Next Life – Chapter 66

Marius has three Familiars.

For various reasons, their existence is generally kept secret. Their names are Zofi, Al, and El.

They began to quarrel over “the seat of the top Familiar.”

The incident started when Zofi plotted to monopolize “Master’s praise” and “rewards” all to herself.

“I am the strongest, and you two are my subordinates. Yield.”

Al and El, though intimidated by their former master’s intensity, managed to glare back.

“That’s tyrannical. Master’s will is for us to be friends.”

“That’s right. We’ll tell Master about this!”

Al and El banded together to confront the overwhelmingly powerful foe.

“Nuu…”

Zofi fell silent.

El pressed on.

“It is Master who decides who is the best. It is presumptuous of us to decide on our own.”

“Muu…”

Zofi grumbled regretfully.

She thought for a while, trying to come up with a retort, and then clapped her hands.

“That’s right. How about this: whoever can be of most use to Master will be the first to receive his kindness? There should be no problem if it’s just about deciding the order of actions.”

This time, it was El’s turn to be speechless, but unlike Zofi, it was out of exasperation, thinking, “Are they really that fixated on deciding the order?”

Al fidgeted nervously.

El made a conclusion without much deliberation.

“That’s acceptable. However, if Master designates it, then that will be the highest priority, won’t it?”

“That’s a given. What about you, Al?”

Al, flustered, looked back and forth between Zofi and El, then nodded.

“Then let’s each achieve results one by one and await Master’s judgment. I will be in charge of guarding the royal palace! Farewell!”

“Ah, how unfair!”

Before Al and El could say anything, Zofi disappeared.

“Well, then, me too!”

Al also vanished.

El silently shrugged her shoulders and was the last to depart.

“Fufu, visible results, that’s the best!”

Zofi was already certain of victory.

The royal palace of the human nation of Filat was currently weakened in its security, making it easy for foreign infiltrators.

“First, one down.”

Melting into the shadows, she attacked from behind, catching them by surprise.

The infiltrator fell without a sound, thanks to the combined use of the skills “Stealth” and “Shadow Swim.”

Normally, she would extract information before handing them over to humans, but tonight there seemed to be a lot of them.

(Are they foolish enough to infiltrate when Master is here?)

Zofi tilted her head.

Or were they aiming to Tcontact Marius?

She had been praised when she reported killing infiltrators last night, so she intended to be just as enthusiastic tonight.

As a formidable Demon, albeit a lower-ranking one, Zofi’s detection range was considerably wide, about five kilometers in radius, and highly accurate.

She couldn’t discern individual names, of course, but she could identify their species.

After confirming there were no suspicious movements within her detection range for a while, she headed towards the human guards.

“Here are the intruders, take them.”

The court magicians guarding the palace watched with somewhat grim expressions as Zofi incapacitated the infiltrators.

It was natural, as the beautiful woman before them was the main reason the defense system had failed.

Most of the Magic Items that supported the defenses had been destroyed beyond repair on the day Zofi infiltrated.

Since the timing matched, it was natural to connect the events, and as excellent mages, they could somewhat sense Zofi’s strength.

They listened with complex expressions to Lucas’s explanation: “A powerful monster subdued by Marius and defected to his side.”

“Well done,” Nilson said to Zofi with a lack of emotion.

He believed it was likely true if Marius controlled her, but it wasn’t something he could easily come to terms with.

“I’ve kept them alive because it seems better to do so,” Zofi said, before returning to her vigilance.

She had no intention of becoming friendly with those Marius considered allies.

To curry favor with her master, she eagerly awaited the arrival of new prey, or rather, enemy humans.

Al, after much contemplation, decided to approach the Princesses.

She believed that if she improved her relationship with them as Master wished, she would surely be praised.

However, she struggled with who to speak to first.

She immediately thought of Barra.

Catherine was too young, making her out of the question, and she wasn’t confident she could get along with Lovisa, so she ruled her out.

Barra knew about them and seemed more intelligent than herself, so she might be able to rely on her.

She thought Barra might become a good ally, depending on the conditions.

Al crept into Barra’s chambers.

The person she was looking for was already asleep, breathing softly in her bed.

For a moment, she considered entering her dream, but she decided against it, as it might lead to misunderstandings of her trying to brainwash her.

As she took a step forward, intending to wake her and explain normally, Barra suddenly sprang up, on guard.

“Who!? …Are you Marius-sama’s?”

Immediately after, she looked at Al’s face and seemed suspicious, but showed no opening.

Her magic permeated every part of her body, completing her preparations for interception.

