Is It Strange For A Succubus To Be Wearing Clothes?

Chapter 21

—–CROW—– 

Pleasant dreams… are like unexpected coincidences. The happiness and satisfaction felt in dreams are often perceived as natural and ordinary, like everyday life.  Because we don’t remember reality, we readily indulge in this happiness.  It’s only natural, in a way, since within a dream, we don’t recognize it as a dream.

That’s why many people so easily reveal their deepest fears and their most beautiful desires in their dreams.

“And that includes you, Officer Dan.”

On the night the Night Sea opened and the fog rolled in, while ordinary citizens trembled under their blankets, it wasn’t a particularly busy night for government Hunters.  In fact, it was a much quieter and more relaxing night than usual.  Once the barrier techniques were checked, there was practically nothing to do.  Unless some idiot wandered outside the barrier techniques, casualties were unlikely.

So, for government Hunters… especially for Officer Dan Ah-yeon, it was a rare opportunity for a comfortable and peaceful rest.

“Haaaah, I’m hungry.”

I’m hungry.

A succubus’s hunger comes on quite suddenly.  Humans feel hunger when they skip meals, but a succubus’s craving for essence and life force is quite irregular.  Even after expending a tremendous amount of essence hunting monsters and grotesque beings, I might not feel hungry for a week.  And sometimes, I’d feel hungry again just half a day after a meal.

If you ask what a succubus eats, I’ll answer this:

What you commonly imagine a succubus eats.

That’s exactly it.

What?

You’re asking if I consume the… essence of human men?

Ugh, why would I eat that?

Maybe an ordinary succubus would, but I’m the beautiful Empress.  Even when eating, I must be graceful, refined, and beautiful.

‘What kind of dream should I have today~’

I eat dreams.

I’m so hungry.

I’m so hungry today that my hands are trembling.

It’s not that I’m usually gluttonous.  I don’t need to eat food, but I enjoy the act of eating and savoring flavors.  However, life force and essence, the foundation of a succubus, are essential.

And the most vibrant and readily available source of human life force and essence is dreams.

‘Ah, of course, I could forcibly drain it through skin contact… but that would kill them.’

I’m a peaceful succubus who dislikes killing.

Except for ugly things, of course.

So, I spread my wings and flew through the night sky, arriving at a familiar place.

-Knock, knock, knock

Shilla Villa, 8th floor window.

Inside, a familiar face slept soundly.

I’m here~

“Officer Dan~ I’m here~ I’m heeeere~”

“…….”

I could see Officer Dan sleeping soundly beyond the window.  As a government Hunter, she looked exhausted from overwork.  She was in a deep sleep.

But Officer Dan, I’m here, you know?

If you don’t open the door, I’ll come in myself?

Actually, I would come in regardless of whether she answered or reacted, even if she explicitly told me not to.

-Click

I flicked my finger, and the window lock opened on its own.  Since I was constantly surrounded by life force and essence, I could use it to manipulate objects remotely, like telekinesis.

“Officer Dan, are you sleeping~?”

“…Kuu…”

“You are sleeping, right~?”

Sleeping Officer Dan was quite cute.  Her hair was tied up in a bun so it wouldn’t disturb her sleep, and she was wearing bear pajamas, completely one with her bed.

Huhuhu, I wonder if Officer Dan knows?

She probably doesn’t.

The tracking spell she placed on me only activated when I allowed it.  Normally, my inherent magic resistance and anti-magic rendered it dormant, preventing any alarms from going off.

It didn’t matter even if she knew.

What would she do?

I carefully untied my hair and folded my wings.  I tucked Officer Dan, sleeping soundly in her bed, tightly under her blanket.  If our skin touched too much while she was sleeping, I might accidentally drain not just her mana, but her lifespan as well.

I had to be careful.

Human life force, essence, and even lifespan were so sweet to me… I might make a mistake if I was too hungry.

“Lullaby~ lullaby~ sleep tight~”

“….”

“You are sleeping, right?  You are sleeping, right, Officer Dan?”

Okay.  She’s definitely asleep.

Then, I carefully lay down beside Officer Dan. Dust didn’t stick to the Succubus Empress, so it didn’t matter if I lay down in my suit.

“Well then, I’ll enjoy my meal.”

-Chomp.

I opened and closed my mouth.

Like taking a bite of ice cream.

And I closed my eyes.

What I saw wasn’t darkness.

An unfamiliar dream.

But a happy world where someone’s ideals and paradise were realized.

“Dreams are like fleeting paradises.”

A world within a dream, not reality.

A happy dream that I would see, hear, drink, savor, and consume.

Our Officer Dan’s pleasant dream.

“…Kuu…”

“Officer Dan is sleeping even in her dream?”

Well, she always said she wanted to sleep in.  The higher-ups kept calling her around, using her as a high-ranking Awakened, and whenever there was an incident involving Awakened or Gates, they always summoned her.

Actually, Officer Dan should only be focusing on me.

“Officer Dan~”

“Kyaa!”

Officer Dan woke up in her dream with a scream.

Then, the perspective shifted.

ㅡThe Gate incident has been resolved!

ㅡEveryone can now enjoy a happy and peaceful world!

ㅡWith the Gate’s resources, land, and materials intact, a world where no one has to work has arrived! I’m quitting my announcer job and going home to play!

