The Nightmare and the Succubus’s Retreat

She would reclaim her head and regain her true form.Her power would be reforged like a volcano, and then she would seek out the Demon Queen, who was also searching for her.She intended to kill the Demon Queen, to hang her head above the throne.The Four Gods of the Highest Heavens would surely cast their favor upon her.Once more, she would bathe in the great blessings of the Four Gods of the Highest Heavens, continuing her ascension to attain supreme power.By then, she would be crowned queen, returning to her cold, familiar chambers to finally enjoy a peaceful sleep.She would resume her former life, a blissful daily routine unmarred by the Demon Queen’s presence.How wonderful that would be: to wake, to train, to kill, to sleep.Day after day, a routine as regular as what humans called “going to work.”The only difference being that their work involved producing goods, while hers was the creation of corpses—a far more efficient form of resource recycling.Indeed, a demon queen’s life, so regular, healthy, and fulfilling.This was her true future, not sharing a campfire and dried rations with a foolish dog, nor listening to his virgin heart’s confessions.Sovenia exhaled softly, chasing those impractical tactical notions from her mind.Propping her chin in her hand, her gaze drifted to the sleeping figure beside the campfire.Wawalde lay on his side, covered only by a thin blanket that revealed his sturdy chest and shoulders, where his wounds had already scabbed over, some even having fallen off.He slept profoundly, his breathing steady and deep, a faint, almost imperceptible smile gracing his lips, lost in who knew what beautiful dream.He lay curled up, utterly defenceless, without his armor, like a large dog exposing its belly.What pathetic trust.A cold sneer twisted Sovenia’s lips.This foolish dog truly dared to sleep so soundly, as if dead, before an “elf princess” he had only just met.Did he not realize that in a place like the Demon Queen’s Hall, the most lethal dangers often struck from behind?Still, it was for the best.The more foolish he proved, the smoother her plan would unfold.Two days hence, when the poison took hold, when he found the sword piercing his chest from behind, perhaps then he would learn this valuable lesson.Alas, he would have no opportunity to review it.Just then, Sovenia’s nose twitched subtly.A faint wisp of fragrance drifted through the air, one that others might overlook, but Sovenia would not.With a sniff, she distinguished the scent.It was a cloyingly sweet aroma, like overripe peaches mingled with nectar, laced with a hint of musky agitation.Her eyes sharpened instantly.As a former Demon Lord, she knew this scent all too well.It was the scent of a succubus’s pheromones.A high-ranking succubus, at that.Something was nearby.Or rather, something was already observing them from the shadows.An alarm bell rang in Sovenia’s mind.She remained outwardly calm, maintaining her vigil posture.If she could avoid a fight, she would.This was “weapon maintenance time,” and startling her foolish dog of a weapon from his sound sleep would not do.What to do?Perhaps she should just openly declare her formidable prowess.Sovenia said:

“Honestly… having me stand watch, while the Hero sleeps like a dead pig…”

She paused, then continued:

“Still, it’s for the best… Fortunately, the Hero still has one ‘Holy Strike’ unused.They say a single Holy Strike from him can make the Demon Queen retreat three paces.If anything were to intrude, it would make for quite a good trump card…”

Silence descended upon the room once more.The cloyingly sweet scent still lingered.Sovenia grew irritated.She had made herself perfectly clear; why hadn’t it left yet?She truly missed the old days.If it were her former self, she would have simply grabbed her greatsword, let out a mighty roar, “Blood God aid me!”A single swing would have been enough to send all beings fleeing in terror.After an indeterminate amount of time, the cloyingly sweet fragrance began to withdraw from the air, bit by bit, growing fainter and fainter.It was a long while later, when the last faint wisp of that peculiar aroma had completely vanished, dissolving into the scents of char and blood, that Sovenia finally exhaled a quiet sigh of relief.She had gambled correctly.’Holy Strike’ was Wawalde’s signature ability, incredibly potent and lethally effective against demons.Any demon with a modicum of sense would be loath to face it head-on without thorough preparation.

****

The long night stretched on.Sovenia kept watch for over six hours.Only after waking Wawalde and helping him don his plate armor did she finally fall into a deep sleep.Wawalde took over the watch, and Sovenia almost instantly curled into her blanket, sinking into sleep, warmed by Wawalde’s body heat.In the storeroom, the embers of the campfire flickered erratically.Wawalde sat by the campfire, leaning against the cold stone wall, his gaze drawn involuntarily to the slender figure.She slept fitfully, shivering within the blanket, only her silver head exposed.Her fishtail braid had been undone before sleep, her silver hair fanned out like molten moonlight.The blanket he had used was far too large for her, loosely enveloping her slender frame.She shifted, and a corner of the blanket slipped, revealing her shoulder.’Her shoulder is so narrow,’ Wawalde mused, ‘my palm could probably cover it entirely with ease.’Before sleeping, Sovenia had removed her shoes, her long, knee-high leather boots neatly placed nearby, leaving a small section of her delicate, smooth calf exposed beneath the edge of the blanket.He recalled how, during battle, those leather boots, encasing her thighs, could unleash considerable power, allowing her to dart behind him in a single stride.Yet now, the exposed calf appeared remarkably fragile, its lines soft, devoid of any muscular definition, as if it might shatter at the slightest squeeze.Just then, he heard a faint whimper.”No… don’t…”

He looked over to see Sovenia’s delicate, cherry-red lips trembling, her body quivering slightly beneath the blanket, like a startled small animal.”…Demon Queen… I beg you… I… I’ll never dare again…” she murmured.”…The rules… those two rules…””…Don’t… embrace of darkness… don’t bottom out… I’ll lose… I’ll lose…” Her fingers clutched the blanket tightly.”…Please, Demon Queen… don’t subject me to ultimate humiliation again…”

