“Be seated, little one, and join me for a spot of tea,” the woman smiled at me, her appearance reminiscent of a succubus. It was clear she was the Goddess of the Succubus.
Still, I needed to confirm if she truly resided within the skill. “Are you the Succubus Goddess?”
The woman chuckled. “Aye, that title hath been mine for far too long, though it feels strange to be addressed as such now. But indeed, I am she. No need to be so formal, little one. Thou canst simply call me Lilith.”
“Lilith.”
The name sparked a memory. Lilith was rumored to be the Church’s nemesis, the demon empress herself. So she was also the Goddess of the Succubus, eh?
“Finally, thou hast arrived. I’ve waited eighteen years for thee to come hither, thou knowest? I cannot believe it hath taken thee eighteen years to conquer three women,” she said with a resigned sigh. “I understand thou taketh thy time, fearing to make a misstep, but ’tis rather frustrating. I have longed to converse with thee for a great while.”
“I see…” I replied. “If you’ve been inside me for 18 years, does that mean you know my past life?”
“Hmm? Oh, indeed I do. I am the one who hath reincarnated thee, after all.”
I had already figured as much. My skill was awakened even before I arrived in this world. That meant this woman was likely the one who bestowed upon me the skill, and the likelihood of her being the one to reincarnate me here was high too. This confirmed my suspicions.
“What do you wish to converse about?” I inquired.
“Come hither first. Partake of tea with me.”
I obeyed her command, seating myself at one of the chairs arranged around the table. Suddenly, a teacup filled with tea materialized before me, conjured with a snap of her fingers.
I took the cup and brought it to my lips. The tea… was exquisite. Whether it was real or illusory, I couldn’t discern, but it was undeniably delicious.
“What exactly is this place?”
“‘Tis the spiritual realm of thee, little one,” she replied. “Here lies the depths of thy consciousness. And here do I dwell as well.”
She took a sip of her tea, then regarded me with a mischievous glint in her eye. She seemed like the final boss of some fantasy world, or perhaps the harbinger of apocalypse. Yet, not quite as dire. If I were to place her in a fantasy story, she’d be like the final boss of an eroge game.
“Well, now, since time is short, I shall impart upon thee some wisdom,” she spoke.
“What is it?” I straightened up involuntarily, sensing seriousness in her tone.
“It’s nothing too grave, rather more of an advice,” she explained. “Little one, I require a favor from thee.”
She smiled at me, a proud motherly expression crossing her face.
“Just as thou hast saved those women, save me as well, alright?”
With that, I felt my consciousness return.
***
I awoke to the sight of the sun rising on the horizon. Two women were using my arms as pillows, sound asleep. I couldn’t blame them. After the night we had, it was no surprise they were out cold.
Normally, I’d wait for them to wake and suggest a morning session, but strangely, my libido wasn’t cooperating. My member showed no sign of life. I just wasn’t in the mood. Perhaps it was because that voice was still echoing in my head.
What was that all about? Why did Lilith tell me that? I had no clue, but it felt like something significant was on the horizon. I didn’t know where the feeling came from, but my gut instincts had never steered me wrong before. How was I supposed to save Lilith? What could I even do to rescue her? She didn’t provide any specifics, just a plea for salvation. Maybe if I dominated another group of women, I could commune with her again and gain more insight. Yet, I couldn’t rush into dominating women just to satisfy my curiosity. Like any relationship, it needed to be built on a solid foundation. Blindly dominating women for the sake of conversing with Lilith would be despicable. That wasn’t the kind of person I wanted to be.
I needed to investigate this matter further, but in a different manner.
That afternoon, news reached me. The nobles’ dirty laundry was now on full display, with Duke Sierra himself in the headline. It was a massive scandal. This meant that Gabrielle had finally taken down the nobles. The revolution would soon begin.
***
James’s POV
News spread rapidly about the downfall of Duke Sierra’s family, shaking the entire kingdom to its core. People voiced their dissatisfaction and disappointment, protesting for the Duchy to be stripped of its position. Crowds gathered outside the Duke’s estate, shouting and brandishing torches. Despite the dark night, the multitude of torches illuminated the scene, revealing countless angry faces. From my vantage point, I could see the mass of people below, all chanting “traitor.”
