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

The kids! Where were they? Kanae looked past Jester, searching for where her daughters might be and if they were safe. Panic rocked the ballroom. Guests hid behind turned-over tables. Others pushed to the exits. Edina continued chasing after Gretchen, thinking she was Labelle.

”Where are you looking? Eyes on the show!” Jester dashed in with a comically large clown hammer.

Distracted, Kanae dodged too late. She threw her head back to escape the blow, only for the head of the hammer to pass right through her.

”What the…” Kanae blinked incredulously.

”Hahaha! Did you think that was real? Just kidding!” The weapon vanished, and Jester doubled over in laughter.

Kanae cursed under her breath and lunged to grab hold of the succubus. She grabbed nothing, succeeding only in stumbling forward. The figure of Jester laughed even harder as it disappeared.

”Up here!” Jester waved from an outcrop high on a pillar.

”You’re crowned an Illusionist, aren’t you?” Kanae squinted.

”Correct! And as Master of Illusions, I can perfectly create anything that I have a clear image of. Like this!” The Mistress of Farces leaped from the pillar, tearing down the silken drapes along the way. She held it off to the side with both hands and whipped the long curtains, then pulled away to reveal an outrageous illusion. Kanae’s jaw dropped to a perfect copy of herself and Titan in the middle of having sex. The full length of his dreadmourn cock plunged deep into her pussy, drawing cries of pleasure.

Countless guests stopped and stared at the illusion. Several women outright fainted, but a few were unable to look away and gripped with restrained fascination.

”Is that the empress?”

”Oh, my gods! With a beast like that?”

”How does it feel, Your Majesty? Now that these uppity folks’ image of you has been marred by your wild predilections!” Jester shouted.

”N… Nice try, but mine and Titan’s relationship is already something of an open secret! That’s right! I like big dicks! Is that supposed to make me feel bad?” Kanae put on a brave front, but the heat was rising to her face.

”Bwuahaha! You’re a riot! I guess you can’t shame the shameless. How about another joke to lighten the mood?” She summoned the same clown hammer from before and flew in for the attack.

Kanae knew better this time. That hammer was an illusion. Jester must have something else in store to strike her with. She braced her feet on the ground for the defensive boost from Lion’s Pride, planning to seize the succubus—

The hammer slammed into the side of Kanae’s head. Lights out. But only for a split second. She came to, having fallen on top of a table. Her temple ached. Her ears were ringing. Chirping birds flew in a circle above her, likely made from an illusion.

”What… happened…” Kanae sat upright, hand to her head.

”You thought this was fake, didn’t you? The last one was an illusion, but not this time!” Jester propped the clown hammer against her shoulder and stuck her tongue out.

”You— whoa!” She got off the table, slipped on something, and fell back on top of it. Glancing down, a few banana peels had been placed on the floor. Jester had fallen to the ground in knee-slapping laughter.

Damn it. Jester effortlessly weaved reality and illusions together. Kanae wasn’t able to get a read on her. Why were she and Labelle even here? It couldn’t just be to crash a party. The Cult of Lust and Depravity didn’t take action without a deeper motive behind it, like what happened in Avanesse.

The temple? No. They wouldn’t be in Ehmvier then.

”Let me guess… You got into the city thanks to your illusions?” Kanae carefully picked herself up.

”Yeah, but with your security, we could’ve walked in butt ass naked. You’ll let just about anyone in!” Jester sneered.

”You had a chance to keep infiltrating us without anyone even knowing. If you’re revealing yourself now, this is a distraction and you’re after something. Did I get that right?” she asked.

”Eh…” The clown froze, then took two fingers to literally zip her lips shut.

Bingo. The question was what they were after. Cockcalibur? Possibly. That was tucked away safely inside Chester, and they knew nothing about her mimic. Labelle had gone missing after the initial chaos, too. There was no telling if any of the other Mistresses were around either.

In the corners of Kanae’s eyes, a single raven perched onto Jester’s shoulder. The succubus clown furrowed her brows at it, trying to shoo the critter away.

