In the forge of the Monster Lord's Castle, Papi the young dragonkin was busy forging simple blades with the material at her disposition. Salamander wasn't here to tutor her, but the responsible, an impressively large dragon girl named Rika, instantly let her access the forge when she learned that the young monster had attracted the interest of the Fire Spirit.
The small dragon girl herself was feeling quite anxious once the initial rush wore off: She was in the personal fortress of the Monster Lord on an isolated continent, surrounded by the most powerful monsters of the world. Far from Ilias Continent and surrounded by strangers. Salamander initially told her that nobody would consider harming her… And indeed, all monsters had been quite helpful and were often awed when they learned of who tutored her. After only a few days, she had managed to establish herself a reassuring routine of training and relaxing in her own attributed room.
She was currently showing a large, simple but robust sword that she had just finished crafting to Rika. The large dragon was looking at the blade with an expert eye and smirked.
"Strange. Your technique is extremely good, but… There are a few problems with the distribution of the carbon which results in a few marks."
"S-Sorry. I'll do better next time, I swear."
Rika smiled gently. "Don't be. I can tell that this you're putting a lot of effort into it. Those mistakes are probably because you're still not fully familiar with the equipment…" She turned toward Papi who recoiled slightly under her gaze. "Or because you're still stressed." Rika smirked.
A childish voice echoed through the forge. "Awww… Our latest recruit is afraid of all the big bad monsters around her? Don't worry, they won't bite."
Papi looked at the source of the voice to see a small monster with fox-like features as tall as her. She thought for a moment that there was another small protégé like her wandering around the castle, when some trivia about the number of tails of kitsunes being related to their age came to her mind. After counting, she jumped back in surprise and stuttered.
"AAAH! You're- You're- You're Tamamo the Heavenly Knight of Earth! You're the one who gave Teeny those power stones back then and you're Gob's role model!"
Tamamo giggled as she stepped into the room. "Right. And yours is Granberia if I remember correctly? I came here to bring you to her so that she sees your work, I know she'll like it."
"B-b-but it's not good! And I'm not ready to meet her! And-"
"Relax, I was joking! You'll still probably meet Granberia soon though, she regularly wanders here too. Actually, I came here to kill two birds with one stone, since I needed to ask Rika to craft some specific equipment for our future guests." Rika leaned forward to look the large parchment that Tamamo was holding.
"Mmmh. This is… original… to say the least. And expensive. Do you really need the joints and this plate to be in orichalcum?"
"It's resistant against acid."
"I'll get started on it soon then. Give it a week or two, it shouldn't be that hard."
"Thank you Rika." Tamamo turned toward Papi with a gentle smile. "The second thing I wanted to do was checking on our new little resident to see if she was doing fine. Living in the Monster Lord castle can be oppressive since you're surrounded all day-long by the most powerful monsters in the world, sooo… How are you doing?"
Papi skipped on place in excitation. "Great! This place is huuuuge! And all the residents are actually very nice! And I have a super comfortable room! Teeny, Gob and Vanilla will be so jealous when I tell them!"
Tamamo chuckled. "Well, I'm happy that you're all set. If you need help with anything, don't hesitate to come see me."
"And why would she go see you?"
The trio in the forge turned to see Salamander standing at the entrance, her arms crossed and a frown on her face.
Tamamo shrugged. "Because I know this castle like the back of my hand? Besides, the Monster Lord is busy and the other Heavenly Knights and Luka are completely immersed themselves in their training or are a mission, soooo… I'm the most available."
"Is this the only reason?"
Understanding what was going on, Rika cleared her throat and brought Papi's attention to the parchment brought by Tamamo while the kitsune left the room with Salamander. Once they were sure they were out of earshot, they resumed their conversation as Tamamo was slightly taken aback.
"What do you even try to mean Salamander? I'm only getting sure Papi feels fine here."
