Chapter 29

6 THE CAFETERIA A room was prepared for Bash in the royal palace of the succubi. This was partly because succubi have little concept of the differences between the male and female gender, and partly for crime prevention purposes. In this land, being alone in a room, for a man, was like a green flag saying, “Go ahead and eat me.” So the room was kept guarded, and three succubus soldiers were currently standing sentry in front of the room and outside the window. “So that’s about what happened.” In that room, Bash was telling Zell about the events leading up to that point. “I see, a water spirit, eh…?” Zell nodded with a knowing look on their fairy face and then looked at Ludo and Luca. “Are you two friends with water spirits?” Ludo and Luca looked confused. “Water spirits…?” “No, neither me nor Luca have ever heard a spirit speak, much less seen one.” “Well, maybe it’s because your mother Rularula was loved by the spirits.” That was Bash’s suggestion, but Luca looked dubious. “It could be… Mom was an ogre, but she was very skilled with ice magic… Still, the spirits only attach to particular persons, I hear.” “Well, spirits are fickle, ya know? I often get tangled up with wind spirits, too… They usually just ask for favors or give irrelevant lectures, but they sometimes come in handy in a pinch… Ah, you know, maybe they get a kick out of helping random people? Who knows, they might even help out a couple of kids they don’t know, if the fancy took them!” Zell’s conjecture was convincing. A mere whim, then. As unpredictable as a natural disaster. In general, folks are pleased to receive something if it’s given on a whim, but then you can’t exactly complain if it’s withdrawn. “So, what are you all going to do now?” “It’s pouring outside the barrier that surrounds this land. I wouldn’t mind if it was just you and I, but bringing these two with us will be rough going. We have no choice but to stay in this country until the rain stops.” “Right, even the almighty boss slipped and fell into a river out in all that…” Ludo’s lips tightened at those words. “Darn it. I finally managed to catch up with her… Only to let her get away.” “She has not only lost her griffin, but she is now out there in that deluge. She can’t go fast on human legs. Let us assume she is similarly stranded.” “Yes, yes, of course you’re right, Master!” Humans tend to move slowly during bad weather. During the war, of all the twelve races, humans were the most susceptible to the terrain and the elements. They don’t have special characteristics that let them take advantage of certain conditions like the lizardmen do. And their weaknesses are multiple. “Then please train me as much as you can in the meantime! I want to become stronger! I just… I get this feeling that I can’t go letting the water spirits down!” “Right.” Personally, Bash would rather have left immediately. Wizardry was looming large on the horizon. So he’d gotten a letter from the demon general. But this time, too, there were no guarantees. Bash was always impatient. Still, the things Curly Kale had said had sparked Bash’s interest in this country a little. “Hey, Boss, ’sup? Why so antsy?” “Hmm, what the Queen said earlier, about showing me around the country… I’m a little curious.” “Oh yes! Well, the succubi are known for their stunning womenfolk! And you as an orc, Boss, you must be inspired by seeing such beauties! It’s rather a shame. The succubi seem to esteem you so highly, Boss. If only they could have orc babies. You’d be able to find a wife here in a jiffy in that case.” “Hmm…” Bash nodded in agreement, but even if succubi could give birth to orc pups, there was still no way Bash would ever propose to one. Becoming a wizard was something to be avoided at all costs. And there was another reason why Bash was feeling on edge. The succubi’s so-called cafeteria. In other words, a place much akin to an orc breeding ground. A place where men and women copulate day and night. The difference is that for a succubus, this is like eating a meal. Producing children is not a concern. In other words, it’s not like regular intercourse. Still, the act itself is basically identical. Bash was an orc, but he had actually never seriously observed the mating act being conducted by others. During the war, he was much too busy battling, and after the war, he steered clear of the breeding grounds. And of course he had never known the embrace of a woman himself. In his novice warrior days, he’d seen warrior chiefs raping women from a distance on several occasions. If Bash had visited the orc breeding grounds, he’d have been able to see what kind of sex modern orcs were having. But if he went there, no doubt he would be called upon to provide an example. And that would have been Bash’s final day on the planet. But in succubus country, that wouldn’t happen. The succubi seemed opposed to the idea of