Plundering the Succubus Queen
Brynhildr left, and Cream immediately used her purification. But the Yin Seal didn't disappear.
"I'm sorry... hic..."
Cream, tears streaming down her face as the seal refused to vanish, apologized profusely. Siegfried struggled to comfort her. Cream's eyes were fixed downward, so she probably didn't notice, but I sure as hell did. Siegfried's gaze lingering on her breasts.
Putting our defeat behind us, we entered the village. Following Altera deep into the settlement, we started seeing other elves.
Even covered in wounds, they're all stunning.
Crusted blood and grime smeared their skin. But true to their reputation as the race of beauty, the elves were gorgeous.
"Altera!"
An elf—family or friend, I couldn't tell—rushed up and hugged her. Altera chatted with the elf while Cream moved off to heal the injured ones. From overhearing Altera's conversation, it seemed there were plenty of wounded but no fatalities.
Hagen sat brooding in a corner with a grim expression, and Nibel was lost in thought.
I'm exhausted... Time to crash.
I'd lost a ton of blood and was beat. The moment I hit the ground, I passed out.
"Wake up, lad."
I was dead tired, but someone shook me awake. The culprit: Nibel. He gathered the whole hero party and led us outside.
"We need to go after Brynhildr."
Everyone's eyes locked on him at Nibel's words. A reckless statement from the guy we all thought was the wisest. Only I knew it wasn't reckless at all.
"Brynhildr's not in her right state now."
Nibel explained she'd taken a heavy hit from his magic.
"You've noticed it too, haven't you?"
Nibel glanced at me, and accusatory stares turned my way. Tch, this is why I hate sharp people.
Nibel drew all the attention back to himself as he spoke up.
"Don't glare like that, everyone. At the time, we were all hurt and worn out, so Sig figured we shouldn't fight anymore and kept quiet."
It wasn't true, but since he was covering for me, I kept my mouth shut.
"Brynhildr was probably acting tough. Proof? She had the chance to kill us but only cursed Zig and bailed."
The party nodded, convinced by Nibel's explanation.
"Damn it—let's go find her, fast!"
They hurried to prepare to hunt down Brynhildr.
"We need to find her before she recovers, so let's split up. Sig, grab my bag for a sec."
I pulled the bag from my Inventory and handed it over. Nibel rummaged inside and passed out what looked like fireworks to everyone.
"Use these when you find her. And whatever you do, don't fight her alone."
Even weakened, she was one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Nibel warned us repeatedly to call for backup no matter what, since who knew what tricks she'd pull. With that, the party scattered to search for Brynhildr.
I need to find her first.
The Yin Seal on Siegfried was a boon for me. Letting them remove it? No way. My steps quickened.
"Found you."
Luck was on my side—I spotted Brynhildr first. We'd fanned out in different directions, so no one else was around.
"Oh? Busted?"
Brynhildr leaned against a tree. Spotting my face, her lips curved into a smile.
"Hey there~ Come closer~"
That seductive, man-enchanting voice from our first encounter—the one that had even mesmerized Siegfried. It still did nothing to me.
Shing—!
I drew my sword and pointed it at her throat.
How can I play this?
Killing her would be a net loss, like I said before. But letting her go? This chance was too good to waste.
"Looks like a succubus's voice doesn't work on you. I thought it was the mage blocking it..."
Her eyes accepted death. No pathetic begging like some cartoon villain—she had dignity.
"Let's make a deal. I'll spare you. What can you offer?"
Her eyes sparked back to life as she sized me up.
"Hahaha! Humans really are greedy creatures!"
Reading the avarice in my eyes, she agreed to negotiate.
"My purpose here. I'll tell you where the World Tree Branch is."
World Tree Branch! Hearing that explained why the elves had no deaths.
They didn't survive because elves are tough—Brynhildr just didn't kill them.
She must've planned to grab the branch and control them.
"Not enough."
It was more than enough, but...
I can squeeze more out of her.
