Chapter 65: Coping Method (1)

In comics, it’s common to depict someone falling in love at first sight as “an arrow piercing the heart.”

This is because the arrival of love is so sudden and, at times, lethal.

Racing heartbeats beyond your control, a face flushing red, and a gaze too shaken to meet the other’s eyes directly.

The feeling that all the air around you has instantly turned pink.

Especially if one’s femininity had been suppressed due to external factors up until now, the backlash is even stronger.

Like a massive dam bursting open, all the emotions that had been bottled up come flooding out at once.

Naturally, for Sion, this was an absolute nightmare.

“Umm… Hero? Are you really okay?

If you’re still not feeling well, I can support you—”

“Stay away from me!!”

Sion screamed as she shook off Martin’s hand, who had approached out of concern.

The loud shout immediately drew the attention of other students passing by in the hallway.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

“Did the hero just scream? No way, right?”

“Over there, she looks like she’s staggering…”

To the eyes of those bystanders, Sion’s appearance was anything but normal.

Her body was hunched over, and she was staring at the floor.

She was breathing heavily, as if suffering from shortness of breath, and her hands were tightly clasped over her chest.

She looked like someone in the midst of a sudden heart attack, writhing in pain.

Isabella, standing beside her, muttered in a trembling voice.

“Why, why are you like this, big sis…? Are you still not feeling well…?”

“……”

Staggering slightly, Sion slowly straightened her posture.

But she continued to avoid their gaze, her head still lowered, and spoke quietly.

“…I’m sorry. It seems my body still isn’t fully recovered.

Could you please inform the homeroom teacher that I’ll need to rest for the rest of the day?”

“Well… I suppose that’s possible, but are you really planning to head back to your room?

Maybe you should get a thorough examination from the healer—”

“No!”

Sion firmly rejected Martin’s suggestion.

“I’ll handle it myself. You two don’t need to worry about me.”

With those words, Sion turned and quickly dashed off, disappearing in an instant.

“Hero?!”

“Sister?! Wait, please!! Sister!!”

The Salem siblings frantically called out to her and tried to chase after her, but they couldn’t catch up.

Naturally. The physical capabilities of the hero (disguised as a Demon King) were far beyond theirs.

After sprinting back to her room in reverse along the school path, Sion slammed the door shut and locked it behind her.

“…….”

For a moment, she stood frozen in place in the entryway, not moving.

-“…Uh, Sion…? Are you okay…?”

“……..”

Sensing that something was very wrong, Exia cautiously spoke up.

-“W-well… um… don’t be too disheartened, okay…?

It’s a natural phenomenon that comes with bodily changes, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Just try to accept it—”

BANG!!!

-“Eek?!?!!”

Exia shrieked in surprise at the sudden loud noise.

It was the sound of Sion’s fist colliding with the wall.

A portion of the stone wall cracked from the impact, with fragments falling to the ground.

With shadows darkening her face, Sion murmured quietly.

“Humiliation…”

A low growl in her voice.

With that single word as a trigger, Sion began pounding the wall furiously, shouting as if she’d lost her mind.

“Humiliation, humiliation, humiliation!!! This is the greatest disgrace!!!!

I, who am stronger and more superior than anyone else, felt my heart flutter for a member of the same sex, even for a moment!!!!

And that too, for a kid much younger than me!!!!!”

Bam, bam, bam!

Sion’s fists struck the wall with fury.

With each hit landing squarely, the wall creaked, as if it had been punched in the gut, bending under the pressure.

The building shook as though it had been struck by an earthquake.

-“Ahhhhh?!?!! P-please calm down, Sion!!!

If you keep hitting it, the wall’s going to collapse!!! It’s going to collapse!!!”

Exia yelled in panic as she watched the ceiling start to crack.

Fortunately, Sion stopped punching just before the entire dormitory could collapse.

The worst-case scenario had been narrowly avoided.

“Huff, huff…”

Sitting down next to the bent wall, Sion gasped for breath.

-“Are… are you calm now…?”

“Huff, huff…”

Exia cautiously glanced at Sion, who was slumped over and trying to catch her breath.

But Sion didn’t respond, merely continuing to breathe heavily.

And then, after a short while:

“Huff, huff, huff… 

Huff… huhuhuhuhu…”

A strange sound began to mix in with her breathing, a laugh.

“Huhuhuhu… hahahahahahahaha!!! 

Hahahahahahahaha!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

-“…???”

Suddenly, Sion started laughing hysterically like a mad person.

Exia felt a pang of fear at the unexpected laughter. 

What the hell? Why is she acting like this again? Did she really lose her mind because she couldn’t handle the shock? Was she not expecting this to happen to her?

But luckily for Exia, Sion hadn’t gone insane.

After a while, Sion finally stopped laughing, brushing her hair out of her face with her hand, and spoke.

“Haha, ha… I see. That was amusing.

To think that something as insignificant as hormones almost took control of my mind and body.

I ended up sweating bullets and showing this pathetic display because of it.”

Sion spoke as if she were addressing her own body as though it were a third party.

“Yes, it was quite a potent attack. I’ll admit that much.

If it had been anyone else, they would’ve been swept away without even realizing it, losing their sense of gender identity and falling into corruption.

No matter how great of a magician or swordsman they may be, they cannot control the demons within their own minds.

