Well, at least I'm finally no longer thirsty, Alex thought to himself as he paced around in his cell. But it does not change that fact I'm completely screwed.

After being captured by a scouting party consisting of soldiers of the Order, Alex had been dragged along by the rope tied around his wrists for several hours of walking. They completely ignored his requests for a rest break, though the auburn-haired magic-user named Tellack would occasionally cast a regretful look in his direction.

As the blue sky turned orange and the sun began setting in the distance, they finally walked out of the evergreen forest and onto a dirt road. Just a little further and they approached the outskirts of what appeared to be a medium-sized town, with townsfolk milling around trying to finish their remaining tasks before night fell.

As Alex was dragged along through the streets, some of the townsfolk stopped what they were doing to gawk at the mystery prisoner the scouting party had captured. Some of the glances he received were full of disgust and hatred, as if he were some heretic who had broken an ancient taboo. But there were also many who looked at him with sadness in their eyes before turning away and shaking their heads as he was taken deeper into the town.

It was here that Alex noticed something off about the populace- while there were plenty of women, children, and older folk, there was a distinct lack of adult males milling in the streets. The few that he did see were either very sickly in appearance or possessed some sort of injury- a pair of crutches here, a missing arm there, they were clearly unfit for whatever labor had taken away the rest of the town's men.

There was one other peculiarity about this town- apart from the small fort he was now imprisoned in, the town was in a fairly dilapidated state. Weeds poked through the cobblestone roads, many houses had broken windows or roofs with unrepaired holes, and a few buildings appeared abandoned entirely. Wherever all the able men had gone, they clearly had not returned in a good while.

After this unwanted walk through the streets, Alex had been taken to a small fort at the center of the town. It only had one tower, a few low buildings, and a single stone wall ringed around it all, but it appeared to be well-garrisoned and in good condition. The archer-captain named Aram had briefly stopped to tell a subordinate to "prepare a block and a platform in the town square" before having Alex pulled into one of the buildings and thrown into the cell he was currently in.

So they're going to cut my head off tomorrow as a warning against human-monster fraternization, Alex thought to himself. Well that's just peachy. I'm probably the lamest isekai protag to ever live. If someone ever wrote a light novel about my mediocre experiences, it'd be titled "That Time I Woke Up in a Land of Cute Monster Girls Only To Barely Meet Any and Getting Myself Decapitated". Maybe a snobby critic will tout it as a "subversive masterpiece".

Before he could continue to occupy his terrified mind with inane thoughts, the door to the room he was currently jailed in swung open. He turned around and saw an older man with a white beard and wearing an apron carrying a tray.

"Don't take too long in there." said the guardsmen just outside of the room. "Normally we're not supposed to let anyone talk with condemned prisoners until it's time to hear their last words".

"Don't worry, my good sir!" The old man replied. "I'm just here to drop off some food for this unfortunate lad."

"Seems just like a waste of good provisions to me." the guard retorted as he closed the door.

The Old man turned towards Alex with a friendly yet somber expression. "I brought you some bread and cheese," the Old Man said to him while holding the tray. "It isn't much, but the Quartermaster would not let me serve meat to a prisoner". He slid the tray underneath the bars.

Alex looked at it for only a second, then he fell to his knees and began stuffing his mouth with the food. He hadn't eaten for more than half a day, so to him the dry bread and hard cheese was as filling as any home-cooked meal. Besides, it was also probably his last meal.

"Thank you sir." he said to the old man with gratitude in his eyes. "You're the first person who has shown me any decency today".

"It's no problem at all, young lad." The old man replied. "As the cook of this fort, I consider it my duty to keep everyone's bellies full. Even the prisoners." The elderly cook then stood up, picked up the empty tray, and prepared to leave.

"Wait." Alex suddenly spoke up. "Before you go, please tell me. W-why is this happening to me?"

The old cook stopped and turned to look at Alex, his expression now completely somber. He dragged over a stool and sat down near the bars, gazing at him with sorrow in his eyes.

