Ch.219219. Even if criminals appear, there’s nothing to worry about.

“Is that the one who defeated Moranas?”

“So slender, yet so strong…”

“My, I never knew such a handsome human existed…”

“Ah… somehow… seeing him makes me feel strange…”

“Lord Selden Alphonse? Could you please look over here for a moment!?”

“Kyaah! He made eye contact with me!!”

“What are you talking about! He just smiled at me!”

One by one, they emerge from between the trees, and more than thirty succubi whisper simultaneously.

Glancing over them briefly, I notice their beauty and figures are not just mostly, but all exceptional.

Should I say they would be renowned in any domain if they were human?

“I wonder what it would feel like to spend a night with him…?”

“I want to be held in those slender arms. Would my bones crumble?”

“Oh my, wipe the drool from your mouth before you speak!!”

The noise makes my head feel dizzy.

I press my temples gently while looking at Evarin.

“Show me where you sleep.”

“…This is it.”

“W-what did you say!?”

“I and my subordinates usually sleep here.”

I look around.

The Forest of Death, where nothing is visible except trees.

With a bewildered expression, I continue speaking.

“You mean you sleep in the trees?”

“…That’s how it is now. We’ve had to move deeper into the forest to avoid your companion who constantly hunts monsters, so we don’t have proper accommodations.”

Leonard must have been really dedicated to monster hunting.

To the point where Evarin and her subordinates couldn’t secure a proper place to rest.

“Then let’s go somewhere quieter for now.”

“Understood.”

We move deeper into the forest, accompanied by the endless cheers of the succubi.

There’s a large boulder sitting alone with a smaller one right beside it.

I rest my backside against the large boulder and begin to speak.

“I understand your situation is difficult right now. Having to move deeper into the forest to avoid my companion, your sleeping arrangements must be uncomfortable.”

“…We tried our best to avoid your companions, but the encirclement has been tightening as time passes. That’s why we had no choice but to seek you out.”

“I understand, but if I provide you with a safe and comfortable shelter, what will you do for me in return?”

At that, Evarin continues with a suggestive smile.

“I mentioned it earlier, but if you wish, more than thirty succubi including myself will become your slaves. We can also fully satisfy your desires.”

“Well, I’m somewhat tempted, but I think I prefer humans to monsters.”

“…Then what do you want? I feel like ‘that’ is all I have to offer you.”

I adjust my position on the boulder and continue the conversation in earnest.

“First of all, you can survive without absorbing human energy, right?”

“That’s correct. I am the queen of succubi and—”

“That’s enough. What about your subordinates? Don’t they need human energy to survive?”

Evarin sits gently on the small boulder and shakes her head.

“No, they can substitute it with monster energy. That’s why we haven’t harmed humans until now.”

“…Is that so?”

“You can trust me on this. One of the reasons Moranas betrayed me was because he wanted to absorb human energy instead of monster energy.”

“Is there a difference between monster energy and human energy?”

“There’s no difference. Moranas simply despised humans.”

In other words.

Evarin’s subordinates could maintain good relations with humans.

Of course, there’s no need to mention Evarin, who doesn’t need either human or monster energy.

“Are there any succubi among your subordinates who dislike humans?”

“None. The succubi who disliked humans died with Moranas on the day the Mongma Sanctuary fell.”

“So they could live while conversing with humans?”

“…Conversation with humans? What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, can they live alongside humans?”

Evarin shows a surprised expression at the unexpected question.

“Living alongside humans…? Are you talking about what humans call marriage?”

“No, I’m asking if you can live harmoniously in the same domain as humans.”

“T-that’s possible. I also stayed at your mansion for a while, didn’t I?”

Memories from before my possession start coming back vividly.

Most self-employed business owners preferred pretty female part-time workers.

Even if they had to pay higher wages.

Why?

I didn’t understand it at first.

I thought it was meaningless.

But.

When you place an order and a pretty part-time worker serves you, the feeling becomes strangely different.

