"The Succubus Breeding Plan?"
Kurose Akira narrowed his eyes, staring at the special commission that had just popped up before him, a wave of shock rolling through his chest. He reread the task description carefully, making sure he hadn't misunderstood anything.
[Special Commission: Succubus Breeding Plan!][Client: Mary][Recommended Level: 50][Description: The succubus race is facing an unprecedented crisis of extinction. Countless succubi have already perished at her hands. Now, a succubus named Mary has stepped forward, carrying the hope of reviving her people, determined to restart the Succubus Breeding Plan. However, to carry out this plan, a crucial artifact—the Succubus Collar—must be retrieved from the Lust Abyss Demon King's Castle.][Objective: Retrieve the Succubus Collar!][Reward: Promotion to D+ Rank Player Evaluation, Blue Recruitment Scroll ×1]
Akira stared at the description for a moment, then let out a long breath.
"Whew… good thing. For a second there, I thought they were going to make me personally contribute to the reproduction of the succubus race."
Even though his Holy Light had grown dramatically stronger with Ivsha's assistance, being single-handedly responsible for propagating an entire race was… probably giving him a bit too much credit.
"That 'she' mentioned in the description…" Akira muttered to himself. "Don't tell me it's referring to Idith?"
Setting that aside, the priority was clear—he needed to meet this succubus named Mary and gather more information about the commission.
There was, however, one detail that genuinely puzzled him.
Why was the key to helping succubi reproduce called a Succubus Collar?
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure out what kind of role a collar was supposed to play in something like that.
Lost in thought, Akira glanced around the guild hall.
Frey and Flora were currently undergoing the Elf Mother Tree's baptism and weren't present. As for Ivsha… because she looked far too similar to Idith, it would probably be best to avoid letting her interact with other succubi for now.
After some consideration, Akira decided to take Lucia with him to Black Rose Ancient City.
It would also be a good opportunity to talk with her properly—her personal character quest still hadn't made any progress.
According to the quest description, a letter related to Lucia's mysterious origins was hidden somewhere in Black Rose Ancient City. Beyond that vague clue, he knew nothing.
Akira walked over to her and said, "Lucia, come with me for a bit."
Lucia glanced at him, her cool tone carrying a hint of restrained anticipation. "Where to?"
"Black Rose Ancient City."
She said nothing more. She simply stood up and walked toward the teleportation array.
Akira followed, and the two of them stepped into the shimmering formation side by side.
A flash of blinding white light—
And they arrived in Black Rose Ancient City.
The familiar scenery unfolded before them once more. That black rose, blooming proudly, still made Akira pause to admire it. As one of the Seven Valkyrie Flowers, the Black Rose showed no signs of withering, unlike the White Rose.
Looks like Idith has already found a way to stop the flowers from dying, he thought.
"Let's go," Akira said, leading Lucia toward their meeting point.
Along the way, he casually asked, "Lucia, have you ever been to Black Rose Ancient City before?"
"I have," she replied succinctly.
"Oh? When?"
"With you."
Akira fell silent.
After a brief pause, he tried again. "And before that?"
"No." Lucia shook her head lightly. "Why?"
Akira nodded, his expression turning serious. "I have a quest related to you. According to the description, there's a letter hidden somewhere in this city…"
Before he could finish, Lucia's body trembled slightly.
Behind the veil, her gold-and-crimson eyes instantly deepened, locking onto Akira's face.
The next moment, a flash of golden light enveloped them both, forming a space completely isolated from the outside world.
"You're certain," Lucia asked solemnly, staring at him, "that there's a letter about me in Black Rose Ancient City?"
Akira nodded. "Yeah."
Lucia fell into silence.
For several minutes, her gaze shifted again and again, as if a fierce internal struggle were unfolding behind those eyes.
Finally, she lifted her head and met his gaze once more. Her gold-red eyes were filled with complicated emotions.
"Promise me one thing," she said softly.
"Go on."
"Don't read the contents of the letter."
"I can do that," Akira agreed without hesitation.
Hearing his answer, Lucia let out a small sigh of relief, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
"I think I know where the letter is. But now isn't the time to get it. Let's deal with what we came here for first. We'll retrieve it on our way back."
