Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Succubus (4)
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Maric's group willingly went to the trouble for the likable noble Rishir.
A tent—one so cumbersome to set up that it was hardly ever pitched unless the weather was bad enough to make sleeping outside unbearable!
And yet, they had gladly set up such a tent just for Rishir.
"...Shall I set one up for you two as well?"
Unlike with Rishir, where they had eagerly offered it without being asked, they tossed out the suggestion with obvious annoyance this time. Fienne and Eron, their pride stung, turned it down.
As a result, there was only one tent at their current campsite. It was an undeniable luxury.
"..."
Fienne had unexpectedly become the lucky beneficiary of that luxury.
Thanks to Rishir volunteering for the night watch and leaving the tent to her.
When Rishir had offered her the tent, Fienne had harbored considerable expectations.
Maric's group and Rishir had made such a fuss about it, as if it were some grand mansion.
Those expectations were thoroughly betrayed.
"This is so annoying."
Fienne irritably propped herself up.
The makeshift bed of layered worn-out blankets faithfully transmitted the essence of the sacred earth beneath.
In other words, tiny pebbles that hadn't been fully cleared out poked into her body.
The bulky sleeping bag, which had boldly volunteered to serve as a pillow despite her humble origins, reeked of rags and had long since been shoved into a corner.
Fienne had to admit that had been a mistake.
"My head hurts..."
A sealed space.
The rag stench from the sleeping bag subtly filled the tent. If she was going to get rid of it, she should have thrown it outside the tent, not just into the corner.
No. Even that probably wouldn't have made much difference.
The sleeping bag had the worst of it, but that foul odor permeated every component of the tent.
She shouldn't have expected any surprises from a tent that looked shabby even on the outside.
So what was she supposed to do?
Sleep on the bare ground like everyone else?
"Does that even make sense...?"
Fienne was special.
Not because she subjectively felt and acted that way, leading others to acknowledge it—but because others perceived and treated her that way, making her objectively aware of her uniqueness.
Ever since realizing that uniqueness as Fienne, she had always received special treatment.
Needed to travel long distances? A single glance was enough.
Merchants leading large caravans would gladly include her, yielding the best seats, the finest meals, the most comfortable beds.
All with gratitude and joy simply for the chance to show her favor.
That had been Fienne's life up until now.
But outdoor sleeping? Unthinkable for her.
This entire journey had been like that, really.
"Did carriages always bump around this much?"
"My butt hurts. Can't you at least give me a cushion?"
"Where am I supposed to get one of those? It's just a cushion—what's your problem?"
"What? This is tonight's dinner?"
"Wasn't this fodder made for the horses?"
"Where do I take a bath?"
"Why are you asking me?"
"You don't bathe?"
"...You mean not until we reach our destination?"
And to top it all off, this horrific sleeping arrangement.
"Argh, seriously!"
Scrub scrub scrub!
Fienne roughly tousled her snow-white long hair.
'Why do I have to go through this?'
It was all that man's fault.
Even thinking about it now made her shiver with injustice.
She had approached a mere bastard son of Bendel solely to seize control of the family and expand her influence—only for that bastard to possess some inexplicable power that neutralized a True Ancestor's abilities.
There were limits to unreasonableness.
In the old days, such humiliation, such treatment, would have been unimaginable.
She didn't even want to imagine it.
She wanted to turn back time.
If she could, she never would have approached Rishir—that man.
No. No, that wasn't it.
At this point, simply correcting the mistake wouldn't be enough.
She still vividly remembered it.
That moment of humiliation.
The instant her True Ancestor's power was nullified.
Thinking all her power had been stripped away, she had cast aside all pride to reclaim it.
She had willingly offered her very being—something everyone coveted but she had never permitted to anyone.
Only to be treated like a child.
"Wh-what did I do wrong...? Is it so weird to close my eyes and offer my lips!? D-don't people always do that!? Why should I be treated like a kid!!!"
Fienne rolled on the ground, flailing her slender limbs wildly.
It was what some called a blanket kick.
After furiously assaulting the blankets for a while, Fienne grumbled in complaint.
"That jerk... I really hate him..."
She meant it.
She hated his pathetic lack of discernment, his inability to recognize her uniqueness.
