Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Ah, This Is What They Call 'Sacrifice'
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Ah, this is what they call 'sacrifice.'
'Oh yeah, beastkin can tell races apart just by smell, right?
But Lady Lily's a top-tier demon, so she's naturally a pro at hiding her identity.'
The only ones who knew Lily's true nature were those she'd told herself.
Even if humans were used to handling mana, Lily was a succubus queen, a high demon far above them.
So unless it was some exceptional powerhouse, spotting her identity at a glance was next to impossible.
But Winnie had sniffed her out the moment she first laid eyes on Lily a few days ago.
Was it thanks to beastkin senses of smell? Or the razor-sharp instincts unique to catkin? Or maybe the powers granted by the thunder's chosen?
Whatever it was, the cat girl had picked up on Lily's secret from the start—something most other races missed—and was on high alert.
“Whewww...!”
It was a cry like a child wailing, yet eerie enough to send chills down your spine the more you heard it.
Even Sion, who'd seen cats plenty of times, couldn't get used to it. And seeing a catkin girl, who looked almost human, down on all fours howling like that? Yeah, no adaptation there.
“What a little shit.
A stray cat like you.”
To Lily, though, it was just some no-account catkin girl yowling her head off.
Nothing more, nothing less.
“Kyaaak!
Why the hell are you always sticking to that human guy?!”
“What do you care if I hang around Sion or not?”
“That human's my benefactor!
How can I just stand by when my benefactor's right next to a dangerous monster?!”
A dangerous monster?
Me?
Lily echoed the thought, letting out an incredulous laugh.
Sure, a succubus queen was threatening. She wouldn't deny that.
The problem was that the guy was the one she'd bound herself to in a pact of subjugation—one she absolutely couldn't harm.
Of course, Lily had no intention of spilling that detail. She just shut her mouth, letting Winnie jump to conclusions about the black-hearted dream demon scheming something nefarious.
'In the end, I have to step up again, huh.
Sigh, the life of a guy who just keeps sacrificing himself.
This is really the last thing I wanted.'
Cursing inwardly, Sion cleared his throat with a loud “Ahem!” to draw both women's attention.
“That's enough, everyone.
You too, Lady Lily. And Winnie.”
The moment Sion said her name, the cat girl's ears perked up with a twitch.
She stared straight into his eyes, like she was thrilled to hear her name from her benefactor's lips, practically begging if he had more to say.
Lily gawked at the sight, then clutched her face and muttered.
“Haah.
How did I end up treating not just two humans, but a damn stray cat as competition...?”
It was enough to make the title of succubus queen weep.
Love was a battle where the one who fell first could never win, but she never imagined rivals piling up like this.
'I seriously need a plan.
Everywhere I go, I pick up another girl. If I blink, I'll have hundreds of rivals!'
For the first time in her succubus life, Lily was wrestling with such worries.
As she stood to leave the room, Sion grabbed her hastily.
“You're leaving?”
“Where would I go?!
I'm staying right by your side, obviously!”
“No, I thought since you came to my room, maybe you'd want to get... intense again.”
He didn't need to finish. Everyone knew.
Lily lunged at Sion in a flash, glancing around to make sure no one heard, then sighed in relief.
Sion, meanwhile, was the baffled one.
“Wait, why are you the one embarrassed, Lady Lily?”
“You—you idiot!
Don't you think that's too much?!
Even if I'm a dream demon, I'm still a woman! What kind of guy blurts that out?!
Anyone could hear!”
...Weird.
In the novel, Lily was exactly like this.
And that's why Kim Yu-hyun kept his distance from her.
So Sion figured playing to her code would make her like him more.
'She's way different from the novel.
Which one's the real Lady Lily?'
Only one way to check.
Like in the novel, poke her again.
“Eek?”
Lily spun around in shock, eyes on Sion.
His hand had grabbed her ass, kneading it roughly.
“H-Hey!
What the hell are you doing?!”
“Isn't this what you wanted?”
“N-No!
Stop, stop!
Th-that cat girl's staring weird!”
“I don't care who's watching.
If you say you like it, sis, that's all that matters.”
He pinned her gently against the wall, sliding his hand from her ass between her thighs.
The blatant hunger in his movements flushed the succubus queen's face crimson.
Why was he acting like this? But as worry melted away—realizing her fears were unfounded—the knot in her chest dissolved.
Ah, I'm always number one to him.
Those nights weren't disappointing enough to push him away.
I'm still attractive to him.
The thought ignited a blaze inside her.
'God, I want to beg him to hold me right now...'
But queenly pride held her back.
With the catkin girl gawking in disbelief, triumph mixed with shame.
At least, she wanted their whispers of love and tangled bodies for just the two of them.
“W-Wait!”
