The Journey Begins (2)
“Luster! Come on, let's go!”
“What the hell is that outfit?”
“I figured it'd be easy to move around in outside. How do I look? Cute, right?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
“Aww~ Don't just say 'sure,' say I look cute~!”
The goddess was acting like some elementary school kid hyped for a field trip.
“Out of all the clothes you have, why pick a nun's habit? And it's that pure white that's just gonna get filthy.”
I tossed out a jab knowing she'd whine all day if I left her be. What kind of goddess craved attention like that? She'd spent 500 years alone in that rocky cave, so maybe it wasn't attention—she just wanted company.
“We are going on a trip~ And it's not a nun outfit, it's priestess robes!”
“Same difference. And this isn't a vacation—it's my journey back to my original world.”
“What's a 'journey'?”
“The process or schedule of a trip.”
“See? It's a trip!”
“Does it matter? I asked why you're suddenly wearing that weird getup.”
At some point, she'd started calling me “Luster” because “Cluster” was too long and annoying. As a Korean at heart, four-letter nicknames felt off, but since it wasn't my real name anyway, I let it slide.
“Pfft.”
Her cheeks puffed out in a pout, steam practically shooting from her ears—then she burst into dumb laughter again. Such a simpleton.
“Forgot again? Good thing your smart goddess is here to remind you. Like I said yesterday, once we leave this cave, I can't use my goddess powers anymore.”
“I'm basically sealed as the Demon King too, stuck in here.”
Gods couldn't wield their full power on the continent outside the divine realm. Bored of that dull heaven, Lai had poured her Divine Power into crafting this snot-sized cave to mimic it.
Which meant...
“Yup! With just Holy Power, I can only do basic healing, so the priestess robes keep me from drawing suspicion. Smart, huh?”
“Can you pick one—Divine Power or Holy Power?”
“They're totally different! Divine Power is the gods' and saintesses' direct might. Holy Power is just priests scraping divine scraps through faith.”
“Nitpicker.”
Outside, she'd be a total loser priest with only weak heals.
“Adventurer parties rarely have healers, so it'll make people friendly toward us.”
“Not healer—priestess!”
“Yeah, yeah, priestess. I said that yesterday. Why repeat yourself?”
“Huh? Oh. Why am I... Hey! You asked me to explain!”
Last night, she'd rattled off the exact same spiel with zero changes, even insisting “priestess, not nun.”
“Enough nonsense. Let's move. How long you gonna dawdle?”
“I'm not dawdling—you started talking to me, Luster!”
I teased Lai plenty—her reactions hit just right—before finally stepping out of the cave.
Two years cooped up inside had me curious about the outside, but honestly? Nothing special. A playground-sized clearing in front of the cave, dense trees everywhere—like a backyard hill.
“Hweee~ My strength's already draining.”
“Then stay in the cave.”
“But then I'd be alone again if you left...”
I ignored her wobbling and pulled out the map. Destination: the Gaia Empire's temple-palace-pontiff HQ in the continent's south, as planned. Lai's cave was tucked at the eastern edge—quite the trek.
“Smells kinda sweet somewhere...”
I took a step, thinking it was time to get moving, when an unfamiliar sugary scent glued my feet.
Forest nearby, so maybe fruit? But stickier. Like fruit perfume laced with something else—something that subtly stirred the emotions.
“No smell here?”
“Feels a bit... warm?”
“Cave's dark and shady; sun's pouring here?”
“Maybe...”
“Luster~ You're pretending to be chill, but you're excited for the trip, huh?”
I played it cool, but yeah—she nailed it. Even as the Demon King, my human mindset was thrilled. But weird. Emotions ramping up, yet my body felt so languid. Was that why? Hallucinations creeping in...
“Lai. What's that black thing over there?”
“Black thing? Nothing visible.”
Fifty meters ahead, hazy black smoke was coalescing. The kind a human wouldn't spot. My sharpened eyesight proved my body was fully Demon King.
“Air looks like it's melting...”
“What're you seeing?”
Lai craned her neck, squinting—yep, invisible to her. Her grumbling about being useless post-cave earned a weak swat at my arm, which I ignored, fixated on the smoke.
Couldn't look away.
“Now I see it. Huh? Coming this way?”
“If you can see, stop hiding and tell me what it is.”
“But I'm just a regular priestess now? What if it kills me?”
“You said you'd respawn in the cave anyway.”
While bantering, the black smoke closed in steadily—to ten meters. Wait, not smoke—
“Bats?”
“Eek? N-no way—is it after my cave? That's my home!”
“Barrier keeps everything out when you're gone. Stay still. You're distracting.”
As Lai whined, the bats clustered before us, forming... something.
“Huaam. How long since I last woke?”
The sudden arrival was striking. Seductive red hair. Black leather barely covering her voluptuous curves—more skin than cloth. Sleepy half-lidded pink eyes, a voice dripping honey. Cute bat wings on her back as a bonus.
“Who're you?”
Isekai, bats, killer looks. Obvious, but the trembling idiot goddess behind me made me double-check.
“Hng... You smell delicious~?”
“I-I taste bad...”
“Lai. It's not you, so shut up if you don't know.”
The mystery woman watched our chatter, then reached out, fingering my chin.
-Spark!
“Ow! What the—why the backlash?”
She jolted back with sparks; I felt nothing odd.
“Um... Luster. Think she's a succubus.”
“Same thought.”
“Succubi are Low Demons, so we can just handle her quick.”
Low Demons. 500 years back, the previous Demon King died, sending mid-ranks and up into hibernation. Any demons roaming now were low-tier.
“Guessing you've figured it out, so no beating around. I'm a succubus. Precisely, the Succubus Queen. Name's Alicia Sien.”
“W-what?! Succubus Queen? Why's a Mid Demon wandering around?”
Lai yelped in shock, face paling. Gods and demons didn't mix well. Was she tapping out here? A rookie priestess couldn't handle a Mid Demon. Thanks for everything—respawn as Lai MK2, hopefully more useful.
“Bigger fish than expected? Don't worry. I got no interest in your priestess lady.”
Too bad—Alicia's gaze locked on me, ignoring Lai entirely. Same for us.
“H-heh... Luster, um...”
Lai's pallor wasn't from the succubus—it was realizing she'd half-assed info on me again, dreading my wrath.
“Mid Demons aren't asleep? Lied again, huh, Lai?”
Friends, so I'd hear her last defense.
“Not a lie... I forgot to mention it, so it became a lie? Not really a lie then...?”
“Forgetting or lying—both problems. Right?”
I clenched my fist at her head-clutching panic. Not violence—rehab. Understand my pain replacing a two-year friend with a shiny new model.
“Perfect respawn spot nearby. Die quick and revive helpful.”
“Lu-Luster! That'd really hurt!”
She bolted for the cave as I gripped tighter. No real intent to kill, so I waited till she neared, then punched.
Like punching the cave ceiling on day one—power shot from my fist. Strong, but to full-goddess Lai, just a flick. Humans? Dead.
“You two... Talking down to a demon like that has limits... Henyong♡?!”
Result: My strike missed Lai. Offended, Alicia teleported in front, taking my demonic mana straight to the gut.
“L-Luster... Is she dead...?”
“Nah, breathing fine. Looks happy even—probably wake up soon.”
“That's a happy face...?”
Eyes rolled back, tongue out, the Succubus Queen Alicia Sien passed out blissfully. She came to only after a few hours.