"I wish I could tell you, lad. It used to be that if anyone interacted with a monster, they'd be let off with a warning or made to perform some acts of penance. At worst, they'd be held prisoner until they finally confessed their sins. Execution was reserved for only the highest of treasons."

The old man's gaze grew harder. "But ever since the Demon Lord conquered Lescatie, things have changed. Now even the smallest infractions are met with harsh reprisal, all for the sake of security. The Holy Capitol has also sent letters to nearly every kingdom calling for the mass conscription of able-bodied men to defend against the Demon Lord's armies. Our king resisted for a time, but even he has caved in to the Order's demands for military access and manpower. Now nearly all the men of Ashura have been armed up and sent off to who-knows-where."

"So that's why there were so few men in town," Alex realized. "But doesn't The Order care about the negative effects this mass military buildup is causing to the common people?"

"The Order does not care for much but the military these days, lad," the old cook replied with sadness in his eyes. "They're even diverting funds away from their other branches to keep their armies supplied. The local orphanage my wife works at is barely being held aloft through the efforts of the townspeople. And the convent is not doing much better."

"Hey, wrap things up in there already!" the guard shouted from outside the door. The old cook then proceeded to stand up and give Alex one final look of reassurance, or at least as close to reassurance as he could give in the situation.

"I'll be sure to pray for you tomorrow lad." He gave Alex a sad smile. "Just remember that even though human justice may be unfair, the Chief God will grant your soul mercy." He then turned around and walked out of the jail room.

Now alone again, Alex pondered at the kind old cook's words. So The Order has been putting everything into combatting the Mamono Lord at the expense of everyone else. That is so self-destructive- how do they plan to survive long-term if they're eroding their own society's foundations?

Alex then remembered that The Order's survival should not be his main concern- his own survival was at stake. He looked around his cell. There was a cot on the floor, bars on the only window he had, and a pitcher full of water. Perhaps, if he tried hard enough, he could devise some sort of escape plan?

[]

Druella continued to trace the mystery human's steps. Or more accurately- she flew through the evening sky above the forest and tracked them using the traces of essence left behind on their trek.

The trail is not too cold, she thought to herself. If I continue at my current speed, I might be able to overtake him within an hour. If it is even a "him". Perhaps I'll bless the world with one more monster tonight…

An unexpected sound made her stop mid-flight. From her current position hovering just above the tree line, she could hear what appeared to be sobbing. Curious, she slowly flapped her wings as she descended to the forest floor.

Sitting on a fallen log was a Honey Bee, her hands covering her face as she bawled her eyes out. Leaning next to her on a tree was a Hornet. Unlike the upset bee, the Hornet's face remained stoic, but Druella could tell through her eyes that she was just as shaken as her companion.

A Honey Bee and Hornet…not going at each other? What could have possibly upset them?

Upon noticing Druella's approach, the Hornet's eyes grew wide and she stood up straight. The Honey Bee, on the other hand, continued to sob.

"Hey, get up!" the Hornet motioned to her companion. "It's one of the Queen's daughters!"

"It's okay, you don't have to get up", Druella reassured them. She walked over to the Honey Bee and slowly kneeled down to look at her. Eventually, the Honey Bee slowly removed her hands and looked at her with tear-filled eyes.

"What's wrong, my dear?" Druella asked the Honey Bee with concern in her voice. "You don't have to answer immediately, but if there is anything I can do to ease your anguish please tell me."

The Honey Bee finally managed to regain some of her composure. "W-we were fighting over a lost human I encountered while harvesting nectar, and he tried to make a break for it. B-before we could catch him, a group of mean-looking soldiers grabbed him and took him away! They said they w-were going to, going to…" the Honey Bee became too upset to finish her sentence.

"They were going to execute him tomorrow, that's what they said." The Hornet had cut in when the Honey Bee's words failed her. "Just because we tried to claim him. We would have tried to rescue him, but they had two heroes with them."

They encountered a human this deep in the woods? This cannot be a coincidence; he must be the one I was tracking! But…if The Order has already captured him, then I might be already too late.

