In the late evening, in the Redwing palace, in the Royal bedchamber…
Crrrrrreak…
The oaken doors creak loudly as Straf nonchalantly pushes them open, entering the large, dim bedroom.
「…Well, that's all the overdue admin shit to do… And more tomorrow again. I ought to slip into another coma.」
He grumbles to himself as he pushes the doors shut, then approaches the bed.
Just before making it there, he stops and changes his mind, turning for the study instead. Straf enters the adjacent room, where faint light of the magic lamps on the streets gently illuminates the study and keeps it from being pitch black. He takes a few steps around the shelves, squinting heavily at the books' spines with his hands in his pockets. Straf shrugs as it's too dark to read, and turns back for the bedroom.
「…Maybe tomorrow. Surely at least one of them has to be a good read?」
He thinks out loud as he approaches the bed, turns towards it with his back, then leaps in.
Thump!…
Straf bounces a little on the huge bed in the enormous room, then idly stares at the dark ceiling with his hands casually remaining in his pockets.
「…What, not even a welcome back?」
He asks, raising his brows slightly. There is no reply.
「Tsk… I know you're watching. You're watching all the time. Why so silent?」
Straf spreads his arms on the bed, asking the ceiling.
《…You didn't go anywhere, so why should I welcome you back?… And you talk to yourself too much for me to know when you are talking to me.》
Athea replies in Straf's mind with her voice echoing.
「Okay, fair point… But I figured I should think out loud, or else the people without an internal voice will get confused…」
Straf scoffs, smirking a little at the ceiling.
「…I thought you'd get a little more upset about me blowing the floating city the fuck up. Wasn't it really old?」
He asks with a shrug of his shoulders, then shuffles over to the pillows to slip underneath the blanket.
《You did what you had to. This was a human matter, and you are a human as well. It's a shame, but they made their choice.》
Athea simply replies in a calm tone.
「Huh. Am I getting stale? Should I blow up something really big next time?」
Straf's brows rise in sizable surprise before he lets out an amused huff from his nose.
《Don't try to get on my nerves. I do not approve, but it would be not in my place to forbid you from defending yourself and what you hold dear. It simply is what it is.》
She replies, taking on a stern tone before her voice softens again.
「Heh… You're going to scream in my mind eventually… Again…」
Straf smirks at the ceiling as he drifts off to sleep from sheer comfort of the bed…
…
A few hours later, late at night.
Straf wakes up for no apparent reason, opening his eyes to look at the dark ceiling. The room is silent and dark, but Straf can also feel an indelible sensation of being watched.
「Eh?…」
He looks down towards his feet, and finds amber eyes staring at him from the bed's foot end.
「…Nona?- No…」
Straf asks, before narrowing his eyes in suspicion at the amber gaze staring at him. The orange eyes narrow as well, seemingly amused.
「…It's you again, isn't it? The succubus from a while back.」
He asks, taking a closer look at the visitor's silhouette. The shape is far too irregular to be human, with large bat-like wings partially unfurled to the sides, and sheep-like horns on her head. The succubus takes a step closer, visibly smirking a little in the shadows. Each of her steps are slow, methodical, and unrushed, almost playful.
「I'm glad you remember me… I'm also glad you're awake again.」
The succubus replies with a low, blatantly seductive, slightly teasing tone. Straf narrows one eye at hers.
「…Awake again?」
Straf echoes, tilting his head slightly. The succubus nods her horned head while her slit pupils stare at him.
「Yes… You were in a coma, but I'm quite happy to see that's over now…」
She replies, and a faint hint of her smile can be seen through the shadows on her purple skin.
「…So you were here when I was out?… And you didn't do anything whatsoever to me?」
Raising his brow, Straf asks in an incredulous tone.
「Huhuhu… Should I have?…」
She lets out a brief, subdued laugh as she visibly covers her smiling mouth with her hand.
「I'm just wondering why you didn't either kill me, or help yourself.」
He replies, shrugging his shoulders as his eyes struggle to catch her form in the dark.
「I am not a murderer. The domain of succubi is love, not violence…」
The succubus nonchalantly replies, placing her hands on her chest.
「…I have to ask, why didn't you try any tricks? Why are you just showing yourself here? What do you want?」
Straf spreads his hands while looking at the dark shape in front of his bed.
「You didn't appreciate my last attempt… So I thought that showing myself in my plain form and openly would bring better results. So far, it appears I've been right.」
She explains, tilting her horned head. Her black hair hangs loose, sliding off her shoulder.
「Yeah, it's a little more acceptable when you're not wearing someone's face… Now what do you want? Answer my question.」
He scoffs, adding a shrug of his shoulders before asking again.
「Oh, I just wanted to extend an invitation to you…」
The succubus says with a smiling face, tilting her head the other way, and taking a step closer.