The Fire Spirit haughtily huffed. "Are you sure you don't have ulterior motives? There are other monsters out there that would be pretty happy with your help…"
"My door is always open to them, and… Are you talking about the other Ancestors? I don't want to see them anymore than you do!"
"Are you sure about that?"
"Then why would I be training Luka to stand against them?"
"Because that's what you do? Make people do your dirty job then sweep in still fresh to reap."
The kitsune was aghast. "That was a long time ago in the past! Are you still holding what happened to your students during the Great Monster War against me?"
"…Just leave my pupil alone. I'll take care of everything she needs."
Tamamo frowned, but didn't answer back and turned tail, leaving Salamander alone. The Fire Spirit returned to the forge to check on Papi as the latter was studying the plan with Rika. She paternally patted the small dragonkin in the back.
"How are you doing kid?"
"Great! I want to keep working here until I'm the best smith ever!"
"Good… Listen, you should be careful with so many monsters around. Just because they act nice don't mean they actually care about you. They can have ulterior motives or forget you when you really need help."
Papi tilted her head. "What? But what about miss Tamamo? She's so nice…"
"Well… Not always… Trust me on that one."
"Okay…" Papi returned to study the plan with Salamander and Rika. Practicing more would probably help her forget that.
Osena was patiently waiting hidden amongst a rock formation, watching over a narrow road in a pass. The elven amazoness was ready to spring into a fight, every one of her powerful muscle tensed as she was ready to charge at a moment's notice. She was currently accompanied by an arachne and an umbrella scylla that were also watching the road from their hiding spots. While she was waiting for the human caravan that made for their target, her mind wandered to the leaders that had abandoned them.
Those fools… Why did the Elf Queen give up on her plans to attack Sabasa? She had even started to treat the king as if he was an equal rather than as the scum that was responsible for their predicament… Granted, the elves had started getting pushed back from Sabasa hundreds of years ago when the man's grandfather wasn't even born, but he hadn't done anything to overturn their situation, and instead of making the man beg for their return, the queen started discussing the possibilities of a mutually benefical arrangement. The day it happened, she left Fairy's Island with several fellows, disappointed with her leadership.
She ended up joining force with other monsters that were in the same predicament, their leader either dead or submitting to that stupid coexistence. At first, they wandered from targets to targets without any real purpose besides trying to put the fear of monsters back into humans. However, after several days of wandering, they heard a rumor about a powerful monster in Sabasa that was raising an army with the intent to counterbalance the Monster Lord. Deciding that there wasn't anything better to do for now, they made their way to the region while occasionally taking what they needed and wanted from any unfortunate travelers.
She didn't know what to expect when the group finally reached their destination. The "fortress" was a lone tower in the middle of a wasteland surrounded by mountains. Still, as soon as they entered, they were welcomed by a large group of monsters just like them. They learned that the master of the tower welcomed anyone that disagreed with the Monster Lord as long as she wasn't disturbed in her work on the last floor. Osena had just shrugged it off, as the place looked like a safe haven for them which was more than what they could have asked for. Still, they needed to regularly fetch supplies themselves as their army grew by the day, and captives had to be brought to the master of the tower for a purpose better left obscured.
And today, it was her turn. After a small hour of waiting, a blond vampire wearing a black cape suddenly appeared on her side. The newcomer flashed a fanged smile at the elf before talking.
"Eight men. Two wagons. They're there in five minutes."
Osena nodded, and the vampire herself hid amongst the jagged rocks as she also started waiting. A few minutes later, the sound of men of men loudly discussing and laughing mixed with the noise made by the carts themselves started reaching their ears. She would teach them the price of carelessness. Those humans were travelling as if they were alone in the world, neither taking a hint from the traces on the ground nor from the smell carried by the ever-changing wind…
Once they were as close as she needed them to be, she sprung up with a war cry soon joined by all her partners. The humans were caught flat-footed and her vampire companion paralyzed two men with a lightning spell while she slammed a large club on the head of another one. The remaining guards formed a defensive line to face this group of monsters, making the spider girl scoff haughtily.