Nonetheless, she had to try. Druella gently wiped the tears away from the Honey Bee's face. "It's okay, you were right to not pick a fight you could not win. The Order would have used your attack as a pretext to bring more men to seek out your hives and nests and destroy them."

That last part caused the Honey Bee's eyes to start welling up with tears again while the Hornet gave her an askance look. Oh, Druella realized her error. I messed that up. I was never the best with reassurances, that task was usually left to the Bogeys in the army. I need to salvage this before she starts crying again.

Druella grasped the Honey Bee's hand. "I swear to you, on my name Druella, Fourth Princess of the Mamono Realm, that I will find this endangered human and save him from the clutches of the Order. On this you have my word.'"

At this declaration, the Honey Bee finally looked up at Druella completely and nodded. She even managed a small smile. The Hornet, though silent, also gave the lilim a look of gratitude.

After leaving the pair behind, Druella flew even faster through the night air. If she wanted to keep her promise, not a single moment could be wasted.

[]

Druella examined the Ashuran town from her vantage point at the top of a tall pine tree. The town's residents had all returned to their homes and shut off their lights, but the small fort at the center of it all still had guards pacing on its walls with torches in hands. The essence trail she had been following in her flight terminated somewhere inside that complex, but even with her superior senses she could not make out where.

I could simply level the walls with a single spell, fly in while the garrison is in a panic and snatch the poor human up, but if there really are heroes present that would no longer be an option. Druella was not afraid of any mere human hero- even the strongest of their kind would be hard-pressed to go against a lilim as powerful as herself. No, her concern was that they would delay her long enough for someone to kill their captive.

No, this requires a more subtle approach. If only I had more time to infiltrate the town…

Druella then took notice of a rectangular building nestled close to the town's church. Although its shingled roof appeared to be in disrepair, she could tell it was a convent of the Order. A plan was already beginning to formulate in her head.

What a sordid existence, being a nun. To deny yourself all the joys the world has to offer for the sake of some misplaced sense of virtue… nonetheless, it's so deliciously fun to dress up as one of them!

[]

The night sky was just starting to lighten to gray when the two soldiers guarding the fort's front gate noticed a visitor approaching them. Clad in a dark blue habit, she appeared to be a resident of the town's nunnery.

"Good morning, my dear children." The nun addressed both guards with an eloquent voice that belonged more to a noble lady or queen than a mere lady of the cloth.

"What brings you to the fort, dear sister?" one of the guards addressed the unexpected visitor. Although both men were supposed to be on alert for any potential threats, this nun did not look like she would pose any to them. Though, she could benefit from getting a larger habit…

"I heard that our proud soldiers have brought an unfortunate sinner here to be executed. I wish to meet with this misguided soul, so I can listen to his final confession and offer him hope of redemption before his time comes."

"I'm sorry sister," the other guard replied. "But Captain Aram has ordered that no one from outside is allowed to interact with the prisoner. He told us it's to prevent any monsters from making an infiltration attempt".

"Oh, but it would be such a shame if a condemned soul were not offered one last chance at seeing the light of our Chief God", the nun responded with a pleading look in her eyes. "Besides, I promise I will not tarry for too long."

The guards both considered what to do next. True, they did have orders not to let anyone in. But surely one nun would not be a threat. And it would be a shame to turn away a devout woman such as herself, especially one with such beautiful, mesmerizing eyes…

"Very well, dear sister. I'll escort you to the prisoner. Just don't wander away from me- Captain Aram is not fond of non-personnel wandering around the fort." One of the guards stepped to the side and motioned the nun to follow him.

"Oh, don't worry." The nun gave the guard a warm smile. "I promise that I am only here to see the prisoner."

[]

Oh, why did I even bother! Now I'm going to face my own death while sleep-deprived!

All of Alex's attempts to escape his predicament had proved entirely fruitless. The bars on the cell window would not budge an inch in spite of his best efforts- in fact, it looked like they were newly installed with not a hint of rust on them. The bars splitting the room in half were no different. The stone brick walls contained no loose bricks that he could try to pry out, and the mortar holding them altogether could not be removed without some kind of tool.

