It's Not Easy... 1
On days when the fog rolls in, everyone finishes their day early.
Because once night falls, the procession of apparitions comes swarming in.
Because no one wants to meet those grotesque abominations eye to eye.
No matter how intact the protective wards might be, ordinary people wanted nothing to do with so much as a glance at them. If you happened to lock eyes with one, you'd spend the whole night listening to a gaunt, twig-thin feline apparition slamming its head against your window until dawn — and that was your night gone, just like that.
Even hunters of middling ability, F to C-rank, could do nothing about the visceral revulsion. The apparitions that brought the fog might be weak, but the mental pollution radiating from their hideous forms never went anywhere.
But today was different.
"I'm off to school!"
"Have a good day at work, honey~"
"Uh, yeah. Yes."
"Text me when you're leaving. I'll have the bath ready for you."
"Huh? Honey, what are you talking about? A bath? Why? Honey?"
The city overflowed with vitality.
Far more than usual. Everyone, without exception, had returned to their daily lives with bright, energized faces.
"...Strange."
"Yujin? What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean. Ever since the fog started rolling in, the whole of Seoul has been drowning in a gloomy atmosphere. But today..."
A young man was watching over the unusually lively mood of the city.
He was Lee Yujin — an S-rank hunter of Hoyeon, the largest guild in the country, and a returnee. Though young in age, his raw ability ranked among the very best even among returnees, which was why Hoyeon had signed him to a long-term contract. In his previous world he had made quite a name for himself through various exploits as something of a hero.
Whether he was a real hero or not didn't actually matter. Yujin had proven he possessed the strength to command a long-term contract from the Hoyeon Guild, and since then he had racked up one achievement after another — hunting high-danger entities, sealing gates, and more.
"It certainly is, sir. Considering how school and work attendance refusal spikes during the Night Sea and fog appearances... there are far more people on the streets than usual. Though I wonder, is there a particular reason you're surveying it so closely?"
Beside Yujin stood the secretary assigned to assist him by Hoyeon, maintaining impeccable courtesy.
"When the city turns gloomy, so do the people. And naturally, the things that feed on human fear and negative karma multiply in number."
"Ah, I see."
Every morning, Yujin climbed to the rooftop of the Hoyeon Guild building to take in the cityscape before starting his day. Everyone had assumed it was just a change of pace, a bit of fresh air — but apparently it was the hero's own brand of weather forecasting.
Well, if the city's mood is like this, I can safely assume there won't be any overflowing dungeons or swarms of apparitions today.
Yujin regarded the cityscape with eyes that seemed bored.
Peace wasn't a bad thing — but for a hero like himself, it was never a good one either.
Since returning to Earth, he had no real goal; he simply cleared dungeons and hunted monsters and dangerous entities on a routine basis. The treadmill repetition of it, like some corporate office worker's daily grind, had worn thin on him.
A young man in his prime, blessed with power so immense that people called him a hero — ennui was only natural.
"Ah, speaking of which — did you happen to hear the violin yesterday?"
"What do you mean?"
At the secretary's sudden mention of a violin, Yujin arched an eyebrow.
"Ah, it seems you didn't hear it, sir. You see, yesterday the sound of a violin spread across all of Seoul."
"All of Seoul?"
"Yes — with no speakers involved. The sound of a violin that touched precisely the minds of the people."
"Mental erosion terrorism, perhaps?"
Rare as such things were in Korea, awakened criminals, villains, and terrorists in overseas conflict zones had been known to carry out attacks targeting the minds of large civilian populations.
Brainwashing and hypnosis went without saying — some had even rewritten people's minds wholesale into those of beasts or apparitions, turning ordinary living citizens into zombies or ghouls. That was why wide-scale erosion terrorism aimed at civilians was the field the state watched most closely.
"I don't believe it was. Your mental barrier is high, sir, and your residence is out on the outskirts, so you might not have noticed — but look at how brimming with life the people are today, after spending the fog trembling in fear of the apparitions."
"...Hm."
"The internet's saying some high-rank awakened being held a free volunteer performance or a concert of some kind."
So someone had played a comforting piece, trying to shield civilians from fear? If they were an awakener with sound- or mind-related abilities, it wasn't impossible.
For the sound of a violin to have reverberated across all of Seoul... this is no ordinary ability user.
Buffer and debuffer ability users, even high-rank awakened ones, were severely limited in the space and range they could affect.
An S-rank buffer might manage to buff an entire guild without much trouble — but to have soothed and stabilized the minds of every civilian in Seoul?
To have taken the minds of ordinary people — far frailer than any awakener — and given them nothing but comfort and relief, without a single one slipping into delirium or madness?
An absurdly inefficient use of power... and yet the caster can pull it off without breaking a sweat?
They had calmed the citizens of Seoul and made them peaceful. Given them good dreams and guarded them through the long dark of the night.
On the face of it, one could only conclude that some exceptionally gifted individual had done a good deed.
But at the same time, Yujin felt the gravity of it.
