The Incubus System Chapter 1045. Army of Pets

The Incubus System Chapter 1045. Army of Pets

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Xenos, huh? Figures." Yeah, that was my granddad’s name.

Celia shook her head and laughed softly. "I can’t imagine living in the middle of a forest away from the hustle and bustle," she said, casually sipping her tea. "It would be impossible to get to the market, not to mention delivery services. How would you even live without those?"

I turned to Celia with a smirk. "Puriel’s still stuck in the medieval era, obviously. That’s why all this ‘hide away and gather troops’ talk sounds reasonable to her."

Celia nodded, looking amused. "Oh, that makes sense," she agreed, giving Puriel a lighthearted look. "It must be hard adjusting to the modern world after being stuck for so long."

Puriel frowned, clearly not amused by our teasing. She crossed her arms defensively. "I was just stating logic," she said, her tone a bit stiff. "You’re a demon lord, and this world still has hunters who hunt down demons. It makes sense that you’d want to hide, gather troops, build fortresses, and make sure you’re protected. That’s what any sensible demon lord would do—to defend themselves."

I cringed at the image she was painting, her words drawing up scenes straight out of an old RPG game. "Sounds like a video game," I muttered, half to myself. "Or, I don’t know, an RPG where the demon lord hides in a tower and just waits for the hero to show up."

Celia chuckled, nodding in agreement. "It sounds like a classic fantasy story. Dark lord, hidden fortress, armies of evil at his command." She shot me a teasing grin. "I guess that’s where you’re failing, Ethan. You need a fortress and an army."

"Yeah, right," I said, rolling my eyes. “Oh, wait!” I gestured toward my pets lounging nearby. "I do have an army. Look at them." I pointed dramatically at Red, Shadow, Rave, and Buni, who immediately perked up as if on cue. Red wagged his tail furiously, his eyes gleaming with pride, while Buni hopped a little closer, looking eager for praise. Shadow stretched out lazily, her eyes half-closed, clearly indifferent to the whole situation. Rave ruffled his feathers and cawed softly, as if showing off. While Foxy… she still stared at Puriel like a hawk.

Puriel blinked, her expression somewhere between amusement and disbelief. "This… is your army?" she asked, her tone a little incredulous. "You call them an army?"

I grinned. "Hey, it’s not about numbers. It’s about quality. And trust me, these guys? Top quality." I patted Red’s head, and he leaned into my hand, practically vibrating with joy.

Puriel shook her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Still… it’s a little too small to call an army, don’t you think?"

"Maybe," I said with a shrug, "but it’s better this way. Less mess, more loyalty." I paused and then pointed out the window again, this time toward the neighboring house. "Just for your information, though, the person living next door to us? She’s the chairwoman of the Demon Hunter Association."

Puriel’s jaw dropped slightly, her expression morphing from disbelief to shock in an instant. Her eyes widened, and she glanced toward the window, as if expecting Mrs. Clea to suddenly appear. "Wait… the Demon Hunter Association?"

"Yup," I said casually, leaning back in my chair and taking another sip of tea. "Pretty much the top person in the organization that’s supposed to hunt people like me down."

"And she knows you’re…"

"A demon lord?" I finished for her. "Yep. We get along just fine, actually. She’s more interested in keeping things balanced than waging wars." I smirked, enjoying the look of utter confusion on Puriel’s face. “She has made a contract with me.”

Before Puriel could process that, Celia chimed in, her voice light and teasing. "Oh, and that’s not all," she said, pointing toward the other side of the house. "The person living on the opposite side? She’s the princess of the Serpent Kingdom. You know, the kingdom that produces the vaccine that demon hunters use."

Puriel’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. She glanced back and forth between us, clearly trying to wrap her head around what we were telling her. "You’re joking," she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "The princess of the Serpent Kingdom? And the demon hunter’s chairwoman?"

"Not joking," I said, stifling a laugh. "They’re both our neighbors. We’ve lived here for a long time now."

Celia and I exchanged a dry smile, both of us amused by Puriel’s disbelief. It wasn’t often that someone reacted so strongly to our very strange living arrangements, but then again, Puriel had spent centuries in isolation. Her entire world—what she knew, what she thought was true—had been turned upside down in a matter of hours.

"I can’t believe this…" Puriel muttered, slumping deeper into her chair. "What is happening to this world? I can’t understand. I just… I can’t…" Her voice trailed off, and she stared blankly ahead as if trying to process everything we had just told her. I could almost imagine the metaphorical smoke coming out of her head from information overload.

Celia and I sat back, finishing the last bites of our breakfast while watching Puriel slowly unravel. I had to admit, it was kind of entertaining. There was something amusing about seeing an angel, who had probably once seen the world in black and white, grappling with modern life and my very non-traditional existence as a demon lord.

I leaned forward, tapping the table gently to get her attention. "I think that’s enough information for you today," I said with a grin. "We don’t want your head exploding from too much at once. I’ll give you more details tomorrow. For now, you should just get some rest."

Puriel blinked, still looking disoriented, but she nodded slowly. "Rest… Yes, that sounds good." She glanced around the room and then back at me, her brows furrowing slightly. "But… where am I supposed to sleep tonight?"