Ch.308Chapter 308 – Cusia (1)

The next morning.

My eyes opened automatically when the appointed time came.

Feeling a bit thirsty, I took a sip of water I had prepared earlier and immediately recalled yesterday’s events.

‘She was strong.’

In the end, I couldn’t defeat Idea even once during yesterday’s training.

I succeeded in making the two dragons’ memories my own, and the experiment with Chris yielded better results than expected, but that alone wasn’t enough to close the gap between us.

More precisely, there was something I lacked.

‘It’s not just swordsmanship.’

Among the people I’ve faced so far, there were several who wielded swords.

But Idea was on an entirely different level from most of them.

As far as I could recall, only two swordsmen could compare to her.

‘Rudger and Sia.’

Idea’s sword had a similar feel to those two.

If I had to be more specific, she was slightly below Sia but far above Rudger.

It felt like they were on different planes altogether.

And there was something common I sensed in all three of them.

If I had to express it…

‘Mastery.’

According to Sia’s explanation, it’s a state that swordsmen eventually reach after continuously wielding their swords in battle.

When one understands ‘for what purpose’ and ‘to achieve what’ they swing their sword, they reach a state where they can imbue that intent into their blade.

Sia even told me that some say you can do anything with just one sword at that level.

Even she had difficulty explaining it precisely, but I could feel that Idea’s sword had reached that level.

And I could vaguely sense that her intent was imbued in her sword.

‘Yet I don’t know what that actually means.’

It felt like looking through fog.

Like I wasn’t yet qualified to interpret it.

‘…Perhaps I’ll understand more clearly when I reach that level of mastery.’

But I couldn’t reach that state immediately.

That left only one option.

“I should ask Sia first.”

She has deeper knowledge of swordsmanship than I do, so she might know or sense something.

As I was thinking this and getting up after arming myself, I heard a knock at the door.

When I opened it immediately, Sia was standing there.

“As expected, you’re already awake.”

“Has something happened?”

I asked because Sia never knocked on doors first unless it was mealtime and she was waking everyone up.

She nodded and replied right away.

“Indeed something has. Come with me for a moment. Vanilla went to call Sera and Eve.”

“Chris would have been at morning prayer. What about Beatrice?”

“She went to call Princess Gabriella.”

There would be no reason to call Princess Gabriella if this were just our business.

Something had definitely happened.

+

Sia led us to a secluded spot near the carriage.

When we arrived, a somewhat bewildering scene was unfolding.

“Wait a minute! I surrendered! I said I wouldn’t fight from the beginning, but since last night, this treatment…!”

“Lower your voice.”

A woman in a maid’s uniform was being held captive, tightly bound with rope by a sleepy-looking Gigas.

It was a bizarre situation—a child tying up an adult woman who looked like she was about to cry.

But that wasn’t why I felt slightly perplexed.

‘Why does she look familiar?’

She should be someone I’m seeing for the first time, but strangely, she seemed familiar.

Then Chris, who came with us, immediately frowned.

“…That’s….”

“So you recognize her right away.”

Sia spoke calmly, but I was more concerned about Chris’s comment.

Why? Because Chris spoke as if she knew this person.

“Chris, do you know who she is?”

“Yes, of course I do.”

After saying that, Chris looked at the maid with a serious face.

“She’s a succubus. The succubus we encountered before.”

I immediately realized who she was.

The succubus who tried to charm me long ago, and who was opening a gate to summon the Demon Lord in Albheim.

Her appearance had changed significantly, but looking closely, her facial features and body type weren’t much different from back then.

When I focused a bit more, I could sense the magical energy surrounding the succubus.

‘…Did she disguise herself with magic?’

I suspected she was using magic to make herself appear slightly different.

And perhaps because her identity was exposed, the succubus shouted:

“W-wait, why are those things with these people…!”

“How did this happen?”

The answer came from behind us.

It seemed that waking Sera had taken some time, as Vanilla was arriving late with Eve and Sera.

And the succubus cried out in a voice that sounded like she was about to burst into tears:

“V-Vanilla-nim! You came to rescue me, right?”

“I was captured from the beginning, Cusia.”

Vanilla answered lightly.

Then Sera and Eve looked at Chris and asked:

“Um, who is this…?”

“She’s the succubus who tried to hit on Kei-nim.”

“Oh my, is that so?”

Eve’s hand moved toward the sword at her waist.

“Wait, stop.”

“You all. Calm down a bit.”

Sia and I tried to stop her, but we were a bit late because it happened so naturally.

Thanks to that, Eve had already half-drawn her sword before she finally stopped.

Then Eve seemed lost in thought for a moment before quietly saying to me:

“Can I stab her just once?”

“No.”

I quickly stopped Eve, whose pupils seemed to have lost their light for some reason.

And as Eve reluctantly sheathed her sword, this time Chris and Sera were pulling on my arms.

“What is it?”

“Can I shower her with holy light?”

“You’d probably kill her if you did that.”

“Then just one handshake…”

“Let’s see about that depending on the situation.”

I barely managed to stop the two of them.

However, there was no way to calm the ominous atmosphere surrounding the three, and because of that, the succubus asked while trembling:

“Um, the light is disappearing from their eyes. I’ll be okay, right? You’ll protect me, right?”

“Sorry, but I’m too scared to intervene.”

Sia quietly turned her gaze away as she spoke.

After that absurd conversation continued for a while, the three finally calmed down.

“…So why is this demon here? Did she come to hit on Kei again?”

“Excuse me, even I’m not reckless enough to try charming a dragon! If I had known back then, I wouldn’t have done that either!”

The succubus shouted with a face that looked like she was about to cry.

“Besides, I don’t really like going after people who are already taken! I don’t know which of you ladies slept with the white dragon, whether it’s you or the busty one over there!”

