A succubus.
A monster that seduces men using her voluptuous and lascivious body to obtain their essence, which she consumes as life force.
In order to acquire this essence, she must engage in sexual intercourse.
Typically, she seduces human men and has relations with them.
But there was one problem.
Back when the Demon King was still around and the Demon King’s army moved strategically, even lower-ranking monsters were treated decently.
But with the death of the Demon King, that all came to an end.
The Four Heavenly Kings are still leading their respective armies and fighting humanity, but monsters like succubus—who are considered low-level—are now completely ignored.
As a result, succubus found it much harder to take human men.
Moreover, given the times, with adventurers on the rise who hunted monsters, the only creatures succubus could effectively target were goblins or orcs.
But that wasn’t enough to even make a dent.
Particularly for Nora, the succubus who tried to seduce Lily, the situation was dire.
Even before the Demon King died, she had fallen behind and ended up isolated within the Empire, which was utterly disheartening.
She wasn’t as fragile as Lily, either.
In fact, she had the kind of body that would easily attract men.
But with the death of the Demon King, even human men became more sensitive about monsters, making it hard to approach them.
And all she had left at her disposal was the clueless, dumb-looking Lily.
Lily was originally a human girl Nora had contacted years ago with the thought of turning her into an ally.
But who could have known all that effort would lead to nothing?
She didn’t even seem like she’d grow much physically.
“Ugh…”
Nora was a monster.
A lust-driven monster.
And if someone makes a contract with her to gain the power to control people, shouldn’t they at least pay the price for that?
No, it wasn’t that she expected much from this dumb girl.
All she wanted was for her to at least seduce a man and bring him to her.
But even that she couldn’t do.
Instead, all Nora got was listening to this idiot’s complaints.
‘Spoiled brat.’
Why did she have to endure this kind of treatment?
Was it her own foolishness? Was she just as dumb for thinking she could use this moron?
Nothing else mattered.
The girl in front of her could live perfectly well without doing any of this nonsense.
But not Nora.
If she didn’t consume essence through intercourse, she could literally die.
Unlike this spoiled girl, Nora was in a life-or-death situation.
She was so desperate she almost wanted to beg random humans on the street to spend the night with her.
She even considered proclaiming, “This succubus is offering free services!” and promoting herself in front of a brothel.
But she decided to trust Lily.
She couldn’t help but feel angry.
The veins on her temples pulsed as Nora, for the first time in her life, used her strength like other monsters to lift the dumb girl by her neck.
“You’re mistaken about something, Lily.”
“Ugh! What?”
Still holding Lily in the air, the succubus spoke coldly.
“Even if I am a succubus—scorned even among monsters—it’s not hard to kill a big-mouthed brat like you.”
Even if her body was weakened.
Even if she hadn’t drained a single drop of male essence.
She could still rip this idiot’s throat out.
“Ugh. So, are you saying you’ll kill me?”
She really wanted to.
But right now, she didn’t have much choice.
Her strength had dwindled, and there were no nearby orcs or goblins.
She was on the verge of attacking even a pig.
So, killing Lily wasn’t really an option.
She could only scare her.
“Think carefully, Lily. You’re not in a position to act so smug with me. What have you been doing until now? If you can’t seduce a man, at least enchant him and bring him to me!”
Nora threw Lily to the ground.
“B-but, my sister…”
“You idiot. Did your sister stop you from seducing men? If you don’t think you can gather essence and become my ally, just hypnotize them and bring them here! How hard is that? Is there nothing in your head?”
She should’ve used a cleverer girl.
Or risked her life and attacked an adventurer.
“But…”
“If you keep messing up like this, I’ll tell your sister, and there’ll be no more contract.”
“How could you threaten me like that?”
A threat? A threat?
Wasn’t it strange to expect mercy from a monster?
Actually, the fact that she had shown this much leniency so far was more than enough mercy.
Especially given her dire situation, where she was growing weaker by the day.
“You idiot. I’m the one who should feel betrayed! I’ve been waiting for you to bring a man, and now my neck’s about to snap from frustration! While I’m suffering from unmet desires, this brainless girl is babbling about her sister. Ugh! Why don’t you just become the Demon King yourself?”
“But my sister keeps ruining everything! I can’t bring the ones I manage to seduce.”
Excuses.
The curses were on the tip of her tongue, but she held them back, fearing the guards might hear.
“Do you think I don’t know you? You were just trying to play queen bee, ignoring my words until you got caught, weren’t you?”
“Ugh.”
Gotcha.
That must have hit a nerve.
“Anyway, this is your last warning. I’ve made myself clear. If you do this again, I swear I’ll put everything on the line, march into the Imperial Capital, and expose you for what you are!”
“Okay! Okay, I got it!”
If Lily didn’t bring a man the next time, Nora was prepared to take drastic measures.
Even if it meant being beaten by the church’s whore-like nuns or getting struck by a paladin’s mace.
She’d scream the truth at the top of her lungs.
***
An unwelcome visitor appeared again.
This time it was only one person—the same one who had come as a representative last time.
But this time, the news was rather shocking.
The church had made quite the bold move.
No, it might be more accurate to say it was a grand decision.
For a moment, Nora doubted her ears, wondering if she’d heard wrong.
“Is it true? They’re really going to accept all seven of them?”
