Chapter 383

After using the healing aura to treat Ethan's injury, we spent the night together and woke up the next morning.

Though we woke up tangled in a slightly indecent position in bed, Ethan and I managed to greet the morning without crossing the line.

‘I’m not sure if I should say we crossed the line or not...’

My lower body felt a bit sticky when I woke up, but... at least there hadn’t been any ‘penetration.’

It wasn’t an action done with intent, so I could still consider it a healing act.

“…Good morning, Lilith.”

“…Yes, good morning.”

Of course, despite that, Ethan and I couldn’t help but exchange awkward glances at each other from the start of the day.

Even though we had bathed before going to bed, our bodies were messy again by the time we woke up. Fortunately, Dina had anticipated this and prepared the bath again, allowing us to get sufficient rest and recovery before rising in the afternoon.

…Though just because Ethan’s body had recovered didn’t mean I was expecting the final battle to be easy.

‘…It seems like I’ve almost completely used up my mana after last night.’

The plan to heal Ethan’s body while weakening mine had gone smoothly.

It was time to face the last opponent, the ghost-type boss monster.

⁂ ⁂ ⁂

The battle against the Giant Skeleton on the first day wasn’t planned, so we couldn’t avoid it, but the fight against the Toxic Blood Ghoul on the second day was somewhat intentional.

That way, on the third day, when my condition would be at its worst, I would face the ghost-type boss monster, the Harlequin Queen.

It might seem ridiculous to purposely exhaust myself when facing such a difficult boss, but this Harlequin Queen was an exception. Since she was a ghost-type monster, the moment she and Ethan encountered each other, she was certain to possess my body and try to assault him.

The Harlequin Queen was the ghost of a woman who had no relationships with men in her lifetime, and she had grown powerful by devouring other evil spirits. From the description alone, you could probably guess what kind of "service-type monster" she was.

The Harlequin Queen’s ability, ‘The Desire of a Virgin Ghost,’ allowed her to possess the body of any woman with the slightest sexual desire and use that body to seduce the man they desired. This was the main theme of the Harlequin Queen's subjugation storyline.

Of course, if you weren’t into that, there was a more traditional way to defeat her, but typically, the popular method was to give in once and then subdue her. Weakening the ghost’s desire made her easier to defeat, and aside from that, collecting HCG for the service events was an important part of the game.

‘Of course, I won’t let her do as she pleases.’

Even if she was using my body to seduce Ethan, it was still another soul trying to have relations with him.

I might tolerate it if I wasn’t there, but I absolutely couldn’t allow such a thing to happen right before my eyes.

“Do you remember the plan I mentioned, Lord Ethan?”

“…Yes. If you suddenly start trying to attack me in the church, I’m supposed to resist with all my strength, right?”

“Yes, I’m glad you remember. Though if you end up being unable to resist and succumb to my sudden lustful behavior, I can’t blame you. But I would appreciate it if you could hold out as long as possible so I can take care of the situation.”

“…Well, I doubt I’d suddenly become lustful just because the Harlequin Queen possesses you.”

“Thank you for your confidence in me, but once the possession happens, I won’t be able to control my body with my willpower.”

“That’s not really what I meant.”

“Pardon?”

“…Never mind, Lilith.”

Feeling slightly off balance, Ethan avoided the question.

With the final plan shared, we entered the abandoned church, the last area, and proceeded while dealing with ghost-type monsters.

To conserve Ethan’s strength for the final battle, I did my best to drain my own mana down to the limit.

After all the preparations, Ethan and I entered the church’s grand hall.

In the eerie atmosphere of the church, the possession came without warning.

“…It’s… different… Lilith…”

In the tense atmosphere, Ethan’s voice gradually faded into the distance.

In the darkness that resembled a void, I found myself facing a woman dressed in a black nun’s habit—the soul of the Harlequin Queen.

‘So, this is how it works.’

Being temporarily possessed by a ghost-type monster felt strange.@@novelbin@@

Memories of being captured by Mekhart briefly flashed through my mind, but this time felt much more manageable compared to back then.

There was no sensation of being forcibly bound, unlike the last time, and the fact that the creature in the space with me was a woman, not a man, made it slightly more bearable.

…Of course, only slightly better—this still wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

“How are you feeling, sister?”

“Like hell. You’re dead today.”

If I wanted to reclaim control over my body, I needed to win this battle as quickly as possible.

Especially for Ethan’s sake, who was probably out there fighting with all his might against my body.

⁂ ⁂ ⁂

Ethan, who had entered the abandoned church’s grand hall with Lilith, was gripping his sword tightly, feeling tense due to her last warning. But the sense of danger he had anticipated didn’t seem to be there.

“Something feels off, Lilith.”

“…Yes, it does.”

“I was expecting that monster, the Harlequin Queen, to possess you the moment we stepped inside, but I don’t feel any sign of a ghost-type monster.”

“…Perhaps we were mistaken. Our predictions aren’t always accurate.”

“Still, most of your predictions are usually right. Though, I’m not blaming you if this one is wrong.”

“…It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

“…?”

Though it wasn’t a long conversation, Ethan sensed something off.

There was something unusual about Lilith’s tone. It didn’t feel like her usual self, which made Ethan cautiously observe her expression.

“Why are you staring at me like that, Lord Ethan?”

“…It’s just that you’re so beautiful, Lilith.”

“Thank you for the compliment. You’re always handsome, Lord Ethan.”

“…”

Something’s different.

Something’s definitely different.

Ethan realized that although she was acting like Lilith, this wasn’t Lilith anymore.

‘Once the Harlequin Queen possesses someone, she will pretend to be the original person for a while to avoid suspicion, so be careful, Lord Ethan.’

‘Is there a way to tell if Lilith has been possessed?’

‘The Harlequin Queen’s primary goal is to use the body she possesses to engage with the man they desire. Eventually, her impatience will show, and her actions will become more obvious. She might lean on you or start making excuses to act more lustfully.’

‘That might be hard to distinguish. Is there any other way?’

‘You can sometimes notice differences in speech or behavior, but unless you’re very familiar with my mannerisms, it might be hard to spot. I wouldn’t recommend relying on this method.’

Despite Lilith’s concern, Ethan had managed to spot the differences between her and the Harlequin Queen. Now that he knew she had been possessed, he had to proceed carefully.

After all, Lilith had only asked him to ‘buy as much time as possible,’ not to overpower the spirit right from the start.

‘Once you realize that the Harlequin Queen has possessed me, try to act as if you haven’t noticed. Stall for as long as possible. Eventually, the monster will get impatient and try to force relations. That’s when you use your strength to stop her. I’ll do my best to drive the spirit out from within. However, if an hour passes and I haven’t broken free, then you have my permission to “exorcise” the woman.’

‘You mean I’d have to do it with your body possessed by another woman’s soul?’

‘I’m not fond of the idea either. That’s why I want it to be the last resort.’

…An hour.

That was the maximum time Ethan would have to endure this awkward date with the woman possessing Lilith’s body.

If Lilith lost the battle within, it meant Ethan would have no choice but to engage with the woman who had taken over her body. He hoped that Lilith would win her battle against the Harlequin Queen.

Just as Lilith had sworn she wouldn’t take another man into her arms, Ethan had promised himself that he would not be with any woman other than Lilith.