charming Bash on principle, so basically watching the copulation would be perfectly safe for him. It seemed very vital for Bash to observe this act. By watching the succubus feasting, he’d be able to avoid making embarrassing blunders when it came to losing his own virginity. That was why Bash was so on edge. Succubus aren’t like orcs, but he had heard the succubus mating act was very violent, with the male almost being sucked dry. It would definitely be a learning experience. “A wife?” Luca piped up. “Um, Lord Bash, are you, uh, seeking a wife? Like ogres and demons do? Because I heard that orcs, like, share one woman and…” Those who don’t know much about orcs often ask these questions. Of course Zell jumped in with the answer. “But of course, an Orc Hero is permitted to have a woman of his very own! Still, with the current situation in the orc country, finding a wife who would satisfy the boss’s standards is almost impossible… Which is why the boss has set out on a quest to find a wife of his own!” “Um… What standards are those?” “Well, he is an orc, after all, so the right wife would need to be able to birth young! Which is why succubi are a no-go. And lizardmen, now, they don’t suit the boss’s preferences, so they’re out. The boss has high standards, so an elf or human would be best. Maybe a beastkin. The dwarves don’t fit the boss’s aesthetic preferences, but one mixed with human blood might do! The thing is, though, the boss is a man of very high standing, so his wife must be up to snuff. And personally, I’d rather not see the boss with some random lass from some Podunk village! Yes, she’s got to be of high standing…like a female knight or a chieftain’s daughter, something like that!” “Mixed blood… Well, what about ogres, then?” “Ogres! Boss, what say you?” The first thing Bash thought of was Ludo’s and Luca’s mother, Rularula. Male ogres have huge bodies that are much larger than those of orcs, with rocklike skin. However, the women are closer to humans or demons, and although they are somewhat muscular, they are still quite beautiful to behold. “Not bad, but… I doubt they’d go for someone like me.” “That’s right. Basically, demons and ogres are like succubi. They tend to look down on orcs, so even if the boss took a fancy to one, I’m not sure he could get one…” “Still, if I was able to choose one of those races as my wife, I’d be able to make a triumphant return.” Bash’s statement made Luca mutter “triumphant…,” and after that, she seemed lost in thought. After that, Zell continued to wax lyrical about Bash and all his qualities, but Luca remained silent, and the conversation was one-sided. Despite Zell’s chattering serving as a kind of BGM, the general assembly was mute. Knock, knock. A knock at the door of the room. “I apologize for disturbing your rest! Lieutenant Venus here!” “Enter.” “Entering now!” Then a succubus entered the room. A childlike woman with pink hair tied back in a braid. Though it was hidden behind her thick glasses and baggy military uniform, all present could tell that she had a voluptuous body. Ludo, seeming to realize this, pressed his knees together. “I, Venus, have been entrusted with the role of showing you all around town!” Her voice was sweet but high-pitched and tense. Bash appreciated her respectful and compassionate attitude toward him. If she weren’t a succubus, it’s a safe bet to guess he would have proposed to her that very same day. “Shall we leave now, or would you like to rest a little longer?” “We’ve been waiting. Let’s go right away.” “Yes, sir!” She nodded crisply, as if she’d been expecting this answer. Bash and his friends were brought to a huge building. A rectangular building that seemed to be about the same size as the royal palace, or perhaps even larger. There were several sentries standing around the building, giving the appearance of a robust security system. “This is the succubus country’s cafeteria.” “It’s pretty big.” “During the war, we’d finish our meals entirely, but after the war, it became necessary to preserve food for as long as possible. We built this kind of building so the fodder could live without any inconvenience.” As Venus approached the building, explaining away, one of the sentries stepped forward with a look of wonder on their face. “Lieutenant Venus, is that man you’ve got some extra food?! What a fine figure of an orc. He alone could feed fifty people a day.” “No! The notice should have already been sent!” “What? You mean he’s an inspect…? I mean, er, on a tour?! Is he, you know…?” “Yes, it is Lord Bash. So don’t go looking at him like that.” “B-but—” The sentry looked at Bash and gulped. Their eyes were bloodshot, their long tongue licked their lips, and their arms and wings moved rapidly. “If you’d like to go up against me, then fine, but… Don’t you value your life?” Venus’s tone was very different from the one she used when speaking to