Anita let out a disappointed sigh.
"Oh, come on! I really wanted to see how many points I'd get for a succubus head."
Fireburp clapped her wings together with a smug grin.
"Oh please, that demon was worth maybe one point. One fireball clipped her and she dropped like a sparrow grazed by a hunter's arrow."
Anita raised an eyebrow.
"Since when do you have such a big mouth, Fireburp?"
"I don't know what you mean. I've always been a dragon," the little dragon girl declared with regal arrogance.
Andras laughed.
"The Golden Stag really opened your eyes, Fireburp. But don't forget — that power came from merging with Aurelyndra, not from your own strength."
"I know that!" Fireburp huffed. "But once I merge with Aurelyndra again, I'll wipe the floor with Firestorm. You'll see!"
"So be it. The Golden Dragon is a legendary weapon— I mean, creature," Andras said with a smile.
Anita shook her head, laughing.
"Old Fireburp and new Fireburp are both hilarious. At least that hasn't changed."
Andras's tone shifted back to serious.
"The spy slipped through our fingers. No matter. There's still another succubus in the capital. I'll catch one eventually."
"So I'm guessing today's adventure is over?" Anita asked.
But Fireburp was already focused on something else entirely.
"I heard one of the taverns is serving roasted pheasant with blueberry sauce!"
Andras's eyes lit up.
"That sounds perfect. Dinner is decided."
"I wonder what Greenwood beer tastes like," Anita mused.
"As if you didn't already try the one at the castle."
"That was royal beer. This is city beer. Not the same thing!"
"Right, the royal one probably wasn't blessed by Floralys's farts," Andras said dryly.
"Ew! I'm never drinking beer," Fireburp grimaced.
Anita burst out laughing.
"Why not? Without bubbles it's not real beer!"
Andras patted the little dragon's head.
"Relax, Fireburp. The bubbles in beer aren't from farts."
"Don't treat me like an idiot!" Fireburp protested. "When I fart in the bath, the water only bubbles then!"
Anita was laughing so hard she had to hold her stomach.
"Then stick to fruit juice."
The Succubus's Revelation
The succubus had escaped —
but the roasted pheasant had not.
Young Wolf's party settled into a tavern for dinner. The shadow of the battle against the demons still lingered in the air; people spoke in hushed voices, whispering about the Demon King and the horrors that might come if the Heroes failed.
But slowly, the tension began to fade.
Beer, brandy, and good company worked their magic.
Fear quieted.
Laughter returned.
And for one evening, the people of Greenwood remembered how to smile again.
Meanwhile, the succubus vanished in the flash of the teleportation stone — and in the next heartbeat, she materialized on the Demon Island, inside the dark, crimson‑lit halls of the Palace of the Succubi. Silks and chains adorned the walls, and the air was thick with a sweet, suffocating scent.
The demon girl sprinted down the corridor, gasping for breath.
"Princess! Princess Quelenna!"
Quelenna was seated on her throne when the wounded demon burst in. She turned her head slowly, irritation flickering in her eyes.
"What is this shouting? And you…? Weren't you spying in Greenwood?"
The succubus collapsed to her knees.
"Princess Quelenna! They're not humans! They're—"
Quelenna rose and stepped closer.
"Wait. You're injured. What happened to you in Greenwood?"
"I was following that special mage… the one with two elements," the demon panted.
"The boy from Wolfwood?" Quelenna raised an eyebrow. "If I recall, they call him Young Wolf."
"One of them is a dragon girl! Still a child, but strong!"
Quelenna's eyes widened.
"A dragon among humans?!"
"And the other is an Ice Demon woman! Her gaze… her bloodlust… it was like seeing Wildfire again, but frozen!"
"An Ice Demon?!" Quelenna snapped. "What nonsense are you—"
The demon girl trembled as she continued.
"And the boy…! My charm didn't work on him! He just walked toward me… like a beast, a monster! I've met Salamander before — more than once! I've seen both Heroes with my own eyes! But that boy…! I've never seen anything so terrifying! Dressed in black from head to toe, like death itself. And on his chest, a grinning wolf… it felt like it was grinning at me! And his eyes… our charm meant nothing! A man we cannot enchant! What kind of monster is he?!"
Quelenna stood silent for a long moment.
Then, slowly — very slowly — she smiled.
"You speak the truth, girl? A man in black who cannot be enchanted? With a dragon and an ice demon at his side? That's… impossible. The charm of a succubus affects even the Heroes! Completely on men, partially on women — but it works! There is only one being in this world we cannot enchant…"
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"…the Demon King."
And then the realization struck her like lightning. Her eyes widened, and a wild light ignited within them.
"The Demon King… where is the Demon King?" she whispered. "Black clothing… ice demon… dragon… immune to charm…"
Then she laughed.
Softly at first.
Then louder.
And louder.
Until it became a frenzy.
"Hahaha! I know where the Demon King is! I know WHO the Demon King is!"
The wounded demon stared at her in terror.
Quelenna spread her arms as if embracing an invisible lover.
"The Demon King is in the human Kingdom! He has infiltrated them! A Demon King can have only four Demon Generals! He grants the power of darkness to four warriors — the four pillars of shadow! Two are already on the island: Salamander and I! If that Ice Demon is the third, and the dragon the fourth… then everything fits!"
Her voice melted into a breathless whisper.
"The Demon King is none other than that special mage the humans call Young Wolf."
Then Quelenna fell to her knees, as if in prayer.
"At last I've found you… love of my life," she whispered. "You are the only one who can truly love me… not because of my charm. You are the only one who can understand me. The only one worthy of my heart."
Her voice trembled — not with fear, but with devotion.
"Oh, my Demon King… how I long for you. How I adore you. You are my destiny… my fate. At last I've found you. At last I can be happy."
The palace walls echoed her mad confession.
The Princess's Delusion
The wounded succubus was still trembling, but she managed to gather herself enough to continue.
"My Lady… could it truly be? But why would the Demon King be in the human Kingdom?"
Quelenna laughed — a sound both seductive and chilling.
"Isn't it obvious? To amuse himself! Hahaha!"
"But if he's right under the Heroes' noses… why doesn't he kill them?" the demon girl asked cautiously.
Quelenna's eyes flashed.
"Perhaps because it wouldn't entertain him. Perhaps the Hero isn't strong enough yet. Perhaps he wants a real fight… or a real love."