The Hero Became a Succubus, and the Only Way to Level is to… What?!

As Kanae gazed upon the wreckage of Errenard DeSalle's ship, split down the middle and slowly sinking to the bottom of the ocean, a great relief washed over her. Ortesian sailors and infantry swam to the closest flotsam. The Knight of Gold flew to the ships that remained and ordered them to stop fighting, and Kanae did the same of her own forces. Cannon fire from Rown vessels quieted down. Clashing steel was replaced by weapons dropping to the ground.

Finally. At last. The war was over, and the Commonwealth of Sin had triumphed over the Empire of Ortesia with the help of the Demon Three's Alliance and Radevic.

Kanae snapped southwest. Another flotilla of ships were sailing this way. They flew the flag of the ocular cross. However, the ships weren't alone. A flock of succubi soared ahead of them, led by a succubus goblin no less.

"Mamaaaaa!" Teana shouted from afar.

The eldest daughter was joined by Mikki, Revah, Pan, and Daya. Behind them were a large number of Sisters from the Radevic and Lograin chapters commanded by the High Priestesses Meidina, Tabitha, and Eldora. Even Nelly was here, clinging to the mast at the base of the ship. They were all dressed for battle, too.

"We're here to fight! Tell us what to do, mom!" Pan exclaimed as the nearly 200 succubi stopped before her and awaited orders.

"If I remembered right, I told you girls to stay Radevic where it was safe. Didn't I raise you better than that?" Kanae folded her arms.

They shrunk a little.

"B-But the Commonwealth is our home!" Teana protested. "And—"

"Oh, cut them some slack. I'm sure they mean well, and it's good to see them again." Arenade came flying over with Kanade and Suvee in her arms.

Their jaws dropped. It was like they had laid eyes on a ghost. The girls' speechlessness, however, was short-lived.

"Auntie… is that really… you?" Teana asked as she choked up.

"Has it been that long that you don't recognize me? Who swaddled you, bathed you, took you for walks, and breastfed you while your mom was making brothel runs?" Arenade grinned.

"You could have left the last part out!" Kanae pouted.

"Auntie!" With tears in their eyes, Teana, Mikki, Revah, and Pan tackled Arenade in a group hug. Suvee and Kanade comforted them with pats on the head, but their combined weight had them plummeting to the foremost ship.

Kanae descended after them. Sailors had given them space as their reunion was met with inconsolable crying on the deck. It came to a pause when Nelly staggered up to them.

"Mother?" Nelly mumbled in a shakey voice.

"Come here, girls!" Kanae ordered her daughters over.

Teana ushered her sisters away, Suvee and Kanade included.

"Look at you, Nelly." Arenade rested both hands on her hips. "I thought enrolling you to Knights' Academy was supposed to shape you up? My son's back to being a crybaby like when we first met, buuut I suppose I'll cut you some slack this time."

"You better… I thought I lost my mom a second time! How is that fair?" Nelly started wailing as soon as Arenade wrapped her arms around him and patted his back.

"It's okay. We're together now." Kanade had broken off from the rest of her sisters to grab his hand.

The family dropped to their knees and held each other as they cried.

"Damn it, you two… I love you both so much!" Arenade was beginning to choke up, and she smothered Nelly and Kanade into her chest.

While they had their reunion, Kanae turned to her daughters. The four of them regarded her with the same sentimental look Nelly had for Arenade… until Kanae cast four Magic Hands to pull their ears with.

"Ow, ow, ow! Why, Mom?!" Pan cried.

"This is a war we're talking about, not a training field at Knights' Academy. Well, who's idea was it?" Kanae asked scoldingly.

Mikki, Revah, and Pan pointed to Teana. No hesitation.

"Hey! We agreed it was a group decision!" Teana complained.

Holy energy tickled Kanae's skin. Greater Holy Resistance had reduced it to a mere breeze against her.

"Your children are quite the handful, Amethyst. I, nor the Saint Priests and others, noticed them until we were in Port Kandis. By then, it was too late to send them back." Grand Eye Analise descended from the ship's helm.

The leader of Radevic was flanked by three Saint Priests— Delayn, Vestrid, and Ulric, the latter of which waved enthusiastically. As Kanae went to kneel, Analise lifted a hand to stop her. They exchanged nods instead.

"I think I have an idea how they managed to sneak through." Kanae glared at Revah, who promptly turned invisible with magic.

"We can forgive your children. Their spirit should be commended and is sorely needed in Aidenhall. They were also instrumental in helping us repel the empire occupying Port Kandis. We came intending to help, but I can't help but notice you had them on the retreat?" the Grand Eye asked.

"Oh, yeah! Tell us what to do, Mama. We can fight. We've been training!" Teana exclaimed.

"If-If anyone needs healing, I concocted plenty of potions to pass out!" Mikki had her pouch open and ready to distribute.

