Chapter 39

14 EPILOGUE A few days had passed since Bash left, and the land of the succubi was wrapped in a somber atmosphere. The long rains had finally ceased. Now all that remained was the rubble from the riot, the mud-stained pride of the succubi, and their destroyed Sacred Place. The Sacred Place had been of great importance to the succubi. Since time immemorial, they had been taught to protect this place, and thus they had always done so. Many succubi saw it as a holy monument, though its true purpose had not been passed down in history. That part was lost. The succubi are a shortsighted race. Over a few decades, no doubt, they’d completely forgotten. But most of the succubi now wore the same expressions they’d worn since the war had ended in failure and they’d had to accept peace at any cost. In particular, the succubus Queen, Curly Kale, was suffering a deep state of depression. I lost what the succubi had protected for years. Because of her careless instructions, she’d lost subordinates who’d been by her side for many years. She felt the weight of self-blame, and it was leading to wrinkles. “Hah…” Since the war was over, she’d let her guard down. She’d been too careless. Perhaps a part of her had felt they couldn’t possibly sink any lower. But that was not true. She knew it, did she not? Defeat brings defeat. The pain and reality of their failure meant they had to pull themselves together now, once and for all. The details of why the Sacred Place was destroyed were unknown. According to reports from a scouting team she’d sent after the original team was late returning, there was evidence that the person who’d killed the succubus guards and destroyed the Sacred Place had fought against Bash. The result of that battle was…unknown. But the only bodies scattered around were the bodies of succubi. No corpse of Bash or of the criminal was found. Therefore, it appeared likely that Bash had smashed his enemy, defiled them, then either cast them aside or dragged them away with him. Normally, the succubi would have wanted the head of the defiler of the Sacred Place to be handed over to them, but the orcish habit was to drag away the women they defeated. So it couldn’t be helped. In fact, Curly Kale was filled with a sense of gratitude. If the criminal had been allowed to run unchecked, things would have ended up much worse. (Even despite what Lord Bash said before we parted, he still defeated the criminal who attacked the Sacred Place for us…) Just from the optics of it all, you could draw the conclusion that Bash and the criminal had been in cahoots. But Curly Kale was not so weaselly a person as to jump to such false accusations. Even if that were the case, it would be an appropriate response from Bash, who had been almost devoured by succubi after being welcomed into their nation. They would have to forgive him. That aside, the current situation in the succubus nation after Bash left was…dire. Many young people had died. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that there was no damage to the food subjects due to the riots, and there was now even a little leeway in the food supply due to there being fewer hungry mouths to feed. But this was hardly a blessing. And there was no change to the fact that they desperately needed more food. “Your Majesty, a messenger requests an audience.” Nio, a close aide to the Queen, arrived then with a report. “A messenger? At a time like this? If it’s some trivial matter, I shall devour them for this!” Curly Kale was venting. Defeat brings defeat. In the current situation, what good news could there possibly be? “Yikes. Should I just go home now?” A young man entered, speaking. Queen Curly Kale knew the man’s name. “His Highness Nazar Gainius Grandolius…?!” “I believe this is our first real meeting, succubus Queen Curly Kale.” Curly Kale had seen this man several times from a distance. The most famous of all humans. How many times during the war had she dreamed of capturing this man and sucking him to death, all the while listening to his cries? If this was wartime, the sight of such a delectable sitting duck wandering into her midst would make her bewitching eyes glow, and she would suck up Nazar’s essence until she was full to bursting with it, then send the saliva-soaked bones and skin of Nazar back to the human land. But things were different now. Curly Kale knew what would happen if she laid a hand on the human prince Nazar. So she settled for a show of indignation instead. “It’s a bit rude of you to barge in here unanticipated, is it not?” “My apologies. To tell the truth, I’m not even here in an official messenger capacity…” Arriving at a succubus’s chambers unannounced is like asking to be eaten. Still, this was Curly Kale. She wasn’t the type of woman to take the bait so easily. “Then what is it you want? If you want to talk, I’ll hear you out in the throne room, okay?” “This is what I wanted to discuss.” Nazar snapped his fingers. Then twenty men came into the room, one by one. Clearly, they’d been traveling for several days and hadn’t taken a bath, and the room was immediately filled with a strong male scent. Nio, the aide, smelled it, and in a fluster, yelped at Nazar. “Hey! What the heck are you thinking?! Barging into the succubus Queen’s chambers…” “Yes, that was rude of me. Hardly the proper manners to display to a queen. However…” “Rude?! It’s like throwing a fresh hog on the barbecue! We’re all doing our best to hold back here, can’t you see? Get out of here! Oh no, the drool is already…” Nio was a proud succubus, too. However, since the death of her beloved sister the other day, she’d lost her appetite, out of grief. Presenting a feast to the starving… It would incite a frenzy. “Ah, I see. Right, I apologize for this. However, that’s what I wanted to discuss.” Nazar did not understand the suffering of the succubi. But he began explaining things in his usual aloof way. “The other day, I heard from a certain someone that the succubi were