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 24.2

Mimi’s focus wavered for a split second.

“Alright, that’s the end.”

“Wait—!”

The man’s sword swung down. Mimi, reacting too late, couldn’t dodge it.

“…You’ll pay for the crime of touching me so casually.”

But just before the sword reached Mimi, Liliana, who was thought to be unconscious, once again activated her light magic.

“Lumina!!”

“I told you, that won’t work…!”

Mimi was no longer where the man thought he struck. A mere afterimage? No, that’s not it. What seemed like a reckless charge was actually a spell to create a clone of herself. That whole sequence of movements, appearing to rush blindly, was just a bluff.

The man let his guard down for just a moment. And Mimi didn’t miss that chance.

“Ignis!!”

“…!”

The flaming arrow pierced the man’s shoulder. He shifted his body at the last second, avoiding a vital hit, but his dominant arm was now crippled. Even this skilled man couldn’t move the same way as before.

“Liliana-sama! Now, to the ship!”

“I know!”

The two ran, leaving the man behind. They didn’t know when reinforcements, alerted by the commotion, might arrive. There wasn’t much time before the ship would leave. They ran with all their might…but then the man said,

“Ow, ow…It’s been a while since I was in the field; this really takes a toll.”

“What—?”

The man was unharmed. The attack had definitely hit him. Yet, aside from some light scorching on his uniform, he didn’t appear to be wounded.

“Humans…they’re monsters, aren’t they…?”

Wasting any more time would mean missing the departure. If they were caught here, execution was inevitable. No matter how hard Liliana tried, escape would become impossible.

The man smiled.

“Calling us monsters is a bit harsh. You demons are the ones who turned us into this. Humans grow stronger the more formidable their opponents are…Though, honestly, I didn’t want to end up like this.”

The man closed in on the two of them. The difference in power was obvious. There was no hope of defeating him head-on, nor would any surprise attacks work. Their chances of winning were zero.

“…Liliana-sama. Leave this to me and escape alone,” Mimi whispered, quickly grasping the situation.

“…What are you talking about, Mimi? Are you telling me to use you as a decoy?”

“I’m telling you to leave behind what must be protected…Don’t worry. I can fly, remember? I’ll defeat him and catch up with you. So please, hurry to the ship!”

With a determined resolve, Mimi cast her magic at the man.

“Too bad. That kind of tear-jerking drama only works in stories.”

“…!”

The man easily deflected Mimi’s magic. Then, as if swatting away a fly, he struck her, sending her crashing to the ground.

“Mimi!”

“L-Liliana-sama…Please…run…”

“I told you, you’re not escaping. Sorry, but I have a job to do too.”

“…!”

The man’s fist once again struck Liliana in the stomach. No matter how strong she was, in this situation, she couldn’t escape. Even her trump cards wouldn’t work against a man who never let his guard down.

“…Asbel.”

In this dire situation, for some reason, his name escaped her lips.

There was no chance of escape now. Asbel, who was still holding off the majority of the knights, wouldn’t be able to make it here. Mimi seemed to be using healing magic, but she was far from fully recovered.

And Liliana herself, beaten and exhausted from repeatedly using unfamiliar magic, could barely move her body.

“…In the end, I can’t escape.”

She hated suffering.

She hated pain.

She hated being trapped, hated being bound by someone else. That’s why she wanted a place where she could live freely. Not in the ideal world someone else wished for, but a world where she could live according to her own desires, even if it meant getting her hands dirty.

People would laugh at her for being selfish. Some would sneer and call her self-centered. She’d been mocked before, told she was just a woman who only knew how to seduce men.

But still, she kept fighting. She aimed for a world that was fun, bright, and where she could spread her wings freely.

“…No. I don’t want to end like this.”

But if this was the cost of her freedom, Liliana couldn’t reject it. No matter how abrupt or dull it was, it was the consequence of her own actions.

“…I see. So this is my final destination.”

She was a succubus. She didn’t pray to any gods. She had lived by deceiving humans and all other living beings to get this far. It wasn’t in her nature to conveniently rely on someone now. No, as Asbel would say, that wouldn’t be right.

“I’ve lived my life my own way. So…I have no regrets. Fine, take me away. But, let that pixie and the man still fighting be spared. Both of them…I was controlling them.”

“Unfortunately, that won’t be possible. It wouldn’t even be a joke if I let myself fall under a succubus’ influence. All of you will be taken into custody.”

“No! You can do whatever you want to me! So—”

Liliana’s voice trembled as she screamed. But the man cut her off. Without changing his usual expression, he said,

“—You seem quite down.”

As if to protect Liliana, a man appeared before her.

“…! Why, why are you…here…?”

Tears welled up in Liliana’s eyes. The man—Asbel—gently placed his hand on her head, uncharacteristically offering comfort.

“…What do you want?”

The blue-haired man asked. Asbel answered,

“I am the knight tasked with guarding and watching over that woman, Lily, until this journey ends…That’s why I’ve come to protect her.”

With a slight tinge of anger in his voice, Asbel, for the first time on this journey, drew his sword.