The Hero Became a Succubus, and the Only Way to Level is to… What?!

Today, the castle prepared for the return of a hero they once called an enemy. Kanae received notice that Inquisitor Gretchen Redbaron had returned to Ehmvier. Her years’ long inquisition rooted out over a thousand Ortesians left behind from the empire’s invasion, safeguarding the Commonwealth from their guerilla attacks and delivering justice to them. Many of the prisoners had been sent to Radevic. Their numbers were far too little to do any significant damage to the country now. Whatever few that remained were being scooped up by Temptation and the cult’s succubi.

Kanae had prepared a ceremony for Gretchen’s return. A number of the Sisters of Sin, Lilith and Zadris included, and castle guards awaited in the throne chamber. They framed a path up to Kanae, who stood on her two feet to receive her former foe. Ehmvier citizens, let in for the momentous occasion, watched from the gallery behind a row of guards. Even Kanade and Suvee had taken a day off school— with Headmistress Marnie’s blessing— to see their beloved guardian come back. Both of them were by Kanae’s side, giddier than puppies.

Trumpets erupted when the doors opened. Gretchen entered upon atop her dreadmourn. Rust discolored the once gleaming silver chainmail and dirt stained the Sisters of Sin garb which made up her inquisitorial regalia. The high elf turned half-succubus approached the throne amidst a sea of applause. She dismounted and stroked the dreadmourn lovingly on the head, then kneeled before Kanae.

”Your Majesty, I have returned at last. My only regret is that I could not capture every single Ortesian,” Gretchen said.

”The Commonwealth and the crown thank you for your service. In fact, it would be more appropriate to say we are indebted to you. Unthinkable in the past when I once called you an enemy. Now, you are an unreplaceable friend and ally.” Kanae drew The Blade of the First Temptress and held the sword at rest in front of the high elf.

What should have been Arenade’s job had fallen to Kanae instead. The only other time this ceremony had taken place before was when they made the former Lights of Capillis vassals. Funny, in both mockery and practicality, that they adopted the Empire of Ortesia’s feudalism in a similar albeit much different manner.

”Gretchen, I award you with a plot of fertile land in Goldridge in the southern Commonwealth, enough wealth to begin construction of your very own castle and staff to run it, and a new title that befits you— Lady Gretchen Redbaron. Your years of service as Inquisitor was long and arduous, but I want to selfishly ask that you continue serving me,” Kanae said.

”Of course, Your Majesty!” Gretchen exclaimed.

”Then…” She lifted the sword aloft upon Gretchen’s shoulder. ”I hereby name you a vassal to the crown. House Redbaron will stand next to the likes of Sempter, Ironspear, and Barcleau until the end of times.”

Applause assailed the throne room and lasted for minutes. Even though Gretchen was still kneeling, Kanae could tell she had been overcome with emotion.

”Stand, Gretchen.” Kanae smiled, sheathing her sword.

Gretchen rose to face another upswell of applauding. Her eyes watered and tinged a shade of red. Lilith, Zadris, and several Sisters of Sin came forward, bringing with them trunks of gold. Zadris brought forth a gold medallion carved with Kanae and Arenade’s vague faces on it.

”Wait, what is that? I didn’t hear anything about a big gold medal with our faces,” Kanae whispered.

”Empress Arenade had these made some time ago to be awarded to those who have performed exceptional service to the Commonwealth,” Zadris explained quietly.

Kanae groaned. It looked so gaudy, and Arenade’s face was ten times more detailed than her own. Probably on purpose. She picked up the medallion and draped it over Gretchen anyway.

”Your inquisition in the Commonwealth has ended, but we can still use your knowledge to combat Ortesia in the future and during peacetime. You charmed a whole lot of Ortesian prisoners, right? What do you say about becoming our spymaster to infiltrate Ortesia?” Kanae suggested.

”It would be my honor to work towards toppling the Ortesian Empire.” Gretchen nodded.

”Gretchen!” Suvee couldn’t contain her excitement and slammed into her guardian with a hug.

Kanade, on the other hand, restrained herself until Gretchen extended a hand. The three reunited in a familiar embrace forged by bonds rather than blood. Gretchen couldn’t be a better aunt to them if she tried.

