Absolute Depravity: Reincarnated with a lustful System

Chapter 31 31 - Joy At The End Of Tears

?Moment's past after the reaper's retreat, the approaching blizzard subsided into a hazy mist. Not long after that, Haruki and Asuka heard the sound of someone's steps struggling through the knee-deep snow.

"Who's there?" Haruki called, standing by the burning claw tiger.

"Lord Snow!" The voice called from the woods running alongside their path forward. "He's here! Lord Snow is here!"

"That sounds like the coachman," Springing up to her feet, Asuka smiled brightly. "We're here!"

Heeding her call, the coachman and a pack of adventurers came running out of the woods. Reunited with the duke, they rushed right over to him. Promptly circling the carriage, the members of the silver storm drew their weapons to protect him from any monsters and other potential adversaries.

"Are you hurt my lord?" Holding a giant sword in his hands, Kane the leader of the party asked. "The coachman said he was put under some spell, were you attacked by a magic user or was it just a monster?"

Trying to get as much information to plan ahead, he glanced back at Haruki from the edge of his eye. However, still haunted by his heinous act from before, Haruki couldn't utter a single word of answer.

"We can talk later, we should first meet up with the other," Raising her staff, Diana the white-robed mage began to cast a spell. "Lucy, Arthur keep us safe while I cast the spell."

Dressed in all black with deep green hair, Arthur the spy, reminded Haruki of the sister. The emotional strain only got worse as he drew out a pair of kunai and held it firmly in his hands.

"Stay close lord," Lucy added, warmly smiling at the duke.

Unlike the rest who appeared more brutish, she wore wooly clothes adorned with gems and had a genuine smile even amidst chaos.

"Protection!" As Lucy cast a defensive spell on Haruki, his whole body was enshrouded in a mystic green aura. "Go ahead, Diana, the duke is secured."

"Carry us to safety," Blinding light began to sprang out of her staff, and slamming it down on the earth she finished casting the spell. "Spiritual guide!"

An explosion of light consumed everyone around the carriage, even by the time the light retreated it took a while for their visions to recover. Squinting at his surroundings, Haruki opened his eyes to get a better understanding of what had transpired.

"They're back!" Growled an ogrish adventurer.

Looking at the Nue's eye member, Haruki noticed the rest of the convoy sitting with him in a circle around a cackling warm fire.

"How did we get here?" Looking around Haruki found himself in a cave with a lone entrance behind him.

"Look down duke," Diana replied.

Right under his feet was a magic circle carved into the floor. And although Haruki wasn't an expert in magic, he knew it was some sort of sigil for transportation magic.

'At least someone is competent enough to keep us safe,' Feeling reassured in the presence of the silver storm, Haruki let out a sigh and his shoulders relaxed carefreely.

"I need to rest," He mumbled, making his way to the fire.

Taking a quick look around, he noticed the unlucky clovers, Nue's eyes, as well as the last one of the shadow blades sitting around at the rejuvenating flame. The very moment his eyes met with Jenna, she got off the log she was sitting on and quickly walked over to him.

"Where ar-" shaking her head, she changed her worried tone into a much more professional one. "I'm happy to see you're well duke, but..."

Rushing by Haruki, Asuka grabbed him by the arms and uttered.

"Jenna, I'm sorry," Asuka's interruption left everyone a bit baffled. "We were attacked by a monster, and your sisters..."

Reminded of what they had to do, Asuka couldn't bear to speak a single more word. As tears began to form in her eyes, Jenna grabbed Asuka by the shoulders and shook her while scowling at her face.

"Shut up!" Jenna yelled out loud, her voice resonating throughout the dark cave. "There's no way they would l-"

"It was the lanterned reaper, they tried to engage him, but...they didn't last. He mentioned something about your parents and the fight just ended there," As soon as she heard Haruki mention the reaper, just like Fina her whole body went lifelessly limp. "We only managed to escape because he took their souls and left."

'Sadism acquired,' the sudden announcement inside their heads was ignored by both Asuka and Haruki. With the situation they were in, they couldn't afford a distraction of any kind.

"My lord, I think it's best we leave her alone for a while," Stepping up Diana, the mage advised. "In the meantime, you should rest in the tent we've set up while we gather and ready the carriages to depart from this place."

His head hanging low, Haruki nodded. After handing him over to the unlucky clover, Diana told them to show Haruki the tent, and guard him while they ventured out to get the tigress back along with the rest of the carriages.

"Lord, you're not hurt right?" Maya asked, looking back at the broken duke as they escorted him deeper into the cave. "I-I can heal you if needed!"

"No, I'm fine," Mindlessly staring at the ground, he seemed visibly bothered by the whole ordeal.

Taking note of the gloom over the duke's face, the clovers kept their lips shut to not scrape the wounds that were obviously too fresh. Upon leading him a lot further into the cave, the trio got ready to leave Haruki in Asuka's lone care.

"We will move a bit ahead to give you some space, just yell out to us if you need anything," Saying that Maggie took the other two and distanced themselves from the lavish tent.

Even as Haruki entered the warmth of the comforting bedded tent, he couldn't shake off the guilt of throwing the sisters out of the carriage to save his own life. Wrapping her hands around Haruki, Asuka buried her face against his back.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing," She replied with tears scrolling down her cheeks.

Little to their knowledge, those feelings of despair would be the last of their empathy. For the passive skill of sadism was slowly rooting itself in their conscience. Rarely had anyone acquired a skill without hard work, but after showing their generosity to the reaper by offering him not one but two souls, he too had given them something in return.

"Ahaha, did you see the look in her eyes when I used charm on her sister?" With a wide grin resting on her lips, Asuka giggled out loud.

Joining her in her laughs, Haruki's mind was also pushed to the edge.

"Ahhhh...I should've just taken a taste of them myself instead of making you use that creature of yours," Running his hand through his hair, he turned around and groped Asuka's ass. "At least we got their levels, right?"

"We sure did," getting up on her toes, Asuka pushed their lips into a kiss.