“…What?”

Chris looked at Sera and Eve as if asking what this was all about.

And Eve smiled brightly as she spoke:

“At this rate, her eardrums will burst before we even interrogate her. Sera.”

“Yes.”

Before I could stop her, I saw Sera approach the succubus and grab her shoulder.

And then.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHH?!!!!”

A terrible scream began to echo.

+

“So that was the cause of the screaming.”

“Yes.”

Gabriella, who arrived late with Beatrice and Domestica, looked down at the succubus sprawled on the ground.

The two women who came with them briefly wore dumbfounded expressions.

However, Domestica, who seemed to recover from the shock first, narrowed her eyes as she looked at the succubus.

Then she nodded firmly and said:

“She’s not a maid I know. She could have arrived recently, but your name?”

“C-Cusia… Inside, they just called me Cu…”

The succubus, who introduced herself as Cusia, answered while sobbing.

Then Beatrice immediately looked at me and asked:

“Shall I eliminate her?”

“Stop.”

I stopped Beatrice, who was already preparing a fireball.

Then I looked at Cusia again.

“So, why are you here? Answer properly, demon.”

“Well, I surrendered to the resistance…”

“That’s what I’m asking—why did you come to surrender?”

I looked down at Cusia as I spoke.

“As a demon, staying loyal to the royal family would likely be more beneficial, so I don’t understand why you specifically came here to surrender.”

“…Do you really think so?”

The succubus, whose earlier demeanor had suddenly vanished, asked seriously.

“Sincerity aside, I just don’t understand why you’d surrender to a weaker force rather than a stronger one. What benefit is there in surrendering to the weaker side? You might even be killed for being a demon if you’re unlucky.”

Princess Gabriella’s expression soured slightly at my words, but there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with what I said.

And the succubus nodded and replied:

“The idea that where you are is weak is an interpretation I don’t understand either… but fine.”

She seemed to have changed her words momentarily after receiving some kind of signal from Vanilla.

She probably signaled her not to reveal that I was a Legion Commander, given the presence of the princess and Domestica.

Anyway, Cusia spoke quietly, without the foolish appearance from earlier:

“I could die if I make a mistake. That’s a good point… But.”

Cusia spoke quietly:

“The current Demon Lord does not tolerate weakness.”

She continued with fear in her eyes:

“The current demons normalize oppressing and eliminating the weak, calling it survival of the fittest. More precisely, those who follow such old customs have seized power and are oppressing those within.”

After saying this, Cusia sighed and continued:

“Somehow I caught Sir Sirius’s eye and managed to survive… but I was still marked as weak. The demons who support the current Demon Lord have been eyeing me constantly. If I stay there, I’ll just be exploited until I die. So, is it wrong to gamble on a place where I might have a slightly better chance of survival?”

Something felt off.

Though I had no evidence, it felt like there were multiple truths mixed with some lies.

And as she watched Cusia, Sia quietly spoke first:

“It doesn’t seem to be a lie, particularly.”

“Really?”

I responded with slight doubt to Sia’s words.

And surprisingly, Princess Gabriella, who had been quietly listening, spoke softly:

“…It feels like lies are inserted between truths. Can you guarantee there are no falsehoods?”

“I’ll vouch for her.”

With Sia’s guarantee, the princess also seemed to decide to let it go.

Then Cusia continued speaking:

“So I thought it through. If I want to live, I need to bow my head even to humans. And I need to get into the good graces of someone who can both spare me and has enough power to harm demons.”

Cusia looked at me once as she spoke.

Then she slightly shifted her gaze to Gigas and Vanilla and said:

“I’m talking about people like you.”

“I see.”

Looking at her eyes, it was easy to tell she had come looking for Vanilla and Gigas, not me.

But I just went along with it since others were present.

Soon Domestica quietly asked:

“Even so, I can’t trust a demon. In a situation where the current royal family is suspected of collaborating with demons…”

“Don’t end it with suspicion. They have definitely joined hands, Domestica-nim.”

As Cusia calmly addressed Domestica by name, Domestica frowned and asked:

“How do you know my name?”

“I heard it while working, that’s all.”

Given her attire, she must have been working as a maid in the palace, so she probably had opportunities to hear Domestica’s name.

Soon Cusia seemed to think for a moment, then smiled and said:

“It seems you don’t know what kind of promise the demons and the Firenze royal family made.”

“…Promise?”

“Yes. A promise. A ve~ry frightening promise.”

Cusia began to giggle while looking at Domestica.

“But I can’t just tell you with empty hands… You know what I mean, right?”

“I know very well.”

Cusia looked at me with a smiling face.

And I looked at Sera and said:

“One more time.”

“Yes.”

“Wait! Waaait!! I’ll talk! I hate having my shoulder squeezed!”

That’s certainly effective.

Sera retreated with a very disappointed expression.

And the princess, who couldn’t follow what was happening, looked surprised with widened eyes.

‘Feels like seeing something rare.’

Anyway, Cusia was breathing heavily, probably from desperately shouting to save herself.

Then she spoke in a gloomy voice, as if begging for mercy:

“…I shouted so much, my throat… um, some water…”

“…Let’s be generous this time.”

At my words, Chris handed over a water pouch with a disgruntled face.

Soon Cusia began drinking the water.

And she started to look happy.

“…I’m saved. This is truly the water of life…”

“How about you start talking properly now?”

Her foolish behavior had delayed our conversation until now.

Soon Cusia spoke quietly again:

“Alright. I’ll tell you about the contract between the royal family and the demons.”

Everyone focused on Cusia’s changed voice.

“I’ll tell you the core first. The King of Firenze plans to sell this country as a sacrifice to the Demon Lord.”