"So as you can see, the architectures are vastly different. Beliali architecture originates from our desires to create a darker, more sinister appearance to add just a little more intimidation to our incoming negotiations. People see the spikes, the darker palate, the various motifs engraved into the materials and they have a lapse in their judgement about what to expect. Then when they see us... well, red tends to be offsetting for people, and the horns, height, and sharp fangs certainly don't help.
As for the Cimeriesa's, the towers came around for a rather simple reason; the higher in the air they were, the less damage they could do when their experiments failed. They learned how to enchant the bricks for their towers to be more resistant, and each tower is built atop a... pillar enchantment that can capture anything gaseous that leaks out. Then the color palate just came from them not wanting to put more effort into that when they could be studying more and doing more experiments."
Belian gestured to the city around us, the various inhabitants all stealing glances at the red skinned man as well as at the blue skinned woman beside him, many furrowing their brows before their eyes widened in realization, causing them to rush away and spread the news.
lightsnοvεl "Besides them, we have the various people we've... deemed bearable enough that inhabit Arx Impius' walls. Former allies from ages past, tribes that are related to us through marriage, random families that seemed useful... They've moved in and have set up their own homes here, which are the normal architectural designs you see. In total, Arx Impius has a population of around 2,000 people, which might not be a 'city' due to population, but the size and importance of Arx Impius does make it a city on the maps."
We nodded as we continued to receive a guided tour by one of the two direct leaders of the city, looking around to see the various sights of the city whilst we approached the Aedis, which had a large collection of carriages waiting outside its front gate.
"Ah, and it seems they are actually ready! Come, you'll get to meet some of the other members of the Beliali Clan and finally meet the Cimeriesa's! Just... do be warned that they aren't the most subdued group of people, yeah?"
Giving us a wry smile, Belian walked us towards the various carriages and stepped past the armored guards, who bowed and backed away from the Demon as he approached.
Silence descended over the small gathering as all eyes turned towards us, the dozen some odd people all looking our way and beginning to approach as they gave Belian a curt nod.
Four red skinned Demons and three yellow skinned Demons stood around us, with the remaining five people being different kinds of Beastkin and a single Human, who looked incredibly out of place.
Out of the seven Demons, five of them were women or futanari, with the remaining two being men, with one each respectively to the two Clans.
And... at a glance, it was clear which of those five were women, and which were futanari.
The Cimeriesa was by far the easiest, the sheer amount of mana radiating off of her nearly golden skin enough to permeate the air and almost condense itself into raw droplets of mana - that was how much was oozing off of her, and besides the abundance of mana, the other really telling fact were her eyes.
Belian and the Marquess telling us that the womenfolk of the Demon Clans were rather... out there was barely enough to prepare us for the sight of someone who had literally enchanted their eyeballs, something that needed such insane precision, skill, and sheer commitment that very few ever had, and that was how we knew that this Cimeriesa was a woman, and not a futa.
Like all Demons, she was tall and fit, with smooth skin and sharp horns that made her heritage rather clear, but unlike most of the Demons her golden skin was covered in tattoos that glimmered and faded at random, each inch of her body enchanted to some degree that seemed almost obsessive in nature.
Thin and hawkish, the Cimeriesa had sharp features and a serious expression, her Ritual Circle eyes looking us over while her general posture radiated arrogance as she sized us up; she was taller then me but shorter then Belian, somewhere in the high sixes, and her thin, petite frame almost made her seem like a feminine man if it wasn't for the obvious curves and soft figure.
Midnight black hair was braided down between her four horns, the first front two starting on the sides of her skull and curling over and up her temple, while the back two curled around her ears and extended just past her jawline, the four burnished gold horns capped in a brilliant azure that sometimes sparked with latent electricity.
The Beliali woman was easy to spot as well thanks to the demeanor around herself, as well as the general way in which she held herself and how the other Demons reacted to her.
She was taller than Belian by an inch or so, likely just hitting the sevens, while her body was just as lithe and packed with muscle, though it wasn't the usual spread of a warrior, but instead focused on her legs and shoulders, leaving her arms rather thin comparatively; that made it obvious that she focused more on sneak attacks and ending a fight in a single, explosive blow instead of fighting for long periods of time.
Her skin was a deep ruby red, and her eyes were a sharp and bright scarlet speckled with gold, the woman's features equally as sharp as the Cimeriesa but less serious.
Plump lips were proudly pulled back into a grin, revealing her curved fangs and forked tongue, while the twin horns atop her head arced back gently, giving her a more traditional Demon look.
The leather coat and black pants held up by a metal belt gave her a punk vibe, and like Belian she had a serrated sword hanging from her hip, its black metal surface inlaid with a brilliant gold that complimented her eyes, while a few daggers of all kinds were concealed on her body; Karambits, Dirk, Tanto, Stilettos...
As for why we knew she was a woman and not a futa, it was rather clear since the moment Jahi stepped into the circle of Demons, she approached the blue skinned Demoness and grinned at her, looking up into Jahi's eyes and coyly saying "Well well well~! Look at what we have here..."
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter