That year, I had my hands in my pockets when my great-grandmother waved me over.
One moment she was near, the next far away, leaving Vinny completely at a loss. In the end, after the pink-haired woman who called herself his great-grandmother chatted with him for quite a while, she seemed to sense something, exhaled in relief, then smiled and bid him farewell—right before giving him a slap that sent him back to reality.
Well—calling it a “slap” wasn’t quite accurate. It was more of a push. But when your great-grandmother’s strength is overwhelming, even a push will shove you straight back.
“Ow—! Cough, cough!...”
Vinny’s head jerked as if on a spring. Still half in a deathlike stupor moments ago, he suddenly felt an uncomfortable lump in his throat and mouth. A violent coughing fit spat up some of the remaining potion.
“This... this young master has... arrived at the station?”
Even pulled back from the gates of hell, he still felt utterly drained—so weak he couldn’t even lift his head, only his eyes.
And when he did... he found himself in heaven.
A familiar, cool fragrance of roses and damask filled his senses.
Vinny didn’t know what heaven was like, but lying face-down on these warm black-silk-clad thighs, sinking into soft, pillowy flesh beneath the silk’s exquisite texture—well, in his delirium, he thought this was heaven.
Or rather... maybe heaven was nothing more than this.
In this vulgar, greedy world, perhaps the only warmth left lay in a beautiful girl’s black stockings.
Yes... he must have died. Gone to heaven. And the goddesses and angels there, offended by the many sins he’d committed, had decided to punish him—condemning him to spend eternity in the “Black-Silk Inferno.”
Ahhh! This “punishment”—no, this reward—yes, please, give him more! Let him endure the greatest torment the mortal world could offer! Even if it meant drowning in black silk, he was willing!
[Virtue +300]
[Current Virtue: 8,654]
...Hm? Wait. What? How could he still be getting Virtue Points in the afterlife?
The Virtue System... followed him into the inferno?
That’s not right, is it? Even if it did follow him into the inferno—
Click!
Before he could finish the thought, the black silk around him suddenly tightened—clamping around his neck.
“O-ohhh?! Am... am I about to die again?!” Vinny yelped, face turning red.
“Vinny, if you keep this up, I’ll snap your neck and let you die for real~” Aesphyra’s voice carried a smile, though it was anything but warm.
“The hell?! White-haired short nut?! Why’s it you?! You died too?! Tch, what blind goddess let you end up in the ‘Black-Silk Inferno’ with me?! That’s just giving you all the fun, isn’t it?!”
Vinny’s body was still weak, mind hazy, but this guy—so long as he wasn’t completely dead—would always find the energy to run his mouth.
“What’s ‘Black-Silk Inferno’ supposed to be?... Keep spouting nonsense and I really will send you to hell.” Her smile grew faintly more menacing.
Still, seeing him so noisy again was a relief—if he could mouth off, he wasn’t about to die.
That blue-haired idiot was useless in almost every regard—but his vitality was at least worth complimenting.
And...
The situation earlier had been so dire she hadn’t had time to think about it—
But Vinny... this shameless man had been lying in her lap all this time.
He was badly wounded, and she couldn’t exactly kick him off, so she’d let it be. But the man had gotten her stockings covered in blood.
A faint blush flickered across Aesphyra’s cheeks.
It was the first time she’d ever had such an excessively intimate moment with a man. If it were anyone else, she would’ve cut off whatever touched her. But when she recalled the moment Vinny had thrown himself in front of her, she couldn’t feel any disgust at all.
“Ah—ahhh! So I’m... not dead?!”
Vinny finally seemed to realize this, patting his head. “Wait—lemme check... my head’s still on?!”
Finding it was still there, he let out a breath.
Scared the hell out of him. He thought he’d died, but no—still alive.
When he’d blocked that ice sword for Aesphyra, his stomach had felt like it exploded—like all his organs had been shredded. Then he’d been blown back, crashed into Aesphyra, muttered a few words... and blacked out.
Wait... hold on...
If he hadn’t died... then why had he seen the “Black-Silk Inferno”?
...Which meant...
Lost in that black allure, Vinny slowly looked up—and sure enough, met Aesphyra’s gaze. Her exquisite face carried a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, her amethyst-like eyes gleaming down at him.
[Virtue +100]
[Current Virtue: 8,754]
Oh... so that was it. He was being lap-pillowed by the white-haired short nut.
Ah—ahhh!
His eyes widened.
The hell?! Out of the wolf’s den into the tiger’s jaws?! What kind of suicidal courage did he have to dare this with the iron-blooded green-eyed devil herself?!
Not that it was his fault! He hadn’t chosen this! Irresistible force, that’s what it was!
He’d taken the hit for her and been blasted over here, nearly dying—surely he couldn’t be blamed?
“Look, Aesphyra, I know you’re probably about to be mad—don’t! Calm down! This... this wasn’t on purpose! Purely irresistible force!” Vinny said quickly—then noticed the ancient-style potion bottle in her hand, filled with shimmering pink liquid. The scent was... familiar.
This...?
Only half remained—the rest had clearly been used.
And he had a pretty good idea on whom.
Of course—he was just a mere Sorcerer Realm with paper-thin armor and one layer of ice skin. Blocking a future Demon Lord’s magic? He’d have died several times over.
As for why he was still alive—well, even at a glance, this healing potion wasn’t ordinary. Most healing potions—low or high grade—were red, with only the viscosity differing. This one was pink—close to the color of holy light.