”Get off of me. What is this?” Jester groaned, shrugging her shoulder to little success.

”Your defeat,” Eliza’s disembodied voice said.

The raven exploded into a hundred more that swarmed Jester whole. A few broke off to reform Elizabeth Bedlam, now dressed in her sorceress robes and wide-brimmed hat.

”That takes care of that. I don’t quite like jesters.” Eliza clapped her hands for a job well done.

”Eliza, careful! Jester’s an Illusionist!” Kanae shouted.

”What? Like Dreizel?” She gasped.

The ballroom faded into green plains on a bright and sunny day. Kanae couldn’t see Eliza anymore. As the ground rumbled, she lifted her gaze up to find a stampeding herd of buffalo coming this way. Stay calm, she told herself. This wasn’t real. Just another one of Jester’s stupid illusions.

Kanae flew just above the herd, careful not to fly too high and smack her head against the ballroom ceiling. However, the bulls ran into the sky as if climbing a ramp. They pummeled her, but their impacts were lighter and more sharp like daggers. The field of green vanished, and countless ravens were pecking at Kanae. She swatted at them. Their beaks drew blood with every, and sharp talons tore her dress to shreds.

”Eliza, call off your ravens!” Kanae shielded herself, but when they didn’t let up, she pulled her dress down to flash them with the Piercings of Impurity. Ravens dropped all around her, twitching.

”Amethyst? I’m sorry! I thought you were the other succubus.” Eliza helped her up.

As soon as Kanae got to her feet, however, the dress came apart. She was stark naked, in nothing but her birthday suit. Men stopped running and peered over their hiding places to get a glimpse. Exhibitionist Spellcasting increased her INT attribute from A to S-rank.

”Do you have any idea how much this cost?!” Kanae cried.

”It was an accident! What’s the matter? I figured you’re enough of a freak to enjoy baring yourself to everyone,” Eliza countered.

”Haha! You two are great! Ever consider becoming a comedian duo? As much as I’d like to stay and chat, I’ve got a job to do. And the next act of our show will begin shortly once— Speak of the devil!” Jester snapped her finger in the direction of the foyer.

Petyr entered the ballroom with clouded eyes, staring right at them.

”More Mistresses, huh? I’ve seen enough of you already!” Petyr picked up a chair, infused it with Smite, and flung it across the room.

Kanae tackled Eliza to the ground. The chair flew past their heads and exploded into shrapnels of holy energies.

”Petyr, you fool. Are you trying to get us killed, too?” Eliza yelled.

”No, Petyr is aiming for us! Jester’s making her see us as enemies in an illusion!” Kanae explained breathlessly.

From afar, Edina had stopped chasing Gretchen.

”What… What the fuck happened? Weren’t you Labelle just now?” Edina cocked her head.

”Idiot! I see why Arenade calls you as such so often. Of course I’m not Labelle!” Gretchen groaned.

Edina wasn’t affected by an illusion anymore? Wait…

”Jester must be focusing all her illusory magic in affecting Petyr right now! Be careful!” Kanae shouted.

Eliza shuddered. ”She’s the worst one of us to be affected! Also Amethyst, put some clothes on already!”

”What? Your ravens tore mine apart!” She grabbed a fallen curtain to wrap herself with.

Petyr picked up a standing candelabra to use as a makeshift weapon and charged. Edina summoned a bone brute that intercepted the paladin. When Gretchen darted in to restrain her from behind, Petyr flipped the high elf half-succubus over to slam into the undead. Broken bones went flying in every direction. When Edina soared in to slice her, she kicked the squirreling across the length of the ballroom.

”You’re under a magical illusion that’s affecting your mind, Petyr! Snap out of it!” Eliza fired bolts of arcane missiles to slow her advance.

”Nice try, Jhene. The only thing getting snapped will be your spine!” Petyr growled.

”Jester’s making Petyr see things… She can only create things she has a clear idea of… I got it! Petyr, remember Riley? We got you that meeting with her and the Dryoak Consortium in Savir!” Kanae reminded her.