"Ha! Do you really think you have a chance against us?"
As they circled menacingly around their prey, the vampire was suddenly thrown around by a gust of wind. Osena and her remaining companions looked around in hope of finding the source of this unseen assault, but the spider had already been tossed out of sight like a broken toy by an unseen force.
The amazoness raised her club high and struck behind her just in time to force their assailant back. As soon as she saw the purple mane of her aggressor, she hissed in anger.
"It looks like the Monster Lord sent one of her pets against us! Let's fall back!"
None of her allies protested. However, as soon as they started fleeing, the succubus was blocking their escape route, forcing them in another direction entirely. She gave chase for a minute, forcing the three remaining monsters to fight back as they retreated, but she eventually disappeared again, likely to return to the caravan. As they stopped to rest, Osena groaned.
"Why hasn't that succubus choked on the dick of one of those humans she loves so much yet?!"
"Please, have some decorum." The vampire passed by her. "Our needs are not dire enough to consider this negative outcome a disaster, and we should certainly not lower ourselves to the level of those pathetic servants of the Monster Lord."
"You're right…" Osena snorted. "Let's get back to the tower…" She looked around her for a second, and noticed that someone was missing. "Wait, where's Aaraka?"
"She got thrown around the other way, which actually was in the direction of the tower. Lucky her."
Osena snarled. "We'll see if we can get her on our way."
The trio carefully progressed, half-expecting the Succubus Queen to come back to harass them at any time. They found back the spider monster half dazed near a rock formation, and after a short interrogation, they had the confirmation that their assailant had indeed left the area. The quartet entered a cavern at the base of a chain of mountains that led them to a large plain surrounded by mountains, with the only relief being a tall, windowless tower at the center of the plain.
The spider girl turned toward her companions as they were getting closer. "We better not say anything about that succubus. They'll get the wrong idea."
Her companions nodded. Osena tried to open the door, but the large metallic gate refused to budge.
"What? How can this door be stuck? Did they lock us outside?"
A voice echoed from the inside. "Traitors! One of you carry the stench of one of the Monster Lord's lapdogs!"
The vampire hissed. "WHAT? Don't be ridiculous, where do you even see something that ?"
"Kagetsumugi has placed an alarm system that informs her each time someone carrying the mark of the Monster Lord or of her servants. One of you is infected now!"
"But who…"
Everybody turned toward the spider girl who started panicking. "Why are you accusing me? Do you really think I would even think about joining the Monster Lord after what she did to us?!"
Osena's phalanges turned white as her grip upon her club tightened. "That makes for a good cover…"
"Hmmm. And I thought that it was strange for one of those lowly knaves to be at the right place at the right time… You told them, didn't you?"
"I was with you all the time!" The spider girl's eight legs started clicking on the ground nervously as she prepared to fight. "I see how it is… Don't think I won't fight back!"
Osena raised her club to strike the spider girl, but her attack was held back by a web of strings created by her opponent. Simultaneously, the vampire casted a lightning bolt that stunned the spider girl, and the scylla started wrapping her tentacles around her. Unable to fight back, the spider girl's neck was crushed by another attack from the elven amazon, and her body limply fell to the ground.
While Osena threw away the body of their past partner, the vampire knocked on the door again. "Our little traitor has been disposed off. Can we come in now?"
The door finally opened to reveal several monsters of different races frowning. Silently, the three remaining monsters made their way in as their allies carefully judged them. Before the door closed, Osena raised her middle finger toward a chain of mountains.
"Damn it…" Alma Elma sighed in disappointment. Her scouting mission was a success, but the results were mitigated. She had saved that caravan, but couldn't get to use the group of monsters to get an eye inside the tower, and the place was covered with wards against spying. That Kagetsumugi was properly prepared.
