East, West, South, North—even the Central region.
The dungeons created by the Succubus Queen varied in background, but one thing was always the same.
In the East, she was the Great Elder recognized by all sects.
In the West, a revolutionary leading criminals.
In the South, a guardian protecting the World Tree.
In the North, the Demon King ruling over demons.
In the Center, the captain commanding the guard corps.
In her worlds, she was always the leader admired and revered by Phantasmal Constructs.
That's why it wasn't too hard to guess where she might be.
"Are you sure?"
My younger sister, who had followed me to the front of the police station, shot me a doubtful look.
"Of course. Who's doubting who right now?"
You didn't even see the ending—why are you questioning me?
You should just quietly follow along.
Rene must have understood my meaning, because her lips pouted upward.
"It's only natural to double-check when it's my first time seeing a place. If something goes wrong, we'll all get dragged into it because of you."
So she's saying she's not being chased, huh.
I could only cover my eyes at the blatant selfishness of my sister.
"Don't waste your time with useless worries. Just prepare your blessing. We have to subdue the Queen, or you won't be able to leave this world either."
"Tch… fine."
With an un-saintly arrogant tone—
From her outstretched hand, brilliant light radiated, seeping into my body.
"As expected, your blessing is useful, at least."
"Um, excuse me. What should I be doing…?"
"Ah. Sir Paladin, please deal with the Phantasmal Constructs generated along with my companion."
"Hrmm. To think I'd be cooperating with a demon…"
The paladin did his best to suppress his discomfort in front of the Saintess.
I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
Because it was true.
A joint operation between a high-ranking demon like Batory and a paladin—something even the original work never showed.
"…You two seem awfully close."
But Batory paid no mind to the paladin's unease.
Her curt words and gaze were fixed solely on me.
"There's no misunderstanding here."
"I heard your excuse that the two of you are practically siblings."
"Well, if you won't believe it even if it's true, I really don't know what else to say."
Anyway, the "brother and sister" act had been exposed.
Sometimes pushing through head-on produced better results.
"Sir Heiken, I'd appreciate it if you could keep this secret. If word spread that I had family, it would cause trouble—for the Byron family and for our Holy Land alike."
"I… I understand."
"His Holiness mustn't know either. If this were to reach his ears…"
Silencing the paladin could be left to Rene's authority.
As for Batory…
"Lady Batory, I swear, everything we've said here is true."
No matter how silver-tongued I was, it was impossible to carefully persuade her right now.
"Once this matter is settled, I'll explain everything to you in detail. I'll visit your chambers at night—just as you always used to with me."
"..."
So I had no choice but to dangle a sweet bait: a bright future.
"You smother suspicion with reward."
Especially with Batory, who was soft where I was concerned.
Though she remained silent, at the mention of a private meeting with me, her eyes betrayed a flicker of expectation.
"…Fine. We'll deal with the immediate issue first. I shall gladly lend aid. Caring for the plight of my vassals is my duty, after all."
As expected, she set aside her doubts and took the bait.
"…Trash."
Of course, that earned me a contemptuous jab from my sister.
"Phantasmal Constructs will keep pouring out endlessly, so I'll ask that you continue dealing with them. With the paladin's protection, Lady Batory's mana, and Rene's blessing, that should be sufficient."
"And what will you be doing?"
"Well, chaotic melees aren't exactly my specialty."
With a dagger in hand, I strode confidently toward the entrance of the police station.
"In the end, we need to cut down the one who created this world to resolve this. I'll handle that side."
"Chief Lilith, here are today's reports."
The woman addressed as "chief" stroked her curved horns and snatched the documents.
"You lost them?"
"My apologies. He really is the kind of criminal who could swindle the entire country."
"I don't recall asking for excuses."
Bang!
Her slender fist slammed onto the desk.
The piles of reports scattered to the floor.
"I heard from my subordinates. The inspector botched it because he didn't immediately order fire?"
"…That's correct."
"Next time, show no mercy. There's no need for compassion with major criminals."
"Yes, ma'am!"
She dismissed the inspector with a mere wave.
"…Really. Even my own kin never treated me like this."
Even though she was Queen of Succubi,
she had only ever issued orders, never received respect.
"Well, maybe it's only natural."
The True Dragon waged conquest for Revine's expansion.
Diamond busied himself with halting them and guarding the gargoyles.
Vlad's throne was empty, so he was irrelevant.
And in that situation, what was the Queen doing?
She had long since bowed to the True Dragon, becoming nothing more than his puppet.
A king's ability was indeed the power to move succubi.
But that didn't equate to authority.
"We were never suited for war…"
"What is our Queen even doing?"
"How many more kin must die?"
Of course she knew those resentful whispers spread among her people.
