VIP Early Access
Eksklusif untuk member VIP
Password Protected
Chapter ini dikunci dengan kode khusus
Chapter 7: Vixens
APART from that one distressing incident, where the importance of implementing HORENSO—report, communicate, and consult—at all times was thoroughly reinforced in Takuto, their journey was going about as smoothly as could be. Takuto’s party had safely entered the El-Nah Alliance of Elementals—Succubi controlled territory—with the guidance of their Succubus escorts, whom they had joined up with near the border to Mynoghra. From there, they traveled on foot to the nearest Elven town—now a Succubus town.
“So this is an Elven city ruled by Succubi, eh?” Takuto remarked.
The townspeople shot him curious and cautious looks. Feeling their gazes boring into him, Takuto also observed his surroundings without reserve. Not that he could see much beyond the towering trees. Between the intricate forest and the three-dimensional framework of the town built into it, he definitely would have gotten lost without a guide.
As this was an Elven town occupied by Succubi, it was built in the middle of a forest. Much of its foundation and design was based on Elven culture. Many of the buildings gave Takuto déjà vu. Of course they would, what with the Elves and Dark Elves being closely related races. Their treetop buildings shared many of the same features. The only differences were the architectural designs and the color scheme. The Elven buildings tended to have white and green color schemes. Sunlight filtered through the trees, gently illuminating the town.
It was the kind of townscape you would get if you reversed the alignment of Mynoghra’s capital in the Accursed Lands. Well, except for one standout feature…
Ě n_um̀ а
“W-Wowzers! S-Sexy ladies everywhere…” Yu let out a cry of joy.
Succubi—a race that didn’t belong in an Elven nation—dominated every corner. They sized Takuto’s party up with heady gazes, flashing them suggestive smiles. They were provocative enough to get Takuto blushing in the Accursed Lands, and he was only looking at them through the Botchling. It must have been unbearable for Yu, who was there in person. Even now he was preening like the young man he was, flashing awkward smiles back at the ladies.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
But the young man’s fleeting fantasy came to a swift end.
“M-A-S-T-E-R Y-UUU!”
“Eeep! Sorry, Miss Ai! I swear I’m not ogling them! I’m innocent! Innocent, I say!!”
It’s like a scene straight out of a shounen rom-com, Takuto idly observed. He was also relieved to see it. It’d be downright terrible if Yu were seduced by the Succubi and fumbled right out of the gate. Takuto was grateful to Ai for acting as the ultimate cockblock by pinching Yu’s cheeks.
W̊ ѐ b̆_n о̌ v̇е̌l̆ Е̇ n ū m̂а
Ai’s strength was still an unknown. According to Yu, she served primarily as a support fighter. But regardless of her combat prowess, Takuto hoped she’d continue serving as Yu’s conscience, keeping him grounded.
As his allies played out a scene from the completely wrong genre, Takuto examined his surroundings as Mynoghra’s King and an Eternal Nations’ Player.
A city reflects the nature of its nation.
Did they treat their citizens like slaves? Or pamper and manage them like sheltered young ladies? This reality is reflected in the expressions and health of the people and is not easy to fake.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
In that respect, Takuto’s observations of this Succubi town left him feeling a bit taken aback. At his side, Vittorio-disguised-as-Atou seemed to share his reaction.
“This is unexpected. I thought the town would have collapsed into depravity and decadence, but it seems to be fully functioning on the surface.”
Ё ñum̊_ӓ
“You thought so too, Atou? I thought for sure that the men would’ve been sucked dry husks or turned into livestock, but there’s no signs of that happening. Granted, there are a whole lotta couples who are going all in on public displays of affection…”
“They do seem extremely lax in the public morals department, but it doesn’t quite align with what we know to be Succubi nature.”
The Elves appeared happy; they didn’t give the impression they were being abused under the occupation. On the contrary, there were many young male Elf and Succubus couples, romantically strolling the streets while holding hands. There were even a couple of middle-aged Elf men being cornered by several Succubi that were trying to woo them. Some couples were even showing off their passions for each other so openly in public, Takuto had to avert his eyes. Still, while their public displays of affection were on the extreme side, they hadn’t fallen into outright disorder and depravity.
They’re being carefully managed. Takuto’s caution toward the Succubus Army jumped the rung to an even higher level.
Their attention drawn by Takuto’s conversation, one of the Succubi silently accompanying Takuto’s party as a guide finally spoke up.
