The Lionheart King's Return
"Succubus Lord versus Hero? If this were an eroge, we'd already be done for."
"Are you insane?"
He knew I was a hero. That's why he nodded along to my talk of taking down the Evil God right now, even as he vehemently denied it. I'd received a divine revelation from Goddess Hecate to defeat the Succubus Lord, and now that I'd tracked down traces of that being, I was heading out to fight. Riko already knew I was a hero, but she was shocked to learn I'd even gotten a personal request from Goddess Hecate. Still, when I said I was off to capture that Evil God right away, she couldn't hold back her curses.
It was only natural. An F-rank adventurer like me, charging off to take down not just any Succubus, but their goddess and queen? Yeah, I'd be flat on my face. He pressed a hand to his forehead with a heavy sigh. Had he realized words wouldn't sway me?
"You won't just charge in like a madman, right?"
"For now, I plan to get close and just observe."
After all, maybe some other adventurer would take it down instead of me. Riko nodded, conceding it wasn't impossible—but then sighed that if it were, the witches would've swarmed out and fought to the death themselves. According to the goddess, even Hero Park Chun-sik had to castrate himself to suppress his lust just to barely seal her away. Whether the seal had been broken without any backlash was still a mystery...
"To Lady Hecate, Lady Circe is like a daughter. It wasn't strange for her to ask a hero to defeat the Evil God—in fact, only a hero could do it! Anyone can see it's impossible, but your willingness to stake your life without complaint moved me deeply!"
"...Can you tell she's that good of a person?"
"What do you take witches for? Anyway, there's no need to rush. The Hands Collector isn't weak enough to get caught by some random adventurer, nor is it stupid. It knows you're tracking it, so it'll probably set traps with its witch allies if push comes to shove. We can take it slow—no need to hurry."
She was worried for me, urging caution since Circe was precious but lives were irreplaceable. After haggling for half a day, we compromised: she'd hang back and observe without joining. Other powerful adventurers would flock to reclaim the Holy Land anyway, so maybe they'd finally fell the Succubus Lord after all these years. Riko was purely thrilled at the thought—and secretly hoped the Hands Collector would tag along too.
I pulled off my hood, deliberately revealing myself. There were no other humans in the Trust Union besides me, so they had no excuse not to find me.
Still, was I being impatient right now? My enemies were strong, gunning for me, and I lacked the power. It was enough to make anyone antsy... but I never throw others' lives into hopeless fights.
"Hey, Riko."
"You can call me Riko-chan."
"Right, Riko-chan."
"...No resistance at all, huh. Are you seducing me?"
Riko poked my cheek with her finger as she mulled my question. We were walking now, having boarded a cart in a nearby village for the rest of the trip. Trauma from before made me pick an open wagon without a canopy, so I could see the surroundings clearly.
"The Evil God seals breaking seem random, but the news points to the Trust Union specifically. It's an alliance of kingdoms and cities with a proud history founded by heroes. Other independent kingdoms—old ones or new—don't look kindly on it. There are other big empires too. If the Trust Union weakens internally from these Evil Gods, rival nations might invade for territory... Maybe they're aiming for chaos?"
"And if war breaks out... what happens?"
"The Trust Union wins. No matter how strong the invaders, this alliance has an Overlord—it's invincible. Justice would be on our side anyway."
"And if not?"
"Then it branches off. Maybe targeting a specific Evil God, or needing to break a particular seal. Or maybe no reason at all—just madness. All bad, but the last one's the worst: unpredictable crazies are exhausting."
"Odds it's Maou-related?"
"Then they'd only target Evil Gods that back the Maou, right?"
They had some unknown goal we couldn't fathom, and Maou affiliates wouldn't ignore a Hero. Not after treasure, not grudge-holding against the Trust Union—that was all we could guess. Fittingly for hero-founded lands, unsealing their Evil Gods alone would turn everything to chaos.
All we knew for sure? They were after me. But honestly, that was just like finding an amusing toy. On the way to the fallen kingdom, we hadn't run into the Hands Collector or any special monsters. Were they backing off now that they knew enough, planning to chill and wait?
Not knowing their faces while they knew mine was more pressuring than I'd thought. Movie heroes never seemed to sweat it.