My instincts, honed from fleecing married women for years, were screaming she had more to give.
"Not trading your life for the branch itself—just info on where it is? Means I still gotta sweat for it myself."
And no guarantee I'd even get it. Her face soured at my words, like I'd cornered her.
"Sigh... Fine, take this too."
She pointed to her finger, where a golden ring gleamed.
"Andvari's Ring. Curses your target with their personal downfall. Perfect for a weakling like you, right?"
She chuckled softly, waiting for my response.
"Deal. But how do I know you'll keep up your end? What if the branch info's fake?"
"So suspicious."
Can't trust an enemy—obvious. Siegfried would've bought it hook, line, and sinker, though.
"I don't trust you either, so let's do a soul contract."
Soul contract. I'd heard of it from Nibel. A deal demons propose, wagering souls. Seems equal, but...
Demons only offer it to desperate fools—they hold the advantage.
Break the terms, and your soul rips from your body on the spot. Insane stakes.
Hm... Yeah, let's do it.
She was the desperate one now. I had the upper hand.
"Alright. You give me the World Tree Branch location and Andvari's Ring. I don't kill you here. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
Brynhildr consented.
"Oh, one more thing."
"Greed's gonna bite you someday."
She glared sharply.
"Not greed—common sense. My life."
She could still kill me, so I added it.
"You won't kill me. Simple."
She pondered briefly.
"Fine. Someone like you..."
With mutual agreement, my chest tightened suddenly.
This is a soul contract...
Instinct told me: break it, and I'm dead.
"Here."
Brynhildr slipped off the ring and tossed it to me. I didn't put it on right away.
Better safe.
Decided to appraise it back in my world first, then stored it in my Inventory.
"Good. Where's the World Tree Branch?"
"Village center. Under the World Tree statue."
Ah, that one. The massive wooden statue in the middle. I'd wondered what it was—a model of the World Tree, apparently.
"Then live well—and don't die."
Need that Yin Seal to stick around. As I turned to leave, she called out.
"Hey, wait."
"What?"
I glanced back.
"Wanna have some fun with me?"
Brynhildr parted her chest, flashing her inner cleavage. Smooth, snow-white skin. A hint of nipple peeking out. Even I couldn't help but stare at a beauty's tits.
Sensing my gaze, she smirked triumphantly and struck a pose designed to tempt men. Something a whore might get cursed for—but on her...
Why does it feel so elegant?
Her cleavage gaped wider, barely hiding her nipples. Legs spread, panties visible. They were wedged slightly inside, revealing not just fabric but a glimpse of her mound.
Nipples and pussy. Teasing the edge of exposure. She gestured for me to come closer.
Driving me insane.
Dust flecked her pale skin, making her look even dirtier, hotter. I wanted to rush over, shove my dick in—but no.
Her intro: Succubus Queen. If she was a real succubus, one thrust and she'd drain my life force, leaving me a vegetable—or her slave.
Not dead, technically. And it wouldn't break the deal.
"Another deal."
"Oh?♡ What kind~? Just come and stick it in♡"
She nudged her panties aside. Her full pussy flashed briefly before vanishing.
"Hoo... I'll restore enough stamina for you to escape."
I took a deep breath to steady myself.
"In exchange, give me one of your items. Same grade as Andvari's Ring."
"Sigh... Greedy humans are such a handful sometimes. You'll get fleeced dry."
With a sigh, Brynhildr agreed to another soul contract. The item: her armor. Specifically, the top she wore.
"It's called Brun. From the first letter of my name."
Thanks to it, she'd escaped Nibel's spell and faked her composure, she explained. Tough, self-repairs with mana infusion.
"Key effect: morphs to any clothing the owner desires."
Like this. As she finished, her top turned into lingerie.
"How's that? Nice, right? Come take it off me~♡"
She fondled her massive breasts seductively.
"No need to hold back now."
Feeling the contract seal, I pounced on Brynhildr.