The Story of an Arrogant Succubus Princess Who Always Looked Down on Humans as Mere Food, Until She Fell in Love With an Ordinary Man - Chapter 14-15

Chapter 14: Change

“What’s going on? Why did Asbel-senpai run away with a succubus?”

The voice echoed in the office of Gran, the captain of the knight order. Eris, Asbel’s junior, slammed her hand on Gran’s desk and shouted.

“Calm down, calm down, Eris-chan. Here, I’ll give you a candy.”

“Yay! Thank you! … No, that’s not it! Is it true that Asbel-senpai was seduced by a succubus and ran away?!”

The day after Gran talked to Asbel about Liliana’s execution, rumors spread within the knight order that Asbel had been ensnared by a succubus and had eloped.

“Wow, I can’t believe even the iron-faced Asbel can’t resist his desires. I casually sent another subordinate to check the prison, and it was completely empty! Neither Asbel nor the succubus was there.”

“That must be a mistake! There’s no way that Asbel-senpai would be tricked by a succubus!”

Eris shouted with a trembling voice. Since this morning, when the news of Asbel’s escape broke, she had kept insisting the same thing. However, no one listened to her; they only gossiped about it for amusement.

“… Well, it’s not really a laughing matter. This is a clear violation of discipline. Moreover, if he helped a notorious criminal escape for his selfish reasons, I can’t defend him, no matter how much I want to.”

“…! So, it’s… some kind of mistake…”

Seeing Eris visibly shaken, Gran chuckled.

“I’m just kidding. It would be nice if he were charming enough to be deceived by a woman, but unfortunately, things aren’t that simple.”

“Isn’t that right? There’s no way that senpai would ever be fooled by a woman!”

“But it’s true that Asbel took the succubus… Liliana with him. … He really hasn’t changed since the past. Once he believes something is right, he never bends. He acts without considering the consequences, even though he’s methodical. Seriously, he should think about how the person cleaning up after him feels.”

Gran laughed with an annoyed expression, yet somehow looked like a parent who had been pranked by a child. It was the first time Eris had seen such a face on her superior, and she fell silent.

“Eris-kun. Since you are his subordinate, you should remember well. He never hesitates once he believes he is right.”

“Of course, I understand that.”

“No, you don’t understand. He would throw away everything he has built to follow his path. Even if he is stoned by the people he protected, he will never break. … I thought he had calmed down recently, but that guy… hasn’t changed at all. He really has a good personality.”

“… But Asbel-senpai is a strict person. There’s no way he would break the rules for his own convenience…”

“To him, discipline only exists within himself. That’s why he doesn’t force others to do anything, right?”

“That’s…”

Eris fell silent, and Gran chuckled softly as he continued.

“Perhaps he thinks that the execution of the succubus… Liliana is wrong. It seems he has been investigating how that succubus brought down corrupt nobles on his own.”

“Is that succubus not a bad person?!”

“No, she is a bad person. Good people have been targeted too. … But he probably thinks that executing her is wrong. … Or rather, maybe he doesn’t want his subordinates to shed blood? … In any case, it’s something that we knew from the start, so it’s foolish.”

Gran laughed heartily. Eris felt a bit angry that the captain knew something about Asbel that she didn’t.

“Anyway, the story that Asbel-senpai was seduced by a succubus is a lie, right?”

“Ah, that’s not true. However, it’s also not wrong that he escaped with the succubus. We must dispatch a search team immediately to follow them. No, since they’re likely heading to the border, should we seal that area first? Either way, we don’t have enough personnel right now. I’d hate to owe anything to the branch members, but if I do nothing, I’ll be blamed by the higher-ups.”

“I want to join the search team!”

“Sure. But if he’s serious about moving, it’ll be nearly impossible to find him. We should at least make a show of moving and think about how to clean up after him.”

“No, I will definitely find him! I’ll wake senpai up!”

“Ah, good luck. So, I’ll leave the on-site command to you. I’m going to look into the details of Liliana’s execution again.”

Thanking Gran, who seemed somewhat careless yet somewhat pleased, Eris left the office.

“Senpai is wrong. No matter the reason, there’s no need to protect a criminal.”

In the empty hallway, Eris muttered softly.

“After all, the Asbel-senpai I love… the one I admired, would never develop feelings for a succubus. Asbel-senpai must always be cold, merciless, and stronger than anyone else…”

For a moment, Eris lowered her face sadly, but soon smiled again.

“But it’s okay! If senpai has taken the wrong path, I’ll make him wake up! … So… please wait for me, Asbel-senpai…”

With eyes shining like a different person, Eris smiled and started running. In her eyes, only the back of one man was visible.

—

Chapter 15: The Inn

“Ah, I’m tired. We finally arrived at the inn.”

After walking a long mountain road, Asbel and the others finally reached a small town inn. They put down their bags and took a breath.

“Tomorrow will be another day of walking. Rest while you can.”

Unlike Liliana, who collapsed onto the bed as soon as she entered the room, Asbel sat calmly in a chair and took out a book.

“By the way, we’re sharing a room. I won’t say you can’t do anything to me, but wouldn’t it have been fine if we had separate rooms?”

“I did think about that, but it seems you don’t have much combat ability. If you wander around the town alone and cause problems, it will be a hassle.”

“I’m not a child! I’m the witch who brings a nation to its knees. The greatest succubus among succubi. I’m Liliana Liche Riden! I won’t be caught so easily.”

