Is It Strange For A Succubus To Be Wearing Clothes?

Chapter 52

—–CROW—– 

“Heehee, hehehe.”

“Are you that happy, Dan Unnie?”

“Of course I am!”

“Really?”

Jae-hee smiled at Dan Ah-yeon’s enthusiastic response.  Dan Unnie’s face was radiant as she drove.

“Honestly, even though it’s a government request, I thought you’d refuse, Jae-hee-nim!”

“How could I refuse when you asked so nicely, Dan Unnie?”

“Heehee, thank you!”

They were headed to the Kaesong Industrial Complex, currently a desolate wasteland overrun with zombies, monsters, and raiders, a mix of Gray and Red Zones.  Yet, the two of them were cheerful and relaxed, as if going on a picnic.

Dan Unnie, in particular, was practically beaming.

“I didn’t realize you enjoyed outings with me this much, Dan Unnie.”

“Yes! I’ve been so busy being deployed to build those massive defensive walls, so having you join us is a huge relief!  It’s like having a million soldiers on my side!”

“…Interesting expression.”

Jae-hee understood the meaning, but the phrasing was a bit… much.

“The weather’s nice.”

Jae-hee was enjoying the drive with Dan Ah-yeon, just the two of them, like a leisurely outing.

“But Jae-hee-nim, what made you suddenly accept a government request? I honestly thought we’d never see you on the battlefield unless it was an emergency…”

“Because you’re in danger, Dan Unnie.  And I was curious.”

“Aha…”

Jae-hee hadn’t intended to leave Seoul.  Seoul needed her beauty to remain beautiful, its people to remain peaceful.

Jae-hee was aware, on some level, that she was the source of peace and stability for the people of this country.  Not consciously, but more of a subconscious understanding.  She didn’t know *how* she did it, and she likely attributed it to her own inherent beauty, a bit of narcissistic delusion.  Something like, *‘This country is beautiful because I, the beautiful one, am here!’*

So, while she preferred to stay in Seoul, the prospect of an outing with Dan Unnie was tempting.

But that wasn’t the only reason.

★

★

★

—Three days prior.

Dan Ah-yeon had gone to inspect Jae-hee’s newly rebuilt house, leaving Jae-hee to savor the lingering traces of Dan Unnie’s presence in her apartment.  That’s when the message from an unknown number arrived.

—*Can you help me?*

While the number and name were hidden, Jae-hee knew it was Sitra, the Succubus Queen.

Jae-hee immediately called her back.  She owed Sitra a favor.  Or rather, Sitra had overlooked a certain incident, a momentary lapse in control, and given Jae-hee a cursed artifact worth over $100 million for free.  It was definitely a favor, even if it stemmed from Sitra’s rational assessment of the situation.

—*Accepting $100 million for a cursed artifact would damage my auction house’s reputation.*

—*It was an unsellable item, a nuisance to get rid of.*

—*Exchanging it for a non-material debt wasn’t a bad decision.*

—*Besides, Mikkelsen… that human butcher… asked me personally.*

Sitra was also intrigued by Jae-hee’s appearance, her demeanor, the powerful aura she exuded.  And Jae-hee’s beauty was right up Sitra’s alley.  While her Succubus instincts screamed at her to fear and avoid Jae-hee, she couldn’t deny her desire to maintain a connection, especially after witnessing something she shouldn’t have.

—*I didn’t expect you to call back so soon.*

“I had some free time~  And I was curious~”

Sitra was the queen of the underworld, but for some reason, Jae-hee felt comfortable and relaxed around her.  If Sitra were an ordinary human, Jae-hee might have felt some awkwardness, some difficulty communicating.  But Sitra acted as if she were Jae-hee’s subordinate, a natural dynamic between Empress and Queen.

—*You signed a temporary contract with me, right?*

“Hmm, did I…?  Ah, I think so.  You said to contact you if you needed help.”

—*I need your help.*

What could the owner of the Karklashton Auction House possibly need help with?  While Jae-hee hadn’t agreed to anything yet, she was intrigued.  Sitra was a Succubus Queen, wealthy and powerful, with numerous high-ranking subordinates.

—*There’s been an invasion warning on a non-official government channel.*

“An invasion?”

An invasion was different from a Gate breach, a dungeon break, or a monster wave.  It meant an organized attack on Earth by intelligent beings from another world, with clear hostile intent.  Like an alien invasion from a movie.  Such things had actually happened before, with Awakened cosplaying as superheroes planting flags on alien corpses.

Early invasions were minor affairs, easily handled by the military.  Teddy bear-like creatures wielding spears and stone knives attacking small towns and rural villages.  Nothing that required Hunter intervention.

