The Hero Became a Succubus! - Chapter 193

Alt link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/140wsbqIT9HeVKL4nyXEs4Fuf67LlX4oXXumfDt2-IIc/edit?usp=drive_link

Chapter 193

Kanae didn't see an old crone of a demon up there. She saw the very culprit whose actions led to Arenade's death. Aisha and Moira grabbed each of her arms, yanking her back into the seat.

"Are you crazy? Have you seen how many demons are around us?" Aisha whispered.

"Calm down, sweetie. There'll be a chance for you later, but now ain't it! Besides, we don't know what that cunt is capable of. You might even put your friend down there in danger! We'll be in danger!" Moira added in panic.

It took every ounce of willpower for Kanae not to charm the entire stadium into a riot. For Moira's sake, Kanae stayed put but couldn't shake the urge to exact revenge on the demon woman. Her attention returned to the battle unfolding below.

Esta faced off against a rampaging dire beast with the body of a bull and head of a rhinoceros. She was calm and focused, utterly unfazed by the cheering crowds. Or even the giant creature that threatened to gore her for that matter. There were markings all over its body, like it had been branded over many times. When Kanae tried to squint to get a better look, the dire beast vanished.

The audience gasped.

Hooves no longer left tracks in the dirt. Aside from surprised spectators muttering with bated breath, not a sound was made in the arena floor.

"It's magically stealthed? That drakeling is finished," Aisha said.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Kanae had confidence in her, after all…

Esta shut her eyes. She pivoted on her right and cleaved through the empty space with the greatsword. The dire beast bull reappeared, horizontally bisected from head to rear. Everyone regarded her feat with silence, then into boisterous cheers. Many jumped to their feet, too.

"Ooooh! What a show!" Moira joined the crowds in applauding.

"Unbelievable… How?" Aisha gawked at the bull's two halves.

After all, that was the Knight of Silver and Kanae's loyal knight.

The iron portcullis behind Esta lifted. New challengers emerged. Not to fight her, but to take her place. The drakeling knight met Kanae's gaze again. Her eyes flicked in the direction she was headed before leaving. That was their cue.

"I think she wants us to follow her. Come on," Kanae whispered to the other two.

They used the cover of the standing crowds to scoot away unnoticed. Within the ring that surrounded the arena, concession stands and vendors barked at passersby. An older, robed demon gentleman, with a haughty countenance and curly silver hair, pulled two chained dark elven girls along. The maid outfits they wore couldn't hide how skinny they were. The demon paused upon seeing Kanae, then repulsively at Aisha and Moira.

"My lady, how brave of you to walk about with two unchained barbarians," he said in the most intentionally snooty voice possible. It probably wasn't how he normally sounded either.

"What was that, you soft-skinned bag of bones?" Aisha growled with hobgoblin ferocity that made the demon man lose his composure.

"You're mistaken. These aren't slaves. You are." Kanae placed him under her charm.

"Yes, Mistress… I… am your slave," he responded obediently.

The two dark elves looked at their master with confusion at first until it set in what happened. Their eyes widened with terror.

"Sh." Kanae lifted a finger up to her lips. "Play along. You two are hungry, aren't you? I'll have him treat you to a nice, big meal afterwards."

Starvation, the greatest motivator. Though still shivering in fear, they relented and stayed quiet.

"What are we doing? Aren't we trying to meet up with your drakeling friend?" Moira asked.

"We are, but we don't know anything about this place. This guy does. Honey, would you be so kind as to bring us to where the fighters are?" Kanae clung to the demon elder's elbow.

"Of course, my sweet! Anything for you!" He laughed heartily.

Together, they looked like a couple taking their slaves on a walk. Along the way, Kanae had the demon man tell her as much as he knew. His name was Arnault Heron. He was among a ruling class of slave owners known as the Barons of Stolas, home to a population of nearly 20,000 jam-packed into the walled city and island. For the most part, their main source of income was fishing and cultivation of aquatic plants— of which the oligarchy held complete control over. Many of Aberron's citizens and slaves were under their employ. Those that weren't, brave the treacherous waters on dinghies and rowboats to survive.

As for Seer Yesenia, her role in the city of Aberron was a mystery to even them. They only knew that she had been around for almost a century now. Previously, Aberron was the weakest of the three warring factions in Hellfire Badlands. The people were poor and unfit for fighting. Yesenia and her court of ritualists conduct dark magic on slaves, dire beasts, and themselves to become stronger. Doing so elevated them above Warchief Gabrul and his hobgoblin horde, and so her only real threat was Sire Amerys and Capillis City.

"And, so there you have it. Yesenia makes Aberron a force to be reckoned with. The barons let Yesenia do as she pleases. All we have to do is turn a blind eye to her dark magic," Arnault explained.

