Surviving in the Demon King's Army (2)
Honestly, I never expected to hear anything normal out of Lily the succubus.
Knowing what kind of character she was, I'd braced myself for something shocking—but even so...
"Please make me your sex pet."
Yeah. That was peak pink-haired eroge succubus right there.
I'd seen it coming, and it still managed to throw me.
Of course she wasn't going to be normal.
If some ridiculously pretty, adorable succubus had just shown up one day and begged an ordinary guy to make her his sex pet, he probably would have said yes on the spot. She had that bright, cute face paired with a chest and hips that completely contradicted it, and—being a succubus—she even gave off a faintly pleasant scent. Anyone who knew nothing about her would have fallen for her without a second thought.
"No thanks."
But I wasn't anyone. I knew exactly what kind of succubus Lily was. After everything I'd seen her pull in the original game, no amount of pretty was going to override the revulsion.
"Huh?"
"I said no."
"Y-you mean it? Really?"
"Why do I have to say everything twice?"
Moments like this called for absolute clarity. No room for misunderstandings. I fixed the succubus currently working overtime to seduce me with a cold stare and delivered my honest feelings straight to her face.
I don't need the likes of you.
"That's weird. You... you won't make me your sex pet...?"
Confusion was written all over Lily's face. Had it genuinely never occurred to her that she might get rejected?
"Why? Why would you turn down a succubus this pretty and cute?"
She was fully aware of how attractive she was, which only made it harder for her to process.
"Flip that around. Why do you think I should make you my sex pet?"
"Eh?"
I made sure she heard me clearly.
"Aren't you overestimating yourself a little?"
Pretty and cute didn't mean a damn thing. There was no universe in which I was hanging around a lunatic who collected men's nuts for a hobby.
"I've got zero interest in a succubus like you."
"..."
In short: I felt not a shred of goodwill toward Lily. Contempt, if anything.
"I wouldn't need a pink-haired freak like you even if you brought me dozens of them."
"Th-that can't be..."
I said it as flatly and finally as I could. Stop hanging around in front of me.
"We're done talking. Don't let me see your face again."
That ought to have been clear enough. Watching the half-broken succubus standing there, I walked back into my room with a satisfied mind.
Rejected by Ronan, Lily could only stand frozen in place for a long while.
He had turned her down. Of all the outcomes she might have imagined, this one had never crossed her mind.
"..."
Succubi, by the nature of their race, could not help but be intensely drawn to men. Men were the source of a succubus's power—the entire reason they lived, the entire reason they were born. Most demon succubi, therefore, fed without discrimination. Any man would do.
I don't have to settle for that.
But Lily refused. She had her pride, after all.
The truth was, she was a once-in-a-generation prodigy among succubi. A Low Demon succubus, still young even by demon standards, and yet already carrying the makings of one of the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings. That alone said everything about how exceptional she was. On top of that, her looks put other succubi to shame. Of course she was proud of herself.
I'm going to offer everything I am to the man of my dreams. No exceptions.
So she had no interest in binding herself to some ordinary man. She needed someone special, and she had dreamed of meeting him someday—someone strong enough to crush her with ease, someone vicious and twisted enough to look down on her. If a man like that ever appeared, she was ready to hand over body and soul without a second thought.
So why doesn't he exist already?!
But no such man had ever shown up. Male demons stronger than a genius like her were nearly unheard of to begin with, and none of them would have dared treat her with the kind of sadistic contempt she craved. One way or another, she was a registered candidate for the Four Heavenly Kings—an elite among demons. She knew her dream was a hard one to realize.
It's weird...! It's just weird.
Even so, she wanted it desperately. Impossible or not, nothing else would ever satisfy the hunger clawing at her.
Haa. Where on earth is my prince?
Was she really going to go her whole life without ever meeting her Master? If something that horrible came to pass, she wasn't sure she could keep her mind intact.
Maybe I should just... kill every weak man I can find?