She hated how he treated her like a child without reason.
As Fienne dwelled on Rishir's flaws, a particular memory surfaced.
The moment he had extended his hand to help her up and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe away the dust and tears.
"..."
Fienne's turbulent eyes rippled with a new emotion.
Even then, he—
His face had been the same as always.
'Even after learning I'm a True Ancestor. Even knowing I've lost my True Ancestor's power.'
It was a thought that sporadically tormented her.
What if the True Ancestor's power that had suddenly come one day suddenly vanished again someday?
It had once been unimaginable.
But now, the first face that came to mind was Rishir's—that man's.
And inevitably, she found herself thinking:
Even if I truly became worthless, would at least that man treat me the same as always?
"This is so annoying..."
That was why Fienne couldn't stop thinking about that annoying man.
Why she couldn't fall asleep with him constantly on her mind.
"..."
At that moment, Fienne's gaze drifted toward the outside of the tent, and her demeanor abruptly changed.
From a vibrant girl to the cold visage of a True Ancestor.
Fienne slowly rose and stepped out of the tent.
Maric's group and the coachman.
They were locked in a fierce brawl by the campfire.
"Gaaahhh!!! Let go!!!"
"Huff—huff—huff—"
Their frenzied attempts to ravage each other's bodies fit the term "beasts" perfectly.
"Those lowly creatures. They went and caused trouble after all."
Fienne murmured, thinking of Eron.
Her tone was chillingly cold, utterly unlike the girl who had just been musing about a certain man.
"..."
"..."
Before long, Maric's group halted all movement and fixed their gazes on Fienne.
"White bitch..."
"Escort... Rishir's escort..."
They approached Fienne.
Drooling from their mouths.
Crawling on all fours.
Panting hot breaths fueled by lust.
Beasts, through and through.
Fienne's expression twisted in contempt.
She extended her arm.
The power they couldn't resist—the power that would devour these weak humans dominated by a mere succubus—was about to consume them.
"Ah."
Fienne withdrew her arm, as if remembering something.
The beasts, however, didn't stop. Maric lunged at Fienne.
"Woman, woman...! Pure white bitch!!!"
Maric glared down at Fienne with bloodshot eyes, trying to tear her clothes off.
Fienne gently placed her hand on Maric's head.
"...!"
The beast's eyes widened—and light returned to them.
The girl repeated the process several times.
The beasts reverted to humans.
The humans returned to their places and went back to sleep.
They wouldn't remember becoming beasts.
Nor would they recall what they'd done as beasts.
It was the grace of a superior being innately gifted in mental magic.
"Hehe..."
The True Ancestor smiled in satisfaction.
Back in the form of the girl once more.
The girl headed toward where that man was standing watch.
She was curious about his reaction upon hearing of these events.
"...What is this situation?"
Fienne arrived at the spot where Rishir was standing watch.
She forgot her original purpose at the sight before her.
"She doesn't look it, but that woman is Eron, for now."
The Eron in Fienne's memory was a man who wore a shallow mask of deception and ensnared humans with evil power.
"...A woman?"
But the figure Rishir pointed to was clearly female.
Her naked curves were plainly visible without clothes, and the wariness and fear she directed at Rishir were unmistakable feminine traits.
"Kyaa...!"
Eron's scream cut through their conversation.
It was due to the unpleasant sensation at the tips of her chest, where her arms covered her body.
"Nooo!!!"
Eron looked down at her body and wailed in despair.
"It's hideous—give me back my body!!! Give me back my power, you monster!!!"
Fienne, seeing echoes of her past self in Eron, said with a look of disgust.
"Don't tell me... Did you use that Normalization power to do something again?"
"I don't know the details, but it seems that way."
Rishir explained the full story to Fienne.
Everything, including Eron's true nature.
"I thought it was suspicious, but a succubus—"
Fienne glanced at Eron again and tilted her head.
"Succubus... right?"
"Succubus. It was."
"Past tense?"
"Yeah. But now, as you can see, she's like that. For some reason, she's become a non-succubus."
"Non-succubus? What kind of ridiculous expression is that?"
"Then how would you describe it?"
"..."
Fienne observed Eron closely once more before speaking.
"She just looks like... an ordinary human?"
