“Say, what is it you want to ask me?” Rose’s voice was cold, sharp as the tension that hung in the air between them.

Before Anyi could respond, a sudden, loud knock echoed from the door.

Dong. Dong.

"Who is it?" Anyi barked, his irritation evident. "Didn’t I tell everyone to stay away?"

“It’s me!” Ariana’s voice called from the other side, soft but insistent.

Anyi glanced at Rose, then sighed, turning to open the door.

When the door creaked open, he looked at Ariana with narrowed eyes. "I told you not to come."

"I… I want to listen," she said, her hands clasped behind her back, her expression earnest.

Anyi hesitated. The truth was, he didn’t want Ariana involved. Unlike him, she still had a softness in her heart. If Rose said anything to sway her, it could complicate things. If Ariana began to believe the Succubi were harmless, it would become difficult to maintain control over them. Worse, it would make his threats useless.

He needed to keep the pressure on while the Succubi still feared for their lives, squeezing every last bit of value from them before they could become a problem.

“You can listen,” Anyi said at last, “but don’t speak out of turn. Agree to that, and I’ll let you stay.”

Ariana’s face brightened. “Okay!” She nodded eagerly, her smile lighting up the dim room.

Reluctantly, Anyi stepped aside, allowing her to enter.

The moment Rose laid eyes on Ariana, her breath hitched. She stared, wide-eyed, utterly mesmerized.

'So... so beautiful...' Rose thought, stunned. It wasn’t like the bewitching beauty of her own kind, tainted by the allure of dark magic. No, this was something far more profound—pure, holy, a radiance so powerful it left no room for lust or desire, only awe.

For Rose, a Succubus who had been born surrounded by beauty, this was different. It wasn’t just physical perfection—it was a beauty that transcended everything she had ever known. All she could feel was admiration, reverence. In that moment, she understood that no magic could imitate the purity of the woman before her.

Ariana, oblivious to the awe she inspired, sat quietly, observing Rose with curiosity. 'So this is a Succubus,' she thought, her gaze flickering over the bound woman. Despite her reputation, Rose appeared entirely human—no monstrous traits, just a simple elegance. But as Layton and Miruku had said, even seeing her directly didn’t unlock anything in the Bestiary.

“Find a seat,” Anyi instructed Ariana before turning back to Rose, resuming his cold, direct tone.

"Good. Let’s begin," he said, his eyes fixed on Rose. "I want to know more than just the Goblin Centurion. First question—why are you Succubi here?"

Ariana sat quietly, watching the exchange.

Rose’s expression was calm as she answered. “I’ve been here since I was young. Like the others, I’ve been in this town for as long as I can remember.”

'Local-born,' Anyi thought. He wasn’t surprised. In a world like this, some things didn’t have clear origins. Like monsters that simply existed in one place, tied to the land.

“Next question,” he continued. “Are you connected to other monsters? Any ties to other Succubi or different creatures in the area?”

Rose hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Yes. We report human movements to the Goblin Centurions in the forest. But we don’t go deeper into monster territory. We Succubi don’t live in monster zones.”

"What kind of reports?"

“Population growth, deaths, damages,” Rose answered plainly. “I report once a year.”

Anyi nodded slowly, pretending to be deep in thought. He knew the system well—monsters tracked the progress of humanity like a creeping plague, slowly taking over more territory. Each report was just another tally in the inevitable downfall of mankind. Even the Aldrich Sect predicted humanity had only ten years left before total extinction.

“Other than the Goblin Centurion, you don’t have much else to tell us, do you?” Anyi asked, his voice cold.

“That’s right,” Rose admitted. “I wish I had more information to save my life, but... there’s not much else I can offer.”

She was telling the truth, but Anyi sensed there was more she wasn’t saying. She had been vague, hoping to keep something back for later. If they ran into trouble, the Heroes might come crawling back to her for more information, giving her time. Time to wait for a moment to escape.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

“Well, if that’s all you have, you’re useless to us.” Anyi’s words were sharp as he stood, his hand already gripping the hilt of a blade that shimmered into existence.

Rose’s heart pounded. Cold sweat ran down her back as she stared at the sword in his hand. Her mind raced, desperate to think of something—anything—to stop him.

'Is this how I die?'

"Anyi!" Ariana cried out, alarmed. “Wait!”

Anyi turned his head slightly, a shadow of annoyance crossing his face. "Didn’t I tell you not to talk unless necessary?"

“I—I’m being serious!” Ariana stammered, her voice pleading. “Are you sure she’s worthless? Killing her like this... it doesn’t feel right.”

Rose was frantic, her mind grasping for any leverage. 'Think... think!'

“She has no useful information,” Anyi said, his voice flat. “We’ll face the Goblins soon. Better to cut the loose ends before they become a problem.”

'The forest... the Goblins...'

“I—I can guide you!” Rose suddenly shouted, desperation flooding her voice.

Anyi paused.

