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What is an incubus? From birth, they are a species that survives by draining life force from human women by satisfying their carnal desires. They are malevolent beings, skilled not in battle but eager to seduce any woman, often dressed in scandalous attire, disregarding principles of loyalty and chastity.

Particularly, they excel in illusions, confidently believing they can dominate even the strongest enemy with a single spell. Their hideous appearances, combined with scant clothing, have earned them a notorious reputation among male hunters.

Take Allen Kalia, a perfect heterosexual who drove me absolutely insane with rage—I could easily recognize the typical dress of an incubus just by looking at him.

“What a disgusting bastard.”

He wore tight leather that barely reached above his navel, featuring a deep V-neck design. The shorts he wore were so brief, I couldn’t help but feel anger welling up within me.

He looked like he was the embodiment of sin itself and didn’t seem willing to give it up anytime soon. Soon, his gaze landed on Shione and me.

“Oh my, what a lovely reunion, Young Lady Shione. We last met in the castle, but how delightful to encounter you here!”

However, our demon-slaying Shione held the belief that anyone housing magic was beneath livestock, aiming her arrow at him while just stringing it.

“Dear Sir, since we’ve interacted before, I’ll make you a special offer: could you please move aside and stop meddling in our family affairs?”

“What did you do to my sister, Siabel?”

“As a token of my goodwill, I’ll grant you a sweet dream. In the dream I create, you can achieve anything you desire! Isn’t that a wonderful offer?”

“You’re talking too much. That silly dream—”

Shione shot me a quick glance.

“I can achieve that as soon as we return to the Count’s House.”

…Oh, I see. Shione has become even bolder than I anticipated.

With that unwavering trust, she released an arrow without a hint of hesitation aimed at Allen.

But surely, he didn’t come alone. A demon abruptly appeared in front of him, blocking the arrow with its body.

Allen Kalia pouted, making a charming expression as he grumbled.

“How unfortunate. Even though there’s an easy way for us to cooperate, you refuse… Young Lady, you truly do not understand a man’s heart.”

Unable to restrain myself, I shot off my own arrow.

Unlike Shione’s arrow, which was filled with trust, this one was solely driven by rage. This time, the demon couldn’t completely block it and ended up sacrificing itself to protect Allen.

At last, the charming smile faded from Allen’s face, revealing his true anger.

“My sister and I are both equally rigid and unyielding.”

As he gestured, massive monsters poured in behind him like a tidal wave.

Suddenly, the enemy numbers surged. The confusion began to mix the allies with foes, making it difficult to discern friend from foe.

Yet, the one conquering this chaos was none other than Allen Kalia himself.

In the midst of battle, only one question lingered in my mind.

“How on earth did he manage to arrive here so quickly…!”

Even while Shione and I held our backs to each other, fending off the illusions, I couldn’t shake off my curiosity.

We had set up barriers and arranged our knights. So, how could the front line have been breached so soon after the castle walls fell? It was suspicious, especially given Allen’s power. The demon that served as the source of that power hadn’t even descended.

“Princess Shione, can you still use magic?”

“I can, but—”

Shione wiped the sweat from her brow.

“If I cast this spell, I won’t be able to join the fight for a while. The illusions are sturdier than I expected… I’ll need to gather even more mana.”

“I can buy you the time you need. I’ll take responsibility after casting the spell. Can you trust me?”

“Of course. Who else would I trust but you?”

“Then let’s get ready immediately.”

It was a fierce battle.

Those who wished to protect the castle against those who sought to breach it.

The moment I drifted even a little away from Shione, the illusions would strike back again. With various variables complicating things, Shione’s spellcasting grew more difficult.

Before I knew it, Allen had crept close to me like a ghost.

“You really think you can stop me with such meager measures?”

“Allen—”

He was already far out of my sight, seeming to slip away into the distance.

“I’ve already completed all my preparations.”

Torrential bombardments unleashed upon the castle walls and gates.

The moment he resolved to kill my mother, no matter the cost. It was as if he was preparing for a single chance to breach the lord’s castle. And at the most opportune moment, he unleashed his magic.

