Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Could She Be the Succubus Queen?
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“I'm good. I can walk on my own.”
Frederica, who had returned from Valhalla, straightened her posture.
As she dressed herself, she trembled at the lewd sensation every time her nipples brushed against the fabric.
It was a new and mysterious feeling she had never experienced before.
It was a moment of realization—her body was this sensitive all along.
“Please follow me. I'll show you the way.”
Frederica followed behind Yulia.
A woman with bat-like wings typical of a succubus sprouting from her waist. Her gait, swaying her devilish tail seductively, was perfectly tuned to tempt the mind.
At first, Frederica had assumed she was just an ordinary succubus maid.
Yet at night, she appeared in a shirt and suit pants like a butler, and in the morning, she showed up in a highly revealing maid outfit.
'And now she's in a suit again.'
Just before the fight with the Demon King, she had been wearing a maid outfit that bared her waist and sideboobs—practically naked.
But now, she was clad in a crisp white shirt that hugged her curves, black pants, and black dress shoes clicking rhythmically as she walked.
'What is she, really?'
Frederica knew she was a succubus, but she couldn't get a read on anything beyond that.
Lost in those thoughts, she followed along and soon arrived at what appeared to be Yulia's room.
The room was larger than expected.
Much bigger than the top-grade A-class inn rooms she used during her adventuring days.
Spacious enough for two—no, three people to live comfortably.
To assign a place like this.
She knew the dungeon was vast, but...
'Did the Demon King anticipate this?'
That more subordinates would join his ranks.
“This will be your quarters from now on, Miss Frederica.”
“Miss Frederica... It's been ages since anyone's called me that.”
“I have to be fair to everyone.”
Yulia smiled, her eyes curving into beautiful arcs.
Frederica found those slender, arched eyes truly captivating.
“I'll prepare your bathwater.”
“Thanks.”
What on earth was this woman's true identity?
She didn't seem like a mere succubus...
But her thoughts on Yulia didn't linger.
“Huh?”
It was because of her transformed body reflected in the mirror.
“Black...”
The horns sprouting from her head and the dragon scales encasing her tail were now dyed pitch black.
She lifted her clothes slightly to check the base where her tail connected.
Her firm, beautifully curved buttocks—and the root of her tail—were entirely covered in black scales.
The red dragon scales she had once been so proud of had vanished completely.
Only her red eyes and hair remained as proof that she had once been of the red dragon tribe.
“I've become a dragon demon...”
She had read about it in ancient tomes.
When dragonkin are corrupted by demonic energy, the human half of their being sloughs away, transforming them into demons.
“I never imagined the ancient texts were true...”
Ever since the Demon King was subjugated by the hero long ago, dragonkin had rarely been exposed to demonic energy.
The dragon demons from before had mostly been hunted down by their ancestors, their kind eradicated.
“At least my eyes are still red. I suppose I should be grateful for that.”
She took solace in the lingering traces of her red dragon heritage.
“Doesn't seem like anything else has changed...”
Becoming a dragon demon didn't make her stronger or more irritable, as far as she could tell.
She squeezed her eyes shut and recalled the tome's words.
-Those who become dragon demons grow brutally honest and explicit with their instincts.
Was that it?
At least, that was all she knew.
“So I've become something else entirely now.”
At least her mind was still intact.
That would have to suffice.
“No going back to my kin now.”
She'd be marked for extermination.
Frederica ran her hand over the black scales once.
The color symbolized her defeat.
It etched into her mind, over and over, that she had lost to the Demon King and submitted.
A humiliating defeat.
A perfect loss, with no scrap of victory to claim anywhere.
She ought to be furious, so why did her lower body keep itching like this?
If she dwelled on it any longer, she might not be able to stop herself. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
“But why did I see Valhalla in that illusion?”
Was that her true desire?
No.
She knew her own desires.
Ever since internalizing her new dragon demon nature, a vivid craving had boiled in her chest.
It was defeat at the Demon King's hands.
Just imagining it made her heart race uncontrollably.
That massive foot of the Demon King crushing her.
The cold gaze looking down.
Herself, pinned beneath it all.
“Hoo...”
Calm down.
Being true to her desires was one thing, but losing herself was not an option.
“I'm fine. It's okay. For now.”
Gazing at her reflection, Frederica made a vow.
She wouldn't let her desires consume her like the other dragon demons.
“I definitely saw Valhalla.”
The glorious realm accessible only to dragonkin.
Even as a dragon demon, she had beheld and savored a land beyond her wildest fantasies.
Could it be...
This submission under the Demon King—was it the Valhalla she had always dreamed of?
No way.
But even if not, she had already lost to the Demon King. She had become a dragon demon. There was nowhere left for her to go.
She would have to get used to it.
“Haa.”
Her body felt limp from the intense session with the Demon King earlier that day.
She had screamed so loudly.
“Nngh! Ahhn! Haaah! Ravage me! Demon King!”
Yeah, exactly like that.
“Ah.”
The ecstatic cries of women being ravaged by the Demon King echoed all the way here.
This one was the priestess Amy's voice, wasn't it?
“Guess the soundproofing isn't great.”
Frederica hadn't considered that her sharp dragon ears were simply picking it up.
Ahem.
She cleared her throat, trying to dispel the unwanted surge of excitement.
“The bath is ready. Shall we wash up?”
Yulia had appeared without a sound, door open, gazing at Frederica.