currently suffering from a severe food shortage, so I came prepared with relief supplies.” “A certain person…?” “Yes, I won’t give up the name, but I was told it’s urgent. That’s why I rushed to recruit volunteers and came here right away.” Curly Kale thought instantly of one man. A man who, just the other day, came suddenly to the land of the succubi, to inspect the food situation… (Lord Bash, not only did you deal with that criminal attacker, but you even sent us food…?!) The timing obviously didn’t make sense; there hadn’t been enough time since Bash’s departure for him to inform Nazar and for Nazar to gather volunteers, but Curly Kale didn’t care about the fine details. Because she believed Bash had come to help them. And, well, Bash was surely fast. He could make it in time. It was Carrot who was to be pitied. “Thank you, human prince.” “It’s no big deal. During the war, we humans hated you succubi. And look how things turned out. Now the war’s over, we should at least join hands…” Nazar glanced out the window. Beyond was the cafeteria, the pride of the succubi. “However, I have heard rumors that the succubi are unable to accommodate their food in hospitality. I worried about bringing volunteers to such a place…” “But that’s…” A bead of cold sweat dripped down Curly Kale’s forehead. “So the other day, I had a spy acquaintance of mine come and secretly inspect it.” “…” She thought instantly of one man. The man who came to inspect the cafeteria but had ended up almost lunch for the succubi. She had no excuses to make. No doubt Bash’s report had been… Terrible. Now Nazar was here to handle the aftermath… Come to dangle food in front of them, then to declare, nope, you’re not worthy… And take it all away? Humans got a kick out of that sort of thing. If that was the case, he might even be planning to take away the food they already had. “…” Even so, considering the treatment Bash had received… There wasn’t a single excuse to be made. So Curly Kale simply gazed at Nazar in despair. She would have to bow her head low, like a human, and beg to at least be able to keep the food they already had. It would hurt her succubus pride, but as the final act of a failed queen… It would have to suffice. Curly Kale prepared herself to rise and… “In a word, wonderful.” “What?” Nazar’s words made her plop back into her chair. “The meals are lavish, the beds are warm, and the treatment is unbelievable for former death row criminals. I was worried there had been a little too much weight gain, but apparently, there’s plenty of opportunity for exercise. My spy even learned a clever method to help the sickness that’s been cropping up in the human country.” “Er, yeah. Of course. We’re the ones who would be in trouble if our precious food died, right?” “The succubi here all seem well-trained. I thought I might be attacked when I entered the country, so I brought an entourage with me, but it wasn’t necessary. I heard there’d been some kerfuffle in the past few days, but…in my eyes, succubi seem to be a very sensible race.” “Of course. We are proud succubi. We would never attack a guest.” Curly Kale grinned, wiping away the cold sweat that ran down her neck. Things had calmed down again now, but if the inspection report had been submitted before the riot… “Honestly, I was worried until I came here. As a man, I didn’t participate in any battles with succubi. All I know of them is what I’ve heard. People say you’re the female equivalent of orcs.” “…I see. Well, that’s not exactly wrong.” “But the other day, I also learned that orcs are a much prouder race than I imagined, so I decided to visit the succubi myself, and it’s turned out to be a very fulfilling experience.” “…” Normally, Curly Kale would have been incensed at being compared to orcs. But just the other day, they had all been saved by an Orc Hero, even after some of them had tried to eat him. There was no way she could bad-mouth orcs now. The current succubus race was clearly far below the orcs. “Even though we elite succubi have our pride, it’s not the same for the common people. You’re lucky, young man. If you’d been waylaid on the way here, you might have been sucked to death.” “That’s why I brought an entourage. We can handle some of your common people.” “I can’t see any bodyguards, though?” “I don’t parade them around; it could cause trouble. They’re masked, safely hidden nearby. If anything happens to me, they’ll come running, of course.” “Hmm.” Curly Kale nodded casually. In all the confusion, no reports had come in, but it seemed the man had come up with a way to keep himself protected. With that being the case, Curly Kale thought, looking at the men lined up behind Nazar. So based on the conversation, these men were… “So these men are the so-called relief supplies?” “Yes. These twenty men have volunteered to be succubus food.” “So you mean… We can eat them? Without hesitation?” “Yes, but they are volunteers, not death row criminals. Please promise to treat them accordingly.” “What do you mean ‘treat them accordingly’? You want me to give them special treatment?” Hearing those words, one of the twenty men stepped forward. A bald man with a scar on his face. At a glance, it was clear he’d survived the war. In addition, his facial features weren’t that good for a human’s. If Curly Kale had to rate his looks on a scale from one to ten, he’d get a one. The ugliest you could get. There were a few twos among the men’s number, but generally they were all similar in looks. Speaking from a succubus’s experience, this type of man tended to produce plenty of emissions. “I’m looking to take a succubus for my wife!” That sort of special treatment was not possible. Curly Kale shook her head, looking contrite. “Unfortunately, in our country, we do not do monogamous marriage like humans. What we’d like you to volunteer for is to…er, ‘serve’ around ten women a day… Also, please be aware…we succubi cannot have human babies.” “Wait, I misspoke! All I want to do is get it on with