Chapter 13: TBSL

Chapter 13

“Cough!”

Kim Yu-hyun looked greatly shocked by the sudden ambush.

It was unexpected enough that a man known as one of Nudia's famous knights would commit such a disgraceful act, but the attack that pierced through his protective aura caused excruciating pain, as if his body were melting in lava.

“You bastard, just who are you...?”

“Bastard? Ah, are you talking about this shell? No, no. Don't look at the shell—look at what's inside, Kim Yu-hyun.”

“Y-You are... Lilith?”

“Ahaha! That's right. Your queen has returned. More importantly, I gave you so many chances to become mine, yet you rejected every one of them. So I had no choice but to appear like this. Ta-da!”

The one moving his lips and swaying his body was clearly a man.

But the voice coming out belonged to a seductive woman.

“You see, I'm the kind of woman who takes what she wants no matter what. But when there's something I can never have, I prefer to shatter it into pieces. And since I can't have you, I'll destroy you.”

Despite countless advances and confessions, Kim Yu-hyun had remained unmoved like a stone Buddha.

What returned to him was Lilith, Queen of Succubi—a being even more terrifying than a woman nursing a grudge in the dead of winter.

Kim Yu-hyun had created one of his worst enemies with his own hands, and the injuries he received in his later battle against her would prevent him from helping his companions, ultimately leading to his death.

A terrifying powerhouse capable of cornering even Kim Yu-hyun.

There was a reason she was called a high-ranking demon close to godhood—the Succubus Queen, Lilith.

Though she was a villain, she was also a character who could have become a heroine depending on Kim Yu-hyun's answer.

The very woman whose strength and beauty created countless devoted fans.

And now, that very woman was—

“Waaah...”

“Lady Lilith, you're really beautiful.”

He wasn't lying.

Lilith, the Succubus Queen whose true body had been forcibly transferred through the contract of subjugation.

Even though she was a demon, she was beautiful enough to be mistaken for an angel.

A face no being in the world could ever rival.

Black horns adorned her silver hair that flowed like a waterfall.

Her full lips looked as though honey might drip from them at any moment, and her ruby-like eyes shone brilliantly.

And due to the nature of succubi, she wore very little clothing, leaving her dazzling figure fully exposed.

Her pale skin looked softer than silk.

Her long arms and legs, slender waist, alluring chest, and firm hips were enough to stir any man's desires.

“So this is Lilith's true form.”

As expected, a succubus was a succubus.

Thinking that, Shion took a step toward her.

“Hey, damn it! Don't come closer! Stay back!”

“Don't worry. I'm just going to stamp the contract.”

After walking right up to Lilith, Shion gently pressed his index finger against her firm stomach.

“Hyak!”

A small scream escaped her lips, but Shion simply kept his finger there as though it were no big deal.

Srrrk—

A moment later, a purple mark appeared just below her navel.

Confirming it, Shion nodded and stepped back.

“Stamp. Contract complete, dear customer.”

“This can't be happening... Me... me, Lilith, Queen of Succubi, entering a contract of subjugation with a human...”

“That's life for you. Just look at me. Even though I'm mana-deficient, I'm living just fine.”

“You bastard! I'm like this because you're mana-deficient! Take responsibility!”

“And that's exactly why we signed the contract.”

“N-No! I take that back! Cancel it! Cancel it!”

Not a chance.

A contract of subjugation wasn't some childish promise that could be made and broken at will.

There was no way Lilith didn't know that.

She was simply too resentful and frustrated to accept reality.

“You're insane... Do you even know what this contract means?”

“Not exactly, but I know it's the only way for a trapped succubus to leave a dream. And once the contract is formed, the succubus can never leave the contractor's side without permission.”

“That is exactly what it means! How does a human know so much about our succubus contracts—ugh?!”

Suddenly, Lilith cried out in pain.

She curled up and trembled.

Her eyes shook anxiously, and her face turned red.

Something was clearly wrong.

“Lady Lilith? Lady Lilith? What's wrong?”

“Y-You... You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?”

“What are you talking about? What am I doing?”

“Y-You signed the contract and stamped the seal, yet you're pretending not to know... You really are... ah!”

