The Incubus System Chapter 1445. Can You Stop Saying it Like I’m a Walking Plague?

The Incubus System Chapter 1445. Can You Stop Saying it Like I’m a Walking Plague?

“Can you stop saying it like I’m a walking plague?” I demanded.

Ruby snorted.

Astra somehow looked more judgmental.

Honestly impressive.

Puriel finally looked between both of us, visibly confused now. Her wings twitched lightly behind her while strands of blonde hair slipped over her shoulders from all the sudden movement.

“What?” she asked. “What are you talking about?”

Astra stepped toward her immediately.

Urgent.

Protective.

Like she’d finally found someone after years of panic and was terrified they’d disappear again if she blinked too long.

“Sister,” Astra said, voice softer now, though the tension underneath it still crackled sharply. “He already corrupted you… right?”

I physically recoiled again.

“Why does everybody in your realm talk like a church documentary?”

“Quiet.”

“Right. Sorry. Continue your intervention.”

Puriel frowned instantly.

“No.”

That answer came fast.

Firm too.

Actually firm enough that Astra visibly paused.

“He saved me,” Puriel continued. “I was trapped inside the crystal, Astra. For thousands of years.”

The room shifted after that.

Subtly.

But enough.

Even Ruby stopped smirking for a second.

Puriel lowered her eyes slightly as she spoke, fingers curling lightly against her own sleeve.

“The Light Dimension closed its border to me,” she said quietly. “No one came.”

Yeah.

That one landed.

Hard.

Because suddenly all the playful nonsense in the room lost momentum for a second.

I watched Astra carefully.

The tiny reactions.

The way her jaw tightened.

The flicker in her eyes.

She didn’t know.

Puriel kept going.

“The humans…” Her voice softened further. “They used my angelic power to create vaccines. To give themselves holy power against demons.”

Astra’s eyes widened slightly.

“I was there,” Puriel whispered. “Alone.”

And yeah.

That word hit me harder than I expected.

Alone.

Because suddenly I remembered the crystal again.

The cold.

The silence.

The way she looked the first time.

Not majestic.

Not divine.

Just… tired.

Really tired.

“But…” Puriel looked at me then. Actually looked at me. And the softness in her expression almost made me uncomfortable for a second. “He saved me.”

My chest tightened slightly.

Because she said it so simply.

Astra immediately grabbed Puriel’s hand.

“No,” she said quickly. “Don’t let him fool you!”

I opened my mouth.

Closed it again.

She wouldn’t believe me. This wasn’t my battle.

“I know what demons do,” Astra continued desperately. “You must’ve sacrificed your virginity and become his slave just to escape!”

I cringed so hard my soul almost folded inward.

Ruby, still half dressed because apparently clothing was optional during emotional family confrontations, leaned closer to me from the side and whispered, “Sad, huh?”

I rubbed my face slowly.

“That’s actual slander.” Okay, yes, she lost her virginity. But I wasn’t the one who trapped her.

“Mmhm.”

“And somehow I’m still losing this argument.”

Ruby patted my shoulder sympathetically.

“With that room first impression? Yeah.”

Traitor.

I stayed quiet after that though.

Because honestly?

This didn’t depend on me anymore.

This depended entirely on Puriel.

And for the first time since Astra arrived…

Puriel actually looked offended.

“Huh?” she said. “That’s not right!”

Astra froze slightly.

Puriel stepped forward immediately.

“He’s the one who saved me!” she insisted. “The Light Dimension closed its border and abandoned me there!”

The air shifted again.

Not violent.

Emotional.

Heavy.

“Just because I wanted to save Erebus. He was Gabrielle’s son.”

Silence.

Astra’s expression hardened again immediately.

“But he was also Xenos’s son. Let the demon have him.”

Puriel shook her head.

“Gabrielle trusted me.”

The room went quiet again.

I noticed Astra’s fingers tighten slightly.

Another wound buried somewhere in celestial politics.

“Sadly…” Puriel lowered her gaze slightly. “I failed.”

That one hurt her.

I could hear it.

Feel it.

Even after all this time.

“But…” She looked toward me again.

And smiled.

Softly.

God.

That smile was dangerous.

Not seductive.

Not teasing.

Just… warm.

The kind that slipped past defenses before you noticed it happening.

“His descendant is still alive.”

I smiled back automatically.

Couldn’t help it.

And apparently that made Astra even more confused because her eyes immediately snapped between us again like she was watching two people speak an entirely different language.

Then she looked at me.

Really looked.

And I could practically see the gears turning in her head.

Because yeah.

This wasn’t what she expected.

At all.

No chains.

No fear.

No coercion.

Puriel looked…

Happy.

Comfortable.

Safe.

And honestly?

That realization was hitting Astra harder than my sword ever did.

Astra finally exhaled slowly.

Then spoke again.

“Since he has returned…” She looked directly at Puriel. “You should come back to the Light Dimension.”

Puriel’s expression changed instantly.

Subtle.

But immediate.

The softness faded.

Not anger.

Not sadness either.

Just… certainty.

She slowly pulled her hand free from Astra’s grasp.

“I can’t.”

Astra blinked.

“…Why?”

Puriel looked down briefly before answering.

“They threw me away.”

Yeah.

That one cut.

Clean.

Simple.

Brutal.

And the worst part?

She said it calmly.

Like she already accepted it a long time ago.

Astra visibly flinched.

Just slightly.

But I saw it.

“So no,” Puriel continued quietly. “I won’t go back.”

A pause.

“And…” Her cheeks pinked slightly. “I’m his now.”

Ruby made the loudest grin beside me.

I immediately pointed at her without looking.

“Don’t.”

Too late.

Ruby already looked spiritually entertained.

Astra, meanwhile, stared like her brain just blue-screened.

“…What?”

Puriel straightened slightly.

Still embarrassed.

Still pink.

But determined.

“I love it here,” she said softly. “I have friends.”

Her eyes flicked toward Ruby briefly.

Ruby immediately gave a thumbs up.

“I have people who care about me.”

Then her gaze shifted toward me again.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Because yeah.

That warmth returned.

“And…” she whispered a little quieter, “I have a lover.”

Silence.

Dead silence.

I suddenly became extremely interested in my ceiling.

Because wow.

Direct hit.

No warning.

Astra looked at me slowly.

Then back at Puriel.

Then at me again.

Her face looked like she was trying to solve divine mathematics while emotionally malfunctioning.

Meanwhile, Ruby leaned against my shoulder and whispered, “She confessed harder than you.”

“I know.”

Puriel kept going softly, almost like she was finally letting herself say things she’d buried for centuries.

“And I can go wherever I want.”

That one…

That one hit different.

Freedom.

Simple thing.

Basic thing.

And somehow the thing she treasured most.

Astra stood completely still after that.

No attacks.

No divine aura exploding.

No accusations.

Just silence.

And honestly?

That silence felt heavier than the fight earlier.

Because this wasn’t about corruption anymore.

This was about realization.

And realizations?

Yeah.

Those hurt way more than swords sometimes.