cute succubus chicks!” The mention of ten women a day had made the man start breathing heavily. His eyes even grew bloodshot. Curly Kale wasn’t sure why, but he looked excited for some reason. “So, they’re just here as basic food, right?” “Is that how it works? I’ve never been eaten by a succubus myself, so I’m not sure.” “Aren’t you being a bit rude there?” “I’m not being rude.” “Hmm.” Maybe humans liked this sort of thing. Curly Kale’s guess was that these men, these humans, who would volunteer to be food for other races… Well, maybe they weren’t normal. “Excuse me!” The next to step forward was a dismal-looking man. To be brutally frank, he stank. Even among this group of men who hadn’t bathed in days. And his breath was a bit stinky, too. Of course, to a succubus, a man’s stink only sparked the appetite. “Um, if possible, if you could avoid making a, you know, disgusted face in the middle of the act, then… I mean, I don’t mind if it’s all fake! But if possible, if you could act as though you’re enjoying it…” “Who would look disgusted in the middle of a meal? Everyone will be delighted to welcome you. They will all be ecstatic, no doubt, while feasting on you and your friends.” “Really…?” “Of course. But wait… That means you’re keen to be eaten, too?” Curly Kale couldn’t understand what the man was saying. It was beyond her. Among humans, many fail to marry, even after the war. They even lose their jobs and become common bandits, forced to roam the world. Human women don’t tend to give men like this the time of day. These men had been turned down not only by human women but by women from all different races. “Excuse me, I…” Then, one by one, the men expressed their desires. From a human POV, the sort of requests they were making would have anyone saying, “Ew, yuck,” but from a succubus’s POV, these were all perfectly normal dining customs. “In other words, you guys really came here to become our food, right?” “Y-yes…” Once the men had finished their introductions, the succubus Queen’s voice grew husky. Her gaze was sharp. A succubus is the natural enemy of man. Even the strongest man could be taken down by the charms of any succubi on the street. And these men could only tremble at the prospect of being spurned by this jewel of the succubus race. To be frank, these men had lost their heads completely to their base sexual desires. They’d tried their luck at the wedding of the third-born beastkin princess, hoping to wed a female beastkin, but none had given them the time of day. So they scraped a living together through long wanderings, becoming bandits… But they were quickly captured and facing death…when Nazar made them an interesting proposition. These men did not care about the plight of the succubi. They wanted to get their rocks off before they died, even if it was with succubus women. So they had come gladly to the land of the succubi. Seeing them as nothing but ladies of pleasure, like any other prostitute. Now, no doubt, the succubus Queen had seen through those nefarious intentions. The thought made the men stiffen in fear. “…” They might be sucked to death, right here, right now. But the Queen simply straightened in her seat. Then she bowed gracefully, in the human style. “We appreciate the assistance of the humans. I, succubus Queen Curly Kale, wish to thank you on behalf of all the succubi who are suffering from starvation.” Curly Kale looked up, a soft smile on her face. The men were stunned for a moment, then they broke into grins… Then they started chuckling shyly. After the war, women would barely look at them, let alone give them a smile… Not even a fake smile. Curly Kale’s smile was too dazzling for them. Her dazzling smile, her sexy, skimpy attire… “Directly, we will show you to your new quarters. Please reach out to the guards if you have any requests. Nio. Please guide these men to the cafeteria.” “Yes, Your Highness!” Following Curly Kale’s orders, Nio left the room with the men. The men followed her, openly drooling as they watched her butt move, but these men would soon learn that daily meal provision was going to be much more grueling than they’d thought. Still, there was no doubt they’d all live happily for the rest of their days. “Your Highness, Nazar. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for bringing us twenty fresh food subjects on such short notice.” “Not at all. In fact, I’m sorry it’s so few. When I return to my home country, I plan to bring up the subject of full-scale support. It looks like that will be quite difficult, though, so I don’t want to go giving you expectations that are too high or anything.” “I can’t thank you enough for your kind consideration.” “…Ha-ha, it feels kind of strange to have a succubus use such polite language with me.” “Succubi only use honorific language toward those they truly respect.” “Well, it’s truly an honor.” Nazar laughed softly, then seemed to remember something. “But there’s someone else you should be more grateful to than to myself.” “Is there?” “I can’t tell you his name…but let me tell you, he’s a noble man.” “Right.” Curly Kale knew what the man was trying to say. “Of course. My succubi are forever at his service.” Curly Kale thought of the green orc who’d been among them not too long ago. There had never been an orc who had done so much for the succubi, and there would probably never be another. Orcs are a filthy, greedy race, in general. However, just having one proud warrior in their midst greatly increased the value of their entire race. “Even at risk to the lives of the succubi…” The Sacred Place of the succubi had been destroyed. However, the old tales of the succubi had not been lost. History remained. They would never let go of their pride. The name of the Queen who had been of service to such a proud Hero would go down in the history books. She would not merely be remembered as the Queen who had let the Sacred Place be destroyed. “We succubi always return our favors.” And Curly Kale smiled impishly.