I Was Forced to Become the Demon King's Succubus Lover - Chapter 2

Beneath the Holy Altar, as the crowd gathered, the noise grew increasingly clamorous.

Su Sheng had been busy all night, having tried countless possibilities during that time. He had even summoned a lightly afflicted temple staff member, but the potion dripped onto them still showed no effect.

“What about this one? Do you feel anything?”

Su Sheng shook the potion bottle, his pitch-black eyes fixed unblinkingly on the little girl before him, who had a pair of distinct cat ears, wore a pink floral dress, and looked like a doll.

Ta Liya shook her head.

With the movement, her cat ears trembled slightly.

This heart-meltingly adorable sight only weighed heavier on his heart, and the potion bottle in his hand felt as heavy as a thousand-pound weight.

Without a word, Su Sheng turned and returned to the wooden table.

Six hours later, scattered potion bottles covered the wooden table. He wrote swiftly, seemingly having some idea for a formula that could lift the curse, but only upon closer inspection could one see that it was all crossed-out potion names.

The clock overhead ticked away. Each time he brewed a potion during this period, he recorded the time. In these six hours, he had already made five potions. It was worth noting that the average time for a mage in the Bright Continent to brew a single potion with magical properties was around three days.

But it was useless, none of these potions could solve the problem. A wave of frustration surged within him. Su Sheng resisted the urge to pull his hair out and continued flipping through the materials.

Giving up wouldn’t solve anything, and the only thing he could do now was to find a way to concoct the antidote.

Ta Liya asked softly and fearfully, “Your Holiness, will we be alright?”

Su Sheng’s hand hidden beneath the table clenched and unclenched around the pen, repeating the motion over and over until Ta Liya spoke again. He then turned and ruffled the little girl’s long hair, his voice hoarse as he said, “Yes.”

Ta Liya sniffled softly and nodded.

Outside the window, chaos reigned, and faint calls for the Saint could be heard. Yet, the potion room was enveloped in a heavy silence. The ticking of the clock was audible, and even the faintest breaths could be heard clearly.

Su Sheng stopped writing and walked to the window, just in time to hear three drumbeats.

Fei Meng had arrived!

“Ta Liya, watch over this place,” he said, putting down his pen and turning to leave in a hurry.

Behind him, Ta Liya hurriedly stood up from the sofa, grabbed the white robe from the coat rack, and chased after him to drape it over his back, but the robe slipped off.

Ta Liya looked flustered. “Your Holiness, I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. It’s cold outside in the morning.”

Su Sheng’s expression softened as he hung the white robe back up. “Thank you, but I’ll only be out for a moment.”

Knowing the Saint’s temperament, Ta Liya ran back to the sofa and sat obediently. “Your Holiness, go with peace of mind. I won’t let anyone disturb this place.”

Su Sheng gave a soft “Mm” in response, took one last look at Ta Liya, and hurried away.

Su Sheng arrived at the Holy Altar and saw Fei Meng, holding a drum, standing amidst the crowd, being jostled back and forth by the throng.

The area beneath the Holy Altar was packed with masses of people. Even the flowerbeds usually used for rituals were filled with people. In such an environment, even the worship of the God of Light no longer seemed as important.

People’s faces were filled with panic at the prospect of turning into demons and fear for the future. Arguments and clamor continued unabated, with everyone pouring out their anxieties to those around them. Even though the Temple had intensified its control, every Temple staff member was armed and would violently intervene in any dispute, more than a dozen incidents still required handling every single moment.

It was too chaotic. If the people’s emotions weren’t soothed, something even worse might happen.

Su Sheng walked a few steps to the edge of the railing, stopping at the closest point to the crowd. He cast an amplification spell on himself and then spoke:

“Please quiet down.”

The voice belonging to the Saint rang out, and its effect was like a dose of sedative. The noisy crowd instantly fell silent, everyone turning to look at the person standing on the sacred platform.

Su Sheng’s gaze was calm. Though naturally a person of cool temperament, he now used a strangely soothing voice to promise the people:

“My dear subjects, I know you have suffered greatly from the curse these past few days. But please believe me, Norton Similias will surely find a way to lift this curse.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted like a boiling pot. Some faces showed hope, others excitement; some trembled with emotion, while others shouted, “Great Saint!” Yet another group looked at Su Sheng with skepticism, and their voices were undoubtedly the loudest.

“Why should we listen to him?”

“What ability does he have to oppose the Demon King?”

“What if the curse isn’t lifted after three days?”

“How will he take responsibility for his failure? What if he abandons us after three days?”

“Yes! What then?”

A cacophony of skeptical voices poured into Su Sheng’s ears.

He swept a glance over the crowd below and struck the ground heavily with his staff. “Please listen to me. Do you not believe in me?”

His tone wavered at first, but he cleared his throat and asked in a voice so calm it bordered on indifference, “Who was it that defeated the Demon King?”

Someone below shouted, “It was the Saint!”

He asked again, “In that case, do you still doubt me?”

Amidst a profound silence, he solemnly promised in a steady voice, “If you believe I am qualified to be the Saint, then you must also believe I will never abandon you. We once defeated the Demon King together, and in the future, we will overcome everything together, including this curse from the Demon King.”

Someone below asked, “Then, Your Holiness, how long will it take for you to resolve our curse?”

Su Sheng looked at that person and said earnestly, “Give me two days.”

…

Could a cure truly be developed in just two days? Su Sheng didn’t know. Most likely, it was impossible. But Su Sheng had no choice but to say it.

He took a deep breath, held it in, and slowly exhaled.

At this point, the only thing to do was to hurry and research the antidote.

“Norton.”

Su Sheng stiffened slightly, his grip on the staff tightening. What he had feared had finally come.

Though somewhat reluctant, Su Sheng slowly turned around and asked, “What is it?”

Even though Fei Meng had forced his expression to appear normal, his voice inevitably betrayed a hint of concern: “Time is short. Can you really find a way to lift the curse?”

“Perhaps.” Su Sheng idly brushed the dust from his sleeve.

“Answer me.” Fei Meng stared unwaveringly into his eyes. “Be serious.”

“It’s difficult.” After a moment, he softly uttered two words.

“Then why didn’t you honestly…” tell them?

Fei Meng’s voice was a bit hoarse. Su Sheng knew what he was going to say, but he also knew Fei Meng must have guessed his concerns, so he didn’t respond.

After an unknown period of silence, Fei Meng said, “I understand. I’ll help you.”

Su Sheng was eager to return and research the antidote. Seeing Fei Meng agree, he simply hummed in acknowledgment and turned to leave. He departed too hastily, failing to notice Fei Meng’s gradually contorted expression.

…

Back in the potion room, Ta Liya was still sitting there obediently. Aside from looking somewhat uneasy, everything else seemed normal.

With only half a day left until the two-day deadline, Su Sheng immersed himself in potion-making, unaware that Ta Liya, who had been brought in for testing, had been secretly called out again.

A conversation drifted from the stairwell.

“The three-day deadline is approaching. We must hand over the Saint to the Demon King.”

“This… can’t be right?”

“What’s wrong with it? If we don’t hand over the Saint, when the three days are up, we’ll all die!”

“But he is the Saint!”

“So what if he’s the Saint? For the future of the kingdom, we must do this!”