Lily finally shoved her instincts down and stopped him.
Sion looked at her, puzzled.
“E-Enough!
The kid's watching! You want to do this?!”
“Kid?
Oh.”
Only then did Sion mutter, “My bad,” and pull away.
He caught her brief, wistful “Ahh...” of disappointment.
'Thought she was serious.
Thanks, sis. Dodged a bullet there.'
He'd been sweating what if she actually jumped him.
No way did he want to film an AV with an audience.
Truth was, he'd come on strong to Lily for a few reasons. Biggest one: lift her spirits amid her recent slump.
'Sis is the succubus queen.
She doesn't compete with other women subconsciously—she thinks she's always above them.'
Jealousy itself felt alien to her. She'd blame her own shortcomings instead.
Simplest fix: show her constant attention so jealousy never sparked. Prove with words, body, emotions that among all the girls chasing him, she was always first.
'Modern eyes might call it scummy, but this is the novel world, right?'
No one to judge his morals. If there was, he'd shout back.
'No, these women throw themselves at me—am I the criminal?
I'm just fighting to survive here. That blind you with rage, you bastards?!'
Lily, Lucia, Rishika—they were all indispensable cards.
Knowing the hellish ordeal a year from now, Sion wouldn't tiptoe around gossip. Better to hoard them shamelessly.
Meanwhile, Lily fidgeted, regretting pushing his hand away, then flushed beet red and forced a casual tone.
“L-Later.
Not tonight. When things quiet down, then... okay?”
“Of course.
I'm always ready whenever you want, sis.”
“Or right now,” he teased, poking her side. She yelped—“Later! I said later! Ughhh!”—and bolted from the room before temptation won.
'Alright, one down.'
Sion turned back.
He'd worried what if Lily flipped and pounced, with Winnie watching. But nope.
“Uwooo...”
Still, the charged vibe between them shocked her. Winnie huddled tight, glaring warily at Sion.
How to calm her down? As Sion opened his mouth—
“Nooo!
That woman's a dream demon!
Don't fall for it, human guy!
My benefactor!”
“Uwaaack?!”
The world spun like a top, body whirling.
Winnie had charged, grabbing his collar and shaking him like she was snapping him awake. To Sion, it was a blender ride.
'Fuuuuck!'
Eyes, inner ears, brain—all on a rollercoaster.
Just a collar shake, but the world went white. He nearly puked, thinking people could die from this.
“Human guy!
Snap out of it!
You can't give in!”
“O-Okay, just stop! I'm dying here!”
He bellowed, mustering every ounce.
Winnie realized her mistake—“Eek!”—and flung him away, cowering in the corner like he'd committed a crime, terrified of punishment.
“Guhhh...”
He swore he tasted New Year's rice cake soup from seven years ago.
Staggering up, Sion eyed Winnie peeking from her corner.
She knew she'd gone too far—pure kitten vibes, bracing for a scolding.
“...Winnie Portable.”
Her ears perked at her name.
Recalling cat owners were ID'd more by voice than scent, Sion used the same gentle tone as before.
“Winnie.”
She flinched, head up, debating bolting.
Sion watched a bit, then shrugged and sat at the table, facing away.
Now she couldn't see him.
Curiosity won; she peeked out.
The guy who'd coaxed her now ignored her completely—irresistible.
She crept out, padding closer to snoop.
Then—
Whoosh!
He stood abruptly, hiding something inside, and headed to the bed—back turned again, fiddling.
“Uwooo!”
Total ignore! Utter dismissal!
Winnie bared fangs, pissed—but her perking ears and swishing tail betrayed her.
Unable to take it, she leaped lightly beside him, staring demandingly: Show me! What?!
Sion twisted away teasingly; she shifted to meet his eyes.
Finally, done, he swung his arm—fling!
Winnie's eyes went wide.
“Ha!”
She pounced midair, batting wildly.
In that instant, Sion had MacGyvered a 'cat fishing rod': stick, string from room decor, tied with a feather.
“Hya!
Hyat!
Kyaaang!
Nyaaang!”
No matter how adult she acted, Sion knew Winnie was still a kitten.
And for catkin, nothing beat a dangling, twitching toy.
'Catkin trait: Always repay a benefactor.
She's convinced I'm charmed by Lily-sis, lost to lust?
Perfect angle.'
A full-grown catkin? Maybe not. But Winnie was baby-cat level.
Coax her close, and Sion gains unexpected bounty.
Not just Winnie—catkin ties, maybe all beastkin.
'Never planned on cat-collecting.
But Winnie Portable? Welcome aboard.
Chunky thighs forever!'
Sion's scumbag level leveled up again.
―――――――Author's Note―――――――
(Grab) Hey, buddy, where you rushing off to without hitting recommend...?