While Misaki was talking with Steven and guiding a few Liritians to the guild, Arlie was arriving at a set of ruins. With a gentle beat of her wings, she settled onto the ground. Her body shimmered and the wings vanished as her body returned to its former humanlike appearance. Even if she was a good deal smaller than most humans.

She stretched and looked around at all the trees and the quaint ruins. Trust Marcus to find a nice place like this for an old lab. At least this biological weapon of his is fairly harmless. All it does is turn people into loli’s and helps them adapt. Still, I can’t believe I never noticed this one before. My son literally placed it less than two kilometers from one of my weapon caches.

She sighed, glanced at the entrance, and said to herself, “I better get started on damage control though.” While thinking to herself, He has been dead for four and a half million years and he is still causing me trouble.

Another sigh escaped her at that thought. Marcus had been her pride and joy at one point in time. He was to be her successor. As a young boy, he quickly proved himself to be a prodigy at the arts and a genius in the sciences. He excelled in school and made quite a few friends. He was making his own way in the world and going places on his own merit. That was until she was forced to exile him after her son had pissed off some very powerful people in the empire. She had done it to protect him, but just look how that ended up, he is dead and here she is millions of years later still cleaning up his messes. 

Arlie pushed the thoughts of her son out of her mind and headed for the entrance to the ruins. She had some damage control to do. Thankfully she had caught this one early, and the damage would be easy to control. In her mind, she already knew what she wanted to do. Standing near the entrance, she spoke a single name, and invoked a summoning spell, “God’s Call.” A very powerful summoning spell that allowed her to summon entire armies of her creations at once, but it could be used to summon any entity that was technically her creation. Even if that creation was also a god.

A flash and a single figure emerged next to her. She was cute, and not particularly large, and it seemed Arlie caught her in the middle of a bath. Her light red hair was wet, and some water was still clinging to her bare skin. She stood a bit shorter than Arlie at around one hundred and twenty centimeters tall. Her skin was a creamy tan, smooth, and completely hairless. Her slit was small and closed while up above she had a modest set of swells that looked bigger than they really were thanks to her frame. The nipples were a little stiff at the moment and surrounded with modest pink areolas. Her muscles were toned, but not heavily just enough to give her a lithe figure. She had some fat that clung to her frame giving her some modest curves.

The slightly angry look on her face made her look even cuter. She glared, and stomped her foot, “I was in the middle of my bath! Couldn’t whatever this is have waited just five more minutes!!?”

Arlie giggled, and said, “Maybe. Although, I’m sure you will forgive me. After all, there are four scantily clad lolitas just inside these ruins....”

She trailed off as the small goddess ran in before she could mention the tentacle monster, and clearly no longer caring about her nudity. Arlie chuckled, that girl was still very predictable. All she cared about were cute little girls, scantily clad, dressed in ribbons, or wearing a frilly dress. It did not matter, it also did not matter if they were eight or twenty-four as long as they looked like a young girl and were cute she loved them.

At the same time, Misaki was leaving the guild. She had just finished helping the Liritians register as adventurers and left them to start training with Steven. It had taken a little discussion to get them to agree, but once she explained the benefits they agreed it would help them with their goals.

Now that everything was out of the way, she could finally have that conversation with Melisa that she had promised. The one about what it was like to be a lust demon. Melisa was owed that conversation at least. She needed to know what it is like to be a lust demon. Especially since she was well on her way to being one. She had not yet reached demonization stage ten, but she was close. Misaki could get her to cross the last couple of stages easily enough. If anything getting past the first stage was the most intensive. After stage one, the body starts having an easier time with the energy it is being infused with. Allowing them to absorb it more efficiently and that means it takes less to cross later stages. Even if the amount needed does increase with each stage the improvement in efficiency means less is lost. Allowing later stages to be crossed with less energy. Honestly, if you plotted the curve you ended up with a nice U shape with one side higher than the other. The transition from stage five to six had the lowest energy cost, while zero to one had the highest, and nine to ten had the second highest.

