The Incubus System Chapter 1498. Don’t Take The Hit For Me

The Incubus System Chapter 1498. Don’t Take The Hit For Me

I waited.

One breath.

Two.

Three.

Then…

“Ethan…”

Her voice came from behind me. “What are you doing?”

I turned around.

Lysathiel stood near the rooftop entrance.

And yes.

She was not in her humanoid professor disguise.

She was in her angelic form.

Her wings shone behind her, white-gold and wide, halo faint above her head. Her clothes were different too. This was royal Light Realm attire, layered in white and silver.

Her eyes were fixed on me.

I had her attention.

I smiled faintly.

Not warmly.

“Your husband kidnapped a human.”

Her face changed. A small change.

But I saw it.

The slightest tightening around her eyes. The brief pause before she answered. “What?”

“Nathan. Demon hunter. Annoying. Uses seven light swords. Gives speeches about justice like he’s paid per word.”

Lysathiel’s brows furrowed. “I think I know who he is. I once thought he was you.”

“Great. Then you know exactly which human your husband took.”

Her expression hardened. “Do not accuse the king lightly.”

“I’m not accusing lightly.”

I stepped closer.

“I had Puriel trace him. The trace leads to the Light Chamber.”

That hit.

This time, she could not hide it.

Her lips parted slightly. “The Light Chamber…”

I spread one hand. “So unless your king suddenly rents out royal sanctums for human vacation packages, I’m going to assume he has Nathan.”

Lysathiel stared at me.

For a second, she looked less like a queen and more like someone who had heard a nightmare repeat itself with a different name.

Then the mask returned. “Even if what you say is true, why come to me?”

I gave her a look. “Because I need a key.”

Her eyes narrowed. “No.”

“I haven’t even asked properly yet.”

“You do not need to. The answer is no.” She took one step closer, light gathering faintly around her fingers. “You cannot enter the Light Chamber. It will reject you and may destroy you if you force entry.”

I stared at her. “Okay,” I said.

Lysathiel narrowed her eyes. “…Okay? You are accepting that?”

I lifted both hands. “I mean, I accept the part where brute force is stupid.”

“Good.”

“So take me in as a guest.”

Silence.

The rooftop wind passed between us.

A bird flew somewhere above the college building, probably enjoying its normal bird life without worrying about royal chambers, kidnapped demon hunters, or divine marital politics.

Lucky bird.

Lysathiel stared at me like I had just suggested we solve the problem by setting Heaven on fire and calling it sunlight.

“That’s…”

“Possible?” I offered.

“Reckless.”

“Politically catastrophic.” She closed her eyes for one second. A very tired second. Then opened them again. “You cannot simply enter the Light Dimension as my guest.”

“Why not?”

“Because you are you. You are a nephilim carrying demonic royal authority and Gabrielle’s blood.”

“Also student ID.”

“That does not help.”

“It helps with cafeteria discount.”

She deadpanned. “Ethan.”

I sighed. “Look. I won’t be mad. I won’t fight him out of nowhere. I’m not crazy.”

Lysathiel looked at me. One long look. “Maybe you are not.”

I blinked. “Wow. Thank you for that generous maybe.”

“But how about him?”

She said it calmly too.

No queenly defense of her husband’s honor.

Just a quiet sentence that basically meant ‘I do not trust Aurelion to react logically.’

And his own wife had just implied that putting me in front of him might be more dangerous because of him, not me.

That told me plenty.

I studied her face. “So,” I said slowly, “any idea what we should do?”

Lysathiel looked away, toward the edge of the rooftop.

For a moment, she did not look like the queen of anything.

She looked like someone standing between a locked door and a burning house, knowing she had the key but also knowing the door might bite. “I will talk to him.”

I blinked. “Wait.”

Her light shifted faintly around her body.

I stepped closer. “How long?”

“Minutes.”

“Minutes? You are just going to walk into the Light Dimension, talk to Aurelion, ask about the missing human he definitely kidnapped, and come back in minutes?”

Her lips curved faintly. Not a smile. Something colder.

“He and I never talk for too long.”

That was somehow sadder than if she had sounded angry.

“And he is difficult to negotiate with,” she added.

Difficult.

Humans said difficult when a child refused vegetables.

Queens said difficult when their husbands possibly kidnapped people for resurrection rituals and had emotional stability like cracked stained glass.

Lysathiel looked at me again. “If I do not return quickly, do not follow.”

I laughed once. “You know I’m going to follow.”

“I know.” Her eyes sharpened. “That is why I am asking you not to. If you force your way in, he wins.”

That made me stop.

Her voice lowered.

“If he wants you reckless, if he wants proof that you are an uncontrollable threat, if he wants the Light Realm to see you as a demonic invader wearing Gabrielle’s blood…”

She stepped closer.

“Then the worst thing you can do is give him that image.”

Damn.

She had a point.

Again.

I hated today’s people.

They kept having points.

I looked down at my hand, then flexed my fingers once.

Dark energy stirred under my skin, impatient.

Angry.

Wanting the easy answer.

Break door.

Grab idiot.

Punch holy king.

Go home.

I exhaled. “Fine.”

Lysathiel’s eyes searched mine.

“I mean it,” I said. “I’ll wait.”

Her body began to glow.

White-gold light spread from her feet upward, gathering around her like layers of folded wings.

“Lysathiel.”

She paused. “What?”

I kept my voice quieter. “If he gets angry… Don’t take the hit for me.”

For a second, she looked genuinely surprised. Then the mask returned.

“I am not that fragile.”

Then she vanished.

The rooftop returned to normal.

And I was alone.

I stood there for a few seconds, staring at the place where she had disappeared. Then I huffed. “Yeah. Wait. Nice.”

I looked around.

Empty rooftop.

Morning sky.

I walked toward the rooftop fence and leaned against it.

One minute passed.

It felt like ten.