Another painful moan escaped her lips.

The novel had never explained why she suffered like this, so Shion could only watch her nervously.

Seeing his expression, Lilith suddenly realized something.

“Earlier... when you explained the contract, what did you say happens after it's formed?”

“You can't leave the contractor's side without permission...”

“And after that?”

“Huh?”

“Tell me the rest.”

Unfortunately, that was all Shion knew.

Seeing the troubled look on his face, Lilith became certain of her suspicion.

“Idiot... Listen carefully. Once a succubus enters a contract of subjugation, she no longer needs to invade other people's dreams to steal mana. Instead, she receives power periodically from her contractor.”

“Huh? But I don't have any mana at all.”

“Listen to the end, you fool. When did I say I receive mana? Think carefully. With a succubus's true body bound to you, what do you think becomes her source of power?”

At this point, even a dense mana-deficient idiot could understand.

Shion slowly lowered his gaze.

After glancing between his legs, he looked back at Lilith.

Smiling, she answered.

“That's right, you idiot. F-From now on, we'll be bound to each other... ahh!”

Her dazzlingly beautiful face twisted in pain.

Breathing heavily, Lilith continued in a weak voice.

“I-I can't take it anymore. I already ran out of mana, and now we've formed the contract too... I really can't endure this any longer. ...What's your name?”

“Shion Clausen.”

“Good, Shion. Hurry... hurry and turn off the lights.”

“Huh?”

“...You bastard! Stop pretending you don't understand! You caused all of this, so hurry up and do something! Hahk! Do you want to watch me die?!”

As she said that, Lilith grabbed Shion's hand and placed it on her chest.

Then she pressed his hand deeper into her soft breast.

It was like splashing a little water onto a blazing fire.

But it wasn't nearly enough.

“...Not enough. It's nowhere near enough!”

Looking at Shion with desperate eyes, Lilith hesitated for only a second before capturing his lips.

Like someone wandering the desert without a drop of water finding an oasis, Lilith kissed and licked his lips as though she refused to waste even a single drop.

Shion was startled by the sudden kiss.

But he quickly realized how desperate she was and decided to respond in kind.

When he gently slipped his tongue inside, hers immediately came out to meet it.

At first, it seemed like Shion was leading.

But before long, Lilith moved her tongue rhythmically as if telling him to leave everything to her.

Even so, the sensation of her entire body burning refused to fade.

Lilith became increasingly impatient.

If she had even a little mana left, she might have resisted somehow.

But her true body, completely drained, was being tossed around by instinct.

If no one held onto her, she would sink into the abyss.

That was the weakness of succubi, who invaded dreams and fed on others' mana.

“I finally escaped that temple... and now... am I going to die like this?”

Just as Lilith was about to let go of the last thread of her reason—

Squeeze.

A sudden, electrifying sensation spread through her chest.

It pulled her fading consciousness back to the surface.

“Ugh...”

Struggling to open her eyes, Lilith saw Shion frowning as he looked at her.

“I couldn't remember at first, but now I do. The greatest weakness of succubi.”

“W-What are you talking about...?”

“No other race faces a life-threatening crisis just because they're sexually frustrated. But succubi are different, right? For your species, unfulfilled desire is directly tied to survival. That's why your reason collapses, leaving only instinct behind.”

“How do you know that...?”

“The scariest people in the world are the ones who know even the useless stuff. Just think of me as someone with a lot of information in his head.”

As his hand touched her chest again, Lilith let out a soft moan.

It didn't sound painful.

Instead, it sounded relieved, as though some of her suffering had eased.

Had she ever been this aroused before?

She had invaded countless men's dreams and stolen their mana.

Yet now, both she and her body were burning hotter than ever.

The minds of both man and woman gradually turned blank.

Everything else faded away.

All that remained was each other's warmth, pleasure, and desire.

“Whew...”

Shion forced himself upright despite the exhaustion washing over his body.

The woman lying on the bed still hadn't fully come down from her climax.

Her body trembled lightly as she lay there with her legs spread.

After some time, Lilith's trembling finally subsided.

