The Incubus System Chapter 1451. Puriel and Astra

The Incubus System Chapter 1451. Puriel and Astra

“BROTHER!”

Celia’s voice echoed from the dining room.

“DINNER’S READY!”

Ah.

Right.

Food.

My greatest weakness.

I smiled faintly despite myself.

“Coming!”

I grabbed my bag properly this time and teleported.

The room blurred.

I appeared upstairs briefly, tossed my bag into my room carelessly and instantly teleported again.

Back downstairs.

Straight into the dining room.

And yeah.

There all of them were.

Honestly?

The scene looked absurd.

Like some kind of weird sitcom dinner episode nobody would believe if I tried explaining it out loud.

Warm yellow lights hung above the table. Celia’s cooking filled the air with that soft homemade smell that instantly made my body unclench a little without permission. The wooden table looked too small for this many people now. Or beings. Or emotionally unstable entities.

Astra and Puriel sat together on one side.

My pets spread themselves around the room strategically like furry security guards with trust issues. Red sat near my chair like a loyal knight. Shadow occupied the top of the cabinet like an emotionally unavailable gargoyle. Rave perched above the window while Buni stayed near Celia’s feet like a tiny fluffy mine detector.

And Foxy?

Yeah.

Foxy still kept watching Astra carefully.

Not openly hostile.

But alert.

Very alert.

Honestly it reminded me exactly of when Puriel first arrived.

Demons and angels really had the world’s worst first-impression system.

Even now, despite everyone calming down, the pets kept subtly positioning themselves around me.

Protective formation.

Which would’ve felt cooler if one of them wasn’t a rabbit.

Astra noticed it too.

I could tell by the way her eyes occasionally flicked toward them.

Not offended.

Curious.

Like she wasn’t used to seeing demons act… loyal.

Puriel handed Astra a cup gently.

“Honey milk tea.”

Astra accepted it carefully.

Then blinked after tasting it.

“This is good.”

Puriel smiled proudly.

“Right?”

Meanwhile, only three actual plates existed at the table.

Mine.

Celia’s.

Ruby’s.

Well.

Technically Ruby had food.

But she wasn’t eating.

At all.

She sat beside me with her chin resting on her hand, staring at me with the kind of gaze that usually led to bad decisions and missing clothing. Or underwear.

Honestly?

It was making eating difficult.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I muttered.

Ruby smirked lazily. “You are so hot. I really want to eat you up. Rawr~”

“That’s your flirting line?”

“It worked.”

Unfortunately?

Slightly.

Celia rolled her eyes and immediately shoved another portion onto my plate.

“Eat more.”

I blinked. “That’s a lot.”

“You fought today.”

Ah.

Right.

Family affection.

I picked up my spoon and took another bite.

Then paused.

Oh.

Oh wow.

I looked at Celia slowly.

“…Okay.”

She immediately sat straighter proudly.

“What?”

“This tastes way better than the usual.”

Celia grinned instantly.

Bright.

Happy.

She really was getting stronger emotionally lately.

“You just started culinary school less than a week ago,” I said while taking another bite immediately. “Why is this already better than before?”

She puffed up proudly.

“Some new friends gave me advice.”

I pointed at her dramatically.

“Bless your friends.”

Celia laughed.

And honestly?

That sound mixed weirdly well with the atmosphere tonight.

Warm.

Domestic.

Comfortable.

Which felt insane considering I literally fought angels a few hours ago.

Then again…

That was becoming weirdly normal now.

I kept eating quietly afterward while listening to the conversation happening across the table.

Because honestly?

That part interested me more.

Puriel and Astra had completely shifted tone now. The hostility was mostly gone. Replaced with something softer.

Awkward.

Careful.

Like two sisters trying to reconnect after history personally punched both of them in the throat.

Astra held the tea cup with both hands while speaking more quietly now.

“…The little ones still ask about you sometimes.”

Puriel blinked. “The small angels?”

Astra nodded.

“I took over your duties after you disappeared.”

That made Puriel go quiet instantly.

And suddenly I remembered the little floating angels from the Light Dimension.

The tiny ones peeking around pillars.

The soft glowing creatures.

The way the entire realm felt oddly… childlike beneath all the holy politics.

“You take care of them?” Puriel asked softly.

Astra looked away slightly.

“Someone had to.”

That answer carried way more exhaustion than she probably intended.

Puriel’s expression softened immediately. “You always hated nursery duties.”

Astra sighed deeply. “I still do.” Astra’s fingers tightened slightly around the cup. “They kept waiting near the border gates.”

Puriel froze.

Astra continued more quietly.

“They thought you’d come back eventually.”

…

Damn.

That hit.

Even I felt that one.

Puriel lowered her gaze immediately.

Small smile.

Painful smile.

“I’m sorry…”

Astra shook her head quickly.

“They liked you more than the other guardians.”

“Because I spoiled them.”

“You absolutely spoiled them.”

Puriel giggled softly.

Actual giggle.

Seeing her laugh this naturally now compared to the crystal prison version of her…

Yeah.

That still did weird things to me emotionally.

Astra looked at her carefully afterward.

“I tried entering the human world several times.”

Puriel blinked.

“You did?”

Astra nodded slowly.

“But the borders kept rejecting me.”

That explained a lot actually.

“The higher angels tightened security after Gabrielle died,” Astra muttered bitterly. “They became paranoid about demon bloodlines and human interference.”

Ah.

Politics.

Always politics.

“So I could only send spies near the border.”

Puriel’s expression shifted slightly.

“They searched for traces of your aura,” Astra added. “And failed.”

The room quieted again.

And honestly?

This conversation felt strangely intimate.

Not romantic intimate.

Emotional intimate.

The kind where years of loneliness quietly sit between every sentence.

Astra looked down into her tea for a second before speaking again.

“I thought if you were alive… you would hate us.”

Puriel immediately shook her head.

“No.”

Astra looked surprised by how fast that answer came.

Puriel smiled softly.

“I was hurt.”

A pause.

“But not by you.”

Astra’s expression cracked slightly after hearing that.

Tiny crack.

“Luckily, he found you.”

That made her glance toward me again.

There it was.

That look.

Again.

The weird one.

The one she kept giving me after I switched back into my human form.

And honestly?

It was getting concerning.

Because yeah.

When I was Damian earlier, full nephilim mode, she looked ready to execute me.

Now?

Now she kept sneaking glances at me like she accidentally developed a crush during battle.

Which honestly sounded ridiculous.

But the blush whenever our eyes met wasn’t helping my argument.