Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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These were spells I had never seen at Schutra Magic School.
Beatrice, the cat girl who introduced herself, had magic power and anti-magic stats of 1, so they weren't particularly noteworthy.
But she had no elemental magic at all—just these two abilities.
I decided to ask Beatrice first.
"So... what brings you here to see me... nya?"
"...Just speak casually, nya."
"Okay. What brings you here?"
"To meet the hero who defeated the Hero, nya!"
She had a completely different personality from the retainers I'd sat with yesterday.
She seemed cheerful and brimming with curiosity.
She'd caught my interest from the start anyway, so this worked out perfectly.
I glanced back. Viola still seemed lost in dreamland, so no major issues there.
"And the Demon King personally asked me to guide you around, nya."
"Oh, perfect timing. I've been wanting to tour the castle. Can you show me around?"
"Leave it to me, nya!"
With a confident expression, she thumped her chest with her small hands and boldly took the lead.
...She's freaking adorable. Or should I say cat-adorable?
Whoa, that's insane. Cat-insane. She's like the pinnacle of premium genes, right?
Catfolk ears and tail, Succubus wings.
Above-average bust, nya-speak, and a cute face.
The law of dirty genes was shattered once again today, right before my eyes.
I started wandering the castle with Beatrice, whom I'd met so suddenly.
Her vibrant energy made the tour anything but boring.
The training grounds, dining hall, armory, dueling arena...
After about an hour, we'd arrived at the garden.
It was a garden bursting with beautiful flowers.
I never imagined the Demon King's castle would have a garden.
Beatrice led me to an ornate gazebo in the center—a Western-style pavilion—and continued her explanations.
But I was starting to get a bit bored, so I decided to ask something I'd been wondering about.
"So, how does a Catfolk and Succubus even have a hybrid child?"
"Eek! How did you know I'm a hybrid, nya?!"
I ignored her shock and messaged privately.
...Okay, she's a bit dim.
Got it. Inferior gene number one spotted.
Beatrice began spilling her life story.
Apparently, Catfolk-Succubus hybrids were impossible.
Catfolk couldn't breed with other races, and Succubi couldn't get pregnant in the first place.
Her Catfolk father had met her Succubus mother by chance, and somehow they'd fallen in love.
Despite the impossibility, she'd been born.
"Huh? How?"
"...Beats me, nya. Mom and Dad never told me, nya."
But there was a problem with their love child.
Beatrice had inherited sloppy genes from both races, so she'd been abandoned by both groups.
Her parents, who had at least been on her side, had died in the war.
Plus, both Catfolk and Succubi had been wiped out during the war, leaving her as the sole survivor.
That seemed off, though.
Even as the last of her kind, she shouldn't be dining with the Demon King like that.
"Near the end of the war, I finally got thrown into the fight, nya. All I could do was hide and peek into sleeping people's dreams, nya."
"That's still a pretty good ability, isn't it?"
"...I'm not as nimble or sneaky as pure Catfolk, and I can't stay in dreams long like pure Succubi, nya."
That's why she hadn't been deployed until the very end—her abilities were too pathetic.
And ironically, that's how she'd survived.
But her contribution had been a game-changer.
Gardia, following Zodiac's oracle, had ordered Beatrice to infiltrate the Hero's dreams and find out who he liked.
The resistance army was closing in on the Demon King's castle, so she'd risked her life sneaking into his camp.
Luckily, the victory-drunk resistance had lax security, and she'd made it to the Hero's tent to peer into his dream.
"In the dream, I turned into some woman, and the most I could glean was that the Hero had a girl back home he liked, nya. I reported that, and soon after, the Hero vanished, nya."
"Whoa, that's a huge achievement!"
I never imagined the intel I'd received was from her.
The Demon King practically owed her one.
That explained why she'd been at dinner last night.
"...">
But despite my praise, Beatrice just stared sullenly into space.
"What's wrong? Something happen?"
"...Now I'm all alone, nya. Mom and Dad are gone, and my whole race is dead, nya."
"...">
No matter how inclusive the Demon King's army claimed to be, being the last one standing didn't change that.
To lighten the mood, I asked about the Dream Invasion I'd seen earlier.
"How does entering dreams work?"
"Oh, that's simple, nya. I can slip into someone's dream from about one room away while they're sleeping, nya."
"Whoa... Can you do it to me?"
"Of course, nya!"
Her gloom vanished, and she beamed at the request, like she loved helping out.
Figured I'd try it once; if it was useful, I'd learn it with Enel.
"So... do I need to sleep again? Head to my room?"
"Nope, nya! Lie down right here, nya."
"...Uh...">
She suddenly knelt in the flowerbed, patting her lap invitingly.
Her ears twitched excitedly; she clearly loved doing favors.
Wow, zero guard up.
I'd pegged her cat looks for aloof superiority, but she felt more like a puppy.
Anyway, I approached Beatrice.
A beauty offering a lap pillow? Only a gay guy or a cursed eunuch-in-waiting would say no.
I lay down, resting my head on her lap.
Looking up at her face, her breasts came into view.
My eyes wouldn't leave her chest...