“What are you talking about? The fact that you were caught is exactly why we’re in this situation.”

“Ugh…That’s true, but still…”

Liliana averted her gaze as if to escape. Asbel closed his book and looked around the room as if checking something.

“Besides, the situation is different from when you were acting foolishly. I don’t know the details, but the higher-ups have decided on your execution, even though you should have a certain status in the demon kingdom. …I’ll ask just in case: do you have any idea why?”

“…I don’t know. I can’t understand what humans think.”

“Well, it’s likely that some issue arose during the talks with the demon kingdom. In fact, many humans opposed the friendship treaty with the demon kingdom. It’s possible those people did something.”

“Maybe I was just a really bad person?”

“If that’s the case, I’ll just cut you down. There’s no problem.”

“You really are straightforward…”

Liliana, still lying on the bed, let out a dry laugh. Flailing her legs while lying on the bed might be her habit. Pushing such trivial thoughts aside, Asbel spoke.

“To begin with, if you have a reason for it, there’s no need to hide it. The higher-ups ordered your execution without much explanation. So, I can roughly guess what happened.”

“…Humans really overthink everything, don’t they? Right or wrong. They spiral into self-destruction over things without answers. It’s foolish.”

“Isn’t that the same for demons? I’ve heard that demons are even stricter about rules now.”

“That’s why I dislike that country. If this hadn’t happened, I would have had no intention of going back.”

“I can understand that thought, but using others for your freedom isn’t something to be praised.”

“You’re ignoring orders from above and letting me escape, aren’t you? We’re cut from the same cloth.”

Liliana measures everything only by whether it’s fun or not, while Asbel measures everything only by whether it’s right or wrong. Their journey seems to be going smoothly. However, at the same time, it carries a fragility that could collapse over something trivial.

“Well, I’ve rested enough, so should we go eat? I heard from the innkeeper that there’s a place where the meat is delicious.”

“Are you stupid? If you go out carelessly, it would defeat the purpose of hiding until now, wouldn’t it? We were originally planning to stay in the inn only for a little while and sleep outside.”

“Huh? That’s impossible! When I go back to that country, I might never be able to return to the human world! Isn’t it okay to have a little fun?”

“I just told you that your current situation exists because of that reckless behavior. I’ll go buy something for you, so you stay quietly in the room. …You stand out enough as it is.”

“Eh?! What’s that! You’re planning to go out and have fun without me? That’s unfair!”

“Stop complaining. You stand out too much. Just walking a little could cause a commotion. If that happens, you might get caught up in something troublesome.”

“…I know I’m an absolute beauty, but I really hate staying cooped up in one place.”

“Be patient.”

“Is that because it’s the right thing to do? …I don’t like that way of thinking. I don’t understand this right or wrong nonsense. No matter how right it is, if it’s not fun, what’s the point?”

Liliana looked at Asbel with a reproachful gaze. Her eyes had a sharpness as if she could see into people’s hearts. …Actually, she can usually grasp what most people are thinking, at least in a vague sense.

…The man in front of her is an exception.

“Anyway, you stay here quietly.”

With that, Asbel left the room.

“Ugh. I thought he might be a somewhat interesting guy, but he’s just boring.”

But, Liliana thought, did he really not consider that leaving me alone like this might make me go out on my own? …Or perhaps Asbel is unconsciously starting to trust Liliana.

“Hehe. Well, of course! After all, I am the witch who brings a nation to its knees. The greatest succubus among succubi. I’m Liliana Liche Riden. There isn’t a man I can’t captivate.”

Now that it’s decided, maybe I should go out and have some fun. Just as she thought this, there was a knock on the door.

“────”

Liliana hurriedly sat up from the bed. They had just arrived at the inn. She didn’t know anyone who would come to visit.

“…………”

Liliana said nothing and just kept staring at the door. Then, the knock echoed again, and the person knocked called out.

“Excuse me. I’m from this inn. Is Asbel here?”

“…What is it?”

That voice belonged to the innkeeper, whom she had just heard a moment ago. Liliana sighed tiredly and opened the door.

“What is it? If it’s Asbel, he’s out.”

Thinking back, it was Asbel who was careless for renting a room under his real name. The short woman, who was the innkeeper, smiled regretfully.

“I see. I apologize for disturbing you during your rest.”

With that, the woman bowed her head and turned to leave the room. Liliana, feeling a bit curious about the woman’s expression, called out to her small back.

“If you have something to ask Asbel, I can pass it along for you.”

“Is that so? …But it’s nothing important, really…”

The woman’s cheeks flushed as if she was embarrassed. Ah, this woman is in love with Asbel, Liliana immediately realized.

“Well, I won’t force you, but he seems quite busy, and you might not have another chance to see him.”

“…That’s true. Asbel is a very busy person.”

The woman gazed off into the distance and turned her eyes toward Liliana.

“Then could you just tell him one thing for me? Please tell him, ‘Thank you for helping me the other day.’”

The woman bowed her head once more and then left. Liliana felt a strange emotion and continued to watch the woman until she disappeared.

“…She looks like a child in front of her first love.”

Did she ever have such innocent memories? She had seduced and played with many men, but she had never loved anyone, not even once.

“Well, I’m a succubus. A creature that feeds on humans. I don’t need love or affection.”

Liliana closed the door with a cold gaze. Then she collapsed onto the bed and shut her eyes. …For some reason, she no longer felt like going out.