Chapter 43: Revenge Part 4 (2/2) 

***

Long ago, I carved a monster reaction marker onto it, connecting it through a spell to the Adventurers’ Guild.

This means that the adventurers likely know about it by now.

They should be on their way.

Eugene used to look at me incredulously.

“Why bother making something like that?”

“Who knows? Maybe the Demon King’s army will take the bait.”

“If we catch it, we can curry favor directly with the Empire, right?”

“Yeah, well, I’ve been the one catching them up until now, haven’t I?”

That guy, a useless bastard to the end, never helped much.

Still, he could take a hit when needed.

The problem was that only one out of ten battles went in our favor.

Every time I pushed him hard, he’d complain and then find comfort in the arms of the priestess and the saintess.

That’s why I installed things like this, so the vigilantes and adventurers would be prepared.

Back then, the Demon King was still alive, and his influence was massive.

We set it up, thinking he might invade.

In fact, after the Demon King’s death, it was the Four Heavenly Kings who became the problem.

The fortress was dilapidated, and monsters appeared frequently enough to warrant the marker.

Who would’ve guessed it would paint such a grand picture?

It’d be nice if they showed up at the perfect time.

By now, they should have been informed.

***

Bang!

Oh, is the door finally opening?

“I wonder what’s happened in there.”

“Who would come out? Lily? Or Lily’s mother?”

Either way, a child killed her parent, or a parent killed her child.

From within the slowly sinking fortress, a single succubus crawled out.

Her mouth and body were smeared with blood.

She’d become a more complete succubus than before.

Perhaps it was because, in killing her mother, she severed all connections to her humanity.

“Please… Please, spare me!”

Her face was now fully that of a succubus.

The unique aura of a monster radiated from her.

“Did you kill your mother?”

“Of course I did! She ruined my life, after all!”

Now, she’s justifying herself.

Not bad. She has to be this shameless to be fittingly “Lily.”

“A true monster, I see.”

“You’ll spare me, right? Right? Demon King?”

She actually called me Demon King. This lunatic.

‘Did she really take that seriously?’

‘Is she insane? I set this up hoping she’d take the bait, but to actually believe I’m the Demon King and call me that? She must think she can secure some kind of position under me.’

As if that would happen.

“I will let you live.”

“Huh?”

I’m someone who keeps promises.

So yes, I’ll spare her.

But I only said I’d let her live—I never promised to protect her.

A grin spread across my face.

If we consider the distance, they should be here any moment.

“This way, right?”

“This aura… it’s definitely a succubus!”

“Shoot an arrow in the direction of the succubus!”

Men’s voices could be heard nearby.

Right on time.

Lily’s ears perked up, her pointed ears twitching, sensing something unusual.

“In this forest, there’s a monster alarm system. It’s right there.”

I pointed at the tree to the left.

“What do you mean…”

“In short, this is the end for you.”

Thud!

An arrow flew by Lily, embedding itself in the ground nearby.

The impatient adventurers seemed to be shooting from all directions.

Well, it’s understandable—they don’t know exactly what kind of monster they’re dealing with.

“What?”

“It’s a succubus! Kill her before she charms the townsfolk!”

The adventurers charged in.

I had already cast a spell that would make it impossible for them to recognize me from afar, so they couldn’t see me.

To any bystander, Lily would appear as nothing more than a lone, delusional succubus, talking to herself.

How pitiful.

“Well then, goodbye. As promised, I didn’t kill you, so don’t hold a grudge.”

“A promise is a promise!”

See, I kept my word.

“Did you honestly think I’d let you live? I kept my promise, didn’t I? I’m not the one killing you, right?”

I didn’t lift a finger.

The brave adventurers from the village have just stepped up to slay the monster.

“What… What did I do wrong? According to you, my only crime is being born to a prostitute!”

“That’s right.”

“It’s my mother who taught me to be like this!”

Now she’s freely calling her mother a prostitute.

“Well, proper upbringing is crucial, so you’re not wrong there.”

“Then why?!”

Lily finally realized she’d been tricked.

By now, the adventurers were right on her tail.

