MMORPG: Rebirth as an Alchemist

"By the way, I hope Liam's father has recovered and returned to his family," Elena said.

All eyes turned to Desira, who still clung tightly to Azazel as if she didn't want to let him go.

Sensing the scrutiny, Desira answered their unspoken question with a simple, "Yes. He should be back to normal by now. All of them should be. I've burned all the contracts they had with me, and the charms I had on them are nullified."

"That's good to hear," Lorelai chimed in. "Now I don't have to resort to violence," she added to herself.

"Though Desira is the Warlord of Lust and Desire, her true job is to ensure that devils and demons can't be consumed by their lusts. Similarly, demons and devils without motivations and desires are given purpose through her potions and powers," explained Vivi.

"So, her role is somewhat important here?" Elena asked.

Vivi nodded.

Desira smiled proudly and faux whined, "I've got to say, it's not an easy task. If not for Lord Azazel, I would have killed those wretched demons and devils who are giving me a hard time."

Lorelai briefly glanced at Desira and then stared at Vivi. "Is it alright to give her that important role?" she deadpanned.

Azazel laughed. "It's fine. Desira is good at her job, and Hubrion is always there to stop her whenever she wants to kill someone."

"Hubrion?" Elena inquired.

Azazel, Vivi, and Desira paused before they reminisced.

"Ah, Hubrion," Azazel smiled a little. "He's one of my warlords and governs pride."

Desira sighed. "He's scary and prideful. His pride is both his strength and his downfall, blinding him to his own flaws."

Vivi looked worried. "I wonder how he has taken the corruption."

Both Vivi and Desira's faces turned solemn.

"What's wrong with this warlord?" Evie asked.

Azazel and the others exchanged a look.

"Well . . . Hubrion is the second in command to Lord Azazel," Vivi started. "And he's really powerful."

"If the corruption takes hold of him, he's ten times more powerful than before," Desira added. "He might be the most powerful demon in this realm right now."

Ren wasn't perturbed in the least and was even eager to go to this warlord. The more powerful he was, the more powerful recipes they could get, right?

He had noticed that the recipes they obtained depended on the warlords' powers and sins. Maybe Hubrion had enormous STR or DEF, and thus they could finally craft equipment worth millions when auctioned.

"Should we go to him next?" Evie asked, eyeing Ren. She knew what he was thinking just based on the calculating glint in his eyes.

"Egh? Go to him?" Vivi's eyes bulged out of their sockets. "Do you know what you're asking?"

Desira sighed and cupped her face, her expression troubled. "That's like asking for death."

"Enough, guys," Azazel laughed. "I know Hubrion. He might be prideful, but he is my second in command and the most loyal friend you could ask for."

"My . . . Lord Azazel, I'm the most loyal out of them, and the most beautiful too," Desira commented while cupping her face and fidgeted.

Azazel ignored her and continued, "I'm sure that if he saw me, he would recognize me right away and even give up the corruption."

"Yeah, just like what happened with these two here," Lorelai commented sarcastically.

"Lord Azazel, if we go to Hubrion right now, I'm afraid that he'd kill you due to the corruption inside him. He might be the most loyal, but don't forget that you fought with him all the time in the past," Vivi said seriously, her expression didn't indicate that she was joking. "This time, he might kill you."

Azazel only laughed it off. "Ahahaha. Don't be exaggerating. Hubrion will never do that. Those fights in the past were just friendly bouts, nothing serious. I'm sure Hubrion is suppressing the corruption inside him with sheer pride alone. In fact, he might even give us a big hug if he saw us."

. . .

. . .

When Vivi and Desira's expressions didn't change, Azazel sighed and turned to the side, his smile fading.

"Maybe we should go to Lethargia first? Her territory is just around here, right?"

"What happened to your confidence in your right-hand man?" Lorelai asked in incredulity.

"That would be best," Desira agreed. "Let's get the corruption from her first and build up your powers so that by the time you face Hubrion, you stood a chance against him if ever he wanted to kill you."

"Right now, Lord Azazel is weak. You need to get your powers back first," Vivi seconded.

"I know already," Azazel waved his hand in dismissal. "And you guys are merely worrying about nothing. Hubrion would never kill me."

Desira and Vivi only stared at him with dead-set eyes.

"Lord Azazel, I also didn't want to kill you, but the moment I saw you with the corruption inside me, all I wanted was to devour you alive," Vivi commented.

"Same goes for me," Desira chimed in and winked suggestively at Azazel. "If you know what I mean."

Azazel's smile faltered.

On the side, Ren really wanted to go to Hubrion. He wanted to go to the strongest demon first, but if it meant risking Azazel's life, then it wouldn't be worth it.

"Looks like we have no choice then," Ren gave up.

Azazel grinned. "Don't worry, guys, Ren and the others are strong; they will protect me. Ahahaha!"

Lorelai slapped his head. "Enough, you thick skinned idiot. If you're the Demon Lord then act like one!"

"Agh! Lord Azazel!" Desira readily came to his rescue.

"You should get stronger yourself," Ren commented with a wry sigh.

"Then looks like our destination is set to Lethargia, the Warlord of Sloth," Vivi announced.

"Sloth?" Evie muttered and side-commented, "Looks like my kind of thing."

Ren stifled a laugh, while Elena couldn't help but added, "Looks like our hunt for Salister Kane turned into hunts for warlords and their corruption."

Upon hearing Salister's name, Azazel quickly regained his composure and said, "Ah, yes. You're seeking that man, aren't you? Lethargia might be able to assist you."