43

So here I am with many options available, coming up with some story of how I am a demon or a human of some variant or mutation that will only hurt me in the long run. but explaining devils and another world and all that could derail this conversation in a path I don't want. at the end of the day, the goal is to queen Catherine so the best way would be to have her use the fruit of temptation as an alternative for the devil pomeg. I have both and studied them briefly with all-seeing eyes and from what I can tell they are vastly different but more similar to each other than either is to devil fruit. so it should entice her if I bring one out and show her but I need to get the conversation there. so first is an introduction that I don't have to think too much on and can prove to be a nuisance later to explain.

"My name is Nova and I am a devil." she doesn't react in any visible way but that's to be expected since she likely has never heard of me and doesn't know what a devil is.

"Alright Nova, care to explain what a devil is? I can tell you are different from both humans and demons and even dragons so it should be an entirely new species of some sort." I guess her hundred-plus years of experience means she has seen a variety of people and it is easy enough to tell my differences even if she doesn't understand them.

"Well you are right about it being new to you but new in general is not correct we are an old race. and what we are is a species closer to demons than humans with some key differences." she is tilted the smartest person in the demon world so I won't say too much but also not withhold enough that she thinks I am an immediate threat.

"Like demons huh?" she quietly observes and I feel a force repeatedly pass through me. "so what is it you are doing here and why do you have this?" she holds up the dark will, and seeing the ring I momentarily focus on it before making eye contact again in an attempt to make her feel I value it enough to try to get it back. but if things hit the fan I am worthlessing the bindings and leaving the ring behind, devils don't need a random teleport ring when they can just pick where to go. but it's a slim to no chance I can escape her, to begin with, so that is still a bad idea.

"Well I was looking around curious about a pretty well-guarded area near town Leia and when I saw what they were guarding I was interested in knowing what was so special about the tree I saw. and to my surprise, the fruit on the tree was pretty similar to a fruit from where I come from, except the fruit on the tree being guarded seemed to be weaker in comparison. and when I was spotted observing the tree I was attacked and had to flee for my well-being and I used the ring in your possession to make a quick getaway." she sets the ring down and I quickly look toward it a few times, she doesn't say anything and I can't tell what she thinks about my story but during my narration, her sin output changed. she is a brewing storm of constant lust like her family's sin aligns but it is locked in and doesn't move much other than shifting in place, quite a good haul of points if I am honest and it sucks that once she reincarnates it will stop outputting and instead will strengthen herself but I digress. her sin doesn't fluctuate like Shea's with her pride but is a constant blue and when I spoke about the fruit from where I came there was the briefest spark of greed. if I play my cards right she might not even go check for the tree at all and I can make a deal with her to start building up trust. even later after all this if she sends someone to pick the fruit for another Asmodeus family member I will have long dispelled the illusion.

"What is the fruit you speak of like? I have looked all over the demon world for alternatives similar to the devil pomeg and never found one like it before." huh, that's a bit concerning that she is divulging information like that. she wouldn't do something like that to my knowledge unless there is a reason I am unaware of.

"Its a fruit some families grow to use for a multitude of reasons namely refreshing energy and also a few concoctions that revitalize the body." trying to get her to make connections to rebirth and the made-up effects of my fruit of temptation, hopefully, I don't overplay my hand.

"And you have access to these fruits?" she sounds intrigued and I realize she is acting, the encounter with her has already derailed and I can only try to play for the best results. at this point, Chen Rui told her the pomegs were gone and she freaked out on him but this is much more passive. I wonder if she has already contacted town Leia to ask about the tree and if this is all an act on her part or not.

"I could sell you some, I keep some in my personal space but I can't get them for you in my current state." I shake the shackles and the little chain rattles. "personal space is a unique magic to my family we are famous for and allows us to store things within it much like a storage bracelet." hopefully this allows her to lower her guard a bit, it wouldn't be that hard to believe and one could assume that since its such a useful ability it might be the crown jewel of the family so to speak and she won't expect me to have other ability's.

"You have them on you?" her tune entirely changes and is skeptical and I feel like I might have stepped on a land mine.

"Among other things yes, I always keep a vast amount of odds and ends on me in case I run into a situation where I might need them. I mean I got the space and it doesn't hurt to use it since everything inside of it is frozen and won't rot or spoil. so why not carry some tasty fruit that can fill energy in an emergency?" she nods and thinks for a while before speaking back up.

