A Slip of the Tongue

“Mmmph…”

The groggy little succubus, Luna, slowly stirred awake.

“Oh? You’re awake.”

“Mmm… Huh!? L-Lady Demon Lord!”

The succubus Luna, who had been languidly dozing and looked as if she wanted to sleep in a little longer, jolted at the sound of Vivian’s voice.

She snapped fully awake and scrambled to her feet in a fluster.

“Don’t be nervous. We’re still safe for now.”

Vivian sat to the side, sipping a cup of hot tea, and spoke slowly to Luna.

“W-we’re… Eek!”

Luna blinked, trying to get a clear look at her surroundings, and was soon startled by the humans lying unconscious beside her.

“Th-this is…”

“Your replenishment.”

Vivian silently took another sip of tea.

At this moment, they were in a border outpost.

A small squad was stationed here, but Vivian had knocked them all out.

There were two purposes for coming here: one, naturally, was to rest, and two was to find a little something for Luna to “eat.”

Succubi are a type of supernatural creature widely found in Western mythology, folklore, and various fantasy and magic game works, usually classified under the category of demons or the Demon Clan.

Their core characteristics revolve around seduction, desire, and the absorption of life force.

In this world’s setting, while the succubi within the Demon Clan are similar to the traditional depiction, feeding on human desire and life force, their actual work within the Demon Clan is more akin to that of nightmares.

They feed on the intense desires and emotions of their fellow demons, which allows many demons and demonic creatures to remain calm and rational in their daily lives.

In other words, succubi don’t necessarily have to drain life force and a certain kind of essence to survive; otherwise, they would have starved to death long ago.

The reason Luna was so weak was simply because she hadn’t eaten for a long time, and this was also a precautionary measure—weakening her to a controllable state to make her easier to train.

Adrian must have had such a plan, intending to enjoy himself thoroughly after returning to his room following the evening’s sacrificial magic ritual.

However, Adrian never expected that a Demon Lord like her would crash the party.

But regardless, Luna had already reached the limits of her starvation, so after leaving the vicinity of Faro Fortress, Vivian rushed toward the border while also looking for a suitable place for Luna to recover some strength, and for herself to get some rest.

In the dead of night, Vivian finally found a suitable spot, swiftly knocked out all the guards at the post, and then dragged them over to Luna to feed.

It is also said that when a succubus feeds, the “food” can feel a warmth from the succubus’s power, and might even have a long-lasting erotic dream—an ability that succubi evolved to be able to feed in peace.

Although she had fainted from hunger, Luna could still absorb a certain amount of life force and desire through instinct, and Vivian watched from the side to ensure no lives were taken—these unlucky fellows would at most be weak for a week, and there should be no other after-effects.

Although her identity was now that of a Demon Lord, deep down, Vivian still felt she was human, so she felt it was necessary to maintain certain bottom lines.

Unless absolutely necessary, add no more corpses.

“Want some tea? I just brewed it. It’d be a shame not to finish it.”

Vivian also poured a cup of hot tea for Luna, casually handing it over as she spoke.

Luna, in response, accepted it as if overwhelmed by the favor.

“It’s delicious… But where are we now, Lady Demon Lord?”

After taking a careful sip of tea, Luna continued to ask Vivian timidly.

“A human outpost on the border. We’ll rest for a bit, then I plan to set off again, cross the border, and return to the Demon Clan’s territory.”

Vivian spoke faintly, also looking at the white-haired succubus before her, and continued, “Speaking of which, do you know anything about the situation at the border?”

“…Not very well, nngh…”

The ethereal demon wings on Luna’s back drooped a little, as if she felt completely useless and was very ashamed.

“It’s fine if you don’t know.”

Vivian continued to sip her tea.

“It’s best if you do, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t. We’ll just go back directly.”

“Mm…”

Hearing Vivian’s words, Luna cautiously raised her head, seeming to repeatedly check her attitude.

“What is it? Is there something on my face?”

“Yah!”

Seeing the little succubus’s cautious appearance, Vivian couldn’t help but smile and poke her on the nose, which made Luna let out a little cry.

“N-nothing—it’s just that I’ve rarely interacted with you before, Lady Demon Lord.

At m-most, I’ve only seen you from a distance… I remember back then, you were a very cold existence, Lady Demon Lord.

Y-you were an idol to all of us!”

“And now? Am I a disappointment?”

The more Vivian looked at Luna, the more she found this little succubus adorable.

“No, no, no, no! That’s not it!”

Luna waved her hands frantically.

“I-it’s just that I never expected you to be so… um…”

“Approachable?”

“…Yes.”

Luna blinked and nodded.

“Hehe, that’s normal too.”

Vivian gave a helpless smile—after all, there was nothing to be done about such things.

According to her memories, the previous Demon Lord Vivian was actually busy running around all day.

Being a Demon Lord wasn’t just about sitting on a throne and waiting for heroes to challenge her.

All the demonic creatures and demons in her territory were under her rule, so naturally, there was no shortage of matters to attend to.

Didn’t that mean she had to wear a deadpan expression all day?

If it were the current her, she’d probably have the same demeanor.

But honestly, Demon Lord-level strength was really enough to run rampant at this stage.

As long as she didn’t encounter figures like Carol or Anis, everyone else was putty in Vivian’s hands.

It was a piece of cake.

‘This is what you call bullying the weak.’

Vivian couldn’t help but mock herself inwardly.

Then she saw Luna staring straight at her again.

“What, is there something else?”

“Um… well, there is something…”

Luna blinked, seemingly pondering for a good while, before finally mustering her courage and asking.

“Lady Demon Lord, are you… pregnant right now?”

“…”

‘Why is every single person telling me about this.’

‘Is this topic just unavoidable?’

Vivian’s expression instantly fell, and her heart was filled with complex emotions—and seeing her reaction, Luna was so scared she was on the verge of tears.

“I’m so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry, Lady Demon Lord! I shouldn’t have said anything!”