”How would you…” The high elf wavered and squeezed her eyes shut.

”Shit.” Jester took a step back.

Petyr let the candelabra drop from her hands. The Smite-infused energies dissipated from it.

”How did you know that would work?” Eliza asked.

”Sometimes, it hurts to grab. Jester can’t create an illusion she knows nothing about. Only the few of us who went to Savir knew about Riley’s identity and face. She can’t replicate it in an illusion. Petyr, quick. Who does that person over there look like to you?” Kanae pointed to Jester.

”Kanae,” Petyr answered.

”And me?” She pointed to herself.

”Ambrosia.”

”Drats. You figured me out. Well, would you look at the time? I better skedaddle. Here, take a parting gift!” A gigantic pie fell into the palm of Jester’s hand, and she flung at them.

”You’re not fooling me, that’s gotta be an illu—”

The enormous cream and apple-filled pastry smashed into Kanae and Eliza, burying them under its sweet goodness. Someone rushed over and lifted it off of them.

”Where did… she get a fucking pie?” Kanae groaned.

”The flavor is impeccable. A shame we had to get hit by it.” Eliza stood up and brushed the cream from her robes.

”Get up! That succubus flew to the second floor!” Petyr yelled.

Eliza whistled for her broom, and it picked her and Petyr up while Kanae flew up to the second floor landing. A fog of darkness filled the corridor that no amount of casting Dispel was able to lift it. This kind of magic had Elaine, the Mistress of Pain written all over it.

They walked into the wall, tripped over something on the ground, and made little progress. However, Kanae sensed something only she was able to. With Broodmother, she singled out the warmth of her daughters farther down the hall.

”Stay close and follow me,” Kanae said, and Eliza and Petyr placed a hand on each of her shoulders.

The three slowly made their way up to the third floor despite being unable to see. All Kanae had going for her was the direction and feeling of where her little girls were. Darkness didn’t blanket the next floor. They saw the door to the royal bedchamber wide open. Labelle and Jester were accompanied by Andora, Suvee, and Kanade.

”Suvee, Kanade! If the people next to you look like me, Zadris, or Lilith, they aren’t! It’s an illusion!” Kanae raced ahead and yelled.

Suvee and Kanade hesitated. Andora looked Labelle in the eyes and headbutted her. She picked up both girls, making a run down the hall to them.

”You broke my nose, you stupid bitch!” Labelle, holding her nose with one hand, strummed her cello with the other.

Andora shoved the girls forward. A violent wave of force slammed into the high elf. Her glasses shattered, and she dropped to her knees before falling flat on the floor.

”Mom?” Suvee looked up tearfully, then glanced back at the fallen Andora.

”What’s happening?” Kanade asked.

”Stay with Eliza! Petyr, go after them!” Kanae ushered her daughters into Eliza’s arms.

”On it.” Petyr stormed forward after Labelle and Jester, who had entered the bedchamber.

Kanae turned the unconscious Andora over. She whipped her tail around and dribbled Nectar of the Grove into the high elf’s mouth. Andora gulped down the last drop, then snapped upright.

”The princesses?!” Andora gasped.

”Safe, thanks to you. We have to help Petyr,” Kanae said.

They helped each other up and only got as far as a step through the door. Petyr was standing alone in the room, staring out the balcony.

”Turns out, Elaine was also here. They took something and left in a hurry.” Petyr clicked her tongue.

”Did you see what? They didn’t take Chester, thank goodness.” Kanae walked over to the mimic and patted the false piece of furniture that blended into the room.

”Maybe taking your pet mimic and whatever inside would’ve been better. It was the oil lamp. The one containing Elirashj and Charlotte, the Mistress of Excess,” she explained bitterly.

”This is my fault.” Andora balled up her fists. ”I thought… I thought they were Zadris and Lilith. They told me to get your daughters to your room where it was safe.”

Kanae joined Petyr by the balcony. Three specks, barely visible in the dark horizon, grew smaller by the second. The night was Elaine’s domain as a Shadowmancer, too. They got what they wanted.

”That’s not good…” Kanae frowned.