"... ...Someone is here...?"

I stared at the footprints on the dusty ground.

Moments after entering the space through the crack on the wall, I had already found traces of intrusion almost immediately. It seemed like the person had not bothered to cover their tracks either.

Were they careless and did not notice this, or did they not bother about such a trifling issue... implying that they could handle anyone who came to catch them?

A vein on my forehead bulged out; this complacency irked me to no end. 

...Are you... looking down on me...?! On ME?!

Sure enough, the hidden passageway was left opened. Where I had originally intended to meet up with a person there for my own protection...

"...The passageway is open... did someone know about my secret...? ...I've only ever told Syriel about this...! ...That lass, did she betray me...?!"

I bit my lips in annoyance. My face probably isn't looking very good right now.

Tch.

If it's really an intruder I cannot handle on my own... I might need to call for the other geezers to help me...

...Although, the existence of the Abomination will come to light... ...In either case, it's an annoying situation I've gotten into huh...!!!

My anger reached its peak very quickly. Quickly coming to a conclusion that one of my long-time subordinates had turned against me, I felt my rage rising up my chest uncomfortably.

...Curse you, you lowly homunculus!!! My plans... they were not supposed to be used like this...!!!

After taking some time to calm myself down, I began cautiously sneaking my way to the other end of the opened corridor where I was supposed to find her.

I stepped forward towards the centre of this space, the hole at the middle of the ceiling illuminating the inner circumference like a spotlight. Before me was an altar made of stone laced around by a well-maintained flower field.

She was supposed to be there alone, but there was someone there with her.

...A... male...? ...Who... is he?

I could instantly recognize that person as a male through one of the many skills I'd learnt through a Succubus Tome under my possession a few years ago. It could trace the type of hormones emitted from a person very accurately.

Aaahhh~ That manly stench~ It's undeniably a man~

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Of course, this convenient skill came from one of the belongings of the Slave Trader I'd gotten most of my enslaving abilities from. After determining the sexual orientation and nature of the person, I could even ensnare them with various other skills that worked like aphrodisiac and boosted libido during mating sessions.

I looked that the back of the man with new-found interest.

The man had his back faced towards me, so I could not tell who he was. He didn't seem to have pointy ears, so he was definitely not of our kind. The skill had also picked his species up as a human. He had black hair, and was draped in a black coat, giving off a very mature look despite his height that suited a growing adult.

There was definitely not a person who fit those descriptions in my memory, even among my secret collection of human slaves.

Then that means...

I licked my lips.

A human male ripe with maturity even~ I've stumbled into a good situation~

The fact that a new potential human male had come to this place piqued my interest slightly. I began to feel better, when I realized that it was possible that this person had probably fallen from the top down through the hole in the ceiling.

I completely neglected the fact that the previous space before the passageway had traces of intrusion as well.

"...see... enjoy... I'm glad... ...."

"Name... ... another... ... like... ..."

The man was talking to her about something, but I could only pick up a few words here and there from this distance. She seemed to enjoy the conversation very much as well, which made me grimace in annoyance.

Get off my possession, you filthy creature...!!! You don't deserve someone like him!

I could not fathom another elf, let alone a monster to come close to someone I wanted. Their close relationship made me extremely jealous.

Only I deserve the best specimens of men!!! Only the best is reserved for the perfect me...!!!

But at this moment, my passionate show of my own idealistic beliefs seemed to leak a little bit of sound. It seemed as if I overstepped my boundaries from the shadows, as the man started to turn his head around as if his attention was being drawn to a sound I had unconsciously made.

Realizing that, I panicked a little.

He would definitely become suspicious of me if I appeared like this...!!! Ahhh, I need to hide first!

I quickly returned back to shadows and hid behind a nearby rock before he noticed me. I had to come up with a good plan to get him enslaved by my Mind Collar.

I excelled in trickery after all. That was why I'd gotten myself a spot in the Martriach Diet. I had connections and ways to manipulate people with my new-found powers using the skills from the Succubus Tome.

I was no longer a weak elf who could not do anything for herself a few years ago.

I am powerful.

That's right, it's going to be easy as usual... I just need to play my cards right...!

But I needed time before I could make my presence known.

I needed everything to be perfect before I executed my scheme.

Fortunately, it seemed as if the man had not noticed me as he returned to talk to her.

That one moment when I managed to catch a glimpse of his face instantly made me even more infatuated with the man. I was determined to mate with this amazing male who exuded a dignified aura around him. 

Or guy...? He looks so young with such a calm and collected expression... A manly youth... Aaahhh~ Right in my strike zone~ Ufufufu~ I'll take my time, and I'll definitely succeed in adding you to my collection~

I hurriedly returned to where I came from to meet up with a few other guard elves under my direct command to complete my flawless plan. 

I gloated amusedly as the rest of the villagers were wasting their time hiding themselves in these Stalite Caves while I was moving one step towards the capture of a new toy.

----------------------------------------

Tricia had not realised something before the man turned his head back away from herself. 

The entire time unbeknownst to Tricia, the man with an entirely new appearance had already noticed her presence but kept silent about it.

----------------------------------------

"Big brother...? What's so funny? Why are you laughing like that...? Hey hey, let me me in on the joke too!"

"...Hahaha... Hikari, you'll see. In the meantime, why don't you tell me more about you?"

"Un! Talking to big brother is fun!"

The little girl flung her legs on the altar excitedly and begun earnestly talking about her hobbies. The guy made a light smile on his face as he listened quietly without interrupting; his sharp red eyes narrowed warmly like a rabbit.