There were no hidden passageways hidden in the walls, no secret trap doors underneath his cot, there truly was nothing that could offer him even the slightest hope of escape. And with the sun starting to rise, he was completely out of time.

So this is the end of my pointless adventure. I hope that if I wake up in yet another fictional world, it'll be one where I can actually do something worthwhile. Yeah right, with my luck I'll be waking up in the streets of Yharnam next.

Just then, the door to his cell room swung open. Alex stood up, expecting to see Aram or some other soldier arriving to take him to his execution. Instead, a woman in a nun's habit stood at the doorway. She had a beautifully sculpted face that could belong to a model, and the pale red pupils of her eyes contrasted greatly with her pale skin. Although she wore a veil over her head, Alex could see a strand of white hair poking out from underneath it.

Holy crap she is beautiful, Alex thought to himself. But with the way that habit is clinging to her, the nuns in my city's monastery would have her scrubbing all the floors twice over as penance.

"Just don't take too long in there." The guard at the door addressed the nun. "He's scheduled to be executed in two hours."

"Oh do not worry, I promise I will be quick." The nun turned towards the guard and batted her pretty eyes. "In the meantime, why don't you go lie down and take a good, long nap? You must be so tired, guarding this poor sinner all night."

"Can't do that, sister. I have orders from Captain Aram to stay-" the guard's face slackened, and he suddenly bore the same expression Alex would have after pulling an all-nighter. "On second thought, I do feel pretty fatigued. Maybe I'll return to the barracks and take a nap for an hour. Or twelve."

The Guard slowly trudged away, leaving Alex alone with the nun. Her eyes gazed up and down as if she was trying to confirm something, and then a warm smile appeared on her face.

"Are you here to hear me confess my sins?" Alex asked. "You might want to use that stool over there in the corner, you'll be here for a while. I've traversed through so many indecent..." How do you explain to a medieval-era nun what a website is?

"Oh, I'd love to hear every little delicious detail." the nun replied while licking her lips in a very un-nun-like fashion. "But we don't have the luxury of time, do we? Hang tight little human, today will not be the end for you, but rather the start of a brand-new beginning." The nun gave Alex a reassuring look as she examined the bars of his cell.

Why'd she call me "little human", like she herself was not one? Unless…before he could finish that thought, the nun grabbed two of the metal bars and proceeded to bend them apart in an almost casual fashion, creating a gap that someone could squeeze through.

"What the… how did you…" Alex could not believe what he was seeing. "What kind of a nun are you?!"

"All will be explained to you in due time dear." The nun offered an outstretched hand and helped Alex shimmy through the bent bars and out of the cell.

"Now, do not let go of my hand until I tell you to. Teleportation spells are far easier to cast when both parties have physical conta-"

The cell door burst open and four soldiers rushed into the room, swords drawn. Behind them strode Captain Aram, bow already in hand. He did not have a happy expression on his face.

"I knew something was off when one of the gate guards told me a local nun had arrived to see the heretic. She'd have to be a fast runner considering that Abbess Katya and her sisters are all out providing alms at a village 20 miles away. If you're going to go disguise yourself, at least be sure to do your research".

Aram then raised his bow. "Now, why don't you cease destroying the sanctity of that cloth and show us your true face, monster."

Alex looked over to the false nun, who appeared to be more annoyed than afraid of their situation.

"Hmmph, I was hoping to do this quietly, without making any noise. But I suppose it has been awhile since I've seen any real action. Very well my cute archer, if it's my true form you wish to see, I'll grant your wish".

A faint glow emanated from her, and the veil and habit vanished. Instead of a pious if somewhat immodest nun, the woman who now stood in the center of the room radiated the exact opposite of piety.