Back then, the government and Hunter community hadn’t taken invasions seriously.  They were annoying, but the invaders were weak and posed little threat.  They were more concerned with the monsters emerging from the fog, the kilometer-long behemoths targeting major cities.

But the nature of these invasions was changing.  From small, primitive tribes to legions of soldiers armed with iron weapons, then firearms and magic-engineered equipment, even entire civilizations with technology rivaling Earth’s, establishing themselves as local warlords.

The Rifts weren’t just spewing out monstrous creatures; they were bringing entire hostile civilizations to Earth.

“Where did you hear that?”

—*I have close ties with certain Assemblymen.  Valuable information acquired in exchange for a memorable night~*

“And what kind of help do you need from me?”

—*You’re a Hunter, aren’t you, Jae-hee-ssi?  A high-ranking Hunter, I hear.*

Jae-hee’s eyebrow twitched.  She had mentioned being a Hunter, but had she ever mentioned being *high-ranking*?

—*And you absorb life force… essence… from monsters, right?  Instead of taking it from humans.*

“…”

—*I’ve seen your records.  Quite impressive.  The human tower at Uiwang Station… that was your doing, wasn’t it?  Definitely S-rank… perhaps even higher?*

*Oh my, Sitra-ssi has been doing her research.  Quite thoroughly, too.*  With her connections to high-ranking government officials, acquiring information on Jae-hee wouldn’t be difficult.  Perhaps she had also sensed Jae-hee’s unique aura, the mark of a powerful being.  But Jae-hee knew Succubi weren’t known for their patience and politeness.

*‘Except for me, of course.’*  *Ahem, yes, even I, the polite and patient one, am beautiful.*

Still, it was irritating.  A mere Queen, prying into the Empress’s affairs.

Jae-hee wasn’t one to tolerate those who disturbed her peace.  Despite her efforts to be human, she was still the Succubus Empress, a high-ranking demon.  She wasn’t going to let some upstart use her personal information to manipulate or threaten her.

*‘Should I kill her?’*  Her dormant instincts stirred.  A murderous intent began to form.  But she decided to exercise a bit of patience.

*‘No, let’s hear her out first.’*  She would find out what Sitra was planning.  She could always visit the Karklashton Auction House later.  If the Succubus Queen dared to trifle with the Empress, she would pay the price.

“I’ll hear you out.  What kind of help do you need, exactly?”

—*The government is planning to deploy at least three legions.  A full-scale operation.*

Deploying legions meant only one thing: the invasion was large-scale and potentially lucrative.

For smaller invasions, the government usually hired Hunters through the Association.  Individual Hunters and small guilds would jump at the opportunity, turning minor incursions into monster-hunting gigs.

But large-scale invasions, especially those involving intelligent beings with advanced civilizations, were a different matter.

—*Weapons of mass destruction aren’t on the list.  That means there’s a specific invasion point, a territory with resources the Korean government is interested in.*

If the invaders had a civilization, they must have a territory, a city, a world of their own.  And the more advanced their civilization, the more spoils there were for Earth’s rulers to plunder.

—*I don’t know exactly what they’re after, land or resources… but do you think the [Beetle Nest] will stay quiet during such a big event?*

“Will the government allow that?”

While Korea was divided into the Assembly, Hunter, and Underground factions, they united during large-scale invasions.  Despite their rivalries and conflicts, they would cooperate when the country itself was threatened.

—*When a large-scale invasion is detected, the government uses territorial disputes as bait to lure us and the major guilds.  We get ownership of the conquered territory and its resources, sometimes even prisoners of war.*

Many of the “slaves” sold at the Karklashton Auction House were captured invaders.

—*But the current government doesn’t like us, does it?  They don’t like the Underground as a whole.*

That was only natural.  While the government tolerated the Underground’s existence, they would gladly eliminate them given the opportunity.  They feared the Underground’s power and wealth, worried they might become like the Defectors who had ravaged Eastern Europe, engaging in full-scale terrorist activities.

—*So the government imposes various restrictions on us.  Higher taxes, delayed deployment information, intelligence leaks that expose our positions to the invaders… minor incidents that are difficult to formally protest, yet impossible to ignore.*

“Oh dear, how unfortunate.”

—*That’s why I thought of you, Jae-hee-ssi.  You’re with the government, right?*

“Technically?”

As a Specially Managed Returnee, Jae-hee was affiliated with the government, regardless of her personal feelings.  Of course, she wouldn’t act on their behalf.  While the current government wasn’t responsible for imprisoning, experimenting on, and attempting to suppress her, she still held no goodwill towards them.

She remained compliant for several reasons.  Dan Unnie, for one.  And a lingering desire to maintain some semblance of humanity.

“So, you want me to act as a negotiator or spokesperson for the Underground?”