"What about a device called 'orbal capacitors'? What do you know about that?" Kanae asked.

"Orbal what?" He returned a confused look.

That appeared to be the extent of Arnault's knowledge then.

They entered a corridor where fighters participating in the Aberron Brawl were waiting their turns. Many of them wore chains and shackles. None of them looked like they wanted to be here.

"Master!" Esta rushed down the corridor awash with joy until a tall demon man intercepted her.

"Where do you think you're going, drakeling? I believe I am your master? Baron Arnault, what is the meaning of—"

"You're not my master." She backhanded him into the wall to the other participants' and their masters' horror.

"Grimnir, my old friend?!" Arnault cried.

The demon man slid to the floor unconscious, and Esta fished out a key from his person. Everyone was too stunned to say or do anything.

"W-Was that okay?" Kanae gasped.

"We should go," Esta urged them. "I also need to fetch my things."

They emerged from the coliseum to a place like a parking lot full of carriages. Esta beelined to one in particular with a cage in the back and guarded by two demons.

"Huh? I thought we weren't due to leave until later… and where's Baron Grimnir?" When one reached for his sword, Esta picked them up by their heads and smashed them together. She opened the carriage with the key. Her equipment was inside.

"Hey, we're drawing attention." Aisha directed their attention to some demons and slaves in the lot throwing glances their way.

"Where's your carriage?" Kanae turned to the charmed Arnault. "Bring us to where you live."

Unfortunately, Arnault's carriage turned out to be small, but it did have a cage. They avoided suspicions by stuffing the dark elves inside. Aisha, Moira, and Arnault sat within the cabin. Kanae and Esta sat on the coach's seat. The baron's residence was on the eastern side of the island in a gated community of mansions, far and away from the slums which made up most of Aberron. From here, Kanae could tell that the majority of the island's landmass was taken by the Barons of Stolas.

A group of guards, riding on magically-enhanced beasts like the arena bull, stopped them as they came up on the gate.

"Halt! I don't recognize you. State your name," the largest of the five demanded.

"What's the hold up?" When Arnault poked his head out, they turned white.

"O-Oh, Baron Arnault! We didn't know it was you!" He backed away apologetically.

"Now that you know, then leave. Can't you tell this very fine woman here is an important guess of mine?" Arnault shooed them off, and they stepped aside to let the carriage pass.

"Since when did Baron Arnault fancy women?" Kanae heard a guard ask.

"Did you see that lady? I mean, gods damn she's hot!" another remarked.

Kanae sighed. They didn't suspect a thing. But what was that conversation about?

The carriage rolled to a stop in front of a gated two-story mansion among a neighborhood of others like it. Slaves in chains sweeped the streets and landscaped the courtyards of exotic plants. Guards patrolled up and down the cobblestone paved road. At the very end, sitting on a small rising, was a keep with several imposing towers. Up here, no one would have expected such a desiccated city laid beyond these walls.

"Welcome to my abode, Mistress. I will do everything to accommodate your needs!" Arnault exclaimed and opened the door to let them in.

Immediately, two rows of dark elven girls in maid outfits welcomed them from the foyer.

"We're pleased to have you home, Baron Arnault!" they sounded off.

Kanae was taken aback. This Arnault guy must have a dark elven maid fetish.

"What are you all standing around for?" Arnault yelled, causing them to shrink and shake. "Prepare a bath and dinner for my guests. Go!"

"No. From today onwards, I'm the baroness of this household. You may call me Kanae. Arnault, you will help them with their duties. Kindly. Do I make myself clear?" Kanae glared.

"Y-Yes, crystal…" he answered quietly and left with the maids.

"That's our cue, Aisha. I'm sure these two have a lot of catchin' up to do!" Moira ushered her daughter up the stairs.

Left alone and with the tension vanishing, Esta faced Kanae and smiled.

"Master, it's been so long. I'm glad to see you're—"

Kanae pressed her head to Esta's chestplate. Hot tears welled around the corners of her eyes.

"Esta… Arenade is… she's gone," Kanae said.

A gentle hand braced the back of Kanae's head as she wept.

"I'm sorry, Master…" Esta whispered apologetically. "I wish I could have been there to protect you both. It must have been difficult when you lost her, so please take as long as you like to mourn. As your loyal knight, I'll not move a muscle until then."

Kanae pulled away, shaking her head and wiping the tears. "Just seeing a familiar face is enough. I wasted a lot of time crying anyway… Where's Lapis and Eliza, and why does Yesenia have Eliza's stuff?"

"There is a beautiful tea garden out back. Perhaps it will do your heart some good for us to speak there," she suggested.