Yet she remained convinced.
"My choice was the right one."
The Queen had seen it.
The horror the head of Revine displayed when he dragged her out of hiding.
"Queen, do not avert your eyes from the fate of those who opposed me. And understand—resistance is meaningless."
She still saw it vividly.
Near her former dwelling,
a vampire castle—relatively friendly—was reduced to rubble by him alone.
The many races who made it their home were cut down like fallen leaves by a single great sword.
Blood and corpses strewn across the ground bore witness to that slaughter.
"Even the vampire armies were no match for me. What could weaklings like you possibly do?"
With just a word from him—
No, simply by moving from his seat—
her powerless race would meet an even more wretched end.
Perhaps even extinction.
"…I swear loyalty."
"A wise choice."
He merely nodded, leaving behind his massacre.
And then, another Revine elder replaced him.
A stooped old Revine looked her over once and clicked his tongue.
"So this is the Succubus Queen… Hmph. Be grateful for Lord True Dragon's mercy. Only because of him do worthless races like yours even get a chance."
"…What do you intend to make me do?"
"Though your race is weak, you still have some use."
Subjects could never disobey their king's orders.
The old man exploited that trait thoroughly.
Forced labor? That was the least of it.
Their beauty was another weapon.
Succubi were consumed as spies and assassins.
"Lord True Dragon has given you an order."
"What sort of…?"
"Go down to the human world. Extract their information. With your looks, you'll be able to seduce even humans. And as a race's queen, you should have the strength to resist somewhat."
And so, in the end—
even she, the Queen, was consumed as just another resource.
She couldn't object.
Fear had already been etched deep into her heart.
"…I will do my best."
"Your obedience is at least pleasing. Now go. Find your own way to infiltrate the human world. But if you botch this job… I'll let you imagine what comes next."
Cutting her horns and offering them up.
Deceiving humans to cross borders.
Flitting through taverns to feed rumors to Eveldun…
"Freeze!"
"Those horns…! A demon!"
"The Central Thieves' Guild Branch Leader was right. You're young, but skilled."
"Seize her at once! His Holiness will decide her fate!"
And then she was captured by human knights.
"…But it was a blessing he found me."
Because of that, she was freed from prison, able to create her own Unique Barrier.
"If I just kill him now, slip away in the chaos, and escape…"
But then came the question—what would she do?
The Queen's lips trembled.
She was a queen who sold out her kin.
Nothing more, nothing less.
And it had been a long time since she had delivered useful intel to that vicious Revine.
'If I return to Eveldun like this… could I even survive?'
Shame as a monarch.
Fear for her life.
All of it tangled into a bitter sigh.
"Heh… To think I was born as the queen of such a race…"
"Chief! Are you inside?"
"Ah, come in."
A salute, angles perfect.
"We've found their location!"
"Oh? That's good news. Mobilize the entire force—no, everyone we have!"
Even after wandering all across the human empire,
she still couldn't quite adapt to this world.
A world where everyone was equal?
How absurd.
Eveldun ranked all by sheer strength.
The human empire stratified all by bloodline.
'My Unique Barrier is based on memories… but this isn't Eveldun. Where in the world did that man come from?'
She tilted her head at the thought, but quickly erased it.
What did it matter where he was from?
He'd vanish here soon enough.
"Fraud is the root of all evil, disturbing the people's livelihood. It must be eradicated."
"Will you move personally, Chief?"
Even with her Unique Barrier, her combat power was the same.
Even with her Mystic Eyes, who knew if they'd work against vampire nobles or other kings?
So of course she wouldn't throw herself in danger.
"No. I'm tired of dealing with big shots. You know how they meddle in our precinct. And look at this paperwork."
She pointed to the mountains of documents piled on her desk.
The inspector's gaze softened in sympathy.
"Ah… understood. I'll command the operation and make sure we capture them."
"I leave it to you."
She issued her orders to the Phantasmal Constructs, then reached for her paperwork again—
BOOM!
A deafening crash shook her office.
"W-what?!"
"Chief! You must flee at once!"
Her subordinates swarmed in.
No salutes this time—just surrounding her.
Knowing Phantasmal Constructs instinctively protected their master, the Queen barked:
"Report first!"
"The swindler we were monitoring seems to have finally chosen to harm people's lives! He's leading a force to attack the police station!"
"…That bastard?"
Crash!
The office door, through which her subordinates had just rushed, was blown off.
"It's been a while. You were hiding so tightly I wondered where you'd gone. But just as I suspected—you're here. I'm glad. Thanks to that, our reunion is now possible."
Though polite, his tone carried an unshakable flippancy.
It was an irritating cadence that made the Queen's brow twitch.
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