Ch.45Plan – 7

The Pope’s son, Alexander Reinhardt, who had come as the nominal escort for the Holy Maiden candidate, found himself embroiled in a demonic incident that progressed with lightning speed.

The nuns who had assisted him were all captured without exception, and while the high priest wasn’t detained, he couldn’t escape a similar fate.

The Starlight Order, which wielded influence arguably greater than the Emperor’s, could only express regret this time because the evidence was too conclusive.

Traces of demons were found on Alexander’s body, and it was the Order’s high priest who had examined him and cleaned his quarters. They were caught red-handed, exactly as I had planned.

Thanks to that, my claim that they had hidden demonic concealment devices in advance became quite convincing. If the Succubus Queen had personally ordered the concealment, it might be difficult to find evidence, but at least suspicion would remain.

“…”

Having finished giving my testimony, I was brought back to the Director’s office and sat leaning against the sofa opposite him. I had nearly suffocated to death from the aftermath of successfully completing the mission.

I never expected the Director to have such a side to him.

According to the perpetrator himself, he did it unconsciously because I looked so pitiful trying to act composed, but I insisted several times that I wasn’t just acting—I was genuinely fine.

‘And yet he didn’t listen at all.’

The Director cleared his throat awkwardly when he caught my gaze, then moved on to the main point.

“Things have worked out well. Everything happened just as you said.”

“Is that so?”

“The man sent as an escort was enthralled by a succubus and committed those acts. The Holy Maiden candidate strongly argued that the Order’s forces couldn’t be trusted. Even the Order couldn’t refute it this time. Thanks to this, the Holy Maiden candidate can stay at the Academy as long as she wishes, and we won’t be held responsible for killing that man.”

“That’s fortunate. Those bastards can’t run wild anymore.”

I wondered who would dare hold a Dragon accountable, but wasn’t the Starlight Order capable of even more impressive feats?

Just two days ago, that Alexander had the audacity to demand the Director come out to greet him. And not limited to the Order, there was also the time I was summoned to the Imperial Palace when demonic contamination broke out in the Bellium Forest.

“We’ve had dishonorable incidents in the past, but ultimately we prevented any damage. Thanks to you. The Order had nothing to say about the matter.”

This incident was far more serious than the previous demonic contamination. Demons invading and colluding with demons are entirely different matters.

“Finally, I have something to say to you.”

The Director leaned forward slightly and looked at me with utmost seriousness.

“While your plan worked this time, please try to avoid such actions in the future. If you ever feel the need to do something like this, consult with us beforehand. The Holy Maiden candidate was extremely worried about you.”

“…Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I was equally concerned, so you must remember this. Do you know how shocked I was seeing two of your fingers severed? I thought he had done that to you.”

“I wouldn’t be defeated by someone like—”

“Are you trying to be clever? You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“No, I apologize.”

I had told Rosaria and the Director that I bit off and severed my own fingers to create the impression of being attacked. After all, without any hint, they would have thought I was genuinely attacked.

When Rosaria heard this, she hit my chest repeatedly, asking if I was insane, and the Director scolded me with an unusually stern face, telling me never to do such a thing again. I explained that my plan accounted for receiving treatment afterward, but it fell on deaf ears.

Truthfully, part of me was relieved that Priscilla hadn’t seen it. If she had, it would have been an absolute disaster.

“Now then, it’s time to deal with the last remaining issue.”

The Director snapped his fingers. Nika, looking haggard, suddenly appeared in mid-air with a “pop” and tumbled to the center of the room with a thud. She looked even more pitiful than when I last saw her.

“Wasn’t she handed over to the Empire?”

“She’s the one who tried to take you to the Queen and failed. Rather than leaving the cleanup to the Empire, I thought it would be better to let you handle it personally, so I kept it a secret.”

The Director grabbed Nika by her hair and dragged her over to me. Her body was thrown onto the floor in front of me.

Her entire body was covered in dust, and the wrist I had pierced with eternity magic hadn’t received proper treatment—the wound was crusted with dried, blackish-red blood.

“Ugh, uuugh…”

“She doesn’t look to be in good condition.”

“You’re quite right. After using up all the energy she received from the Queen, she drew on her own life force to mix pheromones with berserk magic. In human terms, she’s in a state of extreme starvation. Left like this, she’ll starve to death before long.”

“P-please… save me… I’ll… answer properly… I even… made the berserk magic… for you…”

Having heard she would starve to death, Nika painfully lifted her head and pleaded with tears in her eyes. Looking at just that expression, I did feel some pity. We had used her extensively, after all.

But she was still just a demon, so I had no intention of showing mercy. The Director growled:

“Are you asking to be saved? Don’t talk nonsense. Did you spare humans who begged for their lives while you drained them? You demons show no mercy to humans, so why should we—”

“I’ve never drained anyone’s energy before!!!!!!”

Nika screamed in a last desperate outburst. At her claim of never having drained energy, anger spread across the Director’s face.

“What did you just say? That you’ve never drained energy? Nonsense from a succubus. If you thought such lies would work—”

“It’s true! It’s really true! I’m a succubus in name only! I’ve been living in the gutters all this time! I’ve never drained anyone’s energy, just scavenged leftover energy scraps to survive! I’ve never killed a human or a magical beast! I haven’t even met a male or female before!”

“…”

“I don’t even know why someone like me was chosen for such an important mission! I was just summoned by the Queen, and she promised to raise my status and treat me properly as a succubus if I infiltrated Bellium Academy and brought back someone named Mira Crate… That’s all it was… *sob*…”

Tears finally burst from Nika’s eyes. By this point, even the Director looked bewildered. Her demeanor didn’t seem like she was lying at all.

