"Can you at least move?"

Valina was lying on the couch, and it looked like she was resting and slacking off. But Drako doubted that this was the case, as Valina was not one of the girls who wasted her time in this way.

"Sigh... seems I can't hide it from you, Big Brother. The truth is, I don't think I can move in the next few hours. At least Mordred has been kind and hasn't broken anything, but I feel like my muscles have been completely destroyed."

Just as Drako thought, Valina was too hurt to make even the slightest movement. She had even given up on turning her head!

What had Mordred done to Valina that she couldn't even move her neck? Drako didn't even want to think about it.

"Sigh... you can't go on like this all day, you'll worry the others."

Drako approached Valina.

"W-What are you doing?"

Valina was surprised when Drako placed one hand below her knees and the other on the back of her neck. Ignoring Valina's shout of surprise, Drako carried her in his arms princess style and led her out of the room.

"Drako? Let go of me! What do you think you're doing?"

Normally, the girl would be kicking and screaming her head off. However, Valina had no strength at this point, so the slightest gesture was impossible for her.

It was strange. This same Valina was the one who had proposed to Drako to have s.e.x the day before, why did she mind being carried by him?

"I'm helping you, you idiot. What are you gonna do if I put you down?"

"I don't need your help! I can fend for myself!"

Drako realized that Valina wasn't ashamed of him carrying her in his arms. She did not want to depend on anyone, and that Drako had to help her move was an embarrassment to her. She didn't want to depend on anyone.

It was not that she did not trust him, but that she wanted to be strong in front of him.

"It's not bad to depend on others from time to time, Valina."

"You... can't understand it."

Drako continued to carry Valina quietly through the house. Valina realized that Drako was not going to let her go, so she gave up trying to convince him. For some reason, she felt comfortable being held in Drako's arms. She felt happy... and a little frustrated.

"I don't understand why you're so desperate for power, and I'm not going to force you to tell me. However, you have to keep in mind that there are people who care about you. You... you're not alone anymore. You have me, Kuroka, Lavinia, Azazel... you're someone important to many people. Even if it's only a little, let us help you with that burden on your shoulders.

Whether or not Drako's words had reached Valina's ears was unknown to the young dragon. She had decided to close her eyes, and her face was showing no emotion at all.

Finally, Valina opened her mouth to ask.

"Where are we going?"

"To my room."

Valina didn't say anything else, but she started to blush. She remembered the proposal she made to Drako the day before. Now that she thought about it, hadn't she been too forward at the time? Drako had rejected her at once, but now he was taking her to his room while she was completely helpless. Was he going to devour her? Surely that talk he had given her about friendship was some nonsense he had concocted to make her relax.

Don't misunderstand her, she didn't mind giving her v.i.r.g.i.nity to Drako. In fact, she doubted there was a better match than him. But... she didn't want this to happen when she was helpless.

But she was a strong girl. Even if she was going to be r.a.p.ed, she wasn't going to complain. If Drako did something bad to her, Valina was going to take revenge with her own hands.

Just like Drako had said, he took Valina to his room. When he entered, he gently put her to bed, trying to make her suffer as little pain as possible.

"Can you wait here for a moment? I won't be long." Drako asked with a smile.

Valina nodded, and followed Drako's figure with her eyes as he left the room.

Well, now that he was gone, Valina could think of different ways to escape this situation.

The simplest way would be to get someone's attention.

Akeno, Natsume and Raynare where in the large indoor baths on the first bas.e.m.e.nt floor. There was no chance that Valina's voice could get there without being discovered by Drako.

Valerie and Lavinia had gone somewhere again today, though Valina did not know what the place was. Drako probably knew something, but it wasn't like Valina was going to ask him.

Shirone and Kuroka were training Senjutsu on the rooftop, the same place Drako used to train. Mordred was watching them, as she had nothing better to do.

Valina could try to escape on her own, but it was going to be very difficult. Any movement she made hurt like a thousand termites were eating away at her body. It was by far the worst state Valina had been in in a long time.

Valina had had that training fight on the first bas.e.m.e.nt floor, as of the various training rooms there are, one is made specifically for fighting. Of course, it's nowhere near the level that Drako and Raynare were using that morning.

Before, she reached the sofa taking advantage of the adrenaline in her body and her sheer willpower. But, once she lay down on the sofa, she became unable to move any muscles.

In other words, she couldn't do anything. She could only leave her fate in the hands of Drako.

