Chapter 389
Chapter 389
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 389
Chapter Title: Succubus (1)
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One of Outerica's sub-dimensions, the Demon World, wasn't particularly large in size.
Even accounting for its full area, it was probably no bigger than the Ion Continent at most.
And there were no seas or oceans to begin with.
Countless magical beasts roamed like wild animals everywhere, along with plants that had evolved close to monsters and actively hunted prey.
In this barren world, it was only natural that the demons' combat prowess had grown accordingly.
'I get why they eye the surface world so hungrily.'
Hella hadn't been in the Demon World long, but nothing felt as viscerally real as that fact.
Hella let out a small sigh as she gazed down at the grotesquely shaped food laid out before her.
Who would've thought she'd actually see something she'd only encountered in exaggerated comic depictions.
"I'm good. Take it away. If you don't want to throw it out, eat it yourselves."
"Understood, Lady Hella."
There wasn't much in the way of entertainment here, to begin with.
Gourmet dining was merely a pastime for a select few elites, and even that wasn't of particularly high quality.
Demons didn't even need food to begin with, so cooking had only developed as a way to effectively stimulate the sense of taste.
'Of course, the limitations of ingredients must play a decisive role there.'
The servants cleared away the trays of food and withdrew.
Even as they did, Hella shot a glare at the unidentified eyeball embedded in one of the dishes, which stared back at her unblinkingly until the end. She clicked her tongue in disgust.
'The cultural scene is lacking too. All they do is fight like gladiators in a colosseum or gamble on the outcomes.'
In an environment like this, even a demon who loved art or literature would hesitate to show it openly.
Not that accessing such things would be easy in the first place.
"Hmm, this aspect needs some work too."
A rich culture was one of the means to make ruling the masses smoother.
Of course, in this Demon World society where martial might reigned supreme, no one would dare defy the Demon King's orders. But there was a world of difference in efficiency between reluctant obedience and enthusiastic initiative, no?
'Of course, that's a problem for later.'
Hella slowly surveyed her surroundings.
Paintings, sculptures, armor of rare designs.
This space, adorned with all manner of artworks rare even in the Demon World, wasn't a castle in Dallun, the city she'd first visited.
"My apologies, Lady Hella. It seems there's a limit to cooking with ingredients native to the Demon World..."
"It's fine, Cromwell. I know that well enough."
Hella waved dismissively at the man who approached and bowed politely.
A humanoid demon with the lower body of a bipedal goat, horns, and rectangular pupils.
This was the territory ruled by Viscount Cromwell, that very demon.
Thanks to Dallun's assistance, her influence—now rapidly expanding—had reached even this art-loving demon.
"More importantly, how's the work progressing?"
"Of course, my lady. I, Cromwell, pride myself on having the widest network in the Demon World. The high nobility above earl rank are tricky due to the turbulent situation, but setting up meetings with those below? That's goblin-head cracking easy."
...Was that a Demon World proverb?
It was a savage expression befitting demons, but it was clear enough that it meant a simple task.
'Lucky me. Snagging talent like him this quickly.'
Cromwell, a viscount-level demon who was a master of spatial magic and leveraged his exceptional social skills to build connections with countless figures.
He belonged to no faction—a true neutral.
That made him invaluable, able to bridge gaps not just with fellow neutrals but even between rival factions with ease.
'Less luck and more inevitability, really.'
His vast network even included the baron-level demon Dallun.
He didn't shy away from meetings with others and casually accepted Dallun's audience request. What followed was exactly as it appeared now.
"Discretion is key. It's not time to draw attention yet."
"Worry not. I've always been a loafer who enjoys mingling and chatting with all sorts. No one will find it suspicious now."
Hella's faction, newly budding in the Demon World, was steadily growing its power even at this very moment.
The demons under her command outwardly maintained their existing faction activities while internally discarding all old loyalties to build a new chain of command.
'No need to worry about internal betrayal. The grunts can't access much info anyway.'
The leaders of each faction—and even their top brass—were already firmly in her grasp.
Reeling in nobility-level demons took considerable effort, but lesser demons didn't consume much time.