Shion carefully wrapped his arms around her.

With hazy eyes, Lilith slowly spoke.

“You...”

“Shion Clausen.”

“...Right, Shion. Are you really okay with this?”

Caught off guard, Shion looked at her as if asking what she meant.

“You know everything, don't you? I'm a succubus—a demon. The race humans hate so much.”

“So?”

“Because of the contract, my true body has to stay by your side forever now. Whether you like it or not, whether your situation is good or bad. Don't you think having me around will only give you another weakness?”

“Well, it's true that demons don't have the best reputation among humans.”

After all, whenever terrible incidents occurred across the continent, demons were often blamed.

There was a reason the kingdoms, despite constantly fighting each other, had formed an alliance to attack demonkind.

“But, Lady Lilith.”

“Hm?”

“The world is an unpredictable place. A complete mess, really. Humans and the continent can't cling to those misconceptions forever.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that someday, people's views of demons will change.”

After saying that, Shion glanced downward.

Mixed with the white fluid on his body was unmistakably a woman's blood.

Before, it had seemed rude to ask.

But now, he felt he could.

“Um, Lady Lilith. Was that your first time?”

“Huh? Ah... I guess it was.”

'Guess it was?'

At his questioning look, Lilith poked his cheek with her finger.

“Succubi usually leave their real bodies somewhere safe and enter people's dreams with their spiritual forms to steal mana. Just because we're dream demons doesn't mean we sleep around recklessly. We're simply beings struggling to survive.”

“...I see.”

That was another setting he hadn't known.

As Shion muttered to himself, he slowly tried to get up.

But Lilith wrapped both thighs around his waist and refused to let him go.

Confused, he looked down at her.

“You're no fun. Are you really going to leave right after sleeping together? At least enjoy the afterglow a little.”

“I'd like to, but suddenly I have a really bad feeling.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

Shion hesitated before deciding to keep quiet.

It was hard to explain, but he had a strong feeling that somewhere, something malicious had begun to move.

Raido was clutching his head again today.

Trying to decipher an ancient language was making the little hair he had left fall out in chunks.

Yet he couldn't give up because the sentence they had discovered in the temple carried an ominous feeling.

Lucia had long since fallen asleep after practicing magic.

Late at night, he was the only one awake in the cabin.

Then Raido frowned slightly and straightened up.

“What is it? Thinking of stabbing your master in the back at this hour?”

The man approaching silently from behind flinched.

“If that's what you want, then do it. This master would gladly give his life for you.”

“...Master.”

“Come on, then!”

“Please stop saying such ridiculous things, Master.”

When Kim Yu-hyun coldly shot back, Raido chuckled and sat down.

Watching him, Kim Yu-hyun let out a deep sigh.

His master had always been eccentric, but ever since yesterday, he had become even stranger.

More specifically, after going out to meet someone.

“What exactly is wrong with you? What happened this time...?”

“I met a brat who's far too good at acting. The sly little rascal even tried to fool me. Well, to be fair, I almost judged him based on rumors alone, so I suppose he won.”

Despite claiming he had lost, Raido was grinning.

Unable to understand him at all, Kim Yu-hyun gave up trying.

“More importantly, what brings you here at this hour? You've never once left your tent after saying good night.”

“...I think something happened.”

“Something happened?”

Only then did Raido drop his playful attitude and become serious.

Biting his lip slightly, Kim Yu-hyun continued.

“That temple from before.”

“The empty one?”

“Yes. A little while ago, a massive amount of energy—mana—suddenly bloomed there for a brief moment before disappearing instantly. As though something had used up all its power just to pass through.”

“...And?”

“And then it vanished somewhere else. I tried to follow it, but the traces were too faint and vague. I lost them along the way.”

There had never been a single time Kim Yu-hyun had failed to track something.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation immediately, Raido tapped his forehead thoughtfully.

“Mana suddenly erupted from a temple where there had been nothing? And it felt as though something that had been sealed there escaped in an instant?”

This was not a good sign.

Raido had a feeling that the day he would have to return was drawing near.

“Let's go to that temple. I don't know if it'll help, but we need to follow the trail.”