"You should relax… I'm only here to talk to the prisoners. They're my family, after all…"
Alma Elma frowned as she was walking slightly behind Minagi. She had given herself the responsibility to always accompany the Succubus Ancestor when she left her room to make sure that she wouldn't act up. It was her duty as the Succubus Queen.
Not that she was sure she could even stop her in the first place. Her aura on its own was simply overwhelming. And the apparent cooperation of the Ancestor didn't reassure her in the slightest. If her trial was anything to go by, the ancient monster was slyer than what Tamamo had initially given credit for.
"By the way, is the Monster Lord making progress on her investigation? The sooner that whole inconvenience is resolved, the sooner I will be out of your hair…"
Alma Elma kept her composure in front of the honeyed tone of her Ancestor as she answered in a monotonous voice. "The investigation is on hold. Someone tried to apparently kill Chrome during the coronation of the king."
They didn't slow down in the slightest as Minagi shrugged, her voice lower than usual. "Mmh… Shame."
That was the most upset she had ever sounded.
Eventually, they arrived in front of Kanon's cell. Alma Elma carefully checked the door before opening. Every interaction with the prisoners had to be prepared beforehand to deactivate the numerous active traps. Those had been placed to deter monsters from trying to free the Ancestor or the Lilith Sisters in an attempt to sow chaos, and the prisoners themselves were maintained in a perpetual state of weakness to make sure they wouldn't be able to wreck havoc as soon as they exited their cell. If they were not careful, those ancient monsters could even be killed quite easily. Tamamo had seemed particularly unconcerned when the remark had been brought up.
She slowly opened the door, and Minagi smiled at the large open rose that was present at the center of the room.
"Hello, Kanon…"
The plant bristled heavily. "SISTER?! WHAT…" The movement calmed down as Kanon noticed Alma Elma… "Oh… did you give up as well?"
"Not exactly…" Minagi turned toward Alma Elma. "Would you kindly let us alone for a moment please?"
Alma Elma bowed before obliging and fustigating herself. She wasn't subservient! And yet, the Ancestor had an aura that commanded her to obey… The experience was disturbing.
"The hero has beaten me. I had no choice but to surrender."
Even if the latter was now currently a plant, Minagi could feel Kanon's disbelief.
"…You didn't even end up sealed. What the fuck happened exactly. And don't lie to me."
Minagi giggled. "I am not lying to you! I fought the hero, and when he was about to win I decided that I could as well avoid surrendering and avoid the disagreement of getting sealed…"
"…And then you raped him senseless."
Minagi shook her head negatively.
"Don't tell me you went soft too… You were the only one who supported me! Where is your taste for freedom!? Where is your desire to take and dominate men, to fry their minds with pleasure, to FUCK AND FUCK AND FUCK THAT HERO UNTIL HIS SOUL IS YOUR!?"
"Still there I assure you… But I realized that I could get soooo much more from humans and angels alike if I put the right amount of ambivalent fear of desire in their hearts and build… Mutually beneficial agreements."
"Hueeurgh, again with this… We are the Ancestors! The firsts and the most powerful monsters! They should fear us! This whole co-existence is some bullshit spread by Tamamo and that little hero of Ilias! We should feed on all those that oppose us!"
Minagi dramatically closed her eyes and sighed. "Feed on what?"
If anger could kill, everyone on Hellgondo would have fallen dead this instant.
"G… Yyyy… THIS WAS WHY WE SEALED OURSELVES! ARE YOU MOCKING ME?!"
"Bluntly put? Yes. I am mocking your single-minded stubbornness. You are so insistent with that short-sighted desire to feed on everything that moves that you didn't even consider that this is why people opposed you in the first place."
"LIKE YOU'RE ANY DIFFERENT!"
Minagi gave out an enigmatic smile. "Yes I am… I accepted that I couldn't get what I wanted as soon as it appeared..." She shivered. "And that it's even better if they come to you on their own… Now, with the skills and the body you have, it would be a shame for everyone if you wasted here when you could build yourself a world with the right people, and get a nice fill in the process… But I guess that you simply cannot live without the sensation of dissolving someone while laughing cruelly."
"IT'S THE BEST! WHY WOULD I PASS ON THAT!"