"Are you sure about that? You can still use the forbidden movement." A voice sounded in Valina's mind.

This voice didn't surprise Valina at all. She had been hearing it for a long time.

Yes, she had probably heard Albion's voice since her father discovered that she was the bearer of the Longinus.

"No, it's too dangerous. You know I can only use it for ten seconds, more than that and the effects could be irreversible."

"It's true, wearing the armour is not something you can handle at this time. Your body is... too weak and small to do so. For that small body that cannot withstand my power as the Hakuryuukou, I would put your life in danger."

Valina, who had not yet developed, was unable to use the power of Albion due to her lack of physical maturity.

"Yes... and I don't want to die yet. Not when I still have to finish off Rizevim and his son."

Razevan Lucifer and Rizevim Livan Lucifer, Valina's father and grandfather.

They were Valina's main target, they were the source of Valina's hatred and the people she wanted to kill personally. But... Valina could not face them at this time, as they were too strong for her.

The main problem was Rizevim. His demonic power exceeded that of the original Maou, and he was considered one of the 3 "Superdevils" or "Transcendental Devils" along with Sirzechs Gremory and Ajuka Astaroth.

But, Rizevim was not as powerful as the other two Super Devils, as they can overpower him easily. Still, he was a much more difficult opponent for Valina than the other two "Superdevils". The reason for this is that he possessed an extraordinary power called "Sacred Gear Canceller".

Yes, he had the power to cancel the Sacred Gears created by the God of the Bible.

For Valina, who was quite dependent on her Sacred Gear, it was a big problem.

"But... why do you distrust Drako so much? I don't think he's the kind of man who would do this."

"It's not that I distrust him! All men are like that! Don't you remember what that bastard Razevan was doing with my mother? Don't you remember the beatings he gave her just because she healed my wounds, and then r.a.p.ed her in front of me?"

Valina knew that remembering Razevan and Rizevim, along with the intense pain she was suffering, had affected her thinking. In her right mind, Valina would never have doubted Drako.

Albion knew this, but he had decided to play along with Valina. It was at times like this that all the resentment a person carried inside her came to the surface, and it was also the best time to try and heal the wounds a person carried deep within their soul.

"You can't judge all men like that, Valina. You can't put that bastard as a reference for all men."

"I know... and I don't."

"So... why do you think Drako is going to do something bad to you?"

"Because... I offered him my body the other day, he must have regretted rejecting my offer. I am the descendant of Lucifer and Lilith, my body has all the attributes to attract the opposite s.e.x."

Even in this situation, Valina could not put aside her haughty attitude.

"Besides, Drako is a dragon. Your race has been known to have an uncontrollable libid."

Valina's cheeks blushed a little.

"Hahaha, you're not wrong at all! That's engraved in our instincts. Our birth rate is among the lowest of all races, even lower than that of the devils. But... it was you who offered Drako s.e.x in the first place, why are you so afraid now?"

"I..."

Valina didn't know how to answer Albion's question.

"I think I understand... you're scared."

"Impossible! I am the descendant of Lucifer and the bearer of the Divine Dividing! Something like this can't frighten me!"

"No, it's obvious you're scared. You're afraid the man you've fallen in love with is a sc.u.mbag like your father."

Although Valina wanted to deny it almost desperately, deep down, she knew that Albion was right.

If Drako had accepted her proposal the day before, it would be a completely different matter. First, because she would only see it as a requirement for a strength boost, and second because it would be consensual s.e.x.

But now that she knew that she could not increase her strength through s.e.x, the feelings she had discarded for the sake of increasing her power came back into the equation.

As Valina talked to Albion and lost herself in thought, the door to the room opened. Noticing this, Valina tensed up mentally, as she couldn't do it physically.

To Valina's surprise, Drako did not enter the room alone but was accompanied by Kuroka.

"Va-nyaa, I heard you took a severe beating. But don't worry, because I'm here!"

"What nonsense are you saying, Kuroka?"

"It's not silly! I heard it the other day on one of the shows Shirone watches, and I thought it was really cool."

Valina was confused by the development of the situation.

"Kuroka will take care of your wounds, Valina. Even if she's not very good, she knows enough to make you move again. I still have to make the food, so I'll leave you in her hands."

And Drako left as soon as he reached the room, leaving Kuroka alone with Valina.

Valina... was still in shock.

What was going on here?

Kuroka went over to Valina and put a hand on her body. Using Senjutsu, she extended her senses so that she could get a better sense of the damage Valina had suffered.