"That works," Akira replied, nodding.
Soon, they reached the agreed meeting place—a tavern.
There were only a few patrons inside, lending the place a quiet, almost peaceful atmosphere. Akira and Lucia chose a secluded corner, ordered two glasses of fruit juice, and waited for the succubus Mary to appear.
While waiting, Lucia seemed distracted, her focus drifting.
A few minutes later, a voice suddenly sounded beside Akira's ear.
"Are you the adventurers I hired?"
Akira froze and instinctively looked around—but saw no one.
He frowned slightly, confusion rising.
"Look down. Down there!" the voice urged again.
Akira lowered his gaze.
Under the table, a dark-purple bat clung there, its wings gently fluttering. The voice was coming from it.
"…You're Mary?" Akira asked.
The bat nodded. "That's right. Due to certain circumstances, it's inconvenient for me to meet you in my true form, so I can only communicate through my familiar."
Akira didn't really mind. His gaze drifted to the bat's back.
There was a striking red rose emblem imprinted there.
That rose—
Akira's pupils constricted.
He recognized it. It was Idith's mark.
So she's one of Idith's people?
At that moment, Mary suddenly recognized him as well.
"Wait—! You're the one who killed Sana!"
"Sana?" Akira's thoughts snapped back. He recalled the succubus from a previous quest—her name really had been Sana.
"…Forget it. That's all in the past anyway," Mary said coldly. "That idiot would've been killed by her sooner or later even if it hadn't been you. Same ending either way."
She then fixed Akira with a serious tone. "I need you to help me retrieve the Succubus Collar that Bluekai stole. It's being kept in the Lust Abyss Demon King's Castle."
Akira asked, "How do I get to the Abyss?"
"My magic is almost depleted," Mary explained, "but I can still barely send you directly there. You'll only get one chance—don't waste it."
She paused, then added, "Right now, Bluekai is leading his Demon King Army to carve a passage between the Abyss and the Magic Continent. It's the perfect opportunity."
Akira nodded thoughtfully.
He knew the Demon Cavern was the passage connecting the Abyss to the Magic Continent. That meant Bluekai was very likely the final boss of that ultra-high-difficulty dungeon.
"Does Idith know about this?" Akira suddenly asked.
Mary panicked the instant she heard Idith's name.
"You—you know Idith!?"
Everything she'd done had been behind Idith's back. If Idith found out…
Before she could finish that thought, a cool, languid voice cut through the tavern's quiet.
"Of course I know~"
Both Akira and Mary turned.
Idith was walking toward them, rose petals drifting down around her with every step.
Her mere presence seemed to drain all color from the surroundings.
"I'm doomed…!" Mary wailed internally.
She flapped her wings frantically, trying to escape—but the rose emblem on her back flared with crimson light, an invisible force yanking her back.
"Ahhh—!"
With a desperate cry, Mary fell, trembling, straight into Akira's arms.
Idith stepped forward gracefully, her fingers hooking a strand of rose-colored demonic energy and drawing the little bat before her.
She examined the shivering familiar with icy indifference.
"Mary," she said coolly, "care to explain yourself this time?"
"I was wrong! Lady Idith! I know I was wrong! Please, just this once—have mercy!" Mary begged.
Idith glanced at her coldly and parted her crimson lips.
"We'll deal with you properly when I get back."
With a flick of her finger, Mary dissolved into a cloud of red mist and vanished.
After handling her, Idith turned her attention to Akira and Lucia.
She sat down elegantly across from them, long legs crossing. Her scarlet dress swayed gently, perfectly outlining her flawless curves.
Looking at Akira, she smiled meaningfully.
"Your commission can continue," she said. "But now, the client is changing."
Akira met her gaze. "You want the Succubus Collar too?"
"You could say that." Idith lifted the glass of fruit juice in front of Akira, took a small sip, and continued calmly. "It's a treasure of the succubus race. Whoever possesses it can control an entire clan."
Her smile deepened slightly.
"But more importantly… I don't like seeing something that belongs to succubi left hidden away in a thief's den for so long."