"Maybe you should discuss that with little Tamamo then. She's the one you will have to convince."
"Heeurgh…"
"…Well, I will let you the time to think that one over… Maybe you will find the honeyed words that will sway her to your side."
"Grrrrr…"
Minagi left the cell under Alma's cautious gaze and closed the door behind her.
"I'm afraid she won't change like that. I will check on my cute little daughters now."
Alma soberly nodded as they started making their way across the prison.
"Once done, should I treat you to some cake? I noticed a nice bakery in San Ilia…"
Alma Elma frowned. "You're not allowed to leave the castle until the investigation is over."
"Oh right… Also you don't need to be so tense… What happened to the fun you I saw fight in the colosseum?"
Something in her Ancestor's words made Alma Elma tick. A small doubt started filtering in her voice. "I simply decided to take care of my responsibilities as a queen. It is the least I can do for Luka and Alice after striking on my own for so long."
Minagi giggled. "A woman of honor… But you know, even if you claim the forgotten legacy of our race, you shouldn't forget its core… Your actions should be dictated by pleasure first and foremost."
Alma Elma simply nodded. The Ancestor knew deep down that the succubus wouldn't all simply act upon what she just said right now, but if it made her a little more accepting of her ow actions, that was a progress she welcomed.
As soon as they entered the hallway where the cells of the Lilith Sisters were located, Alma Elma could hear them scramble around. She remained on her guard in case Minagi would attempt to free her cute little daughters.
"Greetings children."
"Hello, mother…"
"Mother?!"
"Hey! Are we going to be free?"
"Unfortunately no… Although I heard that the Succubus Queen made you an offering to return you to a free life under fixed conditions, and I wanted to personally tell you that I won't step in her decision."
Astaroth was the only one to voice her displeasure. "Are you telling us that we should submit to the Succubus Queen?"
"No, I am merely refusing to oppose her. But I should remind you that she did beat Lilith in a fair fight after all."
Even without seeing them, Alma Elma could tell the Lilith Sister's reaction. Lilith was accepting but resigned, Morrigan was shocked, and Astaroth was terrified by the idea that the monster who now had her own fate in her hands was the one that she had tried to assassinate barely more than a month ago.
"What you do now is up to you… Please act nice, I would want nothing more than to work with all of you in my new business."
"We will try our best." Lilith sounded completely depressed.
"Awww… Don't be like that… There's so much to enjoy in this world, I'm suuuure we'll get to enjoy all its pleasures even if we have to be more careful with its inhabitants~."
Alma Elma couldn't tell if the Ancestor was mocking her or being sincere.
"…Anyway, I'm off to my room. Please don't be sticks in the mud. I don't remember raising you like that."
As they were strolling back towards Minagi's current room, the Ancestor moaned.
"Couldn't they at least get a larger room together? Keeping them isolated from each other for so long won't help them."
"If they keep behaving… I'll tell the Monster Lord about it."
"Please do. I am sure they will appreciate that and maybe decide to improve themselves then." After a few more minutes, they finally arrived in front of her chambers. "Take care of yourself. You're probably the best queen succubi of this era could dream of."
Alma Elma distractedly nodded as the Ancestor closed the door. She remained immobile, too confused by the latter's behavior. The tricks Minagi had tried to seduce her weren't the ones frequently used by succubi, but then again… Other times, other manners.
It was time to have a small discussion with Tamamo. If anybody knew what to make of it, that would be her.
Alice slowly gathered dark energy in her left hand. The orb of pure magic was slowly growing to a decent size, and, once she was satisfied with its power, she dispersed it on the parchment in front of her. The magic flew naturally through, filling and following the invisible patterns present just like it normally did. Well, of course her experiment worked well: it had no reason to fail, she had done that hundreds of time alone or under her tutor's gaze.
She once again gathered dark energy in her hand, repeating the process, this time dispersing it through her own body. She shivered at the electrical contact, but the energy dispersed in her own tattoos and became almost as much energy ready to be used again. So far so good…
She opened a box which contained a white orb and an angel feather. Tamamo wouldn't be happy after Alice borrowed some of her supplies, but it did matter little to the lamia right now. A good scolding would mean nothing if the hero didn't have to choose between entrusting himself to Minagi and an horrible death.
