Chapter 185
Chapter 185
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: S4. Succubus's Dream / Annihilation Corps of 440 Years -5
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Festival, huh...
What should I wear? A tuxedo? Or the drab hooded robe of a mage's uniform? To boost Yuri's spirits, should I go all out as a terrifyingly handsome flower boy?
I knew nothing about the festival happening in the Annihilation Corps. It felt awkward to run over to Yuri right now and ask, so I decided to play it smart and handle things discreetly.
I could just check what Yuri was wearing, right? Matching outfits with your partner were important, after all.
Even if it didn't match the overall dress code for the festival, prioritizing unity with my partner would look better. I activated my Third Eye and peeked into the house next door.
"Ughhh..."
Yuri was staring intently at the few clothes hanging in her wardrobe, letting out a groan of agony.
She's been at it for 30 minutes now.
Thanks to that, I'd been stuck here for 30 minutes too.
If I calculated the time her gaze lingered on each outfit and put it into stats, it was 51.2% on her usual suit and 48.7% on the fluttery dress. She was still torn between looking cool and looking feminine.
A dress, huh...?
Thinking back, Pink Balrez had teased me endlessly but never changed her outfit. Sure, she'd stripped during the seal release, but that was it.
So I was pretty curious about Yuri's new costume. It might suit her, or it might feel off. With her base looks, she'd pull off anything, though.
As I pondered, a lifeline dropped from the heavens above in the form of Yuna's voice.
-Hey, shouldn't we go install that info bomb...?
"You're right. But hold on a sec—Yuri looks like she's about to decide. See? She's finally reaching out."
-I can't see it... And you said the exact same thing 10 minutes ago. Wouldn't it be better to get our tasks done instead of waiting for Yuri...?
She had a point.
I stood up and got ready to head out. The Annihilation Corps festival apparently started around sunset. With the sun high in the midday sky, we had plenty of time.
Yuri seemed like she'd be holed up in her house prepping for the festival for a while, so now was my chance to move.
I planned to finish installing the info bombs.
The Queen had been quiet lately. If she'd given up from exhaustion after this siege, that'd be ideal... but that was wishful thinking. Reality wouldn't be so kind.
She was probably scheming something outside my view. Which meant I had to keep moving without rest. If she was stockpiling power, so should I.
If I just followed along step by step properly, I could win. That's what I figured.
As much as the Queen peered into me, I was peering into her. Ever since entering this place, I'd been collecting and analyzing her behavior patterns and lingering info traces.
The Queen was emptier than I'd expected.
I mean in terms of data volume. Succubi were half-information beings, so a Queen Succubus should have a massive amount of data, I'd guessed.
She'd subdued Yuri Lanster, after all. Just like I felt intimidated by Yuna's mana levels, I figured the Queen had a server-like terrifying data volume.
But she was lighter than my estimates.
A few possibilities came to mind. Maybe she was like a queen bee—a commander type.
The kind with strong control over the succubus horde, delegating tasks via orders. That would explain any personal shortcomings easily.
In that case, overpowering Yuri Lanster was just a numbers game. The op she'd been thrown into was the "Nest Entrance Sealing Operation," so she'd fought at the hive's biggest entrance.
Captured after endless battles against waves of succubi—that seemed plausible. As far as I knew, she didn't have any AoE skills.
I grabbed my gear and left the mansion. I'd plant info bombs across the world's nooks and crannies, then join Yuri for the festival this afternoon.
If the Queen stayed quiet today, just like she had so far...
......
Click-click-click!
Boom──!!
"Why the hell today of all days?!"
I grumbled as I stared at the building folding in half. The resistance was fiercer than usual today. It wasn't a critical moment, and I hadn't even been that aggressive.
This wasn't prime timing. I was utterly flustered by the Queen's sudden all-out assault.
Think positive. If she's burning herself out, that's a good thing.
......
How long did she plan to keep this up?
The attacks didn't stop. I could sense the Queen's fatigue from the scattering info. After folding the world for half a day straight, no wonder.
Pushing too hard naturally created openings. Fragmented info had been sprinkling into the air since earlier. If I carefully gathered it, I could learn even more about the Queen manipulating this world.
Like how she had thick gray hair.
If this reckless offense continued... maybe, just maybe, I could pinpoint her location and strike back.
Locate the control room and seize GM privileges. Perfect—I still had unplanted info bombs. Weapons aplenty.
Even as I thrilled at the opportunity,
a corner of my chest grew anxious. The setting sun grated on my nerves. The festival was about to start soon. I might be a bit late... or miss it entirely.
Was the Queen trying to keep me from the festival? But... why?
Was there some reason she had to block my involvement this badly? Even so, if she got caught, the game was over. No matter how I thought about it, it made no sense.
I floundered, unable to read the Queen's intentions.
Time flowed mercilessly. The sun dipped its feet into the horizon. Amid our back-and-forth, two paths lay before me.
Go straight for the Queen's throat?
Or keep my promise to Yuri?
Either could be a trap—or neither. At a point where nothing was certain... I had to choose.
In the end, Yuri chose the suit.
She'd considered the dress and even tried it on... but seeing herself in the mirror, shrinking every time the skirt fluttered, she gave up.
That guy 'Mima' would tease her mercilessly, no doubt. She couldn't let that happen.
She wanted to enjoy the festival vibe and dress like a proper girl, but he was the type whose lower half wasn't up to snuff. Her usual attire was probably what he'd prefer anyway.
Plus... she didn't want the gossip.
Showing up in a dress with a guy on her arm—what would they say? She could already hear it. Dragging in some outsider because she couldn't fit in with the Corps, her lowly nature impossible to hide.