With the ceremony over and the commonfolk getting their fill of excitement, a quiet normalcy returned to the castle. Gretchen promised to play with Kanade and Suvee another time. Servants loaded up all her gifts into the back of carriages to be shipped to her home.

Kanae and Gretchen walked the castle courtyard to catch each other up.

”I didn’t realize you were one for theatrics,” Gretchen said about the ceremony.

”It was Arenade’s idea. Apparently, it’s good to give the citizens a show. Too bad she was too busy with Bright Cloister to be here. So, what are your plans now? I won’t hold it against you if you take a break,” Kanae suggested.

”I will get in touch with Lynn Alton. That you have her transformed and infiltrating Ortesia is fortuitous. In the meantime, I think I want to look for suitors. I have a lineage to maintain now, and unlike you, I cannot be impregnated by my dreadmourn. So, I must settle on a man. Preferably elven. I’m sure Errenard will enjoy watching me lay with another man,” she explained hopefully.

Kanae had almost forgotten that Gretchen kept Errenard DeSalle in captivity. Considering how vindictive she was, he must not be living a very good life right now.

They stopped in front of the carriages, where servants had finished loading up Gretchen’s belongings and gifts. There was a silhouette of a frail-looking elven man behind the window curtain of one vehicle. If Kanae remembered correctly, Gretchen had chosen to live with her dreadmourn lover in a stable while in Ehmvier. They didn’t really need a home while traveling the Commonwealth.

”Goldridge is only a two hour ride away from Ehmvier. Don’t be a stranger now. Oh, and be careful. There’s a plague going around. I’m trying to get to the bottom of it, but… things are looking to get worse before they get better,” Kanae said.

”I’ve heard. As a crowned Priest, my healing spells are limited to traumatic injuries. Perhaps that idiot Petyr can help. Paladins should be able to cure most known diseases,” Gretchen recalled.

Paladins! Maybe something could be done after all.

”Safe travels! Come back to visit soon. The kids love you too much.” Kanae took a step back and waved.

”I will be back as soon as I’ve conducted a survey of Goldridge to construct my castle.” Gretchen bowed, then pulled aside a young dark elven servant, who finished loading in the last trunk. ”You. Join me in my carriage. I have need for intimate company.”

”Y-Yes, Lady Redbaron!” He followed her in.

The carriages set off with the one in the back beginning to creak and wobble.

Kanae headed to Elizabeth Bedlam’s tower to finally make a trip to Rudura village. Edina and Rosaline were already there. The necromancer’s undead minions shoveled crystallized mana into the arcane engine furnace.

”How was the thing with Gretchen?” Edina asked.

”It went well. Petyr’s going to be pissed if Gretchen finishes a castle before she does. Where’s Eliza anyway? I need to talk to her about something,” Kanae said.

”Upstairs in the alchemy lab with Cantu.” She thumbed to the floor above them.

Kanae climbed the stairs to find Eliza and Cantu in the same room where they created the simulacra. However, the pair weren’t making any this time. They were instead tinkering around what appeared to be a sex automaton from the dwarven factory.

”What’s going on up here?” Kanae asked.

”We’re trying to figure out how to combine the dwarven automatons with simulacra. They are two very different fields that somehow achieve the same end result. Their make is still a mystery to me. I want to crack it,” Eliza explained while opening up the body of one golem.

”All we know is that automatons draw latent mana from the air. It is the only way they were able to survive as long as they did underground without maintenance. We’re unable to replicate the process.” Cantu huffed angrily.

”Save figuring that out for later. There’s something I wanted to ask you about, Eliza. One of my goblin simulacra went missing. They ran out of mana, we stuffed them in a room, and came back to one gone,” she said.

Both of them stopped what they were doing and snapped to Kanae in a split second.

”A simulacrum is missing?” Eliza repeated.

”Y-Yes?” Kanae answered nervously. ”Is that bad?”

”Best case scenario is someone took your simulacrum. Worse, it was made with bones that still contained a soul,” Cantu explained.

The sorceress pinched the bridge of her nose. ”A simulacrum with a soul can be dangerous. They may cause harm if left unchecked. Unchecked, being the keyword here. I presume it hasn’t been gone long. But we can search for it together once we return from Rudura. I’ve been fantasizing about the hot springs everyone seems to rave about.”

