The monster clung to the vine hut, peeking inside for several minutes. However, as if discovering nothing, it eventually took a few steps back. Turning toward the depths of the thick fog, it limped away into the darkness.
The eerie, low cackling echoed once more in that space filled with a bizarre atmosphere. But as the creature’s silhouette faded into the mist, the laughter grew fainter and fainter until it vanished entirely.
Seeing this, Eros closed his eyes again. Surrounded by the faint, delicate fragrances emanating from the girls, he slowly drifted into a peaceful sleep.
The next morning, Eros nudged Undine, who had half her body draped over him, her legs pinning him down. "Time to get up. Your leg is crushing me!"
Undine gave a low mumble, slowly opening her eyes which were still clouded with sleep. Seeing Eros right in front of her, she mumbled again. She shifted the leg pressing against his body slightly upward, wriggled her torso, and then rested her face back onto Eros’s shoulder, falling back into a deep slumber.
Eros blinked. He turned his head to look at Joanie and Syphreya on the other side. Seeing that they, too, were still fast asleep, he immediately realized something was wrong.
Normally, when Undine woke up and found herself pinning him down, she would jump back in a reactive startle. But today, she hadn't cared and simply went back to sleep. This was off—very off.
Not to mention Joanie and Syphreya. While he wasn't as familiar with Joanie’s habits, he knew Syphreya very well. She usually woke up quite early so she could have plenty of time to "prepare herself" as his breakfast. But today, even though he was awake, Syphreya was still sleeping—and by the looks of it, quite deeply.
The combined anomalies of Syphreya and Undine were enough for Eros to sense a problem. Narrowing his eyes, he began to carefully sense Undine’s current state.
In an instant, he understood. She was contaminated—specifically by the "Original Sin of Sloth."
But when did this happen? How did I not notice it at all?
He habitually reached out to Barbara. "What exactly is going on here?"
Unexpectedly, Barbara did not answer his question directly. Instead, her voice rang out calmly: "I knew from the very beginning, but I had no intention of telling you. You need to think for yourself more instead of always asking me."
Eros froze for a second, then noticed the thin mist permeating the vine hut. Realization dawned on him. "It’s the mist. This fog was produced when the rules of the Sin Realm shifted last night... so it carries contamination?"
This time, Barbara’s answer was direct: "Yes."
Confirming his suspicion, Eros quickly pulled the Grade 2 Sealed Artifact from his pocket—The Brilliant Sun. He tapped the outer casing of the artifact gently. In the next second, a warm yellow glow began to radiate outward from within the item.
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The moment the light touched the bodies of Undine and the others, strands of pale gray gas began to rise and dissipate from within them. Once the last wisp of gray gas evaporated from Undine, her eyes slowly fluttered open.
Seeing her current posture, she paused for a moment before realizing what her leg was pressing against. With a startled "Eek!", she suddenly sprang backward.
Joanie and Syphreya woke up at the same time, though they were unaware they had been contaminated. They were merely surprised that they had slept for such an unusually long time.
Eros went into the inner room and followed the same procedure, using The Brilliant Sun to purge the Sloth contamination from Ayesha. Ayesha opened her eyes and frowned; she could sense that something had been slightly wrong with her body.
"What happened to me?" she asked, her tone filled with confusion.
Eros wasn't surprised that Ayesha could sense her own abnormality. As a vessel for a Divine Descent, it was only natural for her to be a bit special. However, looking at that confused little face hidden beneath her disguise, a surge of mischief rose in Eros’s heart.
With a gentle smile on his lips and a tone of tender concern, he asked:
"Sorry about last night. I just gave you some treatment... does it still hurt now?"
Ayesha’s eyes widened. She instinctively touched her backside, her face flushing a deep crimson as she stammered, "Y-you... what did you do to me last night?"
She realized she had absolutely no memory of what had transpired during the night. Yet her body clearly told her that something "abnormal" had indeed occurred earlier. Suddenly, a terrifying thought flooded Ayesha’s mind.
Did this man... did he drug me or something last night? Otherwise, how could she have zero recollection?
Eros’s next response only confirmed her inner fears. With an earnest expression, he said:
"Don't worry. I'll take responsibility for you!"
"You... I... this..." Ayesha’s mind was a chaotic mess. Her face turned beet red, and mist began to gather in her eyes. Sniffling, she said with a hint of a sob, "How... how could you do this?"
Eros burst out laughing. He reached out and pinched Ayesha’s refined nose, saying playfully, "I’m just messing with you! You actually believed that? You were contaminated just now; I was only clearing the pollution for you."
Ayesha froze, taking a good while to ask timidly, "R-really?" To be honest, she was still a bit skeptical.
Just then, a cry of surprise came from Undine outside: "What’s going on out there?"
Joanie and Syphreya were staring blankly at the scene before them—thick mist everywhere, with visibility less than twenty meters.
Eros pinched Ayesha’s smooth, tender cheek and said, "Of course it's true! If you don't believe me, come out and see for yourself."
With that, he walked out of the inner room and stepped outside the vine hut. Ayesha bit her lip and followed obediently behind him.
Seeing Eros emerge, Undine immediately turned to him. "What on earth is happening? Where are the others?"
Eros shrugged, his tone nonchalant. "The rules of the Sin Realm shifted last night. One change is that spatial positions have been scrambled—they've likely been transported elsewhere. Another change is this mist; it’s contaminated. If you stay in it for too long, your body will be corrupted. In fact, you were all already contaminated by the Original Sin of Sloth. Fortunately, I brought a Sun-domain Sealed Artifact with me, which happened to be able to purge the pollution."
Ayesha stood stunned. So that’s how it was? For some reason, a strange emotion bubbled up within her—one she couldn't quite name. It felt... like disappointment.
On the other side, Undine looked aghast. "Does that mean we're the only ones here now?"
Eros smiled, teasingly replying, "Not quite~"
With that, he pulled out his revolver, Dead by Daylight, and fired a single shot into the mist to their left.