52

"S-Succubus Queen?!?!"

I couldn't help but widen my eyes in surprise.

"Hehe… Yes, I am the great goddess of lust, the Queen of Dream Demons! I am the legion commander, Sephir."

"Though, not anymore."

"Ugh."

Sephir immediately cowered when Athena glared at her.

In her timid demeanor, there was no trace of a commander's dignity.

'But still, a Succubus Queen…'

Through Athena, I was able to roughly hear the events of last night.

Apparently, she had abducted me while I was too intoxicated to think straight, planning to force me into servitude as her familiar.

However, before she could do so, Athena had caught her.

At the moment when her head was about to be severed by Athena's sword strike, I had supposedly begged Athena to spare her life.

That's why her life was currently on hold.

'I kind of remember that…'

Bits and pieces started surfacing in my memory.

Through my hazy mind, I had seen Athena swing her sword at someone.

Wanting to prevent Athena from stepping further down a dark path, I had asked her to refrain from taking lives.

"Hera. If you change your mind, you can kill her at any time. She is a demon, after all."

"Eek?! H-Hera..! P-Please, please spare me!!"

Sephir was kneeling, looking up at me with pleading eyes, her hands clasped together in desperation.

I felt a bit taken aback by the pitiful sight of her.

The 4th Legion Commander, the Succubus Queen, Sephir.

In the original story, she was the weakest of the four commanders in terms of strength, but still a tricky opponent.

With her 'Power of Enchantment,' which allowed her to mesmerize others into becoming her allies, she had turned Robin's companions against him.

Our righteous protagonist Robin couldn't bring himself to harm his former companions, and thus, he struggled for quite some time.

In the end, with the help of a saint, he was able to dispel the enchantment on his companions, yet the Succubus Queen remained a challenging foe.

The monsters she led had ravaged countless villages, and her excellent disguise abilities had caused chaos within various factions of the empire.

An enemy who attacked from both the outside and inside—such was Sephir.

And yet now…

"Sob… Sniff… I don't want to die… Hera… I-I'll do my best… okay?"

Tears and snot flowed as she begged me to accept her as my familiar.

When I looked at Athena, seeking an explanation, she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"I thought she might be useful as a familiar, so I was thinking of assigning her to you. Do as you please, Hera."

"And if I refuse…?"

At my question, Athena cast a chilling smile at Sephir.

"Don't you think we should dispose of anything unnecessary?"

"N-No!! Hera, please…!"

It seemed that Sephir's life depended on my decision.

A familiar, huh.

The concept had been mentioned a few times in the novel.

It's a relationship established through a contract.

Various beings, such as divine beasts, mythical creatures, and beasts, could be bound as familiars, who would protect their masters in times of danger.

In exchange, the master would provide a certain reward to the familiar, usually magical power or something material.

But…

The Succubus Queen as my familiar…?

Is this… really okay?

As I showed signs of worry, Athena patted my head and reassured me.

"Don't worry. There's not a single drawback for the master in a familiar contract. Normally, you'd need to provide compensation periodically, but…"

Athena cast a chilling smile at Sephir.

"You won't have to do any of that, right?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Sephir replied.

"Yes! Of course!! I only need my master's attention!! I don't need anything else!!"

"That's not allowed either."

"Huh…?"

At Athena's words, the atmosphere instantly grew cold.

"Who are you to desire Hera's attention?"

"Eek… A-Actually, I don't need anything…!! No rewards are perfectly fine with me!! Yes, definitely!!… Sob…"

With teary eyes, Sephir spoke in a trembling voice.

Her pathetic plea stirred a bit of sympathy in me.

After a brief moment of thought, I answered.

"….Alright. I'll do it. The contract."

Upon hearing my words, Sephir's face lit up with a radiant expression.

"R-Really?!!"

"Really, Hera?"

"Yes.

