''What did Yuina say the plant was called again? Sakura Noctula?''

"A plant that blooms pale pink in the moonlight..."

He couldn''t help but find the forest beautiful; even as a demon king, the beautiful trees that entwined with the Sakura Noctula looked dazzling, especially as the sun began to fade.

The patterns on each tree looked different and began to glow with a faint pink aura in the moonlight.

Once they absorbed enough of the moonlight, beautiful and delicious peach fruits would be created that could improve beauty, increase magic power and other unique benefits.

''Though this secret should only be known to the Inukami clan, thanks to my cheating ability to see the truth of the world with my Demon King eyes~ I now realise that the information has been given to the other tribes. There is a traitor, and someone wants to take their fruits and Moka trees for their own.''

However, Asmodeus knew another key factor was that without the fox clansmen themselves and their divine rituals, the fruits could never come to pass.

"A ritual, huh..."

"My dear husband, are you busy...?" A soft voice interrupted the calm and peaceful night, a voice void of confidence and filled with a sense of worry.

''Ciela... I should treat you better, my lovely elf.''

The elven princess, someone who used to keep her problems and feelings sealed tight in her heart. A girl from an entirely different world suffered a life full of troubles and difficulties, but now she found happiness within his embrace.

Her lovely dark skin shimmered like a glamorous evening star as the faint light reflected from the Sakura Noctula plants in the Moka wood forest below illuminated the beauty. Her long silver hair, which fluttered in the cool air, drifted around her body like a silk dress.

"I am never busy for you, Ciela. Come to me!" Asmodeus said with a confident smile. The one he always wanted to express, yet only now had the power to do so. No longer does his old self and thoughts contain him as his arms open wide.

Ciela didn''t waste another moment before jumping into his arms. Her natural fragrance smelled delightful, and her soft and supple breasts pressed firmly against his muscular chest. "I missed you—the journey was so hard~ make me feel warm on this cold night in a strange land."

''This girl... she is always so reserved during night service and lets the other girls go first.'' Asmodeus thought back to how Ciela would always insist that Velvet, Erika, Yumiko, and Liana should go before her... It was a strange feeling. She seemed happy to just hug like this many nights under the moonlight.

"Are you worried about your mother and sisters?" Asmodeus asked carefully with a kind smile, hoping to support his lover and future bride.

"... Yes... What if they don''t accept my changes... our changes? I worry they will turn against you, and I will have to kill them." Her eyes, which reflected the light beautifully, shimmered with tears of sorrow as the memories flooded back to her mind, causing her pain that only those closest to her noticed.

"I will do anything to avoid that, as I cannot bear to see your beautiful emerald eyes full of tears.."

"I can be strong when you need me to—if it comes to it, we must protect our family together."

"I''m sorry..." Tears ran down her lovely face; the stress finally broke her usually solid defences and revealed that beneath was an insecure young lady who needed comfort.

"No... Do not be sorry," Asmodeus replied before kissing away the tears while stroking her hair gently. "I could not pay attention to your needs enough. Sometimes, I was a little too unfair and treated you all differently, but I need to treat you each uniquely to your own needs... I understand it is tough to endure knowing about the elven oracle and that they are preparing for war now."

"I don''t care about that!" Her face looked up, and the beautiful moonlight almost shone with a pink hue because of the forest of Moka trees. "I cannot stand the thought of anyone calling you a monster or evil... You have done nothing wrong!"

Her cute face pouted as she looked at him with tears in her beautiful fury-filled eyes as if to suggest if they said anything, she''d slaughter them with no hesitation.

"Ah..."

"What?"

"When did my lovely elven lover become so adorable?"

''That woman... Aki? She seems to have feelings for Asmodeus. Does she want to sleep with him? It reminds me of Kathryn. Thankfully, she already had my brother as her fiance?e, or it might have gone badly.''

Ever since she returned, Yuina continued to refresh Yumiko''s memories and taught her more about the things she couldn''t remember, thanks to her selective questions.

Aki looked rather cute in her white robes and bright tail swishing in the water behind her. Still, she had many bruises from her fight with Asmodeus earlier, which brought a wicked smile to Yumiko''s usually blank expression.

Yuina herself was gorgeous in a strange set of thin kimono-like underclothing; the faint light reflected off her golden hair beautifully, leaving an angelic appearance as she closed her eyes and twirled the staff in her hands with two golden hoops and a beautiful silver ribbon.

The moonlight hit the Sakura Noctula flowers, causing them to shine with a vibrant yet enchanting pink, allowing her to notice how many young and mature-looking foxes were performing the ceremony in perfect unison.

''To think that the reason I pounced on Asmodeus and fell for him so easily was due to how the Inukami chose a mate... A long life, a single love... Fated by the moon? Is it really the moon and not my womb? That handsome boy made me want to appeal to him from the moment we met eyes.''

Yumiko thought back to their meeting when she had no memories and the moment her eyes met his. She didn''t know or care about anything he did. Yumiko just wanted to sleep with him, to leave her mark on him and claim him as her man.

''To think my race is such a passionate yet erotic race...''

Her gaze then focused on Aki, who, like her, kept looking towards the tower where Asmodeus was likely enjoying a lively night with several women.

''I want to go and join in with them...''

However, there was a sudden surprise waiting for the young fox maiden that she would learn after the ritual that would change her and the fate of the world forever.

Because this ritual had another meaning.

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Chapter Title: The Ritual Of Fertility

It was the ritual of gratitude to the goddess Serena for blessing the clan with a new royal princess.