Considering that she couldn't accomplish anything more by staying there, she teleported back at the Monster Lord Castle to report her findings. After a small minute, she found Alice practicing her spells in the castle's arenas as the latter was summoning chains of dark explosions to destroy a large practice dummy made of stone. The Monster Lord was frowning in anger as small pebbles rolled to the base of her tail.
"Report."
Alma Elma kneeled. "I did witness monsters attacking human travelers in the region between Sabasa and San Ilia. By tracking them down after saving their victims, I saw several of them enter a large hidden tower surrounded by mountains south of the area. The place is heavily defended with wards of all kind, and any attempt to enter the tower proved fruitless. Infiltration, direct assault… I haven't succeeded so far."
"A powerful spellcaster… It is definitively Kagetsumugi. We will need to keep an eye on her. What about the monsters themselves?"
"There was an elf, a vampire, a spider and a scylla from Lady's Village. I think they're remnants forces that refused to bend the knee after their leaders surrendered when their plans failed."
"I see… It was to be expected. Not everybody was going to fully appreciate the coexistence forced upon them. We'll probably have to talk with their leaders to see what can be done about them. Alice smiled. "You did a good job, Alma. Feel free to get yourself some quality time."
"Thank you my lord." Alma Elma got up and turned toward another part of the arena where Granberia and Luka were training against one another. "LUUUUUUKAAAAAAAAA!"
"What?"
The hero lost focus as he turned his head, and got swept from his feet by Granberia for his troubles. The dragonkin huffed.
"You still lose focus too easily. You need to remember that your opponent won't always stop herself when you're busy with something else."
"Owwwww… Noted. Thoroughly noted." The hero meditated to heal himself while Alice was pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Alma, when I say quality time, I don't mean that you're free to try to steal my husband!"
"Awwww…" Alma Elma pouted. "Well, I'm off to Grand Noah then."
She disappeared from the castle into the blink of an eye and flew toward the aforementioned city itself. As she arrived, the city's large, paved streets were bustling with the usual activity as humans and monsters enjoyed their daily lives. Its colosseum was likely giving out its usual show, although Alma Elma didn't feel in the mood to go watch it right now. Besides, she couldn't even participate safely as there was still a risk that Lilith was wandering around.
Upon remembering that the succubus was still roaming around and had killed someone in her own playground, the Succubus Queen decided that maybe an investigation to find out where that threat was roaming was in order.
After all, it was her duty to get sure that her kind didn't misbehave.
Alma Elma made a beeline for the castle. She straightened herself and abandoned her usual seductive gait for the sake of a firmer and more assured one. Once she reached the guards at the entrance, she presented herself.
"Alma Elma, I'm here under order for the Monster Lord to help you for the investigation of the recent succubus incident."
Both guards looked at each other, and one of them entered the castle, leaving his partner alone with Alma Elma. The man started sweating heavily and the Succubus Queen could feel his desire rise with the second. She licked her lips and whispered in his ear.
"I'll see you tonight." The soldier almost went catatonic.
A minute later, the other guard came back with a scholarly man who somehow managed to keep his composure in front of the Succubus Queen as he bowed.
"Greetings, we thank you for your presence today. Now, if you will follow me to the scene."
Alma Elma silently obliged as the man continued his explanations. "We discovered them two days ago when one of the elves living close by felt an unusual scent of death emanating from the house. Guards tried to check in and found five people -four men and a woman- all sucked dry with an expression of bliss. There weren't signs of struggle in the house, and the only things the succubus took were some gold, some food and a travelling cloak. Otherwise, the place was clean and tidy when we removed the bodies."