—*That’s not your specialty, is it?*

*How did she know that?*  Negotiations and administrative tasks weren’t Jae-hee’s forte.  Of course, she could simply charm everyone into submission, but that was boring, inelegant, and not her style.

—*I want you to participate in the invasion defense in our place.*

Sitra’s proposal was simple.  Jae-hee would join the invasion defense force on behalf of the Underground.  Sitra would then purchase any spoils or achievements Jae-hee earned.

“But I’m alone.”

Naturally, an invasion that warranted the deployment of multiple legions meant the enemy was formidable.  While the invaders’ exact nature wouldn’t be known until they were observed on Earth, preliminary reports indicated they were a “kingdom.”

“I can’t do much alone in a legion-scale invasion.”

Asking a single person to participate in an invasion and then buying their achievements… it was a preposterous proposal.  But Sitra wouldn’t have made such a suggestion unless she had some understanding of Jae-hee’s true power.

—*You can do it, Jae-hee-ssi.  I’ve seen your records.*

“…”

—*You can do it.  I know you can.*

While the word “invasion” piqued her interest, Jae-hee’s irritation grew.  Sitra was clearly trying to use her.  Participating in an invasion alone?  While it wouldn’t be particularly dangerous for *her*, it was a risky proposition for even an S-rank Hunter.

*‘Should I kill her?’*

*How should I kill her?*

Yes, Sitra was no longer necessary.  The Succubus Queen had overstepped her bounds.

If she had seen Jae-hee’s records, if she knew she was the Succubus Empress, shouldn’t she have been more respectful?

She was testing Jae-hee.

And Jae-hee wasn’t known for her patience.

—*To be honest, I did some research on you, Jae-hee-ssi.  I learned some… unexpected things.  But I’m not trying to threaten you.  You can refuse my offer.*

“Then what’s your intention?  You’re being awfully bold, admitting to investigating me…”

—*I wanted to thank you first.*

“…Thank me?”

—*I was there when you killed the Behemoth.*

Jae-hee paused, considering.

Behemoth?  What was that?

—*The giant monster that first attacked Seoul.  The one with a snake’s upper body and tentacles for legs.*

“Ah.”

Right.

She remembered.

Her first meal.

After returning to Earth, so hungry…

Sleepy, aching, exhausted, listless, irritated, annoyed, powerless, frustrated, apathetic, bored, uncomfortable, depressed, lifeless… just tired and empty, waiting endlessly for her body to regenerate, for her life force to return.

The Behemoth was the first creature with enough life force to rouse her from her half-comatose state.

Its hide was impervious to the military’s conventional weapons and artillery.  It had simply come to Seoul, the most populous city, to feast, sucking the blood and organs out of people with its countless tentacles.

—*I was caught by its tentacles, about to be drained dry, when the monster suddenly screamed.  Within a minute, it withered, its bones exposed.*

—*I looked up and saw a dark figure, a person with black wings, laughing above it.*

—*That’s when I realized… I was alive because of that… person, or monster, or demon, or angel, whatever it was.*

A survivor from that day.

It was the first time Jae-hee had received a direct thank you from someone she saved.  She hugged the beluga whale plush toy tighter.

—*That day, you saved a freshman who had just arrived in Seoul from becoming monster food.  I wanted to thank you for that.*

This was love, too, wasn’t it?  Gratitude and goodwill were forms of love.  Faint, but edible.

*“Nom.”*

Delicious.

Pure, unadulterated goodwill.

“Mmm, tastes like plums.”

—*Jae-hee-ssi?  Are you there?*

“Ah, the beluga attacked me.”

—*Beluga?*

After savoring the subtle flavor of goodwill, Jae-hee finally understood Sitra’s true intention.  The reason for the sudden message, the absurd proposal.

It was impossible for even an S-rank Hunter to achieve significant results alone in a legion-scale invasion, to earn enough merit to claim ownership of land and resources.

Sitra hadn’t actually wanted Jae-hee to participate in the invasion.

She simply wanted an excuse to thank her.

The little girl who had just arrived in Seoul, the little girl she had saved from the monster… now a Mafia boss, the queen of a powerful underworld faction, was too embarrassed to simply say, “Thank you, Unnie.”  So she came up with a ridiculous proposal as a pretext for expressing her gratitude.

*‘How cute.’*  She had thought Dan Unnie was the only cute one, but this Succubus Queen was quite adorable too.  Her sultry appearance was deceiving.

—*It’s fine if you refuse.  We can just send some of our own people.*

“I’ll do it.”

—*What?*

Sitra was speechless.  She clearly hadn’t expected Jae-hee to accept.

“I’ll show you something… interesting.”

Giving an encore performance for the little girl who had just arrived in Seoul wouldn’t be so bad.

—–CROW—– 

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