Chapter 201
Until just a few days ago, the leader of the Drag-Succubi and also the goddess of the Succubi, Lilyeltiel, also known as Lily, turned her topaz colored eyes toward Yogun, Nefka, and Buff, who were looking up toward us in a daze.
Even though they had heard about it from Dran, now that Yogun and the others had finally seen the Drag-Succubi with their own eyes, they couldn’t help but feel their hearts waver at the charming power that the Drag-Succubi are born with.
Even Yogun or Nefka, high priests with very disciplined minds, couldn’t deny that, but considering that Lily was still a higher being even if she was among the lower ranks of the gods, I can’t blame them.
All of the soldiers were gazing at Lily in a daze, and while Yogun and Nefka were praying to their respective gods that they believe in in order to regain their senses quickly, Dran, who had never lost his senses to begin with, was the first to greet Lily.
According to the meeting that had been exchanged with the gods beforehand, it was more or less agreed on that they would all coordinate their stories so that this meeting with the Drag-Succubi would appear to be their first time meeting.
Lily and the others landed on top of the meadow soundlessly, without moving their wings. The grass that they stepped on didn’t even appear as if someone was standing atop them, or at least that’s the impression they gave with how quietly they had landed, or rather descended.
Their landing, which didn’t even make any sound on the grass underfoot, was so extremely refined, it was as elegant as if they were dancing. They didn’t move by moving their wings, they moved by controlling gravity.
In the civilization of this planet, this was an advanced technique which can be learned by high ranking mages if they have enough natural talent and put in constant effort, but even the lowest ranks of the Drag-Succubi are able to do it unconsciously, so as living creatures, they are fundamentally different from humans.
However, in the eyes of these Drag-Succubi, the difference between humans and themselves is so great, it couldn’t even be compared, and that is because of the one standing before them, Dran, whom they all revere.
Lily concealed the agitation, nervousness, and anxiety in her heart, and it was praiseworthy that she was able to put on a smile of friendliness and affection on her face to mask it.
Because of the fact that she was able to become Dran’s follower, and that she was suddenly forced to enter into a contract, Lily felt indebted to Dran, and there is no doubt that the reason why she is able to exist like this together with her comrades is because of his tolerance and forgiveness.
「I am Lilyeltiel. Please call me Lily. You are brave for setting foot in a tower named after a great evil goddess. And after tens of thousands, or hundreds of millions of years, we finally met other intelligent life besides ourselves. Are you the master of that golem?」
With this, Lily turned her eyes and the conversation toward Dran, following along with the setting that they had first made contact through the golem.
Not just Lily, but all the other Drag-Succubi too, knew that Dran, the one who they have faith in, felt uncomfortable around them, so they were fighting the nervousness in their bursting hearts as they tried to make him, the one who reigns over them absolutely, feel better mentally.
For Lily and the others, it would at least be a relief if they could know that they are not hated.
However, even the lowest ranking Succubus among them had dramatically grown and evolved to enter the level of the gods, just by becoming a Drag-Succubus.
Even though they had formed the contract so suddenly, and they had only received a small portion of the leftovers of his powers as the Ancient Celestial Dragon, they were able to achieve results like this.
Considering that, it was natural that they were critically conscious of Dran’s discomfort toward them, even though he didn’t actually hate them.
「Yes. I am the master of the golem you all met. These people are Yogun, high priest of the Mairahl Order, Nefka, high priest of the Keios Order, and Inspector Buff, who was dispatched by the Arkrest Kingdom’s Galois City when this tower had appeared.
To us, since a tower with the name of a great evil goddess had suddenly appeared on the land of our country, we came to investigate with our lives on the line, but to all of you, we must be the nuisances, or maybe even invaders, right?」
Nuisances, or invaders —— Dran’s words immediately brought Yogun, Nefka, and Buff back to their senses, as those words held more than enough destructive power.
Before they had come here, Dran had told them that these people were friendly, but with a question this frank, they had no idea how the other side would react.
It was a statement that was too direct, which could turn all of the Drag-Succubi, who have reached the realms of demigods, into enemies.
Unconsciously, the three of them forgot to breathe, and they all looked at Dran’s back, or rather, they even glared at him. But for Dran, he knew that this was all just an act according to the setting that they’d agreed on in advance, so he showed no sign of agitation, but Yogun and the others felt that a life-threatening time was soon to come.
Lily, upon seeing Yogun and the others break out into a cold sweat because of her, she was reminded of how she had instilled fear in humans and other living creatures in ancient times, and she unexpectedly felt guilty about that.
Even though for Succubi, seducing and charming other living things in order to make them give up their own flesh and blood and fortunes, and even their lives and their souls, was something that should have been the greatest joy.
The reason why Lily and the other Drag-Succubi felt this way was because of their contract with Dran, from which they had received not only the attribute of the Ancient Celestial Dragon, but also influence from Dran’s personality.
Even though this was something that Lily had set up herself, she showed a smile to the Ancient Celestial Dragon who wore the skin of a human boy, the one who had changed her very existence so fundamentally.
「If you people are not violent, then for us, you are guests who we’ve been waiting a very, very long time for.
Even more so if those two are pious followers of the gods Mairahl and Keios, who are close friends with our lord, so you all are one of us.
One of us.
If harm were to come to such people, just by imagining only a little about how angry our lord would be, I feel fear that chills me to the pits of my heart and stomach.