"No!!! I—I'm not some mere human!!!"
"Eron."
His tone was calm and gentle.
Eron found herself swayed, ceasing her tantrum to listen to his voice.
"Put some clothes on first. You're no longer a flawless being shaped solely by your will—you've been reborn as a mere beast dominated by desire. So now you have something to cover."
"...Gaaahhh!!! You lunatic!!! So that's what you meant—I can't believe I lost to a bastard like you!!!"
Eron wailed in worldly sorrow.
Fienne felt uncomfortable seeing her own past self overlap with Eron's form.
Eron reluctantly draped on the overcoat Rishir offered.
Fienne stepped behind her and asked Rishir.
"What are you going to do?"
"What about Eron? Demon? Criminal? Maybe report her to the city guard or adventurers' guild nearby."
"Nooo!!!"
Eron cried out desperately.
"If they find out I was a succubus, they'll try to kill me...!"
"Then you shouldn't have done stuff that gets you killed."
Rishir had heard from Fienne about what happened at the campsite.
His gaze toward Eron had grown colder than before.
"Please, just let me go... If you do, I'll do anything..."
"..."
Rishir pondered, staring at Eron.
Misinterpreting his gaze, Eron hugged her body, hiding it from him.
"A-anything, but nothing dirty!"
"...This is awkward. Anyone would think I'd been the one who showed up naked in the middle of the night asking to do something fun. Why are you suddenly acting all shy?"
Naked?
Fun?
Fienne muttered beside him before speaking in a cold tone.
"Should I just kill her?"
"Fienne. Why are you suddenly mad?"
"Mad? Me? Not at all? I was just speaking generally? It's obvious she'll be executed if handed to the city, right? So instead of the hassle of dragging her there, wouldn't it be better to kill her here?"
"According to that general rule of yours, what happens if a True Ancestor is captured?"
"...Are you serious?"
"Joking. Fienne, you're definitely different from her. You had plenty of power but didn't harm anyone."
"..."
Hmph.
Fienne snorted and turned her head.
"Well, yeah. It wouldn't suit your temperament to kill a defenseless opponent."
"Why are you suddenly in a good mood again?"
"What are you talking about? Whatever. Since you're so indecisive, I'll handle it for you. Eron. You're Rona now."
"...What?"
Eron—
no, Rona—looked up at Fienne with a terrified expression.
"You just said you'd do anything if I let you go."
"But why..."
"So, you're Rishir's slave now. It's the most common way for someone with nothing to repay a debt."
"No—"
Rona couldn't refute it.
"What about my opinion?"
"Why would I need your opinion? If you really don't want her, sell her to someone else."
"Wha—"
Rishir was appalled by Fienne's words, but when Rona herself fell silent as if accepting it as fair, he said nothing.
As Fienne said, slavery was the most common way for the penniless to repay debts.
"This world's scary..."
"What did I even do?"
"Not you, Fienne. This world..."
"?"
Huh? Mr. Rishir? Why did Eron suddenly turn into a woman?
She went from succubus to human. Oh, and Eron's mine now.
Rishir wasn't confident he could cleanly wrap up such a conversation with Maric's group.
In the end, before dawn, he departed with his companions, leaving the others behind and resuming travel.
Time passed, and as day began to break.
"Oh. A carriage."
A single carriage parked across the road entered their view.
Not some cheap cart driven by a coachman, but a high-end one with a proper roof, finishes, and decorations.
No crest symbolizing a family or group was visible.
They seemed to have just finished camping and were preparing to depart, the area bustling.
They approached to ask if they could hitch a ride.
With light steps, Rishir's group drew near the carriage.
Then, a man emerged from the carriage and approached them with heavy footsteps.
At that moment.
Rishir and Fienne halted, feeling as if their hackles rose.
The man stopped as well.
"..."
"..."
A standoff at about twenty paces.
Rishir and Fienne exchanged a glance.
That was enough.
Silent agreement.
Getting any closer to this man was dangerous.
Rishir prepared to state his business, expecting rejection.
"Lord Dares!!!"
A desperate voice called from inside the carriage at that moment.
"The young lady's condition has improved...!"
"...What?"
The oppressive pressure that had weighed on the area vanished.