Her heart grew more restless by the day, and the more restless it became, the more extreme her thoughts turned. At this rate, she would start cutting the nuts off every man weaker than her and putting them on display.
I'm bored. Maybe I should start a little collection.
The idea was thoroughly grotesque and warped—but for a succubus forced to suppress her instincts because she couldn't find the man she wanted, that kind of spiral had been inevitable.
Hhk... finally...!
Fortunately, before those twisted thoughts could become reality, she met the man she had been dreaming of. The hero Ronan, who had suddenly arrived at the Demon King's Castle.
No doubt about it. He's incredibly strong. And something about him feels deliciously vicious.
A hero would naturally be powerful—and that faintly sadistic air clinging to him sealed it. Lily was certain Ronan was her ideal type. She didn't doubt it for a second.
"Please make me your sex pet."
She couldn't hold back. After waiting so long, she ran straight to him and poured her heart out. She put on the extra-revealing succubus outfit she'd prepared for this exact day and poured on the charm with everything she had.
This is the day my dream finally comes true.
She was sure this man would satisfy her. She did everything in her power to win him over.
But...
The answer that came back was merciless.
—Why do you think I should make you my sex pet?
—Aren't you overestimating yourself a little?
—I've got zero interest in a succubus like you.
—I wouldn't need a pink-haired freak like you even if you brought me dozens of them.
—We're done talking. Don't let me see your face again.
She had gathered every scrap of courage she had to confess, and Ronan's response had been ice-cold. As if Lily meant less than nothing. No—worse. He had treated her like trash left by the roadside and walked away.
What?
Left alone, Lily stood there with a dazed expression. At first she couldn't make sense of it. Then, not long after, she understood: Ronan had looked at her with contempt.
He won't even take me as a sex pet?
She had never imagined this. An exceptional succubus like her had thrown away every last shred of pride to appeal to him this hard—and still been rejected. It simply wasn't something she could have predicted.
How...?
Until now, no one had ever dared turn her down. Lily kneaded her massive chest with both hands, insisting to herself that this could not be real. She had always been number one. She had always excelled. All she had ever known was love and favoritism.
"He... he treated me this coldly..."
That kind of attitude, aimed at her. It felt like her pride had been ground into the dirt—and yet...
"That's so incredible...♡"
The feeling was thrilling beyond words. A shiver ran through her.
"He won't even look at me as a sex pet."
She had thrown herself at him like that, and he still wouldn't take her...?
Something was boiling up from deep inside her body.
"That means I'm even lower than that...♡"
To Ronan, she wasn't even worth using as a sex pet. If she wanted to reach his heart, maybe she needed to become a toilet instead. Or maybe he already saw her as something even lower than that.
"That's so hot...♡"
Living as Ronan's personal public toilet...! A life with no human rights, where all she could do was fawn over her Master, Ronan...! Just imagining it was a future so happy it made her dizzy.
"Haaah...♡"
She could never give up a future that blissful. She would win Ronan's favor no matter what—and serve him as her Master.
Lily swore it to herself then and there.
"Whew. Things have settled down a lot."
It had already been a full week since I'd started learning to control Demonic Energy. The stuff that had been pure agony at first was finally stabilizing.
"About three weeks left. I should have some breathing room until then."
Even when I used my original power now, Demonic Energy barely got in the way. At this rate, the coming war with the hero's party didn't look like anything to worry about.
She's here again?
The one real problem was Lily. I'd shut her down as hard as I could, and she still kept hovering around me.
Doesn't she ever get tired of this?
Whenever she had a free moment, she stared at me with that sticky, clinging gaze. It was enough to make me sigh for no good reason.
Just ignore her.
When it came to a deranged pervert of a succubus, I figured the only real answer was to pretend she didn't exist.
"About time, isn't it?"
Besides, I didn't have the luxury of fretting over someone like her.
"Time to go find it."
My control over Demonic Energy finally felt stable enough. I stood up from my seat.
It was time to go retrieve the Demon Sword.