Volume 9 Chapter 11 Happy Days That Announce The End
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It turned into a group dinner for everyone.
On the table sat the golden loaves of bread I’d baked that morning, alongside bowls brimming with hearty stew.
The living room, which had reeked of something steamy and sinful just moments ago, now hummed with the mouthwatering aroma of home-cooked comfort.
”Hey, Klock,” Alice asked offhandedly, “what’d you and Lily chat about?”
Her eyes scanned him closely, checking for any signs of that succubi charm working its magic. This time, it looked like they were in the clear—she relaxed into a relieved smile. Apparently, even Lily’s scent couldn’t compete with the stew’s savory pull.
”She said she really digs this dick of mine and wants me to dump you for her instead.”
”Wha—?!”
I had no memory of any such conversation.
”Huh?! Like, what the hell, Lily?!”
”Since you switched from Hero to me, why not switch to me next? What do you think, handsome?”
”Uh… well…”
”Come on, seriously? This is a joke, right, Lily…? Please…?”
”Just kidding.”
What the—? The bunny girl slammed her fist on the table in frustration. I was a little taken aback by how genuinely freaked out Alice seemed. Did she think she couldn’t hold her own against Lily? Don’t worry, I’m head over heels for you! But no way could I say that out loud. From the looks of things, my opinion wouldn’t sway a damn thing right now.
”You guys talking about Hero?”
”Yeah, we covered the whole ‘we were lovers back in the wasteland’ bit.”
”Makes sense.”
”Otherwise, the whole hostage thing wouldn’t add up.”
I let out a hollow chuckle at their exchange. In reality, Hero had been my girlfriend. That’s why Klock—me—got dragged into this world. I’d heard all about it shortly after arriving at this house.
”Doesn’t that bother you at all?”
”Huh? Nah… I mean, it’s not in my memories, so…”
”Fair enough. Guess switching to Alice was inevitable, then.”
Blunt as hell, but how do you miss someone who’s just a blank spot in your head? My childhood friend Cianie might be different, but as for Hero… hell, I was starting to wonder if the whole “lover” label was some massive mix-up.
”Hey, kiddo. You think this stew’s the real deal?”
”What? Of course it is. Why the random question?”
Klock blinked in confusion at Lily’s sudden curveball. Alice’s ears perked up too, like she’d caught the tease—those rabbit ears always twitched when she was gearing up to get annoyed for real.
”This world’s a dream world, right? So is the stew in front of you a figment of fantasy… or the genuine article? Which is it?”
”Wait… you saying it’s fake…?”
”Nope. The answer’s: it’s real. Because this is a dream world.”
”…Huh?”
Klock furrowed his brow even deeper at Lily’s reply. Alice seemed to catch whatever deeper point Lily was driving at; her ears drooped as she settled down, scooping up spoonfuls of stew and nibbling them daintily with her tiny mouth.
”Dreams might be illusions. But the dream world? That’s solid reality. This place exists, plain and simple. …Think you get what that means?”
”Uh… that’s kinda over my head.”
”When Teekua rebuilt the world, she split it into two for handling souls: the Abyss and the Grand Cathedral. Living beings have bodies, souls… and minds separate from all that. Teekua figured those minds needed sorting too. So she crafted a haven for them—a whole world, purpose-built. That’s the Crimson Spire.”
The goddess’s name dropped out of nowhere, like they were old pals chatting over coffee. Klock fell silent, caught off guard.
”Originally, this place was a blank void. When a mind slips in, it overlays its own textures. That’s what makes the dreams.”
”Your Estate, Klock? It pulled from your dreams—that’s why you ended up there when you first nodded off. And right now? This spot’s textured by Alice’s vibes!”
”Huh. Cool.”
I didn’t totally follow, but it sounded like some mind-bending mental realm stuff. Whoa, I thought, half-amazed, half-lost. Phenomena that outstrip your brain just hit weird, you know?
”Point is, no matter the origins, the dream world became a thing. Now, every time a living creature sleeps, their mind dives straight into the Crimson Spire. That’s how this world took shape.”
”Eh, take Lily’s ramblings with a grain of salt. Half the time, it’s nonsense. Even in the human world, folks say old people’s stories drag on forever, right? Her stuff’s so convoluted, even we barely keep up half the time.”
Alice kicked at her under the table like it was the dullest yarn ever spun. Were these two packing a pretty big age gap? Lily was the only one who called Kispe by her first name, no frills. Visually, they both clocked in the late teens to twenties range. But looks and actual years? Yeah, I’d learned not to bet on that matching up.