It does feel a bit unsettling to make a demon my familiar, but Athena personally assured me there would be no issues, so it should be fine. Besides, she's one of the most powerful figures, second only to the Demon King. If she joins our side, it will be beneficial in many ways.

And for some reason… I don't want her to die. Have I already grown attached?

Even though this is technically the first time we've properly met, I'm not sure how I've grown so fond of her.

'That's right… we only met today, so why…'

Today was the first time…

The first…

"Um… should I do it?… Alright…"

Smooch- Mwah – Smack-

"Mph… Hah… Mmm…"

"Haa… Smooch…"

…

"Hehe… Should I stay still?"

Slurp- Lick-

Mmm… her tongue… It's going all the way in… Fascinating…"

"Blaah~ Haa…"

….

..

Hm?

Now, as time has passed, the fog that had clouded my mind has gradually lifted.

And the memories I had forgotten began to resurface bit by bit.

The comforting actions I did for Athena yesterday.

But as the memories resurfaced, it felt like the person wasn't Athena.

It was definitely… Athena, right?

Definitely…

But in my memory, it wasn't her radiant blonde hair that came to mind; instead, it was the vivid cherry blossom-colored hair that kept appearing.

The same pink as Sephir's.

'Then… does that mean…'

The one whose fingers I sucked and whose ear I licked wasn't Athena but…

"Se… Sephir…"

"Hmm?"

She looked at me with a curious expression when I called her name.

"Did… did I… your ear, yesterday…"

"Oh…"

At my words, her cheeks flushed a deep red as if embarrassed.

It really seemed to be true.

Pop—

A sound like something bursting rang in my head.

In an instant, my mind went blank.

My face turned as red as a tomato.

'Are… are you insane, Hera?'

Drunk or not, how could you not even recognize the person right in front of you?

Are you even human?

Now it made sense why Sephir didn't feel unfamiliar.

Sucking on a stranger's fingers and licking their ear…

How much of a pervert did I look like?

'I just want to die… let me die…'

Even though I was consumed by a crushing sense of shame, somehow, I managed to shake it off.

"… Ear what?"

A chilling, almost lifeless voice, as if echoing from the depths of hell, came from behind me.

"Hic."

A hiccup escaped both mine and Sephir's mouths simultaneously.

I turned my head slowly, only to find Athena, her gaze eerily calm, like the eye of a storm, looking straight at me.

"What did you two do?"

At her words, a cold sweat began to trickle down my back.

I wasn't sure why Athena was acting that way, but I had a gut feeling that giving the wrong answer could lead to something irreversible.

For a brief moment, my eyes met Sephir's. It was as if we understood each other, exchanging signals through trembling gazes.

"Ah… No?! It's just that… Hera found my ears fascinating and touched them a few times yesterday, that's all?! Right, Hera?"

"Uh… Y-yeah… I was just curious about how pointy they were… Really, nothing happened…"

Sephir and I, so in sync, like old friends who could trust each other without words.

Despite her being a demon, this was a moment where I felt a sense of camaraderie with her.

"…Really?"

"Of course!! What did you think was going on?"

"I'm… I'm hungry. Should we have breakfast?!"

Maybe it was my attempt to change the subject that seemed suspicious because Athena looked at me with a doubtful expression.

After examining my gaze for a long while, she finally sighed, dropping her suspicion.

"…Alright. I had something to discuss, anyway."

I swallowed hard, relieved that I might have managed to escape the crisis.

As Sephir and I exchanged glances of relief, Athena continued speaking.

"But before that, you two need to establish a contract, right?"

...

…

A servant contract.

A bond that would bind one's life to their master, allowing them to serve as a familiar.

At first glance, it might look like a slave contract, but it was quite different.

For one, the master couldn't impose many restrictions on the familiar. However, since the familiar would die if the master died, they were compelled to protect their master.

And by binding a familiar, the master could use a portion of the familiar's power.

If I made Sephir my familiar, I'd be able to use some of her strength, albeit weakly.