“Whoa, you scared me.”
“I was rude, since you're not the Demon King.”
“N-no, it's fine.”
Staring at the succubus before her, Frederica voiced the question burning on her tongue.
“One question before I bathe.”
“Go ahead.”
“Don't you... do it?”
“Do what?”
“With the Demon... King.”
The honorific felt awkward on her lips.
“Haaang! Hnguuuh!! Demon Kiiing!!!”
The women's moans continued to drift in.
This was Rebecca's voice.
Right now, the Demon King was entangled in a messy orgy with three demonkin—or were they humans?
Just like he had with her.
“Ahem.”
Even she was struggling to hold back, so a succubus with insatiable lust must be suffering terribly.
“Hehe, as his secretary, I simply stay by his side. Personal desires don't sway me.”
“You're a succubus. You must be starving by now. Looks like you haven't absorbed any essence in ages—not just one or two years...”
“...”
A sharp glint flashed through her smiling, narrowed eyes.
“Miss Frederica, that's quite the strange thing to say.”
“Don't try fooling a dragon's eyes.”
“Such insolence from a half-breed.”
Killing intent laced her voice.
Frederica instinctively staggered back two steps from the oppressive pressure.
“W-what are you?”
“I have no idea what you mean.”
“You can't possibly be one of the Demon King's underlings. So... are you his ruler?”
“Insolent drivel. Do you really think anyone rules him?”
The killing intent surged again.
Frederica's hands shook uncontrollably.
Her heart pounded as if she had sprinted dozens of kilometers.
Don't be afraid.
I am dragon demon Frederica.
“No, it's just... I can't sense it. Your power.”
“...That's unnecessary. Let's end this. I don't care to hear more distasteful nonsense.”
“Why? Did I strike a nerve?”
“One more word, and I'll beat you for real.”
“Oh? Bring it on. After today, I'm hooked on getting hit anyway.”
Crack!
She cracked her knuckles, just like always.
A strange thrill gripped her.
Fighting a powerful foe was always such a rus—
That instant.
“Huh?”
The world flipped upside down.
Thud!
“Guhk!”
Pain exploded in her chest belatedly.
The metallic tang of blood flooded her throat.
“Cough!”
She hadn't seen Yulia move. Hadn't seen the attack.
“You... what the hell are...?”
“Best not repeat that. Not in front of me. Not in front of the Demon King.”
Meeting Yulia's icy downward gaze, Frederica felt true fear.
She couldn't move.
Couldn't even open her mouth.
The only part of her that could budge was her thick neck.
As if Yulia had decreed it so.
Nod, nod.
She merely bobbed her head up and down.
“Good, you get it. Miss Frederica. Shall we bathe?”
Frederica nodded once more.
'No way... the Succubus Queen? The one who vanished alongside the Demon King years ago?'
“It'll take some time to mobilize the troops, so please stay for two days.”
“Can't it be sooner?”
“No, we need to create a pretext for moving them. I'm the mayor, but mobilizing forces that size requires convincing the council.”
“Ah, got it. Sure.”
City bureaucracy was such a hassle.
If it were a lord's castle, they'd have set out by now.
Riley and Kina had no choice but to remain in Mir for two days.
“Since we're stuck here anyway, we should sketch out a basic strategy.”
Kina nodded at Riley's words.
“But do we really need this many people? It's an E-rank dungeon.”
“If Floa really died—or went missing—it's not a simple E-rank. At minimum, it's A-rank.”
The Jackal-Floa duo had been the absolute best against monsters.
Jackal's impenetrable blade paired with a capable mage whose utility spells and crowd-control magic could rival a sixth-circle sorcerer.
Regular mages rarely bothered mastering utility spells, which made it possible.
'I've got no talent for magic, so I'm aiming for that niche market.'
Floa's words resurfaced.
A pang twisted in Riley's chest.
'This time, I'm seducing Jackal. When we have the wedding, the bouquet goes to Riley sis.'
Floa's beaming face, dreaming of a future with Jackal, flashed in her mind.
She had been so happy about it.
Had even talked about confessing and giving him a ring.
Why?
“There's no way those two ran off. So it's either missing or KIA.”
“...Yeah.”
Kina nodded vigorously.
“An A-rank dungeon means we proceed with caution. It's beyond what we can solo. We'd need a large-scale adventurer party, tackling it in teams.”
“Right, yeah.”
Riley unrolled the map.
It depicted Dibel Forest and the bizarre new dungeon labeled "Can't Leave Without Sex."
Purchased from the Adventurer's Guild.
'If you wanted it that bad with Jackal, you should've just been upfront.'
Thinking of the missing Floa, Riley bit her lip.
She desperately hoped Floa wasn't missing—that she was off vacationing in a nearby village with Jackal.
“So, what's the plan now?”
“We'll get soldier support and scout the dungeon. Check the layout inside, what monsters are there, demonic energy levels, everything.”
Riley meticulously outlined the dungeon assault strategy.
Kina nodded along, gazing at Riley with warm, gentle eyes.
“Riley really is a genius!”
The mana-infused words eased some of Riley's worries.
That signature optimism from a wind mage always lifted her spirits.
“Thanks.”
With a relieved smile, Riley pointed to the village at the edge of Dibel Forest.
“We'll use this as the forward base for the soldiers.”
Riley's finger rested on Lorangleble.