After finishing my bath and returning to the room, Claire was cleaning.
I told Claire about what had happened in the bath.
“Did that really happen?”
“She might as well be a succubus. We really need to know the environment she grew up in.”
It’s highly likely she got affected by something from the area she lived in as a child.
“Then, are you saying she looks like a succubus?”
“Honestly, she feels more like that.”
There’s only so much drugs can do.
As the second daughter of a duke’s house, there are ways to obtain that kind of power, but would that fool really think that far ahead?
Besides, I’ve encountered succubus several times.
I can at least tell that much.
“Hmm. In that case, what about holy power?”
“From the beginning, monsters that aren’t contracted with demons don’t change people’s nature. Only when someone contracts with a demon and becomes the same demon can they truly become evil.”
A contract with a monster is just about borrowing power.
“You seem well-informed.”
“Wouldn’t it be strange if an assassination guild didn’t know this much?”
While I know this much information, what is the assassination guild even doing?
“We specialize in investigating the personal details of our assassination targets, so we’re only good at looking into people. My apologies, Lady.”
“But in any case, it’s not too late yet.”
Whether because she’s clueless or not, Lily hasn’t even been actively seducing men despite making a contract with a succubus.
“But the imperial capital’s barrier is only effective against succubus, right?”
“Exactly because it’s only a succubus. The imperial capital’s barrier only activates for high-level monsters and demons. For everything else, the imperial guards handle their entry.”
Compared to the Empire, the kingdom is much smaller.
Naturally, the capital is smaller compared to the Empire’s and its defense is inadequate.
There was even an instance when the capital almost fell due to a surprise attack by the Demon King’s army.
Even though the Empire is a large nation, I once inquired about its capital’s defense system with the military just in case.
That’s how I learned about the great monster barrier.
Before that, they only had small barriers to guard against monster invasions.
So, I created a new barrier spell that would react only to powerful monsters, strong enough to belong to the Demon King’s army.
In truth, I did it to show off my magical abilities.
The response was terrible.
[So, what do you think? This is the work of the great magician Noah.]
[As expected, you are the world’s foremost magic scholar. To create such a spell!]
[Would you consider becoming the head of the Imperial court magicians?]
[Damn it.]
Of course, there was a flaw in my spell.
The barrier doesn’t respond to low-level monsters.
However, the imperial capital still has a system where intruders without proper identification are detected and the guards are alerted.
Relying solely on the barrier would turn the soldiers into useless lumps, so I left the flaw for training purposes.
“Then?”
“If she really is a succubus, she must have entered already contracted and made sure she could meet people within the capital.”
She must have already secured an escape route or a meeting place.
“If what you’re saying is true, how do we resolve this?”
“We need to find and deal with that succubus before it’s too late.”
A succubus is weak in terms of combat ability.
While they can make a man die of overindulgence, physically speaking, an average man could at least put up a fight.
The succubus’s aim could be to turn Lily into one of their own, or perhaps they plan to use Lily to ensnare men.
Considering they targeted the imperial capital, there might be a high-ranking officer of the Demon King’s army involved.
Even if that’s not the case, if the succubus is moderate and reasonable, we might even be able to talk it out.
Maybe if we threaten her, she’ll just give up.
***
“Any delay means…”
“Lily could awaken as a succubus.”
I smiled bitterly, my expression tinged with helplessness.
‘That’s not going to happen.’
Claire, however, widened her eyes in surprise, as if she had misunderstood my words.
“Oh. Are you still thinking of your sister?”
‘Huh? What kind of nonsense is that? Me? Thinking of that foolish girl? Me?’
It’s ridiculous.
If I ever started worrying about that idiot, it would be the day she breaks up with the Crown Prince.
I just hope they don’t break up and continue living happily ever after.
Even that hope is tied to my own well-being.
The moment the Crown Prince lets her go, the Imperial family would likely push for me to become his fiancée again through their connection with my house.
I’d rather die than let that happen.
