The Road to the Main Base (1)
Even after returning to the inn, I spent some time on the roof before heading back to the room three hours later.
"Cluster, did you... send Lai off properly?"
"Yeah. I did."
She must've gone off on her own just fine. By now, she'd probably woken up in her new body, all pumped up and ready to go.
"I can't believe Lai's dead... It doesn't feel real."
"Who knows. If we're lucky, she might even come back to life."
"...Huh? Is that even possible?"
I glanced at Silvia, who was still out cold. Had I hit the kid too hard? It was almost five hours now, and she showed no signs of waking.
"Silvia gave me some holy water before. She said she poured her own divine power into it. I sprinkled it over Lai's spot and tossed her into that ruined dungeon, so she should be fine somehow."
Of course, it was all a lie. Silvia, who knew from the start that I was the Demon King, would never give me holy water—now or ever.
"That's the temple that turned into a ruined dungeon, right?"
"Yeah. It's full of holy power, so I figured it was worth a shot."
"You went all the way there in just three hours... You always act tough on Lai, but deep down, you really care about her."
Being a demon herself, she didn't bat an eye at me dumping what was basically a corpse into a dungeon. Demon logic—gotta admire it.
"Um... before you came back, I was thinking things over on my own."
"Thinking?"
"Taking the Saintess... I mean, Silvia, with us like this—it seems impossible. That woman earlier, she's from the hero party from 500 years ago, right?"
"That's what they said. A swordsman from the hero party."
"If four of those kinds of humans come charging in to rescue Silvia, we're done for."
I'd been trying to forget, thanks to Lai coming back and getting Silvia out safely, but the fact remained: we hadn't laid a finger on Siana and got our asses handed to us.
500 years ago, the hero party that took down Demon King Radiata Versilver consisted of the hero, swordsman, mage, saintess, and thief—five in total. The saintess had retired, so there were at least three others with power on par with Siana the swordsman. And the so-called Hero King? Stronger than her, no doubt. We wouldn't stand a chance.
"Do we... have to give up on Silvia?"
"No way. Abandoning Silvia would be the same as inviting our own doom."
Alicia muttered something about it being Lai's dying wish to protect her, and I felt a slight pang of guilt. But Lai wasn't the priority right now, so I let it slide.
"That's why... I've been thinking of becoming Silvia."
"What? You?"
"My healing magic's pretty decent, isn't it?"
"That's not the issue. A demon surviving in a temple? You'd get purged on the spot if they found out."
"You know how rotten that temple is these days. They won't suspect a thing."
"It's dangerous enough, but you don't even look the part..."
Ah... this was getting out of hand because of Lai. Should I just come clean? Tell her Lai was actually Lai Teresa and totally fine right now. I knew Alicia ground her teeth at the name, but it beat sending her into danger.
"Cluster, don't you trust me?"
She must've thought my hesitation meant I didn't believe in her.
"Just wait a sec."
-Swish, rustle.
"Wh-what the hell, why are you taking your clothes off?!"
"Since you don't trust me, I wanna show you I do."
"N-no! That's not it! Doing that won't make me worry about you any less!"
"Too bad—it's not about that. Though if you want, I'm ready anytime."
She flashed a seductive smile at my flustered reaction and kept stripping until she was buck naked. I could've closed my eyes, but I kept them open, feigning shock.
"Mimic. Project."
A brilliant white light poured from Alicia's body as she began to shrink. The moment I spotted sky-blue hair, I grabbed a blanket from the bed and threw it over her. No matter what, staring wasn't worth my human dignity. I didn't even want to.
The blinding light under the blanket faded, and Alicia peeked out with just her face.
"Cluster, what do you think? Do I look like Silvia?"
"Spot on. How'd you do that?"
"You keep forgetting I'm a succubus sometimes."
Succubi showed their targets whatever form they desired and sucked out their life force. Shapeshifting was child's play for them.
"Isn't that a strain? Doesn't it guzzle mana?"
"Don't worry. It only costs mana upfront—maintaining it is free."
"Good to know. Still, the temple's risky, isn't it?"
"Pfft. If it looks like I'm busted, I'll bolt. You got that?"
With Silvia's face beaming like that, it was hard to say no.
"Fine. But if it gets real dicey, you run. Promise?"
"If you're that worried... how about one good smack right here?"
She'd already slipped into white saintess robes and climbed out, offering her belly. Impossible to refuse with Silvia's face begging like that. Perverted succubus bitch.