Should I say it boosts business?

I don’t know the exact reason.

However, one thing is certain: I kept going back to that place afterward, unless something unusual happened.

Therefore.

If more than thirty succubi work at tourist attractions, enchanting humans?

Customers who visit once will surely return.

Lake Domain will literally be bustling with visitors.

“Hehehe…”

As I drool while imagining this happy scenario, Evarin continues with an anxious expression.

“What are you thinking about?”

I give an artificial smile to Evarin, who still seems uneasy as she leans back.

“Evarin, let’s do some business together.”

*

“Young master, have you fallen ill?”

Pathericks, with a reddened face and veins bulging in his neck.

I sit in the study chair with a nonchalant expression and speak.

“What illness?”

“…What on earth is your reason for bringing thirty women into the mansion so suddenly!?”

It was harder than expected to bring the succubi into the mansion.

In short, it was a ‘midnight evacuation.’

While I called all the knights stationed at the defensive line to buy time, I moved Evarin and all the succubi.

And now all that remains is to explain the situation to Pathericks.

I clear my throat and show my palm to Pathericks, telling him to calm down.

“Don’t misunderstand. They won’t be living in the mansion; they’ll all be domain residents living in Lake Domain.”

“D-domain residents?”

“Yes. They’ll be settling in the undeveloped northern region from now on.”

“Isn’t construction there currently postponed?”

“If we’re going to turn the Forest of Death into a tourist attraction, we should restart that project too.”

Pathericks sweats profusely, seemingly perplexed.

“The coming-of-age ceremony is approaching, and nobles from other families, as well as imperial people, will be coming to Lake Domain. Do you intend to keep these women in the mansion until then?”

“Of course not. We don’t want misunderstandings or rumors spreading.”

At that, Pathericks breathes a sigh of relief.

“That’s a relief. So you haven’t fallen ill after all.”

“They’ll stay at a nearby inn until houses are built in the undeveloped area.”

“…I understand what you’re saying, but may I ask one thing?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Where on earth did you bring more than thirty women from? And all of them…”

Pathericks seems to have difficulty saying it himself, his face turning bright red as he trails off before finally managing to speak.

“…All of them are women of unbelievable beauty, aren’t they? That’s why I thought you had brought women from pleasure quarters.”

Kuk!

Women from pleasure quarters?

No matter which domain you visit, they would be inferior to the succubi’s beauty.

And it wasn’t just a few who stood out.

As Pathericks said, they all possessed outstanding beauty and figures.

So it was bound to cause misunderstandings?

Swallowing the laughter that nearly escaped, I speak.

“They’re not from pleasure quarters, so don’t worry.”

“Ahem! So they’ll be staying at an inn, correct?”

“That’s right.”

Pathericks looks concerned, as if something has occurred to him.

“I’m saying this out of caution, but if rumors spread that women of such beauty are staying at an inn as a group… might they not become targets for criminals?”

“Aren’t criminals already extinct in Lake Domain?”

“That may be true, but couldn’t they emerge again?”

“Even if criminals appear, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“…Pardon?”

Criminals breaking into an inn where succubi are staying?

It would be fortunate if they only end up as skeletons with their energy drained.

Even knights would be wary of succubi in large numbers, so how could ordinary criminals withstand them?

By the way.

Should I give Evarin advance notice?

Surely, if I don’t tell her, she’ll try to spare them because they’re human despite being criminals.

I should tell her to capture anyone who intrudes and bring them to me.

Then I can decide what to do next.

“It’s fine. Despite being women, they’re stronger than most knights or mercenaries.”

“Ah… is that so?”

“So don’t worry and just focus on proceeding with the construction properly.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Oh, and where is Lord Leonard now?”

Pathericks was about to leave the study but tilts his head.

“He should be preparing to go monster hunting right now… what would you like me to tell Lord Leonard?”

I raise my head and curl my lips into a wicked smile.

“Tell him I have something urgent to discuss regarding monster hunting in the Forest of Death.”