Duke Sierra had been exposed as a human trafficker and rapist. For years, he had deceived his subjects, kidnapping women from his own Duchy, assaulting them, and selling them into prostitution.
The news about him was so vile, you couldn’t even see him as human anymore. He was nothing but trash, garbage that needed to be thrown aside. It was astonishing that his knights still protected his estate and himself, pushing back the enraged civilians from attempting to breach the gates. Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if these knights were also involved in the rape and kidnapping of the daughters. The Duke couldn’t have done it alone, after all.
They were outnumbered, and it was only a matter of time before the citizens breached the gates.
“How long have you been deceiving us, Duke?! You’ve been lying to all of us this whole time, promising to find my daughter! But it’s been you this whole time who kidnapped her?! How dare you do that to my daughter?!”
“That lying, evil, sniveling piece of shit doesn’t deserve to be called the Duke. He raped our daughters and sold them into prostitution! Someone as trashy as him doesn’t deserve any title!”
“Traitor!”
“Traitor!”
The citizens were seething with rage, a natural response given the circumstances. I couldn’t blame them; I’d be just as furious if it happened to me.
As I observed the tumultuous scene below, I pondered the cause. If I had to guess, it could possibly be linked to Mephisto. I didn’t have any concrete evidence, just my gut feeling to rely on. But confirmation might come soon enough, possibly from someone. And that someone arrived after a while.
“You seem rather melancholy, James,” someone said from behind me.
Instead of turning to face the person, I kept my gaze fixed below.
“It’s only natural to feel melancholy when witnessing something like this, great aunt,” I replied, addressing her as such. “Anyway, do you think Mephisto has anything to do with this?”
“Mephisto’s not the only one pulling strings, James,” my great aunt remarked. “That man has many hands, just as many as yours. While Mephisto may have played a role in this, it wasn’t his sole doing. Someone from within orchestrated this. Someone very cunning.”
“Gabrielle, huh?” I muttered to myself. “That woman is truly troublesome. I’d love to take action against her, but with Mephisto protecting her, I’m limited in what I can do. I’m not eager to meet my end just yet.”
“Well, that’s a prudent choice. Despite my keen insight, I’ve never been able to fully grasp his true capabilities. It’s like staring into the abyss. I must admit, he’s quite resilient. If I’m not careful, I might find myself among those women fawning over him like he’s a celebrity.”
“You be careful around him, great aunt,” I warned. “That man has the ability to ensnare women.”
“I know,” she replied. “That’s why I’m wearing a skill negation on my person, so he can’t use whatever his skill is on me.”
Great aunt and I still hadn’t uncovered his true skill, but if we had to guess, it involved ensnaring women.
“Now then, James,” said great aunt. “How long do you plan on continuing all of this? It’s been years since you started. Isn’t it time for you to return home? To our world?”
“I still intend to build an empire in this world, great aunt,” I explained. “After investing almost a century into this, I can’t just quit. I’m not ready to go back yet.”
“We’re not immortal, James,” she said solemnly. “Despite our skills making us seem immortal, we’re not. We’re just postponing our deaths. We can’t die in a conventional manner, but we’re still susceptible to death in other ways.”
“I’m aware of that,” I replied.
“Then why won’t you return to our world, Jamie?” she pressed.
“Don’t call me that, great aunt,” I retorted, finally turning to face the diminutive woman who had been speaking to me. “I inhabit the body of a young boy now, so being called Jamie feels a bit odd. As for your insistence on my return, I won’t go back until a future alongside him is secured.”
“Just how long are you still going to keep averting your eyes from the truth, Jamie?” she persisted, using that name again. “How long will you hold on to that future? Tsubasa is already dead. Just accept reality.”
“The only reality I accept is the one with him,” I declared. “By conquering this world and unraveling its mysteries, I can have a future with him again.”
With resolve, I turned away and gazed down at the crowd. Enveloping myself in darkness, I emerged transformed. My body felt different, taller and burdened with a weight around my chest. This was my true form. From this vantage point, I surveyed the people.
“Even if I have to eliminate everything and everyone in my path to secure a future with him, so be it.”