Alma Elma nodded. When she entered the house, she could indeed feel a familiar sensation of death intermingled with sex. At least, the residents enjoyed the last moments before their demise… The Succubus Queen focused herself and checked the first floor where the bedroom was located. Even after the time that had passed, the lingering aura was enough to leave a clear message behind: Lilith was not a succubus to be messed with, and she was hungry after so much time imprisonned. Alma further examined the place around in hope that her magical senses would tell her more about her rogue senior, but after having acted the same way in the past, she knew that Lilith likely concealed her trail to make sure she wouldn't be followed. Well, she wouldn't get anything more than what Noah's investigators already discovered. After telling them so, she decided to take a moment to isolate herself and take in consideration what she just learned.
So that old hag struck here after hitting a village on Ilias Continent, and she certainly heard about me at least once during her stay. Then by all logic she left to go deeper into hiding.
…Now if an ancient succubus wanted to hide… Where would she go?
What is the last place you would check if you looked for her?
Wherever her enemies are of course.
Who are her enemies?
Us? The Monster Lord's Castle is too well protected. Tamamo keeps an eye on Yamatai Village. Micaela on most of the Ilias Continent. Remains…
Angels.
Can she really be in San Ilia? I checked the city after all.
…She can't hide from my senses, can she?
"Heurgh, I swear, that succubus is giving me such a headache…" Alice was massaging her temples. "Are you alright over there?"
"I'm fine… Just give me a minute." Luka was out of breath. His training session with Granberia had exhausted both of them, and the floor was covered with a mix of sweat and blood from both opponents after they had unleashed attacks after attacks against each other in an attempt to improve their skills.
Granberia in particular was extremely enthusiastic in her training. While the Heavenly Knight of fire had said that it was because she wanted to be ready against any threats, Luka and Alice wondered if it wasn't because she felt that she had failed her lord during the attack of the Lilith Sisters: She had been taken out of commission without a fight, after all, and her pride had taken a hit.
"I… Must get stronger!" Granberia was using her sword as a crutch. "I need to be able to stand to the Ancestors and to defend the world!"
"Calm down Granberia, you're only hurting yourself right now. Besides, you can be as strong with the sword as you want to be, you will never be able to face them if you get taken down by a single pleasure attack at the beginning of the fight."
Granberia was forced to concede the point. "Then does that mean our training is useless?"
"No, it only means that you both have to do more than just swing your swords at each other like barbarians. You'll have to train against different skills and abilities used by the Ancestors."
"Yeah, I remember Tamamo talking about that. By the way, where is she?"
Alice shrugged. "She just told me that she needed to see an old companion of her that could be of great help. I really hope she's not talking about those two succubi underground…"
Luka nodded before being called out by Granberia.
"Luka! Let's keep training!"
"What? We're barely holding up! We could really use a break!"
"A warrior should always be ready to push himself beyond his limits! And do you really think those Ancestors will stop attacking us just because we're tired?"
"…She has a good point actually." Alice sighed. "I'll go fetch a few healers just in case."
As Alice slithered away, Granberia and Luka returned to their fighting position, their swords held high as they gauged each other. Luka was the first to attack with a lightning-fast thrust from his sword which Granberia barely managed to parry. She riposted with a descendant slash that forced Luka to roll sideway to avoid, and kept the hero on the defensive with a few rapid slashes. Using the power of Undine, the hero entered a serene mind and dodged all attacks with a flowing grace before riposting with a shockwave from his blade. Granberia jumped back to dodge the attack which left a huge scar on the rocky ground, and held her own when Luka attempted a second identical attack. She successfully parried his blade and catched the hero flat-footed. However, before she could push her own assault, the hero used the power of Sylph to move faster past her and ended up on his feet to hit her in the back. Feeling determination sweep through her, Granberia readied her strongest attack.
"Vaporizing Rebellion Sword!"
"Ninefold Rakshasa!"
Both swords repeatedly collided with each other several times in the blink of an eye. However, a few attacks still connected with their intended targets, and both the hero and the dragonkin came out severely weakened from their assaults. They both stumbled around a bit, but were standing strong in front of each other, ready to fight once more. They started accumulating energy to attack again…
…And collapsed in exhaustion simultaneously, unable to throw another attack. A minute later, several concerned healers and Alice showed up to take care of the two wounded warriors.
