Adelaide slowly looked behind her. She saw a large warrior. He appeared to be in his 40s or 50s, and his muscular body and outfit made him look like a swordsman. He seemed to have lost an arm from a battle, and his aura showed that he was between a mid level to a high level warrior.
‘Should I kill him?’
She pondered with an indifferent face. She came there dressed looking like a human, but if the warrior in front of her was sensitive and could read her energy, he would figure out that she was a demon.
If rumors spread that a demon was seen in this forest, it was obvious that it would be annoying. More than that, it could badly affect Lupinus.
“Are you going to the log cabin beyond the forest?”
Adelaide, whose mind had been inclined toward killing him, stiffened at his words. She glanced at the warrior again, narrowing her eyes.
A warrior who knew the location of the log cabin. Who was he? Lupinus said that only a few humans knew the location of his home.
He said that he was always careful, because he was afraid that the guys bullying him would come to his house.
Adelaide looked at him as if she was wary then he showed a clumsy smile. His smiling face looked rather kind.
In the end, Adelaide decided that she would not kill him.
Seeing that he was not prepared to attack, it meant that he had not yet recognized her identity. She was also worried about killing this person who knew the cabin’s location because he could be someone Lupinus knew.
She couldn’t do anything that would make her only friend hate her.
But she had no intention of answering the human. Adelaide was a demon, warriors were her natural enemy and prey. Lupinus was a special case, but she regarded all the other humans insignificant.
These thoughts were natural for a strong demon who could slice the necks of any number of warriors with a single wave of a hand.
Just because the delicious cakes* were intelligent beings did not mean that they were equal.
[T/N: Not sure if this has some other meaning but I think she’s just referring to humans as cakes because she eats them/their energy.]
As she remained expressionless without answering, the warrior scratched his sideburns, perhaps feeling awkward. Then, as if worried about who would hear, he spoke in a low voice.
“That… You’re Adela, aren’t you?”
“How do you know my name?” Adelaide frowned.
To hear her nickname come out of the mouth of a warrior, it left a bitter taste in her mouth. The warrior hastily answered, like making an excuse, seemingly startled by her angry expression.
“Oh, sorry for calling you by your name. I heard it a lot. From my son. That’s why I said it comfortably without realizing it.”
She was surprised. It was not difficult to guess who the son he was talking about was.
“…Are you…”
‘Are you that irresponsible a**hole who didn’t care about raising his child?’ Adelaide swallowed her words.
She didn’t like the man in front of her very much but she couldn’t be hasty and do something that Lupinus wouldn’t like.
Lupinus missed his father, rather than resenting him for not taking good care of him. He seemed to think that it was because of himself that his father didn’t come often.
Sometimes when Adelaide said harsh things about his father, he would become very upset. She tried to avoid making a displeased expression.
“Yes, I am Lupinus’ father.”
“… Right.”
“Well, I know I look bad. There’s no helping it. So far, I’ve been so engrossed in my work that I’ve been so indifferent to my child…”
“So you know. You should’ve realized it sooner rather than later.” Adelaide muttered to herself.
She decided to avoid making a harsh expression, but she still couldn’t help but grumble to herself.
“I only realized it after losing one arm. That the most important thing is family.”
The face of the warrior who said this looked really happy. On the other hand, Adelaide’s face hardened even more.
“I’ve been with my son for the past few days and I’ve heard a lot about you. Thank you for taking care of my son while I was away… Thank you so much.”
He bowed down. She heard that their culture of ranking people by age was no joke. He said that young people should be unconditionally respectful of older people.
Contrary to the stories, however, the middle-aged warrior appeared quite polite despite Adelaide’s youthful appearance and cheeky demeanor.
‘Did Lupinus tell you who I am? I don’t think so…’
If he had known she was a demon, no matter how grateful he was, he wouldn’t be this friendly. In other words, he thought of Adelaide as human, but he did not care about her age and bowed to her.
Because of that action, her feelings towards Lupinus felt strange for some reason. She was glad because it was something Lupinus would have liked, but… If his father, whom he had missed so much, returned…
Sadness flooded her as she would no longer be able to spend time with Lupinus as she used to.
‘No, I can’t. A true friend should congratulate him.’
Adelaide bit her molars tightly. There was nothing uglier than being miserable of a friend’s happiness. She pulled herself together and opened her mouth.
“Okay.”
“Uhm, were you going to go to our house? Let’s go together. Lupinus has been waiting for a long time for you to come.”
“Okay.”
When she heard that Lupinus was waiting for her, she felt better again. Even if they do not meet as much as before, their friendship won’t change. She crossed the forest with so much confidence.