“Wow! Woooow!”

Officer Dan cheered like a child.

Aha, so this was the world she dreamed of?

It did look like an ideal paradise.

People living peacefully, without having to work…

I turned my head again, and Officer Dan was at home, watching Hellflix, eating chicken spread out on a table, and giggling.

“Hehe, chicken, chicken…”

“…But why is the chicken green?”

That was strange.  Was there such a thing as green chicken?

And the green sauce had a faint chocolate scent, not just mint.

What a grotesque thing…

But Officer Dan seemed to be enjoying it.

And so, Officer Dan’s dream… shifted rapidly and capriciously.  It was a characteristic of dreams belonging to those who desired many things, those who were stressed.  It seemed Officer Dan had many desires.

She wanted peace, she wanted to rest, she wanted to spend her time leisurely, and she wanted everyone to live peaceful and happy lives like her.

“Huhuhu, she’s like a child.”

It was reassuring to see her usual cute self.

“Countless people yearn for paradise, and impossible wishes and ideals unfold naturally there.  Isn’t it amusing?”

Did villains who desired the world’s destruction only want that?

Did evildoers who wished for the end of the world and the collapse of Gates also imagine a world beyond that…

A world where they could peacefully farm alone in a quiet, ruined world?

Dreams fulfilled all desires.

That’s why, for the Succubus Empress, this place was both sustenance and paradise.

“In a world where even love isn’t eternal, what can claim immortality?  There must be an end for a new beginning, so we should be grateful even for a fleeting destiny.  Like…”

But dreams, even fleeting, could be eternal.

“Like your dream and paradise tonight.”

The sun set in paradise.

In the newly changed scenery, Officer Dan was smiling, holding someone’s hand.

That hand belonged to her parents…

Her friends…

And her future husband and children, their faces and appearances unclear.

Ah, I’m jealous.

Am I not there?

ㅡ“Jae-hee-nim! Did you have a good day?”

ㅡ“Yes~ I even took out the full garbage bags~”

ㅡ“Good job!”

Ah.

I… am there?

I was about to complain about not being there…

But I suddenly felt happy.

There was a place for me in Officer Dan’s peaceful and happy dream.

By the way, even in her dream, I was still me.

Beautiful.

Exactly like my real self. 100 percent… no, actually, my real self was much more beautiful and charming, but that version of me was good enough.

ㅡ“Gasp! You even sorted the food waste and plastic!? Jae-hee-nim! You did such a good job!!”

By the way, the scene of me properly disposing of garbage bags appearing in her dream and paradise…

Just how much did she yearn for this?

Did Officer Dan feel immense happiness just from me sorting the trash properly?

‘Does this mean she’s sad and angry that I can’t even handle garbage bags properly?’

Hmm, I suppose I should try to sort the trash myself from now on.

But I didn’t want to.

It wasn’t beautiful for the Succubus Empress to be holding garbage bags and fussing over recycling.

I couldn’t do anything that wasn’t beautiful.

Actually, I just didn’t want to.

ㅡ“Jae-hee-nim, you can do it properly even without me now, right?”

ㅡ“Of course.”

ㅡ“Promise me.  Even without me, you have to do well on your own. And… don’t do anything reckless.  Like when you’re with me…”

ㅡ“Don’t worry, Officer Dan.”

The me in her dream had a reliable expression.

But Officer Dan still looked somewhat uneasy.

“….”

Even without me…

Was she talking about a time when we would be separated, unable to see each other?

It seemed Officer Dan wanted me to live properly, like a human, even without her.

“If Officer Dan disappeared from my life… hmm, I don’t even want to imagine it.”

But wait a minute.

I hadn’t even imagined a life without Officer Dan, but Officer Dan was already considering a future without me?

‘I… don’t like that.’

Was she planning to leave me?

That’s absurd.

I hadn’t even considered parting with Officer Dan, and I wouldn’t even consider such a thing happening in my lifeㅡ

But Officer Dan wanted to leave me?

Dreams were manifestations of the subconscious and a place where personal desires were fulfilled, so could it be that Officer Dan disliked me?

Idon’tbelievethatyouwanttoleavemeright?Howcouldyou?YouknowhowmuchIlikeyou.RegardlessofhowIfeel,youreallyhatemeright?Thatcan’tbetrue.Ifthat’strue,IthinkI’dbeveryangrywithyou,OfficerDan.Sotellme,youdon’tthinkthatway,right?Ifyoudo,I’dhavetogetalittlemore…forceful,OfficerDan.So,so,so,so,so,so,so,so,so,so,so,so,so,so,so,so,so,so,so,so,so,soㅡ

[ㅡPull yourself together.]

Haa, I made a spectacle of myself.

I decided to abandon the idea of practicing recycling.  If I couldn’t even do that, Officer Dan would stay by my side, right?

Right?

So, for the Succubus Empress to touch garbage was clearly something I shouldn’t do.

Now, I’ve overstayed my welcome.

If I stayed here any longer… the dream itself would be filled with the scent of charm and arousal, turning into a wet dream.

I should leave at just the right time.

“I enjoyed my meal, Officer Dan.”

-Chomp.

The pleasant dream was delicious.

—–CROW—–