“If you’re bitter, you should’ve been born as Olivia.”

“I hate filth. There’s no need for me to kill you myself.”

I only intervened when it was necessary to see something through.

Thinking back, I did most of the work on our journey to slay the Demon King.

I did it for the sake of Eugene and the others.

But now, things were different.

Honestly, this is more fun.

Why bother with physical torture and killing? That’s boring.

The ultimate revenge is to toy with a person’s mind until they reach a despair they can’t escape.

“After all, giving even a sliver of hope makes the despair that follows even greater, right?”

“Y-you’re a demon…”

‘A succubus calling me a demon?’

Since most of my being is that of Noah, I’d say I’m rather diligent.

“In the end, you killed your own mother with those claws of yours, didn’t you? To survive, you murdered the very woman who gave birth to you. Well done.”

I clapped my hands a few times.

Even so, this is unforgivable.

‘How could she kill the mother who gave her life?’

“Who knows? If they’d shown an attempt to die together, I might have been moved enough to spare them both.”

“This… This…”

“How does it feel? You killed your own mother in hopes of survival, only to realize you’re about to be hunted down by adventurers. How does that feel? I wouldn’t know, seeing as I was resurrected as the Demon King thanks to you and your mother.”

I looked down at her and sneered.

Even a ‘succubus’ can’t hold back any longer.

Her eyes turned blood-red as she extended her fangs and lunged at me with her sharp claws.

“I can’t die like this! I don’t care if you’re my sister or whatever, I’ll drag you down with me! I won’t die alone!”

But what a pity.

“Oh, one more thing. Not only will you fail to kill me, but I also happen to have incredible luck.”

“What are you talking about?”

Thud!

An arrow from nowhere struck the succubus.

“Even when I don’t desperately hope for it, the world tends to help me out.”

With an arrow piercing her chest, the succubus coughed up blood, staggering back a few steps away from me.

“N-no, I… I don’t want to die… not like this.”

“Well then, in your next life, try to be a better person, alright?”

With that, I gave her a cheerful smile and turned around.

Protected by a spell that rendered me invisible to the adventurers, they brushed past me to confront the succubus.

“Kill the succubus!”

The poor succubus, still unsure of how to properly fly, gave a final flutter of her wings, but the adventurers, experienced in dealing with monsters, tore her wings off first.

I briefly heard her scream before it fell silent.

Thud! Thunk! Slash!

Only the sounds of relentless stabbing and striking filled the air.

“Wait, wasn’t she just talking to someone?”

“I didn’t see anyone. Wait, isn’t this… Lily?”

“Her mother’s in that ruined fortress?”

The adventurers recognized Lily and her mother.

In a small town like this, where adventurers were plenty, people knew the pink-haired prostitute and her daughter, Lily.

Most of the adventurers hailed from this village, so they knew the two women well.

I watched as they confirmed Lily’s death.

“They were both succubus, huh.”

It seems even her prostitute mother had become a succubus.

Most likely, Lily unconsciously turned her mother into one as well.

This would certainly lead to more misunderstandings.

“Wow, so they’ve been pretending to be human succubus this whole time? Disgusting.”

The mother and daughter had become a pair of succubus, bringing chaos to the town and shaking the prestigious Ashtar family, the Empire’s greatest noble house.

No one was harmed in this incident.

Only foolish monsters to blame—an idiotic succubus mother and daughter.

It’ll probably make the papers: Lily, caught near the convent and later killed by adventurers in the village of Moran after some altercation with her mother, who also turned out to be a succubus.

In the end, Lily killed her own mother before being slain by adventurers from the Empire.

When the commoners hear of Lily’s fate, they’ll likely be glad, though some might think she would have escaped if it hadn’t been for me stepping in.

From Ashtar’s perspective, it’s not only about burying Lily but also about the shame of having been fooled by succubus, which could even earn them some sympathy.

“After all, I am Olivia.”

It’s only natural to lend Ashtar a hand in such matters.

Once I confirmed that the bodies of the two monsters were being dragged away by the adventurers, I made my way back to Atlerina.