“I don’t want to die like this… I don’t want to die as a pathetic succubus who’s never drained energy… I’ve been struggling to survive, hoping for a chance someday… *waaah*…”

Her voice was incredibly sorrowful, but due to her starvation, it had no strength behind it. It was closer to just wheezing. The Director turned to me.

“It seems she’s not lying. I thought it strange from the beginning that the total amount of energy in her body was absurdly low. If what she says is true, you’re witnessing something quite rare. Even I have never seen a succubus who has never drained energy before.”

“Is it that unusual?”

“Of course. For a succubus, energy draining is similar to or even more fundamental than eating is for humans. Typically, within a week of birth, they perform their first draining under their mother’s guidance, targeting either a magical beast or a human male. Succubi are born as fully formed females from birth. For her to have no experience yet…”

The Director paused briefly and frowned.

“It’s an extremely rare case, but it’s likely her mother died before teaching her how to drain energy. I don’t know how that could happen, given the close bonds succubi typically share with each other due to their status among demons.”

“Hnngh… *gasp*…”

No longer having even the strength to cry properly, Nika hung her head. After a moment of contemplation, I spoke.

“That’s interesting.”

“What is?”

“If what she says is true, it means the Queen gave enormous amounts of energy to an inexperienced succubus who had never drained energy and sent her into the Academy that you protect. Even using the Pope’s son as bait. If she really intended to capture me, wouldn’t she have used the most skilled succubus who could operate below your detection threshold?”

Someone like Roxanna, for instance.

Though perhaps they thought Roxanna still had too much to do at the Academy to be expended on such a mission.

“…That’s not an unfounded observation.”

The Director’s face showed deep thought. So did mine, though for slightly different reasons. While the Director was considering the validity of my point, I was thinking about why the Succubus Queen would do such a thing.

And I reached a strange conclusion.

‘What if she just threw her out there on a “worth a try” basis from the beginning?’

That would explain why she chose a succubus who had never even drained energy. She probably never expected success, and if things went wrong, she could simply abandon her.

‘…But for what reason?’

I still wondered why she would conduct such a test, even expending significant energy. Especially targeting someone who had twice resisted pheromones, severely wounding her pride.

“So what should we do with her…”

While I was pondering this, the Director looked at Nika with a much softer attitude. The fact that she had never killed a human seemed to have made a significant impact.

“I said I’d leave her fate to you. Do you have any thoughts?”

“No, I don’t. I didn’t even know I would be handling this succubus.”

“Of course not. Of course. Hmm…”

Nika looked at me with desperately pleading eyes, as if this were her last chance. Of course, it seemed to have no effect on the Director.

“I see. Would you consider keeping her?”

“…Pardon?”

I looked at the Director in surprise. He grabbed Nika by the scruff of her neck, lifted her easily with one hand, and shook her.

“If she had killed even one human, I would recommend repaying in kind, but since she never has, it seems ambiguous to kill her. Since you were the one almost dragged to the Queen, you should decide, and you seem hesitant to kill her as well?”

“…To be honest, yes.”

While this succubus did try to take me to the Queen, she may have been assigned to a mission destined to fail. If so, it seemed excessive to outright kill her.

“That’s why I’m suggesting this. If you want, we can place obedience magic on her head, heart, and womb, so don’t worry about rebellion. A succubus who has never drained energy is a rare treasure that money can’t buy, so I guarantee you won’t regret it.”

“What happens if I refuse?”

“We’ll have to kill her. I have no use for such a creature, and even less reason to let a demon go free.”

At the mention of death, Nika flinched and looked up at me pitifully. Her eyes seemed to beg me to accept her.

“…Alright.”

Someday I’ll meet the Queen. Then I can ask why she specifically sent such a succubus and decide her fate after hearing the answer.

When I agreed, the Director grinned.

“It’s decided then. Come closer, and I’ll teach you how to inscribe the obedience magic.”

“…I’m the one placing it?”

“She’s your property now, so of course. As I said, the magic will affect her head, heart, and womb. The best places to inscribe the marks would be… Yes. The tongue, between the breasts, and the lower abdomen.”

“Good. Perfect.”

Beatrice finished cleaning with a satisfied heart. Though it had been a month since the young master left for Bellium Academy, his room was still maintained in pristine condition.

She wanted it ready for immediate use whenever he returned home. Cleaning Master Mira’s room took priority even over cleaning her own room.

While she was a bit disappointed not to accompany him to the Academy to assist him, she endured it thinking that at eighteen, it was time for him to leave his mother’s embrace.

Of course, the young master’s actual mother was still alive and well. This was a thought that existed solely in Beatrice’s mind. She couldn’t let the young master hear something like, “How nice to have two mothers.”

“Now then… Huh? Young Master?”

Beatrice quickly retrieved the magical communication device she always kept in her apron pocket when she heard it ringing in a specific pattern. She composed herself and answered.

“Yes, Young Master. What can I do for you?”

Beatrice, now back to being the perfect maid, spoke in an even tone. There was no response from the other side of the crystal ball for a while, but Beatrice waited patiently.

“…Well, this might sound a bit out of the blue.”

“Please don’t worry and tell me. What is it?”

Beatrice wasn’t easily surprised by most things. In fact, almost all the long-serving staff of the mansion were the same.

After all, the young master himself was born with a stopped heart before coming back to life. Staff who had served the Crate family long enough to know that story couldn’t be easily shocked by ordinary matters.

“Do we have any open maid positions downstairs?”

“…Pardon?”

However, this seemed to be an exception. Subtle cracks appeared in Beatrice’s composure.