"Isaac had been with Selene in her Trial for six months. You should obviously know he had somewhat of a crush on her since before it started. His yearning for her would’ve grown considerably thanks to his bloodlines. Today, he can finally do it with her. What if he happens to lose control of his strength, because he got lost in the moment? We don’t need to be worried about it since we have high stats, but Selene could be hurt," Celia said.
Alice slowly frowned. As absurd as the topic felt, she couldn’t deny that Celia’s concern had some merit. Isaac’s control was incredible, but even he was still adapting to the explosive growth of his own abilities.
What Alice failed to notice was the faint ripple of mana hidden beneath Celia’s words. Without making it obvious, Celia had quietly activated her SSS-rank skill, Temptation’s Whispers, subtly making Alice more receptive to her reasoning. It wasn’t mind control, nor did it force anyone to obey her, but it gently nudged the listener toward believing her words more easily.
Completely unaware of the skill’s influence, Alice continued thinking through the problem. After remaining silent for several moments, she finally looked back at Celia with a thoughtful expression.
"Since you approached me, you must have a solution," she said.
"I do. I thought someone among us should be with Selene and Isaac so if Isaac losses control, we can be there to deal with it instead of letting Selene being injured from it," Celia said.
Alice’s frown deepened as she thought about the possibility. She still hadn’t noticed the hidden glint in the devil’s eyes or the subtle influence woven into Celia’s words. The idea sounded strange, but it wasn’t completely unreasonable either.
Behind her back, Celia’s tails flicked happily from side to side. She could already tell Alice’s thoughts were moving in the direction she wanted. All that remained was giving her one final push.
"I would have joined Isaac and Selene, but this would be Selene’s first time, so she would be likely nervous. I doubt she would be able to focus on Isaac and will be nervous due to me instead. So I thought it should be someone she had known for a long time, so she doesn’t feel nervous by their inclusion, and instead feels at home," Celia said.
Alice stared at her quietly for several seconds. She had a vague idea of where this conversation was heading, but she hoped she was wrong.
"...What are you trying to say?" she finally asked.
"You should join Selene and Isaac for their first night together," Celia said.
Alice’s expression froze for a brief moment before returning to normal. She looked away and silently organized the thoughts racing through her head. "
...It’s their first time. Shouldn’t I not intrude?" she asked after a long pause.
"What are you saying? It’s not intrusion. You are doing this for Selene. It’s your job as her older sister to make sure she is safe. Selene would be thankful to you for caring for her so much," Celia said righteously.
Alice lowered her gaze without immediately replying. She had always treated Selene like a younger sister, so hearing it phrased that way naturally affected her. The more she considered it, the harder it became to dismiss Celia’s reasoning.
Meanwhile, Celia’s tails were swishing so energetically that they almost gave away her mood. Watching the usually calm and cold Alice struggle with her dilemma between her duty as old sister and the embarrassment was surprisingly delightful. Thankfully, Alice was far too distracted by her own thoughts to notice that Celia looked like she was enjoying herself.
If Alice had realized the devil was toying with her, Celia was fairly certain she would have needed to run straight to Isaac and hide behind him. That thought almost made her laugh, but she somehow managed to keep a serious expression. She couldn’t ruin everything after getting this far.
"Helping Selene..." Alice quietly murmured.
The words sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than asking a question. She folded her arms and continued thinking.
"Yes, you are helping her. Anyway, this was all I came here to talk about. I am going to start my Class Advancement today, and likely won’t be back by night, so I can’t help with Selene’s situation. I would’ve asked Emily, but she isn’t the type to take lead, and might not be able to help Selene. I did ask sister Catherine, but you know her. I’m worried she might just play with Selene and Isaac to enjoy herself. That’s why I hope you go. You are the best option here," Celia said.
Alice couldn’t deny that part either. Emily was dependable, but she was far too gentle to step in unless someone specifically asked her to. Catherine was dependable in battle, yet when it came to situations like this, Alice honestly couldn’t predict what she might do.
From a purely logical standpoint, Alice probably was the safest choice. She trusted herself to remain calm even if something unexpected happened. That thought only made the decision more difficult.
Without Alice realizing it, Temptation’s Whispers continued to subtly influence her thoughts. The skill wasn’t forcing her to obey or replacing her judgment. It simply made Celia’s arguments sound slightly more convincing than they normally would have.
Before Alice could say anything else, black wings unfolded from Celia’s back.
"I will be going now. My brother is leaving so I need to be there. Goodbye~"
She pushed herself into the air before Alice had the chance to stop her. Within moments, the devil disappeared beyond the rooftops, leaving the alley completely silent once again. Only Alice remained standing there with a conflicted expression.
As she flew through the sky, Celia smiled to herself.
’Isaac, you better appreciate this. I’m helping you this much even after you refused my request. If this doesn’t earn me something good later, I’m going to bite you,’ she thought