”If sleep just zaps you here, then why’d they bother kidnapping me specifically?”
”Hm?”
”I mean, if everyone’s dreams land in this world anyway, Lady Kispe could’ve just nabbed me while I was out cold. No need to go through the hassle, right?”
I’d been told Kispe used her stellar skill to yoink me into this realm. It didn’t bug me much anymore, but damn if their lore chats didn’t spark my curiosity.
”You get what ‘Dream of Blissful Return’ means?”
”Yeah.”
”That’s our spot—Kispe’s headquarters.”
”…Headquarters?”
”This is dream world territory, so it’s got space, distance, time—all that jazz. Shares concepts with the wasteland, basically. Put it in wasteland terms: think Continent of Blissful Return. Or a whole damn country.”
”So… there are other continents? I mean, other dreams?”
”Yep. Nearby ones like Dream of Death or Dream of Sky. Then there’s the Incubi’s haunt: Dream of Lust. Dreams stretch out, measurable by actual distances and all.”
Today’s dream here, yesterday’s over there. Turns out, all those nights were just landings in different corners of the Crimson Spire. Your spot in the world shaped what dream you caught. Wild shit, right?
”Kispe handed you off to her home base, the Dream of Blissful Return. If you’d dozed off and hit some random dream, we might’ve never spotted you. To snag you on purpose? Had to deploy her skill.”
”Makes sense…”
”And her skill? It hauls the whole soul along for the ride. That’s the kicker. Just the mind wouldn’t cut it for a hostage play—her ability’s what makes the whole scheme click.”
I nodded like I was tracking, even if it was mostly smoke and mirrors to me. I slurped some stew, tore off a chunk of bread with a satisfying rip. Man, Alice’s cooking is next-level. Not that the food was a distraction from Lily’s brain-melter—definitely not boredom.
”Oh, yeah—I’ve only ever seen girl succubi around here. So the incubi guys hang in the other dreams… like that Lust one?”
”Spot on. They tweak the dream textures, force-feed folks visions of unholy lust, and lap it up.”
”Unholy lust?”
”Incest, affairs, cheating scandals. Or they’ll puppet some lowborn schmuck into raunchy romps with a prince or princess way out of their league. The anguish and guilt leaking out? That’s their gourmet snack.”
Talk about a hollow high. The partner’s just dream-forged smoke and mirrors. You bang your dream crush, the perfect royal. Then boom—wake up, crash back to reality. Bet that leaves a hell of a sour aftertaste.
”Sorry if this is prying too much, but… why are the male and female succubi split up like that?”
”Ah, yeah, you’d notice eventually. We never see ’em around these parts.”
Alice jumped in to elaborate. Outside the Six Noble Ladies, I did spot other female succubi now and then. Especially if I glanced skyward—they’d be floating around, looking bored out of their minds.
I’d noticed some of the other girls spotting me and drifting closer, only for Athena or Alice to shoo them off like pesky flies. But in this Dream of Blissful Return? Not a single male succubus in sight.
”It’s simple—they just don’t get along.”
”Huh?”
”Males and females might as well be different species. Total clash in values. Sure, same-kind folks get that pull for making babies, but succubi? They only breed with outsiders. It’s like how humans don’t eye up their siblings—no spark there.”
”Makes sense. That’s why we clash nonstop. Show up in the same room? Boom, fight’s on.”
”Got it. So no ‘he’s hot, she’s cute, let’s hook up just for fun’ vibes…?”
Klock blurted it out, then winced—maybe too blunt?—but hey, curiosity won.
”Nah, it’s like guys scrapping over a girl. Succubi gender stuff? Only kicks in for other races.”
”Yeah, incubi and succubi even tussle over human girls sometimes. Me? If some dude asked if I’d rather lick an incubus dick or a human girl’s pussy, I’d pick the girl, no hesitation.”
”Whoa… so you’re totally hooked on outsiders…”
To an incubus, a succubus buck-naked might as well be Mom’s old bathrobe. And vice versa. Framed like that, the split made total sense. Out of every race I’d heard about, these guys had the weirdest setup. Human-shaped, but… not human at all. Their world, their whole deal—it was a rabbit hole of the bizarre.
”Alright, I’m heading out. Thanks for the feast!”