She was tall, almost seven feet tall with long white hair drifting past her shoulders. Her ears were now long and pointed in an elf-like fashion, with gold earrings inlaid with a ruby-red eye. Her eyes were still red, but they now glowed with an unnatural red light that contrasted greatly with her black sclera. Her lithe, curvy figure was perfect, almost too perfect to belong to a normal person. The black armor she wore barely covered her breasts, shoulders, and knees, serving to only further accentuate her lewd body instead of providing any meaningful protection. The strange black tattoos on her shoulders, chest, navel, and the sides of her thighs only added to her utterly carnal appearance. Large, white, bat-like wings emerged from her back and arched over her graceful form, and a white spaded tail curled in the air behind her. Atop her head were two black, curved horns, each adorned with the same red eye symbol present on her earrings. That eye symbol was also present on her various pieces of armor, the tips of her wings, the end of her spaded tail, and hanging below a black choker just above her breasts.

She was the most beautiful and intimidating woman Alex had ever seen. And he knew exactly who she was, and the reputation she held.

I really should have just stuck with that Honey Bee.

Aram's eyes widened in surprise, and then panic. "Lilim!" he screamed as he desperately tried to pull back his bowstring.

But before Aram and his guards could properly respond to the depraved figure in front of them, she raised both of her arms. Her black-nailed hands shot out what appeared to be an energy-blast that threw all five men to the back wall, knocking them all unconscious. Except for Aram, he appeared to be merely stunned.

The lilim then turned towards Alex, who tried his best to look anywhere but her striking figure.

"It's quite alright, you're staring at a daughter of the Mamono Lord herself. How could you not be entranced by me?" The lilim then took Alex's hand in a grip that was gentle yet firm. "Now, unless you want to lose your head today, we should get moving. I'll have to move to a safer location to properly set up the teleportation spell."

As she pulled Alex out of the holding cell room and into the fort's courtyard, Alex could not help but wonder whether his luck had gotten dramatically better or drastically worse. He knew through the eye symbols adorning her the identity of his demonic rescuer, and the thought of what she could do to him excited and terrified him in equal levels.

She was the Fourth Princess of the Mamono Realm, Mistress of Lescatie and perhaps the most lascivious character in all of fiction besides Slaanesh himself. And she was now holding him by the hand.

Druella.

[]

Druella took in her surroundings as she and her mystery human emerged into the morning light. Already she could hear calls for weapons from the fort's garrison, and a few soldiers had noticed her and were already rushing over.

Meanwhile, the human continued to hold her tightly by the hand, his face betraying his confusion at the situation he was now in. Poor thing. Druella thought to herself. He must be so terrified. I have to get him out of here. Once she got both of them to Lescatie, there would be time to learn more about him.

To her right was a set of wooden stairs leading up to the fort's ramparts. Beyond the ramparts she could make out the tree line of the forest she had flown through earlier. Pulling the confused man behind her, she made for the stairs.

A trio of soldiers ran in front of her, swords drawn. Druella stared at them, her eyes glowing a little brighter, and all three dropped their swords and fell to their knees. Terror and lust were etched into their expressions, but Druella ignored them as she pulled the human up the stairs.

Another soldier appeared on the top of the stairs, this one a woman carrying a spear. Before she had the chance to strike, Druella fired a different spell at her. The female soldier fell to her knees, her face flushed red as horns, wings, and a tail suddenly started growing from her body.

Just before she could reach the edge of the ramparts, one more soldier arrived, with sword in hand and determination in his eyes. Before he could do anything however, a figure suddenly jumped from behind Druella and tackled the soldier to the ground. It was the female soldier, now a full-blown succubus. After whispering something about "finally no longer hiding my feelings", she grabbed the soldier by the arms and flew off with him.

Druella looked over the edge of the ramparts. It was a 20-foot drop to the bottom, too much for the human to handle. She looked behind her and noticed more soldiers running to her location.

"We're cornered, aren't we?" the human male looked up to her with apprehension in his eyes. She gave him one more reassuring smile, then grabbed him by the shoulders and held him close to her.

"Wait, what are you...Ghaghhhh!" the human screamed as Druella jumped off the ramparts before the rest of the garrison could reach her. Just before she was about to hit the ground, her wings flapped, and she soared away with the human in tow to the outskirts of the forest.

[]

As the lilim gently landed on the forest floor, Alex struggled to comprehend all that had occurred in the last few minutes. They were just outside the town, with only the fort's tower still visible.