Complaining wouldn't change anything, so I learned about rune magic and magic from Riko as we reached the Lionheart Kingdom outskirts. Far-off walls of the kingdom. A refugee camp sprawled in a distant city.
They'd fled with just their lives, looking more like slaves in their misery. Adventurers shared water and food, but guilds and associations weren't flush enough—the supplies looked short. Other places hit by Evil Gods too? No slack.
"The Trust Union is led by multiple kings and guild masters, right?"
"Yeah, no single 'king' figure. If anything, adventurer Ban Griffin comes close."
Laws and welfare were solidly international, but handling simultaneous disasters? Doubtful.
The gathered adventurers reeked of elite. Gear of unknown make but clearly top-tier; even I—a total dullard—felt the powerhouses' auras from each.
Worried Riko's witch identity would slip, but adventurers just invited her to their parties.
"Sorry, I've got this one."
"Ah..."
"Newlyweds, huh?"
"Human and Levitfoot? Rare pair."
They congratulated us as a "lovely couple." Their personalities must just be that great... Then they warned it was bad timing—the kingdom was Succubus-held, so head back.
Her witch side stayed hidden, but mistaken for a couple? Fine, I guess. Inns were packed with adventurers, so we shared a single room.
"Bed's narrow, but I'm slim—no problem!"
Hugging to sleep would fix it. What was she getting at? I took the floor. Too cold? Party members cuddling's fine? Arms crossed, acting cute—ignored. Time to write a letter since we'd arrived.
Adventurers bought anti-Succubus countermeasures from clerics—priests and paladins aplenty. The rundown border city bustled despite itself.
"Succubi aren't physically strong. Their seduction's the issue. If the revived one's the Succubus Lord, she'll charm powerhouses into minions—basically a Maou reborn. That's why the crowds for urgent extermination."
"This should do it, right?"
"Lionheart's king is a Master of the sword. Even he couldn't save his kingdom, Hero."
True... Wonder what that king felt now.
We'd watch from nearby for a bit. With this many adventurers, those guys wouldn't dare. Unless they charged me on main street.
"Couple pineapple juice and pineapple-kiwi mackerel pizza."
"Hero, not my place as a witch, but... can you even eat that?"
Raw fish on pizza—what's wrong? Riko munched salad, offering her couple pineapple juice via straw. Fruit juice wasn't my thing—politely declined. She yanked my ear: who pairs pizza with jujube tea?!
...No clue what's wrong. Spread the Trust Union news, nibbling pizza—fishy tang and gooey cheese—frowning at the grim state.
Aiming to collapse it from inside? Even fallen kingdoms could spawn new kings if adventurers rallied. Anyone capable could rule. Kings had checks, sure.
But with Hands Collector tailing, their leader was powerhouse-tier. No need for theatrics—they could quietly erase a kingdom.
"The king's back! Lionheart's king lives!"
"His Majesty Schneider Reinhardt survives!"
"...Noisy. Shall we check?"
"We can hear from here."
Murmurs and cheers from citizens. Lionheart's third king—Sword Master, Lion King—returned alive, uncertain fate be damned. Bloodied, clutching his beloved sword, from the kingdom itself.
"Alone... huh."
Master and king—he survived solo. Speech too muffled here. Priests rushed to heal and check him.
Riko popped out for intel—"wait here"—back quick. I'd preemptively ordered her faves. She bit into fruit dish gratefully.
"Succubus Lord invasion confirmed. King fought alone to the end, escaped at limit. Shockingly, inflicted a mortal wound. Royalty with superior blood's different, huh? Adventurers see an opening now."
"What do you think, Riko-chan?"
"Hmm, the Succubus Lord wields peerless, world-beguiling beauty—an Evil God's horrific allure. Strong-willed fall as minions; weak melt brains just looking. Witches like us can't even face her."
"Master endured somehow and fled?"
"Probably. Best we can figure. Always prep for worst, though."
She fed me an orange. "Cute couple," innkeeper said—we wryly smiled. Witch secret safe...
"So, Hero, what's the plan?"
"Disaster relief."
Food and water shortages? No issue for me. Riko nodded—"Ah"—beaming innocently.
"Worthy of the gods' choice."
"Even if she doesn't know it herself."