Beautiful was right. The garden sported a pond with small fish swimming about. Tall plant shoots like bamboo around the fence swayed to a breeze, but unlike the bamboo plant, these had leafy wing-like protrusions at each segment. Whenever the wind blew in, the wings looked like they were flapping.

The two took a seat on a small round table. A cabinet beside it had an array of kettles, cups, and containers of dried herbs. Esta began to brew tea for the both of them.

"How did you know this place was here?" Kanae asked.

"Baron Grimnir, the demon I cratered into the wall, often joined Baron Arnault for tea here. Regrettably, I do not know where Lapis and Eliza have gone, but I suspect they have been captured by Seer Yesenia," Esta said, lighting kindling underneath the kettle with her breath of fire.

"Captured… but weren't you three together?"

She nodded. "At first, yes. We stopped in a fishing village along the Stolas bank south of here. Eliza wanted to scout Aberron out herself and flew on without us. We waited for two days until I figured something must have gone wrong. Lapis and I commandeered a boat from the locals to sail into Aberron to look for her. Initially, things were going fine. No one dared bother a drakeling. Then the inhabitants began to single us out. Soon, Aberron guards descended upon our inn. We fought for as long as we could, but their sheer numbers eventually overwhelmed us. They threw us in the dungeon underneath the keep you saw earlier. That's when Baron Grimnir came to purchase me. I believe Lapis is still inside, as well as Elizabeth Bedlam."

Kanae put a hand to her face and groaned. This was probably the consequence of not adhering to the golden rule of 'never split the party'. All because they wanted to get this done quickly.

"I already lost someone. I'm not going to lose anyone else. We're all getting home in one piece. First, I need to get in contact with a demon woman named Raksha. She runs a pottery store in a section of the city called Rotwater Scum. Do you recognize it?" Kanae lifted her gaze to Esta as the drakeling brought over the tea and honey-glazed biscuits.

"I do. Rotwater Scum is where Lapis and I took at an inn. The place reeks. Trash washes up there all the time." Esta frowned.

"Uhm… Baroness?" A dark elven girl was just now coming out of the mansion. The maid bowed deeply before beginning, but her eyes were particularly glued to the biscuits. "Baron Arnault wanted me to inform you that the bath is ready. Would you care to go in now?"

"I'm fine, thanks. I won't be taking a bath until I come back later tonight," she said.

The elf didn't leave and instead remained there, squirming uncomfortably in place. Kanae and Esta traded looks, but the latter shrugged.

"Is there… something I can help you with?" Kanae asked, taking a sip of the citrusy tea.

"Oh, uh… Baron Arnault has a rule for us here… If we need to… go, then we are to relieve ourselves in front of our guests. He says it's for his guests' amusement," she replied awkwardly.

Kanae spat the tea across the table and coughed out her lungs.

"What kind of… pervert is he?" Kanae cleared her throat. "Arnault isn't the boss of you anymore, I am. You can go normally! If you can't make it to the bathroom, just use the bushes!"

"Th-Thank you, Baroness!" She rushed over to the bamboo-like plants, lifted her skirt, and began to relieve herself.

Wait. Lifted her skirt?

The dark elven maid stood upright while taking a piss. After finishing, she did a little shake that Kanae was all too familiar with and returned to them, her face tinged with embarrassment.

"Are you… a boy?" Kanae squinted.

"Hm? Yes, we all are. Why do you ask?" The maid tilted his head.

Scratch that, Baron Arnault was a lot more perverted than Kanae gave him credit for.

"Listen." Kanae beckoned the boy closer. "You don't have to dress like that anymore if you don't like it."

"Eh? B-But won't the Baron be—"

"Baron Arnault isn't the baron anymore. I'm the master here. If you're hungry, make yourself food in the pantry. If nature calls, you don't need to wet yourself. If you don't want to dress this way, take something nice from his closet for yourself," she explained.

"Are you… sure? You're not going to… whip us if we do?" he asked.

Kanae shook her head and offered him a biscuit.

"Hic… Thank you, Baroness… Thank you…" The boy collapsed to his knees, crying as he ate the small snack.

Kanae brought the boy upstairs for a change of clothes. It didn't take long for the other dark elves to follow suit. Twelve of them in total, all switched to more appropriate clothing when given the choice, and she compelled Arnault to wear a maid dress to give him a taste of his own medicine. Downstairs, Moira whipped up a boiling cauldron of stew for the boys to gorge on.

"Oh! Now those are some good appetites. Mhm! The young'uns should be filling their bellies to the limit. All of ya sure can put 'em away like hobs!" Moira laughed.

"You're heading out to find this Raksha lady?" Aisha asked Kanae and Esta.

"Yeah. Better sooner than later or your mom is going to scold me again," Kanae said on the way out.

However, as soon as they were through the door, Aisha rushed out to join them.

