THE ALMIGHTY SYSTEM IS JUST A LEWD GIRL-Chapter 38: Feast of Greed.

The doors opened with a low creak,eat and sound hit them at once. The smell of roasted meat,oil and something sweet flooded the air.

The hall was alive. Gold lamps lined the walls, lighting tables that stretched from one end of the room to the other. Men and women sat in loose circles, eating and laughing. Music drifted from a corner..soft strings and slow drums. Servants moved between tables carrying trays piled with fruit, bread, and wine.

At the far end sat Borath, the King of Greed, on a wide throne surrounded by dancers and plates stacked high. The moment Eiji and the others entered, the noise dimmed a little and heads turned their way

Rhea’s hand brushed Eiji’s arm once.. a small silent warning. Melchior’s expression didn’t change. He walked as if he had done this a hundred times. Selendra followed with her tail low and her eyes moving, already counting exits. Vesper came last, the hood of her desert cloak still up,posture loose but her gaze everywhere. She drifted along the outer edge of the group,letting torchlight glance off the steel at her hip.

They were led to a smaller table near the side of the hall. The guard who brought them there didn’t speak. When he left, Eiji exhaled slowly and he felt Alma’s pulse through the charm under his shirt.

[Bond hum at twenty percent. Visibility: partial. I’m near.]

A shimmer appeared beside him.. faint at first, then clear. Alma stood there in her usual curvy,teasing form, draped in light that looked half real. Her hair moved like it caught a breeze no one else felt. She looked around with mild interest.

"You’d think the Lord of Greed would have better taste," she said quietly.

Eiji almost smiled. "You said you were going to hide."

"I am hiding. They can’t see me unless they stare too long." She leaned closer. "Besides, someone has to watch your manners."

He wanted to say more, but Borath rose. The king’s voice carried across the hall.

"Guests!" he shouted. "Eat! Drink! Be happy before the next war begins!"

Laughter followed, forced and loud. Servants placed food in front of Eiji and his group..roasted meat, bread soaked in butter, and a silver jug of wine.

Selendra leaned back in her chair. "He’s drunk already."

Melchior didn’t look up. "He’s always drunk...It’s how he rules."

Vesper slid into the corner seat, half shadow, half steel. She didn’t touch the food. Her eyes swept the dancers, the guards, the upper balconies. "Too many exits facing us," she murmured. "Not enough ways out."

Eiji tried the food. It tasted fine, but he could feel something underneath it..a faint hum like static. Alma noticed too.

"Do not eat too much," she said. "There’s a spell in the food. It’s not poison, it’s control."

Rhea pushed her plate away. "Noted."

The musicians changed rhythm,the drums grew heavier. Dancers entered the floor..men and women dressed in gold cloth that barely covered them. They moved in circles around the center, swaying in time with the beat. The crowd clapped and cheered.

Eiji’s focus broke when the doors at the far side opened again.

The woman in white entered..Borath’s mother,she didn’t walk fast. Every step she took drew eyes to her. Her blindfold shimmered faintly under the lanterns.

The king straightened at once, wiping his mouth.

"Mother," he said, his tone now careful.

She ignored him and kept walking until she reached the center of the hall. Then she turned her head slightly, facing Eiji’s table.

"Welcome,travelers," she said. Her voice carried easily, calm and measured. "You have crossed the sands of greed and lived,only very few do."

People around them went silent.

Melchior lowered his eyes. "She’s speaking directly to you," he murmured.

Vesper’s hand had already drifted to her knife,resting there without sound. "She knows who carries the core," she whispered.

Eiji stood slowly. "We didn’t mean to trespass."

"Intent is nothing," the woman said. "Survival is everything. Sit, and eat. Watch, and listen. Tonight, you will learn what kind of hunger rules this place."

She turned away and walked toward her son’s throne. Borath bowed his head slightly as she passed. When she sat beside him, the feast began again..louder this time,almost desperate.

Alma floated close to Eiji’s ear. "She can see the system through you. Don’t react. She’s testing how much I’m worth."

"How much you’re worth?" he whispered.

"I’m not sure you want to know," she replied, her voice lower now.

The air around the woman began to shimmer. Threads of light rose from her hands..not magic exactly, but energy pulled from the people in the room. Every cheer, every laugh, every desire fed into her like smoke drawn into lungs.

Eiji stared. "She’s feeding on them."

Alma nodded. "That’s her domain.

not lust, not greed, but consumption. She devours devotion,obedience, and pleasure. Her son only mimics what she does naturally."

Rhea caught the movement and leaned closer. "What’s happening?"

"Energy drain," Eiji said softly. "The longer we stay,the weaker everyone gets."

Melchior spoke without looking up. "Then we wait for the bell,don’t stand out."

Selendra shifted. "Too late for that."

Vesper’s gaze never left the dais. "If the bell rings too late,we cut through the south alcove. There’s a service door behind the musicians."

At that moment,Borath clapped his hands. The music stopped and he pointed toward Eiji’s table.

"You," he said. "The young one with the strange aura. Step forward."

The room stilled.

Rhea half-rose from her seat. "No..."

Melchior’s hand stopped her. "If he refuses,it gets worse."

Vesper’s chair scraped quietly as she turned sideways, ready to move if anything snapped. "You’ve got ten steps’ grace," she muttered.

Eiji stood up,he could feel Alma’s presence burning against his skin now, warning him, ready to act.

[Bond hum suppression ready. Say the word.]

He walked toward the throne. The king looked amused.

"Tell me," Borath said, "what does a man like you bring to my feast?"

Eiji forced himself to answer evenly. "Respect."

The king laughed. "Respect! I like that. But respect alone doesn’t feed the hungry."

He gestured to one of the dancers, who stepped forward and offered Eiji a goblet of wine. "Drink," Borath said. "Show us you are no enemy."

Alma’s voice hissed quietly. "Don’t drink it."

Eiji hesitated,the hall watched,the woman in white tilted her head slightly,as if she were listening for something only she could hear.

Melchior’s earlier warning echoed in his head: Don’t accept a gift..Any quick fix will cost you.

He set the cup down without drinking. "I don’t drink before my host does."

The hall went silent again,then Borath grinned. "Clever." He snatched the goblet, took a long drink and slammed it down. "Satisfied?"

Eiji nodded.

The king waved a hand. "Then sit,boy. Tonight,no one dies."

Alma’s voice came back,soft but firm. "He lied."

The music started again,faster now. The dancers spun harder and the drums beat like heartbeats gone mad.

Eiji turned and walked back to his table,Rhea let out a slow breath,Selendra looked pale,Vesper didn’t relax...her eyes tracked the nearest guard until he turned away.

Melchior didn’t lift his head. "Now we wait for the bell," he said.

Outside, thunder rolled across the desert sky.

Then...faint but clear..the first bell tolled.