The priest, Raffel, his cheek red as if he’d been slapped around somewhere, cautiously answered while touching his cheek.
“Yes. But we ask that she, at the very least, maintains the basic dignity of a saintess. Like wearing the cross pendant of a female follower.”
“That much, I can agree to.”
“That much isn’t difficult.“
After all, I already planned on visiting the church from time to time anyway.
“However, not collecting taxes from the commoners is a bit difficult at the moment. There was a war, and with the costs of war and the need to replenish the national treasury, we had no choice. Now that the Demon King has been captured and the Four Heavenly Kings have been weakened by the Hero’s forces, how about gradually reducing the taxes?”
“Alright.”
Why was I even trying to collect so much money when I had already sold everything unnecessary and wasn’t short on funds?
Was it because I wanted to live like a noble lady and indulge in luxury?
If that were the case, I wouldn’t have sold off my dresses in the first place.
If I received a million Reno from the church on the condition that I became a saintess, I had already planned to distribute it among the commoners.
Back then, the students from the theology department, who were disgruntled after seeing their professor humiliated, were happy.
Even the commoners who had reluctantly entered the theology department in search of a stable job were pleased.
It was a testament to how corrupt the church had become.
If left unattended, could there be a rebellion against the church?
If that spread across the entire Empire, it would be dangerous.
It would be better to preemptively distribute money to appease the commoners.
“And about the saintess’ attire… I believe you said you had made a request?”
Since the saintess was technically affiliated with the church, a nun’s habit was recommended.
Of course, I had my own ideas.
“Was she trying to look good for the Hero by dressing that way?”
The Kingdom’s nun habit was loose-fitting and only appropriate for prayer, but not very practical for battle.
Saintess Syria, though a saintess in name, might have had the intent of seducing the Hero, as her attire was rather tight with a high slit on the side.
Honestly, if I were a female adventurer, I’d think that outfit would be much better, as it seemed more mobile and practical.
Although, her intention was aimed at a different kind of mobility.
Come to think of it, what did the Empire’s nuns look like when I briefly saw them last time?
“Excuse me?”
“Can you show me the standard nun’s habit?”
Suddenly curious, I politely asked Raffel, the red-cheeked male priest.
“Oh, yes. Unlike the habits in the Holy Country or the Kingdom, ours are a bit more open and…”
Like a madman presenting a brochure, he began pulling out outfits.
Did he think I’d walked into a clothing store?
“Just show me.”
“Understood.”
Raffel, as if he had been waiting for this moment, pulled out a nun’s habit from an envelope.
“Wow, you’re well-prepared.”
“Hahaha. The nuns tend to care a lot about their clothing, so we keep samples in various sizes. We also show them to the skilled commoners who visit the church. Occasionally, noblewomen take an interest in nun habits for…recreational purposes, so we have these ready for that too.”
Does that mean they’re popular?
“Is being a nun a popular career?”
“Yes. It’s like being a civil servant. Even the commoners who criticize the church make an effort. Many of them are students from Atlerina who couldn’t get into the official bureaucracy and aim for a position in the church.”
Ah, that makes sense.
If someone graduates from Atlerina and doesn’t land a government job, they’d have to settle for something.
In that case, the church would seem like an obvious choice.
“Are there more women than men?”
“Well, men with talent have the option of becoming successful adventurers at worst, but women face more challenges.”
I suppose so.
There are still some female adventurers, but the percentage is low.
“Why are there two types?”
“As the number of young nuns has increased, preferences for the habits have diversified.”
“Oh, um. But this…”
This one wasn’t quite at the level of that obscene saintess’ attire, but this nun’s habit, favored by young women, had a slit on the side and was rather open in design.
It seemed more practical for battle, though.
At least for combat purposes, it was quite suitable.
Wearing armor wasn’t really my style, and thanks to those annoying Heroes, my fighting style had changed from casting spells at a distance to something more hybrid, using a bow or sword at times to fight enemies up close.
So, wearing a wizard’s robe was uncomfortable.
And as if it wasn’t bad enough being in a woman’s body, fighting in those restrictive robes made it all the more difficult.
But hey, I am a saintess now.
Might as well wear something unique, right?
No, wait, why am I even thinking about this?
Damn it.
I’m not seriously planning to become a “combat saintess” or anything.
I’m a mage, for crying out loud.
“For now, I don’t need a nun’s habit urgently.”
“Understood. But the church will require it at some point, so we’ll at least make one with a special insignia. Should we tailor it like a school uniform?”
“Yeah, that works. So, is that everything?”
“Oh, and it would be good if you could formally attend the saintess’ appointment ceremony this weekend.”
They even have a saintess’ appointment ceremony.
In the Kingdom, I had met the saintess directly, so I didn’t even know such a ceremony existed.
“Fine. I’ll meet with the High Priest then.”
“Hmmm. Still…”
He sure talks a lot.
Forget the whole “arrogant genius” persona.
Even back in Noah’s time, I wasn’t someone known for my sunny disposition.
So, let’s just be direct.
“Come on, we both know what this is. I’m not some devout woman, nor do I particularly want to be in the church. From the High Priest’s perspective, just being able to say, ‘The Empire has its own saintess!’ should be good enough, right?”
Why act all formal? If I become the saintess, we’ll all be on the same side anyway.
So, let’s just cut the nonsense and be honest.