To stabilize and comfort tens of thousands of minds — no, hundreds of thousands — meant, conversely, being capable of shattering hundreds of thousands of minds all at once.
What if the caster decided to abuse it? They could tear down the protective wards and the entire mental defense apparatus, and turn all of Seoul into a highway to hell.
"About that violinist, Secretary Kim..."
Yujin was not the only one.
"That violin sound in the early hours this morning..."
"Yes, yes, that? I heard it too."
"Contact the National Mental Protection Agency. This one's serious."
"Holy Maiden, about what happened before dawn..."
"Ah! There's no doubt it was the prayer of some noble, holy sister!"
Certain people. Certain mega-guilds. The few who had noticed the wide-scale mental stabilization effect were beginning to burn with intense curiosity about the violinist's identity.
And so the Succubus Empress, Lee Jaehee, had found herself — entirely without meaning to — a woman of considerable popularity.
"Hmph."
"...J-Jaehee, what on earth is wrong with you today?"
Naturally, the human Lee Jaehee could not have cared less about any of that.
The apparitions were ugly, and they were ruining people's good dreams — so as the Empress of Succubi, steward of human dreams, she had flared up in indignation and played an impulsive concert. That was all.
Besides, her 187 children kept clamoring in her soul — Play! Play! More playing!, Emperor Penguin!, Chicken!, Let's go outside! — so Jaehee had merely indulged the children's requests and taken up her violin. That was the whole of it.
Even if she had known the mega-guilds were taking an enormous interest in yesterday's violin performance, Jaehee would only have thought, So what if some guild or hero is interested in me? and spared it not a single thought.
"Jaehee, if I did something wrong, please just tell me..."
"Hmph. I don't know."
The human Lee Jaehee was, in truth, in a state of catastrophic sulking over the sight of Officer Dan as seen in her dream.
Baby. Me sulky.
Why sulky?
Dunno.
More precisely, it was because of that one line from Officer Dan Ahyeon's dream — "Jaehee, you can manage just fine on your own without me, can't you?" — but how could Jaehee possibly bring herself to admit that out loud?
So she simply radiated ill temper all day long, planning to toy with Officer Dan in the meantime.
"...But I do have to get through today's work."
"Of course. Work matters more than I do, right, Officer Dan? What's on the agenda today?"
"No, that's not... You matter more than work, Jaehee. So please, won't you cheer up?"
"Hmph."
"Oh, come on..."
Truth be told, watching Dan Ahyeon fuss and plead had lifted Jaehee's spirits long ago.
She really is the most delightful person to tease.
"I... I'm sorry. But today's briefing is something I absolutely have to do... The truth is, the higher-ups have been asking about your regular maintenance, Jaehee."
"Regular maintenance?"
What's this now? Since when have the bigwigs cared about my welfare?
"As far as we know, an ordinary succubus needs to, er... couple once every three days to take in essence."
"Mm, that's true."
The essence and vitality a succubus could draw from coupling varied from individual to individual, but on average, one had to share the pleasures of the flesh once every three to five days to sustain her life.
"But you, Jaehee... you've n-never done it. Not once. Right?"
"...Mm, what do you think?"
"What?! Y-you have?! You've done it?! Be-behind my back?! Behind my back you went and did some-th-something like that?!"
"I'm disappointed in you, Officer Dan."
"What?"
"Did you truly believe I would undo my buttons — so solemnly, so lasciviously — without telling you, show them to some stranger, and slake my essence with just anyone off the street?"
"...Hnnk!"
Seeing Officer Dan's face turn scarlet, Jaehee finally broke into a grin.
Ah, that's the stuff.
Today's ration of Officer Dan, fully consumed.
"Of course, that was a joke."
"J-Jaehee! I'm being serious here!"
"So am I. I am a maiden, you know. A maiden despite being the Succubus Empress~ Would you perhaps bring me a unicorn? We could check whether it vomits blood or swoons in rapture."
"...No. I believe you."
I like lewd things.
But I also hate them.
What does that mean?
It means looking at them is fine, but doing them is not.
Admiring the beauty of the female form — exquisitely carved figures, breasts, the whole of it — all of that I love. I love every beautiful thing in this world, after all. Naturally I love beautiful people; naturally I love pretty bodies, pretty faces, pretty chests.
But doing it myself? No.
Isn't that a contradiction?
Such things exist.
"You see, you're not even an ordinary succubus, Jaehee — you're the Succubus Empress. So the higher-ups sent down an inquiry: where on earth does your supply of essence come from?"
"Ah-hah."
Well, from their perspective, my very existence probably is a mystery.
It hasn't been all that long since the Great Cataclysm remade the world, so everything about me must raise questions — but at least while I'm in the government's hands, they'd want to know what they can know.
"For the higher-ups, that was actually a rather sharp observation."
That the Succubus Empress's essence consumption dwarfed an ordinary succubus's was only to be expected.
Merely drawing breath, Jaehee burned through more vital essence than most succubi would starving for — and the power she wielded, her vitality, her command over essence itself, was ferociously strong but catastrophically expensive to run.