They returned to the Arcen floor. Edina’s undead had finished filling up the furnace, and the tower was ready to teleport. Creaky metal pipes gushed scalding hot steam. The entire tower shuddered. An incredible force knocked the undead off their feet.

Kanae fell forward, only to be caught by Cantu. Eliza maintained her balance by levitating into the air on her flying broom.

”Impressive,” Cantu said.

”Indeed, but not feasible to use at scale. This wouldn’t be possible were it not for the Commonwealth ranching stone borers and mana-vamp starfishes for crystallized mana,” Eliza explained.

”It’s hundreds of thousands of gold with every teleport…” Kanae steadied herself.

They descended from the tower into the narrow, one-street village of Rudura. Kanae hadn’t visited it in years, but she remembered there being people out and about midday. Right now, there was hardly any.

”Is it normally deserted?” Eliza asked.

”Nope. There should be tons of people around. Maybe they’re all sick?” Edina wondered aloud.

”This is exactly what I was afraid the plague might cause. We must do something!” Rosaline chewed on her thumb.

”Let’s find out at Rudura Resort. Jareth runs the place with his son, Robin. Petyr lives in a suite on the third floor, too.” Kanae walked ahead to lead the way.

The lights were on at the resort, but the problem was immediately obvious. There weren’t any guests. It was quiet everywhere when visitors would be coming and going from the steaming pools.

”Queen… Kanae?” A middle-aged man dragged his feet down the hall. He had a blanket draped over his shoulders. There were heavy bags under his eyes that were in dire need of rest. The beard which he typically kept neatly trimmed was overgrown and unkempt.

It was Jareth.

”What happened?” Kanae gasped, running to his aid.

”The whole village has come down with a terrible sickness. I’ve been tending to Robin best I can. I’m sorry we can’t open the baths in this state. The other workers are also sick,” Jareth answered dejectedly, every word made with great effort.

”I was hoping to take a dip.” Eliza sulked.

Kanae and Rosaline shot the sorceress a dirty look.

”Inconsiderate, right. My apologies…” She shrank back.

”Is Petyr around? We want to talk with her,” Kanae said.

”Third floor suite as always.” Jareth thumbed up the stairs behind him.

Few lights were on in the upper floors. Only a few candles had been lit, and most of the lamps needed to be replaced. Jareth and Robin probably couldn’t get around to it due to being so sick.

Petyr’s suite was at the very end of the hall, a large room fit for her and the incubi. Kanae knocked on the door and waited with bated breath. The door slid open, revealing a disheveled high elf looking worse for wear. They hadn’t seen each other since coming back from Savir. Cheeks gaunt, bright blue eyes sunken, and sweat drenched her face.

”Kanae?” Petyr squinted.

”Oh, no. We were hoping you were able to cure yourself.” Kanae grimaced at her ailing demeanor.

”If you’re talking about my Cure Disease spell, it doesn’t work. Usually, I can get rid of a cold or flu with a snap of a finger. Now, I’m sicker than an abandoned mutt. Same with Vesh and his brothers. Just what in three hells are we getting sick from?” she asked.

Everyone recoiled.

”Strange. If Cure Disease had no effect, then is it perhaps not a sickness?” Rosaline gasped.

”Is something like that possible? What’s the alternative cause?” Kanae turned to the group.

”Magic,” Eliza muttered under her breath. ”Amethyst, try and Dispel.”

Kanae produced a wand from her person and casted Dispel on Petyr. Nothing happened.

”Stronger. Use your sword,” the sorceress insisted.

Kanae drew the Blade of the First Temptress. Casting Dispel through it drained all the mana previously stored. A burst of wind blasted out, pushing Petyr a single step back when she would have otherwise easily withstood any other day.

”Well? Did it work?” Edina asked.

”I… I feel fine,” Petyr replied, eyes wide and in disbelief.

”So, it’s magic? This isn’t a regular sickness because it never was?” Kanae searched Rosaline and Eliza for confirmation.

”Correct. It means someone is behind the plague. The question is who and how,” Eliza murmured to herself.