"…Ok, I think we're both done for today…"
"Agreed."
"What has this world gone to…"
A not-so-subtly disguised Lilith was walking the streets of San Ilia, her body barely covered by a hooded brown coat. She had left Grand Noah in emergency when she discovered that the city was the playground of the Succubus Queen. She had a new plan: to feed onto the angels of San Ilia. However, once she arrived there, the local ambiance had knocked her hunger a few pegs down.
It was one thing to observe this world from afar, but even after spending the last days before her liberation checking what was happening on the ground, she was still surprised when she saw angels, monsters and humans discussing indifferently inside taverns like so many old acquaintances, without a care about the differences between them.
She looked at a training ground and saw a samurai kitsune spar against a valkyrie. There wasn't any tension between the participants, only the exchanges one would expect from two warriors wanting to improve themselves. The hunt for angels was losing its thrill when so many were on friendly terms with monsters. She could even detect an intermingled scent on a few members of either species.
Still disguised, Lilith entered the cathedral of San Ilia without attracting more than a glance from the guards. She wandered through the place distractedly and examined the angels around. They were looking suspiciously at everyone just like any human guards. Lilith noticed a valkyrie staring at her, but she couldn't quite decipher the expression of the war angel. After a moment, the succubus realized the angel was looking at everyone the same way without exception. Even if the winged warrior had identified her as a succubus, she didn't move in the slightest. Her pride was even slightly hurt in front of the lack of acknowledgment.
An altercation attracted her attention. Several priests were violently arguing with each other about the presence of monsters in the castle. She carefully listened to them and was surprised to hear that only a minority of them were considering monsters abomination while most of them didn't mind them as long as they respected the place. Guards ended up arriving to separate both groups as threats kept escalating.
After a moment, she decided to leave the place, as travelling inside the sacred buildings of angels wasn't as thrilling when any monster was just as welcome. Besides, doing anything reckless would just get her caught, and she wanted to remain free. Although being forced to hide and conceal her identity wasn't exactly a good definition of freedom... But at least, she wasn't rotting in a cell in the Monster Lord's Castle.
When she exited the castle, she decided to rent a room at the inn to prepare her next "meal". The heteroclite population didn't look twice as the hooded traveler as she made her way to the counter where a man between two ages was discussing with a lamia who was wearing nun clothes.
"Greetings, I'm looking for a room for tonight."
"That will be twenty gold."
"Oh really?" Lilith removed her hood and smirked. "I expected something… Special for me."
"Oh, it will be fine as long as you don't make too much noise." The owner answered with a cat-like grin before returning in his discussion with the lamia nun. It's only then that she noticed that the two were carrying the smell of each other.
Lilith was dumbfounded by the owner's reaction, remaining frozen for a second before castigating herself for her bit of arrogance. She pulled out a pouch of gold she had stolen from her victims from Grand Noah, silently accusing Tamamo to force the haughty succubus to resort to petty thievery to live by. After another exchange with the owner, she ended with a room key and instructions.
When she checked the room herself, she pouted: It was perfectly unremarkable, a far cry from the luxury she was used to. After silently blaming Tamamo once again, she left the inn with the intent to continue visiting the city still disguised.
A particular shop had attracted her attention. The large building was half-hidden in a darker street and was decorated with occult symbols, discretion wards and other grim elements to create a spooky ambiance centered on the idea of death. Probably some tourist trap… She could teach its owner a lesson.
The moment the succubus entered, the first thing she noticed was the owner sitting on a counter. A black imp clad in a sexy nurse outfit, whose pink glowing eyes confirmed her monstrous nature, while the smell of death and decay surrounding her confirmed her activities.
