Chapter 275

Chapter 275

“My Queen!”

Suddenly, a succubus knelt down on one knee and shouted in a loud voice. Although it was a back alley with few people, it wasn’t completely empty, so all eyes turned towards us at once.

By the way, why is this succubus calling me Queen while looking at me, not Lilith? I subtly shifted a step to the side, but the kneeling succubus busily turned her direction precisely towards me again.

Naturally, not only I but also my other friends were flustered. Lilith, in particular, who knew her as a fellow succubus, looked even more bewildered. It’s understandable to be flustered and dumbfounded when she’s ignoring me and calling me Queen for some reason.

Although I couldn’t understand why she was acting like this, a more important fact was that this was not a good situation for us, who needed to avoid drawing attention. If our identities were revealed, it wouldn’t just be troublesome. It’s more important to resolve the situation right now than to satisfy curiosity.

“Just, just a moment…!”

We couldn’t be so carelessly exposed after successfully infiltrating. Nor could we, disguised as slaves in front of everyone, make a move. Fortunately, Lilith stepped forward to try and resolve the situation.

“Hey, hey! Get up quickly!”

Lilith forcibly helped the succubus, who was kneeling, to stand up.

“Let’s go to my place nearby and talk.”

As expected, the succubus responded with eyes full of emotion to Lilith’s invitation, who was essentially her superior as a fellow succubus.

Even on the way to Lilith’s hideout, the succubus followed behind Lilith, and then behind me, who was still pretending to be a slave, as if deliberately doing so. This awkward procession didn’t seem normal to onlookers, and quite a few people were glancing at us with suspicious eyes as we passed.

I tried to move as quickly as possible, hiding my anxious heart, worried about being discovered. Fortunately, the hideout wasn’t far, but if we had to pass through a main street, we might have been truly discovered.

“Wait a moment.”

Lilith stopped us and fumbled with something at the door, muttering to herself. After a short wait, the door creaked open, welcoming us.

“Alright, come in.”

And then, following Lilith’s guidance, the succubus and we all entered.

Bang!

As soon as we entered the hideout, Lilith quickly closed the door, making a loud sound. This way, we didn’t have to worry about any outside attention.

The interior was brightly lit by automatic lights that turned on with our presence, as if magic was cast upon them.

“It is an honor, Lilith-nim, Queen.”

The succubus called them separately, not calling Lilith Queen, but addressing Lilith and Queen distinctly. I couldn’t understand what she was seeing to act like this, but it wasn’t a good situation.

It would have been better if we had passed by pretending not to see, but since we came this far, we had to resolve it somehow.

The simplest method would be to kill her, but that could lead to complicated consequences. If this succubus was on her way to meet someone, they might notice our presence while searching for the suddenly disappeared succubus.

Knowing that, I was still acting as a slave even after entering the house.

“Ahaha… The Queen, that’s me, right?”

Lilith asked, already knowing the answer was no, but just in case.

“Of course, Lilith-nim is also a Succubus Queen… but the true Queen is right beside you.”

As expected, the succubus’s answer was not what we hoped for.

“Are, are you talking to me?”

I asked in a trembling voice, still playing the role of a captured slave.

“Of course, I’m speaking to the Queen. More importantly, please speak comfortably. No, please speak comfortably.”

“Why are you calling me Queen? As you can see, I have no horns, no wings, and no tail?”

It might be possible to resolve the situation favorably if she continued to misunderstand, but I couldn’t help but ask due to the succubus’s unwavering conviction. I had no physical features that could be identified as demonic.

“If you ask why I call the Queen ‘Queen,’ I don’t know how to answer…”

I carefully examined her expression, wondering if she was lying, but she didn’t seem to be lying at all. However, she couldn’t deceive my eyes. After all, I was once the greatest assassin on the continent. I can easily discern whether someone is lying or telling the truth.

I leaned in close, almost touching her face, and examined her expression. Unlike a golem, which has no expression, a living being will show signs when lying.

This is a reaction that cannot be easily eliminated by effort, unless one is a professional like me. Especially the face.