As she navigated the streets, she used her dungeon sight to check in on Kuron’s sister and found that her group was on their way back to the surface. That was good, that was one thing she did not have to worry too much about. When they get back, Misaki figured that those three could watch Kuron. Her sight then noticed a young man entering the town, and trying his best to look non-descript and failing. She had a feeling he had a story, but she wasn’t curious enough to go and talk to him. Nope, she had other things to do than check on suspicious figures. She did however make a note of it and decided to tell Phyllis about the young man.

It did not take her long to reach the house, and she entered the front room to find Phyllis, Kuron, and Melisa having a conversation. Phyllis was dressed, Kuron was not, and it seemed she was trying to decide what to wear. Her options were rather limited, and the only outfits that would fit her belonged to one of the demon maids. As such her choices were either a maid outfit or a revealing dress. Neither seemed to be to her taste. Misaki could conjure an outfit, but she did not feel like it.

She settled on to a couch and caught Melisa’s attention. Letting Phyllis continue to discuss outfit choices with Kuron. She patted a spot on the couch next to her. Melisa settled into the spot and adjusted herself slightly. Before Melisa could say a word, Misaki began, “So you wanted to know what it is like to be a lust demon?”

The naked aide nodded but said nothing.

With a smile, Misaki began, “Well, I’ll try my best to explain it to you. As a lust demon, I have a strong libido and absolutely love sex. Most of us enjoy it. Not just the act either, but the little stuff that leads up to it as well. When you become one you might also enjoy corrupting people. I enjoy corrupting people, getting them to break the shackles that society has placed on them, and showing them the joys of a good time. Lust demons of all breeds are very sensual creatures and we enjoy helping others learn those pleasures.”

Melisa giggled, “I can tell. Meira loves being in physical contact with me and seems to like it when I am naked.”

Misaki looked her over, and leaned back, “Well you have the body for it, and frankly I think you look better naked. The clothes you wore before never really suited you. Nudity seems to suit you well. Although maybe you will look good in panties and a half bra as well. Hmm, we will have to consider your attire. As a lust demon that is very important. It’s part of how you attract prey.”

“Prey? What do you mean by that?” she asked with a frown.

Misaki stayed silent for a moment, considering her phrasing before she began, “Lust mana is generated a little differently than other forms of mana. As a Lust demon, you will need it to live. Just like fire and light mages have a habit of sunbathing because it helps them recover their mana, you will feel the urge to have sex with people. Mating generates lust mana which you can feed on. You can recover your mana in the normal way, but feeding is far more efficient.”

Melissa looked away, and observed Kuron for a moment before responding, “I guess that explains a few things about lust demons.”

Out behind the guild, the Liritians were about to start their training. The session that would teach them about this world and the local dangers. Joining them was a young woman who was there to help with the demonstration.

Xatali watched the young woman. As she came up to them. She was dressed in some light robes and seemed quite happy. Their trainer Steven smiled, and said, “I would like you to meet my sister Jane. She is a mage and can demonstrate some magic for you. If any of you decide to follow that path, she will also be the one to teach you the basics. I can help, but she is better at the magic anyway.”

Xatali gave her a second look. The young woman did not look like much, but she remembered her own experiences with Solean ‘magic’ and how she had been stripped naked then stuffed in a tiny ball. She suppressed a shudder from the memory. One finger idly stroking the ball in her pocket. The one that cursed her to be the pet of whoever held it. Thankfully she had the cursed object, and one of the reasons she was here was to look for a way to free herself from it.

As for the young woman, she was not very tall. Only about a hundred and fifty centimeters tall. She was cute in a different way, and her clothes didn’t really hide the swells of her modest breasts. She seemed a bit athletic with some muscle tone and had some curves. Her face was framed by fiery red hair, but what Xatali noticed the most was her large green eyes.

Xatali needed no demonstration of her magic. Her encounter with Arlie had taught her deep down all she needed to know, and she wanted to learn magic. She also knew in her heart that the largely dismissed claim she had heard the one that said that they were going to lose the war was true. The Solean mastery of magic gave them the ability to fight in ways they had no experience with. Having been so helpless against it before she wanted to learn about it.

She stepped forward, and said quietly, “I don’t need to see it. I know I want to learn... magic.”

Steven seemed to have heard her though and gave her a gentle look. “Glad to know at least one of you knows what you want. Still, I do need Jane to give her demonstration.”