"I'm coming with you. I owe you as much. Arenade, too. If that beam had hit the dam while we were still inside… I don't even want to think about it." Aisha shuddered.

"I've been wondering for a while now, but have you had sex with my master?" Esta asked.

"W-What? You got some balls to say that to someone you just met!"

"Well… You two seem friendly with each other. Master also has a near 50% chance of sleeping with someone she has befriended or made a foe of," the drakeling knight said.

Aisha shot Kanae a dirty look.

"I'm a succubus! Can you blame me? And… Esta! Since when did you keep track so closely?" Kanae pouted.

Esta spoke no more and simply walked ahead with a grin.

The guards didn't give them any trouble this time around. It helped that Kanae found a fine tunic from Arnault's closet to wear. She looked the part of the barony. They descended into the city for Rotwater Scum, which was situated along the western wall and a short walk away from the island. Like Esta said, it stank. Badly.

Kanae's feet were comfortably wet because the walkways were about an inch underwater. Wherever they went, opportunistic eyes stared at them from behind homes and grimy alleys.

"Well, well! What's a baron doing out 'ere in the dark?" A flea-ridden beastman blocked their way up the steps to the second floor.

"You lost? Maybe we can bring ya home for a pretty penny," another added.

"Wait a sec… that there's a baroness. A looker, at that!" One hornless demon man sidled up to Kanae and flashed a toothless smile.

When Esta moved to defend her, Kanae lifted a hand.

"Trust me, you wouldn't want to try your luck with me. Don't you want something better than a good time? Like… taking from the Barons of Stolas and Seer Yesenia who have it so good?" Kanae asked, charming the gang of thugs into obedience.

"Yes," the demon answered. "Why do they get to live it up in nice clothes and full bellies while we're scraping by?"

"You have no idea, toots… If it wasn't for the bitch Yesenia and her monsters though, we wouldn't be shifting through flotsam for a living!" the beastman snarled.

"I know. It's so unfair! You work so hard and make so little. They work so little and make so much. There has to be a lot of you who think the same way, right?" She hooked a finger underneath his chin.

They nodded in agreement.

"Good. Go do your best and convince everyone how unhappy they are. Tell them a baron named Grimnir wants to usurp Seer Yesenia. In exchange for your help, he will provide you weapons and a way to get into the keep," Kanae explained.

"Heh. Now we're talking." The demon smirked and whistled for his gang to leave.

As soon as they were gone, the stifling sensation of being watched vanished along with them.

Aisha grumbled, "You're a lot more scary when you ain't fucking pigs."

"That's nothing. You should have seen her with a dragon," Esta casually remarked.

"She— what?!" The hobgoblin gasped.

"C-Can you two stop talking about my sex life?!" Kanae complained.

They found the pottery store without any more interruptions. Esta, out of an abundance of caution, pressed her ear to the door to listen in.

"One person. I don't sense any traps," Esta said.

Kanae entered first to find a ramshackled shop in which the shelves were filled with all kinds of clay pottery. They looked surprisingly well-made with an artisan's touch. The dark room was only lit up by several candles on the verge of going out.

"Customers? At this time of the night?" someone's exasperated voice called out from the back room. "If you're looking to buy, toss some coins onto the table, take your pick, and get lost."

"I'm not here to buy. Sire Amerys told me to come here and find a woman named Raksha," Kanae shouted from the counter.

After a moment of silence, a blue-skinned demon woman peeked out from the curtains obscuring the back room. She gripped a dagger in her right hand. Two, deep red eyes like glinting rubies stared back at them. A long scar cut down from the left side of her cheek and stopped just beneath the lower lip.

"Aye, I'm Raksha. If you're lying, I'm gonna gut you and toss your innards into Stolas for the fishes. So, what can I do for ya?" Raksha asked.

"I want you to tell me everything you know about Seer Yesenia," Kanae said.

"Sure. Guess I can do that. Though, Sire Amerys usually waits on my monthly report. What's the occasion, you pretty little thing?" She finally emerged and stabbed the dagger onto the counter, then leaned forward until they were face to face.

Judging by the many notches, it wasn't the first time Raksha acted tough in front of a customer. Or maybe just to protect herself. Despite calling Kanae little, Raksha was a head shorter. She didn't look old but sure deepened her voice to act like it. Silver piercings dotted her left ear. Tightly-curled black hair was shaved down to a buzz cut, thicker on the top and practically down to the skin on the sides. Dark leather pants wrapped around lean, muscular legs, and her tight brown vest bound a sleeveless blouse stained by dirt and clay.

"The occasion?" Kanae unveiled her tail and snatched the dagger before Raksha had a chance to reach for it. "I'm going to dismantle Aberron's barony and make Seer Yesenia pay for crossing the Demon Queen of the Commonwealth."