"At least change back first. Then I'll do it."
"H-haa! Yes! Alicia's changing back right now!"
I wasn't thrilled, but since she volunteered for the dangerous gig and this was her kink, I gave in.
"Your Alicia's ready, Cluster!"
"Put some damn clothes on."
"I'll change right after—why bother? Come on, hit my lower belly as hard as you can."
"This is really your wish?"
"Yes! Please! Bonus points if you say, 'I love you, Alicia!'"
I let out a huge sigh and swung my fist full force at her lower belly, channeling just the right amount of demonic mana like the first time we met.
"I... love you... Alicia..."
"Haaaaang!"
The instant my fist connected, she let out a weird scream, eyes rolling back as she collapsed. She looked blissful, but watching her naked like that was too much—I reached for the blanket to cover her.
Reached... and...
-Rustle.
Hm? Why's there fur on the blanket? Did a cat sneak in?
Desperately denying reality, I groped around for the blanket, but...
"Why's Alicia sis like that? And why's she naked...?"
"...Silvia, when did you wake up?"
"When you said you loved her and punched her belly, Cluster."
I smacked my forehead.
"Whoa, Alicia sis, you look just like me!"
"Think it'll fool everyone?"
"Yeah! You're amazing, sis!"
I gave Silvia some half-assed explanation about how you don't punch the ones you love while she bombarded me with questions. Eventually, Alicia came to.
She vehemently opposed our plan at first, but one lie—"Your friend Lai died for you"—had tears streaming down her face as she accepted Alicia's resolve.
Lai was somehow more helpful absent than present.
"Guess we'll split up for a bit then—you two on your own."
"J-just the two of us...?"
"Silvia? Why so shocked?"
"Come on, Cluster. Just roll with it."
"Roll with what?"
Once Silvia calmed her blushing, she and Alicia dove into temple talk. Especially when Alicia mentioned the Pope's fondness for pretty nuns—she wiggled her hips with eager anticipation, her succubus allure shining through. Please don't make those faces or moves with Silvia's looks.
I held my tongue, knowing she'd just tease me, but those temple bastards were in for it.
"How's this? Look beat-up enough?"
A few days at the inn later, we prepped to part ways. Alicia to the temple; me and Silvia south to the Fog Region outskirts, where pro-Demon King factions had set up in the Gaia Empire's southern reaches.
"You scream 'barely survived'."
"Almost used some divine power without thinking."
Alicia's state was a mess. Hair tangled everywhere, her symbolic white robes torn to shreds and caked in mud and grass stains, reduced to rags. The story: escaped kidnappers who'd invaded the temple but got lost in the woods.
"Sis, be super careful. If the Pope hits you, hit him back."
"The Pope? I'll have him begging to lick my soles."
"Why lick feet? That's gross."
"Licking soles isn't literal—it's a kink thing..."
"The Pope! He means he'll beat you till you're groveling on the floor. Yeah, treat him scary like that. Got it? Alicia, don't teach the kid weird shit."
"Cluster, hiding it won't cut it. Early education's key."
It was minor bickering, but we all knew it stemmed from reluctance to part. Nearly a month since leaving Lai's cave with Alicia—plenty of time to bond. Feet dragged with reluctance, but for a warmer reunion...
"Next time we meet, make my belly go 'kyung kyung' to say hi, Cluster!"
"Kyung kyung? What's that?"
-Boom!
In the central conference room of a modestly decorated yet elegant castle, a woman clutched her belly and crumpled with the impact.
"Witnesses?"
"All... handled."
"Get up."
"Kuhk... cough..."
The fallen woman spat dark red blood and struggled to her feet.
"Tch."
The purple-haired man on the throne clicked his tongue in disdain.
"Don't forget the name the world calls you by."
"I... will take care... Majesty..."
"Out."
Alone now, the man recalled the report from the woman who'd just left.
-Siana, I told you not to use that power.
-I couldn't win without my true strength—its demonic mana was too much.
-Even swordsmanship alone was beyond you... If it wielded such potent demonic mana and martial prowess... Ripent? No, not even them.
-No signs of the Ripent house traits.
'A demon Siana could only subdue with blood magic... If not Ripent, then the Demon King has been born?'
The emergence of a second-generation saintess had made a new Demon King inevitable.
'This time, with my own hands.'
A member of the hero party that felled the Demon King 500 years ago. A faint smile curled on the lips of Hero King Bain Slai, once called [The Lantern].