Al was genuinely impressed that she had reached a full combat readiness in less than three seconds after waking up.

She was the opposite of a pampered, naive, and sheltered princess.

“I am Al, Marius-sama’s Familiar. I’ve come because I have something to discuss with you.”

“You don’t seem like an enemy,” Barra said, yet she did not lower her guard at all.

“I’m not as good-natured as you might think. So, will you talk to me?”

Al nodded readily.

She commended Barra for not believing her easily.

First, she explained the circumstances that led her to come to this room.

“I see. However, there’s no reason for me to side with you, is there? Personally, I think getting along with Zofi-san would be best.”

Al was prepared for this reaction and answered immediately.

“If you help me, I’ll tell you various things. Like how to serve Master in a way that would please him.”

“Marius-sama’s!?”

Al flinched back slightly at Barra’s intense reaction.

Barra collected herself, cleared her throat, and recomposed herself.

(This girl truly likes Master.)

As someone of Succubus lineage, Al could somewhat read emotions.

Therefore, she understood that Barra’s feelings were genuine.

She began to tell her gradually about things Marius liked.

When she mentioned Marius liked having them all together, Barra looked surprised.

“Marius-sama was against polygamy, wasn’t he? Are Familiars different?”

“I don’t know that much. I can’t ask him.”

Silence fell between them.

“To be honest, I don’t mind if Marius-sama doesn’t embrace polygamy, as long as he chooses me.”

The idea of polygamy was merely an insurance policy in case she wasn’t chosen, and she was using other women for that purpose.

Al wasn’t surprised by Barra’s confession.

It was natural for a woman to wish to monopolize affection if possible.

And now that they had formed a pact, there were things she had to let Barra know.

“I think Master evaluates you quite highly. Things could change depending on your efforts.”

“Really!?”

Barra’s body language conveyed her joy, but she quickly shifted her demeanor.

“But I’m in trouble. I can’t fully grasp Marius-sama’s feelings.”

“I can’t tell you everything, of course. I’m sorry.”

To Al, who drooped her head apologetically, Barra smiled for the first time with genuine warmth.

“That’s fine. Otherwise, you’d be unfit to be Marius-sama’s Familiar, and I’d have to report it to him.”

“Huh…?”

Al’s eyes widened.

The cunning and inscrutability of this little girl, Barra, were beyond her expectations.

How foolish the people of Filat were to praise her as innocent and unpretentious.

Al seriously considered that she might need to warn Marius as well.

El was heading towards the noble district.

Unlike Zofi and Al, she used her succubus abilities to extort money and valuables from men.

The reason she became Zofi’s subordinate was simply because she excelled in her succubus abilities.

In terms of succubus abilities alone, she might eventually surpass Zofi.

Having extorted from men of status and wealth, El understood the nature of nobility in human nations better than most monsters.

In her opinion, Ashton and his faction were typical fools whose influence didn’t match their abilities.

However, they were too influential to be treated casually.

(Then, why not neutralize their influence?)

Frankly, Marius probably saw them as insignificant.

However, Marius intended to live in Filat.

Therefore, weakening the unity of his opponents, diminishing their power, or turning them to his side would be the greatest achievement.

El firmly believed this.

If Ashton and his ilk were too powerful to defeat through combat, then the first step should be to weaken them.

This would also serve to thwart their foolish schemes against Marius.

The position of the King of Filat would be secured, and in turn, Marius’s reputation would rise.

(Visible achievements aren’t the only ones that count.)

Zofi and Al were more inclined towards a martial or shortsighted approach.

Therefore, El had a good chance of success.

El knocked out the agents who were spreading rumors to discredit Marius one by one.

While she might have struggled against mages of Barra or Lucas’s caliber, it was a simple matter to put ordinary people to sleep or knock them unconscious.

She didn’t forget to perform simple memory manipulation on those who happened to be present.

Next were the ringleaders, the nobles.

As long as they weren’t united and had a certain amount of popularity, they were just targets to be dealt with individually.

(First, I must make them pay for trying to slander Marius.)

She infiltrated the bedchambers of the key figures and abducted them.

The destination was Ashton’s bedchamber, the leader of their faction.

Then, she stripped them of their clothes and had them embrace each other.

The scene was complete: naked men embracing.

The next morning, the maids who came to wake them in Ashton’s chambers let out piercing screams, followed by deep, guttural bellows.

And rumors spread throughout all classes that they had “made love” and that “they were obsessed with Marius and confessed, but were rejected, and acted out of spite.”

Laughter erupted throughout almost the entire country of Filat.