Bash. Her tone showed a confidence in her fighting skills, and her determination to suppress this small insurrection was palpable. The succubi who survived the evacuation battle of the Rina Desert were different from the common soldiers. They were true elites who had overcome almost certain death. This was someone you should not pick a fight with. “Excuse me!” The sentry seemed to shrink and removed their gaze from Bash with some difficulty, like peeling off rawhide. Venus turned to Bash and bowed her head, looking somber. “I apologize for such an unpleasant scene. Let’s go.” “Right.” After that exchange, they entered the building. “…It looks very clean in here.” The interior of the building was bright, and the walls and floors were polished to a shine. It was comparable to the royal palace that Bash had just visited, and in fact, it looked like it was made with more luxurious building materials than were used in the royal palace. It also looked like it was kept meticulously clean. “The fodder said they preferred to live like this.” “Indeed?” “Yes. At first it was more of a hovel, lots of drafts, but we listened to the requests of the fodder.” “Hmm…” Bash thought of the orc breeding grounds. Humans and elves have weak bodies, so relatively soft beds were provided. But with orcs flocking there day and night, you couldn’t really describe it as clean. Of course, Bash had never been inside, so what did he know…? But come to think about it, before setting out on his quest, Bash had heard that some of the breeding slaves were starting to sicken and die. “I think it would be a good idea for the orcs to prepare buildings like this for their breeding slaves as well.” “Well, I don’t know what it’s like to be an orc breeding slave, but the fodder here has been able to live much longer since this building was built. It takes a lot of physical energy to be succubus fodder, so sometimes they do still get sick and die…” Venus ascended the stairs as she spoke. Up on the second floor, they came out on a balcony with a view of a big hall below. Lots of succubi were in the hall. It was like most of the succubi in the country were here. All of them were wearing light clothing, typical of the succubi, and their body shapes were clearly visible. The sight of bountiful breasts and butts was pleasing to Bash, but most of the succubi were a bit scrawny, with only their eyes shining brightly. “They all look skinny.” “Due to food shortages… Some have not had a meal in the past month.” “Can’t you eat other races’ food?” “We can supplement, but if we don’t have food from male bodies, we will eventually perish.” Venus spoke with a rueful look on her face as she walked along the balcony and climbed the stairs to the third floor. Several of the succubi looked up, noticed Bash, and started drooling. But Bash paid them no heed and headed off after Venus. They were led to a room. A succubus clad in a military uniform stood there. There was a large glass panel in the floor, with magical patterns engraved around the edges, emitting light. “Lieutenant Venus here. As you were informed earlier, the Orc Hero, Lord Bash, is here to view the facilities! Go about your business as usual.” “Yes, ma’am!” The succubus stared at Bash with wide eyes but quickly returned her gaze to the glass on the floor. “From here, we can view the feeding act. It’s one-way glass, so no need to worry.” “Why is this necessary?” “Some people suck up too much sustenance from their meals and end up killing the fodder, so this is a countermeasure.” “You people can’t control yourselves?” “It’s instinctual to feed to completion. It could happen to anyone. So we need to have people standing by to intervene.” “Right.” For all species, predation is the act of taking the life of another. However, a succubus can consume their prey without killing them. Just like humans milk cows, they drain the essence out of men. The difference from livestock, though, is that if they drain too much, the man will die easily. This wasn’t wartime. It wasn’t the time to kill humans indiscriminately. There was no more livestock. If they killed off their food source, the succubi would die, too. No doubt the succubi managed their food with the utmost care. However… “Good. The ‘food’ looks healthy today as well.” The person under the glass appeared to be a human male. Completely naked, of course. (But is it human…?) In appearance, it was different from any human that Bash had seen before. If its skin wasn’t milky white, it might have looked more like a fat orc than like a human. No, not even orcs were that fat. Bash had to wonder if it was something like the magic beasts known as trolls you encountered in the North Forest. Trolls are creatures that stand on two legs, but most of their bodies are made of fat, and because they eat everything, their mouths are always dirty and emit a foul odor that would make even an