Besides wanting to protect ourselves, we wish you no harm, and we promise not to hurt any of you. We could even write a contract, if you’d like?」
As she said that, Lily took out a piece of paper and pretended to write something on it, and the smooth, honey-like glossiness of her skin gave off a playfully devilish appearance, and a childlike cuteness.
「Everyone would feel reassured if you did, but is it really true that your lord is Dragon, the Ancient Celestial Dragon? You respect an existence who has already been killed」
Of all the lines for me to say, this one was swirling with thick self-deprecation. Considering that I am the human reincarnation of Dragon, there was no line that was more shamelessly obvious than this.
Honestly speaking, Dran wanted to hurry up and let Buff or Yogun take over and lead the conversation with Lily and the others.
But for Yogun and the others, because the Drag-Succubi were a gathering of higher beings stronger than they had expected, they couldn’t overcome the shock from their first encounter, so for now, the one who was left to lead the conversation and gather information was Dran.
「Yes, we were just ordinary Succubi, but he was the one who prepared the dragon attribute for us, and we were able to be reborn as Drag-Succubi. He is none other than Dragon-sama, the Ancient Celestial Dragon.
As for me, I am willing to talk about him in much more detail, but it would be rude of us to let guests who came all the way here to stay standing outside like this.
I’m sure you are still cautious of us, but even so, please let us invite you to our city. We will provide warm tea and drinks and food, as well as lodgings. If needed, we could also find partners for night activities too…」
Not just Lily, but all the other Drag-Succubi definitely seemed to be welcoming toward us, but concerning that last part about the night activities, there was a glint in their eyes similar to the happiness of a hunter finding their prey, now that people from the outside that they could touch were finally here.
Most of the soldiers bent forward when they witnessed the suspicious shimmering light in Lily’s eyes, and the way the Drag-Succubi behind her unconsciously began to act all flirty.
Under the gazes of the Drag-Succubi, who have no preference for gender, even Nefka, who is also female, felt like she was in danger, and she backed away slightly.
The only ones who weren’t affected by the Drag-Succubi’s sex appeal were Dran, Selina, who is perceived as being his mistress, and Lynette.
Dran knew Lily probably didn’t mean any ill will, but he still looked troubled as he asked Buff and the others what they wanted to do next.
「These women are welcoming us, but what shall we actually do? As for me, I think it would be a good idea to take them up on their offer.
I don’t sense any malice from the dragon statue in the center of their city, and Lily and the others will most likely give us a welcome that isn’t too different from what we’re imagining.
They didn’t seem to be lying when they said that they worshipped Dragon, and with two followers of Mairahl and Keios, Dragon’s friends and comrades, they won’t be able to easily cause harm to us」
When Dran said that, it sounded like he wasn’t that wary toward the Drag-Succubi, which caused Nefka and Buff to have small doubts that maybe he had already been seduced by their charm, but after confirming that Dran’s eyes and mood haven’t changed at all, they abandoned that possibility.
Compared to Nefka and Buff, Yogun hadn’t thought that way at all from the beginning, and he just narrowed his eyes as he stroked his chin. Nefka, Buff and all the soldiers looked to him, focusing on his thoughtful and wise appearance.
「Fuumu, it seems Mister Councilor put his trust in these women very quickly. If this woman named Lilyeltiel and her friends truly worship the Ancient Celestial Dragon, then it’s true that he is close friends with my god and with Nefka’s god.
The possibility is high that they will try to avoid a situation that would be a cause for concern for us, but I’ve never heard of a subspecies of the Succubus known as the Drag-Succubus.
It might be a race unique to this tower, but personally, I’m very interested in why they would worship an Ancient Celestial Dragon who is believed to be dead already.
Most importantly, the power of these women before us is too much for us to handle. Whether we decline their invitation and they let us go, or we accept and fall into a trap, either way, the difference in combat power is overwhelmingly great. We may have no choice but to put our trust in our god, and in the benevolence of their god」
Somewhere in Yogun’s statement was a feeling of understanding and resignation. The high priest of the Mairahl Order had regained his senses the fastest, he had guessed the difference in power between himself and them, excluding Dran and his friends, and he understood that their lives were in the hands of these Succubi before them.
But at the same time, Yogun still wanted to pray to Mairahl’s followers to perform a miracle to detect whether or not the people in front of them held any ill will or had lied. But it was probably because he was sure that Lily’s words and attitude were true, that he said that he was willing to go with them.
Nefka could also perform a miracle, but since she was still young and lacking in experience, she had forgotten that she could pray for a miracle as an option.
But Yogun’s point that the difference in power was too great, and considering he didn’t know about Dran’s true power, was certainly not wrong.
Yogun and the others had witnessed Dran’s power to an extent ever since they had entered the tower, and they knew that he had monstrous strength as one of the promising next generation that Arkrest Kingdom took pride in, so they were both surprised and willing to admit that the rumors about him were true, but they think that even he couldn’t reach the same level as the Drag-Succubi, who are as strong as demigods.
Of course, it’s because he had suppressed his true abilities when he fought with Merle, so there was a misconception that he wasn’t as strong as her.
From the eyes of Buff and Nefka and the others, who didn’t know that, Yogun’s words conveyed that the situation was tense despite his calm appearance, and aware that they were trapped at a dead end, a series of loud gulps of nervousness could be heard here and there.
In the end, they decided to put their faith in the protection and mercy of the god that they each believed in as Yogun said they should do, and the investigation team followed Lily’s invitation as they walked single file down the hill toward the city.
Comment (0)