We were so close that our faces were almost touching, and I looked into her eyes. As our dark pupils met, they darted around, then she averted her gaze, looking away.

This is a characteristic of someone who is lying.

I noticed a bead of sweat trickling down her forehead. She must have been naturally sweating from the tension of not wanting her lie to be discovered.

This is a characteristic of someone who is lying.

Our noses were almost touching, her breathing gradually became rougher, and then her breath became so heavy that it tickled my face. She must have been trying to control her breathing to avoid revealing her nervousness, but in fact, her breathing became heavy because she was consciously trying to control it.

This is a characteristic of someone who is lying.

I slowly leaned back and looked at her face as a whole. Her flushed face was definitely hiding something. Someone who isn’t a professional like me might think she’s just shy, but my eyes cannot be deceived. I’m not a lesbian, so there’s no reason for her to be shy with someone of the same sex, and even more so, there’s no way a succubus like her would be shy with a mere human like me.

This is a characteristic of someone who is lying.

I don’t know what her purpose is for telling such an absurd lie by calling me Queen, but anyway, all her reactions indicate that she is a liar.

It seems she won’t confess easily. In that case, we can simply use her lie to our advantage. Since she’s calling me Queen, I’ll play the role of Queen as she wishes.

“Heh… I tried to hide it, but you found me out so quickly.”

“M-Master?”

“So you are indeed the Queen! If Lilith-nim calls you Master and claims you as her superior… you must be the previous Succubus Queen, the exceptionally outstanding first Succubus Queen! It is an honor to meet you!”

Wow.

I thought I was quite good at acting, having grown up as an assassin, but after seeing the succubus before me, I completely changed my mind. She looked so natural that it didn’t seem like acting.

“But may I ask why you are in human form… Ah!”

The succubus was about to ask me a question, but suddenly she exclaimed with a look of realization and clapped her hands.

“Of course! So that’s the kind of role-play you’re doing! It’s natural for you to be upset if I interrupted you while you were enjoying yourself.”

The succubus, who suddenly hit the nail on the head amidst our acting, seemed to have already figured out that we were in the role of slaves charmed by Lilith.

While the gatekeepers and other demons were all fooled, it seemed she, being the same succubus species as Lilith, noticed it easily.

Thanks to that, I also realized why she was acting, as she had already figured out the entire situation.

It must be because she values her own life.

She must have unknowingly realized that we were a party of heroes, and therefore, that we could easily cut off the head of a mere succubus like her.

So, through acting, she preemptively bowed her head, pretending to know nothing and having no intention of revealing our identities to other demons.

“Hmm…”

I realized her intention and fell into thought. Should I let her go like this? Or should I ignore her efforts and just cut her down and hurry on our way?

Both options carried risks. If I let her go and she blabbed everywhere, it would be problematic. And if I tried to kill her and she managed to escape, we would be trapped in the city and surrounded.

After weighing which was the better choice, I reached a conclusion.

“I will forgive your rudeness. However, you must erase everything you have seen here today from your memory. If you utter even a single word, I will personally take your life.”

If both options carry risks, I choose the one that is slightly safer. Statistically, the probability of her escaping from all of us is low, but conversely, the risk is overwhelmingly high for the latter.

In that case, it would be much better if she revealed our identities after we had already left the city.

And it would be even better if my threat worked and she remained silent until the end.

Fortunately, my sincerity in the threat seemed to have reached her, as she bowed her head completely.

“Heh… You’re a good child. Now, I’m busy, so you should go back. We might see each other again.”

I bid her farewell, with a final warning that if she spoke, I would find her again. The succubus, thinking she had narrowly escaped with her life, smiled brightly and ran out of the house.

As she left, she bowed as if grateful for my mercy, looking back at me. It seems unlikely that she will open her mouth.

It was a situation that could have put us all in danger, but fortunately, I managed to get through it with my wit.

My friends also seemed to think I was amazing, staring at me with blank faces and open mouths.

Hmph. This much is nothing.