In a suit, at least she could retort. He's just a friend. Your filthy imaginations are all wrong.
Only by firing back like that would they chuckle and grudgingly acknowledge her a bit. They thought the weak didn't belong in the Annihilation Corps.
The Annihilation Corps... was a gathering of poisonously ruthless souls.
A horde of vengeful spirits.
Fists spoke louder than words, they ignored others mostly, and they'd mock a comrade's pain rather than empathize.
That's why "Annihilation Corps festival" felt so alien.
She vaguely understood the need. In a group of wolves blinded by personal vendettas, they needed a leash to bind them together.
Some minimal bond was required to function as an organization.
"......"
That hateful bond she could never quite accept.
Yuri was drifting on the fringes of the Annihilation Corps.
The reasons they spat varied. Because she was a woman, a useless succubus, obviously about to cry and run off, pink hair.
She didn't know the real one. But somehow, she sensed they half-enjoyed dumping abuse on her as entertainment.
This time too, probably. When she showed up at the festival, they'd spew venom. But it was fine. This time it was fine. 'Mima' would be at her side.
For reasons unknown, he really liked her... an ally. Maybe the only one in this world.
She could definitely have fun.
Yuri steeled herself, stepped out, and knocked on Mima's mansion door. Knock-knock-knock. No response.
Maybe sleeping? She knocked harder.
Still nothing. Ears pressed cautiously to the door, no signs of life. Had he left? Something must've come up.
A twinge of unease; she clenched her fist.
No. It's fine. He's scatterbrained usually—like forgetting that letter to the palace last time... Probably some minor slip-up. He'd be back soon.
He hadn't forgotten her.
After all, they'd made a promise. He'd even learned her real name, nickname or not. He'd come.
They'd meet at the festival, walk and chat together. She'd flaunt it to the Corps—see, I made a friend without you lot.
Link arms with him? That might quiet the gropers a bit. Would it offend him? Nah, probably not.
Such thoughts swirled. For quite a while.
......
It was called a festival, but it wasn't flashy or grand. Just bonfires lit in a clearing, roasting hunted deer meat.
A rickety fence around the perimeter, one guard at the entrance. A middle-aged Corps vet—name was...
"......Rat?"
"A succubus, eh."
His curt words were almost welcoming. Others added snide remarks. Short replies felt like a blessing.
He nodded at the guestbook. Yuri gripped the quill and firmly wrote her name... and Mima's.
Rat asked bluntly.
"Outsider?"
"Not an outsider. Got an imperial-stamped order saying I'd be working with the Corps for a bit."
"Never heard of such a document... but you're no liar, so probably true."
Yuri sighed inwardly in relief. She'd tensed, fearing they'd bar her from the festival.
Then she paced the entrance.
Going in alone felt off. She'd wait here till Mima arrived. Rat frowned at the sight.
"......Still not adapted?"
"Adapted?"
His scolding tone made her shoulders hunch reflexively, but she glared back defiantly. His eyes unreadable, he said,
"Gotta let it go. Can't chase two rabbits."
"Let go of what?"
"Everything but your heart, future, life, and revenge."
Not scolding... advice?
"The losers can smell the winners. That's why they hate you. Like starving beggars hating the rich."
"......I've lost too. Family, village. What do I even have left...?!"
"If you can't get it, leave the Corps. It's painful to watch."
Rat clicked his tongue and headed inside. What was that supposed to mean? She'd lost plenty too, come for revenge just like them.
Just an excuse? Rejecting her vaguely because she was a succubus?
Laughter and chatter drifted from within.
A cold wind pierced her chest. She couldn't belong anywhere. Not blend with humans—they'd wary her off.
Not with succubi—her family burned by the Queen, whom she hated.
Not even the Annihilation Corps, sharing lost wounds—they shunned her.
She'd pushed hard to endure. Weathered the mockery. But sometimes the loneliness stung deep. That irrecoverable happy past... she missed it.
Chewing on how she'd shattered that paradise herself was unbearable.
Such gloom... she could forget beside him, if only briefly.
"......When will he come?"
Yuri murmured unwittingly. Quite some time had passed. She'd told him the location, so no getting lost.
Maybe snuck in the back? Perhaps they'd crossed paths, and he was inside searching for her. Yeah, why hadn't she thought of that...?
That thought made her heart race. She quelled fear with anticipation and stepped into the clearing.
Yeah, he wouldn't break the promise. He'd seemed excited after hearing about the festival.
Scanning the laughing, rowdy Corps members for Mima. Sociable guy—maybe already chatting with someone. She looked around.
Gone. Nowhere.
No. I just missed him. She soothed her dampening disappointment. Ignored the sneering gazes.
Swish.
"......Mima?"
A hand on her waist. She turned eagerly—but it was a leering Corps member, drunk enough for alcohol stench to waft over. One who'd eyed her before. He slurred,
"Who ya lookin' for? If it's a sturdy guy for a hearty night... right here, huh?"
"......Don't touch me!"
She swatted in horror.
Disgusting. Like a cockroach crawling inside her clothes. Powerless, unsteady. No one helped. She knew that. Infuriating, heartbreaking.
The worst part... she still hoped deep down.
Was Mima hiding nearby... watching? Not forgotten their promise and left. Just a mean-spirited prank?
"......"
Should she have given up sooner?
Never hoped at all?
Was she too weak, getting sad and startled by such tricks?
Should she become unshakable, emotionally ironclad? Counter mockery with mockery, hide weaknesses, never flinch—an indifferent soul with a sunken heart.
But becoming that—an ironclad suppressing cries and screams—seemed too agonizing...
"......Am I too late?"
The festival was over.