Chapter 30

Translator: Yonnee

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────Chapter 30

After hearing all of what they knew so far, Odil had no choice but to grimace as he had a questioning look directed at them.

“To Endymion, she said that she won’t look for me anymore. To Damian, she said that she’d come to me after finding the ring. If she said either of this, then why did she visit me last night?”

“That’s what I’m saying, Hyung. As soon as I saw the marks on your neck, I thought she got caught by you. Because whenever Hyung is mentioned in front of her, I could see how she’s ready to run away as soon as she gets caught.”

“Because of that, I’ve also told her not to run away several times. Actually, I don’t know much about Miss Lily.”

“It was just found out that her real name is Lilith. Damian, you’ve been to the Lady’s home.”

“Ah, that. I was in the middle of looking for the ring back then, and I just happened to go into the restaurant that her parents own.”

The others didn’t think that was possible. Watching Damian speak in a cheeky manner, Ares sighed, thinking that it was a fortunate happenstance, but then he was suddenly startled. Odil lightly tapped the table with one finger as he heard these stories from them.

“So, to summarize—she’s originally a human being, but she became a succubus. The ring has an effect of suppressing her instincts as a succubus, and because the ring was lost, she lives as a human during the day and a succubus by night.”

“According to Milady, whenever she turns into a succubus, she can’t according to her will. That’s why at t-that time too, she lost control of her senses and was more a-aggressive in her attacks…”

Ares tried to calmly explain this, but he stuttered nonetheless. Realizing that Ares was talking about what happened three years ago, Odil’s shoulders ever so slightly flinched. But as though nothing had happened, he asked in return.

“Did she come to me yesterday because she lost control of her senses?”

“But she slept with me a few days ago. Is there any reason that she’d lose her rationality?”

“Slept… Damian, please.”

“Let’s just call it what it is, Hyung.”

Endymion was wordlessly listening to the story, but as though his chest was tightening, he grimaced. What was this? Were his clothes small on him? As he slightly looked down at his uniform, he casually brushed this off and spoke up.

“Was there anything strange about her?”

“Strange… Well, there’s something.”

Odil gritted his teeth. Hearing the low tone of voice, Endymion smiled and changed the subject.

“I don’t really want to know the details of how you slept with Miss Lily. Just let us know if you noticed anything else.”

“…If it’s something that stood out, then she came there to see me as though she wasn’t concerned about it at all. She chattered away, even. Right, she talked as if nothing had changed. But then after a while, the mood suddenly changed.”

With his body tied with the dreaded tentacles that he never wanted to see again, she had licked and touched him so much that his entire body became red. More than that, she thrusted into his behind with a pillar of flesh.

He couldn’t say this to the others, but it hurt enough that it made him dizzy. Even so, he got better after a while, it’s just that his pride was hurt more.

However, no matter how much he begged her to stop, she just suddenly pulled out the pillar and tried to run away. It really seemed like that.

“It felt like looking at a soldier who’s killed for the first time on the battlefield yet suddenly panicked right then.”

“I guess she hates doing it with you that much, Hyung.”

“……”

“Ah. It’s a joke, a joke. So you’re saying she was shocked. But that’s kind of weird, not only at night but also during the day…”

Smiling skillfully even as he was at the reception of Odil’s cold gaze, Damian tilted his head to the side and said, ‘Hm?’

“She usually just calls my name, but she suddenly called me ‘Commander’. Yet soon after, she returned to her usual self.”

Since then, they thought that there was something weird. Everyone felt that something was amiss with Odil’s words, and they noticed because it didn’t make sense. Still, what’s certain here was that they could get the gist from listening to each other’s stories, and Endymion nodded because it didn’t seem like there were any lies.

“There would be no end if we just try to look for what’s odd, but Miss Lily doesn’t like talking about the succubus. And she said that she didn’t know much either.”

“Then first, let’s pretend that we don’t know what happened with her and Odil Hyung. She’s a bit clumsy and dense, so if we pretend not to know, she’ll think that we really don’t know.”

“Miss Lily just ‘feigns’ to be clumsy and dense. She’s not that kind of person… That would have been better.”

“Huh? What do you mean by feigning, Eddy?”

“I meant what I said. I don’t know why, but I can see that she doesn’t like building any significant relationships with anyone, like there’s a hard shell over her body. I realized while observing her, there was just one person at best that she conversed with for more than one minute. And when I told her I like her, she just asked if I was being truthful? She hoped that it was a lie—she had an expression that said, ‘I hate being in that situation so much.’ …Something like that. No, it was more that she wanted to pretend it never happened. Anyway, that kind of…”

“You said that? You confessed? You really did?!”

Ares shouted with a bright red face. And when Endymion responded calmly with a wordless nod, Damian kicked his chair, which shook, and spoke up as well.

“Seems like a lot happened. I also did something a bit bad to her, and that night she turned into a succubus and came to visit me right away. Right, Al Hyung?”

“…Don’t even speak of it. I really want to wipe it clean from my mind.”

“Well. To put it simply, she doesn’t seem to have any intention of having a deep relationship with anyone, so as long as it doesn’t involve speaking openly towards her, just pretending not to know is possible until the end,” Damian answered.

“Are you saying that I pretend that I don’t know her, she’ll also pretend not to know me? How carefree of you,” Odil said.

