Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Succubus User Manual (2)
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After roughly sorting out the situation, Maria and I headed back to the Black Skull Mercenary Corps' guild building.
Maria still didn't seem to have fully sorted out her thoughts, but she appeared relatively calm.
[We're heading back faster than expected?]
‘Seems like I need to quickly learn more about Maria's abilities.’
If Maria's abilities were as I imagined, they would become a major weapon.
So, I needed to fully awaken her abilities as soon as possible.
‘Originally, Maria wouldn't awaken her abilities for a long time.’
At least, according to the synopsis I remembered, there was no such content.
She must have awakened much later, or perhaps never at all. In the original story, Maria had no leisure to come to Aintban searching for Lutia.
“You bastards... why have you come back?”
As we entered, the mercenaries I'd clashed with before glared at us fiercely.
The fact that even the vice-captain had rushed out like this suggested we might have been branded as dangerous individuals.
“More importantly, where's Lutia?”
“Lutia? Now that you mention it, you seemed to know her. What exactly is your relationship?”
“None of your business.”
My nonchalant reply twisted the vice-captain's face. Not just him—the expressions of the other Black Skull mercenaries soured as well.
“I thought it yesterday too, but you've got some guts. You think you can escape unscathed again this time?”
“Wouldn't be impossible.”
I grinned savagely.
The mercenary world was one of the survival of the fittest. Showing any weakness or concession here would mean getting devoured in an instant.
“This fucker...”
“Wait!”
As the vice-captain gritted his teeth and reached for his sword, a woman with pink hair came rushing in.
It was Lutia, looking far more disheveled than yesterday.
“Wait.”
“Lutia, what exactly is your relationship with these guys?”
“...The child next to that man is family.”
She couldn't bring herself to say daughter, it seemed.
After all, having a daughter who appeared the same age as Lutia herself would raise suspicions.
“...”
Of course, that was one thing, but from Maria's perspective, it clearly rubbed her the wrong way—her body trembled slightly.
“Fine. But make sure there's no commotion like yesterday. Even if it's family, I'll overlook it just once.”
“Got it.”
The vice-captain stared at Lutia for a moment before turning away.
Watching his retreating back, Lutia let out a small sigh and looked at us.
“...This way.”
Fortunately, a day had passed, so she didn't show the same urgency as yesterday. Her complexion was poor, as if she hadn't slept well, but she managed to stay composed.
However, lacking the courage to speak to Maria first, she addressed me instead.
“I had something I wanted to ask you too.”
Lutia closed the door to the empty room and quietly broached the subject.
She must have been mulling over our previous conversation after we left.
“What did you mean when you said Fabian is dead?”
“Exactly what it sounds like.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I have a similar ability to yours.”
Lutia's eyes widened at my response.
She wasn't the only one surprised. Maria, who had overheard our conversation, looked shocked as well.
It was only natural—Lutia's prophecy had come true, and I knew about it.
I then drew the sword from my waist and showed it to Lutia.
“This is the proof.”
“Why are you suddenly showing a sword...? Wait, could this be?”
Lutia leaned in close, examining the sword in my hand with a panicked expression.
No one else might recognize it, but Lutia had no choice but to know.
Who the original owner of this sword was.
“Why do you have this? This is a sword that only a human who can defeat a Disaster can wield!”
“Because I defeated it, so naturally I have it.”
“What?”
“The Plague Disaster that appeared in the Empire—I killed it.”
Lutia stared at me blankly.
Then her gaze shifted to Maria, who stood silently beside me, as if asking if my words were true.
“You're... the Clay that Maria mentioned yesterday?”
“Who else?”
“I can't believe it. In the future I saw, there was no one like you...”
That was to be expected. Originally, I was someone who died in the war against the Kainzel Kingdom, so I wouldn't appear in Lutia's dreams.
“Anyway, I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor? Why would I help someone I don't even know?”
“It's about Maria.”
At the mention of Maria's name, Lutia's eyes sharpened instantly.
“You're not trying to do anything to Maria, are you?”
“Of course not.”
“...Really?”
When Lutia looked at Maria suspiciously, Maria nodded immediately.
Only then did Lutia sigh in relief.
“Alright, got it. Clay, right? So, what favor do you want?”
“I have two requests.”
“Two?”
“Yeah. First, help Maria learn to control her abilities.”
“Abilities...?”
Lutia gave me a puzzled look.
She didn't know how strongly Maria had inherited her blood.
“Succubus abilities.”
“...Maria inherited succubus powers?”
“You'd know if you looked at her appearance.”
“Uh, um. Alright. What's the second one?”
Lutia asked me with a tense expression.
Since the first request wasn't too difficult, she probably thought the second would be tougher.