She slowly focused the energy present in the orb, and winced in pain as soon as she started. As a monster, she was naturally weakened by holy energy. She tried to take control of the energy present in the orb, but the energy was painfully scattering around, just like she initially feared. She stopped herself. Maybe if she tried by using the parchment as a medium…
She resumed her attempt again. This time, she only felt a burning sensation in her hand as the magic was passing through the parchment. Now, if she tried to absorb it…
The orb instantly exploded, creating a deflagration that sent the Monster Lord slamming against the wall as a searing pain echoed through her body. She slowly got up, and the next second the door that led to her small study room flew open, revealing a small form.
"OH SWEET ALIPHEESE WHAT HAPPENED?! ARE YOU OKAY ALICE PLEASE TELL ME YOU ARE FINE!"
"I'm fine, I'm fine, don't scream…"
The next instant, the kitsune was right in her face, checking her vitals anyway. Once done, she saw Tamamo's body almost fall to the ground in relief.
"Phew…" The kitsune slowly breathed in and out as she started fanning herself, her face still slightly red from panic. She looked around. "What happened here? Did someone snuck in and ambushed you?"
"Nothing like that…" Alice felt reluctant to tell the truth, but decided to give in. "I tried to see if I could manipulate holy energy to prevent Luka from dying again because of his holy powers."
Tamamo froze and remained silent. Alice braced herself as the kitsune started fanning herself mechanically.
"Damn it Alice! I already told you it's impossible for most monsters. And you just tried to… You're impossible!"
Alice groaned. "Don't treat me like a child, I can take care of myself."
"Maybe… But can you take care of the others?" Tamamo pointed with her fan at Alice's round stomach. "I don't want to tell Luka that his wife lost both of their children and is in a coma because one of her experiment went wrong!"
"Didn't you tell me that several pregnant Monster Lords went through way worse and came out fine?"
"I did, but it is no excuse for taking unnecessary risk!"
"It is not an unnecessary risk! At least I'm doing my best to save Luka, me!"
"And what do you think I'm doing when I'm not with you?!"
Alice raised a finger but stopped herself midway. She felt so stupid… Of course Tamamo had tried and failed herself. She was one of the most ancient and most powerful magi in the world, and had always done her best to serve the Monster Lords.
"Sorry… That was stupid and inconsiderate of me. Please don't stay mad."
"Stay m… I'm not mad!" This time, it was Tamamo who felt pretty stupid. She was beyond mad. She was feeling that Minagi had her completely under her thumb with her plan and felt outfoxed for the first time in millenia.
"Actually, I'm sorry… I'm mad, and I really shouldn't shout at you… Minagi is driving me insane right now."
"Mmh. I always felt that she was going to be bad news." Alice sighed. "But if she behaves herself…"
"That's what surprise me the most. She accepts to behave herself. She doesn't try to escape or play a trick, and she barely did a show of herself before surrendering… This is not the same one I dealt with millennia ago, and I'm not sure I prefer this modern one."
"Yeah, Erubetie told me about the plans of that dear sister of yours." She gave a half-hearted glare at Tamamo. "Plans that she told you herself but that you were unable to report for a reason if I'm right."
The kitsune grimaced. "I wanted to check if she was not tricking me with that whole only one able to save angels deal. I'm sorry to announce that so far… she's right. Neither me nor Alma Elma could produce a good result, and you…" She gestured at the markings of the explosion.
"Damn succubus… By the way, how is your investigation going? If she wants to play by the rules, we'll oblige and nail her down!"
Tamamo grimaced. "It's… complicated. There wouldn't have been Luka and Alma Elma to see the spell, the best we could blame her for would be unauthorized trespassing and vandalizing a statue of Ilias."
"Wait… Are you telling me that she didn't actually kill the king of San Ilia herself?"
"This is what I meant when I said it's complicated. With the clergy's assent, I had Chrome and several other monsters autopsy him, and while there are no doubts that she had her way with him… What killed him was his lungs completely collapsing. She just charged his body with raw pleasure to make his last moments bearable."
Alice was aghast. "This is a joke… Right? I mean, since she did push him into effort…"
"We can't prove anything in that regard. And if we pin a crime that she didn't commit on her and then the information leak afterwards…"
"…I will be presented as a tyrant that will throw her own under the bus to please humans, and monsters will join any opposition in fear of retaliation, like one of the free Ancestors or…"
"Kagetsumugi. She's a thorn in our side."