"That idiot Mordred... she doesn't know what it means to hold back? Now I'm worried about what Shirone might have suffered during all this time he's been with her..." Kuroka muttered as he inspected the wounds.

"Sigh... healing your wounds with my Senjutsu will only speed your recovery process, but you will still be unable to move for several hours. I'm going to have to use that cream... I see, Drako had already noticed that, huh..."

Valina didn't understand the meaning of Kuroka's words.

Drako had realized that the only way to heal Valina was to use Azazel cream. To use the cream, Drako would have to undress Valina, so he had called Kuroka.

Not that Drako felt embarrassed or anything similar since he had already applied the cream to Raynare that morning. Still, he felt that Valina was obviously uncomfortable.

"I'm going to take your clothes off, okay, Valina?" Kuroka asked.

Valina, a little confused, nodded her head.

Kuroka took Valina's clothes off, careful not to hurt her too much, and even took off her underwear.

Valina looked just as she had come into the world, though it was not a pretty sight. All of her skin was covered in purple bruises, and it seemed to be quite painful.

Kuroka opened a drawer in the room and withdrew a jar containing the cream Azazel had created.

"It's a little fresh, so it might be a little uncomfortable," Kuroka called it in.

She took some of the creams and began to slowly apply it to Valina's skin. As Kuroka had said, the cream was very fresh and had caused a slight chill in Valina's body.

The treatment continued silently while Kuroka applied Senjutsu over the cream to speed up Valina's recovery. In the end, it didn't take Kuroka fifteen minutes to apply the cream to all of Valina's damaged body parts.

"Well, I'm done now. Now you have to rest another ten minutes, and you can walk again, although with some difficulty. Wait an hour, and 90% of your wounds will be gone."

Kuroka seemed quite satisfied with the work she had done.

"I'm going to let you rest. You can put your clothes on once all the cream has been absorbed by your body. See you at lunchtime!"

Kuroka said goodbye with a smile.

Before she could leave the door, she heard Valina's words.

"Thank you."

To which Kuroka responded with another smile.

"You're welcome!"

............…

Valina was surprised.

As Kuroka had said, Valina could move after ten minutes of rest. 10 minutes she had used to reflect with Albion.

She had come to the conclusion that all her previous fears were useless. Drako... Drako was not like Razevan Lucifer.

Valina got dressed, left Drako's room and went down to the first floor. The wounds still bothered her, but she felt better with each passing second.

Azazel's cream was truly miraculous.

No, it wasn't just Azazel's cream. Kuroka's Senjutsu had a lot to do with it, too.

"We've been waiting for you, Va-chan!"

The one who greeted Valina was Lavinia, who was helping Drako set the eating utensils on the table. The rest were already sitting at the table, except Drako, and were waiting for Valina to eat.

Drako stepped out of the kitchen and noticed that Valina had just arrived.

"Huh, are you feeling better?"

"Yes, at least I can move. Thank you very much for your help."

Valina responded with a bright smile that surprised Drako. He was stunned for a second, but recovered quickly and replied with another smile.

"I'm glad!"

Drako's smile made Valina blush and look away.

The 10 minutes had given Valina much to ponder...

"By the way, Mordred, don't you have something to say to Valina?" Drako told the girl that had already started eating before the others.

"Yeah, yeah, how annoying you are."

"Mordred..."

"I'm coming! I'm coming!"

Mordred reluctantly rose from the table, probably because she didn't want to stop eating at this point, and approached Valina. She stood in front of the little girl and bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry I overstepped! I should have controlled my strength better, I didn't want to hurt you!"

Mordred's apology was sincere, though she was not entirely to blame. During the confrontation, Valina refused to give up so Mordred had thought she could continue fighting. The power to divide Valina's strength had surprised her, and Mordred had ended up getting too excited about the fight.

"You don't have to apologize, you've shown me that I still have a long way to go."

"Am I hearing correctly? Is this the same Lucidra-sensei we all know?"

"SAMEJIMA KOUKI, I'VE TOLD YOU MANY TIMES NOT TO CALL ME LUCIDRA-SENSEI!"

Everyone laughed when they saw Valina explode. Taking advantage of the situation, Drako approached Valina and whispered in her ear.

"Would you like to join me this afternoon on the side?"

"What for?"

"I think I've found your destined rival."

Valina's eyes glowed at the sound of it, and she soon nodded her head.