orc screw up its face in disgust. The human in the room below looked like that. “They get plenty of food and sleep. As you can see, they are fat and healthy.” The “food” seemed to be sluggish as it lumbered over to the table set up in the room. Then it set about eating all the food on the table. After it was done eating, it lay down on the bed in the center of the room and dozed off. The way he was lying on his back looked strange to Bash. Although its body was white, its face was mottled red and black, with dark circles under its eyes. Its breathing was labored, as if it was tired or out of breath. (It is healthy, I suppose…?) During the war, the weightier individuals were the ones who lived healthy, longer lives. On the other hand, skinny folk tended to live less long. Being thin meant getting sick more easily and having trouble healing injuries. Skinny folk had less physical strength than larger people, so they were more likely to die in battle. So even Bash thought fatness was a sign of good health. Even though the man below them didn’t look quite right. In fact, there was a whiff of death about him. “Ah, it’s almost time for the meal.” Then Bash noticed someone entering the room. “…!” She was an extremely attractive woman. She wore skimpy clothing that revealed a lot of skin, typical of a succubus, and had long, wavy hair. Big breasts and a big butt. Any man would itch to throw her down and leave his offspring inside her. Bash looked at the man. This was the vital moment. How would this man make love to this beautiful woman? Being succubus food meant making love to women every day. And many of them in a day. No doubt the man would be very experienced. Bash was here to observe, and hopefully, to learn. “Thanks in advance for the meal.” “Yep.” The meal was over in the space of a few minutes. The man lay there like a corpse while the succubus had her way with him. The man’s expression didn’t even change. Even though Bash’s eyes bulged from their sockets when the succubus took off her clothes, the man didn’t even glance at her. Just stared blankly at the ceiling. Before Bash could even wonder why the man wasn’t doing anything, the succubus had finished her business, and it was all over. The succubus seemed to get very excited during the act, and Bash, observing, became very excited, too. But the man lying down didn’t seem excited at all. He remained motionless until the end, his face completely blank. “…The man did not move.” “Yes, some were more proactive at first, but after a month, they all end up like that. After all, being devoured is hard work, so we can hardly blame them, in my opinion.” “The succubus didn’t use her charm, either.” “Well, why should she? It’s hardly necessary.” “I see.” “Anyway, it is a disrespectful act to charm someone. It is out of the question for us to act disrespectfully toward the food who so kindly provide meals to us.” Venus returned her gaze to the glass floor. Inside the room, a second succubus had just entered and was walking toward the food. Bash watched intently again, but again, the man did not move, and the succubus was quickly done sucking up his seed. To be honest, Bash was disappointed. Still, it made sense when you thought about it. The men hadn’t come here of their own volition. Like at the orc breeding grounds, where the women certainly didn’t want to give birth to orc children. There was no way anyone would actively opt to engage in such rough, repeated mating with succubi. “As you can see, the food workers are spending their days comfortably. What do you think?” “Hmm…” But Bash had not seen what he’d wanted to see. “Is there something amiss?” “No, nothing in particular.” “Of course, we will continue to do everything we can! For example… Huh?” Venus frowned. There was something strange happening under the glass in the room. The succubus who had come in to replace the second one, and who had been engaged in her meal, was looking flustered for some reason. On closer inspection, the man could be seen lying on his back, the whites of his eyes showing, foaming at the mouth, and convulsing. “What happened?! Did she suck too much?!” Venus immediately asked the succubus who was standing nearby. “No, she’s only on her first mouthful. He has not even met his daily quota yet… Perhaps he is sick…” But the succubus didn’t seem too sure about what was happening. “There’s no ‘perhaps’ about it! Come with me, quickly!” “Y-yes, ma’am!” Then Venus rushed from the room. Looking through the floor, Bash watched as Venus burst into the room below and began to cast some sort of spell on the convulsing man. No doubt it was recovery magic of some sort. But Bash knew it was too late. The man was definitely about to die. As Bash looked back on it, the man had had a whiff of death about him from the start. “What’s wrong, Boss?” “Maybe someone poisoned him.” “Ah yes, it looks like a death by