Alice sighed. "So the best we can do about Minagi…"
"It still is to keep her confined to the castle as punishment. I have ways to keep her magically restrained, but I want to give her a chance to make amends, and imprisoning her would destroy every effort in that regard."
"I'll let her be… But at the first slip…"
Tamamo nodded. "I will personally help you wreck her."
In San Ilia itself, the ambiance was tense after the incident during the king's crowning. Several guards, priests and the would-be assassin had been temporarily imprisoned without a trial or even a more advanced examination in the panic of the rush. The pope and his subordinated had hurriedly gathered a court to judge them for what looked like an attempt to overturn the newly appointed king.
The court itself was now taking place in one of the castle's large room, with a large quantity of priests present and the pope himself acting as judge. Several human guards and valkyries were standing guard around, while Chrome and Mariel were standing at a tribune. So far, most of the judgments were roughly identical.
"You are accused of disorderly conduct and conspiracy against the crown of San Ilia in an attempt to assassinate one of the city's most important notables. How do you plead?"
"She's a monster! She's evil! The Goddess of Light would have never approved her presence in this holy settlement! We, the truly faithful, only want to bring justice to this world! She should have died."
"You are talking about a valued member of society whose skills in medicine already saved several lives. Do you have any actual evidence of the evil she committed or plan to, or is it just a need to use her as a scapegoat for your hatred?"
"…"
"*sigh*… Very well, five years in jail."
This cycle repeated itself around thirty times before they finally moved on to the assassin himself. Curiously, the man was still wearing his mask and adorned outfit, although every weapon had been confiscated. Mariel saw the knight-commander, a relatively young-looking blond man with a solid build step toward the prisoner and, with a few difficulties, remove the man's mask. When the man was revealed, several people started whispering in the assembly, while the commander himself looked surprised.
The now-unmasked man could best be described as unremarkable: Short brown messy hair with temples tending toward a more grayish color, brown, tired eyes, and a short messy beard that was the same brown with a few speckles of grey. She didn't recognize him at all, although it was clear several people in the assistance did.
"Knight-captain Armand? I thought you were dead!"
The man groaned. "Let's just get this farce over with."
The pope cleared his throat.
"Knight-captain. You are accused of an assassination attempt on a monster notable of San Ilia in an attempt to destabilize the throne, as well as being associated to the True Faith terrorist movement. Do you recognize those facts."
"Yes. I'm even the one who created the movement."
Whispers exploded into full blown arguments. The pope rang a bell repeatedly.
"Order, order! Order in the court!" The pope glared at the man. "Captain, I shall remind you that the True Faith actions include vandalism, propaganda, and even terrorism with several bombing attempts against shop of a notable. Are you swearing that those were done under your orders?"
"…Yes, those were my intentions. Anything to remove that damned necromancer succubus from MY CITY!"
As the man glared at Chrome, the latter raised an eyebrow in surprise. As more attention was directed toward her than what she was comfortable with, she clumsily attempted to fill the silence.
"Huuh, do I know you?"
The man spat on the side and continued in a rage-filled voice. "Do I know you? Listen to her! I was sent to scout the manor with my team of brave soldiers, and we ended up surrounded by zombies and forced into one of your trap! Two of my men died there, and once you healed us enough to make sure we weren't in danger, you had us violated by your zombies! My two remaining partners died because of you, but I escaped! I ran into the wild, and bid my time! Was I so unremarkable for you that you couldn't even remember my face?" The man's voice became more sarcastic. "And then I learned that she changed, and wanted to live happily in San Ilia, and became rich while I was stuck without anything more than my name to me as I was still hiding."
"Huuuh, sorry?"
The man turned red in rage. "Sorry? Sorry doesn't quite start cutting it you little piece of garbage. You deserve to be burned to the stake for what you-"
The pope stood up, towering over the accused. "KNIGHT CAPTAIN ARMAND! I WISH TO REMIND YOU THAT AS A KNIGHT-CAPTAIN OF SAN ILIA, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE MORE THAN AWARE ABOUT WHAT MONSTERS DO TO THOSE THAT INTRUDE IN THEIR LAIR, AND THAT YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO MIX SAN ILIA'S JUSTICE WITH PERSONNAL VENDETTA! YOUR LATEST BOMBING KILLED A VALKYRIE, WOUNDED ANOTHER AS WELL AS THE LEGENDARY HERO LUKA!"
