The Succubus Demon Lord Zofi is quite famous.
Many praise her significant contribution to humanity’s victory in the recent Eastern Offensive War, where she defeated the Demon Lord Pal.
Secondly, she is beautiful, possessing a stunning physique that would likely draw lustful gazes from any man.
Of course, this is to be expected of a succubus.
Yet, surprisingly, she is not unpopular among women.
Perhaps it’s due to her personality, which perfectly embodies the expression “a warrior with the spirit of a man.”
Meanwhile, Al’s reputation was not so good.
She would lounge around with a sleepy expression or patrol with an unmotivated look on her face.
While she was popular among men for her decadent aura and succubus-like allure, she was quite unpopular with women.
Zofi and Al – why did their reputations diverge so much?
Catherine was the one who pondered this question.
Though her name was common, her surname was extraordinary: Bolton, and she was the daughter of the King of the Kingdom of Boltner.
“I want to learn from El’s intelligence too,” Catherine said, making a cute bicep flex.
Every one of her gestures was reminiscent of a brute.
The succubus who was spoken to glanced at the girl and murmured, “There are things that suit some creatures and not others,” before leaving.
Unaware that she had been indirectly rejected, Catherine interpreted it as encouragement and fired up her fighting spirit: “Indeed, I may not be good at using my brain? But I’ll do my best.”
“As expected, Princess Catherine,” her attendants chorused, applauding. They had not understood El’s words at all.
The only one who might have understood, Marquis Moruto, was busy with paperwork in his home country. He was considered so indispensable that the administrative functions of Boltner would significantly decrease if he were absent for even a day, so he couldn’t leave the country frequently.
With Moruto, who was her strategist and capable of gathering and utilizing information, absent, there was no one to advise Catherine on future courses of action. This was a major reason she remained in limbo, unable to take any decisive steps. Her very first words to the trio of succubi she coincidentally met were the aforementioned “El-san…” It was understandable why El might have flown off so quickly.
Or so Zofi and Al thought. They had no idea what their dark-hearted ally was scheming now.
“Would you like to have some tea together?” Al asked Catherine.
“Yes!” the Princess replied cheerfully, and her attendants hurriedly began preparations.
Originally, Zofi, Al, and Catherine should have been bitter rivals, vying for the favor of a single man named Marius. However, they did not appear to be so at all. Catherine was incapable of such complex maneuvering, and for Zofi and Al, their opponent was still a child, making them feel no need to take her seriously. Besides, as Marius’s familiars, their master’s intentions came first.
Though, one of them did not seem to be adhering to that principle from an outsider’s perspective.
“How long do you plan to stay?” Zofi asked, sipping her tea.
Catherine looked troubled. “Um, I’m not really sure. For now, I’d like to stay until I’m told to return to my country.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Zofi furrowed her brow.
“Since I’m here, I want to study this country thoroughly and apply what I learn in my homeland…”
“That’s admirable,” Zofi said. Although she didn’t quite grasp the sentiment, she believed it was as it should be for a princess of a nation.
“And so,” Catherine said, fidgeting and looking up at Zofi, “When will Marius-sama have some time?”
Zofi felt a sense of amusement at the innocent girl’s genuine desire and decided to tell her the truth. “That person is basically free all the time.”
“R-really?” Catherine’s round eyes widened. Seeing her reaction, Zofi realized that the reality of Marius was not as widely known abroad as she might have expected. Or perhaps Catherine had simply not been informed. It might have been an issue with Boltner’s information-gathering capabilities.
“Should I have said that…?” Zofi muttered.
“It’ll probably be found out soon enough anyway,” Al chimed in, catching Zofi’s remark.
“I, I want to know more about Marius-sama,” Catherine declared, clenching her fists. While it could be seen as the innocent heart of a young maiden, Zofi was not that oblivious. She understood that the young princess was defending her.
“Well then. Shall we go to the master’s place now?”
“Yes!”