She's really a necromancer succubus? They're letting a succubus necromancer open a large shop in the middle of their holy city? She looked around her to see a mix of angels, humans and other monsters checking her merchandise. And it's quite popular too…
She checked a stall and looked at a collection of finely crafted magical dolls presented. While the skill of its creator wasn't perfect, it was nothing to scoff at and reminded her of her own handiwork when she indulged in her side hobbies. There even were a few faithful representations of the hero Luka.
Lilith inconspicuously wandered toward the imp who was discussing with a priest to eavesdrop.
"So the manor is cleared now?"
"Yes. Although I also had to end up doing some additional exorcism work to make sure it would remain free from ghosts. Even before I came, it was a breeding ground for spirits of all types. What happened back there?"
"We don't really remember exactly, apparently there was a plague that killed most of its population... But still, thank you. We'll let you a priority access in the library as a reward, and the pope wants to discuss with you as well. He seemed quite interested into those doll-crafting techniques… Did you know that he was a clockmaker himself?"
Lilith was aghast at the idea that anyone related to Ilias would consider asking for a succubus help. This world had indeed changed a lot… Was that the coexistence brought on by the hero the new driving force of this world? It was beyond ridiculous…
She was so dumbfounded by those discoveries she didn't even notice the valkyrie that was now shadowing her as she walked into the street. It took her a minute to notice the angel following her, and she decided to lure her into a dark, isolated street. Once she was sure they were alone, she dramatically turned and removed her hood, revealing her demonic features.
"Do you need anything, little war angel?"
The valkyrie stuttered for a moment. "A-actually I noticed you were a succubus and wanted to offer you a drink to ask you for-"
A childish voice echoing from the entrance interrupted the valkyrie. "Victoriaaaaaaaa! Where are youuuuuuuu? Oh, finally found you!" Lilith saw a small blond angel, clad in pink with a bow on her back rush at the valkyrie to hug her. After hugging her colleague, the cupid looked at the succubus, then at the valkyrie, then at the succubus again, point at which she started smiling salaciously, which aggravated Lilith more than what she wanted to admit.
"Ooooh… I didn't know you were like that… I thought you wanted that royal commander guard man…"
"I still do and this isn't about that! I just wanted to ask her if she had good advices to help me seduce him." The valkyrie grumbled while Lilith felt even more confused, her mouth slightly agape. "Anyway, sorry, but I wanted to see if you had such advices for me since… Well, your kin seems to attract humans more easily."
"Sorry, but I'm alone for a good reason." Lilith's instinct reflexively gave her answer before she could consider saying anything else.
"Oh. I apologize." The valkyrie bowed and disappear, scolding the cupid for embarrassing her and leaving a passably shocked succubus behind.
Lilith swore under her breath. She had been so surprised that she just turned down a pair of preys that offered itself. She fanned herself with her hand, slightly ashamed of her behavior caused by her loss of composure, and decided to directly rest at the inn.
In the end, nobody would discover a dried body in San Ilia as Lilith returned empty-handed in her room. For once, her body was feeling hollow not from her usual unfulfilled cravings, but from the confusion she experienced today. She already knew Grand Noah was accepting of monsters. But seeing San Ilia and its resident angels and clergymen treat her like that as well... It destroyed her pleasure. There was nothing to corrupt in most angels. Maybe those True Faith guys...
She lied on her bed lost in thoughts as she analyzed over the events of the day. Everybody was at peace, but she was forced to hide her true identity as she was searched. Otherwise, everybody treated her as just another succubus, unaware of who she really was. It was almost insulting.
On the bright side, the fact that her own name and profile had been hidden was also a boon. Only a few people were looking for her with most of the population having forgotten her face, and if it wasn't for her own actions earlier, she would have just been fully free to enjoy those pleasures this new, somewhat confusing world had to offer. Maybe she would have to thank…
Lilith catapulted herself sitting straight when a realization hit her.
Oh sweet Alipheese! This is what small Tamamo went through, isn't it? How did she stay sane?