Everyone looked ready to fight. Well, Kanae's children did. Even Revah dropped invisibility and was raring to go. Only the Grand Eye and the Saint Priests beside her had caught on before they did.

"The thing is, girls… We already won," Kanae said.

"Eh?" Her daughters gaped.

"Man! I wanted to kick some ass!" Pan grumbled in disappointment.

The fighting might be over, but there was still plenty to do. Between the Sisters of Sin and the Queen-Mother's succubi, they swept across the surface of the sea picking up anyone still in the waters. Errenard DeSalle included, but the body of Ruedegard Ducante was nowhere to be found. It was possible the body sunk to the bottom of the sea. Ortesian forces were all disarmed and ordered to their knees on the decks of each ship. Gold was the only exception, and she refused to drop the Shifting Steel. Anyone who tried were quickly acquainted with a mouthful of ocean water and almost started another fight.

The leadership of each faction boarded Renya's Songstress, the largest ship around after DeSalle's Chosen Royale of the Supreme One sank.

"Ah!" Renya threw her arms out to welcome them aboard. "There's nothing better than seabreeze and gunpowder wafting up to your nose, and the sound of cannon fire in your ears. All that's missing is the losing captain's bloodcurling screams as I perform scrimshaw on his femur."

DeSalle gasped so hard that he started choking on his own spit.

"You will do no such thing to him," Grand Eye Analise said as she stepped on board alongside Kanae.

"Grand Eye!" DeSalle crawled up to her feet. "As an imperial squire city-state, you are beholden to the Empire of Ortesia. I command you to free me this instant and apprehend the lowly demons, succubi, and anyone allied to the Commonwealth!"

Analise stepped away and scoffed. "Grand Admiral DeSalle. You didn't even have the dignity of meeting me when your fleet made landfall on the continent. You make a bold request in place of the empire after besieging Radevic three times. First, during Gretchen Redbaron's rebellion; second, when Avaline von Cleisseldor ransacked the vault; and third, after we declined to send any more rations to their silly crusade. From this day forth, Radevic and the cities of the eastern continent withdraws from squireship. I think we will seek alliances…" She glanced to Kanae in particular. "Elsewhere."

"You're not going to get away with this. This invasion was only a small fraction of the empire's might!" he growled.

"Too bad the empire's navy is too crippled to send another army," Kanae taunted.

The Grand Eye shot a look to Petyr Stormcloud, the Knight of Gold. She was still a member of the Order of Colors, an order that served Radevic.

"You can stop glaring now. Take back the title and give it to someone else for all I care. But don't try to detain me. I will end you." Gold's piercing gaze made Delayn, Vestrid, and Ulric rest a hand on their weapons.

"Hmm. Gretchen was right. You're much more agreeable as a mute," Analise remarked in jest.

Gretchen stifled a laughter off to the side.

"Kuh…" Gold's left eye twitched.

After picking up as many people as possible from the water, they sailed back to Shard Coast to regroup with the others. The rest of the Rown ships stayed behind to shift through the wreckages and search for survivors. Unfortunately, Renya's Songstress was just as vulnerable as any ship when it came to the deadly coral bed, and smaller rafts wouldn't survive the violent waves slamming into the stones jutting out of the ocean.

The ship had to anchor at a distance before meeting a watery end. They had captive Viviren mages begin creating a teleportation circle between. In the meantime, succubi helped carry anyone who needed to be on shore to land.

As Kanae and Gold transported the defeated DeSalle, he became unusually animated.

"Where… Where are they? Those Pyrelle bastards left me!" DeSalle screamed.

Fighting at the high elven encampment in Windy Bog had stopped the moment they arrived, and not a moment too soon. Thousands were injured or worse. Esta and Feraline fought Darren to a standstill. Lady and Minestra were so exhausted, they had their backs pressed to each other while surrounded by Ortesian knights. 

"Put down your weapons!" Gold bellowed from above. "We have lost."

Darren sighed and fell backwards flat on the ground. The strength in the empire's forces vanished at once. They were also weary from fighting a war so far from home and on so little rations left to sustain themselves.

When Kanae's kids landed, Suvee began to frantically search the area.

"Where is she? I want to see my baby sister!" Suvee exclaimed, her tail flicking side to side.

"Sister?" Teana gasped.

"Right. You guys didn't get much of a chance to meet her yet. Feraline, come to me!" Kanae hollered.

The wild drakeling girl dashed over on all fours. Feraline was covered in dirt and blood stains, bruises, and cuts, but she didn't look more happy than now.

"Esta and I had a baby together. Meet your new little sister, Feraline. Go on. Meet your big sisters," Kanae urged her.

"Ouuhh! I'm a big sister!" Suvee ran up to Feraline and hugged her, pressing their chubby cheeks together.

"Awww! She's so cute!" Mikki cooed.

"Yeeaaaahhh! Our family keeps growing!" Pan joined them to meet their sister.

