[Spirit of Lust] Chapter 162: Cynthia and Belphegor (Part 1). (Patreon)

William stepped out of the portal and into the real world again. He couldn’t decide if his body felt lighter or heavier compared to the other side. It was different, and that difference was a little jarring during the first minute or so.

Being alone was jarring as well. No supernatural beings showering him with praise, no strange swordswoman telling him to prepare for what was to come, no overindulgent old man threatening him… It was over, at last. One thing was over. Just one.

‘Sorry.’

Ishtar’s apology was heartfelt, genuine, but unnecessary.

“I told you, I’m with you on this. It’s important to you,” he said, speaking out loud. In the basement of this empty building, no one would hear him. “It’s not a bother.”

‘You say that now, but it will be a bother soon.’

“Would you rather leave my body and find some other sucker to help you?”

‘No…’

“Then I’m stuck with you and you’re stuck with me, just like it was before. You give me the powers to make my stupid dream a reality and I help you with your duty. Seems like a decent deal to me. Besides, I’ve had you deal with my drama all this time, and that’s not ending anytime soon. I should be thanking you for sticking with me.”

Will heard Ishtar sigh heavily in his head.

‘You know what? Yeah, I’ve had to deal with you having these sappy talks with the girls, so it’s only fair you help me do my job.’

Will chuckled. “There you go. Fair’s fair.”

‘Speaking of the girls, what are we doing now?’

“Well, the first stop should be obvious, right?”

As if on cue, Will’s phone rang. Though it wasn’t really his, it was still the special phone he’d borrowed from Nanami. Considering he’d be making more trips to the other world, he’d have to ask her how he could get one for himself.

He checked the caller’s name. Anna.

“...I was just going to call her.”

Will’s chest tightened with nerves as he answered.

“Anna.”

“Will! Are you okay?” she asked in hushed tones. She was probably at the front desk of Ladies Magazine still.

“Yes, I’m fine. A little beat up, but nothing terrible. What about you? Did something happen?”

“Well… yes. Jack Evans is here in the building!”

Will’s heart skipped a beat, freezing his chest.

‘Not Jack, Will. It was probably the old man.’

Right. Right. “How do I ask this? Are you sure it was him?”

“Huh? I mean… He looked like him.”

Will’s feet had already started to move. He was on his way to grab a cab or a bus or something to get to the building.

“But did he seem different?” Will had to ask. He didn’t believe they’d been tricked, and that Jack Evans was already free again.

“Different? Now that you mentioned it… He seemed… kinder, I think?”

“Kinder?”

“Yeah. Usually, he tells me to call Mrs. Evans to tell her he’s here to see her, but now… he asked if she was busy, and if he could see her. Real polite.”

Yep. That was still Belphegor, then. “I’m on my way there, Anna. I’ll explain everything later, but for now, just let him be, okay?”

“Let him be? But what if…”

Will grit his teeth. “He won’t do anything bad to Cynthia.” And if he, for some reasons, did, then it was better for Anna to stay away. There was nothing she could do.

“...Okay. But tell me everything later, okay?”

“I promise.”

He hung up just as a bus was reaching the stop. As he got in, he half-wondered if running would’ve been faster, but he hadn’t lied when he said he felt beaten up.

Fifteen minutes later, he was at the building. At the front desk, Anna’s face spoke of relief at seeing him.

“Is he still here?” Will asked her, approaching quickly.

“Yes, but now Nanami and her aunt are here, too.”

Will clicked his tongue at his own forgetfulness. Aoi had said just before she left that she was going to follow Belphegor, so of course she’d be here with Nanami. His head really wasn’t working properly. He felt a little dizzy.

“I’m going up there.”

“Be careful.”

Will kissed Anna’s cheek before he went to the elevator. While ascending, he kept wondering what Belphegor was doing here. The answer he wanted was that he was going to take care of the effects of Jack’s mind control, but he needed to make sure.

He didn’t even knock before entering Cynthia’s office, but he did open the door slowly. There, he saw them all.

Aoi was there, to the side, arms crossed. She looked towards the door briefly, and when she confirmed it was him, she returned her glance to the desk.

Nanami was fidgeting awkwardly. Like with Anna, there was a hint of relief when she saw him, but she didn’t move from her spot next to her aunt. She kept glancing from one person to another.

Belphegor, in the body of Jack Evans, stood straight and with his thumbs in his pockets in front of the big desk, his back to Will, not even taking a moment to look back.

Finally… there was Cynthia. With her elbow resting on her desk, she was rubbing her eyes and the bridge of her nose with a single hand. When she lowered her hand and raised her face, her eyes met Will’s for a split second.

Then she quickly looked away, steeled her gaze and stared directly at the Spirit of Sloth in front of her. Whatever Will and her had to talk about, it would be later. Right now, Cynthia had something else to attend to.