The man raised his hands as if he expected to be struck down. "THAT'S NOT MY FAULT! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT I SWEAR!"
The pope raised an eyebrow as he sat back down. "You are telling me that you led a group with the plan to get back at a monster and that, somehow, you got an innocent killed and two wounded instead by accident? Do you control your men so little that they deliberately make mistakes on their own?"
"THE MEN UNDER ME HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!"
The man fell silent. The pope looked at him with cold eyes as he joined his hands under his chin. His voice was a growling whisper.
"Tell me, captain… Who is the real leader of this True Faith movement?"
The man jumped up, surprised. "What? I assure you, I'm the true and only one!"
"Armand, please, lying in front of the court will only bring you more troubles. Everybody saw that second person dressed just like you when you got captured. I wondered if it wasn't a diversion, but both me and John have been knowing you for decades: we can both swear that you treat the men under you like your children, and you just confirmed it. This could be a copycat, but if it was, you would have pinned that incident on him… Which means there is someone else that you're trying to protect, and not for good reasons."
The man gulped loudly. "No. The truly faithful and Her servants are protected by Her blessings."
"Are you telling me that she's an angel?"
"I said no such things!"
"If I may…" Mariel timidly spoke up. "Since both looked alike in term of silhouette, is it possible that it's simply another man blackmailing him?"
The pope nodded. "You are likely right. In any case, we will have to keep an eye out for them and find out what their next action will be."
"He said something about where Ilias blessed her heroes… What about the Ilias Temple in Iliasville?"
"A messenger will be tasked to warned them of this new threat. Now back on to you…" The pope's gaze was filled with severity as he looked down again on the accused. "If you hadn't resorted to terrorism and conspiracy, you would not have been judged. If you had acted through due process, we would have gotten your tormentor to pay a healthy compensation." Chrome simply shrugged. She could have afforded it and wanted to be a better person since she joined the city anyway. "If you had come back to the city, informed us of your survival instead of deserting, this whole situation would have played out a lot differently and you would probably even have been promoted..."
"However, after your repeated actions against San Ilia and its population, I have no choice but to imprison you for an undetermined amount of time and to brand the True Faith organization as a terrorist movement on the same level as the old Ilias Kreuz."
Mariel couldn't tell if the man was aghast, ashamed or regretting his own actions as he looked down, his mouth slightly open.
"I will end this tragic day by reminding everyone that conflicts are a part of this newfound peace. However, violence should only be a last resort. The old clergy of Ilias and myself will gladly lend a ear to everyone that requires help, whether it is for wisdom or a more direct mediation. We do intend for this peace to last. This court is adjourned…"
As everybody scattered, Mariel felt guilt take hold in her heart as she realized that the pope had likely been on point with his analysis: The accusations, the teleportation in a beam of light… The second leader definitively was an angel. A powerful one, probably an archangel or maybe even higher.
She made a break in front of the quarters of two valkyries. The two angels scrambled noisily, attracting her attention. She entered and didn't look twice at the not so subtly hidden luggages.
"Greetings, lady Mariel."
"Greetings. Are you going on a trip?"
"N-Not exactly… Sort of… It's complicated."
"Well… You're free to do as you wish and I won't hold you back, but you should be careful: There are still two Ancestors out there."
Both war angels looked at each other. Mariel continued, her gaze losing itself as she stared at the wall.
"I heard that one of them wants nothing more than to fight every angel she come across and kill them by crushing their bones to dust, but the other one is apparently really, really terrible. I read somewhere that during the Great Monster War, she used to hide around and capture angels to slowly dissolve them as she ate them alive, enjoying their screams as she used them to lure in more to feast on them while violating them with her numerous tentacles… No, I definitively prefer the safety of the castle, but don't let that stop you." Her expression changed into a big goofy smile. "So anyway, where are you going?"
Both valkyries were trembling. "Nowhere actually. We're going on a small shopping spree with Artia this evening."