"Careful!" Esta warned. "Feraline can get violent when—"

In the midst of their hug pile, Feraline flashed a big smile and soaked their familial affection. Esta held her tongue to savor the warm sight instead.

"Just for the record," Edina began as she hobbled up to Kanae on the verge of dropping dead from exhaustion, "you ain't making a mama squirrel outta me. I'm choosing the celibate life!"

"Good. You're just going to pop out a baby with a gambling habit." Arenade rolled her eyes.

Kanae spotted the Grand Eye beckoning from a group that consisted of herself, Petyr, and Gretchen. They were loomed over DeSalle, wondering what to do with him.

"You should let me kill him," Petyr said.

"You're not killing the eldest son of House DeSalle." Analise groaned into her hand.

"Gretchen… my beloved. Please, tell me you're in there! Snap out of it and help me! We can return to Ortesia together!" DeSalle's pleas fell on deaf ears.

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear." Gretchen gazed upon him like one would a pile a crap. "I have no interest in you. I never had. I am not one to be bought and sold, nor a trophy to rest on your shelves like bottles of wine. You also could never satisfy me, unlike a…"

The next word lodged in her throat. She suddenly became bashful and twirled a lock of platinum hair.

Analise leaned next to Kanae and whispered, "I don't sense any magic effects on her. Did you release her from enthrallment?"

"DeSalle performed a ritual that severed the connection. Gretchen's technically of her own mind again," Kanae replied.

In fact, that Gretchen had escaped yet must mean that she wanted to stay. Their eyes met. The former archbishop bowed slightly in Kanae's direction.

The Grand Eye cleared her throat and put on a more stern tone. "We still have the international issue of Ortesia having invaded the Commonwealth and attacked Radevic. Errenard DeSalle, Avaline von Cleisseldor, Darren von Cleisseldor, and Petyr Stormcloud, as the commanding officers of this military offensive, the four will be incarcerated for the time being."

"Nope. Not happening. At least not me. Kanae promised me a castle and harem of incubi boys in exchange for an amicable end and cutting ties with Ortesia. You can't stop me even if you tried," Petyr dared her.

Kanae and Analise exchanged glances. The latter searched her for answers, and she nodded to confirm what Petyr had said.

"I did offer her all that," Kanae said. "I can't put her under a charm again either. It worked earlier because she lost the will to fight, but I'm probably, er… most likely going to die if I try anything now."

"You have no idea how much it bothers me that we cannot punish you for your hand in this war. Very well. Ortesia is at fault, and you are not an Ortesian any longer. I suppose there is no reason to try you for war crimes associated with the empire. Do we have your word that you will go quietly into peace?" Analise asked.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever an oathbreaker's word is worth." Petyr shrugged.

Kanae, Gretchen, and the Grand Eye squinted at the former Knight of Gold. They had won. So, why did it feel like she had won instead?

"Uhm… What now? I've never really fought in a war before until now. What's next on the list of things to do?" Kanae asked.

"I can't believe Ortesia lost to this." Petyr put a hand to her face.

"You and me both, Amethyst. I'm only six years into being Grand Eye. Now, a lot must happen. I ended the centuries-long alliance between Ortesia and Radevic, but we have you. Another summit must be held, this time with myself included to discuss the future of this continent. We have DeSalle, the Rook of Rotandrix, and her son to negotiate reparations with. Speaking of which… Where is Avaline von Cleisseldor?" Analise searched the area but Feraline's grandma was missing.

"If it's my mother you're looking for," Darren began as he was restrained and pushed up to them by Esta, "you're too late. She's already far into the sea bound for the empire."

"Traitors, all of them! They left me here to take the fall for their failure!" DeSalle shouted like a rabid animal.

"It was simply the order Lord Guillaume gave my mother: should Errenard DeSalle and Petyr Stormcloud fail to resurrect Ruedegard Ducante, bring the body back posthaste. Mother asked me to stay behind so you wouldn't suspect a thing. You didn't" he explained.

The color drained from DeSalle's face, and he was paler than a ghost.

"Should we go after them then?" Kanae asked.

"The sea is vast, Amethyst." Analise rested a hand on her shoulder. "This isn't a needle in the haystack. Their ship will be a strand of hair in a field of wheat. No. The empire may have scored a victory in retrieving the body. However, you are the true victors of this war. Their fleet is decimated. Their greatest knight has abandoned her post. Ortesia's houses will vie for power after House DeSalle and House Stormcloud suffered a humiliating defeat against the Commonwealth. We've bought ourselves years before the empire stabilizes and recovers. We will forge new alliances with the demons and succubi. DeSalle will tell us everything in time. For now, don't you think you've earned yourself a vacation?"

All the tension left Kanae's shoulders at once, and she only felt the Grand Eye's reassuring hand on her. A small laughter escaped her lips.

"I didn't know the Order of Colors received time-off. Even my last job didn't give me that. Yeah… I think I'd like a vacation." Kanae chuckled.