The Succubus Queen's New Fortress
Selena
The Succubus Queen Selena was having a very hard time wrapping her head around things.
"No, seriously—why me of all people...?"
Her residence had just finished being completely renovated.
And forcibly, at that.
The antique portraits and chandeliers were gone, and in their place, cold metallic alloy walls and labyrinthine machinery of unknown purpose greeted her at every turn.
"..."
And yet she couldn't exactly complain, because—well, it was comfortable. Too comfortable, and that was the problem.
Beep—
A holographic window flickered into being before her eyes.
On the screen, one of the succubus maids serving her was making a thoroughly dumbfounded face.
Selena pressed a button on the hologram.
Whirr—
The door slid open on its own, revealing the maid.
"!!"
The moment she turned her gaze upon the girl, the surrounding lights adjusted themselves smoothly, easing the strain on her eyes.
"Lady Selena! What in the world is all this...?"
"..."
It was hardly surprising the maid was shocked—her entire castle had transformed overnight. Her magnificent blue fortress, home to a Demon Realm Legion Commander, had been swapped in a single day for a colossal stronghold of gleaming metal.
What was there even to say?
That the Juddak had gutted and replaced her entire residence?
She'd seen it with her own two eyes and still couldn't believe it. What could she possibly tell anyone else?
Out of thin air, four-legged metal creatures(?) dropped down with a heavy thud-thud, and abruptly set to work.
At first she'd been so startled she nearly attacked them—but then—
> [A message from the Administrator has arrived.]
> Just leave them be. I sent them to handle basic safety and the things I mentioned earlier.
> [A message from the Administrator has arrived.]
> By the way, those units are expensive. Work hard and pay them off.
Ah—no. Excuse me?
I don't recall ever asking you to send anything?
Of course, there was zero chance she could actually argue the point.
"Th-thank you!"
That was all she managed to say.
So Selena could only stand and watch as the workers sent by the Juddak swept the area with shimmering beams of light, taking measurements, and then demolished her beautiful ancient castle in one thunderous, merciless sweep.
"Ah—!"
Naturally, her subordinates and maids had all been evacuated outside the castle walls first.
Thank goodness for that.
The castle was layered with every kind of protective magic circle imaginable, and watching monstrous machines tear through them like they were wet paper would have been enough to make anyone faint on the spot.
Even she herself couldn't demolish one so effortlessly. The ores that made up the castle's structure were all rare metals famous for their hardness, each further enchanted with layered spells.
Crunch— KRAKOOM— Rumble—
When the silver four-legged workers finally went still, nothing remained but bare, empty ground.
Workers stronger than a Demon Realm Legion Commander....
Absolutely no one can ever see this.
Anyway, once the orgy of destruction was over, the machines absorbed the rubble and began constructing the new fortress, click by click, piece by piece.
What kind of technology was this? Was what she was watching actually real?
Watching buildings extend and multiply at a terrifying pace, her mind would go blank.
But her astonishment was only just beginning.
Crunch— Rumble-crash—
"My beautiful blue castle..."
Her antique, elegant ancient castle vanished, and by day's end a fortress that emphasized nothing but pure functionality stood in its place.
The design was just so... something.
Nothing like it existed anywhere in the Demon Realm. It had to be the Juddak's taste, no doubt about it.
Though once it was finished, she had to admit it possessed a certain style of its own.
It was nothing like the usual shape of a castle or fortress. A long cylindrical tower rose at the center, ringed by enormous, flattened, ovoid domes.
It was only fortunate that some of the old castle walls still remained—otherwise the whole thing would have been far too conspicuous.
'It's still pretty conspicuous, though...'
Sighing, Selena fiddled with the holographic window. It glowed a peculiar shade of blue, subtly different from the Community's interface.
From where she sat, she could survey every corner of the castle(?) and issue instructions at will. If she wanted, any number of conveniences could be summoned right to her side.
Beep—
She pressed a button, and a full year's weather appeared on the screen.
Not the past year—the coming year.
Somehow she had a feeling it wouldn't be off by a single degree.
Sky view?
Beep—
She pressed another button, and was suddenly looking down on her entire territory from high above.
"..."
She pinched her fingers apart, zooming in, and zoomed in further—until she could observe a territory resident scowling as he scratched his belly.
This is insane.
What in the world is this technology?
Magic couldn't achieve anything this precise and flawless.
No—it wasn't even on the same level to begin with. There was no comparing them.
Hah....
As she swept her gaze across the territory, her eye caught a young girl being chased by a magical beast.
Selena pressed a red button.
Flash—
A crimson beam lanced down from the sky, and the beast was vaporized without a trace.
The girl, who had stumbled and fallen, stared at the sight with her mouth hanging open, then twisted around, searching for whoever had saved her.
Selena pressed yet another button.
"Be more careful when hunting magical beasts from now on."
Her voice carried straight to the girl, who flinched in fright and bowed repeatedly in the direction of Selena's castle(?).
Ah.... why does this feel like déjà vu....
Right. This is exactly how I must have looked whenever the Juddak talked to me.
So it seemed.
"Th-thank you! Lady Selena! Thank you for saving my life!"
And with that, her patrol of the entire territory was over in an instant.