The reason Jaehee could still live in comfort was her truly astronomical reserves.
And... the dreams of Officer Dan, which she occasionally savored like a delicacy. Not that Officer Dan's dreams were all Jaehee fed on, of course.
"I suppose explaining that I once devoured Behemoth wouldn't satisfy them?"
"You know as well as I do, Jaehee — the VIPs, the other assemblymen, the ministers and vice-ministers — that explanation doesn't settle it for them."
These are, after all, the people who still don't properly understand basic monster ecology or awakener abilities to begin with.
Odds are they wouldn't understand even if I explained.
"Not just the Agency, either — I hear the Hunter Association also ranks the Succubus Empress's 'Hunger' as its gravest concern."
"Shouldn't they be using words like 'extreme hostility' or 'vigilance' rather than 'concern'?"
"..."
"Hee hee. I'm not blaming you, Officer Dan, so wipe that look off your face."
Jaehee sipped her coffee and sank into thought.
Truthfully, the ways Jaehee acquired essence were... quite varied.
Forced Drain on monsters, apparitions, and kaiju. People's good dreams. Affection, fondness, reverence, gratitude, joy directed at her... even violent emotions like hatred and jealousy could all become essence and vitality for Jaehee.
Though in the latter cases, the optics are ugly, so I've been restraining myself.
If the Succubus Empress began drawing vast quantities of essence from large civilian populations, the higher-ups, hunters, and the government would have been terrified out of their wits — and understandably so.
Meanwhile, Officer Dan skimmed through the stack of documents handed down from the government and the various agencies, then spoke.
"So, under the Returnee Welfare Act, the Agency will provide you with regular support to keep the Succubus Empress's Hunger in check — in exchange for just a small consideration..."
"Support? And what's this 'consideration' you mention?"
"As for the consideration... at the government's request, hunting high-danger entities, emergency call-ups, gate containment — things of that nature."
"That's hardly difficult."
She's already doing that as it is.
Granted, emergencies dire enough to request the Succubus Empress's direct involvement were rare, but still.
"Then what exactly is this 'support'?"
"...A man's, er..."
"His what?"
"Se-...men. One liter a week..."
-CRACK!
In that instant, the coffee cup in Jaehee's hand shattered to pieces.
Jaehee had not crushed it with her hand. The life-force wreathing her body had slipped its leash for a moment and exerted itself physically, like telekinesis.
"..."
"I'm sorry, Officer Dan. I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
"...Ye-yes, ma'am..."
Watching this, Officer Dan privately marveled.
Succubi were utterly besotted with a man's essence and relished the taste of it — but Jaehee's reaction wasn't mere dislike. It bordered on outright loathing.
"B-but the Agency and the higher-ups want proof that you're receiving a stable supply of essence, and that you pose no 'Hunger' risk."
"Proof? Since when was I in any position to prove anything to those leeches?"
A black haze began to smolder around Jaehee.
It was as if life and essence itself were curdling into the aura of death.
An unmistakable signal of anger, of displeasure. Of course, for the sake of not unleashing it on the blameless Officer Dan, Jaehee was grinding through her utmost, utmost patience.
And still, Jaehee was not in a good mood.
Who was it that shoved a gun barrel in my face the moment I first set foot on this land?
Who was it that bound and restrained me — in a state of total nonresistance, no less — and pickled me in formalin?
The only reason I haven't killed you all yet isn't that I'm a pushover. It's that I want to be a person, so I'm forcing myself to live peacefully and endure.
"S-so there's an alternative proposal, other than that one..."
"...Let's hear it."
"The truth is, yesterday the higher-ups put forward an experimental suggestion for you, Jaehee."
"Experiment?"
"Ah, not a real experiment, no... It's just, since you said you can draw essence from the love and affection of many humans..."
"And?"
"Making you into an idol..."
"Have you all lost your minds?"
Has everyone gone completely insane?
For the record, Jaehee is a shut-in of catastrophic proportions.
Going outside?
She didn't hate it.
Going out to eat something delicious, to take in a lovely view?
Loved it.
But staying home was better. She was the type who felt an inexplicable rush of joy whenever an outing got canceled.
Talking to people wasn't hard for her. But in crowded places, it felt like her energy and vitality were simply being siphoned away.
Even when she did go out, she preferred to drift about entirely on her own.
Not a hundred-percent pure shut-in, but a person who preferred being alone at home. Of course, becoming the Succubus Empress had changed her somewhat... but still...
It's... not easy.
And they want THIS person to become an idol? People can change, sure, but — an idol?!
"...Th-there are other options besides this one..."
"Don't tell me — actress? Celebrity?"
"......"
"Which human brain did that one crawl out of?"
At Jaehee's contemptuous gaze and tone, Officer Dan clamped her mouth shut.
The contempt in those eyes was more piercing than usual — so fierce, so far beyond anything she had ever seen from Jaehee before.
"Surely it wasn't you, Officer Dan?"
"......"
"Officer Dan?"