In the end, the problem with her becoming a succubus is that the engagement would be annulled.
On top of that, it would be tragic if she actually turned into one.
“Honestly, with her looks, becoming a succubus would be too pitiful. She’s a virgin, and if she turns into a succubus, she’d have to drain men’s essence. Could she even manage that with her body? If I were the target, I’d rather go to a brothel.”
It would be a fatal blow to the Ashtar family.
“Don’t make that face. I’m also thinking of the family. The second daughter of a duke who seduced the Crown Prince and made a contract with a succubus, only to become one herself? The Ashtar family would be so ashamed they’d have to take their lands and secede.”
“And even if she becomes a succubus and can’t handle a single man, she’ll be useless both as a human and as a succubus.”
“Right now, at least, her body is still useful enough for the hero’s party to somehow hold their own against one of the Demon King’s four heavenly kings.”
“That makes sense. In that case, we don’t have much time.”
“Even if we take it slow, it’s fine. If we rush, we might miss the succubus entirely.”
“But didn’t you say there’s a chance she could turn into one? That time might run out.”
“That was assuming I was living an easy life.”
The succubus transformation won’t happen quickly.
Honestly, I’m not even sure if it’s possible.
For someone to awaken as a succubus after contracting with one, there are certain conditions.
“The condition to become a succubus is sexual intercourse. She’d have to do it with at least a few dozen men. But right now, Lily is obsessed with the Crown Prince. Even if she wanted to become a succubus, no one would be interested in her with that body. Not even some beggar on the street.”
A demon, unlike a succubus, can turn humans into demons at will.
“There’s some logic to it, but still, when it comes to your sister…”
‘Hmm, I can’t help it. Could this be the lingering influence of Olivia, the first one who died?’
‘She really irritates me more than usual.’
“Why don’t you take care of it yourself, Lady?”
“What? Are you saying you don’t want to follow my orders?”
“No, it’s just that you could handle it all at once if you took action.”
Hmm, it’s not impossible.
As I mentioned earlier, it could ruin the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Ashtar family, though.
“It’s not like I can’t do it, but you know the situation I’m in at the academy. Up until now, I’ve dealt with the nobles pretty well, but Lily is not just a sister or someone from the Ashtar family.”
She’s still the Crown Prince’s fiancée.
Touching the Crown Prince’s fiancée? There’s no way the already angry Crown Prince would let that slide.
“There is a way, though.”
“And what is it?”
There’s a legitimate way to deal with Lily? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?
“If you become a saintess, wouldn’t that be enough?”
“Wait, are you serious?”
‘If I become a saintess, I’ll be stuck in the church healing people all day! At worst, I could be dragged into the hero’s party.’
“The Empire is currently questioning the kingdom’s hero party.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The Empire’s Central Intelligence Bureau mentioned how the hero’s party keeps losing to the Demon King’s army. They also pointed out that it’s not just the hero, but even the saintess supporting him who is insufficient.”
Claire showed me the front page of the Imperial newspaper.
The headline talked about how the hero had been losing battle after battle.
If you let your tail grow too long, it’ll get caught eventually. It’s only now, after things have gotten this bad, that they’ve been exposed.
Wait, does this mean the Empire is…
A terrible scenario suddenly popped into my head.
“Could it be that the Empire is…”
“Yes. They are trying to artificially create their own hero’s party.”
That’s not a bad idea.
Honestly, it feels like the church rigged the whole process of selecting a hero.
If the goddess really chose him, there’s no way someone like Eugene would have become the hero.
The Empire questioning the hero and trying to create their own hero’s party makes sense.
They’ve had a subtle inferiority complex towards the kingdom all this time.
This time, the hero is useless, so the Empire has decided to take matters into their own hands.
It’s a good idea, but the problem is, it’s too late.
“But isn’t that just copying?”
“Of course, the hero’s party belongs to the kingdom. The Empire is merely selecting new elites on the level of a hero’s party.”
