Episode 632. Succubus Queen

‘… Liliana? No. She’s a bit different.’

A woman with a face similar to Liliana’s flashed across the screen for just a moment. It was so fleeting that an ordinary person wouldn’t have noticed, but Lee Hoyeon could remember it.

‘Her face was similar, but there were definitely many differences.’

The long tail that reached her shoulders and the imposing horns sprouting from her head. She looked exactly like a Succubus. However, her horns and tail differed when compared to Liliana’s. Then, who was she…

“Are those the new monsters discovered near the Underworld Gate? They look scary.”

“…Yeah. But if you master the Underworld’s magic, you should be able to handle them. We’ll need to research how to deal with them too.”

Lee Hoyeon replied to Scarlet, thinking to himself. Actually, he had already created a strategy guide for dealing with them. He just hadn’t released it because revealing how to fight monsters that hadn’t even appeared yet would seem too suspicious.

“Wha-what? Underworld monsters? I wanna see too.”

“Liliana. Do they remind you of anything?”

“Hmm… Huh? I remember frying some bird eggs like that once.”

“Right. I didn’t expect anything anyway.”

Liliana, as if she hadn’t been lying on the floor moments ago, watched the TV while eating chocolate. Fortunately, it seemed she hadn’t seen any Succubi similar to Liliana.

“Hey. My thigh hurts. Get off.”

“Aargh!”

Lee Hoyeon laid Liliana down on the sofa and walked towards the kitchen. On the way, he lightly tapped Scarlet’s hand with his finger.

“Hoo.”

Complicated thoughts swirled in his head. A Succubus resembling Liliana. Actually, only one thing immediately came to mind. Liliana’s mother.

‘The Succubus Queen.’

He wondered if she looked too young to be a mother, but then again, it made sense if she was a Succubus. It wasn’t certain yet… but in his opinion, the possibility was high.

Gulp, gulp.

Lee Hoyeon poured water from the water dispenser into his mouth. After finishing a glass of cool water, his head felt a little clearer. There was no need to worry about this alone. Because there was a being who knew more than he did.

“Scarlet.”

“Yes. Hoyeon-nim.”

Scarlet, standing behind him, nodded slightly.

“Contact the Iris Guild. Connect me with Chiron and Albedo.”

*

The Underworld Gate that appeared in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Humans still hadn’t properly explored its interior. Out of thousands, tens of thousands of drones, only a few lucky survivors managed to transmit footage from inside, but it wasn’t enough. The darkness emanating from the Underworld Gate had already engulfed the entire Pacific Ocean. And among them, in the area close to the Underworld Gate. A man was walking towards this place, where demons, not Underworld monsters, had gathered.

“Beings called humans are happiest when ignorant… It would have been easier if they had just given up.”

Maestro murmured as he flipped through a blood-stained Bible. The surrounding demons bowed their heads without answering his words. They were demons so loyal that they would commit suicide without hesitation even if ordered to end their lives immediately. Since most of the brainwashing spread throughout the human world had disappeared, they could focus more on brainwashing the demons.

“Hmm.”

He found it somewhat fascinating because he had never considered such a situation. He had intended to maintain the black pillar until the Demon King’s descent using the brainwashing spread worldwide, but the pillar was crumbling faster than expected. The actions of the Adversary, Lee Hoyeon, had changed the fate of the Demon King’s complete descent. Was it because he was outstanding? Or was it because his own abilities were lacking? Maestro couldn’t tell. But what was certain was that this situation, too, would eventually end.

“If I am the one who remains in the end.”

“Then I must be justice.”

Fate would decide who was just. The magic power surging from the Underworld Gate was growing stronger. Maestro bowed his head and continued his prayer.

*

Lee Hoyeon sat in his room with a hologram monitor activated. He was about to video call Chiron and Albedo. As soon as he contacted the Iris Guild through Scarlet, Irene called him. He had actually contacted the Iris Guild directly to avoid getting scolded by Irene, but somehow she had heard about it and called immediately. Fortunately, since the method for dealing with the new monsters would be announced through the Iris Guild, she quickly helped him get connected.

“This person just wants to talk, so why are they being so difficult?”

Was it because he contacted them officially instead of personally? It seemed his promise with Alice to do good deeds wasn’t enough. He’d have to take care of Irene later too.

• Crrrk. Ah. It’s been a while, human.

• Ah, hello.

Just then, the hologram monitor lit up, revealing the faces of the two monsters. Perhaps because they had been living well, the faces of the two looked quite bright.

“It’s been a while, Chiron, Albedo. I contacted you because I have something to ask.”

They weren’t exactly on familiar terms to exchange pleasantries, so he got straight to the point. Lee Hoyeon manipulated his smartwatch and sent the news he had seen to the other screen. It was a captured image of the woman resembling Liliana from the news.

“Can you check the picture I just sent? Do you know who this woman is?”

The Succubus Queen. Lee Hoyeon had no way of knowing about beings who didn’t appear in the original work. But to them, who grew up in the Underworld, she would be a familiar figure. Chiron and Albedo widened their eyes upon checking the photo. Albedo’s pupils trembled like a rabbit encountering a tiger. Just from that reaction, he felt he could tell who the other party was.