“In a way, don’t you think she’s gone through all those hardships already? Even so, if she’s persisted until now while even living as a maid, it means that her ring is really important to her. To be honest, what I’m worried about is that Miss Lily might leave the palace silently. I’m sure you’ve all felt it too, but can’t you tell just by reading her expressions?” Endymion asked.

Damian and Ares nodded. Even worse, Ares had never seen anyone so terrible at lying than her. She usually talks with such awkward expressions and gestures, but at that time, no matter who saw her, anyone would feel sorry for her when she’s stuttering and avoiding my gaze like that.”

“Yeah, it was like that.”

“Definitely.”

It was so easy to understand what she had been thinking, that’s why Damian deliberately set up certain conditions with her. Talking about her parents was also a subtle jab that he knew where she lived, meaning that it would be useless for her to run away.

“If it’s like this, then shouldn’t we just ease up on trying to find the ring? I don’t think there’d be anything wrong with that,” Damian suggested.

“But… We promised we’d find it for her. Milady will be sad,” said Ares.

“Do you not think that I’d hate it too if she runs away once we’ve found her ring? It’s obvious that you guys will feel that way, too, Eddy Hyung and Al Hyung. Odil Hyung, too, kinda. That’s why, don’t be too rash.”

Damian enjoyed watching Lily. Having been strictly controlled while he was a paladin trainee, he actually had no idea that he could experience something so fun and thrilling in this world. But she could be taken away from him, this clumsy succubus.

“Well, I think she becomes possessed by her other self as a succubus, but it’s going to bother me more if, after catching my eyes like this, I won’t be able to see her anymore.”

She would be so far away that he might even need to go to Evan just to drag her back.

“So I said I’ll find the ring for her, but I don’t really want to. Whenever His Majesty runs away, I kinda root for him. Sorry, Odil Hyung.”

“…Damian.”

He didn’t look sorry at all. Odil just sighed at Damian, who was holding one hand up in a gesture as he smiled slyly.

Damian wanted to date Lily. It wasn’t to whisper love and sweet nothings to her or anything. He didn’t know how to put it into words yet, but he just liked how they bickered and basked in each other’s presence at night as they did now, so he wanted to maintain this relationship.

“Of course, I don’t want her to disappear so suddenly either. But this method is cowardly.”

“Don’t you know that it’s the courageous man who gets the beautiful woman in the end, Hyung?”

“Then it would be too much for Ares—it’d take a lifetime for him. He’s a coward.”

“What do you mean a coward?! No, anyway, I just don’t want Milady to cry because of me.”

As Ares shouted back, there was a downcast expression on his face. Watching him indifferently, Endymion continued speaking.

“The same goes for me. I’d rather see her smiling from a distance rather than have Miss Lily next to me while she’s crying.”

“Then…”

“Even so, greed won’t make things work out the way you want them.”

If Lily wasn’t a succubus, this wouldn’t have been any concern at all. But if Lily really wasn’t a succubus, then she might still feel uncomfortable around Endymion. At first, he was alright with just watching her from afar, but he wondered how he was now.

“Hyung. Don’t pretend that you’re nice by yourself. Just be honest.”

“……”

“Odil Hyung, too.”

Damian smiled brightly. Ares was about to say something, but he dropped his head. He constantly cursed himself as he had bad thoughts.

To be perfectly honest, Ares liked Lily’s face. So everything about Lily, including her being a succubus, was lovely. But amongst everything about her, his heart trembled every time he would see her face, and all he could do was sigh.

“…I just want Milady to smile,” Ares said.

“I feel the same way,” Endymion agreed.

“Well, she’s pretty while she’s crying too. Even with her expression all crumpled up and depressed, she’s pretty. But I also still like her smiling face,” Damian added.

And he liked the face she had whenever she was so overcome by pleasure as she would seduce him in such an unconventional way.

“If Milady really disappears so suddenly this time, I… I might really die.”

“Then do you agree, Al Hyung?”

“…Urk.”

Ares avoided eye contact, looking as though he was about to cry. Through his red hair, bright pink ears poked through and were visible. Watching Ares, Endymion spoke in a calm voice.

“Just as Ares said, it’s a cowardly method, but it’s the perfect excuse. If His Majesty disapproves of the Pope’s visit and we say that the ring’s recovery would take longer… Based on Miss Lily’s personality, she might go and just find it herself, but it’s still enough to buy us some time.”

“Time?”

“Odil, what do you think?”

Endymion reserved his judgment and glanced at Odil. Lost in thought, he tapped on the table with one finger as he raised his tired face.

“Even if His Majesty keeps running away, can’t there be anything done about it?” Endymion asked.

“…What do you mean, Endymion.”

“I’ll leave it up to you. As Damian suggested, whether we continue this relationship with her while pretending to be looking for the ring or make another choice since it’s cowardly, as Ares put it.”

“Do you think I’ll leave that wench alone?”

“No? But if you were really going to kill Miss Lily, you would have gone to her as soon as you found out it’s her. Odil, it’s not like we’ve known each other for just a day or two.”

Smiling, Endymion said this as he lifted his cup and took another sip of tea. Odil’s eyebrows became furrowed, but he failed to provide a rebuttal to that. Because Endymion was right.

Feeling Damian and Ares’ gazes on him, Odil sighed. Just as Endymion said, a ‘trick’ would be used. Sooner or later, perhaps he would try to contact the Holy Empire and mention that ‘the delegation is allowed to visit.’

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