Well, at least I'm not dying today. But now I'm in the clutches of Druella herself. What is going to happen to me?!

From what he remembered from the MGE World Guides, Druella's relationship status was left entirely ambiguous. If she did have a husband, he wouldn't have to worry about getting jumped yet. But then she'd probably just hand him off to one of her underlings.

There's no way I can escape from her. Even if I make a break for it into the forest, she'd track me down with magic or some other trick. And even if I do manage to escape her, what then? I'd be back to square one wandering the forest with no supplies, only this time some pissed off Order members will be hunting me down.

Well, at least with her I'll live. I'm probably going to be an incubus by this time tomorrow, but a life of rampant debauchery is still a life. I just hope she or whatever monster I'm paired with will at least give me a few hours a day to read and do some non-hedonistic activities.

Oh, I'm thinking too much ahead. I should probably thank her. She did save me after all.

Alex turned towards his winged savior, who had let go of Alex and allowed her wings to fold behind her.

"Hey", Alex said, trying his best to look her in the eyes and not the rest of her. "I wanted to thank you for getting me out of there. Those pricks were going to execute me just because I narrowly avoid getting raped by a Honey Bee and Hornet. I owe you my life."

Wait, I shouldn't have said that last part! Me and my stupid sense of chivalry, she's going to interpret that as an invitation!

Druella's eyes widened for a second, and then a smile grew across her pale face. "Do not worry about it human, I would never let an innocent person die if I could prevent it".

She knelt down to face him, her wine-red eyes peering into his very soul. "You're not from around here, aren't you? I can sense your essence- it's human, no doubt about that, but it's also…different. And you seem to be remarkably lucid for someone inches away from a lilim."

It was true. From what he remembered from the Lilim entry in Volume I, the daughters of the Mamono Lord were capable of making even the strongest heroes fall to their knees and offer themselves to them with just a look. And Druella supposedly had that ability on steroids. Alex certainly felt a little hot and bothered looking into her eyes, but otherwise his brain operated at normal capacity. Which was to say, teaming with far too many thoughts.

"Well…I guess you could say I'm not from here. I'm not even sure how I got here. All I remember is going to sleep one night like normal only to wake up in the middle of the forest all alone with no memory of how I got there, with clothes that were not mine. And the only welcome party I got was nearly getting killed by some uncaring zealots!"

The weight of all the experiences he had to go through in the last 24 hours suddenly made themselves felt, and Alex felt ready to crumble into a ball and cry. A fictional universe suddenly made real, a theocratic Order gone crazy, and being at the mercy of an uber-powerful succubus princess- it was all too much!

"Don't distress yourself little human, it'll all be okay." Druella reassured him. "You'll have time to tell me everything later. For now, I'll get that teleportation spell ready and take us out of here."

Alex looked up at her and nodded. Even though he was still unsure about the future, at least no physical harm would be coming to him anymore.

But just as the Lilim raised her arms and began chanting some spell, he noticed something in the corner of his eye.

A figure was atop the fort's single tower, holding a bow while looking in their direction.

Surely, he can't hit us from this far away. Even longbows have their limits. Then he noticed that the archer's bow was glowing. Oh, never mind. I forgot magic was a thing now.

"Hey! Get down!" Alex pushed Druella to the side just as the archer…Aram… drew and loosed an arrow in their direction. The lilim was startled at his actions but appeared to be unhurt. The arrow had failed to hit her.

Unfortunately, the arrow didn't miss them entirely. A sharp pain reverberated from his shoulder, and Alex looked to the side to see the arrow sticking out of it. Considering the blood now pouring out from him, it might have penetrated his brachial artery.

The sight of blood nauseated his already pain-filled mind, and he felt himself losing consciousness. The last thing he saw was Druella looking down at him with concern and horror.

I really have the worst luck. It was his last thought before falling unconscious completely.

[]

Author's Note: I'm quite inspired at the moment, so these early chapters are getting done fast.

One thing I plan to do is add some nations and cultures of my own to the world of MGE. You'll be meeting the first one in Chapter 4.