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 32

“I broke my necklace, so I came to look for a new one…Will you accompany me, Asbel?”

The girl who appeared was someone who should not be here at all. The succubus, who had finally returned to her country after much struggle, was now wearing her usual silly smile as she looked at Asbel.

“A…a demon attack!!”

Suddenly, a succubus descended from the sky. Unlike when she was active in the human kingdom, her fearsome horns and large wings were now visible. The crowd was unsettled as they saw her true form without the magic of disguise.

Some people ran away. Some panicked. Others were entranced by her beauty. The commotion spread instantly, and the knights who were watching over Asbel drew their swords and rushed forward.

“It’s really a foolish girl to show up here so casually. Capture her, and I’ll behead both of them!”

“Don’t let your guard down! The people guarding the border were wiped out by those two! Don’t think about anything else; capture them with the intent to kill!!”

The knights closed in on Liliana. She had no real combat ability, so she could not stop them. At this rate, both Asbel and Liliana would be executed.

“Damn it! What the hell are you…!”

Faced with this situation, Asbel forcefully broke his shackles and knocked away the approaching knight.

“Ugh…! What is this power? A, a monster…!”

“Don’t hesitate! If we surround them with numbers, we can manage it…Damn it, this is what happens when a kid who knows nothing about war acts up!”

No one could stop Asbel as he rampaged. With each passing moment, the chaos grew, and reinforcements from the knights rushed in.

“…! Clear the way! Ugh…If this continues, they will escape!!”

However, the gathered crowd prevented anyone from getting close to the guillotine. In that moment, Asbel knocked away the executioner and the knights, leaving only himself and Liliana near the guillotine.

“Ugh, damn it!”

As if venting his frustration, Asbel kicked the guillotine. A symbol of judgment that had beheaded criminals for over a hundred years easily broke.

“Why did you come back?! Don’t you understand your situation!!”

Asbel, unusually emotional, glared at Liliana.

“Why? I already told you. The necklace I got from that old lady. I liked it, but it broke. So I came to look for a new one—”

“Don’t joke around!”

Cutting off Liliana’s words, Asbel shouted.

“The last time, we escaped by chance! This time, I can’t guarantee we will escape conveniently! The situation is different from before! You always act thoughtlessly and do foolish things—”

“Shut up!”

As if she could no longer hold back, Liliana shouted this time.

“The fool here is you! You can easily break your shackles! You can easily defeat the guards! You can still live freely! And yet…and yet, why! Why are you giving up and trying to die on your own! Are you stupid?!”

“That is…if I escape here, many people will be inconvenienced. In my place…someone else might be executed. That is…that goes against my belief in what is right.”

“So you’re going to give up and die? You really are stupid. You have so many things you can do and want to do, yet you give up everything with a wise face…Is that your idea of what is right? What does that even mean!!”

“No! I—”

“You’re wrong! You are just a coward! What are you talking about, being the Iron Face or Iron Demon! You’re just running away from living!!”

“—”

Asbel took a step back in shock.

Looking closely, he noticed that Liliana’s body was covered in many cuts. Her complexion was not good, and both her clothes and body were dirty. Liliana must have overcome many hardships to come this far.

…For what purpose?

Asbel clenched his fists, as if to endure the pain. He could not turn away from the meaning of it all; he could not be so insensitive and foolish.

Asbel took a deep breath to calm his thoughts and looked straight at Liliana.

“Run, Lili. I’ll handle this situation. So you go back to the country.”

“…You still say that to me—”

“No, that’s not it. I just don’t have…anything.”

Asbel lowered his gaze. He remembered the encounter with the noble the other day.

“I am not a man worth saving by you. The truth is, the man Asbel Khan died a long time ago…”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Liliana frowned, not understanding the meaning. Asbel continued calmly.

“I mean it literally. I am…I am an experiment secretly created by a certain noble to oppose demons. I am neither human nor demon…just a doll.”

“—Is that true?”

“What would I gain from lying like this?”

Asbel laughed self-deprecatingly.

The truth of the man named Asbel Khan. He was an artificially created human made from a corpse to fight against demons.

The research progressed during the war with demons, but then they were attacked by demons, and the entire research facility was burned down. All the nobles leading the research and the people involved were killed.

…Except for one exception.

“I am the remnant of a cruel experiment. Just a doll that mimics a human. I am an empty being residing in the flesh of Asbel Khan.”

Asbel twisted his mouth as if to hide something.

“The reason I cling to my sense of righteousness is that I was programmed to obey my master’s commands, and thus I have…no heart. I can’t smile like you. I can’t live like you. If I were to escape now, it would only be to live at the cost of someone else…”

“That doesn’t matter!”

Having been told a truth that shook Asbel to his core, Liliana remained unwavering.

“I don’t care what your true identity is! My feelings for you won’t change!”

“But I—”

“That’s why it doesn’t matter! If you can’t smile, then I’ll smile for you! If you can’t get angry, then I’ll get angry for you! Even if you’re just a doll, I’ll…I’ll stay by your side!!”

Liliana reached out to Asbel. She had no interest in the feelings or circumstances of others; she was simply a girl who pursued the path she believed in. The witch of the fallen country. The succubus among succubi. Liliana Liche Riden.

Before her, no despair held any meaning.

“Come with me, Asbel. If you don’t have a heart, then I’ll be your heart. I’ll be by your side more than anyone else and be as happy as I can for you. So…so! Come with me!”

Seeing Liliana earnestly express her feelings, Asbel squinted his eyes as if he were about to cry.

He realized it was all a lie. He thought there was no longer any meaning to live on, and he closed his eyes. Yet, in this world, there was a girl like this. A girl who could turn a mere doll into a human was now right in front of him.

He didn’t think all his past ways of living were wrong. Even if the beginning was a lie, the righteousness he believed in was surely there…But at the same time, he had been searching all along. Deep inside his chest, he believed there had to be something that could be called a heart.

“…No wonder it couldn’t be found.”

The heart he had been searching for was not in his chest but at the end of the hand he reached out. If this dazzling, sun-like girl said she would be his heart, then maybe he could live a little longer.

If that meant causing someone trouble, then he could take up his sword at that moment. That is surely what it means to fight to live.

“…I can’t win.”

Asbel smiled with a look of resignation and, for the first time in his life, reached out for himself.