Wawalde remained silent, his heart swelling with pity.Sovenia was having a nightmare.She dreamt of the Demon Queen, standing directly before her.”Jimi,” the Demon Queen’s voice resonated directly within her soul.”My first Heavenly King, did you truly believe that by changing your skin, I wouldn’t recognize you?Now that I’ve recognized you, it’s simple.I’ve activated those two enslavement rules… You have no chance of winning now.””No, no, All-Encompassing Impermanence Card activated!Round one, draw!Round two, round three… round five, no, impossible, how did it bottom out again…”

Sovenia discovered with horror that no matter how she drew, the core card remained elusive.”Oh?Such bad luck, Jimi.The core card bottomed out again, did it?You’re always so unlucky when you face me.” The Demon Queen laughed with delight.”As I said, I’ve been eagerly anticipating your Goblin Ultimate Humiliation Assembly performance for me.”The laughter transformed into the lewd, frenzied cackles of countless Goblins.They swarmed from all directions, green-skinned, with greedy eyes, their claws reaching for her…”No—!”

Sovenia jolted awake from the nightmare, gasping for breath, drenched in cold sweat, her heart pounding uncontrollably.Subconsciously, she touched her chest.Not too big, not too small.Good.At least she wasn’t the male protagonist of the ‘Goblin Ultimate Humiliation Assembly’.”Miss Sovenia?” Wawalde asked.”Are you alright?You were having a nightmare.”Only then did Sovenia snap back to reality.Seeing Wawalde, she swiftly regained her usual composure, wiping a hand across her sweat-dampened forehead as she inquired:

“Did… did I say anything just now?”

“No, nothing at all,” Wawalde immediately shook his head, his tone firm.Sovenia met his gaze, and, finding no hint of deceit, she finally relaxed.She felt her will was resolute, far more so than a certain Hero’s, not weak enough to cry out in her sleep.She said, “I didn’t, but you, Hero, were talking in your sleep all last night.””Me?” Wawalde was taken aback.”Indeed,” Sovenia replied, crossing her arms, adopting an air of ‘I heard everything perfectly clear’.”You kept calling out your teammates’ names, and saying things like… ‘This assassination failed, it’s all your fault.'”Wawalde’s expression darkened.He was silent for a moment, then admitted bitterly, “…Yes.It was a heavy blow, but…”He lifted his head, his emerald eyes fixed on Sovenia.”But now, I have a new goal.””Oh.”

Sovenia responded indifferently.She had no interest in the short-lived foolish dog’s new goal, as long as it didn’t delay her reclaiming her head and acquiring more gold.The two fell silent once more.Sovenia prepared breakfast, which Wawalde devoured quickly.They began packing their belongings, preparing to depart.As Wawalde donned his tattered plate armor, Sovenia stepped forward to assist, taking the opportunity to inspect his injuries.His fractured bones had mended overnight, many scabs had fallen away to reveal new flesh, and the sutures themselves now proved an “impediment.”Sovenia carefully removed the sutures, and as she observed Wawalde’s body, now more than half healed, a strange sense of satisfaction welled within her.She then proceeded to help Wawalde with his tattered full plate armor.As she fastened the straps of his breastplate, Sovenia spoke:

“By the way, last night while I was on watch, I caught a scent.”

“What kind of scent?”

“The scent of a high-ranking succubus,” she reported succinctly.”It was cloyingly sweet, like overripe peaches.The individual was likely observing us from the shadows, so I used your ‘Holy Strike’ reputation to scare them off.”Wawalde tightened his slightly loose breastplate.”A succubus?Those wicked demons who only expose their chests and lewd bodies to tempt mortals and drain their essence?””Those are the tactics of low-ranking succubi,” Sovenia said.”High-ranking succubi are far more terrifying than you imagine, with more sophisticated methods.””It doesn’t matter,” Wawalde said.”When I assassinated the Demon Queen, I faced a Succubus Lord.She wasn’t terrifying.””Did she die?”

“She probably didn’t die.She seemed to have escaped.””What a pity.”

The two finished packing and headed towards the main entrance.”Wait,” Sovenia said, pointing to a dog hole in the corner of the wall.”That creature has likely laid traps at the entrance.For safety, we should go through that dog hole.””Really?Aren’t succubi about seduction?”

“That doesn’t prevent them from setting traps,” Sovenia replied, still pointing at the dog hole.Wawalde followed her finger, looking at the dog hole that would require him to crawl on all fours to get through.Dignity versus safety.As a knight, a Hero sworn to protect a princess, how could he lead a noble lady to crawl through a dog hole?”No, as a knight, how can I crawl through a dog hole?” he adamantly refused.”We’ll use the main entrance.I’ll scout ahead; no trap will harm you.”Foolish chivalry.However, Sovenia did not argue further.After all, the foolish dog was destined to die tomorrow, so expending a little more of his stamina wouldn’t matter.Wawalde stepped out of the door; there were no traps.Sovenia poked her head out, glanced around, and was about to leave when Wawalde said, “Where’s your helmet?””Forgot it.”

Sovenia placed the ugly, smelly helmet on her head, her mood worsening slightly.Stepping out, a cold wind swept through the corridors of the Demon Queen’s Hall ruins, carrying the roars of distant monsters and the clang of colliding weapons.The fervent promotion campaign was still underway.Sovenia sensed the direction of her male body’s head, feeling it was closer than yesterday, which caused her considerable anxiety.A head wouldn’t sprout legs; its movement indicated someone had already found it, likely fighting over it.Time was running out.