Not long after, they arrived at the cabin.
“Lupinus! Adela is here!” The warrior shouted with a loud voice.
‘Ugh, so noisy.’ Adelaide clicked her tongue inwardly and made her way into the house. It was a small house, so as soon as she entered, she could see Lupinus. The boy was lying on his back on the bed.
“Oh, it looks like he fell asleep while waiting.”
The warrior said there was no helping it because he was young, then headed towards the kitchen. It was to prepare a drink for Adelaide.
‘Are you sulking?’
Adelaide looked at him and took a step forward. As she approached the living room, a strange sensation passed through Adelaide’s mind.
‘This…’
Adelaide frowned. Although it was obscured by the warrior’s aura, she could easily sense the ominous magic that spread around the living room.
She wasn’t sure exactly what it was. She just had a gut feeling that she had to leave this place. Immediately. If she didn’t, she would be in big trouble.
“Lupin, wake up!”
Adelaide chose to wake the boy up instead of leaving right away. She could not leave her friend in danger. She shook the boy’s body urgently. However, no matter how much she shook him, Lupinus showed no signs of waking up. He slept with a low snore.
“You must not try to wake a sleeping child.”
“You…!”
Adelaide lifted her head and looked at the warrior. Where did the kind face of the person from earlier go? The face of a greedy villain remained.
“What did you do to Lupin!”
“Don’t worry. He’s just sleeping. After he gets a good night’s sleep, the situation will be over.”
Lupinus had never fallen asleep at the time Adelaide came. It was strange that he didn’t wake up as soon as she entered the house. He seemed to have given the child some medicine.
“Now, just worry about yourself, you dirty succubus.”
The warrior said in a harsh voice. At the same time, an ominous energy surged up. A red circle glowed over the wooden floor of the living room.
‘A magic circle…!’
Adelaide, who set Lupinus down, quickly jumped into the air. However, the magic circle had already been activated.
The threads that rose from the red circle immediately bound her body. Adelaide extended her nails and tried to cut the threads, but it was not easy. It seemed to have a fairly strong magical power.
“Don’t bother. Do you think a mere succubus can escape from that?”
At that moment, a small portal opened next to the magic circle and three high level warriors came out of it.
One was a mage who looked quite strong in her eyes, and the other two looked a little weaker, but still formidable. They seemed prepared and very determined to catch Adelaide.
“Lucius, you have a blessed son. To seduce a succubus with such a level of beauty. I think I can sell it at the highest price.”
“Don’t mention it, Lidwell. Then, my arm…”
“Ah, did you say you have exhausted your soul pieces? I’ll fix it right away when I’m done.”
“Thank you, thank you!”
The middle-aged warrior smiled broadly and bowed. It really was not acting when he made a happy face in front of Adelaide earlier. The reason was just different from what she had guessed.
“Piece of garbage.”
Adelaide spit curse words while her body was bound tight. Then, the smiling warrior’s face quickly distorted.
“Anyway, with that skill, even if his arm grew back, it will be cut off again. So why don’t you just go cleanly and die?”
Her face as she spoke with a smile was cheeky. He was the father of Adelaide’s friend, so she was going to treat him nicely, but that was over now.
“This dirty succubus b*tch…!”
The warrior strode towards her. Adelaide lifted her head as his thick, hairy hand was about to grip her slender neck.
Kwagwagwang!
It happened in an instant. Dark magic spread all around her and destroyed the magic circle at once. A part of the old log house collapsed due to the severe impact. The only place where there was no damage was around Lupinus.
The high level warriors were blasted out by the huge energy and rolled on the floor.
Someone slowly walked out through the hazy dust. Long hair fluttered to and fro in the breeze that came in through the broken wall. Her beautiful lips twisted and opened.
“You’re brave.”
The warriors trembled at the cold voice. Their biggest mistake was belittling her just because she got along with a human child.
“S-Spare me, please spare me!”
One of the warriors quickly begged for his life. She destroyed the advanced magic circle in an instant. That fact alone was an indication of how strong the demon in front of him was.
Adelaide frowned at his loud voice and snapped her fingers.
Kwajik.
The body of the warrior, which made a loud and blood-curdling sound, fell backwards. There was a large hole in his head.
“With only this level of skill…”
Adelaide continued speaking without any emotion even after she committed such a cruel act.
“You tried to attack the next Succubus Queen?”
The Ace of Morpheus. Maximilian’s most cherished genius. The only Succubus Queen candidate.
These were Adelaide’s titles.