“This is only the natural outcome, guests. Our goal as Succubi is not exploitation, but prosperous coexistence. We didn’t come to this world to act like locust.”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
A slender Succubus with an icy aura. She lacked curves for a Succubus, but that actually added to her sex appeal. Her name was Freesia. She had introduced herself as one of their escorts, and from her appearance and the way she conducted herself, she seemed to be someone of a high position. Unlike the Succubi in town, who had similar looks, she stood out as unique.
She reminds me of the frigid career woman type, Takuto thought after hearing her haughty explanation.
“Do you believe that’s the will of your queen?” he asked.
Prosperous coexistence was a grand old slogan, but what they were doing was similar to the relationship between Mynoghra and the Dark Elves. Takuto wanted to know what the leaders were thinking, including their thoughts on relationships with other civilizations.
“Yessie, Queen Vagia always says, ‘You mustn’t overlook the pitiful ones.’ In other words, our ultimate goal as Succubi is to live happily ever after having sex together with everybodyyy.”
Their second Succubus escort answered his query.
Ẃ е̌ b̌ n̆ǒṽе.l̈ Е̂nù ḿ_ӓ
Her name was Goliath. In direct contrast with Freesia, this petite Succubus had a cutesy aura. Perhaps she was on the timid side, because she seemed somewhat tentative as she joined the conversation. She certainly didn’t live up to her name…
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“…I see,” Takuto said.
The escort Succubi were assigned to Takuto’s party on direct orders from the Succubus Queen—Witch Vagia. Takuto didn’t know her intentions, but she must have held a very important position to be able to act as the empire’s Commander. And since these Succubi also held important positions within the Succubus Empire and acted on the orders of their queen, then their words had legitimacy.
Setting aside their ultimate goal, Takuto was glad to have learned what motivated the Succubus faction at this stage. But he also understood he was facing down the barrel of one of his worst-case scenarios.
The Elves had been absorbed by the Succubus Army all too easily. As things stood, he wouldn’t be able to instigate the Elves to revolt and carry out guerrilla warfare within the country to weaken it. He had always considered the possibility of them being subsumed, but the Elves being fully assimilated into the Succubus faction was a worst-case scenario.
W̄ ёb̂ n_оv̂е̄l̆ En̊ ǔ m̆а
“Prosperous coexistence… D-Does that mean the Elves living in this country get to have raunchy sex with hot Succubus every single da— OW! Ow, ow, owww! St-Stop! Stop it, Miss Ai! I’m sorry!”
“You stupid, perverted Master!” Ai cried. Then she muttered, “Seriously, if you just said something, I would do those things for you, Master…”
“Wha? What did you just say?”
“Nothing!”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The useless RPG duo was having a blast on their own as usual.
What are those idiots doing? Takuto swallowed the insults that were on the tip of his tongue. Even if they were idiots, they were power horses as individual units. Both Yu and Ai had admitted that they sucked at strategizing. Takuto just had to take all the thinking onto himself.
Е̃ n u m̆ а̄
The right man for the right job. It’s more important to assign people to the tasks they can do rather than focus on what they can’t.
In that sense, Takuto still had a job to do. Collecting as much information as possible before the All-Faction Conference. He had a strong feeling that something was off about this occupied town, and he believed figuring out what that was would be key to cutting his opponent off at the heel.
“Come to think of it, I don’t see any women. Elf women, I mean, not Succubus… What happened to them?” Takuto asked.
“Hm? Enjoying the yuri life, cultivating themselves, and stuff? Living for their hobbies and taming petsss?” Goliath drawled.
Wow, they’re really living it up, aren’t they?! Takuto screamed on the inside. Actually, his real body back in the Accursed Lands ended up shouting the words out loud.
Given the nature of Succubi, they should only be interested in men. Since there were no Incubi around to feed on women, Takuto assumed the Elven women were in a tricky position. However, contrary to his expectations, the Elven women were simply elsewhere, and the Succubi were doing what they could to keep them happy. The Succubus Queen’s policy was for everyone to live happily ever after together, and it was looking more and more like that was more than just empty lip service.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“Fortunately, the Elven women have come to terms with their situation,” Freesia explained. “Of course, there are some who can’t accept reality. They have formed a political activist group and are holding daily demonstrations outside the council building to release their pent-up frustrations.”