Zofi and Al led Catherine to find Marius. Though “find” might not be the most accurate word, as they were familiars and could easily locate their master.
Zofi and the others headed to the castle garden.
“Heh heh heh, how about that? Five-stage combination!” Auraniess proudly transformed and combined five castles.
“What is a five-stage transformation and combination?” Marius countered, transforming the castles into humanoid shapes before combining them in an unexpected turn.
Auraniess was defeated once again, collapsing with her hands on the ground. While the Demon Lord was thus occupied, Zofi spoke up, “Master.”
“Oh, Zofi and Catherine.” Al, whose name was casually omitted, pouted and glared at Marius. The fact that she couldn’t glare effectively was characteristic of Al’s personality.
“We’ve brought Princess Catherine to you,” Al reported. Zofi had yielded the floor to her.
“Ah, thank you.” Marius finally realized his oversight and patted Al on the head. Catherine watched enviously for a moment before her attention was drawn to something else: the object Auraniess and Marius had been creating.
“What were you two doing?”
“Killing time.”
“Passing the boredom.”
Marus and Auraniess’s blunt, immediate responses left the young princess speechless.
“Just kidding,” Marius quickly added, sensing her reaction.
“Oh, really? You surprised me.” The girl, who did not doubt him, smiled innocently. A sense of guilt arose in Marius. However, he could not bring himself to tell her the truth: that she was useless and not allowed to be involved in political affairs.
“Princess Catherine, what brings you to this country?”
“Um, I suppose it’s to deepen my friendships with Marius-sama and others.” The girl, unable to lie, added “I suppose.” Her earnestness made Marius lose the urge to scold her.
“Oh, well then, will you be friends with me too?” For some reason, Auraniess became enthusiastic.
“Yes, I look forward to it!” Catherine beamed happily. She showed no sign of fear. Marius was impressed.
“Princess Catherine, you aren’t afraid of Auraniess, are you?”
“No, because they kindly teach me things.” Her answer gave an impression of utter innocence. Auraniess puffed out her chest with a sense of satisfaction.
“Yes, you understand my greatness well,” Auraniess declared.
“Well, I have no objection to Auraniess being amazing,” Marius said, with Zofi and Al nodding in agreement. One woman blinked in surprise at this.
“What’s this? Such an uncharacteristic attitude for you!” It was Auraniess herself.
“In that case, you should treat me with more gratitude!”
“But I refuse,” Marius stated firmly, shoulders slumping.
“I knew you’d say that,” Auraniess replied, seemingly accustomed to being treated so casually.
“Um, can I become stronger?” Catherine timidly interjected.
“Oh, you can. You probably won’t be as strong as Marius, but you’ll be stronger than your father.” Marius wondered if this meant she could become one of the strongest humans. Sophia, who had been silent until then, spoke up.
“Your assessment, Auraniess-sama, is quite accurate. Zagan and Decarabia were like that too.”
“Huh? You mean, Auraniess raised them?” This seemed to be a shocking new fact for Marius.
“You didn’t know?” Sophia tilted her head, but then her memory seemed to align, and she murmured to herself, “Perhaps it was better not to tell you.”
Marius couldn’t let that slide. “Tell me more about that. You don’t mean to say you’ve raised other Demon Lords?”
“Yes,” Sophia answered immediately.
“No way.” Marius genuinely thought Auraniess might be a disaster. Sophia gave him a meaningful look.
“However, they were destroyed by Melinda.”
“…Melinda-san, a true hero.” Marius offered his sincerest praise to the ancient hero whose face he didn’t know. Melinda, who had sealed Auraniess and ended the “Dark Age,” had also created the existence of Magic Items and devised the modern magic system.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Melinda died of overwork…” Marius muttered, half-seriously.
Sophia corrected him. “No, it was said to be old age.”
“She lived a full life?!” Marius was genuinely astonished. Melinda Guilford… seemed to be a hero worthy of legend.