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「An invitation? To what? From who?」
Straf asks with his eyes narrowed in suspicion, and brows gently furrowed. The succubus leans forward, propping herself up on the bed with her hands.
「…From the demon lord, of course. The demon lord is extending an invitation to you to become a general for the army.」
She replies with her large chest hanging down in her clothes, which strongly resemble a very revealing metal bikini.
「Generals? You mean for the demon lord?… Are humans even allowed?」
A little confused, Straf furrows his brows.
「Of course. Anyone strong enough for the demon lord is welcome. If you wish to accept, head to the northern parts of the Eastern Kingdoms, and come alone.」
She nods her horns, smiling. Her face becomes almost visible at this distance, but not quite.
「…Why alone? And can I go ask what the salary is first?」
「Hahaha!…」
Straf asks, and the succubus bursts out into laughter, before quickly containing herself
「…The salary is anything that you wish for. The demon lord will provide anything that you ask, within reason.」
The succubus replies, straightening out and taking a step back with an amused smile on her shadowy face.
「…Can I just go directly to this demon lord? Without having to go alone?」
Straf's mouth scrunches to the side nearly automatically, and he throws his hands up,
「I'm afraid not. Go to the Eastern Kingdoms first, and you will be contacted.」
She replies with a brief shake of her raven-black head.
「…Say, you work for the demon lord, right?」
He asks with his brows rising slowly.
「Is that not obvious?」
She asks back with an amused smile.
「…So you know where the demon lord is?… Why shouldn't I just get that information out of you by force?」
Straf asks with a malicious grimace on his face.
「…That wouldn't work. Indeed, you are very, very powerful… But you are not nearly as frightening as the demon lord.」
She nods back, pausing briefly to think about Straf's threat.
「Huh? Why the fuck not? You know it was me who blew up the battle fortress thing, right?」
Somewhat confused, Straf narrows his eyes at her amber ones.
「Of course, and the demon lord knows too. That's the reason why you are invited, in fact…」
She nods with a soft smile on her purple-skinned face.
「…But I have things to lose, and you are simply put not frightening enough, Straf Katastrof Vindict. You can't do things the demon lord can.」
「Such as?…」
Straf asks, raising one brow at her while she heads for the door to the study.
「Many things I'd prefer not to discuss… Please give the invitation some serious consideration. Until we meet again.」
She adds before crossing the doorway to the adjacent study, and disappearing into the room.
Straf remains in his bed, and with a casual shrug, he resumes his sleep…
…
The next day, in the early morning…
Straf is walking by the Main Street with his hands in his pockets, when he notices a couple familiar faces.
「…Serve the Redwing nation!」「Don't slack off now! The Redwing people are hard workers! You better be one too!」「Yeah! Hardly workers!」
The three children are once again speaking to the scrawny foreigner while he's shoveling snow, though their tones are now markedly softer.
「… If you want to call yourself a citizen of the empire, you better do your job, and do it well!」
One of the boys proudly exclaims with his fists on his hips. Straf walks up with his brows furrowed.
「What's going on here? Why are you not shitting on him?… Look, he stopped to take a break! This is the perfect chance!」
Straf asks the familiar children, and points his finger at the foreigner. The children glance at each other.
「…As soon as you're done resting, get to work! The citizens might slip!」
The boy exclaims towards the worker, who nods along in acknowledgment.
「…Haah… Yes, yes… Just stopping for a breath!」
The man replies, and resumes shoveling the snow.
「Huuuuh!? What the fuck are you doing, kid!? Yell at him, or something! That'ts the fastest way!」
Straf tilts his head with a furrowed brow when he notices that the boys are patiently waiting for the man to stop.
「Why are you just sitting there instead of helping!?」
Straf asks, and the woman glances at the young boy for just a short moment.
「…We were told not to be so harsh on him! He's working for the betterment of the Redwing nation too, after al!」
One of the boys replies, nervously glancing at the rest.
「Huuuuh!? He's from Parnatau! What the fuck are you guys talking about!? Who's teaching you this shit!?… Is this what they're teaching you at school!?」
Straf asks, narrowing his eye as he leans in with a face full of suspicion.
「…There was a man who told us not to be so harsh on the foreigners! He yelled at us! It's his fault!」
The child replies, and the foreigner's faint smile fades away.
「Who!?… He ought to be some foreign agent himself! Fuckin' bastard!… I'll teach him a lesson!」
Straf exclaims as he grabs onto the boy's shoulders.
「I don't know!… He had glasses, and a boring haircut!…」
The boy replies with his brows furrowed in worry.
「Tsk… I guess they'll have to find him… I won't let subversive elements like that target the children with impunity!…」
Straf declares angrily, then turns to continue down the street.
「…And you! Get to work, slave!」
He adds, shouting over his shoulder at the foreigner. With a fatigued sigh, the skeletal man resumes shoveling the snow…