"Well, I won't disturb you then! Please don't hesitate to tell me if there are any issues I can help with."
Mariel felt slightly ashamed to manipulate so vulgarly her subordinates. But if being afraid of what was roaming outside meant staying inside and not join whoever was now opposing her for the dominion over angelkin…
Well, those were so many angels saved from a possibly gruesome death.
In one of the arena in the Monster Lord's castle, Granberia and Alma Elma were facing each others, their weapons raised at the ready. Alma Elma charged the lizardkin with a series of rapid punches, which Granberia managed to dodge in a flowing motion as she stepped back. Using her momentum, she swung her blade back at the torso of the succubus, and the latter jumped back to dodge the assault.
"Vaporizing Rebellion Sword!"
Granberia pushed back Alma Elma with her signature move, her dancing sword creating an ephemeral wall of fire between both fighters. Granberia charged through, but Alma Elma moved behind her like a snake and swept her legs. The dragonkin tumbled forward and rolled, but Alma Elma was already on top of her and managed to grab her to suplex her violently, making a new dent in the ground in the process. Granberia's body went limp upon impact.
"Ok… You won… Fifty-one to zero…"
Alma Elma nodded and sighed, moving away from her opponent which surprised Granberia to no end.
"You're not going to…"
"Mmmh? Sorry Granberry, my mind is on something else right now." Alma Elma used a towel to dry herself.
Granberia herself slowly got up from the shock, slowly shaking her limb in the process.
"Do you need my help to manage those damn succubi?"
Alma Elma grimaced. "Sorry Granberia, but… This is something I should do alone, and besides, I don't think it would end well for you."
Granberia groaned, but silently conceded. She then silently made a few more sweeps in the wind with her sword, which attracted her sparring partner's attention.
"…You're itching for a fight, aren't you?"
"…I didn't get to accompany you against Minagi."
Alma Elma sighed. "It was a common decision. We had already discussed it a few times, and even you had agreed that Minagi was the last Ancestor you could afford to face."
"And now I can feel her presence in this castle…" Granberia shivered. "Why does Tamamo even accept her?"
"She's willing to give her sister a chance. So do Luka and Alice."
"If it was up to me she would be stuck back in her seal and we'd be done with it." Salamander's voice echoed through the room as the Fire Spirit walked toward the duo. "She represents everything wrong with monsterkin. Everything she does is for the sake of sucking men dry, and nothing else matters to her. Her daughters just follow in her footsteps."
"I know. That's why I'm taking the charge of making them change their ways."
Salamander went wide-eyed. "…You really think you can change the ways of murderous succubi who lived for millennia just like that?"
Alma Elma shrugged. "It doesn't harm to try."
"Yeah… Good luck with that… I'd say you'd have more chance to make Undine a decent fighter."
"Awww… What did she do to cool down the relations between you again?"
Salamander inhaled, but stopped herself when she saw Tamamo arrive. The Heavenly Knight of Earth was holding her head in her hands with a grimace of pain.
"…Nothing."
Salamander glared at Tamamo and left, surprising the two other Heavenly Knights. Tamamo wallowed on a bench near her fellows, using her tails as a cushion.
"I swear, Minagi is going to get me killed… You passed them the offer?"
"I even accompanied their mother on her visit. They didn't seem particularly enthusiastic. Resocializing them will be one hell of a experiment."
"Heh… Experiment…" Tamamo chuckled, before she catapulted herself straight. "I completely forgot! Did you check on the Biolab Alma Elma?"
"I did. There was nothing there."
"Nothing… Nobody, no bodies, no chimeras, no traces of passage from anyone?"
"Nothing… Why?"
Tamamo started breathing erratically as she fanned herself frenetically. "I left a small group of kitsunes to accompany Lucia! If they're not there, it means Hiruko cleaned the house!"
Alma Elma's tone became more sympathetic at the implication of her message.
"Sorry Tamamo, my condolences."
"She only cleans when she has a plan! She's free, she got a hold of Promestein's designs, and she has a plan! Warn Luka now!"
The king of Sabasa was currently watching the activity of his city from a small window in his castle. The town itself was bustling with its usual activities, as people traded, talked and drank on its large markets. Humans and monsters alike were going in and out of the vampire and mermaid pubs, drunker from songs and bloodlettings than from alcohol. As long as every party involved was consenting and reasonable, there were no harms done. He swore he saw the Vampire Queen return him a malicious smirk when he looked at her.