In the process, spies planted by various factions had surrendered and switched sides—a nice bonus.
'See? Frequent use is the best way to get accustomed to anything.'
It wasn't just Dominating Demon Eye. The same held true in other areas.
No matter how immense the potential or transcendent the starting point, fully wielding a brand-new body's abilities required time to adapt.
That imbalance had indeed left her—as self-proclaimed Demon King—somewhat lacking before.
Strictly speaking, her toolkit had been one-trick charm-based.
But that was the past now.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The Demon God looks down upon you. That gaze was proof enough.
Whether the Demon God had been too busy or still deemed Hella insufficient, it had remained silent even after her arrival in the Demon World. Now, at last, it was showing interest.
"Good. Once the job's done, I'll shower you with not just异種族-made works but otherworldly artworks too. Count on you?"
"Oh! Otherworldly art! I, Cromwell, shall devote my soul to fulfilling your command, Lady Hella!"
Cromwell, the demon who loved art so much that he'd collected precious works as payment every time he was summoned to the surface, bowed crisply in excitement.
Hella nodded faintly, having boosted her subordinate's morale with fitting rewards to heighten efficiency.
Cromwell, with his exceptional spatial manipulation and pro-human sentiments, would be key in helping Hubert Merchant Group's Demon World branch expand later.
Taming him well now would make him useful down the line.
"Ah! Lady Hella. There's one more matter to report."
"Hm? What is it?"
Hella blinked and tilted her head at the cautious words from her future Hubert Merchant Group Demon World branch manager.
The man bowed deeply again, overwhelmed by the natural charm exuding from her slightest gesture. He took a steadying breath to compose himself.
Cromwell had once lavished her with florid praise upon their first meeting—only to get thoroughly thrashed for it.
Having experienced her temperament firsthand, he now chose every word with care.
One slip could earn the ire of his new tyrannical lord.
"I've made secret contact with the 'Dream Walkers' as instructed. They responded as if they'd been waiting. They're fully prepared to welcome you anytime."
"Oh? Really?"
Hella's eyes widened in pleasant surprise, a delighted smile spreading across her face.
Building her power base discreetly here was crucial, but the other matter was equally vital.
"No time to waste, then. Get ready—I'm heading over now."
"As you command."
Dream Walkers.
It was a formidable faction led by a marquess-level demon—and the succubus homeland that had produced the 14th Demon King, Lereye.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The Roselia Grand Cathedral, heart of the continent's holy site.
"...Hm, that's odd. Was it just my imagination after all?"
Saintess Riesta of the Church of the Main God frowned and tilted her head as she finished her prayers in the chapel.
"I definitely felt something then..."
It had happened just a few days ago.
Even as she immersed herself in her duties, ever vigilant against the Immortal King's schemes, her senses had detected something alien amid her monitoring of the continent.
'It felt closer to demon worshippers than undead. It lingered for a while, then vanished completely.'
That was why she was still devoting spare moments to tracking whatever it had been.
No matter how busy, she couldn't ignore an unknown threat.
'Right now, the only lead is that Tulke Kingdom.'
With a small sigh, she shook her head lightly and exited the chapel.
There were too many pressing tasks to cling to something uncertain.
After the colossal giant that attacked Tarark fell, the White Giant crisis that terrorized the continent had fully concluded.
Saintess Riesta, who had joined the strike team for rapid response to White Giant sightings, had stepped back from the front lines—but that didn't mean her workload lightened.
Soon after, an 'apostle of an evil god from another world' had assaulted the Roselia Grand Cathedral, inflicting heavy damage. And the conclave to elect the next Pope had only just wrapped up...
"Wait—Tarak?"
Her train of thought halted as she stopped dead in her tracks.
Till now, it had been just one of many candidates. But a sudden intuition screamed for her to focus on Tarark.
"Hm, Tarark."
Already a major city before, it had boomed further after becoming a hub for the continent-spanning Hubert Merchant Group.
Now the vital logistics nexus linking the central Empire and western kingdom alliance, its importance went without saying.