But the second was much simpler.
“Tell me in detail how Fabian acted in the precognitive dream you saw.”
* * *
After leaving Maria with Lutia, I returned to the capital, Nabez. I had other matters to attend to while Maria learned her abilities from Lutia.
[But is it okay to leave those two alone?]
‘Of course. They're family—what could go wrong?’
[Not all family gets along. Especially a kid who thinks her mom abandoned her.]
Gransesia seemed worried about Maria, whom she'd left in Lyntria.
‘Lutia truly loves Maria, so don't worry.’
[I suppose that's a relief, then...]
I chuckled at the oddly concerned tone. It grumbled all the time, but it was a sentimental one.
“Welcome!”
The first place I went upon arriving in Nabez was the Thieves' Guild.
Unlike before, as soon as I reached the guild entrance, the members inside rushed out and greeted me. Lining up in a row to bow made me feel like the boss of some underworld syndicate.
‘The Empire's power is fearsome.’
[Isn't it more you than the Empire?]
‘What did I even do?’
I just showed them a sentence and told them to figure it out.
If anything, not turning everything upside down was me showing considerable mercy.
[You're the type who should never hold real power. Just stay as the lord of your county.]
As we bantered, we entered the red room, where the Thieves' Guild master, Jade, bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.
“Thank you for visiting again, Count.”
“You were waiting for me, weren't you?”
“No such thing.”
Jade's innocent smile made him look like an upstanding young man. His eyes were narrowed like a kind person's, giving a gentle impression.
No one would guess he was the head of the Thieves' Guild based on appearances alone.
I quietly stared at Jade before calmly speaking.
“I need you to find some people.”
“People to find...? If it's Lutia, she's still at the Black Skull guild.”
“It's not Lutia. If anything, they're not even human.”
Jade's smiling face hardened at my words.
His narrowed eyes snapped open, turning sharp.
[...His face changed in an instant?]
‘Not the Thieves' Guild master for nothing.’
In the settings, he was a simple extra, but he had a few useful abilities that stood out.
It might be worth remembering them and checking plausibility later.
“What I'm looking for are demons.”
“...Demons really exist here?”
“Yes. There are already demons hiding in Aintban. We need to find them quickly.”
“Why?”
“Because a Disaster is coming.”
Jade surely knew about the incidents in the Empire. Among them would be the threat of the Disaster that Emperor Gideon had warned about.
“A plague sweeping Aintban...”
“It's not a plague. A different kind of Disaster will strike Aintban. The somnolence spreading in the capital lately is connected to it.”
“I had no idea it was related to a Disaster.”
Jade fell into thought after I said that much.
“...Do you know why the demons came to Aintban?”
“Probably because of the sword.”
“A sword? Do you mean one like the one you have, Count?”
“Yes. Definitely.”
It was certain, just as written in the synopsis.
“Understood.”
Jade bit his lower lip and nodded at my confident words.
“But how do you know all this, Count?”
“You know I have this sword.”
I pointed to Genova at my waist.
Moreover, the Emperor had already designated me as the 'hero to face Disasters.'
“I naturally come to know these things. Otherwise, why would I come all the way to Aintban?”
“I thought you came to find Maria Timons' mother...”
“That too.”
Of course, Lutia was necessary for dealing with this Disaster, but no need to spell out every detail.
“How about it? Can you do it?”
When I asked casually, Jade smiled wryly and nodded.
“This is something we have to do even if we can't. Otherwise, all our information sources would vanish.”
“Wise thinking.”
“But in a situation like this, wouldn't it be better to seek help directly from Aintban's king?”
That would be easier, sure.
But there was a reason I couldn't.
‘The royal castle has ruins that are the winter spirit's base.’
Centered on those ruins, the entire castle was now the winter spirit's domain. Any conversation there would reach the winter spirit's ears.
Seeking the Aintban king's help would risk exposing my plans.
[Have them find the demons, sure, but shouldn't we deal with the Disaster as quickly as possible first?]
‘I'd like to, but I don't know where it is right now.’
The winter spirit Sior's influence covered about a third of Nabez currently.
But in about a month, the entire capital would be its domain. And then, it would begin acting as a Disaster.
Until then, all I could do was wait. Chasing something that slipped through spatial rifts was impossible.
‘Yeah, rampage all you want until then.’
I reviewed several futures that Lutia had seen.
Then fitted them into the synopsis's gaps like puzzle pieces.
‘The moment it reveals itself, that'll be the end.’
The Dream Disaster certainly had annoying abilities.
But that was only when unaware. Once you knew everything, dealing with it wasn't hard.
Moreover, I could even exploit its characteristics.
‘If done right, I can take it down in one go.’
I smirked inwardly.