Even more terrifying, the holograms came equipped with functions that recorded and collected her every action, processing it all automatically.
It made her dizzy.
What kind of absurd technology was this?
What manner of civilization could pull off such impossible feats with such casual ease?
She couldn't even imagine it.
With technology and a fortress like this, even a child could run the territory without breaking a sweat.
And somehow, an odd hollowness crept over her.
Selena lay down on her bed and stared up at the softly glowing ceiling.
She still couldn't forget that moment.
'Cosmic Emperor' has sponsored 1,000,000,000P.
— Use this for the urgent stuff for now. I'll send more later.
One, ten, hundred, thousand... ten... hun—billion?
The Juddak had handed her a billion points like it was pocket change.
She poured every point she earned back into the 'World of Dreams,' so this was the first time in her life she'd ever held such a fortune.
"Good heavens..."
According to the Juddak, she could spend it personally at any time—no permission needed, as long as it wasn't for research or investment purposes.
'Th-that doesn't mean I could ever just blow through it recklessly, though.'
Since when did doing everything you were told count as proper workplace survival? She'd have to spend sparingly, read the room, and save the rest.
Regardless, for someone as humble as her, this was an investment beyond anything she could have dreamed.
On top of that, every kind of measuring instrument and research apparatus had been brought in.
They appeared to be devices meant to analyze and study her—her, the keeper of the 'World of Dreams.' He'd even said he would share the research results with her once they came out.
"This is all so... official..."
To the point of being unsettling.
Creating and tending the 'World of Dreams' was, for a Succubus Queen, an act of following instinct—but it was also her small hobby and her private happiness.
And now that it was being supported this seriously, she couldn't help but feel the weight of expectations pressing down on her.
> I'll provide the support. In exchange, you will expand and develop this 'World of Dreams' as much as possible.
>> ....
> Accumulating Karma is for that purpose too, isn't it? I'll handle that part for you. Don't worry about points.
Logically, she knew she ought to be celebrating such a lavish investment. She'd even received permission to do whatever she liked, so long as she didn't break the Dimensional Pathway.
She'd been gifted a fortress more imposing and intimidating than the Demon King's own castle.
And yet.
Since when did the world ever work that easily?
For everything received, something must be given—that was the natural order. The old warnings that excessive good fortune could turn to ruin hadn't sprung from nowhere.
And with support this unconditional and this sweeping... didn't that mean she had to produce results?
If I fail to deliver, I might just die.
> What's that? You failed? Die.
> What's that? You're asking for more time? Be erased.
> What's that? You want a break? Gravity bomb.
Every imaginable nightmare shook her from head to toe.
Shake-shake—
"I have no idea what he actually wants from me, but for now... I'll just do as I'm told."
She wore a face on the verge of tears, but she did not despair.
Because—
If it wasn't heartwarming, it was at least something close.
It was a great comfort.
Allies she could pit against the terrifying Juddak—her hidden cards!
Though, to be fair, both of them were equally terrifying beings in their own right.
'Right. I'll just play my cards carefully between the two of them.'
It was the only way to survive.
Selena never did learn, to the very end, that the two of them were one and the same person.
Rex, Second Legion Commander of the Demon Realm.
A hulking man with four horns jutting from his head set foot inside the Succubus Queen's territory.
"The atmosphere here is pathetic."
Among demons, the law of the jungle—devour or be devoured—was supposed to be gospel.
But the moment he set foot in this place, he was greeted by some soft, mushy air that never failed to sour his mood.
"I'll have to put up with it, I suppose."
Ptoo—
A demon's territory invariably took on the character of its master. That nauseatingly frail atmosphere here had to be that woman's doing, too.
His serpentine eyes split vertically into narrow slits.
"Why on earth did Father put a woman like that in a Legion Commander's seat?"
The position was wasted on her.
Her strength ranked dead last among the four Legion Commanders, too.
"She has no right to it. None."
Whenever he passed, the crowds parted left and right like a tide.
Watching the demons grovel with their heads pressed to the ground, trembling, improved his mood a little.
Direct bloodkin of the Demon King, Second Legion Commander—no one alive could stand in his way.
"The succubus domain was supposed to be a city of pleasure and revelry, from what I hear..."
So what was this?
What had that woman calling herself a Legion Commander even been doing? Demons were raising livestock, tilling fields, sweating like common laborers.
"Hoo. Calm down. I have to stay calm."
Even among Legion Commanders he was notoriously short on patience, and merely watching the antics of these lowborn wretches made his veins bulge.
Then, tall blue castle walls rose into his view.
The corners of his mouth curled up into a grin.
While he was here, he might as well enjoy some hospitality—and collect a little tribute while he was at it.
With an agenda packed full of personal greed, the Succubus Queen Selena looked to him like the most delicious prey imaginable.
Personal entertainment from the Queen herself was impossible—she was a Succubus Queen, bound to preserve her chastity—but the ones beneath her would be no trouble at all.
"Heh heh heh."
When the castle gates opened and he strode through, four-legged metal golems greeted him.
Except they didn't greet him at all—they ignored his arrival completely, scurrying this way and that right in front of him, busy at their work.
What the hell is this now?