Since I was standing in that range alongside Shione, I instantly threw myself around her to shield us both.

“Ugh…!”

“Protect yourself first, quickly!”

After rolling across the ground, I stopped moving and confirmed that neither Shione nor I had sustained any injuries. But the moment I checked the castle walls again, we could only watch as Allen’s assault had been effective.

The bombardment prepared by Allen had indeed been sufficient to force open the castle gates. He strolled inside leisurely.

“We have to stop him at once.”

“Knights above Expert rank, move inside the castle! The rest maintain formation!”

As I swiftly entered the castle walls, we were left momentarily frozen, unable to take our eyes off Allen’s antics.

“Tsk, if only I had a few more necessary resources…”

The dark sorcerers and demons that had followed him began to take their own lives in unison.

Some demons even disposed of the incapacitated knights before willingly following the same fate.

Dozens—no, perhaps over a hundred—had ascended.

“Still, how did we reach this point?”

Bitten down to the hilt, Allen clutched the short sword’s hilt with his mouth, then plunged his left hand into it.

As blood spurted from the wound in his left hand, a crimson river began to flow.

A powerful spell that manifests when all the sacrifices desired by the demon are met. Whether it stems from nature or nurture, a ritual completed from human sacrifices holding a value above a certain level, it was a force far beyond standard dark magic.

“Since I rushed things because of Young Lady Siabel, this is the result?”

The demon entwined with Allen Kalia appeared.

An area of illusions and deceptions began to blanket the lord’s castle.

As the castle’s appearance began to shift, the tangible illusions awakened, transforming the castle into what could be called Allen’s territory.

“The Marquis family has reached its end.”

With that declaration, Allen began to enter the mansion, summoning the illusions to aid him.

Someone appeared from our rear to restrain him.

“Where do you think you’re crawling off to?”

Upon hearing that familiar voice and turning around, I saw Siabel Shianella, blood-soaked, using a spear like a cane to enter the castle.

Her entire body bore the marks of battle, showcasing how fierce her confrontation had been.

Even Allen paused, momentarily distracted by her terrible growl.

“Ha, how did you get here so quickly?”

“Did you think I’d bring my entire elite force for just one look at the lord? Your lowly underlings in the back have already been slaughtered.”

Siabel was brimming with confidence.

Upon closer inspection, none of her wounds were severe, and her battered armor appeared to have been damaged while dodging rather than sustaining direct hits.

Siabel’s specialty lay in hand-to-hand combat originated from her swordsmanship. Her fist was already renowned within the Count’s House for mercilessly pummeling her opponents.

The confidence in her expression seemed more concerned with whether her fists were alright than her physical injuries.

Allen Kalia growled back at Siabel.

“You must have had a difficult time escaping those illusions easily.”

“Yet they are merely illusions. They couldn’t even hold a candle to the real thing. I tore through them and emerged unscathed. By the way, that severed arm looks pretty, but I regret not striking the neck instead.”

“Siabel Shianella…!”

From behind Siabel, the surviving knights of the extermination squad stepped out from the illusions.

Their aura radiated an unprecedented level of menace.

Seeing that my provocation had successfully taken effect, Siabel smirked at Shione.

“While my little sister hunted demons in the Great Forest, you’ve failed to even deal with a single outsider. How embarrassing for the elder sister.”

“Sister… You don’t look so good. Jumping straight into battle isn’t—”

“I’m fine. I won’t be a burden. I learned something valuable from the recent fight. And… you mentioned obtaining a new spell, Shione.”

As Siabel confidently unleashed her significantly more intense mana, she continued.

“Seeing how obsessed you are with the head of the family, it seems there’s some trigger behind that death. Shione, can you still use magic now?”

“Just enough to suppress these illusions once. But it will require extensive focus…”

“That’s plenty. You should stick close to the elite guards, ensuring the head of the family is protected while you focus on killing Allen. It seems quite difficult to end him here directly.”

As illusions began to surround and block our path, Allen slipped into the enormous mansion.

“In that case, my extermination squad will clear the way.”

This was the final clash.

 

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