“I-I see…”
“I can see the Elves are being well cared for. But if I may ask, why did you resort to invasion tactics when you are willing to be so considerate of other races, like the Elves? You could have founded your own country in some empty territory and used your beauty and charm to lure in immigrants,” Vittorio-Atou asked, continuing the queries in Takuto’s place. He must’ve assumed Takuto was temporarily out of action from the astounded look on his face.
Vittorio jumping in here was a huge help to Takuto. While he had better insight than Vittorio, there were plenty of things he overlooked. Being able to tackle the problem together with Vittorio would help him gather a more varied selection of information. Vittorio’s question just now was a perfect example of that. Takuto also wanted to delve deeper into that topic, but was afraid asking too many questions would make them clam up. They were more likely to answer Atou, who hadn’t said much.
Well, if what they’ve said so far is anything to go off of, I have a feeling it’s going to be another absurd reason. Vagia seems to have a rather comedic personality. And looking at the rest of the Succubi here, I’m guessing they came from a gag game. It’d make sense they’d avoid unnecessary death if they do.
Takuto was starting to get a rough idea of who he was up against. If nothing else, he was narrowing down the options.
E nuḿ ǎ. i d
But then the two Succubi scrunched up their faces like they couldn’t comprehend the question. This wasn’t the look of someone who didn’t understand the phrasing or wasn’t allowed to answer. It was the dumbfounded look of hearing a concept for the first time. Of being faced with an idea beyond comprehension.
“Oh dear,” Vittorio-Atou said. “Was the question too difficult? I am asking why you chose to invade El-Nah. If you could have achieved the same result, wouldn’t you have preferred to take a more moderate approach first?”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Even with Vittorio’s elucidation, the two Succubi remained baffled. They even exchanged glances this time, seeking in each other how they could possibly answer this query.
It was at this point that Takuto realized his opponent did not have simple and clear-cut circumstances, but that they were operating according to their own distinct rules and concepts.
After a few long beats of silence, the two Succubi answered in a way that seemed as though they were trying to insist their reasoning was correct.
“No, that’s incorrect,” Freesia said. “We never even considered it.”
Е̌n üm̀ а̃
“Expanding is the correct path for the livinggg.”
“I see what your logic is now. My query was unreasonable. My apologies,” Vittorio-Atou said, ending the conversation. It seemed Vittorio had nothing more to ask of them.
Takuto stifled a sigh. It was now clear that it would be impossible to find a compromise between the two empires at this point.
Now I see. This is a tough one.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
At the start, the two Succubi had pointed to themselves and claimed that they were not locusts. But if they harbored no qualms whatsoever about their excessive need for expansion and proliferation, their claims rang hollow.
Is their ecology closer to that of an insect? More in line with the hive-minded ants and bees? And to make matters worse, they’re the chimera-type that assimilates others to expand their forces… Reminds me of the type of creatures that infiltrate spaceships in science-fiction horror movies. Eugh.
Ẃе̇ b̈ n̄ о̆ v e̊ l Ё n um̃ a
Takuto shifted his gaze to the traffic in town. The Elves and Succubi looked happy at first glance. But to Takuto, the scene felt like a temporary dream shown to victims inside the stomach of some great, unknown beast.
◇◇◇
THE rest of the journey went peacefully. They had stopped at two towns along the way. Neither were all that big. They were similar in size and population to Dragontan. Stopping to rest wasn’t a problem—the real ordeal was the Succubi’s intense attempts to seduce the men and crawl into their beds at night. Even those nights turned out uneventful, thanks to the stern warnings from their escorts, which scared off the others. Takuto tried to view the ordeal in a positive light, since it gave him insight into Succubi behavior.
Unfortunately for Yu, he had a little incident that strained his relationship with Ai for a time. Seeing as they quickly made up and were back to their usual flirting, the Succubi’s temptations seemed to have only added a little spice to their relationship and not much else.
Though Takuto was relieved that the trip was peaceful, he knew that the more uneventful things were now, the worse the fallout would be, so he remained vigilant.
Several days had passed since they entered the El-Nah Alliance of Elementals. The Elven and Succubus nation was covered in forests and woodland, making it difficult to pinpoint their exact location, but judging from the distance they had walked, they had roughly reached the middle of the territory. At long last, they had reached Khan-Nah, the former Elven capital, now ruled by Queen Vagia of the Succubi.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Now the game begins for real, Takuto thought. I’m looking forward to seeing what they have to say and what grand agenda they have in store.