Honestly, I don’t think it’s impossible.
Just look at how things fall apart whenever I’m not around. It’s exactly like that.
“Who are they basing it on?”
“Do you know of the Seven Stars of the Empire?”
“Of course.”
They are also known as the Seven Pillars of the Empire.
I’ve met them a few times.
They’re essentially a separate rank from the imperial military, a group of seven elite individuals who only serve to protect the imperial family and follow their orders.
I’ve even carried out operations with them.
It was during the eastern front against the Demon King’s army.
The Demon King’s forces, numbering in the tens of thousands, attacked during a gap in our defenses.
At that time, the imperial military requested the emperor to send the Seven Stars, and the hero’s party, which was staying in the capital, joined them.
The result, of course, was victory, and we managed to hold the front.
But the problem was that the Seven Stars, who usually only guarded the capital, were incredibly powerful.
Some of them excelled with swords.
Others were masters of magic.
Some were even great with shields.
They were those kinds of people.
At first, I thought they would be weak because they had no war experience, but I came to realize that they were quite strong.
In fact, they should be called Sword Saints or Grand Magicians, but they don’t receive such titles because they serve as the Seven Stars.
They seemed quite content just protecting the emperor.
And, during that time, I became friends with them while dragging around the hopeless hero’s party.
If they were to form something similar to a hero’s party centered around those Seven Stars, it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
“I think they’re planning to form a frontline against the Demon King centered around them.”
“Isn’t it a bit late for that? There are rumors that the Demon King and Noah have both died.”
The Four Heavenly Kings are already acting independently, which is proof that the Demon King’s control has weakened.
In other words, even without any proof, the disappearance of Noah and the division among the Four Heavenly Kings, who were once under the Demon King’s command, is enough for even an idiot to guess that the Demon King is dead.
“Even though the situation is like this, isn’t the kingdom still incompetent? That’s why they’re selecting a saintess now. The Four Heavenly Kings are dangerous threats, even now. Until now, the Demon King’s command allowed the kingdom and the Empire to predict their attacks and strategies, but now, they have no idea what to expect.”
“Okay, I’ll admit that makes sense.”
“But wouldn’t it be problematic if I become a saintess just to catch a succubus?”
“Spending my whole life as a saintess? I’d feel so sorry for myself. More importantly, I have dreams of becoming a great magician. In fact, I aspire to go beyond that and become a grand sage.”
“And now you’re telling me to be a saintess? That’s the most ridiculous title I could imagine.”
“The Imperial Church would want you. They’d likely cater to your needs as much as possible.”
“Hmm.”
That makes sense.
I have the Ashtar family behind me, and the church is in a hurry.
“The important thing is for you to hold the title of ‘saintess.’ They won’t expect much beyond that, especially considering your background as a member of the Ashtar family.”
‘Oh, so they want me to be a “noble saintess,” huh?’
That’s not bad.
“It’s not a bad idea.”
“The church won’t sit idly by either. Let’s negotiate at a reasonable level.”
To think I’d end up in the same position as that woman. Honestly, this is the worst.
But at least I’ve gained some experience traveling with the hero.
That theology professor I saw back then treated me as if I were some kind of savior and bolted out of the academy.
Which means, they probably went straight to the church.
There must have been some conversation that took place there.
Then again, it’s too early to be certain.
“Do you think they’ll really come after me? If they know what my family is like, they’d back off, wouldn’t they?”
I am a noble lady of the Ashtar family.
Besides, from the church’s perspective, I’m a potential heretic.
“Lady, you’re underestimating the church.”
“Huh?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
And it wasn’t long before I understood what those words meant.
Even my father seemed to change his mind after seeing me recently.
Skipping theology class might not be such a bad idea.
Uninvited guests always arrive with unexpected timing.
“We’re from the church! We’d like to see Lady Olivia!”
***
“Damn it.”
“Screw you.”
“What kind of nonsense are you planning now?”