Adelaide slowly looked behind her. She saw a large warrior. He appeared to be in his 40s or 50s, and his muscular body and outfit made him look like a swordsman. He seemed to have lost an arm from a battle, and his aura showed that he was between a mid level to a high level warrior.
‘Should I kill him?’
She pondered with an indifferent face. She came there dressed looking like a human, but if the warrior in front of her was sensitive and could read her energy, he would figure out that she was a demon.
If rumors spread that a demon was seen in this forest, it was obvious that it would be annoying. More than that, it could badly affect Lupinus.
“Are you going to the log cabin beyond the forest?”
Adelaide, whose mind had been inclined toward killing him, stiffened at his words. She glanced at the warrior again, narrowing her eyes.
A warrior who knew the location of the log cabin. Who was he? Lupinus said that only a few humans knew the location of his home.
He said that he was always careful, because he was afraid that the guys bullying him would come to his house.
Adelaide looked at him as if she was wary then he showed a clumsy smile. His smiling face looked rather kind.
In the end, Adelaide decided that she would not kill him.
Seeing that he was not prepared to attack, it meant that he had not yet recognized her identity. She was also worried about killing this person who knew the cabin’s location because he could be someone Lupinus knew.
She couldn’t do anything that would make her only friend hate her.
But she had no intention of answering the human. Adelaide was a demon, warriors were her natural enemy and prey. Lupinus was a special case, but she regarded all the other humans insignificant.
These thoughts were natural for a strong demon who could slice the necks of any number of warriors with a single wave of a hand.
Just because the delicious cakes* were intelligent beings did not mean that they were equal.
[T/N: Not sure if this has some other meaning but I think she’s just referring to humans as cakes because she eats them/their energy.]
As she remained expressionless without answering, the warrior scratched his sideburns, perhaps feeling awkward. Then, as if worried about who would hear, he spoke in a low voice.
“That… You’re Adela, aren’t you?”
“How do you know my name?” Adelaide frowned.
To hear her nickname come out of the mouth of a warrior, it left a bitter taste in her mouth. The warrior hastily answered, like making an excuse, seemingly startled by her angry expression.
“Oh, sorry for calling you by your name. I heard it a lot. From my son. That’s why I said it comfortably without realizing it.”
She was surprised. It was not difficult to guess who the son he was talking about was.
“…Are you…”
‘Are you that irresponsible a**hole who didn’t care about raising his child?’ Adelaide swallowed her words.
She didn’t like the man in front of her very much but she couldn’t be hasty and do something that Lupinus wouldn’t like.
Lupinus missed his father, rather than resenting him for not taking good care of him. He seemed to think that it was because of himself that his father didn’t come often.
Sometimes when Adelaide said harsh things about his father, he would become very upset. She tried to avoid making a displeased expression.
“Yes, I am Lupinus’ father.”
“… Right.”
“Well, I know I look bad. There’s no helping it. So far, I’ve been so engrossed in my work that I’ve been so indifferent to my child…”
“So you know. You should’ve realized it sooner rather than later.” Adelaide muttered to herself.
She decided to avoid making a harsh expression, but she still couldn’t help but grumble to herself.
“I only realized it after losing one arm. That the most important thing is family.”
The face of the warrior who said this looked really happy. On the other hand, Adelaide’s face hardened even more.
“I’ve been with my son for the past few days and I’ve heard a lot about you. Thank you for taking care of my son while I was away… Thank you so much.”
He bowed down. She heard that their culture of ranking people by age was no joke. He said that young people should be unconditionally respectful of older people.
Contrary to the stories, however, the middle-aged warrior appeared quite polite despite Adelaide’s youthful appearance and cheeky demeanor.
‘Did Lupinus tell you who I am? I don’t think so…’
If he had known she was a demon, no matter how grateful he was, he wouldn’t be this friendly. In other words, he thought of Adelaide as human, but he did not care about her age and bowed to her.
Because of that action, her feelings towards Lupinus felt strange for some reason. She was glad because it was something Lupinus would have liked, but… If his father, whom he had missed so much, returned…
Sadness flooded her as she would no longer be able to spend time with Lupinus as she used to.
‘No, I can’t. A true friend should congratulate him.’
Adelaide bit her molars tightly. There was nothing uglier than being miserable of a friend’s happiness. She pulled herself together and opened her mouth.
“Okay.”
“Uhm, were you going to go to our house? Let’s go together. Lupinus has been waiting for a long time for you to come.”
“Okay.”
When she heard that Lupinus was waiting for her, she felt better again. Even if they do not meet as much as before, their friendship won’t change. She crossed the forest with so much confidence.