That was all. It wasn't a particularly grand contract.

And from what Athena explained, the process of forming the servant contract was simpler than expected.

Apparently, all Sephir had to do was consume my blood and recite an oath of loyalty to me.

I had briefly imagined her sinking her teeth into me like a vampire, but in reality, just a single drop of blood was enough.

Athena, who seemed unwilling to watch Sephir's tongue touch my flesh, put my blood on a spoon and fed it to her.

"I… Sephir… solemnly pledge my life… to serve Hera as my master… and to descend into eternal rest alongside her on the day she dies…"

Sephir, as though she'd been sold into hard labor, recited her vow sorrowfully.

Well, it was understandable. From now on, she'd be leashed completely… It made sense she'd feel bitter.

Though I hadn't forced her, I couldn't help feeling a little guilty.

As she finished her oath, a subtle magic circle began to glow between her and me.

I supposed it meant our contract was now complete.

'It's okay, Sephir…'

Although she was now my familiar, I had no intention of working her to the bone. I didn't even have anything I wanted her to do.

She might be my familiar in name, but realistically, not much would change. I'd just make sure she wouldn't do anything bad.

With Sephir still sniffing miserably, Athena spoke with a refreshed smile.

"So, what should we have for breakfast?"

…Wait, do demons even eat?

.....

….

"They do, huh…"

"Mmm?"

Sephir, who had a large bite of food in her mouth, answered my question with a curious look.

"Nothing… Take your time eating…"

We were having a simple meal at the inn's dining room.

As we ate, Athena, who'd said she had something to tell me, shared some surprising news.

Apparently, Athena had learned a lot about the Demon King and his plans from Sephir.

But what was even more surprising was the reason Sephir was here.

She had come here with various monsters and familiars in tow, searching for clues about a dragon hatchling.

"Thinking you could tame a dragon… Demons truly are foolish."

"Mmph?!"

Sephir, seemingly agitated by Athena's comment, quickly swallowed her food and spoke up.

"Foolish?! How dare you underestimate the allure of this Succubus Queen!"

Athena looked at Sephir with a gaze full of pity.

"And what do you take a dragon for, anyway?"

"W-what?!"

"Dragons have no parents. They don't need them. They aren't born; they come into existence."

Athena continued, pointing her dining knife at Sephir.

"They are beings made of mana, perfect from the moment they come into being. That's what a dragon is. Even if it's a hatchling, its essence remains boundless. Your charm, perhaps, would just disappear like the wind, lost within the hatchling's mana."

"Ugh..!"

"They are arrogant but absolute. There is no species in this world that surpasses them. Do you think taming such beings is even possible?"

"..."

"So, it's foolish. Even I couldn't tame a dragon. They are not creatures that belong beneath anyone."

With that, Athena placed her knife down and resumed her meal, slicing her meat.

Sephir looked somewhat resentful, yet without anything to counter her words, she began eating too, sulking as she followed Athena.

Athena's declaration that dragons could never be tamed…

I remembered reading something similar in a novel.

Surely, she must be right.

'Still, I'd like to see one, just once. A dragon.'

However, before long, my wish came true.

Along with something I could never have imagined.

The idea that dragons couldn't be tamed…

It seems Athena might have been wrong.

***

"W-what is this?"

Athena stared at me with a bewildered expression.

"Uh… it looks like it really likes Hera…?"

Sephir, also visibly flustered, was looking at me with a shocked expression.

To be precise, at my shoulder.

"Kyuu!"

A small creature, roughly the size of a small dog, was perched on my shoulder.

A creature, yet different from a lizard, covered in thick blue scales. And, unlike any ordinary lizard, it had two pairs of wings.

Yes.

It was a dragon hatchling.

I could only stand there in a daze, gazing ahead with the dragon on my shoulder.

"…What the…?"

What in the world is happening?

"Kyuu!!"

…..Weren't they supposed to be arrogant?