like him was impossible, he figured that the more who did not want to kill him, the better.

After all, he would be needing their help lots of times in the future.

As for Redd, using his Lord’s Eye, he had figured out that the Oni was a sucker for sweets. Though Cedric was wondering how he was going to get the proud warrior to actually accept it.

Eventually, they got to the cell, and the door opened on its own to reveal Redd seated on the ground. He immediately shifted back, glaring while growling, "What are you looking for here?!"

Cedric didn’t say anything and just extended his hand, holding the white pastry box out toward him.

The Oni’s gaze flicked up to see the box, and then a scornful sneer formed on his face. "You think you can tame me with table scraps?" He turned away, crossing his arms. "I’m not interested. Go away."

Cedric still did not say anything.

Meanwhile, Athena, who stood beside him, was alternating her gaze between the stubborn Oni and the quiet Lord, and after a long moment of agonizing silence, she began to grow frustrated and annoyed.

She groaned and turned to Cedric, then bowed her head. "Forgive me for the insolence, my lord."

’Hm...?’

Before Cedric could understand what she meant, she marched forward, plunged her bare hand straight into the box to grab a massive handful of the cake, and stormed angrily over to Redd.

She grabbed him by the horn, twisting his head around, and when he turned around with a furious roar, she shoved the massive clump of frosting and sponge cake straight into his open mouth, effectively muffling his anger.

"How dare you turn your nose up at a gift from my Lord?" She cursed under her breath, ignoring the dangerous sparks flying from the Oni’s eyes. "He went out of his way for this, you ungrateful brute, and you will eat it and like it!"

The Oni choked on the sudden influx of sugar, his fierce expression instantly melting into a mix of shock, profound confusion, and involuntary bliss as the rich flavor hit his tongue.

As Athena turned to leave, she flicked the excess frosting off her fingers onto the cell floor and snapped, "If you want the rest, ask politely."

’Wow... she really is dependable in times like this,’ Cedric thought as he watched her march back over to his side.

Truth be told, he had planned on teasing him with a small piece, then leaving in the hopes that Oni would seek him for another.

But this... this would do.

He could already see the Oni staring wide-eyed at the remaining box, swallowing hard as he tried to regain his composure.

’That should be enough to break the ice,’ Cedric thought.

Satisfied, Cedric turned to leave, but just as he stepped toward the threshold, the Oni muttered in a low, tense voice.

"...Wait."

Cedric halted and smiled.

Then he heard the Oni clear his throat.

"Leave the box," Redd grumbled, looking away to hide his flushed face. "...Please."

Cedric turned to the Oni and arched a brow. And when he did, Athena spoke.

"Please?"

The Oni licked his lips and hesitated. When he could no longer resist the scent of the cream, he corrected himself. "Please, my Lord."

Cedric smiled and gave the box to Athena to give him.

She took it and handed it over with a triumphant smirk.

Without another word of protest, the Oni snatched the box and began devouring the contents with relish.

At that moment, Cedric finally spoke.

"Depending on our relationship going forward, I might just bring you more of that from time to time."

The Oni paused, and a large dollop of cream clung to his cheek as he slowly turned to look at Cedric. His gaze narrowed, torn between suspicion and intense cravings.

"I might even introduce you to different varieties," Cedric continued, giving the pastry box a meaningful look. "It all depends on you."

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