The Elemental City of Khan-Nah. The Elven empire had a council-based government run by representatives from each clan that made up their alliance. Strictly speaking, they had no capital city. Instead, they treated Khan-Nah as a capital of sorts for convenience, since it was where the World Tree was located—a giant tree that served as the cornerstone of their nation. Of course, the city was El-Nah’s largest in terms of size and population, so it essentially acted as capital in everything but name.
The trees made it difficult to gauge the true scale of the city, but it had significantly more traffic and much older trees than any of the towns they had visited so far. More than anything else, the sheer number of buildings in the trees and their intricacy announced to all who laid eyes upon it that this was a massive city.
I can tell things are not going to turn out well, but I can’t walk away now, Takuto bemoaned as he followed his escorts. He already knew what the outcome of this conference was going to be.
◇◇◇
“ATOU, do you know what my policy is for this conference?” Takuto asked.
Ĕn̊ ũ mа́. і̊ d̈
“This visit is for peaceful purposes, and unless the other side takes action, we are strictly forbidden to intervene…right?”
“Bingo. I’m glad you know without me having to tell you.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“I’m pleased to hear that, my king.”
“That being said, don’t neglect to gather intel. I want to get a firm grasp on what game systems the other Players have, including the Succubus Army’s.”
“Mm-mm-mmm! That’s our true objective here, eh? A simple case of know your enemy and know yourself! In that case, I shall keep the tomfoolery to a minimum, mon dieu!”
Takuto reminded Atou of their purpose upon being led into the anteroom, while holding the real conversation with Vittorio telepathically. They didn’t know who was listening. Being able to hold sensitive conversations telepathically without the risk of being overheard was a huge advantage.
Е_n̆ûmå .і d̂
The pretext for this conference was peace talks.
While Takuto always considered how to take advantage of any opportunities that might arise, he wasn’t going to make the first move here. He had no choice but to conserve his best cards as long as everyone believed without a doubt that it was really him and Atou at the conference. Takuto had decided to play it safe for now.
“According to the reports, the other factions have already arrived. The conference begins tomorrow… I wonder who will be there. I’m dying of curiosity,” Takuto muttered to no one in particular.
Vittorio-Atou nodded in response, leaving the room silent.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Players had been summoned to this continent for some reason. And the All-Faction Conference they would supposedly all be attending was right around the corner.
◇◇◇
Ӗ n̄ú m ӑ._і̆ d
LOCATED in the center of El-Nah’s capital city of Khan-Nah was the Tetrarchy Council’s deliberation chamber. Takuto’s party was escorted to the building where the Elven clan leaders used to decide their nation’s policies.
Built at the top of the ginormous World Tree, which was said to be the center of the world, the majestic, overwrought structure showcased the Elves’ power, and its abundance of nature paid homage to their way of living in harmony with the elemental spirits. Its pale green luminescence and dense magical energy fully indicated the value of this spot as a Mana Source.
Mynoghra’s Palace generated Ruin Mana. The Deliberation Chamber built into the World Tree also generated Mana, although it did so on a much larger scale. Mynoghra’s Palace couldn’t even compete at its current level.
They sure are openly inviting the enemy into the Elves’ most important facility… Then again, they could be presenting that as the concession they are making for the rest of us to come. And also a show of their confidence that their position won’t falter even if a commotion happens at their heart… Whatever the case may be, we’re about to find out.
If nothing else, the Deliberation Chamber was a fitting venue to host a grand event such as the All-Faction Conference.
The members of the other factions were all shown to the large, round table. Yu was the only face Takuto recognized. He didn’t know the people from Qualia, and Phon’kaven’s envoy was an unfamiliar face. Pepe stuck to his word that he was sending an envoy in his place. As for the rest…
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
There are fewer people than I expected. And what’s that?
Takuto wanted to know what the other Players looked like, but he didn’t see any at the table yet. Several empty seats had curious stone objects set on the table in front of them. He had a pretty good guess what they symbolized when he saw that one of the objects was shattered. He was about to telepathically share his theory with Vittorio when the door to the room opened with a loud creak. Freesia and Goliath entered the room.
“Welcome to the conference venue. You have my heartfelt gratitude for your participation in the All-Faction Conference, darlings~♡.”
A Succubus he was both familiar with yet meeting for the first time appeared behind the other two.
Thus began the conference that would decide the fate of the world.
Ẁѐ bǹ_о̂ v̂ ĕ ĺ Е̄ n ŭm̌ ӑ
Konten Bab Belum Tersedia
Bab ini belum memiliki konten teks atau sedang dalam proses penyuntingan.