Not long after, they arrived at the cabin.
“Lupinus! Adela is here!” The warrior shouted with a loud voice.
‘Ugh, so noisy.’ Adelaide clicked her tongue inwardly and made her way into the house. It was a small house, so as soon as she entered, she could see Lupinus. The boy was lying on his back on the bed.
“Oh, it looks like he fell asleep while waiting.”
The warrior said there was no helping it because he was young, then headed towards the kitchen. It was to prepare a drink for Adelaide.
‘Are you sulking?’
Adelaide looked at him and took a step forward. As she approached the living room, a strange sensation passed through Adelaide’s mind.
‘This…’
Adelaide frowned. Although it was obscured by the warrior’s aura, she could easily sense the ominous magic that spread around the living room.
She wasn’t sure exactly what it was. She just had a gut feeling that she had to leave this place. Immediately. If she didn’t, she would be in big trouble.
“Lupin, wake up!”
Adelaide chose to wake the boy up instead of leaving right away. She could not leave her friend in danger. She shook the boy’s body urgently. However, no matter how much she shook him, Lupinus showed no signs of waking up. He slept with a low snore.
“You must not try to wake a sleeping child.”
“You…!”
Adelaide lifted her head and looked at the warrior. Where did the kind face of the person from earlier go? The face of a greedy villain remained.
“What did you do to Lupin!”
“Don’t worry. He’s just sleeping. After he gets a good night’s sleep, the situation will be over.”
Lupinus had never fallen asleep at the time Adelaide came. It was strange that he didn’t wake up as soon as she entered the house. He seemed to have given the child some medicine.
“Now, just worry about yourself, you dirty succubus.”
The warrior said in a harsh voice. At the same time, an ominous energy surged up. A red circle glowed over the wooden floor of the living room.
‘A magic circle…!’
Adelaide, who set Lupinus down, quickly jumped into the air. However, the magic circle had already been activated.
The threads that rose from the red circle immediately bound her body. Adelaide extended her nails and tried to cut the threads, but it was not easy. It seemed to have a fairly strong magical power.
“Don’t bother. Do you think a mere succubus can escape from that?”
At that moment, a small portal opened next to the magic circle and three high level warriors came out of it.
One was a mage who looked quite strong in her eyes, and the other two looked a little weaker, but still formidable. They seemed prepared and very determined to catch Adelaide.
“Lucius, you have a blessed son. To seduce a succubus with such a level of beauty. I think I can sell it at the highest price.”
“Don’t mention it, Lidwell. Then, my arm…”
“Ah, did you say you have exhausted your soul pieces? I’ll fix it right away when I’m done.”
“Thank you, thank you!”
The middle-aged warrior smiled broadly and bowed. It really was not acting when he made a happy face in front of Adelaide earlier. The reason was just different from what she had guessed.
“Piece of garbage.”
Adelaide spit curse words while her body was bound tight. Then, the smiling warrior’s face quickly distorted.
“Anyway, with that skill, even if his arm grew back, it will be cut off again. So why don’t you just go cleanly and die?”
Her face as she spoke with a smile was cheeky. He was the father of Adelaide’s friend, so she was going to treat him nicely, but that was over now.
“This dirty succubus b*tch…!”
The warrior strode towards her. Adelaide lifted her head as his thick, hairy hand was about to grip her slender neck.
Kwagwagwang!
It happened in an instant. Dark magic spread all around her and destroyed the magic circle at once. A part of the old log house collapsed due to the severe impact. The only place where there was no damage was around Lupinus.
The high level warriors were blasted out by the huge energy and rolled on the floor.
Someone slowly walked out through the hazy dust. Long hair fluttered to and fro in the breeze that came in through the broken wall. Her beautiful lips twisted and opened.
“You’re brave.”
The warriors trembled at the cold voice. Their biggest mistake was belittling her just because she got along with a human child.
“S-Spare me, please spare me!”
One of the warriors quickly begged for his life. She destroyed the advanced magic circle in an instant. That fact alone was an indication of how strong the demon in front of him was.
Adelaide frowned at his loud voice and snapped her fingers.
Kwajik.
The body of the warrior, which made a loud and blood-curdling sound, fell backwards. There was a large hole in his head.
“With only this level of skill…”
Adelaide continued speaking without any emotion even after she committed such a cruel act.
“You tried to attack the next Succubus Queen?”
The Ace of Morpheus. Maximilian’s most cherished genius. The only Succubus Queen candidate.
These were Adelaide’s titles.