”Anytime—come back whenever! Door’s always open~”
After savoring Alice’s home-cooked masterpiece, Lily called it a night. I never asked where she crashed. Wouldn’t make a lick of sense, and good luck finding the place. Step out this house wrong, and poof—you’re lost for good. Next meet-up? Probably here, or tagging along with Alice and the crew.
”If Alice ever bores you, my place is wide open~”
”Heyyy, cut that out!!!”
Lily waved goodbye, but her limp flick barely screamed enthusiasm. Her back was all slumped, like some guild clerk dragging ass after a double shift. No wonder—seven or eight creampies and two squirts in a few hours? Anyone’d be wiped.
”Still… Klock, you’re something else. Zero chill.”
Alice puffed her cheeks out in a pout. It was her mad-but-not-really-mad face. Adorably killer.
”One blink away, and you’re blasting loads into the next girl. That bottomless cock’s a mixed blessing, y’know.”
”Sorry…”
”No forgiveness! Tonight’s all about deep reflection!”
Reflection. Code for: bed-time “punishment” session. We’d already racked up double digits from dawn to dusk, and round whatever-this-was loomed. Even I cracked a wry grin. Though my face stayed stoic, down below? Already stirring to life. Charm at work, no doubt. As long as she was near, I’d crave her forever—zero burnout.
”Guess I’ll rinse off, then. Alice, wanna join—”
Bathing with Alice or Athena? Pure bliss. Athena was already in there, though. But before I could finish the thought, chaos erupted—
”Mmph?!”
”Huh—?”
A swath of black fabric slapped over Alice’s face. It gagged her mouth like a muzzle, blinded her eyes—total blackout. Only her twitching ears and that frilly apron dress gave her away. Something had jumped her.
”Alice—!”
Charm’s Curse kicking in—one of those nasty triggers. When a succubus hit danger, the charmed guy’s power surged like a beast unleashed. I bolted full-tilt toward her. Bunny bride in peril. Gotta save her. Now. Brain wiped blank, I charged—blind to the shadow closing on my flank.
”Divine Shield—”
Purple crystals bloomed underfoot. I skidded, gut twisting. My hand swiped air—Alice, right there, but untouchable.
”Celestial Water Song—”
Peripheral blur: a black silhouette. Flowing hair? No—beast ears. Massive, droopy dog-like flaps, maybe fox? Short hem, sleeveless getup like some tribal get-up I’d never clocked. Age? Barely scraping ten, tops. A pint-sized black fox girl, arms etched with glowing runes, standing tall.
”Mmmph?!”
It hit me then—wrapping my mouth, limbs, whole body in sticky coils. I hadn’t seen it coming, but yeah: same black cloth that snagged Alice. Sloppy. Way too easy—they had me trussed and tagged.
”Target secured! Run for it!”
”The Sparrow Woman spotted us!”
Yanked by the bindings, I tumbled outside. Then—oof—scooped up into arms that hoisted me like a sack.
This voice… Gina?
Why the hell was she here? How?
”Right on script. Time to counter.”
”Yes, ma’am!”
Athena burst from the grassland house in pursuit. Must’ve dodged the ambush by being elsewhere. Looked like snatching me trumped rescuing Alice.
The black fox kid planted her feet, thick tail bristling as she squared off.
”Law of the Sword Seal—”
Leaves swirled around me, whipping into a frenzy. Gusts ballooned out, forming a dome of razor-edged foliage—a barrier straight out of a nightmare.
Athena slammed into the wind wall, thrown off her wing rhythm. Mid-air wobble—then the leaves pelted her like shrapnel, a green storm tearing in.
Notes:
• Alice – Rabbitkin adventurer; appears at the same Barreith gathering, playful and mischievous, interacts with Klock, part of recruited volunteers
• Cianie – A noble girl with a fluffy white and light blue dress, indicating her high status. She has a hesitant and flustered personality but is kind and courteous. Her relationship with Klock begins as an accidental encounter and develops into a romantic interest. She has a fiancé but expresses feelings for Klock, complicating their relationship.
• Athena – Harpies adventurer; appears alongside Alice at Barreith gathering, flirtatious, joins Klock and volunteers for upcoming battles
• Celes – A bear-type Beastkin Succubus living with Alice after Klock’s arrival. She’s playful, physically strong, and driven by her species’ “mating season” instincts. She teases Alice often and treats life with freedom and spontaneity. No known family or formal ties; she’s Alice’s companion and occasional housemate.
• Gina – A kind choir member who shows genuine concern for Adelina. She’s a rare ally in this unfamiliar place, offering some comfort and companionship.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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