“Albedo. Is this person really the Succubus Queen?”

• …Yes. It seems so. Even just from the picture, I can feel the aura of that crazy bitch. Th-those long tail and massive horns. Uh, ugh…

• The same face as Killer Queen in her prime. The long tail and large horns symbolize her authority as a Succubus. It’s certain. She’s the Underworld’s greatest whore, Death’s Empress.

“What?”

• Death’s Empress. It means Empress of Death.

• …It’s the Succubus Queen’s name.

Lee Hoyeon’s guess was correct. The Succubus resembling Liliana was indeed the Succubus Queen. Her appearance on Earth was not something to be taken lightly.

“Chiron, Albedo. Her appearing on Earth means the Demon King will appear on Earth too? You said the Succubus Queen is the Demon King’s lover.”

• Indeed… it’s a very unusual situation for the Succubus Queen to reveal herself alone. However, since this isn’t the Underworld, I can’t be certain.

• No, the possibility of the Demon King coming is very high. Strange Nightmare. You wouldn’t know, being an Incubus whose lust has been castrated, but recently, Underworld magic has been returning to my body. It means Underworld magic, even stronger than Lucifer’s, is approaching.

“…Hey. You can’t get stronger than this. You’re not thinking of escaping, are you?”

It wasn’t that he lacked the confidence to subdue Chiron even if he became stronger. But if Chiron started running away like last time, it would become incredibly annoying.

• Don’t worry. I have no intention of doing anything strange. The life of a mercenary was tough, but life in the Underworld is even more unbearable. Look. Those guys have to lie on the ground like dogs on leashes, waiting for the Demon King’s command.

Chiron looked at the demonic beasts shown on the screen. Bound by the Demon King’s orders, they were suppressing their instincts. Demonic beasts were originally beings that hunted and killed each other. These beings, created to grow stronger by killing their opponents and ascending to the higher echelons of the Underworld, were waiting to attack humans, their instincts suppressed. It was difficult for someone born in the Underworld to endure.

“The Demon King’s command… You said beings from the Underworld can’t refuse it?”

• More precisely, it’s the magic of the Demon King’s castle. The moment they accepted the magic of the Demon King’s castle after he became the Demon King. A powerful authority that beings from the Underworld cannot resist arises. It’s the only power that can suppress the instincts of demons and demonic beasts.

Hearing Chiron’s explanation, the Demon King was akin to a god in the Underworld. All those monsters were preparing to attack humans according to the Demon King’s orders. In other words, if those monsters started their attack, it would be safe to assume the Demon King had appeared.

‘…Wait a minute. There was a rumor Liliana heard.’

Lee Hoyeon looked at Albedo. Perhaps due to his lust being castrated, he didn’t seem to have magic returning like Chiron did.

“Albedo. Remember what we talked about last time? About the power Liliana possesses.”

• What are you referring to… Ah, you mean the suspicious rumors about Calliope.

“Yes. Tell me more about that.”

• There’s not much to tell. It was just gossip that briefly circulated in Underworld high society. ‘A mutant has appeared who disregards the Demon King’s authority. The irregular must be eliminated quickly for the sake of Underworld order.’ That sort of rumor.

• Killer Queen is certainly not unusual to be called a mutant. She was strong for a Succubus, and she was the only Succubus who built a faction in the Underworld without using her seductive powers.

Lee Hoyeon frowned at Albedo and Chiron’s words. When he first heard about it, it wasn’t certain, but now, with much more information about Liliana’s seal, things felt different. Let’s assume those words were true, and that it referred to Liliana. Liliana had a seal placed upon her. It was a seal placed by her mother, the Succubus Queen.

‘If Liliana possessed the power to ignore the Demon King’s command… would the Demon King have left her alone?’

The Demon King was practically a god in the Underworld. From a god’s perspective, they wouldn’t just leave a being capable of killing them alone.

‘So, did the Succubus Queen place the seal to protect her daughter? To safeguard Liliana’s life before the rumors circulating in society reached the Demon King’s ears?’

Lee Hoyeon rubbed his forehead and let out a low groan. It seemed like things were starting to make sense, but ultimately, it was just a hypothesis. Unless he captured the Succubus Queen and asked her directly, the truth remained shrouded in mystery.

“Hoo. Okay. From now on, I’ll handle it myself. You don’t know anything else, right?”

• I’ve already told you everything I know, my friend.

• Same here…

“Alright. I’ll contact you again later, so thanks for your help.”

Tick-

Lee Hoyeon exchanged brief farewells and ended the connection. There were still many questions regarding Liliana, but the conversation was satisfactory just confirming the existence of the Succubus Queen, which was his initial goal.

“…Now it’s really the Demon King.”

The Demon King. The god of this world. Things he couldn’t have imagined when he first transmigrated finally felt like they were right before his eyes.

“I need to become even stronger.”

He had come this far; he couldn’t mess up the final step. Lee Hoyeon left the room with a determined expression.