"Can I see one?" the shackles drop off my wrists and I am stunned. this is some kind of test obviously but why the heck is she trying this, she has no reason to believe my words. I still hold up my right hand and a fruit of temptation drops into my palm, the fruit appearing from thin air when I have no storage gear on me doesn't surprise her but the aura radiating off it does. once again a little yellow briefly flashed this time ten times as much as last time proving just how interested she is. I toss the fruit and she catches it with her spirit power before she observes it and finally grabs it with her hand.

"If you want more your going to have to pay for them, I have something I need to do and if your Asmodeus family you might be able to help me." she doesn't respond and keeps staring at the fruit her eyes practically glued to it and I begin to wonder if she can tell the real nature of it being a fruit filled with an abundance of sin. but after a few minutes of observation she sets it down next to the ring and makes eye contact once again and this time there is a different feeling.

"I am interested depending on how many exactly you can provide right now." so she is in a rush, I don't believe she ever said why she was rushing in the original novel. she should technically have an abundance of time to go slow and collect the fruit and do the nirvana in a safe environment. but the way she is making it out is like she is on a clock, and I will try to get as much out of this as possible and aim for queening her but I will save that offer till she is depowered during nirvana if she even allows me to be around when she does it. she could leave after I give the fruit so I will just say they spoil fast after being out of the stasis storage and she won't have the time to check if I am lying if she is in a rush and even if she observes them for an hour or so I can pull a little sin from it and cause it to shrivel up so to speak and she will believe me.

"I have fifteen on me currently if that is enough for your needs we can discuss what I want." I smile as she narrows her eyes and seemingly goes into thought.

-- Catherine POV --

This man named Nova is an unexpected encounter, he appeared using the dark will which should be with the lucifer family. last I saw it was with the crown prince grim and he should have passed it to Shea when he died. and yet he says he found it causing me to doubt this entire encounter, if he is working with the Lucifer family he likely knows about nirvana and the reason I am heading toward a town that has devil pomegs growing. but even so, this fruit he has is much better than the devil pomeg's on the surface, it has a feeling of massive power for such a small little fruit. it won't hurt to at least know what he wants for it and worst case I will just have to kill him if we can't make a deal. first I will confirm if the devil pomegs have been messed with if that is the case since I am on a timer to start nirvana and if I have to extract the rest of the fruits from him to use them then that's just what I will have to do.

"What is it you want in exchange for the fruits?" he sits up a bit and I see a slight worry from him leave after thinking I am interested. hmm, devils are indeed like demons, I can use it to my advantage if he thinks I am beginning to value him.

"Two things, first I want to meet someone high up from your family to discuss something of importance. and second I would like some assistance from someone from your family to help me get rid of an evil soul possessing a certain item I found in my brief travels in the demon world. your rebirthing flames should be able to purify the item and the item itself is of no real value but the nature of its situation of where it is concerns me in a few matters." cryptic and mysterious, meeting someone important from my family could already be considered completed with him sitting Infront of me and some item being possessed by a soul shouldn't be too dangerous if he lived the encounter.

"Agreed, we will speak of the two favors after I finish with some immediate business and I will need to fruit to complete it." he summons some paper and quickly waves some of his weird power over it and it fills with text, he then sets it down and slides it to me facing me so I can read it. smart it's some kind of contract guaranteeing I won't kill him but I won't sign that in case it has some properties that can even restrict a demon overlord. the rest isn't too bad, it states he can't pull the fruit out all at once since they spoil fast and he needs to keep them stored specially which is annoying. other than that he just wants a meeting and a little help with the haunted item. "I can't sign it if you say I can't kill you because for all I know you could try to kill me or someone else and I will need to kill you to prevent that."

"Alright so how about you can't kill or imprison or otherwise restrain me until after the contract is finished?" the words on the page shift after his power once again passes over it and I can help but feel that it is a useful ability for annoying paperwork.

"Alright that should be doable but remember I can be pretty vindictive if you try anything and won't hesitate to pursue a grudge." he bites his thumb and drops some blood on one of the lines on the bottom and I allow my blood to drip onto the page on a different line, the contract then ignites in flames and I am monetarily annoyed thinking it just got burned by the power of my blood but then I feel a slight binding to my soul. initially worried I soon calm down when I feel I can still control my actions and it doesn't restrict me other than if I try to ignite him on fire.

He smiles not even aware I just tried to combust him after seeing that display and feeling the magic take effect on me.