“I know a secret path through the forest,” Rose continued, breathless. “A route the Goblins avoid because of us Succubi! I can lead you straight to the Goblin Centurion, no distractions!”

'Finally, she took the bait,' Anyi thought.

...

After Rose revealed the critical piece of information, Anyi and Ariana swiftly left the room, sharing the newfound intelligence with the rest of their group. The believers wasted no time, huddling together to formulate a precise attack plan. The urgency in the air was palpable—every second counted. Meanwhile, Rose, bound and helpless, was temporarily locked away in a separate room, left unguarded but closely monitored from downstairs. If she tried to escape through the window, they would catch her in an instant. She was, after all, a Succubus, and even the absence of Heroes made her a dangerous foe for ordinary humans to watch over.

As the believers worked on their strategy, Anyi did not linger to participate. Instead, he returned to the room where Rose had been held. His objective had already been achieved. From the beginning, his goal was simple—make Rose volunteer to guide them, all by herself.

He could have forced her, of course. But “Lead us or die” carried little weight with someone like her. A threat like that, spoken with brute force, might break her, but it would also make her unpredictable, prone to desperate measures. Instead, he had orchestrated this dance of fear and hope, knowing she would think she was saving herself by offering to guide them.

By allowing her to cling to that glimmer of hope, she would cooperate far more willingly. And as for the possibility of her leading them into a trap or trying to escape along the way? That wasn’t a concern. Goblins, though smarter than many monsters, were still base creatures. They were more prone to act on their instincts than any cunning schemes of a Succubus. In truth, they were often so overwhelmed by the irresistible charm of a Succubus that they would turn on her in an instant. Goblins were uncontrollable once that primal lust was ignited—this was no game world, after all.

Even if Rose planned to manipulate the Goblins, her magic wouldn’t be strong enough to control them. Anyi was confident that the goblins would be more of a danger to her than to them. All she had left was the “special route,” which only ensured her temporary usefulness. Beyond that, she was powerless.

As Anyi walked away, lost in thought, Ariana came rushing up beside him, catching the sleeve of his coat.

"Anyi, wait!" she called out, her small hands clutching at him.

"I'm about to go to sleep. You’re not allowed in my room tonight," Anyi said, without even breaking his stride.

"I can’t sleep! I’m not tired at all!” Ariana insisted, her tone full of earnestness. “Besides, I came to ask you something important!"

Anyi glanced at her, his expression as indifferent as ever. “What is it now?”

Ariana’s face was serious as she looked up at him. “I remember what you said earlier, back in the carriage. You mentioned that we could use the Succubus to help with the ambush. Did you always know she would guide us?”

Anyi’s eyes narrowed slightly. “It wasn’t a certainty,” he said calmly. “But it was a strong possibility.”

He continued, explaining with his usual calculating tone. “There were two main possibilities. Either she understands the monsters well, or she doesn’t. If she does, then we could extract valuable information. If she doesn’t, then we’d need to figure out why. Is it because she never interacts with the monsters? Or is she hiding something? More layers of possibilities unfold from there. But whether she could lead us or not was the key. If she’s had direct contact with the Goblin Centurion, she could guide us to him. If not, we could force her to communicate with them through magic.”

Ariana nodded, her expression full of admiration as she absorbed his explanation. “So when you threatened her earlier... it was all just to scare her?”

Anyi shrugged. “Of course. The Succubi are far more valuable than anyone realizes. Their charm alone makes them crucial to our attack. If Rose can bring us directly to the Goblin Centurions, we have a chance to strike before they even know what’s happening. And with the abilities granted to us by Kami, a surprise attack could wipe out all three Centurions.”

Ariana stared at him, wide-eyed. As expected of Anyi—he had thought of everything, even before the rest of them had pieced it together. But as her admiration grew, another question bubbled up in her mind.

They reached the door to Anyi’s room, and as he opened it to step inside, Ariana tugged on his sleeve again.

"Anyi, I have one more question," she said, her voice a little quieter.

He paused, one hand on the doorframe. “Go on.”

“If you had all this planned out from the start,” Ariana asked, her eyes searching his face, “why did you ask for our opinions earlier? Why didn’t you just tell us what you were going to do?”

Anyi stopped, his expression unreadable as he looked down at her.

“That’s simple,” he said. “I wanted to see if anyone thought like me.”

Ariana’s mind reeled. 'Thought like him?'

“Your thoughts aren’t wrong,” Anyi continued, his tone casual, “but mine are just... different. My mind’s filled with how to kill monsters. That’s all. Kill and finish.”

With that, Anyi turned and stepped inside, the door closing with a soft click behind him.

She stared at the door for a long moment, respect welling up inside her.

"Anyi! I’ll sleep with you tonight!" Ariana suddenly declared, raising her voice in defiance of the closed door. “I’m sure I can sleep just fine!”

No response came.

Ariana stood there for a while longer, staring at the door. Eventually, with a sigh, she turned away, realizing she had been ignored entirely.

...

After a busy night, the next day the believers made plans to attack the forest.