'...Can't just brush this off.'
The saintess nodded resolutely and turned on her heel, striding back into the chapel.
Since the previous Pope—now passed to the gods' embrace—had fallen ill, she had stood at the pinnacle of this vast church.
Many, including the cardinals, aided her, but that unchangeable weight often crushed her in secret...
'No need to suffer alone anymore.'
Now, she had someone to share the burden.
The church's saint, chosen by the Main God to convey His will. The Knight of Light, destined to slay the absolute evil Immortal King plaguing the land.
"—Heinrich."
She knelt gracefully, clutching her holy symbol, eyes closed.
Reaching out to the most reliable man in the world.
[...Saintess? What's wrong? Something happen at the church?]
[Ah, sorry to bother you suddenly. I have something urgent to discuss...]
As their conversation flowed—
A faint smile unknowingly curved her lips.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A space fitted with various magic circles allowing oversight of battlefields across regions.
Handsome men and beautiful women of distinct personalities bustled about the vast chamber.
They'd barely held on by balancing against other factions until recently, but that equilibrium had shattered, sending things spiraling uncontrollably. They were rushed off their feet.
"...Did the contact go well?"
"Yes, Matriarch. We've been cautious, as has Cromwell's side. Security is solid."
A weary-looking woman in her early thirties, who had been watching for a while, turned toward the corridor.
Her secretary—a horned, impeccably dressed incubus—followed and replied.
She nodded slowly, then addressed another woman with them.
"Siana, that person really had the Queen's essence?"
"Yes, Matriarch. I confirmed it with my own eyes."
"Heavens... I was grasping at straws, but it actually survived on the continent?"
Siana had been diligently working at the Immortal Fortress as part of the Immortal King's army until recently.
Now she had returned to her homeland in the Demon World: the Dream Walkers' domain.
To fulfill the Immortal King's direct dispatch order.
And to conclude a centuries-long search mission.
"You've done a great deed, Siana. Who'd have thought you'd actually succeed. Well done."
"...No, I didn't do anything. I was just a mere errand runner..."
"That's more than enough. Without your risking infiltration into the Immortal King's forces and earning his trust, we'd have no such connection. If the essence-bearer had contacted another faction..."
The succubus matriarch shook her head with a chilling expression.
Siana's composed facade cracked with embarrassed fluster at the excessive praise.
She'd embellished her report, but truthfully, she'd just been enslaved and exploited by the Immortal King.
"But someone with the essence is that impressive?"
"...Yes. Embarrassingly, I couldn't even gauge it. Honestly, facing him was overwhelming. The figure I saw was like..."
Siana's words caught in her throat.
Like... what had she been about to say?
She swallowed the words that nearly slipped out, lips flapping soundlessly.
One didn't invoke that legendary name lightly.
Especially not before the matriarch, who had lived in the same era—a utter taboo.
As panic briefly froze her—
"Matriarch! Message from Cromwell."
A urgent voice from the side rescued her.
The incubus secretary trailing the matriarch pressed a finger to his temple, brow furrowed.
"What'd he say? He's coming here?"
"...Yes."
"Perfect. Time was of the essence. I sent the access code ahead. When's he arriving?"
"...Well..."
Their steps halted at a chamber lined with countless teleportation circles.
This vital strategic hub handled most troop transports amid ongoing wars.
Even now, reinforcements readied for a precarious front.
The matriarch scanned it all with sunken eyes as the secretary's voice reached her ear.
"...Right now."
"Hm?"
And with those words—
Bzzz—
A corner teleportation circle hummed loudly and lit up.
Spatial transfer was a profoundly complex mystery, requiring significant activation time.
Even with magic circles aiding, energy distribution inevitably caused delays.
Vrrr—!
But this phenomenon blithely ignored all that.
Minutes compressed to seconds, steps skipped, straight to completion.
Enabled by ultimate arcane knowledge.
And near-infinite—utterly overwhelming—mana.
The spatial gate opened in an instant.
And as a figure emerged from beyond—
"...Lereye?"
The succubus matriarch, over a millennium old, gaped in shock.