But…”

Sion’s lips curled into a smirk as she muttered.

“I am not like them.”

Indeed, she was the Demon King.

Once the ruler of an entire world, the one who reigned over entire dimensions.

A man who had overcome inherent limits and surpassed the impossible, the strongest being in the world.

There was nothing he couldn’t solve. There couldn’t be.

“No matter how insurmountable an obstacle may seem, if you dig deep enough, there’s always a way through.

This is no different. There must be a way to completely block the encroachment of this cursed femininity.”

Sion had the ability.

She had the knowledge, the magic, the time, and the resources.

And more than anything, she had an unyielding will, one that didn’t care about means or methods.

When all those factors came together, there was no adversity in the world that couldn’t be overcome.

Therefore…

“I will find the answer. Just as I always have.”

Sion whispered in a voice full of firm resolve.

In the darkened room, her crimson eyes gleamed sharply.

It had been five years since Nellia Whitevine, former commander of the Lust Army of the Demon King’s army, had been imprisoned in the tower for her crimes.

While five years might not be that long for a succubus, who could live almost indefinitely, it was a different story inside this tower.

The cruelest punishment for a succubus is being forbidden from having sex.

For them, sexual activity is not only their sole means of survival but also their entire reason for existence.

However, enforcing this punishment was no easy task.

Even if a succubus’s body is restrained, they can still invade the dreams of others to steal their life energy.

Unless all intelligent life forms disappear from the world of Elpidion, controlling a succubus’s sexual desire is nearly impossible.

But this prison tower had a barrier known as the Anti-Spiritual Shell covering its entire outer wall, preventing any escape in spirit form.

In other words, even if Nellia wanted to enter someone’s dream, she couldn’t, as long as she remained trapped inside.

And breaking out of the tower physically would only advertise her escape to everyone nearby.

In the end, all Nellia could do was lie there helplessly, killing time in a daze.

“Hey… 

Are you listening…?”

She called out pitifully toward the ceiling.

“If you are, please answer me… 

At least talk to me…”

“I’m still your ancestor, after all, isn’t this treatment a bit too much…? Hmm…?”

There was no response.

Just like always.

However, Nellia seemed accustomed to it and continued muttering as if lamenting her fate.

“Hey, did you know…?

Today is actually the 800th anniversary of my birth…

I don’t usually care much for birthdays, but isn’t it kind of special when the first digit changes…?

Shouldn’t you at least celebrate that? Hmm? My dear descendants…”

Sniffle, sniffle.

Tears welled up in Nellia’s eyes.

“I don’t even ask for much…

I’m not asking for a pardon…

Just for one day, could you send me something special to eat…

Not those dried-out, pitiful vials of essence… Please, anyone will do. Just a fresh man.

I’m not asking for a pretty boy… Even an old man or a plain one will do… Please, just…”

Nellia wept and pleaded over and over again.

Of course, even she didn’t truly believe that her family would fulfill her request.

There was a reason why no one ever responded to Nellia’s pleas.

Quite simply, no one was actually nearby.

Even though she was a former commander and a succubus queen, talking to any normal human for just three minutes would be enough for her to seduce them into submission.

Because of this, the Rambouillet family had stationed only golems around her for security, to prevent anyone from being brainwashed into helping their ancestor escape.

Thus, her lamentations were destined to be nothing more than hollow echoes in an empty space.

At least, that’s what should have been the case.

Tap, tap…

“Hmm?”

Nellia, who had been lying down, wiped her tears and sat up at the sudden sound of footsteps.

It was strange. Someone’s presence inside the tower? This place had been forbidden to everyone in the Rambouillet family for ages.

Who could possibly be visiting now?

‘Could it be that my plea worked?’

Nellia glanced around with a subtle sense of hope.

And then…

“…..!!!”

For a moment, her breath caught in her throat.

In front of her stood a girl. And not just any girl—an incredibly beautiful one.

Her silver hair flowed down to her waist, shimmering softly in the sunlight, and though her body wasn’t fully mature yet, it traced graceful curves from her shoulders to her feet.

Her features were perfectly arranged, with no flaw to be found, and her ruby-like eyes sparkled with an unrivaled purity.

Even Nellia, who had indulged in countless boys and girls, had never seen such beauty in all her life.

“A-Ahh…!”

Nellia stood frozen, trembling with excitement and awe.

The overwhelming emotion and joy flooded over her.

“They really, really granted my wish!

I honestly thought they had forgotten about me, but they prepared this amazing surprise gift!”

At that moment, all the resentment she had harbored toward her descendants melted away like snow.

Yes, what did it matter that they had imprisoned her for five years?

After all, it was her own fault for not being able to control her desires.

The fact that they remembered her and prepared such a perfect gift more than made up for it.

And to send such an adorable and charming young girl!

“Hehehe, good… very good…

So fragile, so pure…

Just my type… Uhehehehe…”

Drooling, Nellia stealthily crept toward the girl.

Then, climbing the wall unnoticed, she silently perched near the ceiling, ready to pounce.

“Now, time to enjoy my meal!”

With that, she shouted and leapt toward the girl.

A soft scent of acacia filled the air around her as she lunged toward her target.

And then—

-Pow!

“KYAAAAAA?!?!?!”

Nellia was sent flying as the girl’s fist landed squarely in her abdomen, crashing her into the wall.