Then Beatrice grinned and murmured,
"Sleepy... sleepy..."
"...">
Even lullabies aren't sung like that.
I was baffled and tried messaging...
Is she messing with me... Like that'd wor—
Armonia's words were the last thing I heard before my eyes slowly closed.
...
...
When I opened my eyes, I was in a pitch-black void.
Floating weightlessly in empty space.
"Huh?"
"How is it, nya?"
Beatrice popped out of the darkness, frolicking in front of me.
"Pretty wild, right, nya?"
"What the...? How'd you knock me out?"
"Succubi have Sleep skills too, nya. But I can only manage a minute max, nya."
"Insane... But it's so empty. I figured a dream would have scenes playing out."
"Normally you'd enter someone's ongoing dream, but since I jumped you suddenly, there's no content yet, nya."
All my senses felt alive; it didn't seem any different from reality.
I could even feel textures.
"Whoa, amazing... But how do I know this is a dream?"
"I warned you I'd put you to sleep, so you knew, nya. Sneak in with Sleep, and they won't notice at all, nya."
Even inside dreams, at her level, Beatrice couldn't control others' dreams.
Gathering info was her limit.
Probably due to low skill level.
So if I maxed it with Enel...?
I have to learn this.
Once her explanation wrapped up, my eyes drifted back to her chest.
She twitched her ears smugly.
"Impressed, nya? Pretty awesome, right, nya?"
"Oh yeah... seriously impressive."
"Hee hee hee..."
Praised, she wriggled happily.
This skill's gold. Perfect for me.
Ah, that could be risky. Noted.
Next up: Subordination.
"Eek! How'd you know about that too, nya...?"
"Well, you're a Succubus hybrid. Figured something like that might be in the mix."
I couldn't exactly say I'd seen her status window...
After agonizing forever, Beatrice explained.
"Subordination is a Succubus innate ability, nya. But it's got big problems, nya..."
"What kind?"
Unlike Dream Invasion, Subordination wasn't a simple skill.
It wasn't hypnosis, more like forging a master-servant bond.
Subordination had hefty side effects.
"Sometimes the bond reverses, nya. Succubi try to subordinate someone and end up enslaved as human sex toys instead. Happens a lot, nya."
"...Gotta be careful."
Dream Invasion had side effects too, but mostly things going wrong inside the dream—nothing major.
...This sounds like stuff from Special Magic Studies at Schutra.
It matched what I'd learned there.
Abstract spells carried huge risks.
Like the militia in Crell Village—physical training made near-superhumans, but magic stayed primitive.
Anyway, learn all three. Max Dream Invasion and Sleep to 5.
Subordination, Dream Invasion, and Sleep were added to my aptitudes.
I didn't touch Subordination yet, but bumped Dream Invasion and Sleep to level 5.
Seemed like a safe cap for easy investment, by my standards.
With the skills learned, Beatrice and I resumed touring the castle.
Eventually, we returned to the guest room, where Viola threw herself at me, sobbing.
"Waaah! Suho, I thought you were gone!"
"Haha... Sorry, sorry."
She'd woken up, found me missing, and feared I'd vanished for good.
Despite her resistance to all fears, the dread of losing me was deeply ingrained.
Once I calmed her down, her eyes turned to Beatrice beside me.
"Hic... S-s-spare me, nya..."
Beatrice flattened her ears and trembled.
How'd she infiltrate the Hero's dream with that courage...?
Viola approached Beatrice, circling her in fascination.
"Wow! How are you this cute...?"
"Eek... Hii..."
"Relax..."
Beatrice flinched, shaking in terror.
Viola was killing her with those sparkling eyes.
While Viola admired Beatrice, someone approached us.
Click, click, click.
A figure walked with precise steps, exuding dignity: Lady Lena de Peron de Peron.
Her long pink hair swayed minimally as she strode confidently to us.
Arriving, she adopted a graceful posture and spoke politely.
"Lord Gardia invites you to lunch. Allow me to guide you."
Seeing her up close, I doubted she was some broken-hearted girl.
Whoa... Who'd guess her spirit's crumbling? And she fought the Demon King tooth-and-nail, yet attaches honorifics without flinching.
Truly impressive woman.
Me, Viola, and Beatrice—uninvited but dragged along—headed to the dining hall.
Lady Lena de Peron led, I followed right behind, and Viola trailed me, hugging Beatrice in awe.
The maid-outfitted Lady Lena de Peron's rear view was pure art.
Whoa... A woman's charm really starts with the hips.
Nah, flat or huge tits are fine. Face has to be pretty, though...
Contradictory, but I kept going.
But scrawny hips? Can't handle that. Doesn't even look feminine...
To me, flat hips meant not womanly.
Once past a certain threshold, size didn't matter much—but flat hips ruined pretty faces or big chests.
Not feminine.
Lady Lena de Peron blew past passing with artistic curves.
Tall, long straight hair, perfect hip line.
Sensing my gaze, she glanced back while walking.
I played it cool, but I was busted.
...Armonia.
Time to start conquering the Lady today!
I wanted her for real.