Jane smiled as she stepped forward and raised a palm. Quickly speaking a phrase before a bolt of lightning flashed from her palm to strike a target in the distance. A target that promptly exploded. After which Jane addressed them, “That is lightning magic, a form of elemental magic. Fast, powerful and versatile it is a favorite of many combat mages, and a few gods. It can be used both for offense and defense.”

Then she turned back to the target, and spoke another strange phrase. This time a bolt of fire flew across the field and struck a target. The target burst into flames leaving only ash behind, “Fire magic, another favorite of combat mages. Not as quick to cast as lightning magic, and not as useful on the defense. It is however very good at raw destruction, but it also has its utility uses. Such as starting a campfire. Now not many mages can claim to be a master of more than one element, but I have practiced a few elements and mastered three.”

Suddenly she swung her arm, and there was a whistling sound. A moment later a third target fell over. “That is Wind Blade, one of my favorite spells. A bit noisy, but quite deadly. Air magic is rather underrated, but as you can see it can be quite deadly. I’d love to show you earth magic, but I am not any good with it. While air is useful for combat, it also has quite a few detection spells. It is a very versatile element. Earth on the other hand is a very defensive element. It does have a few offensive spells, but it lends itself heavily to defense. It also is useful for building structures and paving roads.

“Also on the list of elements I can’t show you is ice. Ice is an interesting element. With a wide array of offensive spells, and a few defensive ones. Ice can be very dangerous in the hands of a master. ...”

She continued for a while until finally talking about something interesting, “Then there is Nature magic. It is the magic of the natural world and very popular among elves. True practitioners of the art tend to shed their clothes. They put no barriers between themselves and nature. However, they have no need for them anyway. Their nature mana protects them from the elements, be it a frozen tundra or the heat of the desert sun they will be fine. The mana also keeps their bodies young and healthy. Not the only branch of mana that does it, but one of the easier ones to master. Offensively nature magic seems weak at first, but it is very useful at controlling the battlefield. Summoning vines to ensnare an opponent, or blocking a route with a patch of thorns are just a couple of examples. Nature mages are invaluable to farmers and gardeners alike. Their magic can help plants grow strong and healthy.

“Then there are the Demonic magics. There are seven circles, but around here you only need to know about the Lust circle. The only practitioners of demonic magic here belong to the lust circle. Lust magic does not focus on combat but has its uses. Practitioners of lust always look young and pretty. It has a number of illusion and mind spells to be cautious of. Also while it does not focus on combat it does have a few combat spells. Although, as the name implies they would focus more on inflicting pleasure than pain, and the combat spells it has are meant to reduce the opponent’s ability to fight and put them in a state of heat. One last warning, demonic magic can enthrall a person if they aren’t careful. I am a good example of that. My brother and I had an encounter in the dungeon with a demon, and I got enthralled. Thankfully my brother dominated the demon, and my enthrallment was transferred to him. He tried to release me, but I kind of like being his thrall.

“Anyway, not everyone would want to be a thrall. It doesn’t take away your will, but it does make you want to obey commands. Lust circle enthrallment rewards a thrall with a little pleasure. Oh, yes before I forget there is one last group of magic to cover, Celestial Magic. Celestial magic is the opposite of demonic magic and is the only branch of magic that is actually effective against demons. It is also quite effective against undead, but you won’t encounter any around here. Not unless a practitioner of the illegal necromancy branch of magic showed up. Celestial magic is all about channeling the power of the heavens and has powerful spells. Celestial magic is great at healing, purification, and offense. However it is the worst element for defense, even fire has better defensive spells. It is also an element you have to be careful with because like demon magic it corrupts.”

Xatali curious asked, “What do you mean corrupts?”

“Certain types of mana change people when it concentrates enough in the body. Demonic and Celestial energies are notorious for this. The process is called Demonization and Celestialization respectively. The process goes through ten distinct stages, with the first requiring the most energy to reach. Upon reaching the tenth, a person will undergo a forced evolution into either a demon or celestial depending on which process they were undergoing.”

Xatali and her fellows were all confused and voiced a question, “Forced Evolution? What do you mean by that?”