poison.” Orcs rarely die from poisoning. Orcs have powerful stomachs that can digest most poisons. But Bash had seen enemies killed by poison during the war. Their eyes rolled to the backs of the heads, they began seizing, and then they passed away in agony. “Will your fairy dust cure it?” “Not sure, Boss, but it’s worth a try! Let’s go!” “Right.” Then Zell zoomed downstairs in the direction Venus had gone. In the end, the man was saved from the brink of death by Zell’s fairy dust. The slave had been taken to the facility’s sick bay and was now being monitored. Bash and his friends were taken to a separate room by the security succubus on duty. There, they were invited to sit on a soft sofa that resembled a bed, and a succubus introducing herself as the director of the facility came to bow her head low before them. “What you saw was regrettable. But please, be reassured. Our fodder is well-nourished, and I can assure you, nothing like this will ever happen again.” The succubus, who introduced herself as Nion, was pure eye candy for Bash. Though she wore the same baggy military uniform as Venus and the others, it was surprisingly clear to see that she had a bodacious chest and prominent buttocks. When she walked, sat, lowered her head… The slightest movement sent her assets jiggling. But Bash had an inkling about this succubus, just from her name. Nion the Suffocator. The pink mist she emitted was so thick that it deprived her opponent of oxygen and slowed their movements. Bash didn’t know her personally, but he’d spotted her once on the battlefield. Back then, Bash wasn’t famous yet, and Nion had looked at him and snorted at him and said, “What gives you the right to stare at me, you dirty orc?” No doubt Nion did not remember this… It was very awkward for Bash to have such a person bowing her head to the ground in front of him now. “There’s no need to apologize to me…” So Bash kept saying, but Nion kept her head bowed low. She just kept repeating things like, “If you could find it in your heart to…” and “With your eminent grace…” Zell kept interjecting with stuff like, “You oughtta be sorry!” and “If it weren’t for us, that could have been a total disaster!” but Bash had no idea what to say. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for Nion to straighten up, but she showed no signs of doing so, and eventually he let his gaze wander. Then he made eye contact with Ludo and Luca, who were seated opposite. “Um, Mr. Bash?” “Yeah?” “I know what this person’s saying and all, but good food provisions doesn’t guarantee this won’t happen again.” At those words, Nion’s head snapped up. Her face registered anger and resentment, with an aura of Who gave you permission to weigh in? “Oh, indeed? I heard you were Lord Bash’s apprentice, young man, but it appears you haven’t learned not to speak out of turn?” “No, I haven’t learned that.” Nor had Bash taught that. “So then, I would like you to explain to me why you think the same thing will happen again?” One wrong word and I’ll kill you. That was what her eyes were saying. Anyone who knew her on the battlefield would have shut up at that moment. But Ludo was unaware of the danger signs. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and began laying it out. “Something similar happened in the ogre land. After the war, we realized fighting among ourselves wasn’t any fun, so the people cast aside their swords and began doing whatever they wanted all day. They started living free lives… Just eating, sleeping, mating with women, drinking booze… We ogres weren’t raked over the coals as much as the demons and succubi were, so we didn’t have to worry about food.” “Hmm? Well, that’s an enviable tale, isn’t it? I’d certainly like to live that sort of lifestyle, too.” “But then, about two years ago, when everyone was getting drunk at a festival, I saw someone crash to the ground and die right on the spot. I was standing nearby, so I saw it… How creepy the corpse looked. All swollen up, like someone drowned. People started whispering that they’d been cursed. But if you looked closer, you’d see that some of the general population had a similar look about them. And to hear them talk, they were all getting tired more easily those days. Falling asleep everywhere, with knees creaking and aching… I thought it really must be a curse.” “…So did you find who cursed them?” Now Nion was seated on the sofa, arms on the armrest, upper body contorted in a lugubriously sexy pose, gazing at Ludo with intense eyes. Her murderous intent was even more palpable than before, and now even Ludo had to notice it. He averted his eyes from her. Or maybe he was distracted by the mass of bosomy flesh that was resting on the table in front of her. “N-no… In the end, it was chalked up to lack of physical training, and the clan chief cried out, ‘You’ve all gotten soft!’ and after that, things got a bit…” “Hmph!” Nion