Definitely expensive.
As someone of the Facilis family, he could feel it.
Probably the kind of thing an ancient family would keep only a single bottle of—entrusted to a valued heir as a second life.
Vinny fell silent.
Someone had used such a priceless alchemical treasure to save him—now wasn’t the time to be thinking up crude jokes. And besides, if she’d wanted to kill him, half a bottle of that stuff would’ve gone to waste.
“...Cough. Guess that’s twice now—I saved you once, and you’ve saved me right back.” He averted his gaze, clicking his tongue, unsure what else to say.
“You two have quite the bond—entrusting your back to one another like that. Touching, really,” Jiu Lixue’s voice drifted over.
She wasn’t in a hurry—no way these two were escaping. She might as well enjoy the show.
Vinny glanced at Aesphyra. Conveniently, she looked back at him.
Both faces had gone calm—the meaning clear.
All this was trivial. First, survive the bigger crisis in front of them.
Aesphyra, can you hear me?
“??” She heard Vinny’s voice—but when she looked, his mouth hadn’t moved, nor had his eyes shifted toward her.
Yet she had definitely heard him.
Damn! Do you want me to go “hey, hey, you there?” over and over? If you hear me, answer—just think it back. This is telepathy. That fox queen’s senses are razor-sharp—so to keep her from hearing us plot, I just used a mental-communication scroll!
Got it—she replied: I can hear you.
Good. Got a plan?
Shouldn’t I be asking you that, Vinny? Hero swoops back in to save the beauty—shouldn’t you have a plan? Or backup?
You think I can pull an army out of my hat? Within a hundred miles, there’s no “backup” I can call! I’m not an imperial noble—I can’t even summon a militia!
So you came back to die, then? she teased, even in this moment.
Maybe it was because... she wasn’t alone anymore.
She’d always thought it foolish, irrational to stay when you could escape.
But now... two was better than one.
Die? No! I was late because I thought of a plan—but the damage could be big. I hesitated, but decided to use it!
Oh? Vinny has a plan? That’s not common, she needled him.
Pah! Less mocking, more listening! I’m the Idea King of Camella—full of tricks! Right now, you’re out of options, the wind’s against you—so you have to rely on me!
She could imagine his smug, hands-on-hips, nose-to-the-sky pose.
All right, then. Tell me—what’s your plan to get us out of this?
White-haired short nut, you’ve still got a trump card you haven’t used, right?
...She didn’t answer.
You don’t need to tell me—I’m not interested in your secrets. But this is life or death. You didn’t use it earlier even when you were nearly cracked open—so it must have a key condition. Tell me—what do you need to unleash it?
Strange. Your IQ only spikes in life-or-death moments, huh?
Now’s not the time! Once that fox queen’s patience runs out, we’re dead! He stayed lying on her lap, too injured to move, rubbing his head against her black-silk thigh in urgency.
Give me a few minutes.
How many?
Five will do.
And?
But—you have to completely draw Jiu Lixue’s attention, and her subordinates’. Completely.
That was... difficult. A being of Jiu Lixue’s caliber never focused 100% on one opponent; she spread her senses across all threats.
Got it. You found the right guy—distraction is my specialty!
When I give the signal, start. But first—give me another sip.
She did, and some strength returned to him.
“All right—help me up!”
With Aesphyra’s support, Vinny stood, stretching under the demons’ watchful eyes.
No more words—they each focused on their role, exchanging silent trust in a glance.
“Oww, oww—hurts like hell! Thought I was done for! Your Majesty—damn, you hit hard! Too hard!” He stepped casually into a position that blocked their view of Aesphyra.
But that alone wouldn’t divert their attention.
“This is tough. Your Majesty, if you’re this ruthless, even if I brought a crate of milk, it wouldn’t save you.” His bloody, pained grin was almost comical.
The demons looked at him like he’d gone mad.
“Oh?” Jiu Lixue watched him with interest. A man who’d crossed the line between life and death and still dared to act up—that was rare.
[Virtue +50]
[Current Virtue: 8,804]
She’d see what game they were playing. She had all the time in the world.
“Why force my # Nоvеlight # hand?” Vinny sighed like an old master.
“I didn’t want to do this—but you’re so cruel, I must teach you the basic courtesy of leaving others a way out.”
“And what will you do?”
“Heh, heh, heh...” His smile turned bright. “Since you ask...”
Hands raised high: “Okay! Eyes on me! All eyes here! I’ve got an announcement!”
“You’re all her Majesty Jiu Lixue’s confidants, right? Ha ha ha!”
“What’s she like before you? Stern? Untouchable? Holy and inviolable?”
“Well... what I’m about to show you might change how you see her—and reveal a little secret or two.”
The fox nobles and succubus archduchesses scoffed. Nonsense.
Jiu Lixue’s smile didn’t change.
“You don’t believe me? No problem. Once I act, you’ll know.”
He pulled a recording stone from his robes and held it aloft.
“Don’t be hasty, Your Majesty! This isn’t the original—just a copy. You should know who gave it to me.”
Her expression didn’t change, but inside, a certain absurd possibility flashed in her mind.
...Could it be?
[Virtue +200]
[Current Virtue: 9,004]
Bingo—she cared.
Good. If she didn’t, this wouldn’t work.
“So, even if you panic and kill me now, that won’t solve your real problem.”
You can start now, he ordered Aesphyra in his mind.