He had chosen to inform the population of Sabasa with covert words: Dangerous, powerful monsters were on the loose. Only a handful of people he had chosen knew the truth: A few select ministers, his own daughter, the Queen Elf, and Sphinx, his own grandparent.
The latter had been shocked to hear the new and had spent the next few days giving a few lessons on the history of Sabasa during the Great Monster War: The desert was a playground for monsters, and a death trap for any angels as one of the Ancestors in particular loved to ambush them here while another lured them in.
Two Ancestors… If what he heard was right, there was no way Sabasa would hold against that. He got his court mages to deploy additional wards and alarms through the castle… Something he didn't initially want to do as he was in the middle of a peace talk with the elves and fairies, but fortunately, both of them had shown extreme understanding of the situation. One of the minister made his way to his side.
"My king, please don't remain near the window, someone could assassinate you."
The king groaned, but turned away.
"When I heard about them, I wasn't given the impression of lowly assassins… They looked more like cats wanting to play with their prey before devouring them whole."
"They are." The Elf Queen was sitting at a table not so far, with her smaller friend the Fairy Queen. "The legends about the Green Devourer and the Caressing Wind are very vague, but extremely well known among us. We have no reason to think the remaining ones are any different. But unfortunately…" She took a sip from her drink. "Most information about them have been lost to time. We can't help you more than the Monster Lord's advisors already did."
"Then in the meantime, shall we return to the matter at hand?"
"Yes. As I said, we had a few rogue elements leaving our lands to join Kagetsumugi's little rebellions. This might explain the more recent attacks in the southeast region… However, I cannot explain the shift in their strategy. We expected them to return to their tower after each raid, but the place apparently simply disappeared overnight."
"Can it be an invisibility spell?"
"Maybe. Nobody can afford to check the place for now."
The king sighed. "In that case… We are stuck about what their next plans entail. And the hero is likely already too busy with those Ancestors. I'll still send them a message."
"In the meantime, I can have a few amazons as support you to deal with them, but unfortunately, we're short on manpower ourselves. Now, we shall return to take care of our own."
A few minutes later, the king was strolling slowly through the hallways of his castle. His mind had been so focused on his duties, he didn't spend much time taking care of his daughter, and the Queen Elf's words reminded him a little too strongly of that issue. Maybe he could take his evening for once to take care of his daughter.
He knocked on the door leading to her room, and only got a weak answer.
"Enter…"
When he pushed the door open, he saw the blond princess sitting on her bed, a small novel in hand.
"Greetings, father, what can I do for you?"
"I wanted to know how you were doing…"
Sara sighed. "Please father, this is none of your concern."
"Aww… Can't a king take care of his little princess?" He grinned. "Maybe you would like me to bring Granberia?"
Sara shrugged. "Sorry father… But my mind is on something else…"
The king's expression darkened. "Mmh. I see how it is."
In the blink of an eye, he pulled out his sword and struck Sara with the flat of his blade, knocking her on the wall and surprising her.
"Are you mad, father? Did you finally snap?!"
The king's eyes narrowed. "Stop pretending you are my daughter, whoever you are. I have no patience for this."
Sara looked down as she sighed. "Fiiine…"
In an instant, her body shifted and changed color, taking a smaller, less feminine form and turning a light shade of yellow while her cloth became a red coat and boots. Her short blond hair became black, while her blue eyes became yellow and inhuman. "How did you catch me?"
"You tried a little too hard to hide your monstrous nature. My daughter didn't conceal her succubus blood once it awakened. Also, she would have definitively been embarrassed when I talked about Granberia."
As she got up, Hiruko grimaced. "Damn it, Tamamo was right… I can't fool someone if the behavior is too far off…"
"How did you take the appearance of my daughter?"
The scylla smiled. "I can mimic anyone I absorbed."
The king frowned. "I see." He readied his sword again as he glared at the monster in front of him. "Then I will personally kill you."
"Awww… Come on, I just wanted to play!" She licked her lips as two tentacles expanded from under her skirt. "Whatever. It's just going to be a little rough I guess."