snorted, and a faintly sweet scent emanated from her. Bash and Ludo snapped their knees together in unison. “A little training wouldn’t cure sickness like that! Pfft, you ogres. Even your brains are made of brawny muscle.” “B-but, up to the point I left the country, there were no more deaths like that.” “Then the person who died was simply sick, right?” Nion released a sigh, crossing her legs, resting her elbows on her knees, and propping up her chin with her hands. The sight of the verdant mound visible between her crossed legs had Bash’s and Ludo’s gazes transfixed. Then Nion averted her eyes… And looked again at Bash. She paused for a few moments, then snapped upright in her seat with another of those almost audible cracks. “My apologies! The young boy piped up, and I just…” “It matters not. I can see that you are a proud warrior, not one to take the interjections of pups well.” “Oh, uh, I see… I’m honored that you think so.” “But judging by your attitude, that manner of dying isn’t something new, is it?” “…No, it’s not.” Nion began talking with some resignation. For the first year, the succubi didn’t know how to properly handle food, and they ended up either sucking too much from the fodder, or else allowing them to die from lack of nutrition. Over the next two years, they worked hard to ensure a stable supply of fodder and to create a comfortable environment to foster this. But as a result, the fodder began to gain weight, stopped complaining, and began taking on more “hungry customers” in a day than ever before. But this year, they had noticed that some of the fodder subjects were starting to grow pale. The succubi thought that the daily meals might be sapping the fodder’s physical strength a bit too much, so they tried to come up with ways for meals to be completed without the fodder having to do much or move around much, to conserve strength, but it didn’t seem to help. The fodder subjects started looking sicker and sicker, and deaths much like the one seen today were beginning to occur one after another. It was like the outbreak of some sort of plague, but the succubi weren’t affected. And though they tried to give the men a break from being meals as much as possible, starvation was imminent, and each still had to provide a certain number of succubi with meals per day. They were all out of ideas, and in dire straits, to be sure. “If only we could get more food, then the subjects could get more of a rest…” Sneaking a quick peek at Bash, her intention was clearly to say: “We need more numbers, if we are to overcome the current situation.” But of course, Bash had no idea what she was driving at. “If we can’t expect reinforcements, we’ll have no choice but to do something with the strength we currently have.” “…Yes, I see.” “Orcs know nothing of diseases. We don’t suffer from them. But ogres have experience of overcoming stuff like this. Why don’t you give it a try? It might help.” “Hmm, perhaps…? But if it really is a curse, then that would have no effect, would it?” “Hmm…” Then Zell, who’d been striking a menacing pose on the table and only nodding and tutting here and there, turned to Bash. “But my fairy dust has no effect on curses, Boss. Since it worked, it must mean that the afflicted suffered from either some sickness or injury.” So then…? But just as everyone in the room tilted their heads in thought, there came a knock at the door. Venus entered, back from a patrol of the facility with the guards. “Facility Director Nion, the others who were taken sick… Ahem, I mean those few who’ve been under the weather lately were given a sprinkle of fairy dust, or an infusion of the same, and there has been a dramatic improvement in them all.” “Tell me more, in detail?” “Right. Well, first, their complexions have improved. The overwhelming sense of fatigue has been said to have lifted. The achy knees and hips are better, and their vision has cleared. Some even said they feel right back to their usual selves. And they’re raring to get back to food service right away, they said.” “Indeed! And then?” “I and the other staff members had a taste, and indeed, the subjects seem as fresh as they did when they first came to the cafeteria.” On close inspection, Venus’s face was glowing. No doubt she’d just been enjoying a light session. “…I see… But if a light sprinkle of fairy dust was enough to lift the symptoms, then there is every chance the disease may return…” Nion looked conflicted, then nodded briskly as if she’d just made up her mind about something. “I doubt it’s going to work, but since we still don’t know the root cause, I wonder if it’s worth trying out the ogre boy’s plan…” A last resort, yes, but with no other options, it was worth a try. That seemed to be Nion’s decision as she turned now to Bash. “Lord Bash, we would all appreciate it if you would stay a while longer so as to properly gauge the results…”